All Chapters of Love, Lies, and I Do: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

111 Chapters

81 -Guess Whose Having a Baby?

The morning sunlight dappled through the kitchen windows, catching on Vanessa’s copper mug as she poured herself a tall glass of orange juice. She paused, one hand absently tracing the gentle swell just beginning to show beneath her oversized T-shirt. She couldn’t help smiling—a private, giddy little smile that she hadn’t been able to shake for days.She was pregnant.The word itself felt warm and fizzy, like a secret she’d been dying to shout from the rooftops. She’d spent the past week daydreaming about baby names, imagining tiny socks and impossibly small hands wrapped around her finger. She’d pictured Marcus—her Marcus—cradling their child, falling in love all over again.But when she’d told him—her heart pounding, her voice trembling with excitement—his reaction had been nothing as she’d imagined.Marcus had stared, wide-eyed, the color draining from his face. “Pregnant? Now? Vanessa, we said we’d plan for this. I’m not… I’m not ready to be a dad.”She’d tried to laugh it off at

82 - Moving On Up

Over a wonderful dinner, India brought up the important matter she's been waiting to discuss with Denver. "Baby, I think it's time for us to move. We have been living here for a few years since the wedding. Now I really love this place because it's our first home together. But it’s time to get us a new address.""I hear you, sweetheart. Anything for my baby?” He said with cheer in his voice. "I feel like we need to set it as a serious goal, something for us to work on. If not physically, mentally, and emotionally, we need to have it on our minds. Then it's just not as comfortable as it used to be, and with so many strange people moving into the area, I don’t feel as safe as I used to. So, can we look for a house away from the city?" "Why out of the city,y India? You know how convenient it is for me to live in the city. The apartment is so close to work." "I know, Den, there are a lot of pluses to us living here. All the conveniences I get are the corner store, gas station, and bus

83 - House Warming Party

Some months later:The move was the best thing they could have done. It was a lovely home with a lot of space. Four bedrooms, a guest room, a large living room, a huge kitchen, and plenty of land for a future family. They still hadn't started a family yet. Life had taken them for a new, unexpected spin. The housewarming buffet-style party was a perfect idea. It was a nice mixture of people who came to the party. Everyone began eating and talking, meeting and greeting, after about an hour. Denver and India, Marcus and Vanessa, who love to dance, started the party off with "Fireboy DML& Ed Sheeran. Everyone was a little shy at first; no one wanted to be the first to kick things off. So Marcus looks at Denver, giving him that eye, "let's do this." Denver smiles back. "Let's do it."They started vibing across the room with one another until they met each other in the middle of the living room floor. At first, the guest was looking at the two of them kind of strangely. But then the str

84 - Hospital Scare

The world was soft and silent, the kind of silence that exists only at three in the morning, when the darkness presses against the windows, and even the wind seems to tiptoe. Denver’s phone buzzed like an angry wasp on the nightstand, shattering the stillness. He groaned, half-awake, fumbling for it with a hand that felt too heavy. India stirred beside him, her hair a tangled halo on the pillow.He saw Beth’s name on the screen. His heart thumped. Nothing good ever came from a call at this hour.He swiped to answer. “Hello?”Beth’s voice was a tangle of sobs. “Denver, it’s Dad. It’s Alan. He—he had a heart attack. The ambulance is here. They’re taking him to Mercy General. Please, just—just come. Hurry. Please.”Denver sat up so fast the room spun. “What happened? Is he—?”“I don’t know. They won’t tell me anything. Oh God, Denver, just get here. Please.”India was awake now, sitting up, blinking at him. “What’s wrong?”He hung up and pressed his palms to his eyes, trying to keep the

85 - The Sacrifice (Home Is Where the Heart Heals)

Denver paused at the kitchen island, hands buried deep in his pockets, a sense of worry clinging to him like the steam rising from his mug. The house felt impossibly large and echoey now that his parents’ voices filled the halls, but he’d insisted—practically begged—his mom, Sharon, and his ailing father to stay with him for a few weeks while his dad recovered.It had been Denver’s idea, of course. After all, what was the point of buying a sprawling house in the suburbs if it wasn’t a place for the family to land when life knocked them down? He’d presented it to Sharon and his dad as if it were the most logical thing in the world. “We’ve got more than enough room,” he’d told his mom over the phone, trying to sound casual, as if the offer hadn’t been keeping him up at night. “Let Dad rest here, at least until he’s steady on his feet again.”India, his wife, had been less than thrilled about the arrangement. She’d agreed, thinking long and hard about her and Sharon’s relationship. But s

