11 comments/ 13570 views/ 2 favorites Until Then Ch. 02 By: mary915 Today's been a long day! Those 6th graders drove me crazy today. I still wouldn't have it any other way though. I love being an educator. It makes me feel like I am doing something to improve this generation of children. I sighed out loud as I parked my car into our garage. I should say my garage. After all my husband Nick has been very distant from me these past six months. I don't know what's going on, and right now I'm not sure if I want to. I looked down at my watch. Wow it's only four o'clock. I guess traffic really wasn't as bad as usual. Man I miss Nick. He's away on business this week. Today is Tuesday and he won't be back until Friday. I sigh once again as I get out of my car. I was going to head right inside but something told me to check our mailbox. We only had one thing in there. It was from a Nora. I don't know a Nora. It's probably one of my husband's business partners. I'll call him later and ask him about it. Right now I need to get my self to the gym before it gets late and I change my mind about going. I workout everyday to maintain my body size. My body type is similar to Christina Hendricks and I don't eat that healthy. Therefore if I want to continue to look good while eating calorific food, I've got to get that exercise in regularly. You'd think after seven years with Nick, five of which we've been married, that we'd have a child by now. Unfortunately we can't have kids. I guess that's what I get for aborting at least ten kids around the time when I was seventeen all the way up to age nineteen. I want children. I really do. Being a teacher has turned me into one of the most maternal people around. I didn't want to be a mom back then. I come from a family who place their self slightly above others. I can only imagine what my parents would say. They sheltered me from the world from the day I was born until a few months after my 17th birthday. I was tired of following the rules and being a good girl. Between ages 17-19 I did a lot! So much happened in those two years. I slept around with several men and ran around topless at too many parties. But that was then and this is now. No need to reminisce. I entered our home and sat the letter on our bed in our bedroom. Two hours later I was back from the gym and tired from aerobics class. By the time I was done showering, straightening up the house, and flicking through channels in my living room two more hours had passed by. It's around eight o'clock now. I guess i'll fix myself some pasta. I'm in the mood for pasta tonight. I sighed as I got up and sashayed my way into the kitchen, running my hand through my long, wavy black hair in the process. It framed my face beautifully and brought out my golden eyes. A nice look I guess on my porcelain skin. An hour later I was done cooking and eating my pasta. I washed the dishes and decided to call it a night. I headed into my bedroom and noticed the mail on our bed. That reminds me, I need to call my husband and ask him about it. He's a big businessman so this Nora could be an important client. I dialed his number and he answered on the 3rd ring. "Hello." "Hi honey, how's business?" I asked. "It's hectic but still pretty good." he responded. "Oh that's nice. You have mail, probably from one of your business associates I assume." "Could you read it for me and tell me what it says?" he asked. "Sure, I don't mind." I replied nonchalantly. "Okay, call me and tell me what it says tomorrow when you have a chance. I love you." "Okay will do, love you too." I responded with a smile before hanging up. I opened the mail and began reading it. Oh it's a letter, from Nora to me. I don't know who Nora is but I guess I am about to find out. After twenty minutes I was done reading the letter. It probably would've only two minutes if I hadn't reread several parts. By the time I had reached the third paragraph tears were already flowing non-stop. How could he!? I wiped away my tears as they continuously fell. I suddenly felt the urge to go through his stuff. I came across some pants that had a cell phone in the back pocket. What the hell? He's got another phone? I went through it and found all sorts of old text messages from this Nora. I guess it really has been four months since they last saw each other. I also came across pictures of her on his phone. Wow she's beautiful! She's tall and slim with shoulder length, dirty blonde hair. Her eyes are green, just like my husband's. She's probably about 5'9, much closer to my brown haired husband's 6'4 height than I am. I stand at only 5'3. I continued to scroll through the pics when one caught my eye. Someone obviously took this picture of them. They appeared to be sitting down in what looked like a restaurant. They were gazing at each other. I know that look. It's how he used to look at me when we first fell in love. My heart feels like it's broken into a million pieces right about now. How could he!? I thought to myself once again as more tears streamed down my face. After what felt like years, Friday has finally arrived. I waited patiently in our home for my husband to get here. He arrived at about nine thirty. I was sitting on the couch clicking through the channels in a trance when he walked in. He walked in excitedly and hugged me. We chatted casually for a good fifteen minutes but I wasn't there. My mind was on the whore who stole him from me. Pictures sure do say a thousand words. From the way he looked at her he did indeed love her. He probably still does, who knows. After our chatting ended and we sat there in silence I decided to break the silence. "Honey I have some news for you!" I announced with fake excitement. "What is it honey?" He asked curiously with a smile. "You're going to be a daddy." "You're, you're pregnant!?" he asked as he jumped up and hugged me tightly. I didn't return his hug. "I'm not pregnant." I said as I glared at him, waiting for his response. He took his arms from around me and arched a brow as he asked "But I thought you said I'm going to be a daddy?" "Oh you are." I announced with an emotionless expression on my face. "You stand here, I have something to show you." I told him. I literally ran into our room and grabbed that letter. I placed it into his hands with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Now go ahead and read it while I pack your shit." I stated calmly. Comments and votes are greatly appreciated! Until Then Ch. 03 "Then I said you and I will come face to face very soon." "Nora you didn't!" exclaimed my elderly neighbor Joanna, whom I have been social with lately. Right now we're in my living room having tea. "Oh but I did." I responded with a smile. "Is his wife okay?, poor her." she stated sympathetically. "Wow, you're seriously on the wife's side." "Well I am married myself so..." "You're on her side by default." "It's not that. It's just I don't respect women who break up homes." she revealed quietly as if what she said was fine. "Okay time for you to go, I am not going to be disrespected in my own home. You can leave." I said shooing her away with my hands." "Gladly!" she responded, exiting my house quickly. The nerve of that bitch. Just minutes later my doorbell had been rang. I opened it to find my mother on the other end. Damn it, I told her about popping up unannounced. "Hey mama." I said, hugging her before allowing her to enter. "Hi honey." she responded brightly. