《Baby》 Baby ¡°Why?¡± Iris asked, shaking her head in question at her husband as she tried to understand why he was angry with her this time. Her husband was packing his things, wanting to leave the house. without giving her a proper exnation of what was going on. The two of them did not even argue; therefore, she did not understand what his issue was this time. ¡°Dean, please don¡¯t do this.¡± She begged, trying to take his hand. Her husband was quick to pull his hand away, ring at her. ¡°I never did love you, and I never will. You and I both know that our marriage was over long before it even started.¡± He said, reminding her that their marriage was an arranged one. She had hoped that he would love her by time, she prayed, she fought, she stood strong, tried to lure him in toward her, but nothing worked. The man was as cold as ice when it came to her, and that was something that she failed to realize. She put her hand on her stomach as she felt it bloat. Thest thing she wanted was to lose another. pregnancy. This time, Dean didn¡¯t even know about it, she didn¡¯t want to give him any hope like. she used to only to end up losing him again if she lost another one of his children. She had lost the number of miscarriages that she had, but this one was herst resolve. She knew that Dean wouldn¡¯t touch her if sober and has only slept with her because he was drunk. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. She could still remember the night very well. Her husband, the man that she was deeply in love with, had moaned out his mistress¡¯s name in her ear as he imagined her beforeing undone. She could still remember the pain and humiliation that she felt, but she never spoke about it to him. The next morning, when both woke up, the man didn¡¯t bother looking at her. He didn¡¯t even acknowledge the fact that she was in bed. ¡°Dean, the two of us have tried. I have tried, for years, I have tried to satisfy you. But¡­¡® ¡°Then stop.¡± He said, stopping her. She looked down at her feet, avoiding his eyes as tears formed in her eyes. She gripped her shirt as she felt weak. The fact that she knew what had to be done was something that she hated. The man has been insisting on them filing a divorce for months now, and he has been wanting it to end in one sitting. The one way to do so was for both of them to agree on this divorce, making it a ¡®mutual¡® one, and though it killed her inside, she knew that it had. to be done. There was no use to fighting for a rtionship that was done. The man didn¡¯t even want her, and that was something that she knew. She looked up at the man before wiping her tears, her mind set on the one target that she had in mind. She wanted to keep her child, and she was determined on building her own family. The man may have broken her, he has done it more times than any man has ever done before, and thest thing she wanted was to deal with more of this pain Thankfully, she knew that she had the support of her father, but that didn¡¯t mean that things were going to be easy. If anything, they were not. Her mother was not going to like the fact that she had agreed to a divorce. The woman believed that every marriage had its conflicts, and that everything had a solution. +42%2 But Iris knew it for fact, this marriage was over, and whether or not her mother liked it; she was not going to proceed with it. If she was to raise her child in a sane environment, then she had to ensure that she created it for the baby first, and therefore, choosing to leave was going to be the best. option. She was to raise her baby as far away as she could from all these dark memories, and one day, if her child chose to want to see their father, she would be more than weing to allow the idea. The man didn¡¯t even care that he had broken her heart as he turned to his things, fixing them in his suitcase. She knew that he was going to that woman, his mistress, the woman who has somehow managed to earn his heart. Ariana. ¡°You wanted to file for a divorce?¡± She asked, making Dean frown in confusion. He stopped packing his things, and turned to face her, clearly surprised with what she was asking. His chest ached for a second, and he felt like his breath got caught in his throat. The man nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited to hear what she had to say. She put her hand on her chest, ignoring the pain that she was feeling in the pit of her stomach and her chest. She had to stand strong to fend for her baby. A heartbreak was not going to do her any good, and the constant arguing was only going to end up breaking her. ¡°I remember that you had copies of the papers before? You wanted me to sign them.¡± She said, keeping her eyes on his, ignoring all the pain that she felt at that very moment as her heart begged her not to do this. She knew that she had to, for her baby, heart, and sanity, she had to do this. Dean studied her expression, unsure of what to say before he nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± He said, regretting it almost instantly. He knew that she was well aware that he had them. There was no use lying about it now. ¡°I will sign them and get out of your life, Dean Andino.¡± She said, looking him dead in the please, do give them to me. Let us end his marriage mutually¡­¡± Baby 2 Iris: ¡°Lilian, that is enough.