Gennie ignored the knocks on her door without hesitation. They kept coming, steady and loud, but she refused to move. She had already switched her phone to silent the moment it began ringing.Time slipped away as she focused on her work. When she finally completed the task in front of her, another knock came. She checked her phone, it was past noon.She stood up and headed to the door, already prepared to face whoever she assumed was outside. But when she opened it, she was caught off guard.It was not who she expected.They stared at each other for a few seconds before the visitor spoke.“Hi.”Gennie’s expression turned cold. “Listen, Bessie. I am in no mood for this. I kept my promise. I stayed away from you and Jamie. If this is not work-related, which I know it is not, please leave.”Bessie stepped inside without waiting for permission and shut the door behind her.“I do not know why you think so badly of me, but I came here for a reason,” she said.Gennie crossed her arms. “How a
"No, I do not. I am perfectly fine.""You are not!""What now, Lucy? Do you know my body more than I do?""You may know how your body feels better than I do, but you are not being honest with yourself.""Please stop this, Lucy. I do not have the energy for this right now. I feel too tired.""I do not need a doctor. I just need to rest a bit more. I will be fine.""You are still not going to eat? How will you get better?""I am not hungry. Besides, I cannot keep anything down, so there is no point in trying to eat."Lucy kept staring at her, but Genevieve looked away."Please pass the coffee. I am thirsty."Lucy finally gave in, reached for the mug of hot coffee, and handed it to Genevieve, who quietly said thank you and took it. Lucy watched closely as Genevieve lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip."Ugh!" she muttered, quickly placing the mug back on the table."What now?" Lucy crossed her arms."What did you put in it?""What do you mean by that?""It tastes off.""Genevieve?!"
Genevieve let out a sigh. "It is written all over your face that you do not feel well. So I am wondering what you are doing here." "Do you want me to call the doctor to come check on you? That might be better since you hate going to the hospital.""You are giving me a headache, Lucy.""I just want to make sure you are okay.""I am fine, I promise.""That is hard to believe. Your eyes look tired and your clothes are too plain today. That is not like you. You usually dress like you are trying to blind us with your outfits.""Then I guess the problem is yours if you do not believe I am alright.""I will leave you alone for now. But if you do not feel any better in the next two hours, I am sending you home."Even though she looked weak, Genevieve still managed to throw Lucy a sharp look."You can say whatever you want, but I will not apologise for caring too much.""What do you want for breakfast?""I have already eaten."Lucy quietly reached into her handbag, took out her phone, and st
Six Weeks Later Just like the day before, Genevieve woke up feeling sick. She jumped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. Kneeling in front of the toilet, she emptied her stomach until she felt like she couldn’t anymore. When it finally stopped, she sat on the cold tile floor, breathing hard and completely drained of energy. After a few minutes, the dizzy feeling passed. She stood up, cleaned herself, and stepped into the shower, hoping the water would help her feel more alive. She stayed there longer than usual. When she got out, she dried off and walked to her closet. Not in the mood to think too much, she grabbed the first black dress she saw and slipped into it. With her bag in hand, she left the room. At the dining table, her little boy looked up and smiled brightly. “Mommy!” Jasper was dressed for school, swinging his legs as he ate his breakfast. “Good morning, ma,” Gloria, the nanny, greeted her. “Morning,” Genevieve replied, managing a weak smile as she joined th
A man and woman were walking out of the arrivals area. They looked about the same age, probably in their thirties. It wasn’t clear whether they were a couple or siblings, but right between them was a small figure that stopped Alex cold.Jasper.Her little face lit up when she spotted someone else. She immediately let go of the adults and ran toward a person standing a few feet away. That person crouched down, arms open.Alex watched silently as the son threw herself into the woman’s arms. The hug was long and warm. The woman kissed Jasper’s cheek, smiling as they started chatting happily.Alex’s jaw tightened.It was Gennie.Seeing her embrace their son filled him with emotions he didn’t expect, joy, sadness, and then jealousy. A deep, burning kind that made his chest ache.He left his luggage where it was and started walking toward them without thinking. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but he couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.Gennie was still crouched before Jasper,
"Back then, all I had to do was snap my fingers and sons would come running," Alex said with a dry laugh. "But Gennie... she wasn’t like the others. I saw her almost every day, yet she didn’t try to flirt or get my attention." He paused, frowning. "I started wondering, was I losing my charm? Why wasn’t she into me? I didn’t know what was going on or how to handle it." "I couldn’t even talk to my friends about it. I had a name to protect." Alex let out a long breath. "She really put me through a lot." Bessie laughed softly. "So what did you do?" "You won’t believe this, I spent hours on YouTube watching how-to videos on winning a son’s heart." "You didn’t!" Bessie burst out laughing. "Oh, I did," he grinned, shaking his head. "It sounds ridiculous now, but when you really like someone, it changes you." "I tried everything I could think of. Honestly, I almost gave up. But the thought of someone else having her? That kept me going." "It took months before she agreed to go out