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." She stated with a laugh. "It's only been two weeks mom." "Baby it's been five months since I last saw you. I called and text to get no response. I even dropped by your house on several occasions. Where were you?" she asked worriedly. "That's not any of your business, but thank you for your concern" I responded with a half smile. "I just want to know what's going on." she stated, sighing in the process. Does she have to be all up in my business? I'm a thirty year old grown woman! "Oh nothing, just revelations and situations." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Honey you a little plump around your midsection, oh my goodness are you...!?" "Yes, I am with child." "Wow, I'm finally going to be a grandma." "Lucky you." I stated without a smile. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Nothing quit asking me questions!" I blurted out. "Oh, pregnancy hormones I guess." she whispered, trying to shake off my outburst. "You hungry honey?, want me to fix you something?" she asked. I couldn't help but smile. My mom is something else, a true positive Sally kind of person. "No, I already ate". "Oh okay." she responded. I was going to say something when my cell phone buzzed. Well isn't my day just full of surprises!? It's a text from Nick. I figured he'd contact me. After all it's been two and a half weeks since I sent that letter. I'm sure she received it by now. The text said meet me for lunch at our spot around noon, we have to talk. It's a quarter to noon already. I guess I better head out right now. "Mom I have a run to make, you can let your self out." I told her, throwing on a thin jacket in a rush. "But honey..." she pleaded. "It's urgent." "Well okay." She responded, looking defeated. I was fifteen minutes late to lunch. The sight I saw when I arrived surprisingly didn't bring any emotion out of me. It's her, it's Lilith. I guess it's a dinner for three. That letter must have rocked them both. They look like shit. I don't feel any sympathy though. I sashayed over to the table they were at and took a seat. We were at one of those tables that have three chairs at them. Nick was in the middle. Lilith & I were in chairs that made me and her face to face. How funny, it's quite literal to what I told her in the letter. I can't read her all the way. She's wearing the most sour facial expression. That's quite sad. She actually looks like she would be considered pretty, on a good day at least. Nick & I had a stare down while his wife looked around the room uncomfortably. What a little dirty snake he is. Thirty minutes passed by and still no conversation. We all just sat there eating our food and sipping from our beverages occasionally. Lilith I felt like I died inside when miss America's Next Top Model approached the table with her baby bump in tow. "It's always the ones who aren't trying that gets pregnant." I stated in a daze. She definitely heard me, she just chose not to respond I guess. "So why the letter Nora? Couldn't you just phone me?" I asked casually. Silence. Neither one of them are speaking. "Well, you'll be glad to know that I kicked your boyfriend out." "He's not my boyfriend." she stated, her voice dripping with controlled anger. "Really?, I beg to differ." "I beg for you to shut the fuck up." responded Nora, taking me by surprise. Nora The nerve of this bitch! I am so not in the mood today. Nick better not say a word. As if rebelling against my unspoken warning he decides to intervene to our dismay. "No need to argue. I suggest that we discuss this situation calmly like adults." "I suggest you sit there and enjoy your salad quietly." "Nora!" "Nick!" Lilith looked on in silence as her husband & I began to go back and forth. He sighed before saying "Look, You don't have to be so bitchy." "Bitchy? Well excuse me if I don't know how to say fuck you politely." He was stumped for a good second before he responded. "No need to be angry." I laughed pretty hard at that one. "What the hell is so funny!?" he yelled before I shushed him. "Quiet down, we are in a public restaurant." I stated with a fake smile. "All this anger for nothing." he grumbled, shaking his head while folding his arms. "Oh shut up! You are the one who don't have the right to be angry. My grandfather had just passed away." I said going into a daze. "What?" he asked, confused. "When you came into my life six years ago, I was 24 years old, and my grandfather had just passed away. I was so lonely and depressed. Life was really ugly. My mom had been laid off and had been struggling at the time to find employment. My dad had suffered a heart attack just a month earlier." I sank deeper into a daze as I continued. "Then you came along. You made me so happy. You were that shoulder that I leaned on." I announced. Lilith still remained silent. Tears fell down her face as she glared at Nick, who was looking down at the ground. "You said so many sweet and endearing things. You became my boyfriend, you became everything to me. All those dates and everything else. Not once did you mention a wife. Not once did you tell me you had someone." "I am the one who was betrayed. It's me who was stabbed in the back. I was with you before you even married her." I semi-screamed, pointing to Lilith. "Nora I..." Nick began before I cut him off. "Shut up, don't speak." I told him while wiping tears I didn't even know were there. "Nora..." "Just can it. We are here to discuss the baby, so let's discuss it." I said, trying to calm down my raging emotions. "Lets address this letter. I am not going to pay your mortgage anymore, we're no longer together as of four months ago. Secondly, You are to never speak to me again. I don't ever want to see your face or meet that child." The phrase barely left his mouth before my hand made contact with his face. I slapped him with as much force as I could. He rubbed his left jaw as I responded to his little statement. "Now you listen here jackass! This is your fault. I didn't ask to get pregnant just like I didn't ask to be the other woman." "Whatever, I already deleted you from my life. You need to get used to it and accept it." "Wow you really are dumb. You are a top notch businessman who makes six hundred thousand dollars a year and I am pregnant with your child. Do you really think I won't take your sorry ass to court. I could get a lot more than what I am asking of you." Yeah, he's silent now! "You will pay my mortgage and support me financially so that I can care for OUR child. If not, I will take you to court." He glared at me angrily. He's the last person who should be upset. "I am here to stay, and so is this baby. Now, it's your choice on rather or not you want to be in this child's life. You can be good dad or dead beat dead. From what you told me it looks like you're going down the sour route." "Why are you doing this? Why don't you just move out of this state somewhere. I'll pay for it and keep money in your pocket. Just leave!" "I grew up here, I don't have to leave no matter what you say or want." "Just go, go someplace!" "Why don't you go to hell?!" "I'm already there." "Well that's sad." I responded, getting up from my seat. Lilith had her face covered with both of her hands and Nick looked pissed off. As if I care. "My meal is finished, and so is this conversation. Good day." I concluded with a smile before sauntering out of the restaurant. Lilith ****Five minutes later**** What a mess my life is! I can not take even being in his sight right now. I started to get up before Nick grabbed my arm. "What?!" I asked with attitude. "Don't leave." I sighed as I sat back down. "What is it Nick?" I asked more calm this time as I sighed. "I want to work things out." "I want some distance. We just need some time apart so that I can clear my head. I am so full of varying emotions right now." "I'm sorry to put you through this Lily." "Nick, don't apologize to me. I am not as innocent as you think." "What do you mean?" he asked, raising a brow. "When the time is right, I want to sit down and talk to you about something, a few things actually. There are some things that you don't know." "Is it about your party days when you went through the abortions and all that?" he asked curiously. "No, it's about something I swore you would never find out about. However, you have the right to know. It will explain why your family was never fond of me." "Honey, what is it?" he asked. "I'll tell you soon, I promise. I hope we can move past it when I do. I just want you to know, so that we can move forward. I am going to file for divorce." "WHY?!" he asked, taken aback. "When I tell you what I did, I seriously doubt you'll want to stay with me." I responded before getting up to leave for real this time. "I don't understand." "Bye Nick, see you soon." I responded, ignoring his statement as I quickly exited the restaurant. ***2009*** "Aaron seriously, I have changed." "Yeah right, you have been a whore for as long as I can remember." Why is he even here?, especially at this time of night! "Look, I know you witnessed me do some wild things those first few years back in college but i've changed. I am not that girl anymore." I cried out. "What happened to the Lilith that ran around naked and banged every attractive guy she saw? I hear silence in response. You would do anything to be in my family." he spat. "Look, I did not know he was your brother damn it!" "Yeah right." he shot back. I met Aaron in college. Even though I partied a lot I still had excellent grades. He was Mr.Popular around campus and I was Ms.Party Girl. I guess we were bound to meet. We slept together on several occasions. During my third year of college my 19th birthday was around the corner and I decided it was time to change. I became party shy and less social. Solitude was the best thing for me in my eyes. Aaron did not like it one bit. I think he really liked me, and wanted to have a real relationship. I just could not cave into that. I wanted to move on from everyone and everything related to college life. So yes, Aaron was included. Soon we graduated college and back to our hometown we went. Since I bought an apartment nearly 3 hours away from the town Aaron lived in, I thought I could avoid running into him. Nope, he always found a way. He kept asking for a real chance with me but I denied him every time. Who would have thought I would end up meeting his brother months later. I did not even know he had any siblings. I later found out that they had different moms. Nick's dad was married to his mom for four years. They divorced when Nick was one. His mom decided to move to a different state. Her and Nick's father decided to still co-parent. Just a month after his divorce was finalized he met Aaron's mom, Amber. They fell in love quickly and soon had Aaron. Nick was three at the time. Nick's mother, Nicole, never married again or had more children. Aaron made Amber a one time parent as his father refused to have more kids. Despite their love, Aaron's parents never wed due to his father not wanting to walk down the aisle a second time. They're still together to this day though. I met Nick at a local library when I was 26. He said he was in town to visit his brother. I didn't know that that brother was Aaron of all people! We hit it off and ended up dating. Aaron kept quiet about our history together when he noticed how smitten Nick was with me. On our one year dating anniversary he proposed. It's been a year since we got engaged and now we're finally going to walk down that aisle. The best night of my life is two days away! "Look, get over it." "I can't." "Why not?" "Because I still want you!" "You need to leave." "No!" "Listen, this is my apartment and If I say go, then you need to go." I said calmly. "Why are you denying me? You used to let me fuck you like there was no tomorrow. I know you miss me. I know you miss my huge cock pounding the shit out of your little pussy. I know you miss my tongue licking you until you cry." He whispered, taking his shirt off and stepping closer to me. Why does he have to talk so dirty to me? I was getting so wet down there from his vulgar statements. I hate myself for it. "Fuck me, oh please fuck me