"Connect the IV tubes!""Her heart rate is dropping fast!" "Get the defibrillator. Connect it. Let's go on three. One two three!""Any change yet? No? Again. Everyone on three!" Anne gaped in fear and confusion as her grandmother's body was flopped over and over on the bed. Was this positive or negative? She truly didn't understand half of what was going on. Her grandmother was supposed to be getting revived. "Madam, you have to leave this place. We'll get you updated on anything that happens," one of the nurses said hastily and began to lead her out. "Wait, before she leaves," the medical personnel with the defibrillator raised his hand, "what happened here exactly? This woman was doing perfectly fine before now. What happened to trigger her heart rate?" All eyes turned to Anne, who put her hands together and stared at the floor. "I was just talking and…""Did you say something to upset her?" "Not really," she defended, "I just told her the latest things that've happened to me
"I'm currently in a…" she began but paused. If Asher was looking for her, probably to do something bad to her, then giving away her location to his sister wouldn't be the wisest thing to do. There was no telling whose side she really was on. "You're where? I didn't quite get that," Yvette called from the other end of the line. Even the slightest modulation in her voice raised suspicions in Anne. "Never mind.""Wait a minute. You think I'm gonna rat you out to Asher? What will I gain from that? I know I love drama but this is just low," she retorted, her voice a mix of humor and offense. Anne released the breath she didn't know she was holding. The confirmation was a relief, but it wasn't enough. "I'd rather not say. He might have bugged you or something." Yvette laughed dryly. "And you think if he has me bugged, he can't track you down right now?" That was…scary."Sorry, I gotta go…""Hey!" Yvette growled, "that's enough. What do you even think he's going to do to you? Do you t
"Lola, it's not what it looks like," she said, pushing Jake away. It was a lost cause, she knew, but she still explained herself."I wasn't thinking straight and with everything that's happened, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have…" The slap was quick and sudden, yet so painful. She fell back on the sofa, a tiny hum the only thing she could hear. She'd never seen her friend this angry before and it scared her. "You're going to use your sob story as an excuse to kiss my boyfriend? Seriously? He's been right there at your reach but you never accepted him and now he's finally with me he's now attractive to you? And you call yourself my friend?" Lola raised her hand to hit Anne again, but Jake stood up and held her hand. "That's enough," he said in an authoritative voice. "That's enough?" She sobbed. "What did I not do for you? I love you, Jake, I've changed whenever you asked me to change. I did things I wouldn't have done for anyone else, and this is how you repay me? By cheating on me w
Sitting a few paces from him in his mansion while they stared at each other, she was transported back to their first meeting. He'd offered her a ridiculous amount of money, twenty million. But after everything they'd been through, it didn't sound like that much money anymore. He'd already spent even more on her.Back then, she'd been the one furious, accusing when she sat across from him, but now even as he sipped calmly from his champagne glass, she could tell he was judging her. She fidgeted with her hands, looking away because his gaze was too strong on her. She wished he'd just say something, accuse or insult her even, anything other than just letting her thoughts prick her. Anne was not given a choice to come here. She knew she was not ready to meet him, to defend herself yet, especially when she'd just put herself into a pickle. In fact, in a way she'd been kidnapped. After she picked his call, he'd probably tracked her because a line of cars suddenly drove to her front. Ther
Gabby was pregnant.Kayla was pregnant. Gabby's man didn't want anything to do with the baby. Asher didn't want anything to do with Kayla's baby. Anne was drunk but she wasn't that drunk. She didn't need anyone to spell it out to her. Gabby had betrayed her. Yvonne and Yvette came into view, a mix of fear and curiosity written on both their faces. They both sat down some paces away at the dining, pretending to do chores, but it was so obvious they'd only come to see the action. Maybe it was the wine, but she started laughing. "So this is why you were so adamant on me leaving him," she muttered between bouts of dry laughter. "So when did you come up with this grand idea? Or have you always wanted to stab in the back from the start?" "You both know each other?" Asher asked, surprised but no one responded. Gabby shook her head. "You see kids, I told you your mother was crazy. She's not even making any sense."Anne felt her kids struggle against her, trying to escape like she was
Her grandmother was dead. No. She hadn't heard right. It was too soon. It didn't make any sense. Not now.But the more she kept shaking her head the more she realized it was the entire truth. Her grandmother, the once only stable family she had was gone. Forever. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. "What's wrong?" Asher asked from the driver's seat but she didn't respond. With the receiver still wedged in her ear, she sat unmoving even long after the nurse had ended the call. "What's the problem?" Asher asked again, risking a look at her. She had to tell him, she thought. He would still found out anyway, plus he was her only ride to the hospital. Finally putting the phone back into her bag, she hugged her boys to her. Fortunately, she wasn't crying, couldn't even as the shock of everything that had happened throughout the day had drained her of all emotions. They were scared and quiet. It was obvious they'd seen something, heard something in that house and all she wan
She was resting her shoulders on his, bawling her eyes out. Although they weren't perfectly fine, he couldn't bear to watch her be in so much pain. He patted her back, over and over again, calming her down with words of a better near future, just as he'd seen her do countless times with the boys. Her last words before she finally relaxed in his arms haunted him. 'why does nothing good last for me?' Had that included him? He wanted to reach out and tell her he was right there for her, lasting, but he didn't. Instead, he kept patting her back and when she was fully incapacitated, he took her to the waiting area where they sat in total silence for what seemed like ages. He had every right to be mad at her, to leave her in her worst moment, to take the only thing she now had; the kids, but he didn't or rather, he didn't think he was going to. She'd kept him out of his children's lives, but now he knew she'd had fears and her reasons, though selfish, made sense to him. "When I was you
It was cold and about to rain but his palms were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel. His heart was pounding, a mix of bitterness and anger. It had taken him such a long time to realize he was in love with Anne, but he was willing to let all that go down the drain if she would keep acting like this. He'd made a mistake in his past; denying her when she had no one but if after trying everything he had to get her to forgive him and move on with him to no avail, it was evident she probably never would and it was best to stop trying since he was getting nowhere. He supposed she was right to some extent. He was bad for her, but so was she. Just because he didn't like to talk about his problems didn't mean he didn't have them. She had this image of him being in constant perfection which couldn't be any father from the truth. His life had gone on perfectly well without her all those years ago with just the constant fights from his dad, but ever since after his affair with her, his fat