A night of heartbreak. A stranger in the dark. A secret that will change everything. When Tilda Grant discovers she was pregnant, her life became in danger. Tilda had already lost everything to her husband, James. James had secretly divorced her and was having a secret affair with her half-sister, Kristie. Tilda was devastated and the night she got drunk, she ended up on the bed of a stranger. She flee, and five years later, she returns, a determined single mother of quadruplets, ready to rebuild her life and uncover the pressing secret of the paternity of her kids. She never expected to cross paths with Oscar Gray, a cold yet dangerously captivating businessman—nor did she know he was connected to her past in ways she couldn't imagine. Oscar Gray must honor his grandfather, and make Tilda his wife. Just as Tilda begins to open her heart again, James resurfaces, claiming the children as his own. In a dramatic twist, Tilda discovers that Oscar Gray is the stranger from that night. Now, caught between two powerful men—one who deceived her, and one who unknowingly changed her life—Tilda must fight for her family, her love, and the truth. Will she trust Oscar, the man who was always meant to be hers? Or will James steal her future just as he stole her past?
view moreTILDA
The noise from downstairs signaled James’s arrival, and hurriedly, I ran down the staircase to welcome him with the great news. At last, we could have our own child, something we had both always wanted.
Stepping into the living room, I froze instantly.
There, sprawled across the couch, was my husband, James—naked and tangled in the arms of my half-sister, Kristie.
A sharp pain tore through my chest at the gut-wrenching sight, and my vision became blurred. Slowly, hot tears spilled down my cheeks, each one burning with betrayal.
But they didn’t stop; they acted like I was invisible, giggling and moaning as they carried on with their disgraceful act.
It can't be James and Kristie, they were the two people closest to me. I trusted them with everything.
Suddenly the air turned suffocating, and all I wanted was to get away. Surely, my imagination was playing with my head. James cannot betray me; the love we share was too strong.
Moments later, I was all alone, wandering in the street, and mumbling.
Why? My heart was bleeding, trembling, cracking and shattering at the same time.
“Hello, my lady,” a young man approached me from behind.
My first reaction was to scream, *go away* but helpless, I fell into his strong arms, surrendering. His warmth masculine smell providing the comfort I so much desired.
“I don’t deserve this,” I sobbed.
“I know you don’t, Tilda,” he whispered.
My body stiffened. How did the stranger know my name? However, I was drunk, way too drunk to care.
“You shouldn’t let go of yourself this way?” he said, worry laced in his tone.
“Kristie was supposed to be my sister,” I whispered. “I shared everything with her. Why would she do this? Why with James?”
He sighed. “They are the losers here, Tilda. It is late and you shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”
I never expected an answer, at least not from him. But his voice felt soothing, reassuring. Something in it that made me trust him. “Please take me, I want to be far from them,” I begged, clutching on to him tightly.
The next morning, I woke up in an unfamiliar room with an uneasy feeling.
“What am I doing here?” I glanced around, my memory a haze, my body tense.
I took the note on the table and stared at the words.
*Wait for me, Tilda. I will be back soon.*
My pulse quickened. Who was he? I needed to leave this place, and ignoring the servants who tried to stop me, I rushed home. It was just a bad night, and everything would return to normal as soon as I am with James again.
But the moment Kristie opened the door, the unease resurfaced.
“What do you want here, Tilda?” she sneered.
I frowned. “Kristie, why are you here so early?”
She scoffed. “You reeked of alcohol, Tilda, return back to where you came from.”
“Oh, Kristie, I think something is messing with my head,” I confided in her, my eyes probing for James. I was supposed to be the perfect wife, how did I get drunk and find myself on the bed of a stranger? “Where is my husband?”
“You returned, Tilda.” James appeared at the top of the staircase, dressed in pajamas, a cigarette dangling between his fingers.
“We thought you will never do.” He sounded indifferent as he made his way down the stairs.
I felt an instant relief by his presence. “James, I don’t know what happened, nothing seems to be making sense anymore.”