¡± I said, scolding my daughter who was trying to be stubborn. A habit that she seems to have developed since we came here. She has been refusing to allow me to put on her shirt for the past half an hour and has been trying to escape me since. I hated admitting it, but she was as stubborn as her father was. But I couldn¡¯t me her, the change that she was forced to go through despite her not being familiar with the reason or understanding it was what was leading to this behavior, and though I didn¡¯t like it, I knew not to be too hard on her. If anything, I knew to somewhat support her to get out of the phase that she was in. ¡°But, mama, I don¡¯t like this shirt.¡± She said, pouting her lips. I sighed and put the shirt down before taking her hands in mine, pulling her to my chest. It was something that I always did when she was having a fit. Trying to understand her often helped, though sometimes I even failed to do that. I still tried my best.. ¡°You didn¡¯t like this shirt, nor did you like the other twenty shirts that I pulled out.¡± I said, teasing her. She giggled and shook her head at me before putting her hand in her mouth. I was thankful for her being in my life, she was a blessing to me that made all the struggles that I have been through with my ex worthwhile. At least I knew that my little princess wasn¡¯t in a toxic ce where the two of us were constantly fighting, and I knew that she was somewhat happy in the life that she was living. ¡°Is there anything that is bothering you, my little princess?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school.¡± She said, and I smiled. It was her first day at preschool, and she has been giving me a hard time sincest night. At least now I understand why. The fact that she didn¡¯t want to go anywhere where kids were with both their parents was something that I was somewhat used to, and though it did sometimes hurt me to know that I didn¡¯t do enough to fulfill my role as the mother and father figures in her life, I couldn¡¯t me her. I was in her ce once, and despite having both my parents, they were rarely ever seen together with me, if anything, they were rarely seen with me at school or in any event at all. ¡°Can you tell me why you don¡¯t want to go to school? Are you afraid of not fitting in?¡± I asked, trying to be as gentle as I could be with her. But she had the same attitude on her third day at her daycare, and when I asked what happened, it was her teacher who exined to me that she felt different when she realized that most of the kids had both their parents with them, and that she only came with me. It killed me inside that I had to separate her from her father, but I knew since that day that things wouldn¡¯t have been the same. ¡°Why do other kids have a daddy and I don¡¯t?¡± She asked, making my chest ache. How could I exin to a four year old that her father never bothered giving me a chance to begin with? I tried. to shower her with the love that any daughter could get, but I wasn¡¯t her father, and I knew that no matter how hard I would try to ge, I was never going to be. My parents, more specifically, my father, was supportive enough to stand by my side through everything that has happened, it pained. me, but my mother wasn¡¯t as supportive toward the situation. If anything, my mother wanted me to be patient. She imed that a home wasn¡¯t built to be wrecked as easily. The woman didn¡¯t understand h we never got to build a home to begin with. Dean had his lover, and though I loved. him with everything that I had, I was never enough ¡°You do have a daddy, sweetheart, and one day, very close, I will be sure that the two of you reunite again. For now, I just need you to be a little patient I said, my voice softening as I ran my hand. over her cheek. As much as I hated what happened between us, I never did try to make her hate her father. In her eyes, he was the hero that she wanted to meet. I just didn¡¯t know how that was going to be possible right now. The two of us have been living in Ondo since she was born, and my parents would visit every once and a while, but now, considering that it has been almost five years since I left; therefore, I believed that it was time to go back. I had my businesses to tend to, and with my father growing ill by the day, I knew that I had to start taking care of them. It was one of the reasons why I was going back to begin with. The one issue that I had was knowing that Dean was a main partner. Just the idea of having to see him in a meeting or gathering was something that I feared, but I knew that it was about time to face him. I couldn¡¯t keep running away from him for life, right? Lilian kept her eyes on mine, studying my expression for a few seconds before she nodded. She often knew when she was giving me a hard time and when she wasn¡¯t, and she knew that she was. She looked at her shirts for a few seconds before pulling the pink one that I wanted to put on her. Thankfully, she had a white bateau on, otherwise, I would have worried about her growing sick. Especially considering the fact that it was November. ¡°Do you want to choose your coat? Or are you going to be giving mommy a hard time again?