Aaron!" I pleaded, giving in before he tackled me to the ground with hunger. I can't believe I spread my legs for him so easily. "Will do, little Lily." he stated making me squeal as he sucked on my neck while his hands roamed all over my body. Gosh I missed this roughness. Nick was always so sweet and tender. Aaron was the complete opposite. I loved it! Before I knew it we were on my living room floor going at it. He was fucking the shit out of me when suddenly the front door to my apartment opened. "Oh my god!" Nick's mom, Nicole, blurted out as she walked in with what looked to be groceries. Aaron's mom Amber, who was a few steps behind her, gasped when she caught a whiff of what was going on as well. We rushed to put our clothes back on. Aaron fled my apartment in a rush and was silent the entire time as his mother trailled him. "How'd you get in here?" I asked, breaking the ice. "The door was unlocked. I had knocked a few times but got no answer. I was going to walk away but twist the knob and noticed it was unlocked. So, since Amber and I drove all the way over here we decided to come in." she revealed. I just listened in silence. "We were going to make you dinner and have some bonding time with you. But, you were busy having some special bonding of your own with your brother. Who would have thought you two were so....close". "Miss..." "I thought you loved my son." "I do." "Really, then what do you call this?" she asked, folding her arms. "A slip up, just a little slip up." I answered with slumped shoulders. ****Meanwhile In A Local Park****** Nora "Oh Nick, thank you." "Do you like them?" he asked. "Yes, they're wonderful." I responded, referring to the flowers he gave me. "I love you so much baby." "I love you too. Can you believe it's been a whole year?" I asked, smiling. "Has it?" he jokingly asked, laughing when I playfully nudged him. We were enjoying a walk through the park with our hands intertwined. "Of course it has silly." We stopped walking when we came across a nearby bench and decided to sit on it. After a few moments of a silence he seemed to be in a complete daze. "What's going on?" I asked him. "Huh?" "You're daydreaming, is something wrong?" I asked. "Nora?" "Yes." "I have something I need to tell you." "Before you do I want you to know something." "What is it?" he asked. "You changed my life. When we met a year ago I was a wreck. Thank you for lifting me up off my feet. I love you so much and maybe one day we'll be married with kids." I told him with a smile, meaning every word as I said it. I couldn't read his facial expression. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me?" I asked. "Oh, it's nothing." "Oh,okay." I responded, shrugging my shoulders. "Well, It was nice spending some time with you but I have some work related things to do soon today." he said, standing up. "Okay, I understand." I responded, already missing him and he hasn't even left yet. "Love you." he stated embracing me tightly before passionately kissing me on the lips. "I love you too." I responded after our mouths parted. I think he's the one! We said our goodbyes again before walking away in opposite directions. Until Then Ch. 04 "I knew. I knew all along." "You did? Well why didn't you say anything?" I asked confused. I was having that conversation with Nick that I promised to give him one month ago. We were inside our, well my, house in the living room on our, I mean my, comfy couch. "I still loved you." He responded with a shrug. "When did you find out?" "The same day you spread your legs for my brother." He stated with a bitter smile. Ouch, did he have to be so blunt? I didn't respond. I mean, what am I supposed to say? "I risked it all for you. My family found out about you and Aaron so fast, to say they were pissed is an understatement." More silence. I really don't know what to say to him. "Well..." I tried to respond before he cut me off. "I married you knowing my family would eventually stop all contact with me in the process!" he yelled before I shushed him. "You can't blame me for the status of your relationship with your family. Real families don't disown their children and relatives." I told him. "Yeah and real wives don't sleep around with their husband's brother." I had to laugh at that one. He gave me a perplexed look as I giggled. "You're the last person who should be talking about infidelity." "I should have dumped you. I should have left you the minute I fell in love with Nora. When I fell for her at some point I realized that the love I had with her was way more than I will ever have with you." That through me off guard. That actually hurt! Does he really mean that? "I can't believe you're saying this." "Maybe you should've married Aaron. He'd always been overly friendly towards you." "Aaron was a sex partner." "Out of what, 20 guys?" He quipped. "Feeling rude?" I asked sarcastically. "No, feeling honest." "Whatever." I said, rolling my eyes as I folded my arms. "Yeah, whatever." he responded. "I just don't understand it." "Understand what?" he asked. "You should feel bad...about your infidelity." "I tried to feel bad. I really did Lily. Then I just imagined you beneath my brother begging him to pleasure you." Oh my goodness! Will he just let it go!? "It was five years ago!" I blurted out in frustration. "Please, there were times before then." "So." "SO!" he repeated, as if surprised by response. "So those times don't matter because it was back in college before I even met you." "Look Lily, we both know that this just isn't going to work." "I know, I filed for divorce last week." "Good, that's a step in the right direction I guess." he stated with a sigh, standing up. "I guess this is it huh?" I asked, rising from the couch with him. "I guess so. I really hope you can find someone to make you happy." he stated with a genuine smile as he pulled me in for an embrace. "I wish the same for you too." I responded, returning his hug. ****Two months later**** It's been a mere week since the divorce of Nick and Lilith had been settled. It was a peaceful, drama free process. Therefore it was a quickie settlement. Lilith didn't want any money, she just wanted to be done with him for good. Nick was quite pleased with that. During their divorce process though, unbeknownst to Nick, Nora & Lilith have become close friends. They're both moving to Florida, for different reasons though. Nora wants to start fresh, plus her younger sister resides there. Lilith has been offered a better job. *****Nora******* "Why am I here?" Nick asked rudely. "Because I