MJ could not remember the last time she came to this house. She did not remember whether it was before Alastair adopted her or after she started the business; but she could never forget the house that was once her shelter.  The old, brick-layered mansion still stood out amongst the beauty of the social elites of London, its red-tiled roof giving it a classic look. The yard was bare of any vehicles, it was free of plants or lawn, and the place that was once a pool, was replaced by an ugly fountain and a mini garden after one kid almost drowned.  The interior of the house was modern and yet traditional, filled with imported accessories from South Africa and Nigeria. The couch in the sitting room resembled the skin of a leopard, and the pale walls were decorated with traditional, seamed mats and other Zulu and Tsonga gears.  The walls along the staircase were decorated with pictures of every sin

 The place smelled just as he had expected if not worse. The smell of disinfectants, meds, and death lingered in the air, every sweep of breath sending him on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The sounds of ambulances; the sight of nurses, doctors, and sick patients; and the colour of the walls, gowns, curtains, and sheets, filled his heart with hatred.  It reminded him of what Carmen did to him, and it hurt more when he remembered how MJ was involved. It reminded him of how she had succeeded in breaking him; she had fooled him from the start, and he fell for it without thinking twice. Being at the hospital was like a trigger, but there was no escape for him; it did not matter where he was, the memory of MJ Billings would always haunt his conscious.  He did not know whether it was the doctors, Jorge Billings, or the woman lying on the hospital bed; but Logan Parker felt like punching someone in the face. &

 MJ was never the one to take precautions, whether it was a matter of life or death, she just had to take a step forward. That was how she was and that was how it has always been. It was what she was raised to do, but for the first time ever, she felt trapped.  She was trapped in a grief she had not felt in a long time. It weighed down on her like a ton of bricks, and her heart felt heavy with a wave of emotions. It perplexed her to feel so vulnerable, because despite her hard surface, she had feelings; feelings she feared to show to the world.  She did not want to crack, she wanted to be strong as she had always been. But with every step she took forward, she took ten steps back. And that was how she found herself back at the bank after leaving Sandra's house.  The front of the huge aluminium building, was littered with yellow police tapes, with the caution: Do Not Cross. The doors were broke

 The sound of the clock ticking with each passing second, was the only thing that made sense. It obstructed the silence and darkness that came with the night.  Nights like these were the worst, especially when there were no stars in the sky; MJ felt alone and transparent. When the stars were visible, she would push time by counting them and making constellations; it made the night go quicker.  But it was dark, and all she could do now was to walk around the house like a zombie all night, holding on to her teddy bear. At some point, she thought changing into comfortable night clothes, would make her fall asleep. But each time she closed her eyes, all she saw were Alastair's dead eyes.  It was one nightmare after another. She could never remember the last time she had a peaceful sleep. She stood against the window and watched Cameron as he snored softly into the night, and she wondered; what wou

 Two weeks had passed since Logan's last encounter with MJ. For the first few days, Logan was in a state, drinking himself to sleep. Not knowing where he was, was frustrating him. A few dinners with Mrs Dos Santos, and Skype calls with Montana helped him through his trauma.  When he was emotionally stable enough for them both, Logan decided to be the better man and confront MJ. It took a lot of work to get Logan back to his usual self, but when he did, he swore that breaking into La Café and confronting Mrs Dos Santos, was the best thing he had ever done.   She took him in and supported him without judging him or reminding him of his stupidity when it came to MJ Billings and Carmen. He was not yet fully healed emotionally, but his mental state was getting better, he stopped asking himself a lot of questions he had no answers to; and instead, looked for the answers from the only person who had them.