¡± I asked, teasing my daughter who giggled, clearly amused by what she did. She knew that she mostly didn¡¯t get in trouble. In truth, I rarely ever thought of punishing her. In my head, she was my little princess, and I was there to spoil her. Thest thing that I wanted was for her to be scared of me or to want to be away from me. If anything, I had taught her at a young age toe and tell me everything. I would be there by her side, backing her up, even if I had to scold her sometimes if I knew that she did something bad. But thest thing I wanted was for her and I to have the same rtionship that I had with my mother. It was one that was almost nonexistent, and I knew that it was one of the reasons why Dean and I never worked out. The man didn¡¯t respect me as he saw that my family didn¡¯t. The man saw me as weak and unwanted, and though our marriage was initially arranged, the two of us could have managed to work a few things out, I believed it. But things somehow backfired on me when he heard a conversation between my mother and I, and somewhere deep inside me, I knew that we would never be able to be one. The gap had been created that night, and it was all because of that argument. It was an argument that sent him off to finding his peace elsewhere, and that is something that I can never forget. It is something that I personally would have never wanted; however, he chose not to listen, and she chose to pressure me. Both sides ended up breaking me badly, but nevertheless, I knew that it might have happened for a reason, and I hoped that it was a good one. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°I want the white one, please. The one with the yellow smiley face.¡± She said, and I smiled and nodded. I took her hand in mine and gently kissed her palm. Baby 3 Dean: ¡°You seem distracted, my love.¡± My wife, Mariana, said, breaking my train of thoughts. The amount of work that I had was overwhelming, and despite her knowing about it, she didn¡¯t. scem to really care. If anything, all she cared about was what she gained and what she was going to benefit, something that I found both selfish and annoying, but now was not the time to argue about it. I looked at her over my shoulder, choosing not to want to respond. I had to work to tend to and thest thing I needed was for her and I to be arguing. And considering the fact that I knew that our conversation was going to end up turning into an argument to begin with, spoke a lot about how our marriage has been going over the past few years. It has been five years since our marriage, and in this marriage, I came to believe that the two of us were indeed not fit for one another. The anger that I felt toward myself for letting go of a person who I knew was perfect for me was something that I could not deny; however, it was also something that I could not admit. I made my choice despite being warned and given the option not to go through with it, it was me who fought all the odds to simply be with a woman who saw me as nothing but a bank ount for her to use. It said more than a little that the two of us, despite being married for a long while and being together before it, didn¡¯t bother starting a family. She did open up about it once, wanting to stabilize herself with me as a wife when everyone turned their backs on her or ended up showing her that she didn¡¯t fit. However, I had to admit, it was me who resented it and didn¡¯t want it with her. ¡°Dean, you have been off for months now and this is really getting out of hand.¡± Mariana said, breaking my train of thoughts. I took a deep breath, controlling my anger before turning around to face her. There was no point in upsetting her now, the woman that I wanted to get back to, my flower, was nowhere to be seen. I have fought for years to find her, but I wasn¡¯t stupid, she was not in the city and did not want to be found; I would have found a trace of her otherwise. Her father and I still worked together, and though knew that he was disappointed and angry with me for breaking his daughter¡¯s heart, the man chose to keep a professional distance between us. The man and I didn¡¯t bring up the old issues, nor did hesh out on me once; however, he didn¡¯t allow me to say his daughter¡¯s name. It was something that I couldn¡¯t me him for. The woman chose to resent and kick her did fight for me, it wasn¡¯t something that I could dehy. It was me wh out It wasn¡¯t her fault at all. ¡°I have a lot to deal with, Mariana.¡± I said, cupping her cheeks, gently running my finger over them. I knew that she would end up causing an issue, and could evene to thepany with that issue, and that was not something that I wanted. I didn¡¯t need to see her in the building today, I knew that I would end up acting badly and that wasn¡¯t something that I didn¡¯t want. ¡°You know the stress of work tends to get to me at times, and with the number of things that I have to deal with right now, I really need a break. Please don¡¯t ask me too many questions that I don¡¯t want to answer. I know that you want to help but, Mariana, my love, I need to be able to solve them on my own.¡± 20:0. Wed, Aug ¡°I am here to support you, my love, but if you don¡¯t open up to me to allow me to do so¡­¡± +41%3 ¡°Mariana, the two of us are already aware that the two of us have our own worlds. And I for one do not like sharing my world of work nor do I like mixing it with my house.