SARAH Leo was furious after Jake woke up. He had fainted while watering the flowers outside with his aunt Cora. Carolyn called me and informed me that Jake's medication was untouched and still sealed. This meant that he hadn't been taking his medicine."Do you even wish to live? If you truly wanted to survive your condition, you wouldn't have skipped your medication!" Leo shouted at Jake, who sat silently on his grandmother's bed.I enveloped Jake with my hands, as though shielding him from his father's angry outburst."What's the point of me existing, huh?" Jake asked, now looking up at his father."Don't say that, Jake," I whispered to him."I know I'm not your real son. I don't belong here."Leo, who had been yelling all this time, suddenly calmed down, realizing that the boy was revealing his inner truth."Grandma has told me countless times that no matter how hard I try, I'll never truly be accepted into this family."Just then, Lilian who had been out f
SARAHHer presence in our home was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. I couldn't stand the way she flaunted her body, desperately seeking attention from my husband, Leo. But I wasn't blind to her scheming ways, oh no, I saw right through her little game!On this particular day, Leo came home early, just as I was returning late from visiting a dear friend who had just given birth. And who do I find? None other than Emily, the vixen housekeeper, parading around in skimpy clothing that left nothing to the imagination.Her outfit was daring, to say the least. Her top, barely covering her ample bosom, and her shorts, hugging her curves as if they were painted on. It was clear that she was intentionally putting herself on display for Leo's eyes only.Fury boiled inside of me as I stepped in and saw her. How dare she disrespect me in my own home? I knew exactly what she was trying to do - seduce and steal my husband away from me. Well, she had another thing coming!I f
Jake slammed his hands on the table and glared at everyone. "I've lost my appetite!" he exclaimed, stood up and stormed out. "Me too," Caro added, and followed suit. "Don't worry about the kids, they'll come around," Mother-in-law said, clearly pleased with what Leo had said. My heart was heavy, my mind raced, and my thoughts were chaotic. Was Leo really talking about me? I couldn't even find the words to speak. "Why did you do that?" Lucas, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "What?" Leo pretended not to know. He looked at Emily, who was still standing beside Leo, but she seemed too clueless to understand his stare. "Leave now or you'll hate me forever!" Lucas's voice boomed, and she ran out without hesitation. "Why did you do that? I asked again!" Lucas demanded, now turning to face Leo. "He simply stated the truth," Mother-in-law defended Leo's actions. "What stupid truth?" Lucas yelled. "Even in front of the kids?" Leo walked out on us without saying a si
SARAHI regretted being married to Leo. If only I had gotten along with Julian, my ex-boyfriend, things would have been different. But now, Leo canceled our joint accounts, leaving me and my kids in poverty. To survive, I had to be incredibly careful with money.The next few days were tough. Our son, Jake, came back home but he kept threatening to run away if Leo didn't come back too. No matter how much I pleaded with Jake to give his father more time, he didn't listen. It seemed like my words fell on deaf ears. I had no choice but to visit Leo at his office.I walked into his office nervously, with my heart pounding. I couldn't believe it had come to this. I had to confront him face-to-face and find a way to change his mind.In my best suit, a gift from Leo on my last birthday, I anxiously waited outside his office. Leo had been preoccupied with other people and made me wait. I wondered what to expect - the sympathetic Leo I've always known or a love-sick man? To my surprise, a cold
SARAH One morning, as I was getting ready for work, my daughter Caro showed up in her nightie, totally out of the blue. Normally, she'd be getting ready for school at this time. "Mum, I'll be going for a special trip today," Caro announced. "A trip?" I asked, confused. "Yes, it's an excursion for my class. Didn't I tell you about it a few weeks ago? And I'm sure they announced it in school too," Caro explained. Suddenly, it all came back to me. The principal had indeed mentioned something about the final year students going on an excursion. My head was already full with worry. She wouldn't blame for for being forgetful. "Alright, whatever," I managed to say, not bothering to inquire further about the details. I figured it was a school-related activity, so it should be safe enough to let her go. With that thought in mind, I rushed off to school as I was almost running late. I was in the middle of teaching my students when my phone rang, disrupting the class. It was the principal
SARAH "Whoa, hold up! Leila, check this out!" My dad's booming voice echoed through the room, catching my mom's attention. She moved closer, taking the booklet from his grasp, her face etched with confusion. She glanced at him, bewildered. "When will you ever understand anything, Leila?" He snatched the booklet back and pointed to a section below. My mom's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!" "Your son is at it again, up to some shady business," he growled. Anger flickered in my mom's eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. Meanwhile, I just sat on the couch, engrossed in the movie playing on my phone. Their arguments were a daily occurrence; I had grown immune to them. "Oh, now he's suddenly my son?" "You gave birth to him, didn't you?" "And you put him here, didn't you?" My mom yelled, pointing at her belly. "These two ancient beings never let me have any peace," I muttered, refusing to be bothered. Those two bickered and fought all the time, leaving me wondering how they
SARAH In Anthonio's office, we waited anxiously, my parents and I, hoping for a miracle. Anthonio finally waddled in, a repulsive sight, with his protruding belly threatening to burst. As he sluggishly made his way to his seat, his audible breath filled the room, grating on my already frayed nerves. But we had no choice but to endure; we needed his help, nothing more. "How may I be of help to you?," Anthonio's voice boomed, sounding like a gorilla in a bad temper. My father proceeded to recount the agonizing details of our bankrupt hotel, and surprisingly, Anthonio seemed genuinely interested. "I've heard all you said, and I'm going to help you out," came his abrupt response. Relief washed over my parents, their faces lit up with smiles, thinking that all our problems were about to disappear. "But... I have a condition," Anthonio interjected, crushing their hope-filled smiles. "There's a beautiful flower in your possession, and I'd like to have it," he continued, a smug look on
LEO "Enough with the nagging phone calls!" My mother just couldn't leave me alone about being late to my own wedding. But hey, I had no choice but to go through with it. Clara, the woman my mother had picked out for me, was waiting in the church, ready to become my wife. Now, I wasn't thrilled about marrying Clara. There were no sparks, no chemistry. So, in frustration, I grabbed my coat and bolted out of the house. No need for a best man, I thought. I hopped in my car and hit the road. As I drove down the highway, something caught my eye. It was a young lady in a wedding dress, waving her hands frantically. Why on earth was a bride stranded by the roadside? I couldn't just leave her there, so I pulled over. She sprinted towards me, struggling with her dress, and begged me for help. I was speechless, just staring at her in awe. She pleaded, tears streaming down her face, to get away from there. Without waiting for my response, she hopped into the car, urging me to drive. I was ta