invited you out for lunch." "I am not giving you a dime of my money." he stated firmly with cold eyes. "I think I'm going to start prenatal yoga next week. I am eight months along now and before you know it I'll be having my little girl." "That's right, your daughter, not mine." he responded approvingly as I shot him a glare while sipping from my ice tea. I stared at him as I thought of all the things I could say in reply that would piss him off. "You know, there are so many nasty things I could say but, I don't have any desire to do so." He raised an eyebrow at that. "Anyway, about this whole baby situation..." He started before I interrupted him. "I don't want any of your money." I told him. "What?!" he responded in relieved shock. "It is obvious that you don't want to be in this child's life, financially or emotionally. I am not going to force you by suing you or anything like that." He smiled happily. I am oddly not surprised. "I hoped for a long time that you would change your mind about the baby. I want her to be raised by BOTH of the people who conceived her." His smile faltered a bit when I put emphasis on that specific word. "So what made you change your mind about hounding me to provide for you financially and all that?" he asked out of the blue. "I don't know, I just did. I've been going to therapy and spending more time with my parents too. It's been...tough, but I'm learning how to forgive and move past my triumphs." I told him honestly. He laughed sarcastically causing me to shake my head with a bitter smile. "You being an asshole isn't going to knock my happiness. I won't let it." He grew silent when I said that as a thought crossed my mind. Why the hell would I hope he'd come around for my child when he didn't for the others!? "Stupid." I stated in a murmur, not knowing I had said that out loud. "What?" he asked. "Me. I actually thought you'd come around for my baby when you didn't come around for your other kids." He shot me a cold glare. Nick has fraternal twin girls with his high school girlfriend. Her name was Sophia. They had been friends for years but didn't start dating until the beginning of their senior year of high school at age 18. They fell in love quick and she ended up losing her virginity to him just a month after they began dating. Nick being a whore since forever, was of course, already well experienced in the sex department. She soon became pregnant and at age 18, they found out they would become parents. Nick panicked and broke up with her. Just a month after giving birth to Sarah & Nicky, Sophia's parents decided it was best to move and never look back. In a matter of weeks they relocated all the way to Florida, where I plan to move after the birth of my little girl. Nick told Lilith about his kids. She wasn't bothered by the fact that he was absent from their lives. I was and still am. I tried to convince him back when we were "dating" all those years ago, to find his daughters and try to build a relationship with them. He'd always say it was too late or something of that nature. I wish he had listened back then. They are adults now and probably want nothing to do with the father they never met. I mean they are about 19 now since Nick is 37 and was 18 when they were born. What a little fuck up he is. "It's none of your business what I do or don't do." "You can continue to ignore your daughters but I won't." "What do you mean by that?" he asked. "I plan on moving to Florida." "You can't go to Florida." "Oh I can, and I will." "With what money?" he asked, folding his arms while waiting on me to respond. "I sold that $400,000 house you bought me. It was in my name after all." He looked at me in silence before deciding to speak. "You don't know anyone in Florida." "My younger sister lives there actually. She went to college out there to become an accountant, liked it so much that she decided to stay. I plan to buy a house that's not a far distance from where she lives." "And you're informing me of all this because?" I don't know if it's pregnancy hormones or what but suddenly hot tears began to stream down my face as I spoke calmly. "If you ever change..." I started, choking on my words as more tears fell for reasons I didn't know. "If you ever become descent, don't hesitate to contact me." I told him, handing him a piece of paper with my email address and phone number on it. "For what?" "If you ever want to be a real man and take responsibility for this baby. It's never to late to be a father." "It's not happening." "Okay." I whispered while shrugging. "You're not mad?" he asked in surprise. "I have no reason to be. I have said all that I wish to say. You've told me how you feel and I did the same. You don't want to step up and be a real man then that's your choice." "Well that settles it." he said, yawning as he stood up from the table we were sitting at when I suddenly called out to him. "Wait." "What!?" he asked in annoyance. Even though I found that rude I remained polite. "You better hope and pray that neither one of your daughters run into a man like you." I told him before he walked away and out of the restaurant angrily at my statement. A month later I gave birth to an adorable little girl named Aurora, who is two weeks old now. I thought the name I picked was cute and adorable. Lilith is her godmother. We've only been friends for three months now but I feel like it's been years. I am super psyched about my pending move to Florida. I am starting to wonder if moving to Florida is a good idea for Lily though. She's told me about her history with Nick's brother Aaron and how him, his mom, and his dad have been living there for years now. I don't think it's a good idea for her to go there. Yes, she'll have a better job with more money but, seems to me like she's setting herself up for something bad. As her friend I don't like it but hey, her life and her choice. By the time Aurora made five months old we, along with Lilith, were settled in Florida. I live only 30 minutes away from my sister and Lilith's home is just fifteen minutes away from mine. I spent a week settling in before going to see my sister for the first time in ages. She has a boyfriend named Jake. He's an accountant like her. Apparently they met as freshmen in college and have been together ever since. I've been out to dinner a few times with them since arriving here a few weeks ago and there's something about him that makes me uncomfortable. He's very affectionate with my sister. Normally when you see young love you think it's adorable. Well, not in this