86 - A Measure of Night & Day

Denver strode into the boardroom with quiet confidence, the click of his polished Oxford shoes echoing on the marble floors. He was a portrait of classic business tradition from head to toe—his navy-blue suit impeccably pressed, the fabric heavy and expensive but understated. A crisp white dress shirt peeked out from beneath his tailored jacket, the collar starched and neat. His silk tie, a deep burgundy with a subtle herringbone pattern, was knotted in a perfect Windsor, and a matching burgundy pocket square, expertly folded, added just a whisper of color to his breast pocket. His dark hair was neatly parted and combed back, adding gravitas to his strong jaw and even features. Gold cufflinks gleamed at his wrists, and his watch—a vintage stainless-steel Omega—was the only sign of extravagance he wore. Denver’s look was deliberate: solid, steady, the embodiment of a man who valued tradition and legacy.He carried a worn leather portfolio under one arm, and as he greeted the room, his

87 - Friendships On The Rocks

Marcus’s keys clattered into the bowl by the door, announcing his return like a warning bell. The evening light filtered through the windows, painting the walls gold, but he barely noticed. His jaw was tight, his thoughts racing with the sting of Denver’s distrust, the memory of signing that contract replaying in his mind like a scene he couldn’t escape.He kicked off his shoes, loosened his tie, and headed toward the living room. The sound of Virgil’s cries greeted him before he saw his son—a ten-month-old bundle of energy and need, wailing from his playpen. Vanessa was at the stove, stirring a pot with one hand and bouncing on her toes, her hair pulled up in a messy knot. She looked exhausted, her eyes shadowed with fatigue.“Can you please quiet him?” Marcus snapped, dropping his briefcase a little too hard. “I’ve had a day.”Vanessa spun on her heel, arching an eyebrow. “So have I, Marcus. He’s been fussy since lunch, and I haven’t had a chance to sit down all afternoon. If you th

88 - The Old Wounds

Vanessa paced her kitchen, the phone pressed to her ear. The baby monitor crackled on the counter, Virgil’s soft babbling a background soundtrack to her rising frustration. She was tired—tired of the tension at home, tired of the awkwardness between Marcus and Denver, tired of feeling like her family was stuck in someone else’s drama.She had tried to let it go, to be the patient wife, but after three sleepless nights and too many anxious glances from Marcus, she couldn’t keep it in anymore. She dialed India’s number with determined fingers, her heart thumping louder than Virgil’s fussing.India answered on the second ring, her voice warm but cautious. “Hey, Vanessa. Is everything okay?”“Can we talk? I need to know—do you think Denver’s holding a grudge against Marcus?” Vanessa blurted, her words tumbling out in a rush.There was a pause, then a gentle sigh from India. “Do you want me to come over, or should I meet you somewhere?”Vanessa hesitated. “Here’s fine. I just… I don’t know

89 - Power Shifts

Denver paced in his new office, which was Marcus’s old one. The soft hum of the city filters through the windows. They swapped offices since Marcus had been using his for the two months he had been away. His office feels like the center of the universe—his universe. Now, as Vice President, this space feels a size too small, as if the walls had crept closer, quietly reminding him that the corner office upstairs belonged to Marcus, for now.He couldn’t deny it: Marcus was good. Too good. The staff seemed to light up in his presence, eager to impress, relaxed in a way Denver had never seen before. Marcus had a knack for making people feel heard, like what they did really mattered. Denver prided itself on efficiency and results, but Marcus? Marcus was all about connection.It grated. Denver tried to tell himself he was being paranoid, that he should be grateful the company wasn’t falling apart without him at the helm. But every time Marcus stopped by with a new directive or suggestion,

90- Tahiti Escapades

“There are only two things in this world that I would apply the word love to when describing my feelings.”“What’s that, girl?” Vanessa replied into the speaker of her phone, as she packed her bags for a much-needed vacation with her husband and friends.” “Number one, I love my friends and family.”“Ah, how sweet of you, India, same here.” “I know our dynamics are weird. But I honestly think of you and Marcus as an extension of my family. We have been through so much over these years. A disastrous wedding that was almost ruined, and through sniffles, sighs, and a few congrats, we found true love.” “Well, I couldn’t ask for better friends than you and Denver. You guys have been so supportive of Marcus and me, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have you both as our friends.”“Ah, Vanessa, how touching. Well, we have two great husbands, and the word makes me giddy and a little thrilled after these years every time I hear it.” “I know, doesn’t it? But I will really be giddy once the t

...

7 8 9 10 11 12

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP