جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

CRYSTAL.I could not sit down. Every time I tried, my legs pushed me back up. I paced back and forth in front of the ER doors, my hands trembling so badly I had to clasp them together to hide it. Derek stood with his back against the wall, staring at nothing.Dad was inside those doors because of me."This is all your fault!" Tessa charged toward me with her eyes red and swollen.I lifted my gaze to meet hers as she came to an abrupt stop in front of me, her palms balled into tight fists.“Tessa, lower your voice,” Derek warned, but he sounded too tired.“No. Let her hear me,” she snapped. “She stands there like a victim every time, but she’s the common denominator in every disaster.”She turned to me again. "You always bring trouble to this family! You're nothing but bad luck!" She yelled."Not here. Not now," Derek said a bit firmer to her.“No! Don't tell me that!” she snapped again, pointing at me. “Didn’t you see what she did? She pushed him too far! She stressed him! She just ha

JADEN.It wasn’t my intention for things with Crystal to spiral the way they did.But fuck intention.I meant every word I said. I would do whatever it took to get her back. If filing for custody of my son forced her hand, then so be it.Rick dropped the piece of paper I had handed over to him the other day on my table as he took his seat."Took you long enough. Didn't I say you get this done before the end of the day?" I asked, my attention still on my laptop."I'm sorry, sir. My wife had a baby," he replied, "I tried calling you but..." He shrugged."Congratulations," I finally turned my attention to him, "So, what did you get?""The number belongs to Noah." He said simply.What the fuck?I paused like I was waiting for him to say more than I asked him to do, but that was all he said.I leaned back in my chair, "You're sure?"He gave a short huff of amusement. “Direct subscriber records. Secondary confirmation through carrier ping. It’s him.”What the fuck was Noah doing contacting

CRYSTAL.“You should go and fit your wedding dresses,” Mum announced as she descended the stairs, her heels clicking sharply against the marble.I was setting Jason’s breakfast on the table, aligning the spoon beside his bowl, doing my best to steady my thoughts. Tessa sat in the living room with her legs crossed, scrolling through her phone while nursing her coffee like she had no real problems in the world.“Did you hear what I just said?” Mum asked.Her attention was fixed on me. It always was.“Yes, Mum,” I replied without looking up.My attention had been divided since my conversation with Jaden the other night. I was both scared and confused. Being in the middle of such a mess wasn't something I'd wish on my enemy. I hadn't even had a proper sleep since then."Your father will return today. Remember what the doctor said?" Mum asked again, with her attention still on me.I nodded and looked away, "Yes.""Good. You must not be the reason I loose my husband and become a widow." She

CRYSTAL.I hesitated, "Get lost." I turned to leave."Get the fuck in, Crystal. Otherwise, you wouldn't like the drama that'll follow," He warned through clenched teeth.Dad was certainly back. And the last thing I needed right now was a repeat of our trip to the hospital.I glared at him before getting into the car."What..."He didn't let me finish. He just drove off at full speed."Jesus, Jaden! You'll get us killed!" I screamed when he kept driving like he was in a car race, "What the hell is wrong with you? Stop the car!"He paid no attention to me. Instead, he hit the gas some more. His face was set in a tight frown, and all the veins on his arms and neck strained under whatever restraint he was putting up."Oh, my God! Please, Jaden. Please. Just stop!" I screamed again, my panic getting the best of me.He brought the car to an abrupt halt just beside a bushy area along a lonely road.It was almost nine PM, and the entire area was so quiet and deserted.My heart wouldn't stop r

CRYSTAL.“I spoke to my contact about the cake this morning,” Noah started, his voice dropping to something quieter. He was almost glowing. He looked like a man assembling a future he’d wanted for a long time and could finally see the shape of it. “There’s a spot for us on their schedule, if we confirm by Friday. They are the best. I think you’d love it.”“Noah…”“I know. I know your parents already have the best caterers for the job.” He turned to face me fully, resting his arm along the back of the couch. “But we also need to do certain things ourselves, and honestly, I don’t hate the idea of making it all real. Something that actually means something to us.”I wrapped both hands tighter around the mug.Something that means something.“We should talk about this properly,” I said carefully. “Just the two of us. Sit down and—”“What color scheme do you want? Because I was thinking white and sage green. Classic but not boring. It mustn’t be what Tessa wants, you know? It’s not too late