Chapter 78: "Meet my girlfriend".
Bruce stormed out in annoyance. He was looking for Flora-he needed to see her, to comfort her, to ask her the questions echoing relentlessly in his mind.
"Why, Flora?
I think I treated you well.
Why would you? Why would you do that to my wife... our kid... our only child?"
That was all he could think about. The questions consumed him so much that he couldn't even hear what Presh was saying.
Despite the pain she was feeling, Presh forced herself up and ran after him.
"Broe! Broe, stop! Stop!" she cried. "We don't have to do that. We are going to work it out. Don't worry, I'm going to deal with her myself."
She was trying her best to calm him down.
Bruce stormed out of the house, his emotions boiling over. Presh followed, her heart pounding with fear-fear because she knew she had lied to him.
"Really? What do you want to do to that villain woman?" Bruce snapped, his voice rising with rage. "She killed our child. She gave you those stupid pills to use and now..."
His voice broke slightly.
"I thought we treated Flora right. Is it because I couldn't marry her? Is it because my love was actually with you-not with her? Is that why she treated us this way?"
He paused, his fists clenched, his eyes burning.
"No. I don't care if her husband is wealthy, a villain, or the most powerful person in City B-I don't care."
Bruce let his anger pour out. He was seething, his pain and betrayal boiling over.
Presh began to cry. Quietly at first, then with deep, trembling sobs. She reached for him, trying to soothe his rage, her voice gentle and steady despite her tears.
"Baby... you know I love you so much," she said. "Please. We are going to do something about this. Just leave her for now. Let me handle it."
She caressed his arm, her touch meant to anchor him.
After a long pause, Bruce finally turned and walked back inside. Presh followed silently behind, her heart still heavy.
In the kitchen, she busied herself preparing a warm, delicious meal for him. When the food was ready and placed neatly on the dining table, she moved behind him. Wrapping her arms around his chest, she leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered sweetly,
"Baby... we can start making another baby now."
Her voice was soft, comforting, and full of promise.
Broe turned to face her, his expression unreadable at first. "Have you forgotten about Flora?" he asked, his tone husky.
But the sound of Presh's voice, low and seductive, drew him in like a magnet. Without another word, he grabbed her gently by the arm and pulled her into him. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, one that deepened quickly, hungrily.
They began removing each other's clothes, piece by piece, until nothing stood between them. The dining room, once quiet and still, became the setting for a storm of emotion, passion, and healing. It was there, in that moment, that their bodies met-two wounded souls trying to find comfort in each other again.
♡♡♡♡
It was early in the morning. Fiona had spent the night at Gad's place. She woke up in his bed-the same bed where they had shared an intimate, passionate night.
"Gad? Gad, where are you?" she called out, noticing he was no longer lying beside her.
Gad was in the kitchen, already awake and preparing a sumptuous breakfast. He heard her voice and called back cheerfully, "Babe, I'm coming! I'm over here!"
His voice filled the air, and with it, a sense of peace settled over Fiona. She smiled to herself, wrapped in the warmth of the moment. She never imagined that Gad could become what he was to her now.
The first time they met, she hadn't liked him much. She thought he was too forward, too bold as a man. But over time, she came to realize-he was everything she had unknowingly wanted.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice Gad walk back into the room until he spoke again.
"Babe!"
Fiona blinked, coming back to reality. She sat up, her eyes lighting up when she saw him.
"Oh, baby, you're here," she said, smiling sweetly. "Wow... what have you prepared for me?"
"I just made you a sandwich and a cup of tea," he replied, holding the tray gently. "Is that enough? Or should I go downstairs and make more?"
She blushed, her voice soft with gratitude. "Oh, baby... it's okay. Thank you so much."
There was a beautiful shyness between them, a delicate tenderness. They were behaving as if they had known each other forever-comfortable, gentle, and deeply connected in a way that surprised them both.
"Who is that?" Fiona asked, sitting up a little straighter, upon hearing a loud voice from the living room. "Oh, I guess my brother is having... I don't know. Let me just check up on him."
Suddenly, the same voice echoed from the living room.
Fiona's eyes widened. "Who might that be? Oh God... who is that?" she asked nervously.
"That should be my brother," Gad replied casually.
"You mean your younger brother?"
"Yes, my younger brother."
"Oh, that reminds me," Fiona said, her tone lightening. "What about your little sister? I know she doesn't like me."
Gad laughed. "Oh, you mean Beatrice?"
"Yes!" Fiona chuckled. "How is she?"
"She's fine," he said. "She went to our parents' place and... you know what she told me the last time we spoke?"
"What? What? What?" Fiona asked, leaning in, visibly curious.
"She told me to go for you."
