"Mom, your phone is ringing,” Harper said, coming into Ava’s room with the said phone, which Ava had forgotten in the living room before she came into her room to try to have a nap.“Oh, thanks, honey,” Ava replied and took the phone from the child before looking at the screen to see who was calling.It was Derek, and she was surprised that he still had her number, but then, she realized that he could easily have gotten it from numerous sources if he didn’t have it again.She on the other hand, still knew his number by heart, despite the fact that it had been years since she last dialed it.“Hello.” She said into the phone.“Hello, Ava. How are you doing today?” He asked her politely.“I’m good, thank you, and you?”“I’m fine too. I was calling to check up on you and Harper.”“Oh, thank you. We’re both fine. Also, I was thinking that we should meet somewhere over the weekend to discuss how we’re going to share custody of her. Well, I don’t exactly mean custody, but you both can get to
Derek was having a late lunch when his phone started to ring and when he picked it up, he saw that it was Ava who was calling. His heart skipped a beat because it had been ages since he saw her name displayed on his phone screen, but he immediately composed himself.She was someone else’s now, so there was no reason why he should feel giddy when she called him. By the time she picked up the call and spoke, his opinion was solidified.“Hello, Ava.” He said into the phone.“Uh, hi, Derek. I’m sorry to be calling out of the blues, but I figured that we could just talk over the phone,” she replied.“Oh, I hope nothing is the matter. You and Harper are fine, right?”“Yes, yes. It’s nothing like that. We’re both fine, but Steve isn't in support of you and me meeting to discuss.” Ava told him, sounding a little embarrassed.“Ah, I get it,” Derek said, although he didn’t get it at all. There was no way that they wouldn't have to meet in the end, no matter what Steve thought. They shared a chi
BACK IN TIMEHe wasn’t being fair to Ava. Derek knew that, but he just couldn’t help himself. Her nagging all the time drove him crazy, and the more he stayed away from her in the guise of working hard, the more he saw her sink into despair.This made him feel guilty as hell, but Ava did not take the hint and realize that the marriage was as good as over as he hoped that she would. Each morning that he left for work before she woke up, she called him, sounding normal as she asked him how his night was and all that.Derek realized that it was up to him to be a man and tell her that he wasn’t interested in the marriage any longer. This wasn’t exactly true, but it was the only way to get her to stop hoping futilely. The truth was that he didn’t actually mind being married to her any longer. In fact, he had come to actually like being married.The only problem was that they both wanted different things and he could tell that she wasn’t happy anymore. She desperately wanted kids. He despe
Denise had informed him that she was pregnant and was refusing to get rid of it, no matter how many times he begged her to. He had begged her, as well as threatened not to have anything to do with her and the child or contribute to its upkeep, but nothing swayed her.“Ava nearly died from a miscarriage when she got pregnant early on in our marriage. I promised myself not to get anyone pregnant and risk such a thing happening again until we were both tested to make sure that everything was fine.” He told Denise, grasping at straws, but she was unperturbed.“I’m not your wife, Derek, and I can assure you that I’m very healthy and will carry this pregnancy to term quite easily. I’ve always wanted a baby. And now that I’m on my way to having one, nothing is going to stop me. Your sperm isn't poisonous like you obviously think it is. What happened to your wife was unfortunate, but it’s not going to happen every single time. In summary, I'm keeping the baby, and nothing you do or say is goi
He left the house and went off to quickly sign off the deal that he had mentioned, and then went with the clients to have dinner. Throughout the drive to the restaurant, his mind wasn’t settled as he kept wondering how Ava was, what she was doing, and how she was absorbing the news of the divorce.He didn’t get to wonder for very long, as he soon found out. As they got to the entrance of the restaurant, Denise strode faster to catch up with him and linked her arm with his as though they were the world's happiest couple.Short of appearing rude in front of the client who had come with them, he could not extricate his arm from hers, so he gave her a tight smile that expressed his displeasure at the unwanted gesture as they entered the restaurant.Denise for her part, smiled at him very brightly as though she had done nothing wrong, and chattered away. She had been quite talkative all through this evening, and he wondered why.Even the client who was with them found her to be funny and l
For the past several days, Amanda had been walking about with a spring in her step. She hadn't heard from the guy who had walked up to her in the restaurant that day, Logan, but she was confident that she would soon hear from him and that he would reach out to her when he was well and truly ready.She was no longer afraid of him because she knew now that they had the same goal, and that was to get rid of their common enemy. What Logan didn’t know yet was that he was going to help her get rid of other enemies aside from Derek.She did not mind emptying her account, or even spending all that her mother had left her just for that to happen. She would get all that belonged to Derek once her plan was accomplished, and would regain everything that she had lost a thousandfold, after all.She needed to make sure that her mother did not die in vain. She had died trying to make sure that Amanda got what she deserved, and by God, Amanda was going to make her wish come true. Besides, the earth nee
Barry was beside himself with excitement when he learned that Harper was coming over to the house for a sleepover. As a matter of fact, Derek was also beside himself with excitement.It was time to start making up for lost time, and he couldn’t wait to be a proper father to his daughter. He had purchased a bunch of toys that he hoped Harper would like since he didn’t know what she liked yet.Around seven that evening, Ava arrived at his mansion with Harper, who like Barry, couldn’t stop jumping up and down in excitement. For all her exuberance on the phone, Harper was a little shy at first when she saw Derek, but that did not last for long. “Dad said you’re my sister, Harper,” Barry told Harper who nodded and assured him that she was also aware of that fact. Then he led her away eagerly so he could show her the toys that Derek had bought for her.Thus, the two adults were left alone in a somewhat uncomfortable silence, or maybe it was uncomfortable only for Ava. There was a reason why
Ava got home to meet Steve waiting for her in her living room, a none-too-pleased expression on his face. She pretended not to notice his expression and greeted him normally, wondering what his problem was now. “Where are you coming from, Ava?” He asked her after responding to her greeting, his tone implying that he knew exactly where she was coming from. “I went to drop Harper off at Derek’s place. She’s having a sleepover there with him and his son.” She replied, determined not to get into a fight tonight because it seemed that that was all they ever did lately. Prior to dating him, she had had no idea that Steve could be so jealous. “I thought I made it clear that I don’t want you having any dealings with Derek.” “Excuse me?” “I’m a guy, Ava and I know how my fellow guys think and behave when they like someone. Derek likes you and you spending so much time with him is only going to make him think that you like him too.” Steve told her, softening his tone when he realized t