Novels by Julie Paola

Neil took his car keys ready to set off for an evening drive. Since he arrived back in the country for Christmas, he never spent time alone. It was either his mum constantly calling him or….“Dad!” He heard his young son scream his name from up the stairs. His wife, Susanna followed, jogging down in her casual wear. “Vixen, stop running!” She tried to catch up with the 7 year old. There was no point. The boy was way too fast. “Dad, I want you to fix the lego set again,” the child grumbled, holding a piece of lego. Neil nodded and pecked him on the cheek. “Sure, I will do that,” he agreed with a nod. “But let me take a quick drive first,” “No, Dad,” his child stumped his feet stubbornly. “I want you to do it now.” Neil wasn’t sure of what to do. How the hell could he do this? He didn’t want to hurt his son’s feelings, nor was he ready to sacrifice his evening drive as he always does. “Fine, I can….” He wanted to accept, as he took the Lego piece from him. Susanna stopped him. “No

ONE YEAR LATER Neil was taken out of his ward and brought into the private visiting room with no context. When he asked who visited, since he rarely got visitors, he was given no response. “Just sit down and wait patiently,” his nurse warned him before walking out. Neil complied, admiring the empty room. The treatment did help him a lot no doubt. His ill feelings toward his mum aren't gone, but he’s learnt to accept the past. What was done was done. He couldn’t control fate. The most he could do was start a new beginning. The visiting room door opened and someone stepped in. Someone he was familiar with. He stood up in shock, confused by the sudden appearance. Another person followed the visitor behind, gesturing to him to calm down. It was Morrie, complying with her promise to visit him once a month. What he hadn’t expected was for her to bring Flora this time. “It is fine, Neil. I brought her here on purpose,” Morrie smiled. Flora waved formally, before staring around the room.

9 year old Neil Schoenfeld loved his mum’s good heart. He loved the services she rendered for others and the compliments they gave after that. He loved how hardworking she was and the sacrifices she made, despite being a single mother. The neighbors supported in every way they could too, but his mother was an independent woman. She loved to do things by herself.One day, she received news from the school she applied for. She luckily got in on scholarship and they were willing to offer her a job if she showed dedication and attended consistently. Neil was happy for his mother. What he hadn’t expected was to see less of her. That wasn’t a problem for him at first since he stayed with neighbors and they treated him well. This neighbor was the closest to his family. His mother trusted them a lot and didn’t mind leaving him there for days, if not weeks. Soon, they got irritated by his constant stay in their home and began to verbally abuse him. They pointed out every flaw and insulted him f

Outside the court, Neil gave George an apologetic look, but what was the use for that? The guy already spent one month in jail for no reason. Their relationship would never be the same anymore. At least, George was sure of that. During the trial, different accusations were raised against Neil; Break ins, threats, murder, stalking and many others. Neil could swear that many weren’t the case but there was nothing he could do about them. They refused to let him defend himself. He stared at Melanie’s family. The poor mother wanted justice, that was all. After all, they all saw him threaten her with a knife while he used her as bait. “I can assure you my Lord that this man is not insane. He is as normal as every other sane criminal trying to cover up for his crimes.” Mrs Hopper’s lawyer insisted with so much certainty. “If he isn’t normal as his lawyer claims, his mother would have sent him to a psychiatric hospital a long time ago.”“Objection my lord!” Neil’s lawyer stood up in defense.

Neil was still unable to believe what he saw. Morrie stepped out of the car looking healthy, except for her bandaged head. Her blue eyes shone under the sun as she made her way past the police and stood beside detective Ronald holding a document. “It’s fine, CO. He didn’t push me. I slipped. This case is more about Melanie, than me.” Morrie said, showing them the document she held. Detective Ronald arched his brows. “I thought you were warned to stay indoors,” he whispered to Morrie in anger. “I am okay now. The hit wasn’t that bad. The doctor told you herself, right?” She drew herself from him and turned to the rest of the police force. “I have here a medical report of Neil Schoenfeld. While receiving my treatment because of the fall, I was lucky enough to meet Neil's therapist which I am sure neither of you knows he has. Neil is sick. He suffers from a borderline personality disorder, which is why he cannot bear reliving the same hurt. He kidnapped me because he thought I was go

Neil narrowly escaped into the forest, back to his little home which ought to be his point of abode. How wrong he was! In less than thirty minutes, the police flooded the forest trying to comb the entire woods. Neil knew for sure that he was in trouble. The forest wasn’t safe for him anymore. He snuck his way out of the forest and made his way back to the highway, where he walked aimlessly. He had nowhere to go, or who to meet up with. He couldn’t flee the state either. After an hour of walking, he slept in a closed alley, with a few homeless people who didn’t know what was going on. “Do you want some bread?” One asked, offering him moldy bread. It was a woman with a child whose body was full of blisters. “Sure,” Neil accepted it nicely and stared at the young girl. The girl looked like she was in pain and needed help. “You should take your daughter to the pharmacy.”He told the lady, looking concerned. “We do not have the money for that. Please mind your business. I didn’t give yo