¡± I said, stopping her. The fact that she was initially my secretary meant many rumors had spread when I got a divorce and married her a monthter. It was something that cost me a lot when it came to employees who have been fired for not respecting her, and to investors who chose to withdraw their stocks as they feared losing them considering that Iris¡¯s father is my partner. Thankfully, the man was kind enough not to ruin my business for me as he kept going with the partnership, and though he didn¡¯t mention it, I knew that it was Iris who might have spoken to him about it, Some, if not most, said that she was the reason behind our divorce. Iris never answered them, and that came as a surprise. The woman simply imed that it was a mutual divorce agreement, and though that wasn¡¯t the case, she chose not to ruin my name. It was something that I knew that Mariana wouldn¡¯t do. Mariana would do her best to ruin me, my reputation, and family. But Iris proved to me that she wouldn¡¯t harm me if it cost her everything, and I knew that our divorce has cost her a lot. If anything, it initially cost her the pain that she has put me through. It was something that I hated about myself, but I never tried changing it. ¡°It seems to me like you forgot that I was initially your secretary. If anyone would know how your work goes, Dean, it is me.¡± She said, crossing her arms over her chest. I rolled my eyes and walked to the bathroom, ignoring her attitude. Thest thing I needed was to argue with her right now. It was bad enough that she was starting to ask me about the two of us conceiving. At first, it was me who wanted this. I wanted the two of us to build a family and I wanted to have an heir. But the closer we get together, the more I resent the idea of building a family. And I couldn¡¯t understand the reason behind it. Maybe my attraction toward her was just the fact that it was forbidden. But when we made it real, things just went crazy. The two of us just lost the fling between us, and that was not something that I could easily admit Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That was in the past, Mariana. It is something that the two of us know.¡± I said, not bothering to look at her. I could tell that she was shaking her head at me behind me, but that was not something I cared about. I had work to tend to, and that was something that I knew; therefore, this marriage drama was not one that I was looking into. I frowned as my phone rang, and I raised an eyebrow at the fact that it was my secretary. The woman never dared to call me when I was at home. It was due to Mariana scaring her not to do so. The threats that the woman got prevented her from thinking of looking at me rather than speaking to me. If anything, the woman didn¡¯t dare speak to me unless it was strictly work behavior, and I couldn¡¯t me Mariana for it. The woman was afraid that she would repeat the same past that she made Iris live through and that was something that I knew very well. It was something that I chose to excuse her for and for that, I walked out of the bedroom to take the call. *Tell me, Sienna?¡± I asked, notthering to greet the woman. I never did greet her anyway, so she wasn¡¯t surprised by my response. *Boss, the men found her.¡± She said, and I frowned in confusion. Her next words took me off guard, Baby 4 Iris: ¡°Thank you, I will be sure to pick her up at one.¡± I said, smiling at her teacher who nodded. I got down on my knee in front of my daughter before taking both her hands in mine. ¡°Now, I want you to remember to be kind, baby girl. You are going to enjoy your day and you are going to make a lot of new friends.¡± ¡°For real?¡± She asked, smiling at me. I cupped my daughter¡¯s cheeks before kissing her forehead. It was something that I couldn¡¯t remember my own mother doing to me. Maybe she did when I was younger, but I couldn¡¯t remember it. If anything, I could barely remember her leaving me to go to school with a maid, it was something that I swore not to do to my little one. ¡°Yes, it all depends on how you approach your ssmates.¡± I said, and she smiled. I stood up and nodded at her teacher who already knew to call me if there was an issue. I waved at my princess who smiled and entered her ssroom, now somewhat more boosted and excited. It made me smile to see her growing to be a confident girl. Thest thing I wanted for her was to grow up in fear or pain, it was something that I waspletely against, and I was making sure that even she knew it. I crossed my arms over my chest as I walked out of the building, and walked toward my car. I knew that I had to visit my father at the hospital. The man¡¯s body was weakening by the day and thest thing I wanted was for him to end up losing his life when I wasn¡¯t around him. I knew that I had to be optimistic about it, and as much as I tried to be. I knew that even he gave up fighting. He was far too tired for the fights, and has requested that no one help treat his sicknesses, and that was something that broke me. I was against it, and I did try to convince him otherwise, but he didn¡¯t listen. I didn¡¯t know how mom would be able to handle it, nor did I know how I would be living without him in my life. Just the idea of it was scary, and that wasn¡¯t something that I wanted to think of, if anything, I was scared to death of something happening to the man. I got inside