Fiona gasped, surprised. "Really? You mean that's your sister? The one that looked at me like that that day? Like... oh my God. I can't believe it." She blushed.
He smiled warmly. "Yes. But even if she never liked you, or never picked you for me... I'd still pick you."
He moved closer, his voice growing softer.
"Because from the first day I met you, I had these eyes for you. I'm in love with you. So much."
Their eyes locked, the moment tender-until it was broken suddenly by a loud voice from down the hallway.
"Bro, where are you?" Vincent's voice cut through the quiet.
Gad sighed, visibly annoyed and a bit tired from the interruption. "Oh, God..."
"Baby, I'm coming," he said to Fiona. "Let me just go see him."
He stepped out of the room and walked toward his own, where Vincent had already entered.
"Bro, where are you?" Vincent repeated, as if trying to confirm something.
Gad turned to him, clearly irritated. "Why are you here? You should have told me before coming. Whenever you want to come here, make sure I know about it."
"Okay, bro. Okay, bro," Vincent responded quickly. "Okay, what about that day you spoke to me about -?"
"Not now," He cut him off sharply, glancing back toward the door. Fiona was still around, and this wasn't a conversation he wanted her to hear.
"You know what?" He said, turning to Vicente with a firm voice. "Just go to the living room and wait for me. I have a visitor around."
"Really? Bro?" Vincent raised a brow, trying to peek past him. "Hmm... I should have know."
"I said go!" Gad barked, though a smirk tugged at his lips. "Why do I have a younger brother like you."
Both of them laughed lightly as Vincent walked off, shaking his head.
Gad then returned to the room where Fiona was. When he stepped in, he found her sitting up and nibbling on her sandwich.
"Babe," he said gently, "do you want to meet my younger brother now?"
"I want you to meet him. And I want him to meet you too."
"Is that bad?" he asked playfully.
"No, no, no," Fiona said quickly, laughing.
"Okay then," she added. "Let me just take a shower and dress up."
"Alright then". He replied calmly.
"Emmm, babe".... Fiona hummed.
Gad started to turn away, but then paused. "Hmm... what do you want to say?" he asked. "You can talk to me, babe."
"Oh, nothing," Fiona replied, hesitating for a moment. "I just wanted to ask about the dress. I don't know where it is-it looks like it's been torn off or something."
"Oh, don't worry," He reassured her. "I got you another dress. Just check the wardrobe there-you'll see it."
Fiona blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to think ahead that quickly. "You got another one already?" she asked softly.
He winked. "Of course."
A few minutes later, Fiona came downstairs, now freshly dressed and standing beside Gad in the living room where Vincent was waiting.
"Hey, sister-in-law!" Vincent greeted her with a grin. "Nice meeting you."
"Nice meeting you too," Fiona replied, smiling shyly.
There was a soft warmth in the room, the kind that comes from unexpected beginnings slowly turning into something real.
---
"So, um... babe," Gad said, placing a gentle hand on Fiona's back, "meet my brother, Vincent."
Then he turned to his brother. "And Vincent, meet my girlfriend-Fiona."
Gad's voice carried warmth, pride even, as he introduced them.
Vincent smiled immediately, stepping forward and reaching out to shake Fiona's hand. His expression was relaxed, welcoming. The way he looked at her carried no judgment-just curiosity and friendliness.
Fiona shook his hand, slightly taken aback by how easygoing he seemed. His demeanor put her at ease, and she smiled back.
She had been nervous, half-expecting Vincent to behave like Beatrice, Gad's younger sister-cold, judgmental, or maybe even territorial. But this was different. Surprisingly different.
And Fiona was happy to see that.
♡♡♡♡
..In another city-City Z-a woman sat alone in a dark, cold room. Disheveled, rough, beaten, and wounded, Cylene looked nothing like the woman she once was.
She had been locked in this room by the evil man she had known for a long time. Though they shared a dark history, never in her wildest thoughts did she imagine he would torment her to this level... to this stage of cruelty.
Her arms trembled as she reached for the iron bars that served as a makeshift window-just narrow slits of metal in a wall of concrete. She gripped them tightly, the cold metal biting into her broken skin. Her eyes scanned the shadows beyond, but there was no one. Nothing. Just silence.
She crept back into the room, step by step, her body aching with every movement. She was alone. Lonely. Depressed.
Her mind began to wander-slowly at first, then completely unmoored from her broken reality. Thoughts of her children drifted in... the ones she had left behind in City B. Their laughter, their smiles-it all felt like a distant dream.
But her brain wasn't processing anymore. She couldn't think straight.
With a broken sob, she collapsed to the floor.
Her body hit the ground hard. Blood seeped from a fresh wound, creeping up to the surface of her already raw, peeling skin.
She lay there, still and silent-trapped, not only in this room, but in her own unraveling mind.