Michael's Pov:
I had begun to regret staying over. Like I didn’t know what came over my head.
Probably it was the way her eyes pleaded for me to stay or the fact that I wanted to spend more time with my daughters.
I knew it was either the former or the latter. She offered for me to stay in the guest room that she would stay with the twins in their home.
Knowing fully well if she stayed with the twins that room would be choked up.
I told her I’d rather sleep on the couch and that she shouldn’t bother.
After much interjections and persuasions, she finally let me sleep on the couch. Heaven knows that I didn’t sleep a blink that night, my mind couldn’t get over the fact that she was just a room away from me.
I kept on thinking about her, I know I shouldn’t be thinking about her but I just couldn’t stop.
I kept convincing my mind to think about my wife Cara instead of Marie but it was just an impossible task to do.
Around 2 am in the morning, I went to the kitchen to drink water since I was parched after a few minutes, Marie came in her rumpled pajamas. It looked like she hadn’t slept a wink too.
Could it be that she was thinking about me too? I wondered. She seemed surprised to see me awake but yet a smile tugged at the end of her lips. I asked why she was awake and she said for some reason she couldn’t sleep.
I couldn’t let her know that she was the reason I was awake so I lied that I woke up because I was thirsty. She then confessed that she couldn’t sleep because she kept thinking about me and how she regretted why she had told me to stay over.
While she babbled on, I found her lips so compelling before you knew it my lips crashed with hers and I could fireworks around us. It was like I had been waiting for this day all along.
She hesitated at first but she later gave in. Our tongues explored each other and her mouth begged for me to gain more access to it.
She held onto me like she was scared that I was going to disappear and I held onto her like I felt she was going to slowly fade away.
Then she broke the kiss and whispered saying that we shouldn’t be doing this.
Then the realization hit me, I had just kissed another woman who wasn’t Cara my wife. The guilt followed and I hated myself for cheating on Cara. Marie just told me that we should forget what happened and continue the way we were before. I wanted more of her kiss but I had to fight away the temptation.
Morning came and it was time for me to leave. Marie avoided eye contact with me throughout and I also was feeling uneasy around her. Jada had warmed up to him and was talking to me without being uncomfortable again. I was glad I had made peace with the girls before leaving.
I offered to visit them once in a while and they were glad I wanted to do that. As I left, on my way home, I kept on replaying the kiss I had shared the previous night with Marie.
I knew I loved her and she was my first love but there was Cara too. How is it possible to love two women at the same time? It’s either I love one and think I love the other I said.
My vacation was over since my wife wasn’t with me anymore. I was back to work and back to normal but normal wasn’t normal without Cara.
I hated the fact that after work, we weren’t going home together, we went separate ways. She went to her parent's house and me to my empty apartment.
I knew I had to choose fast who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, is it Cara or Rosemarie? A very difficult task for me to do.
As I packed up to leave work, I noticed Cara was still in her office and had her head on the table. I slowly went to meet her and saw that she had been crying.
I hated the look on her face and asked what was wrong, she just kept on crying and I was just comforting her letting her know everything would be fine. She told me if she could crash at my place that she didn’t want to go back home to her parents.
I drove her to my apartment and while she showered, I made a meal for her. While eating I tried to ask her what happened but it seemed she was trying every possible way to avoid the discussion.
Time to sleep and I headed to the guest room but was stopped by her. She told me that we could stay together in our room and that she didn’t mind.
I was happy because I didn’t want to stay in the guest room before I was just being a gentleman. I wanted her in my arms and I wanted her close to me. As we lay in each other’s arms, I felt safe and the unexpected happened, she began to kiss me and I kissed back without hesitating but then I began to feel guilty.
She proceeded to pull off my shirt and hers, I tried to stop her but she told me she wanted this and needed us to do this.
We made love countless times that night like we had missed each other’s bodies. By morning when I woke up, she was gone. I called her line and she said that she had to leave early because of an emergency but promised to call me later that evening.
Days passed and life seemed to be shitty every day, I always woke up miserable and my mind split between two different women.
I had also planned on checking on my family but I have been too busy at work to have time to look for them. In the quiet moment of the night when I was fast asleep, I wrestled with my demons, my mind a battleground of conflicting emotions.
I kept on replaying the events of that fateful night with Rosemarie over and over again, each kiss a dagger to my conscience.
And yet as I condemn myself for my actions, a part of me longed for more, for the intoxicating rush of desire and the forbidden thrill of passion.
The next day I had planned on hanging out with Sam but finished work late so it had to be postponed. I had planned on heating the lasagna left in the fridge and eating it for dinner.
As I lay on my bed to sleep, a rapid knock was heard on my door. As I opened the door, who I met there was not who I had expected at all.
“Michael, so this is where you have been hiding,” he said. Today couldn’t get any worse.