my car and drove off, not wanting to waste any time. He called mest night telling me that there was something that he wanted to talk to me about, and though I was aware that it would be about work, I dreaded the conversation. I knew the responsibilities of taking care of apany worried him, but I also knew that I was more than capable for them. I ran my own things for five years, and though I now have a manager and CEO, I know that there woulde a time when I am required to be back at thepany and that they would be listening to what I had to say while I listened to what they have done and the ns that have been followed. However, my father seemed a little more worried this time, and that wasn¡¯t something that I tood. I knew that he had his partnerships, but those weren¡¯t things that I would be associated with. I would be in charge of whatever we ran, and he would be handling his own partnerships and work from where he was. When he got back on his feet, and something inside me tells me that he would soon, I knew that he would be taking care of things like he always did. This was just a minor P 2007 Wed, Aug setback. It would be something that he got out of, I was sure of it. 0441%2 Property ? N?velDrama.Org. I reached the hospital¡¯s door, freezing in front of it for a few seconds as I parked my car. The thought and image of the number of people in there wasn¡¯t easy. How he managed to stop his fight or why, I didn¡¯t know. But I knew better than to ask, I made that mistake once, and I promised myself to never repeat it again. I hated admitting it, though I knew that he would be there, it has been a long while since I have seen him and I was more than scared to see him as weak as he was. In my eyes, my father was my hero, that man who would be taking care of everything and everyone without flinching for a second. He had the kind heart to stand strong for anyone who needed the support that he provided, and at times, I knew that I needed him more than I let out I had no one in this world but him as my support, and I, in return, was his. The man lived strong. and happy. He made me proud, and I knew that he was a proud man, that was something that I didn¡¯t need to question. The man would run his fingers through my hair as he held me close, hugging me tightly when I needed it, and the next thing I knew it, everything was back in ce and I was able to face the world. How? When? What he did? I don¡¯t know, but I called it ¡®daddy magic; therefore, I knew that if anything happened to him, I was going to end up dying inside. Something inside me was going to break, and that wasn¡¯t something that I wanted to handle. If anything, I was petrified of it. I stared at the hospital¡¯s front door for a few seconds, my heart racing against my ribcage faster than I thought would be normal; however, I forced myself to take a deep breath, I ran my fingers through my hair, fixing it. Thest thing I needed was to get in another conflict with mother over hair. I already expected a number of insults to be thrown my way, and this was not something that I wanted to deal with. my ¡°You are not going to give up on me, daddy.¡± I said, speaking out loud as I walked through the door. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to keep giving up your figth. Baby 5 Dean: My heart raced as I looked at the pictures of Iris, the beautiful flower who I have killed, as she walked toward her car, looking as confident as she was on the first day that I married her. I had to admit, it was her beauty and confidence that had me first epting to marry her. It just killed me inside to know that I didn¡¯t listen to her when she begged me to, and instead, I chose to take revenge on something that I knew she wouldn do. It was something that her mother wanted wouldn her doing, and has fought her for, but she wasn¡¯t that kind of woman. I just chose not to see it. I ran my finger over her cheek involuntarily as if believing that she would feel my gentle touch. I had to admit it, I was breaking over the fact that I knew that she did her best to win me over. She has tried every single way of doing so, and though I have barely touched her a few times over the years that the two of us were married, she never didin. ¡°Where?¡± I asked, shaking my head in question. Maybe if I found her, I would be able to speak to her, maybe she would allow me to apologize, maybe exin myself to her. It would make the fire that was in my chest cool down a bit, just a little bit would make things better. And if she had her same genuine personality, I knew that she would listen. But it has been five years, and these five years were not as kind to her when it came to the media, and that was something that could end up backfiring on me as a person. I knew that for fact. It was a bit toote for that, I knew it for fact. But that didn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t try. I knew that one try would be enough for me, and that is something that the two of us needed to be open for. The risk that I knew I would be taking was one that worried me. I knew that my parents were both against the divorce and my marriage to Mariana. I hated to admit it, but my marriage to her was, and still is, the biggest mistake that I made. It was something that I couldn¡¯t deny. The woman who I shared a bed with, Iris, was