Mag-log inALEXANDER'S POV
"It is mine and I have every single right to know!" I hit my right fist on my left palm, emphasizing how mad and thirsty I am.
"Alexander…"
"Either you go on explaining how you intrude my privacy or you say nothing." My voice lowers, exuding anger from its deep baritone.
They stare at each other for a moment and Grandmother nods her head, squinting her eyes.
She starts, "Alexander. This might come off quite bad but, I want you to understand that we all want the best for you."
I fix my gaze on her lips, waiting to hear what I wanted to hear—what my ear itched to hear.
She continues after a brief pause, "Sofia helped us with it."
It sounds like a bombshell. Sophia?
I grunt, clenching my fist to avoid punching any surface at the moment.
"That witch. That fucking witch." I mutter under my breath.
I rack my brain to recall how I got here.
It was a cold night a few days after we had broken up, Sofia’s incessant texts and calls were annoying. But, I was bored and I needed some attention.
I reluctantly replied to her text with a "come over, asap." And she came running like a sheep to the slaughterhouse, I guess she was a bull now.
Her visit started with a harmless conversation then, to a heated argument on how I had treated her.
"You are fake, Alex. You've got the bag but you are fake! You cheated on me because I flirted with a guy? A guy who isn’t close to being you?" Her tiny voice climbed its peak.
"You've done worse, Sophia. It is high time you come to terms with the fact that we can do whatever we want. If you can flirt around, what makes me any different?” I spread my arms wide-open, giving a note of how much I never cared.
"Really?" Her eyes went wild. I could see the thickness of her eyelashes.
"And I'll do whatever I want to do however I want it." I emphasized.
"You are nothing but a selfish beast, a cheat…" She went on and on, calling me names while her voluminous cleavage kept moving with her head and hands.
Suddenly, I could not help but glue my eyes to her wiggling breasts as she pointed her fingers and screamed at me. I felt a bulging pop in between my legs, it swelled rapidly while her breasts danced.
I enveloped her with an embrace of lust, kissing her violently. I knew she wanted it rough despite her anger. She fell quiet as my hands travelled down her body in a rush. Her moaning did nothing to help the tension in my erect dick moist and dripping with precum. I ripped off her clothes and dived my hardened veined flesh into her soft and full vagina, I watched with bliss how she took me in and cried with so much pleasure. I made sure I had satisfied every nerve in me, ramming into her until I shuddered, spewing my sperm in her mouth, on her face, on her body.
Her sharp moans accompanied every hardened thrust I dug in between her moist and slippery thighs. I enjoy seeing women painted in my cum. But, I guess she had other plans. She had painted my future with it.
Back from the reverie.
"Sophia stole my sperm! This is insane." I almost scream, "And you both were a part of this, yes?"
Both of them ignore my question.
"We have met with a very healthy lady with the perfect eggs to make you babies," Grandmother smiles and it enrages me more. "She is perfect as you are and the result would definitely be beautiful. She has undergone several tests and check-ups. We are doing everything no matter what it takes…" Her words slowly fade off as my insides boil with rage.
They are making a lifetime decision for me and I do not agree with it.
"You all are selfish," I blurt out, "self-centered, whatever it is! All these without my approval?"
"Like we said countless times, it is for your good."
"I could not hear more of your 'wanting the best for me—for my good—and whatever parents sayʼ! I want a concrete explanation for your preceding choice over my life. First, you plot with Sofia to steal my sperm, I am pretty sure you paid." I chuckle painfully, "And then, you chose a surrogate mother without prior knowledge, moving unto saddling me with kids because you think it is for my good. This is so messed up!" I look at them angrily.
"It was a mistake that turned out well." She says, flipping the flap at the side of her dress.
"What mistake?"
"I spoke with Sofia on the basis that she was your fiancee, barely did I know that you were no longer a thing. I was expecting a baby from you two," She heaves a sigh, "She offered to help after quite a lengthy chat which included you. Honey, I will always be honest with you."
My jaw drops in surprise. What a twist! I nod my head continuously, my mouth fails to make out a word.
"We are sorry for dropping this like a bombshell. I told you earlier, it isn't about manipulation; it's about love and family." Grandmother’s calm voice did nothing to reduce the tension hanging over us.
"Apologies at the finishing line? It does not work." I turn my face away, looking at the figurines that were as old as time itself.
"You will do as we say and abide by the words of our mouth. No questions, no objections, no rebellion," Grandfather stands up, his forehead tightened with vertical wrinkles.
I turn to him with fury in my eyes,
"Sir, I refuse and I will not."
I walk through to the massive doors and push them open. I could hear whispers from Grandmother but the thoughts swirling in my head numb my ears.
After two years of sad tales, I am either being pushed to love a woman or get kids. I feel like I'm being ridden over.
This is becoming tough, my heart tug bitterly at the decision made by my grandparents. No matter how I refuse it, their will is always going to be done—like a stamp on sealed letters. And I have no idea how far they’re willing to go to make it happen.
EMMA’S POVI draw the curtain open and let the morning lights seep into the room.The neighborhood is called Willowmere—a place that sounds like it belongs to a postcard or a childhood book, and that feels intentional enough to be safe. It sits far from everything I used to know, far from the usual streets and names that echo too loudly. Outside my window, life is happening quietly. A grey-haired man walks his dog with unhurried patience, a petite woman waters potted plants on her balcony. Two teenagers stroll past, laughing softly, their backpacks hanging loose like the world is yet to be against them.The air smells like toast, damp earth and faint floral tinges. It feels more like home than home— where I left.I rest my forehead briefly against the glass as I admire what everyday life looks like when it isn’t shattered.I sigh and turn back into the apartment.It is larger than I expected when I signed the lease: wide, open and thoughtful. Everything is already in place, as though
EMMA’S POVThe days after my mother’s death has nothing to do with the drama of excessive wailing and some thick cover of endless tears. The days after my mother’s death arrive empty; like water through a cracked cup— quiet, leaking, gone before I can hold them. Morning becomes afternoon without ceremony. Night comes without relief. People return to their routines with an efficiency that feels like betrayal. Laughter resumes. Traffic hums. Phones ring. Life continues, like my mother had no experience of death.Everyone goes back to normal. Everyone except me.I stop answering Alexander’s calls on the second day. By the third, I stop reading the messages. By the fifth, I turn my phone off entirely. And I don’t see this as a punishment but as a way of surviving. Every time his name lights up my screen, my insides tighten like a fist around glass.I cannot afford to bleed anymore, so, I disappear from him.The flower shop smells the same— earthy, green, and faintly sweet. It’s strange h
EMMA’S POVThe living room smells like stale grief and untouched food.I am on the floor, my back against the couch, my knees drawn to my chest. My sobs come in waves that knock the air out of me and leave me gasping, embarrassed by my own survival. I clutch the fabric of my gown like it might anchor me to something solid, but everything inside me feels scraped raw.Mum is gone.Every time I think I have grasped the words, ‘Mum is gone’, they slip through me again, leaving another ache behind.My chest burns, my throat is sore and my eyes feel swollen shut, yet the tears keep coming, without a hold.I rock slightly, whispering words. If only. I should have. I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to.The door to the kitchen creaks open.Hilda appears in front of me holding a plate—cereal, I think, and milk. The smell makes my stomach tighten unpleasantly.“Emma,” she says softly, kneeling beside me. “Please. Try to eat something.”My gaze is fixed on the wall across the room, on a faint crack th
ALEXANDER’S POVI sniff in the smell of the waiting room, the smell of burnt coffee and disinfectant.It’s a smell I have learned to associate with things going wrong slowly, then all at once.Emma sits rigid on one of the plastic chairs, her arms folded tightly across her chest and her eyes fixed on the floor as though she’s afraid of looking up. Hilda is beside her, with her fingers wrapped around her phone, opening and closing it without purpose.I stand for a moment, watching them.I don’t know where to put myself as every place feels intrusive.“I’ll be back,” I say finally. “I’ll get you something. Tea. Snacks. Milkshakes. Anything.”Emma doesn’t look up.Hilda nods weakly. “Thank you.”I leave before Emma can stop me with one of those dagger stares.The hospital cafeteria is almost empty. A bright television in one corner and a tired attendant behind the counter. I order tea, milkshakes, water— too much of everything, as if abundance can fight loss.By the time I return, Hilda
ALEXANDER’S POVThe corridor feels unbearably still after Emma retreats into the ward. My creased shirt and rough look has nothing on me as the storm has settled. I should be satisfied. My family’s meddling hands will not harm her again. I should be. But I don’t find even a tinge of satisfaction.My phone vibrates sharply against my chest.It’s my grandmother.I swipe the call to speaker, almost throwing the phone across the hall in irritation.“Alexander,” her sharp voice slices through the silence. “Why haven’t you answered sooner?”“I was busy,” I say flatly.“Busy?” She lets out a slow and amused laughter. “Busy? Alexander, you’re supposed to be attending to family. You know very well what’s at stake. Tell me, what exactly is going on with Emma’s mother? I’ve been waiting for updates only you can give.”“Oh… you know don’t you?” My brows crease in disgust.“Go straight to the point.”“She’s being treated,” I say.“Being treated?” Her tone sharpens. “Alexander, you must understand.
EMMA’S POVThe clock on the wall says only twelve minutes have passed since the nurse whispered stand down like it was a prayer she had learned too late, but it feels like an hour has died on my chest.Mum’s breathing grows shallow, then uneven. Her chest rises like it’s climbing a hill it didn’t agree to climb. I sit close, my fingers wrapped around hers. She’s been unable to drink the herbal tea except for two sips.Hilda hovers at the foot of the bed, her eyes glassy, her mouth moving in silent pleas to a God she hasn’t been on speaking terms with in years.“Mum,” I whisper. “Stay with me.”Her eyelids flutter, then settle. Her grip tightens faintly, as if she hears me but doesn’t have the strength to answer.As I watch her, it feels like there’s an internal break, like a bone cracking under skin. I step out of the ward again, holding back my tears.The corridor feels colder now. Somewhere down the hall, a child cries.I walk to the nurses’ station with a steadiness that surprises







