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Forty-nine
El is asleep on the couch when I arrive home. I dump my belongings and squat in front of her. Her lashes flutter but she doesn’t wake. A smile flits to my lips as I observe my wife. I peck her lips, she sighs softly and rolls to her side. Maybe she is tired. Gently shaking her awake, I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.
Her eyes open, she blinks morosely for a few seconds until my presence registers. “Hey,” she says as she gets into a sitting position. I slip my arms around her waist. Her eyes dart to the wall clock. “You’re late.”
“Yeah. I lost track of time.” She nods, rubbing the back of her hand against her eyes. “They are asleep?” I motion to the stairs, she nods again. I squeeze her butt, bury my face in her chest. “Baby. Sorry I'm late.”
Ed might need to return to work tomorrow because I can’t deal with the unfiltered calls and emails. The young man deserves extra
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Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty
El doesn’t call or text me. Neither do I. I slip the phone inside my breast pocket, tired of waiting for a call I am sure will never come. It fucking stings. Staring at the phone, hoping for a text or a missed call from her. It won’t come but I keep hoping, checking. Less than a week apart from her and it feels like the end.The conversation would have ended differently if we weren’t so intent on hurting each other. I didn’t lie. She’s a flee or flight woman. I need her to be my ride or die. I am her ride or die, together forever.God. This is fucking it. The end of our love story. Good things really don’t last. We didn’t even get up to eight months like last time. I stare at the roof of the car until it blurs, my eyes sting from trying not to break down.El hates me. She fucking hates me.I rub circles on Wyn’s back absentmindedly, careful not to rumple her uniform. Another sigh esca
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-one
Everything is slow. Time seems to be taking a break. I collapse on my seat, brows knitted together. A lot of thoughts contest for space in my mind, my heart shrinks as Bren’s voice echoes in my head and a new wave of anger for El uncoils inside me. Bren thought it was their fault. Does Wyn also think that way? I straighten up at the sound of my phone going off. It is a text from Ava. To check up on me, find out the reason I skipped today’s session. I place the phone face down without replying her. If I want to feel good about myself, I will let her know. Monsters don’t need to feel good. I need to be punished for making my little girl cry. She didn’t even kiss me goodbye. That’s what makes it worse. Bren never gets that angry. Tempted to call El to beg for her forgiveness and another chance with us as a family, I turn on my laptop. El doesn’t need an apology from me. It doesn’t matter whatever I do or say, I will always remain less of a man than T. Does she eve
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-two
The house feels empty without the girls. By Monday morning, I’m rushing out of the house like an intern on his first day of work. Once I walk in through the doors, the familiar walls of the office and the minty smell eases some of my discomfort.I will always be welcomed here.Minutes after settling in, I dial Sophia’s number. It goes straight to voicemail. She went out with Vincent twice. On Friday and Saturday. She needs to have good news for me. I need some relief in this storm.El is still mad at me. I won’t get to see my girls till Friday morning. I redial Sophia’s number but it’s the same response. Eyes narrowed at the door, my fingers drum on the desk. She is a paediatrician, she’s busy. But she told me she will be here this morning. I wait another five minutes, then try again.Sophia picks on the third ring. I hear nothing from the other end and an uncertain feeling fleets through me. &ld
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-three
Brianna is awake.I race out of the office with Sophia hot on my heels, desperate to know what’s up. El’s voice swims in my head, forming a thick cloak over me. Anticipation curls my insides, I almost miss a step on my way out.My baby is awake.At the garage, I pat my pockets for the keys. Nothing. Where’s my briefcase? I groan, patting my pockets for the second time with more care as if the keys will magically appear. It does. I pull the bunch out, arm trembling as I try to hit the unlock button on the fob. I miss it the same way I missed the keys the first time.The fob drops from my hand, Sophia picks it to open the door. Inside the car, shook and unable to move with my hands tightened around the steering, I stare into space. By awake, she means not asleep, right? Not the false alarm that happened last time.“What happened?” Sophia asks once she slides into the passenger seat.&
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-four
The neurologist Sophia referred to us is kind. The test results and brain scans came back okay. No brain damage which is something to be thankful for but the bulk of work lies on us. We have to retrain her to do the littlest things. She can’t even hold a spoon. Walking is impossible for now. She’s a human jelly.Brianna might be fourteen but her brain is not, same as her body. It’s like having a kid in a teen’s body. On some days, the coma seems like a better option. And it gets harder to follow the sequences. Sitting education comes before standing, I didn’t realise how tiresome it would be to teach a person to sit.Sitting is so normal for an average human that I’m stunned each time I have to hold Brianna up in her wheelchair. She can’t sit straight. But the occupational therapist promises it’s normal. It will take time.I have a newfound respect for everyone, especially the therapists we have been working with.
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-five
Boundaries. I am respecting boundaries. It is what I tell myself as I pick my phone to call Lydia and have her dismiss the applicants waiting. It is the same thing I say as I tuck Brianna in bed. I smoothen the hair out of her forehead and place a kiss on her cheek. Her head rolls to the side, she blinks sleepily at me.“Hello,” I murmur, pushing back the urge to crawl in bed with her. “Daddy loves you.”“Hello,” she whispers in a scratchy voice. Her eyelids droop and her breathing evens out. She is asleep.Wait. She spoke.Brianna spoke.The realisation washes over me, my breath rushes out in shallow puffs. I thread my fingers into my hair and stare at my baby girl in awe. She fucking talked. If I left with El, I would have missed this.Tears of joy stand in my eyes, I bounce out of her room to mine. Holy fuck. She spoke to me.After a phone call to the physiotherapist and a
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-six
El spins to face me, eyes ablaze with fury. She crosses her arms under her breasts, giving me a healthy glimpse of them. A lump wedges in my throat. I miss sucking her boobs. Playing with them.Can’t we fuck and make up?She stretches her hand to the door. “You should leave.”I cock my head, my eyes do a lazy sweep across her body. Her muscles lose some of their tension. “No.”She scoffs. “You can’t be in here.”“But I’m already here.”“Brandon.”“Elna.”A frustrated sigh leaves her, she grabs her purse and I cover the distance before she thinks of escaping. Trapping her between my body and the sink, I trail a finger across her collarbone. She sucks in a breath and looks up to me. The heat from her body warms me, sends a burning sensation pulsing through me.“You danced with T,” I whisper, p
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Fifty-seven
We are back to zero point. I am back to living in my house. The doctors said it was okay to move Brianna so I brought her home with me. She needed to leave that place anyway. It holds bad memories.My fingers tangle in my hair as I try to make sense of the designs staring back at me. It made sense in my head until I put it down. Ed attested to its nicety or did he say that to please me? I slide down the seat, hands dangling from the sides of the swivel chair. There’s a lot of adjustments to make. But I don’t feel like doing anything.The walls of my office seem to close in on me, I loosen my tie and stagger to the girls’ empty office. The respite is short-lived as I lower myself to the couch. I squeeze a toy frog as the memory comes rushing back. El was pissed. It didn’t matter what I had to say in my defense, she was not hearing it. That woman walked right out of that place with T.Dude didn’t even flinch when El came o
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