never one to cause me unnecessary problems. She was often quiet, tending to her responsibilities, and taking care of her home. She was beautiful, and often took care of herself without the need of makeup or extravagant outfits that often weren¡¯t even fit to be considered as home clothes. The idea of her wearing extremely expensive clothes that were all designer, or customized was not something that I could ignore. The woman went above her budget in less than a year of our marriage, and that was something that had the two of us getting into an argument. Whereas when I was married to Iris, the woman barely got what she needed when it came to clothes. She often knew how to make an outfit look unique whether or not it was new, and by new, I meant an outfit that she never wore before. Mariana often wore one dress to either keep it in the closet, or throw it away without using it again. Iris didn¡¯t do that, if anything, she was spotted more than once wearing the same dress, and would often beplimented about the touches that she made on the dress to add a little different touch. It was something that I expected from Mariana more than I expected it from Iris, but it didn¡¯t take me too long to realize that both women were different. One grew up with more riches than anyone Chapter 3 Wed, Aug could count. Despite everything, she grew up like a princess and bride, someone prepared to marry. into another rich family. Mariana was a nouveau riche, someone who didn¡¯t grow in wealth and now simply believed that they could buy their way with money. It was something that I grew to hate, and as much as I hated admitting it, it didn¡¯t take me too long to realize that mom was right about her judgment. ¡°She was seen heading to the hospital in this picture My train of thoughts was broken and I frowned as I processed what the woman just told me. The fact that she had disappearedpletely, trying to hide, only toe here to go to a hospital worried me, especially since I knew very well that she HATED hospitals. The number of times that I got home to find her dead. tired and sick and yet refusing to go and get treated were endless, and that was why I was worried sick about her now. ¡°The hospital? Why? What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, shaking my head in question. I knew for fact that Iris hated hospitals, and considering the fact that she wasn¡¯t seen for years, I was surprised to know that she barely went out to go to a hospital. It was something that I couldn¡¯t understand, and though I knew that Iris wasn¡¯t practically locked inside the house, I was still surprised. ¡°We didn¡¯t know, the men couldn¡¯t follow her any longer. But that is not the only part that I think you would want to know, boss.¡± She said, and I frowned. I tried to understand the woman, wanting to know what she was saying; however, she stayedpletely quiet for a few seconds as her hands shook. My Property ? N?velDrama.Org. heart raced against my chest as I tried thinking straight, but I couldn¡¯t find myself doing so. I hated to admit it, but the fear that I suddenly felt at the idea of something happening to her was not something that I wanted to think of. If anything, I was more than just scared of her harming herself or being harmed because of me. It was something that I didn¡¯t want to think of. She handed me a picture, making my heart drop as I looked at it. It was Iris, her hair was tied in a ponytail, much like she mostly did when she had to tend to something quickly. She wasn¡¯t out to impress anyone, it was something that I could read in her expression. The way she was looking as she walked wasn¡¯t all serious either. She had lost weight, it was something that I realized. But that wasn¡¯t what stopped me. It was the blonde little girl who walked by her side. The girl was looking up as if she were her hero, something that broke my heart, because I knew that she would be the child¡¯s hero, if anything, she would do her best to protect, love, and cherish the little girl. Iris held her hand, holding her close as she looked down at her. Both of them seemed to be talking andughing. My heart ached as I saw that vision. The idea of her moving on with someone else was not something that I wanted to imagine or picture. Plus, with this child, it seemed to me like she would be at least three or four; therefore, if it happened directly after our divorce, I couldn¡¯t at the idea. help but breaks It was something that I did to her, I knew that, and as selfish as it was, I couldn¡¯t imagine seeing her with another man. The woman, regardless of all that happened, had a special ce in my heart. It just killed me to think that I lost her for good, even though I knew that I would have deserved it if that happened. Baby 6 Chapter 6 Iris: ¡°Daddy,¡± I said, smiling at the man as I entered the hospital room that he was staying at. This was one of the few times that I was allowed to actually see him being sick. The man, being my hero, and knowing that he was despite all the conflicts, rarely ever allowed me to see him being in a weak state. He wasying on his bed with an oxygen mask over his face. Oh, how much I hated seeing him in this state, I couldn¡¯t even describe it, but I knew that I had to be strong for his sake. If I weakened in front of him, what would he end up doing? The man, who