Rosemarie’s Pov:After leaving the hospital, Jada was better and healthier. I was so happy that she was back to her normal self, it was as if that incident never happened and I was so grateful for that. Anne was a sweet aunt and made sure all their needs were taken care of. I was at peace and Anne made me happy when she asked if we could move in with her. She had gotten used to our presence to the extent she didn’t want to let us go. Of course, the twins were happy with the idea but then wouldn’t it be weird moving to my younger sister’s apartment when it seems to be the other way around? Anne assured me that she had plenty of space and that it would be good for all of us to be together, especially for the twin’s sake. Plus, it would give me a chance to bond more with Anne and spend quality time with her since she stays alone.As we settled into Anne’s apartment, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. It was comforting to know that we had a safe and supportive env
Michael’s Pov:I froze as I stared at the man standing on my doorstep, a stranger yet oddly familiar. It took a moment for recognition to sink in, my uncle whom I hadn’t seen in years. My mind raced, trying to comprehend the words spilling from his lips. “We've been searching for you for years, " he said, his voice had a tone of urgency “ I don’t know what the hell happened or why you had run away from home but I do know something; your father is Ill Michael. It’s time for you to come back.” He said.My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to process the bombshell dropped on me.”But I’ve built a life here” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. “ A different life”.My uncle’s gaze softened, understanding evident in his eyes .” I know Michael. But your family needs you. Your father needs you . And there’s something else... You have a responsibility to your legacy. Your father’s empire .... It’s yours now”.My mind reeled at the weight of my uncle’s words. I had left beh
Rosemarie’s Pov:Anne led us to an abandoned warehouse. She believed James would be there.After the call, she told us how there was a particular sound in the background of the call.It was the sound of iron meeting iron and it is a sound that she heard when she once went to the warehouse.She said James usually goes there because he said the place is serene and it was an ideal place for him to work from home.She had totally forgotten about the warehouse because they hadn’t gone there in a long time, even before the divorce.Michael drove us to the warehouse. I looked at him and I couldn’t be any more grateful that he was there.I had imagined when I had called him he would have simply ignored me or, better still, wouldn’t come after telling him about Jasmine’s kidnapping after the last encounter we had.He could have just easily said he wasn’t coming, it’s not like he was in their lives after all, but Michael came here with immediate effect after the call and she was glad he did.An
Michael’s Pov:Everywhere seemed choked up, I couldn’t breathe. I felt like air left my lungs, I struggled for air after inhaling In and out for a few hours, I was back to myself.A voice kept on ringing in my head “it should have been you, it should have been you, how would you live with yourself now?”.I smoothened out my suit and knotted my tie, I couldn’t break down, I couldn’t be vulnerable. I need to be on my best self for Marie and the twins.As I headed downstairs to my car, my phone buzzed, and it was my colleague at work. He asked when I’ll be coming back to work because I have been away for months now.I promised that I would be back soon and that I had something to take care of. I wasn’t lying, I had to go back. Furthermore, I haven’t seen Cara in a long time and my heart still yearns for her and my child growing inside her, but I just had to do this one last thing for Marie.As I headed to the funeral I had only one thing stuck in my mind.Would Marie hate me from now o
Rosemarie’s pov: Days turn to weeks, weeks turn to months and my sister is gone just like yesterday. Everyday as I woke up, it still hit me hard that I was never going to see her again. It felt like a missing piece of me was gone but I had to move on. It wasn’t easy because everyday seems to be a struggle but I had to be strong for the twins. Since after the accident, Jasmine has been keeping to herself and it felt like she had fallen into depression. Jada complained about her twin almost everyday that she wasn’t as active as before which made me make up my mind for her to see a therapist, she had appointments twice a week. It really helped because she had begun to go back to her old self. Michael helped in his own way by coming every weekend to come spend some time with the girls . They had really grown accustomed to him, he would even never come empty handed but always show up with presents for the girl. Sometimes he got gifts for me too which I appreciated in turn. I had
Michael’s POV:The sun came out to play today which only means it is a great day to take my girls to the beach. It was like a pre-birthday outing, I just wanted to do something special for them before the actual birthday party. Of course, the girls were both so happy to hear about the beach, their mum had put them in their best dresses and had gladly handed them over to me so she could have her alone time for some while before they came back. The drive to the beach was so much fun, I had played the best of Shawn Mendes's songs all through and the girls seemed to be obsessed with Shawn Mendes. I had invited Marie to tag along but she bailed saying she had to plan the birthday party since it was fast approaching. I had packed up food to eat at the beach, cheeseburgers and cupcakes with sandwiches. On getting to the beach, the girls ran around like they were birds that had just been set free. I went ahead to set up our space for the picnic while keeping an eye on the twins so they w
Rosemarie’s pov: I returned home with a whirlwind of thoughts swirling in my mind. Was I experiencing a dream or a hallucination? How could I have seen James when he was supposed to be at the station? As I stepped into my house, I made sure to lock all the doors and windows, unwilling to take any chances of a potential intruder, especially after encountering James unexpectedly. My heart raced with fear and uncertainty as I dialed Michael’s number, seeking assurance and protection for my twins. Despite his concern, I couldn’t bring myself to divulge the truth about my encounter with James. Instead, I brushed it off as a vague feeling, unwilling to risk alarming Michael with the possibility of my hallucinations or worse, the potential threat posed by James. Every creak of the floorboards and rustle of the wind outside only amplified my anxiety. I couldn’t shake off the image of James from my mind, wondering if he was truly there or if my mind was playing tricks on me. The unc
Michael PovIn the aftermath of the twins’ jubilant birthday celebration, a sense of disquiet settled over me regarding Marie’s demeanor. Despite her tireless efforts in orchestrating a spectacular party that left everyone in high spirits, there lingered an elusive feeling that something was amiss with her. Beneath her radiant smile and effervescent charm, there lurked a shadow of concern that she seemed determined to conceal from me.It was during one quiet evening, as the twins lay nestled in their beds, that Marie’s voice trembled with an undercurrent of fear as she inquired about their safety. With a reassuring tone, I assured her that they were safely tucked in for the night, under my vigilant watch. Yet, her inquiry was not without a hint of trepidation, a subtle plea for reassurance that left me pondering the source of her distress.Despite my persistent attempts to coax her into confiding in me, Marie remained steadfast in her reluctance to divulge the root cause of her anx