case. The way he looks at her is more possessive than endearing. I don't know what's going on but I will definitely make it my business to find out. Granted, my sister is a 25 year old adult who has been with this guy for a long while but still, I need to be rid of my worry. "Hello?" asked Lilith, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts. I forgot I was currently on the phone with her. "Oh sorry, I blacked out for a minute." "I see." She responded, amusement evident in her voice. "I don't like this Jake guy." "Oh here we go." she sighed with a laugh. "No seriously, there's something about him." I told her. "Okay first, your sister is a grown woman who can handle herself. Secondly, they've been together a good seven years now if they've been going out since freshmen year of college. Lastly, if there was something wrong with their relationship, they probably wouldn't still be together." "Maybe you're right." I responded hopeful. She laughed once again before growing serious and saying "Hey, guess who I ran into at Starbucks a couple days ago." "Who?" I asked. "Aaron." she replied as my mouth hung open. "He was there having coffee with his mom Amber and his dad, whose name is Travis." "Oh wow, what happened?" "We sat down and talked. I told them about the divorce and everything else. I apologized to each of them for everything that's happened over the years, even the stuff that wasn't my fault. They accepted and we shared a few laughs." "Wow that's a positive result." "Oh but it gets more interesting." she told me. "Details." I responded simply. "Aaron wants me to give him a chance." "By that you mean...?" I asked. "Yes, he wants us to become an actual couple." "Even after...?" "Yes, even after my trainwreck with Nick." "What did his parents say? I mean, I know Travis had to disapprove being the father of your ex." "They said they'd approve of us if it made Aaron happy." "That is so...strange." "I know, maybe all these years apart have softened their hearts a little. "Maybe. So are you?" I asked. "What?" "Are you going to give it a try?" "I don't know. I mean what kind of woman dates her ex-husband's brother?" she asked. I laughed as I said "That's beside the point. From what you've told me he thought way more of you." "What do mean?" she asked. "He likely considered you more than a quick fuck but before he got the chance to prove it you were walking down the aisle with his older brother." I heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Should I give it a try?" she asked me. "That's a decision only you can make." I told her causing her to sigh again. "Gee thanks for your guidance." "You're welcome." I responded cheerily on purpose to her sarcastic gratitude. "Anyway, it's getting late." I concluded. "I agree, talk to you tomorrow." "Okay, bye." "Bye." she responded before abruptly hanging up. ****SARAH**** "You know what you need?" "No, what?" "A boyfriend." "Sarah honey, we've had this convo a thousand times." "Mom, that lame excuse has expired." "Excuse me?" she responded, causing me to giggle lightly. "No excuses about focusing on being a mom and all that, we have our own apartment that we share and are 19 years old now." I explained, looking at my fraternal twin sister Nicky, and then back to my mom. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, running a hand through her ginger hair as her deep blue eyes stared into my green ones. I sighed as I mimicked her, running my hand through my brown locks before Nicky intervened. "What she means is we're grown. You have no reason to be alone any longer. You're a sweet, beautiful woman mom." she said sweetly, causing our mom to smile. Even though Nicky's eyes are green like mine, she does have our mom's ginger hair, and she looks exactly like her minus the blue eyes. I, on the other hand, have brown hair and resemble the man who impregnated my mom. I refuse to refer to him as my father when the guy didn't raise me. I do often wonder if i'll meet him someday. Part of me would rather not. Then there's that other part of me who wants to know where she comes from, at least for closure. Not knowing who my dad is bothers me. There's nothing I can do though. My mom has been so tight lipped on the daddy situation since we began asking about him as little kids. It's something she has never allowed to be thoroughly discussed. One day we'll convince us to shed light on what exactly happened who exactly is he. Who is he? Why didn't he help raise us? Does he have other kids out there that we aren't aware of? "Oh sweetie, that's such a wonderful thing of you to say but, I'm just not interested right now." "But mom..." We began in joint protest before she cut us off. "When I am meant to have a boyfriend I will." "Okay." we responded unsure. "Eyes are so expressive, just like Nick." she murmured, suddenly in a daze. "What?" we asked in unison, confused. "Nothing." she quickly responded, realizing she was talking out loud I guess. Who's Nick? That's a name I never heard her say before. ****Holly**** "Come on Jake, knock it off." I pleaded with my drunk boyfriend. "Why are you cheating on me with bitch!?" he asked in anger as he grabbed me by the collar. He's definitely out of there. He was referring to texts he saw that were between me and a male friend. A friend who isn't even in to females if you know what I mean. Jake knows this so I don't know why he's picking a fight, especially at a time like this. Man I hate it when he drinks. He always seems to take it out on me unfortunately. He moved his hands to my throat and began choking me when I failed to reply to his question. We were upstairs in our bedroom. "Answer me, whore!" he screamed. How the fuck am I going to answer you when I can't breathe!? What a thoughtless statement that was. I struggled with him as he tightened his grip around my neck. He let me go just when I was about to lose consciousness. Moments later he was back to questioning me as I held my neck, still catching my breath. "Why are you cheating on me!?" he asked loudly in an agitated tone. "I'm not, I would never." I told him honestly in a soft voice. "You're a liar!" he screamed as he drew his hand back and slapped me. I winced in pain as I rubbed the side of my face that had just been greeted by Jake's large hand. Seconds later I sensed it. Oh no! Jake's making a transition into rampage mode. I really don't have time for this. I've been kind of tired and nauseous lately. Despite that I was able to get my oddly tired, 5'2 form to run as I bolted out of our bedroom with Jake's 6'2 stature