was as strong as a rock, and as hard as stone,y in front of me, dealing with whatever pain that he was forced to endure, without even letting me know about it. Had mom not told me about it, I knew that he wasn¡¯t going to tell me that his disease was eating him alive, and that was something that broke me more than ever. If anything, thest thing that I ever wanted was to see him in this much pain. ¡°Princess,¡± he said, extending his hand to me. The fact that he chose to give up on himself was something that I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ept. He has been struggling with this for years now, I knew that, but I knew that we could somehow manage to get out of it, him giving up was not the option. I took his hand in both of mine, my chest aching as I saw how weak he became. It was a state that I never saw him reach, not even in his worst days. Mom, who was also inside the room, didn¡¯t bother looking at me. I wasn¡¯t surprised though, this has been the state of our rtionship for years now. She rarely ever looked at me since I got my divorce and has often imed that a woman¡¯s home was her husband¡¯s. In her eyes, I was a disgraceful single mother who could end up doing what went against whatever morals she believed she had. In mine, I knew my own morals, and at times, they didn¡¯t have to match hers. It was what started the conflict. The two of us got into countless arguments when I chose to move and live alone, and though she was forced to quiet down because of dad, I knew that she didn¡¯t like it, or me to begin with. My one hero in this was the man whoy on the hospital bed. I knew that my life would turn upside down if anything happened to him, and just the idea of that scared the life out of me. I didn¡¯t want to imagine my life without knowing that he would be there for me no matter the distance. It was a thought that scared me that I could end up living through a situation where I knew that he wasn¡¯t there, and considering the fact that I knew that my family didn¡¯t want me, I was alone. ¡°How are you, little one?¡± He asked, using the same nickname that he has used on me since I was a child. I wasn¡¯t their first child, my older brother was. But the man chose to leave the second he turned eighteen, and has been missing for the past eleven years. Tomorrow would mark the eleventh. I was sixteen at the time, and waking up in the morning to not know where he was scared the life out of the whole family. We tried to find him, tried the cops, tried to search, but the man left. He left us a note informing us that he was okay and that he was leaving. On my twenty¨Cfirst birthday, I got a letter from him, it was a birthday one, as well as him telling me to go and live my life. It was one that mom found before I did, and that was when they decided to wed me to Dean. The family didn¡¯t want me to go the way my brother went. Little did they know that our five year marriage was nothing but hell to me. They didn¡¯t care though, it was something that I knew for fact. At least, my mother didn¡¯t. For a long while, dad. never asked how my marriage was. He knew that I was against it to begin with; therefore, for him to ask did not make sense. It just killed me that he never saw my pain through my eyes, and even if he did, he never did mention it. He just saw it as the normal thing that happened, and that was something that broke my heart. However, he was quick to mend my scars when he chose to make it up to me by standing by my side when the issues happened. When I came to them after epting the divorce, it was to inform them, and tha was something that mom fought me about. I was given the choice by my mother to: live with no money and out on the street alone, or fight till the end to get out of this divorce. I chose to go on with the divorce, and that was when my father supported me for the first time in years. I didn¡¯t even know how I managed, but I didn¡¯t live with them, I chose to find my own house with the money that I had. And thankfully, day after day, my investments grew. And one day, I found out that I was pregnant. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Daddy, it is me who is supposed to ask how are you?¡± I asked, trying to hide the pain from my voice. Thest thing I wanted was for him to think that I was weakening. But I was determined to have him ept going back to his treatments. ¡°I am fine, my little one. I am a little tired, I guess¡­ ¡°A little?¡± Mom asked, stopping him. I had to fight back, turning to re at her as a tear fell from my left eye before I could stop it. Catching sight of it, dad cupped my cheek and wiped the tear before pulling me to his chest. Mom was often the cold hearted rational person who rarely ever thought with her heart, and though it sickened me that she was the way that she acted, I knew that it was a form of her coping with her own pain. She had her limits too, but she was usually an expert at masking whatever she was feeling, and it was for known reasons. Thest thing that she ever wanted was to be called weak or to be treated. like a weak person, it was something that she hated, and that was something that we all knew about her. However, to see that she was not being supportive or was being as stronger than my father was something that I didn¡¯t like or understand, but now thest thing that I wanted to do was question or argue with her. ¡°Daddy, why did you stop?