CharlotteI still didn't know what could have happened to make Emily like that, but I was certain it must have been something very serious, and I told Nicole what I knew, which was nothing yet."And where is she now?""I believe she's taking care of the twins."Nicole sat thoughtfully in one of the chairs at the table, and I continued my task of preparing dinner. She must have been so overwhelmed with worry that she didn't even offer to help, something I wouldn't have accepted anyway since it was almost done, but it was part of her personality, always willing to help in any way she could."Emily!" Nicole jumped up from her chair when she saw her sister entering the kitchen. "What happened? Why were you crying?"Emily looked at us with such sadness that I turned off the stove and gave her my full attention because she surely had something to tell us that wasn't good at all."Thomas sold our house, and we're being evicted."I thought Nicole had fainted with how quickly she threw herself

CharlotteI was very concerned about my new friends, whom I truly considered as the family I never had. I could say, without fear of being mistaken, that I already loved them all. The atmosphere that had settled in the once joyful house was something sad to witness.The children seemed to sense their mother's tension and were becoming quieter each day, which was worrisome because I had gotten used to seeing them always happy and mischievous together.Although Nicole had managed to find a temporary job, it paid very poorly. She worked eight hours with hardly any breaks at a fast-food restaurant, and what she earned was barely enough to cover the household expenses. I was also helping with what I earned.But it was impossible to gather enough money to avoid losing the house. Only in a distant dream could we come up with the necessary amount to buy the house back from the new owner, assuming he would even agree to sell it back to Emily for the amount he had already spent.The solution wo

CharlotteAfter our conversation, Nicole and I started brainstorming a thousand and one possibilities to raise a large sum of money quickly, without Emily's knowledge, of course. But the prospects were far from pleasant, and the anguish kept growing. However, during that same week, while one of Mr. Mackenzie's friends was visiting, I overheard a conversation that filled me with hope, despite sounding utterly insane.After putting Eloá to sleep following a bedtime story, something that had been strictly forbidden but had now become a nightly routine that brought great joy to both the little girl and myself, I went to the living room of the new apartment where Mr. Mackenzie was talking with Mr. Douglas Carter. I listened in as they discussed the desires of another friend, who happened to be the CEO of the company they worked for, to have an heir and his preferred process for achieving it.I did something despicable and eavesdropped behind the door, as the first thing I heard made me fre

Charlotte"Do you really think you're going to go through with this, Charlotte?" Emily asked for the tenth time in the past hour."I'm determined, and none of you will be able to change my mind," I spoke in a tone of voice that left no room for further doubts.I wasn't going to give up."I know that need is speaking louder, but I'm afraid you might regret it later, Charlotte," Nicole attempted to make me reconsider this time.My two best friends had been taking turns in the past few days, trying to make me change my decision, but they weren't succeeding, and they should have given up by now."Charlotte Thompson?" the clinic attendant called."I'll be right back."I walked over to the friendly attendant, who had a smile on her face, possibly trying to convey a sense of calmness to those who arrived there.We entered a medical office, and after the experienced doctor explained the entire procedure to me, I followed the nurse into another room where I was prepared for the procedure that

CharlotteI didn't want to create a connection between myself and the growing baby inside me because I knew what I would have to do, and at Oliver's insistence, I had even started seeing a psychologist since I received the positive test result. It was better to talk about other things."He didn't back down on the new price, but since you insisted that we should pay the amount he was demanding, I gave in, and we're going to sign the papers tomorrow morning.""It's better this way, Emily," I agreed. "He didn't want to lose out, and we wanted the house, and we had the money. Why not just give in and resolve it quickly?"Mr. Willis is the man who had bought Thomas's house, and when I received the money from the contract with Mr. Brian, we made an offer for the house with the same amount he had paid, but he didn't accept it. Since I received one million dollars in the first part of the agreement, and even after paying what he had asked for, there would still be some money left for me to ta