“What?!” Alex whisperedHis breath caught in his throat as he found it hard to process the depraved scene laid out before his disbelieving eyes.There on the rumpled sheets of his marital bed, glistening with sweat, were the naked, intertwined bodies of Isabella and Derek. Derek's muscular frame was hovering over Isabella, his back rippling with each powerful thrust while Isabella's fingers were raking down his slick skin, and her head lolled back in ecstasy. The room was punctuated by Derek's deep grunts and Isabella's breathy whimpers.For a split second, he had been so overcome that his original plan dissipated from his mind as anger burned through his veins, not because of the act itself but because Isabella could stoop so low to sleep with their maid on the bed they shared together, prompting him to burst through the door and confront them in the act. But something stopped him. A flicker of reason amidst the tempest of fury reminded him to pause.“Why should I do that when I c
Emily's daily life had become an unending stream of insults and jeers. The name-calling and humiliation by people every day had pressed down on her, beginning to take a serious toll on her spirit, hence making it hard to focus on or find joy in anything. She had expected that overcoming the bullying would be challenging, but it was far more difficult than she had imagined. The derogatory remarks and sneers followed her even into her workplace, making her professional life equally unbearable.One fateful afternoon, as she exited her last class of the day, she felt an unusual fatigue wash over her. Her vision blurred, and the hallway around her seemed to spin. Students walked by, engrossed in their conversations and routines, oblivious to her situation.Desperately, she reached out to steady herself against the wall, but her strength waned rapidly. Her legs gave out, but before she could crumple to the floor, a firm hand cut her back as the sounds of footsteps and chatter became di
“Congratulations,” the doctor beamed in smiles as he announced the news. Emily scrunched her face in confusion. “Congratulations? For what?” When she looked at Sarah, Sarah’s eyes were boring hers as she understood what had happened. “You are four weeks pregnant. You were just a—” “Four weeks pregnant?” Emily's eyes widened in shock as the word sank into her. “The reason you fainted is because you've been stressing yourself out recently. Knowing the condition you are in now, you should be careful of the tasks you do.” But she did not pick up any of the doctor's words; his voice became a distant hum, and the world outside the room seemed to fade away. Her mind was elsewhere, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She felt disconnected from reality, as if she were floating above herself, watching the scene unfold from a distance. Questions and fears swirled in her mind: How could this be? What would she do next as her hand instinctively moved to her stomach, resti
“Who is there?” She asked in frustration.The person behind the door was Amara.Emily asked her what she wanted, but she requested that she open the door.Cleaning her tears, Emily went to open the door.They greeted each other while she stood at the doorway.“What happened?” Amara inquisitively asked her.“What do you mean?” Emily replied.“I've been hearing your sob for the past few minutes.” Concern was laced in her tone.“It's nothing. I'm fine.” She sniffed.But Amara did not believe her. “Can I come in?”Emily hesitated for a split second before finally letting her in.Amara stood in the middle of the room, certain that something was wrong with her, as Emily walked past her and sat on the bed.Emily sat on the bed beside Amara afterwards. “What happened? Don't forget, I'm here for you.” Amara's voice was barely above a whisper as she asked Emily.“I'm fine. Really.” Emily chuckled nervously, still insisting.“Did something happen at school? Did someone hurl an abusive word at y
Alex was in his study room when he received the message from Emily.His phone screen lit up with her name, making his heart skip a beat.“Why is she sending me a message?” He wondered.After how badly things ended between them, he was certain she would never reach out again. With furrowed brows, he opened the message and was surprised to see the content of the message."What happened?" His mind raced, wondering what could have prompted her to request an audience with him.Part of him longed to see her again, to be near her. But he knew better. If anyone caught them together, the speculation and gossip would be unbearable. With a heavy heart, he replied, "I can't. You know why. I'm sorry."Emily thrust her phone towards Amara, anger tightening her jaw. "See? It's useless to tell him anything. He wants nothing to do with me anymore.”Amara's eyes flashed as she read the dismissive text.“But do you have a choice? If you have even the slightest choice in this matter, you should tell me
Alex scrunched his face in confusion.“Have it,” Emily said again since he was hesitant to collect the report from her hand, only staring at it.After he had reluctantly collected it from her hand, he sat on the bed to read the content.His mouth hung open in utter disbelief as a strangled cry caught in his throat as the words on the report seemed to leap off the page at him. A searing pain lanced through his skull, as if someone was driving nails into his brain with each damning sentence he read.“What mess have I gotten myself into? Why has disaster been lurking around me recently? When I thought I had gotten rid of this affair? Now this?!” Knowing that the news getting out to the public was a deal-breaker to his complete downfall, he tried to think of a way to get over the new mess. “I have to get rid of his shit. I need to.” He swore inwardly.If Isabella was out of the picture in his life, it would have been good news for him even with Santiago’s strikes effects He shook his
Having finally cut ties with Emily, the guilt over the pain his actions would cause her compelled Alex to try and atone for them. He knew how important graduating was for Emily, and if she refused to comply with her lecturer's demands, she might lose that opportunity.The thought of meeting Daniel to plead for mercy from his brother on Emily's behalf made John groan, but he felt he had no other choice.“Do you remember what you told me the last time we met?” Daniel scoffed.But Alex didn’t reply to him. He was not in the position to, unlike the previous time, when he was still confident that he could turn the tables to his side.“I’m here because of our last conversation.” Alex announced it without further ado.“I figured that out.” Daniel chuckled.Daniel's expression abruptly shifted, his features hardening into a sombre mask as he mocked Alex."I hope it's not time for him to regret his actions, like you vowed." He curled his lips into a sneer and let out a sudden burst of laughter
“What’s that for?” Sarah held where the slap landed on her cheeks as her eyes widened in shock.Emily glared at Sarah, fury burning in her eyes."You blabbed my secret to the whole world! And don't act all innocent, trying to 'help me' out there." She made air quotes.Sarah met Emily's gaze; her expression was one of wide-eyed innocence. "You have to believe me, Emily. I didn't do it."Emily scoffed loudly. "Really? You expect me to believe that?" Then how did the media find out?""You must have told Alex," Sarah insisted."He is probably the one who leaked it, because it definitely wasn't me." She shook her head adamantly, maintaining her innocence.Emily rolled her eyes at Sarah's performance. She had learned plenty about Alex since their breakup, and she was certain he could not do such a thing."Alex couldn't have done that," Emily stated flatly, staring Sarah down and waiting for her to finally confess the truth.“It’s not me, to be honest. I’m not lying. What would be gained if