hot on my tail. When I got to the stairs I began to run down them in a hurry but only made it down two before Jake pushed me, causing me to fall down them quickly before hitting the ground after falling down the last step. I winced as I held my aching side and looked up. Jake was slowly walking down the stairs with a sadistic smile on my face. I could taste blood in my mouth. He's giving me that look. That could only mean that he's about to pound on me. No Jake please don't! "Come on Jake, Nora's on her way over." I reminded him but to no avail. I had more that I wanted to say but was cut short when Jake punched me in the face. I didn't have time to wince as he hit me a few more times in the face. After he stopped I winced in pain for what felt like the thousandth time as I slowly rose to my feet. Jake kicked me in my stomach, causing me to fall back down as he kicked me in a my spine a couple of times. There go the tears! "Jake, please stop." I cried out as the tears began to flow. "Stop crying, whore." "It hurts Jake, please stop." "Not until you learn your lesson!" he yelled as he continued to assault me. I heard our doorbell ring before everything went blank. Until Then Ch. 05 ***HOLLY*** I blink a few times as I become aware of my surroundings. How did I get here? Why am I in the hospital? Why am I in so much pain right now? My thoughts were interrupted when Nora walked in the room. "Finally, you're up." She said with tear stained cheeks, hugging me in the process. "What happened?" I asked her. "Your boyfriend beat you up." she stated with a look of disgust. "Jake would never." I denied. "Holly, did he hit you that hard? I know you know Jake's done this. And I bet this isn't the first time." "I'm not going to listen to this nonsense." I told her. "Holly, don't let him abuse you. You can press charges,you know?" "Nora he's a really nice guy. He's just been under a lot of stress at work and stuff like that. It's been hard for him. It's my fault. I need to make sure I please him right and take care of him better next time, that's all." "Oh Holly..." She started with a sigh before I cut her off. "Nora, i'm fine." "No you aren't." "I need to get home, when are they releasing me." "Tomorrow morning, you need me to pick you up?" "No, I'm sure Jake will." "You need to dump him." "Relationships are about sacrifice and commitment. Every couple go through stuff." "What's more important, your life or his happiness? Happiness can always return, your life can't." "He's all I have. I mean, who else am I going to get. I'm not a pretty girl and you know that." "That's not true, you're a beautiful girl. You just have to believe it." she told me with a knowing smile. "I hate when beautiful women try to make someone feel pretty while flaunting their perfect everything." "Perfect, oh how we all wish. I can't believe you don't think you're cute. You are such a cute girl. It bothers me that you don't know that." "I know i'm your sister and that you love me. I'm just not cute. I'm just a skinny plain Jane." She rolled her eyes when I said that. Why does she care when she has supermodel looks? Sometimes I really want to hate Nora. Kind of hard to do when she's always so sweet. ***The Next Morning*** Today couldn't get here any quicker. Jake was nearly an hour late picking me up from the hospital even though I told him when to come in advance. I'm not going to confront him about it though. The last thing I need is a row with him. The drive home was only 20 minutes yet it felt like hours. When we got home Jake didn't hesitate to start complaining. "I don't like your sister." "You don't have to, she's MY sister." "I don't want you hanging around her." "Why not?" I asked. "She's a bad influence." "A bad influence? Jake are you serious? Come on." I told him, waving my hand in dismissal of his nonsense. "I mean it, Holly." "Oh so you know my name now? I was whore just a few days ago." "Oh you still are." He spat. "Jake don't." "Don't what!?" "Be an asshole. What happened to you? You used to be so sweet and kind. Now you're always flying off the handle for whatever." "Life happened." "I know things haven't been the same since your parents died five years ago but..." "Atleast you have your parents." "And I appreciate them very much. You were always giving your parents a hard time from what I seen." "I was enough for them. They were never satisfied. Right when I was fixing it, right when it was all just about on track, POOF, they're gone!" "That's no excuse to get all in this depressed funk. You can't keep drinking away all your sorrows because when you're sober reality will sit back in." "I'm thirsty, get me a drink." he announced, ignoring my advice and flopping down on our living room couch. "Water coming right up." I told him cheerily, knowing that's not what he meant. "No you idiot, a beer." I ignore his request and decide to get him a bottle of water out the freezer. I tried giving it to him but he slapped it out of my hand. "Are you that dumb that you can't get me a beer? A simple request and you act like you're mental." "Sorry." "Yes, indeed you are." "Jake, don't." "Just get the beer." I got the beer and brought it to him quickly. I watched him as he took the top off and began drinking it. He glared up at me for a few seconds before saying "You're dismissed." I walked away immediately to avoid conflict. My body still hurts from last time. I went upstairs and decided to lay down. Right when I was finally as comfortable as I can be Jake ruins it. "Holly?" "Yes?" "Come here." I sighed as I took my time getting out of bed and made my way downstairs into the living room. When I got close enough to him he spoke. "I'm hungry." "Then fix yourself something." I told him. "That's your job." "Jake, I'm tired okay? You know any other day I would gladly cook for you and all that but I can't today." "Why not?" "Because my body hurts. It's aching right now and it can't heal if you're calling me non-stop." "Look, all I know is I'm hungry and the food is not going to fix itself." "Chop chop." I told him, clapping my hands for inference. "Holly I'm not playing." "I'm going to bed." "You're going to do whatever I tell you." he exclaimed in a dangerous tone. "Jake..." "Now shall we redo this scene or have you come to your senses?" he asked with a sarcastic facial expression. I didn't respond. I just looked at him. "I said I'm hungry." "What do you want?" "Something simple." He barked. I fixed him some spaghetti and brought it to him. I also provided him with a new beer as I knew he'd ask me for