PEDRO‘Liam... Selena's baby boy, Liam. He's my son, and they're coming home with me. I'm coming back to the city with my family.’I remembered my words to Roy, my best friend over the phone when I packed little Liam's bags earlier. I still couldn't believe it that the sweet little boy was mine. Selena had a son for me. She loved me, she cherished what we had years ago and decided to keep my baby.“Hey, good to see you too.” I grinned, then stepped out of the car to fetch my son from the backseat."Hey there, Papa Liam," Roy taunted, walking out of my apartment with two glasses of booze in his hands."How did you get in?" I asked, cradling my son gently on my shoulder as I reached for the glass of booze from Roy's hand. He seemed more interested in looking at my son than handing me the drink."I still can't believe we're both fathers now," Roy chuckled, raising his glass in a toast. I clinked my glass against his, and for a moment, it all felt like a dream."Cheers to fatherhood," I
SELENA "Selena, repeat after me," the officiant said, his voice clear and steady. My eyes darted from the diamond ring in my hand to the beaming face of Pedro, who never seemed to stop smiling. “I, Selena Leah Empress, take you, Pedro Joshua Lopez…” “I, Selena Leah Empress, take you, Pedro Joshua Lopez…” the words felt so foreign on my lips. “To be my husband, through the good times and bad. Through successes and struggles…” A lone tear rolled down my eyes as I stared at the ring on my finger. “To be my husband, through the good times and bad. Through successes and struggles…” my lips parted in a smile. I didn't realized he meant it when he was asking about marriage the previous night. It's happening. I would be officially married to Pedro Lopez, in a matter of minutes. I would be married to the first and the only man I had ever been in love with. “Through richer and poorer, and in sickness and health, I will treasure you for as long as we both shall live.” As I recited the vo
S E L E N A As the car pulled up in front of the apartment, my heart skipped a beat. A wave of anxiety washed over me, my fingers tightening into a fist as I watched the car come to a stop. My heart was racing, my breath quickening as I prepared myself for what was to come. For what was to become my fate in the city I had been running from.Who would have thought that I'd be back in this city, the one I had sworn never to return to, all for the sake of work? “M-Mommy!” little Liam called out to me from the backseat, my head spun to look at my baby whose face reminded me of his father, the man who made me leave the city without looking back.Liam's distinct features, especially his rare purple eyes, would make it obvious to anyone in the city that he was the father. The thought of him taking my baby away from me when our paths crossed sent shivers down my spine. I imagined him snatching my baby out of my arms and running off into the distance, leaving me empty-handed and heartbroken
P E D R OI looked over the last report of the day, and a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. The stress of the long hours and the mountain of paperwork had taken its toll, and my head felt like it was going to burst. I was in the middle of a particularly stressful report when a loud knock at the door jarred me out of my concentration. My head was already pounding, and the sound of the knock felt like someone was slamming an anvil against my skull. I let out a frustrated hiss and yanked my glasses off my face, glancing at the door with a scowl. “Whoever's out there, just come in,” I groaned, tossing my glasses onto the pile of files in front of me. My head dropped to my chest as I rubbed my temples, trying to massage away the tension. I was in no mood for a visitor, but I knew they would just keep knocking if I didn't say something. So I just resigned myself to my fate and waited for them to enter. With a soft creak, the door opened and my secretary stepped inside. His face was pinc
S E L E N A I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the world and stop time from moving forward. But no matter how hard I wished, I knew it was futile. The hands of the clock would keep turning, the minutes would keep ticking by, and there was nothing I could do to change that. I felt like I was trapped, suspended in a moment that I couldn't escape. It was a bitter feeling, knowing that I couldn't escape the fate that had already been designed for me.Christopher must have sensed my nervousness, I felt his gentle hand take hold of mine, intertwining our fingers. I looked down to see his reassuring gaze, a soft smile playing on his lips. He brushed his thumb against the back of my hand, a small gesture that sent waves of comfort through me. At that moment, I knew I wasn't alone. I have him, a stranger who turned brother overnight.“Lena, are you okay?” he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur. I could barely hear him, but I knew what he was asking. I opened my mouth to answer, but
S E L E N AWithout a moment's hesitation, he reached out and cupped my cheek with his hand. His eyes were locked on mine, filled with an emotion I couldn't quite place. His face was frozen in a look of complete surprise as if he couldn't quite believe what was happening. And then, I heard it - the steady, rapid beat of his heart. It was pounding so hard, it was like it might burst out of his chest. At that moment, I knew that he was just as affected by this moment as I was. "Selena, is it really you?" he asked, his voice quivering as his thumb traced my cheekbone. I could feel the warmth of his skin against mine, and I knew at that moment that my heart was in trouble with how hard it was beating against my chest.I was speechless, my mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions. I stood there, frozen in place, my eyes fixed on him. This wasn't what I had expected. I thought he would ignore me, pretend like he didn't know me. But here he was, right in front of me, asking if it was really m
S E L E N A“Chrissy,” I gasped, trying to get his attention. But he just tightened his grip on my wrist, pulling me along with him towards the door. “Wait,” I pleaded, “you can't just end the contract, we'd be the one at a loss.”Christopher paused, making me come to an abrupt stop. His head snapped at me, and for a moment, I thought he might listen, he might reconsider. But his eyes were still hard, his jaw set.“Screw the contract!” he shrieked, his voice full of rage. I felt my heart skip a beat, my breath catching in my throat. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, couldn't comprehend his words. “I can't let him keep messing with you, just because of some stupid piece of paper.”I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. I didn't know what to say, or how to respond. I was stunned, speechless.As Christopher dragged me away, I couldn't help but look back at Pedro. His eyes were fixed on me, a look of hurt and anger plastered on his face. Seeing the pain on his face, I felt my heart
P E D R OI didn't even realize how long I'd been standing there, with my hand pressed to my face until Secretary Roy appeared at my side and gently guided me to a seat. I sank into it gratefully, my legs trembling beneath me. I felt completely drained as if all the energy had been sucked out of me.The whole encounter with Selena had felt like a dream - Selena's coldness towards me, the way she'd denied ever knowing me. It had all felt so impossible, so removed from reality. And yet, here I was, sitting in a chair, my entire body shaking with the aftermath.I felt like I was in a waking nightmare, my mind struggling to process what had just happened. How could the woman I'd loved, the woman I'd thought loved me, treat me like a stranger? It was more than I could comprehend.“It was Selena. She's my Selena and I could swear she remember me.” I mumbled, my breath was shaking as I stared into space.“She denied knowing me after everything we had together?” I gasped, my hands were trembli