تسجيل الدخولJADEN.To my surprise, Derek wasn't raising his voice, nor was he coiled to swing at me. He just looked at me with an expression I didn't have a quick name for and said, "Can I come in? We need to talk."I stepped back and let him through.He walked into the sitting room without taking off his jacket. He stood in the middle of the room for a moment, looking at nothing specific, and I got the impression he was deciding where to start."Derek..." I called softly, not wanting to trigger any kind of fights tonight.He was quiet for a while with his back still turned to me, before he spoke."When did it start?"I didn't need to play the ignorant card anymore. Crystal must have opened up to him. And even if she hadn't, then I'll be the one to gladly do it."Since she was nineteen," I said. "Nothing happened then. It started properly when she turned twenty."He absorbed that. His head dropped slightly, and he let out a long, slow exhale through his nose, "Her birthday party," he said."Yes."
CRYSTAL.“I spoke to my contact about the cake this morning,” Noah started, his voice dropping to something quieter. He was almost glowing. He looked like a man assembling a future he’d wanted for a long time and could finally see the shape of it. “There’s a spot for us on their schedule, if we confirm by Friday. They are the best. I think you’d love it.”“Noah…”“I know. I know your parents already have the best caterers for the job.” He turned to face me fully, resting his arm along the back of the couch. “But we also need to do certain things ourselves, and honestly, I don’t hate the idea of making it all real. Something that actually means something to us.”I wrapped both hands tighter around the mug.Something that means something.“We should talk about this properly,” I said carefully. “Just the two of us. Sit down and—”“What color scheme do you want? Because I was thinking white and sage green. Classic but not boring. It mustn’t be what Tessa wants, you know? It’s not too late
CRYSTAL."I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to free myself from his grip, but to no avail."Oh, you know too well what I'm talking about, Crystal," he breathed, seething with untamed anger. "Nica. You know her, don't you?"My heart gave a loud thud that, if he had listened closely, he would have heard it.I whimpered, and he left my throat immediately, spinning around and grabbing a fistful of his hair."Fuck!"I coughed."How could you?" He turned back to face me. "How could you do that to an innocent child? Huh?""You don't have the right to judge me, Jaden," I finally said after catching my breath. "You don't get to! Not after everything you did to me in the past!"He laughed, but it was broken and strained, "And you think it justifies what you did?""What did you expect? I could barely feed myself. I had no one. No job. No support. Nothing!" I yelled, "Raising Jason was extremely difficult, and I almost gave up countless times along the way. Imagine raising two babi
CRYSTAL.I hesitated, "Get lost." I turned to leave."Get the fuck in, Crystal. Otherwise, you wouldn't like the drama that'll follow," He warned through clenched teeth.Dad was certainly back. And the last thing I needed right now was a repeat of our trip to the hospital.I glared at him before getting into the car."What..."He didn't let me finish. He just drove off at full speed."Jesus, Jaden! You'll get us killed!" I screamed when he kept driving like he was in a car race, "What the hell is wrong with you? Stop the car!"He paid no attention to me. Instead, he hit the gas some more. His face was set in a tight frown, and all the veins on his arms and neck strained under whatever restraint he was putting up."Oh, my God! Please, Jaden. Please. Just stop!" I screamed again, my panic getting the best of me.He brought the car to an abrupt halt just beside a bushy area along a lonely road.It was almost nine PM, and the entire area was so quiet and deserted.My heart wouldn't stop r
CRYSTAL.The moment our lips touched, a cold shiver ran down my spine — the kind that starts at the base of your neck and travels all the way down, leaving goosebumps in its wake.He didn't care that I wasn't kissing him back at first. Noah just kissed on, like he trusted with an almost infuriating certainty that I'll reciprocate soon enough.He pushed slightly forward, but I resisted."Sunshine... Free up. You're too tense," He said against my lips before kissing me again. "Kiss me back, okay?"My response didn't come immediately. It was slow. But he seemed fine with it. His tongue sought entry into my mouth, forcing its way through.I let him.I closed my eyes and tried to feel. And I did feel something. I felt warmth. I felt the weight of his hands. I felt the careful, deliberate way he touched me like I was something worth being careful with.But somewhere beneath all of that, somewhere deep down, there was that slight comparison going on that I did my best to push aside.I hated
CRYSTAL.“You should go and fit your wedding dresses,” Mum announced as she descended the stairs, her heels clicking sharply against the marble.I was setting Jason’s breakfast on the table, aligning the spoon beside his bowl, doing my best to steady my thoughts. Tessa sat in the living room with her legs crossed, scrolling through her phone while nursing her coffee like she had no real problems in the world.“Did you hear what I just said?” Mum asked.Her attention was fixed on me. It always was.“Yes, Mum,” I replied without looking up.My attention had been divided since my conversation with Jaden the other night. I was both scared and confused. Being in the middle of such a mess wasn't something I'd wish on my enemy. I hadn't even had a proper sleep since then."Your father will return today. Remember what the doctor said?" Mum asked again, with her attention still on me.I nodded and looked away, "Yes.""Good. You must not be the reason I loose my husband and become a widow." She







