Ryan BurkeI drive down the road incessantly without the certainty that I will find her well. The damn phone rings so many times that I can not calculate. It calls eight times and falls back into voicemail.“Hi, you called Doctor Foster. Leave a message after the beep.”I insist on calling again. The sound that echoes as the phone rings is deafening.“Come on, Morgana!” I speak nervously. “Come on, pick up!”“Hi, you called Doctor Foster. Leave a message after the beep.”I hit the wheel with both hands in frustration.I pray in my heart that she’s just too tired to hear the phone ring. In fact, the adrenaline that’s pumping for me, boiling like lava, begging for all the gods, so she’s just sleeping in our room.I step on the accelerator with a grip on the heart. The thoughts that she may be in danger takes me completely. I’m afraid it’s too late to get to her. Ronan’s car is following me. I know it’s him, because I saw my mom get into it when we were in the company parking lot. Now, th
Morgana Foster “Did you miss me?” the unmistakable voice of Alessandra goes through the shed, invading my ears A new flood of emotions fills my soul as soon as I see your profile appearing from the corner of my eye, until you are totally in front of me. How could I be fooled by that silly story about her becoming a nurse to take care of her mother? “What happened?” Alessandra disdains. “Did the cat get his tongue?” “I think she’s a little surprised that you’re my daughter.” declare Winnie. Alessandra walks to Winnie’s side and leans against the counter. I had never noticed it before, but there is a short resemblance between the two. I feel completely different now. Silly for never having noticed anything strange to them. I dry swallow as I watch them both. I can’t believe that’s true. A part of me wants to deny that I could be so blind to it. “What are we going to do with it?” Alessandra says. “I don’t know.” Winnie replies. “We could kill her and send the body to the Burkes.”
Morgana FOSTER “You are idiotic indeed, Mr Burke!” Alessandra says, pressing the barrel of the gun against my head. I swallow dry, feeling the pressure and the weight of the metal pipe in my head. My eyes automatically widen, as if the entire world walls up, when I hear the gun being cocked. “Let’s negotiate.” Ryan says calmly, looking at the men who are with him, who step back a little. — “What do you want?” “We’ve already said.” This time it’s Winnie who answers. “16 million dollars in my account. Until noon… And who knows, I release this one.” She says, pulling my head that tumbles back. The taste of iron fills my mouth. Maybe that’s the end of me. A fight for money. “Even if I wanted to, that’s an exorbitant amount.” He replies. “See? Mrs Burke,” Alessandra says with a laugh. “He doesn’t think you’re worth it.” “In the end, all Burkes are the same.” Winnie said, turning to face me. “Maybe he’ll take us seriously if we shoot her. What do you think?” My breathing is still ir
MORGANA FOSTER Four months later, Rookgaard, California, United States. 2018 The Burke grandparents' house. “The trial will be in a week.” Sorya says. “Do you want to go?” The dining table, which was once wrapped in a sea of laughter and tinkling of bowls and cutlery, was immersed in complete silence. I look around to make sure I’m not silent alone. I swallow the bitter pain of the hours of terror I suffered at the hands of both women. “I don’t feel like seeing them again.” I murmur, feeling a mold forming in my throat. — just the thought of sharing the same space, they fill me with anger. “And you do not have to go if you do not want to!” said Elena, placing her hand on mine, giving me a warm smile. Your cheeks are pink, and your belly is huge. Soon the baby will be born. I give her a pale smile and murmur a short “Thank You”. At first, I never thought I’d be feeling comfortable next to my "rival', but now that she’s marrying James, her presence is no longer a threat to me. We’
Morgana FosterI ran down the hallway with my heart pounding and breath failing. If she found me, I was done. I crouched under the table, covering my body with the curtain, trying not to make a sound."Gotcha!" The little blonde head ran towards me, stumbling in my direction. Clear blue eyes, as bright as Ryan's, stared at me with a toothless and radiant smile."Oh, Alanis," I responded, patting the little one's head. "You found me, huh?"Alanis laughed, a childlike and joyful laughter that filled the air. She pointed to the makeshift hiding spot under the table."I found you, Auntie, but you're terrible at this!" she exclaimed, eyes still filled with amusement.I rolled my eyes affectionately, knowing my attempt at hiding was futile. "You're too clever, Alanis. Can't escape you, it seems."The little one stood up and sat beside me, playing with her fingers while looking at me. "You're sad, Morgana. Why?"I smiled, trying to mask my emotions in front of her innocence. "Not sad, sweethe
MORGANA FOSTERA girl walked out of the room, and there was no smile on her face. That meant there was still a small chance of salvation for me and my father. That I could leave there married and "happy."What a tasteless joke!With two jobs and accumulating college tuition, and my father undergoing chemotherapy, I was exhausted. Not only were the college expenses piling up, but the hospital bill was also increasing, and my father's health had deteriorated significantly in recent months. That's why, and only because of that, I decided to show up for this sham marriage interview.Yes, this is at least stupid. Who still needs such a thing in the 21st century?He could be too shy to find a wife. He could be a busy executive who didn't want to bother with finding a real wife. Or simply, he could be an ugly man. A million thoughts crossed my mind as I waited for my name to be called, praying that the other girl didn't come off better than I would now.The simple idea of a sham marriage to s
THREE YEARS LATER MORGANA FOSTER On that morning, everything seemed quiet as I arrived at the mansion. After two years, I returned, feeling a shiver run down my spine as I gazed at that enormous door. I took a few deep breaths before turning the handle, pondering if this was truly a good decision. I had inherited this house from Grandpa Burke when I married his grandson in that crazy contract, but I never wanted to stay here. Living on campus during college and maintaining minimal contact with my paper husband never sparked the desire to dwell within these white walls. I only wore my wedding ring at family gatherings and events where I had to accompany him, keeping up appearances of a happy and stable couple. I never considered the possibility of living with him, and he never approached me about it. We even tried to make the fake marriage seem real in the first year to appease the family, which led to me staying in the city apartment during the initial months. That didn't work out
RYAN BURKE It was late afternoon and the sky had very few clouds outside. I left the company just before 16:00. Morgana would be arriving between today and tomorrow at "our house", she had been avoiding me for a few months. I hadn't sought her out during that time necessarily because I liked her, but I needed to keep up the sham she and my grandfather had put me through. I never wanted this crap marriage, but I had a bit of empathy for the situation when she explained her father's state of health. I was fooled from the start. So we came to a consensus, I wouldn't get in the way of her life and she wouldn't get in the way of mine. We would be in this marriage agreement for as long as her father needed medical treatment and I would maintain my relationship with Elena. Marriage to Morgana was always nominal. Frankly, I never really looked at her, my attentions always belonged to the blue-eyed blonde who dominated me. As her father died a few months ago, I decided to wait for a period