I rushed towards him, but Kristie stepped forwards, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Kristie,” I stuttered, glaring at her. She jokes too much, and so I turned to James. “I can explain everything, James. This morning...”
James cut in. “It will all make sense soon, Tilda.” He exhaled a puff of smoke.
“I swear I don’t know, I woke up and... and,” I hesitated.
As much as I tried, last night remained a hazy blur. My stomach twisted. “This isn’t real. It’s all in my dream. Soon I will wake and it will be alright.”
“You want to know what’s real,” Kristie chuckled, placing her hand on her stomach. Her eyes gleaming with triumph. “I’m pregnant. James and I are having a baby,” she announced.
“Kristie,” my voice suddenly became hoarse. “He is... my husband...”
James scoffed, glaring at me with revulsion. “It has always been your fault, Tilda. All these years you kept me childless. I have Kristie now.”
I held my head, it was pounding fast. Memories from last night, the ones I had been desperate to escape, came flooding in. I had seen them, James and Kristie, on this couch, making love. I got myself drunk as a result.
Then the stranger from last night, he too was real. Who was he and how did he know so much about me?
Tears flowed freely.
“Yes Tilda, no one wants a barren woman. Real women like me should have the men,” Kristie ridiculed me.
In my desperation, I reached for James, grabbing his hand. “But I went to the doctor yesterday, James. We can fix this and I will carry your child. I was going to give you the news. The IVF this time is with guaranteed result. You don’t have to wait anymore.”
“You’ve got your chance, Tilda. Now I don’t want you no more. Leave and never come back,” James pushed me hard, sending me crushing on the floor.
I recoiled in fear, scared of what he might do next. Nevertheless, as tears blurred my vision, I begged earnestly. “I got nowhere, Please don’t send me away, James.”
“No one wants you, Tilda,” Kristie spat. “Leave you pathetic fool.”
I scrambled to my feet. “I did everything for you, James. I can do more. Please don’t do this.”
He looked away like I wasn’t even there.
The intensity of my desperation increased. “We can fix this and pretend it never happened. I know you are disappointed in me, but this time will be different.”
A slow smirk curled on his lips. “We are already divorced, stupid. You signed the papers.”
James was in charge of everything I owned, and all along, I signed whatever document he brings without a second glance. He tricked me.
My blood turned cold. “No, I didn’t...” the words caught in my throat.
Kristie tossed a stack of papers at me. “Here,” she said smugly. “Your divorce papers. You don’t belong here anymore.”
I trembled as I unfolded them, my eyes darting across the words. It was real, and James had taken everything.
My world shattered.
A choked sob escaped my lips as darkness closed in. The last thing I heard before everything faded was Kristie’s victorious laughter.
And then, I collapsed.
OSCAR GRAY “Okay, I get it,” Grandpa said for what must have been the tenth time that evening. “Alicia entered, and Tilda ran off.” He paused at the exact spot he always did, just as he had every other time he retold the story—like he couldn’t believe it, like he was still trying to give me one last chance to make it right.He gave me a hard look, his eyes lined with disappointment. “No, that’s not it. You did nothing and watched her leave—after hearing the truth from Alicia. Then, somehow, she made it back to her place before you, even though you used the restricted lane. And by the time you got there, she had already left with the quadruplets… who turned out to be hers.”His stare was unwavering, burning straight through me. Then, just like clockwork, he asked again, “Tell me, boy—how long did it take you to finally start looking for her?”I opened my mouth to reply, but he didn’t wait.“You say you tried. You say you’ve been sear
TILDAThe horrible smell from the truck was the least of our problems. There was nowhere to properly rest, and the kids made do with the broken plank, Diamond already curled up and sleeping with her head resting on Denzel’s thighs.“Mom, some insects are biting me,” she whimpered.“Come here, dear,” I reached out and lifted her gently into my arms. “You have to manage for now, okay? This won’t last forever.”“But can’t we go in already, please? I really want to lie on a bed,” she pleaded, her voice soft and tired.Her words pierced through me. I wanted nothing more than to grant that simple request. But I knew James too well to take chances—not now.“Don’t worry, Princess,” I soothed her, brushing her hair back. “As soon as it gets a little darker, we’ll go in. I promise.”Miranda sighed. “Maybe we should’ve brought our phones. I could’ve called Grace first. If you’re so worried about James, hearing from her would’ve helped. With her assurance, we’d be inside already.”I shook my head