a new one eventually. I thought he'd be satisfied. Well, that's what I get for thinking. "I told you I wanted simple, you ugly bitch!" He screamed. I didn't get a chance to respond before the plate filled with spaghetti greeted my face. ***1 year later*** Lilith indeed gave Aaron a chance. They began dating and soon became engaged. I'm sure Nick is not invited to the wedding. Aaron got a job promotion, which required him to move to Nyc. Lilith decided to quit her job in order to support her man. We still keep in touch even though I'm in Florida and she's in Nyc. Sarah and her daughters moved to California. Her girls want to become famous so I guess Hollywood is the place to go. As for me i've been raising my baby girl. Aurora has inspired me in so many ways. I work at a nice, middle class hotel. Through training and other requirements I started out as manager. It feels nice to have some kind of income. I couldn't afford the house I previously lived in though and downsized to a smaller one. It's still a nice house nonetheless. It's only a one bedroom but I'll settle for now since Aurora is only a year and a half old. She is growing up so fast. Holly and Jake are still together despite my disapproval. She's been trying to throw me into the dating world lately. I mean, I am a 31 year old woman still without a ring on my finger. I don't mind though. My focus is raising Aurora the best I can and keeping food on the table. She needs to be the one on edge. Mom promised she'll be in town some time this month to visit us and she is the ultimate critic. I hope she catches Jake in the middle of one of his love lessons that he gives Holly weekly. Maybe then she'll leave him for good. Speaking of Holly, I haven't heard from her recently. I wonder what she's been up to. She turned 26 last week but spent her birthday working. Classic move for Holly. ***HOLLY*** I should be happy. I should feel relieved. Jake's out of town visiting his family. The majority of them live in Arizona. He's been there for a week in a half so far and will return home in about two days. Up until now I've spent this time working, cleaning, avoiding lectures from Nora, and making sure I answer all of Jake's constant text messages and phone calls. It's like he never left. He's always here. Always. I decided to hit up the local mall and ran into a guy I went to college with here. I don't know what I was thinking but I invited him over my house and he accepted. I don't even remember his name. When we got there we sat on the living room couch and talked casually. Eventually I offered him a drink and he accepted. Wrong decision. By the time nightfall arrived we were drunk and laughing nonstop. We were sitting next to each other on the couch at first before I took it upon myself to climb on his lap and straddle him. I should've stopped. But, I didn't. "Tell me I'm beautiful." I whispered into his air with glassy eyes as his hands began to roam all over my body. He didn't respond. He started kissing my neck and attempt to remove my shirt before I swatted his hand away. He then looked up at me. "What?" he asked. "Tell me I'm beautiful." I repeated. "You're beautiful." he told me as he starting removing my clothes. "Tell me I have worth." "You have worth." "Tell me you love me." "I love you." he responded. I know he didn't mean it. He couldn't possibly. But, I didn't care. I needed to hear it. I needed someone to say it. I needed to feel wanted. ***The next morning*** I woke up naked on my bed. I quickly got up only to wince in pain. My vagina and headache reminded me instantly of yesterday's events. I took a brief shower, placed my hair in a messy bun, and threw on a jogging suit. I went downstairs to find him(I forgot his name) in my kitchen. "I fixed breakfast." he told me with a smile. "Oh that's rather nice." He fixed french toast and eggs, simple but it looked tasty. We both grabbed a seat at the kitchen table and began eating. Towards the end of our meal he broke the ice. "So where do we go from here?" he asked. "From this one night stand?" I asked amused. "You don't have to call it that." "Well that's what it was." I told him. He looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind in the process. "Look..." "Ben." he answered. "Look Ben, this was just a little hook up. There's no pressure for you to commit to a relationship or anything like that." FUCK! Speaking of relationships, I have a boyfriend! Oh my god! Jake will kill me when he finds out! Wait a minute, he doesn't have to know. I just need to stay on his good side and this will all be water under the bridge. That's it, that's all. Well that's at least what I hoped for. But of course, that didn't happen. And because of the unthinkable that eventually took place two months later, two lives came to an end. Love can kill. Funny thing is, I never ever thought it would end up killing me. What started out as a one night stand ended up becoming something much more serious. I fell in love with Ben. He was so sweet and different. It was easy to start a romance with him because during Jake's visit to Arizona his father became terribly ill. As a result, Jake stayed there with him to keep a close eye on him. I don't know how Jake found out about the affair and I don't know when he found out. All I know is that it's all my fault. I never told Ben about Jake. According to his knowledge Jake doesn't even exist. One fateful day though changed everything. We were in my living room eating pizza and discussing work and before I know it Jake walks in on super speed. He didn't say anything. But I knew from the minute we made eye contact, I was about to die. He knew about my infidelity. He knew everything. I never got to find out how or why he knew. All I know is that he did. He knew. He had a gun. He decided to use them. He killed Ben, and then he killed himself. The scene traumatized me. It was almost as if I was watching a movie. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I didn't pack any clothes. I didn't pack anything. I walked out of that house, and I never came back. That was the day I died. That was the day I decided to go somewhere unknown. Somewhere where even my sister couldn't find me. I'm waiting for the police to track me down. I know they'll have questions. But, I won't have answers. You can never stop the inevitable though. They'll find me, it's bound to happen. That's okay. One day i'll be ready. But right now i'm afraid. Is this a dream? Did all of this really happen? I'll know soon enough, and then this will all be over. Until Then.