Vicky didn’t hang up her call with Maria. She left it active, hoping to feel Maria’s presence with her as she receives his diagnosis.“Girl, relax okay?” She heard Maria say over the phone. Vicky took a deep breath, trying to be calm.“What is it doctor?” She eventually asked. “He is stable now,” Vicky heaved a sigh of relief with her hand to her chest. She sat back on the chair, thanking God for saving his life. “We were able to flush the pill out of his system. There is an issue though…,” the doctor said. She stopped rejoicing and turned swiftly to him. “He may be unconscious for a couple of hours. The pill really messed with his brain, so it will take a while for his body to get back to normal.”“At least he is fine, that’s all that matters to me.” She said, ignoring the rest of the doctor’s facts. “If I may ask, are you his wife? We need a family member to sign some documents later,” he asked. She felt off by the question. Maria cleared her throat, causing her to feel a bit pi

Vicky laid on her back that night, staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t stop thinking about Steven’s indifference towards her rants that evening. He seemed chill, happier and friendlier than she ever knew him. She turned to her side and gazed at a beautiful painting of an enormous garden. A painting she barely notices since she’s been so busy with Bonnie. Perhaps all Steven needed was a friend and someone to speak to, she thought. He might be lonely and in need of some to converse with. But his freaking ego would not let him admit him. Well, it wasn’t her own headache. She came for Bonnie and that was it. The next day, she made herself a cup of green tea in the kitchen, before stepping outside admiring the greenery. The emergency lock down was over. Good thing she could visit Maria and forget these depressing lives for a while. Her thought went to her husband as she stepped back into the house to get her bag. She hadn’t heard from him since their last argument. Well, she hoped he wa

Vicky nodded and began. “She was helpless when I first saw her,” Vicky said with an emotional tone. “I remember when Mr Chang brought her for the first time. She was scared, vulnerable and felt sick. We all thought she was going to die. It turned out she had been roaming the streets for hours and had nowhere to go. She was three months pregnant at that time. The landlord promised to give her a free apartment for a while, and made her vow to start paying once she gets a job. Anita made that promise. She was very beautiful, Steven. Not only was she beautiful, she was the most hardworking lady I have ever seen too. She was so fond of her daughter and I remember her smiles anytime Bonnie kicked in her stomach. She became my best friend the first time I saw her.” Steven felt deeply hurt by Vicky’s words. He wasn’t there for Bonnie when she needed him the most. He couldn’t believe she suffered so much like that. “She is an amazing lady. You fell in love with your match, Steven,” Vicky co

Anita walked down the empty road, nervous and scared. She had nowhere else to go and she’d considered her employment at Mr Jones house lucky. How wrong she was! If only she hadn’t placed all her eggs in one basket. Perhaps, she would have found an alternative place to lay for the night. Her arm was wrapped around her. She trembled with fear and she could barely walk any further. Luckily for her, a car pulled over beside her and her guardian came to her rescue. It was Mr Chang. An old man she helped a few weeks ago while he was stranded under the rain. “What are you doing here all alone?” He asked with concern. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. He opened his car for her to get in and she hesitated at first. “Trust me,” he smiled.Since there was no other choice, she got in and cleared the tears on her cheek. “Thank you,” she appreciated. “What are you doing stranded her?” He asked “My boss' daughter wants to kill me,” she confessed. “I have nowhere to go.” Mr Chang didn’t

Bonnie wasn’t confident about going with Mrs Gold. As Vicky packed her necessities into her baby bag, the child gazed at her with nervous anticipation. “O! Bonnie! It is just for a few days,” Vicky shut the bag, brushing away her analysis. Bonnie was just a year and half old. The child was too young to know what was right and wrong. Vicky hung the bag on her shoulder and carried Bonnie in her arm. “Come on, my princess! You will be back before you know it.”She gave Bonnie to Mrs Gold and handed her the bag. “All her items are in there. She loves to have her milk oat and she takes her baby food at 8pm every night. She doesn’t like cold showers and she enjoys a solemn lullaby before sleep. She hates the air conditioner and does enjoy loud noises. She loves to move around in Walker when she is awake and…,” “It’s fine, Vicky,” Mrs Gold interrupted her with a short laugh. “I have taken care of her a couple of times, so I know all this. There is no need to teach me how to take care of my

Vicky watched the girls enter the police van as they were taken for interrogation. She smiled with pride as she reminisced about what she had done. She got Tory to speak! O! Goodness! Who would have thought.“You did good,” Steven said as he joined her where she stood. She smiled with a relieved look. “I have never done this before,” she confessed, folding her arms. “I was really nervous. I thought I was going to upset them.”“Luckily you did not,” he said with his eyes focused on the van. “If you had, you would have faced me. You know how that ends, don’t you?”He was such a mood killer. Was that a nice time to threaten her? Vicky rolled her eyes, ignoring what he said. He didn’t want her response anyway. “You should have more faith in yourself, Vicky,” he continued. “If you do, you can go really far.”“I have faith in myself. You needn’t teach me that. It is just difficult to deal with a man like you. I cannot satisfy you no matter what I do. You scare me most of the time,” Vicky