OSCAR GRAY“This is all your doing, Alicia,” I snapped, breath ragged. The mere sight of her churned my stomach with disgust.She raised her eyebrows in mock innocence. “Me? No, Oscar. I’m not the one trying to force you to raise someone else’s bastards.”Eddy came downstairs then, holding his phone in one hand. His voice was grave.“Sir, I think… I think she’s moved. The kids too. It seems they packed the important stuffs and moved.”My heart sank. “No. No, that’s not possible,” I whispered, staggered.It all started to make sense—the timing of the move, how distant she had suddenly become, how I never got to see the kids and her together at the party. I should have realized. I should’ve known.Didn’t she trust me enough to tell me about them?“She’s been exposed,” Alicia said triumphantly. “Of course she ran. That’s what she’s good at—running and hiding.”I ignored her taunts and turned to Eddy, my eyes burning.“We must find her. Where would she go with the kids? She can’t just van
TILDAWithin minutes, we had gathered almost everything we needed and assembled in the sitting room, each of us holding onto a piece of our hurried escape.“Where are my things?” I asked Miranda, glancing around.“Just this,” she handed me a small travel bag. “I couldn’t pack much. There just wasn’t enough time.”I unzipped the bag and rummaged through it. The first thing I pulled out was the red satin dress—Oscar’s gift. Without hesitation, I dropped it onto the sofa.Miranda’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Tilda! What are you doing?” she asked, her voice tinged with alarm. “You’re not just going to leave those behind, are you?”I kept my expression blank as I continued to pull out the rest of the items Oscar had given me—jewelry, the white rose, the teddy—and placed them all beside the dress.“He should have them,” I replied coldly. “He’ll find them when he gets here.”“But... um... maybe you should just take them,” she suggested, more gently this time.I turned and gave her a look th
TILDAIt was all falling apart—and I never saw it coming.Oscar had taken me for a fool. There was no other explanation. What kind of twisted game had he been playing? Why would he attempt to propose to me while still involved with Alicia?She had lived with him, cared for him, and had even been by his side when I thought I was the only one. She said all of this right in front of him—and he hadn’t even tried to deny a single word.I sped down the highway, ignoring the traffic signs and honking horns. My hands gripped the wheel tightly, fury and heartbreak battling inside me.If only Oscar had been honest. If only he had warned me that Alicia was back—or that she had never truly left—I could have handled this differently. I wouldn’t have felt so blindsided, so utterly humiliated.And now James and Kristie likely knew where I was. All thanks to Oscar. Everything I had tried to shield the kids from was about to catch up with us.I parked a block away from the house and jumped out before
OSCAR GRAYI dashed off, not caring about the curious stares from my workers. Let them watch—I didn’t care. Tilda didn’t need to run anymore. I was here now, and James couldn’t hurt her. I’d protect her with everything I had—everything.If anyone should be scared, it should be James and Kristie. They were the ones who wronged her. They were the ones who ought to feel shame, not Tilda.I knew the truth. Tilda never pushed me to go after Petal Towers. If anything, she made me return the house at Whalelane Quarters—for Shantel’s sake, a little girl she didn’t even owe anything to. That was who she was. Tilda was the victim, not the villain.“Tilda!” I shouted, waiting desperately for the elevator.“Sir, is something wrong?” Sam appeared behind me, concerned.I didn’t answer. I shoved past him. The elevator was too slow—I couldn’t afford to waste another second. I sprinted toward the stairs.My heart pounded violently in my chest as I flew down the steps, terror gripping me. What if... wh
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