“What are you saying?”“What are you saying?”They asked in unison. Ignoring the awkward moment, Bree cleared her throat. As they both bent down to hear the words of the child clearly, their heads collided, their lips brushing against each other. Bree’s eyes widened as they both froze, their lips on each other. The electrifying feeling traveled from her lips to her spine, goosebumps forming on her skin from her first kiss in years. She felt his lips move on hers, his tongue invading her mouth. “Mommy? Daddy?” They immediately broke away at the call of the child. Bree pushed him aside so that there was a good distance between them, a blush creeping up her cheek. “Ariel, you’re a…awake.” Her heartbeat increased at the child’s knowing stare, her conscience ringing in her head that she did something inappropriate, something she wasn’t supposed to do. “How are you feeling?” Surprisingly, Spencer quickly composed himself unlike Bree, his expression returning to normal like his lips were

“Mommy, you’re drinking so much,” Ariel warned, her eyes staring at the empty bottles as they sat astride each other at the dining table. While she was having a glass of juice, her Mommy was having bottles of beer. “Mommy, drinking is bad.” “It’s just tea.” Ariel gasped. “Mommy must think I’m two years old. I know what that is.” Bree raised her eyes to stare at her daughter in disbelief. “You don’t. How would you know? It's not like you've tasted it before.” “I’ve seen so many people in the streets drinking this. It is beer and alcoholic. But what if… what if.” Her eyes widened. “What if Mommy becomes one of those men on the streets who act like they’re walking on ice? That would be so bad. “Don’t say things like that, Ari. It’s just drinking. Besides, I’m home. Nothing like that is going to happen.” Saying that she gulped the glass of beer and let out a tiny gasp. Usually, she wouldn’t drink in front of the child but she didn’t even know how it started. From a bottle to two an

Was she in hell? Perhaps for all the sins she committed in the world? Her whole body was fucking sore, her head pounding like she was hit with a hockey stick. Bree’s eyes slowly fluttered open, flinching at the light. Her hands touched the other side of the bed expecting to touch the hard body of the man who owned her body the previous night only to touch the cold surface of the bed. She suddenly stood up, eyes on everywhere in the room hoping to find him but he was nowhere in sight. Her eyes fell on her naked self. Last night, he’d taken her like it was his last. Their bodies had fit in perfectly and she thought they might die together. Running her hands through the purplish bruise on her breasts and neck, she smiled, the memories of the previous night washing over her like a wave. Once, twice, thrice, Spencer had taken her, whispering sweet nothings into her ears, promising her the world. Finally, they were fine. They would finally return to couples that they were years ago before

“Oh dear, are you going to watch these people call your mother a psychopath? You know very well how alike we are.”“You and Bree are nothing alike,” Gaspher stepped forward, his index finger pointing at her in a warning. “It hurts that my family decided to have a gathering without me. Do you all hate me that much?” She feigned to be sad, her fingers riding up to her face to wipe her dry tears. Bree rolled her eyes. If it were five years ago, she would have fallen for the woman’s ploy. She would have forgiven her and taken her back. But not anymore, not when she was the devil in her life. She would rather not have a mother at all than have a mother like Nary. A failed mother. And for all she cares, she was not like her, she would never be like Nary Marsden. She loved Ariel with all her heart and would rather die than treat her the same way that her mother did with her. She would rather jump from a six-floor building than traumatize her daughter. Finally stabilizing herself, she step

“I hate her so much,” Bree cried as she buried her face on Caspian’s arms, her tears streaming freely down her cheek. She hates her so much, her very own mother. If she was given a chance to choose her mother, she would’ve never chosen Nary, the woman who always made her feel like shit, the woman who was no mother and was just a birth giver. No mother would harm their daughter’s mindset without even a ounce of regret. Her hatred for her keeps increasing day by day. “Bree?”“Bree.”“Mommy.”Spencer’s turned to the direction of the voices to see Gaspher and the rest family members climbing down the stair hurriedly. They ran to Bree’s side and squatted beside her. “Bree, what’s wrong?” Gaspher asked, his hands on her shoulders. She refused to say a world and clung onto Spencer the more, her tears wetting his shirt. “Mommy.”Even at the call of Ariel, she still refused to speak. All she did was hug Caspian and held his arms to herself like it was a possession she never wants to release