¡± I asked, looking up at him. I tried to hold in my tears which were escaping my eyes before I could stop them, and I knew that regardless of whether I did manage to do so or not, that my dad could see through my pain very clearly. ¡°I know you better than that, you are not a man to give up like this. So, why? Why this time? What happened to make you weaken this much? And you know for fact that I won¡¯t fall for an excuse that doesn¡¯t make sense to my brain.¡± 20:07 Wed, Aug If anyone knew how much I didn¡¯t like not understanding what was going on, it was my father. I was one who didn¡¯t mind beingshed out on, or getting yelled at, but I was not one who epted being taken for a fool, and therefore, I knew that my father wouldn¡¯t bother trying. ¡°Sweetheart, I am no longer the young man that I used to be. You know that for fact. I had¡­ ¡°Daddy, please don¡¯t say that. You and I both know that you can still fight, you have a lot in you Lo do so.¡± I said, shaking my head as I pulled away to look him in the eye. He smiled and ran his finger over my cheek. ¡°Please, daddy, please go back to your treatments. I know you are tired, but¡­.¡± ¡°Iris, this is not why I called you here.¡± He said, stopping me. ¡°I will make this fast, and I know that it might hurt you. But considering the fact that Stn chose to leave, you are the one that I have¡­¡± ¡°Dad?¡± I asked, frowning in confusion, stopping him from what he was saying. Just the fact that he brought up my brother¡¯s name, a name which he and mother chose not to say for years now, I knew that this was serious. However, for him to be talking about this as if he was going to lose his life, now that was something that I couldn¡¯t find myself epting. ¡°Iris, I want you to be the one to take care of the businesses from now on. I know that you had your own shares, and I know that you took care of a huge part, but you know exactly what I mean in this one. I want you to be in charge of thepanies and where they would be going, and how we would be managing things. Everything would be transferred to your name, and from now on, you would be the one dealing with everything.¡± ¡°Dad, but that means that I would have to¡­¡± ¡°It has been years, Iris.¡± He said, stopping me. My chest ached and I couldn¡¯t help but feel small, smaller than I already felt at that moment. I looked at mom, silently asking her to stand up for me, if only this once, but of course, she didn¡¯t bother sparing me a second nce. ¡°I know that you might not want to do this, but it is time for you to get over what happened. And for the family¡¯s business to run, I would need you to take care of things.¡± I stayed quiet as I debated, my heart aching at the fact that I would be seeing the man that I dreaded most. ¡°I know that you might not..¡± ¡°I have one condition.¡± I said, stopping him. If he was going to be doing this the harder way, then I was going to y the same game. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Mom asked, stopping me. ¡°The man is your father, have you forgotten¡­ ¡°And that is, Iris?¡± Dad asked, stopping her from scolding- ¡°I will work with him, and I will be sure to make you proud. But you will go medication; otherwise, I don¡¯t care who buys the shares¡­¡± back to your Baby 7 lot, especially since it meant that Iris could have been in another rtionship. Just thinking about it made my chest ache as the air in the room grew thick, and what made it funnier was the fact that I was in another rtionship. Hell, I was fucking married and here I was, aching for the ex that I chose to want to break up with. I should have been thankful that the divorce ended without a fuss and without her iming half of what belonged to me. At the time, she didn¡¯t even bother hiring awyer, it was like all she wanted to do was get out of my life. ¡°You can feave.¡± I said, dismissing my secretary. At this point, nothing really mattered, I knew that I had a meeting, a few actually, to attend, and seeing as I just found this out, I knew that needed to rpose myself. The men shouldn¡¯t be seeing me in this state, and thest thing that I wanted was to have them asking questions that I didn¡¯t want to answer. Especially since I knew that most of their wives knew Mariana, and I wasn¡¯t stupid to think that they didn¡¯t talk to their husbands about her. She was not a person that they wanted to be around, and if anything, I knew that their husbands didn¡¯t want them around her much, nor did they want her around their men, thinking that she might end up trying to seduce one of them. Well, I couldn¡¯t me them, they were mostly Iris¡¯s friends, friends who she chose to let go of for my sake when she chose to disappear. I watched as she closed the door before I looked down at the picture of the angel who was my wild. The woman gave up a lot for me, her love, body, heart, time, and soul. I returned the favor by being the dick that I was to her. And that was not something that she was going to forgive me for, I knew that for fact. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to forgive me if I were here; therefore, I couldn¡¯t have expected any less from her. Especially after everything that I did to break her. ¡°What are you going to do, Dean?¡± I asked myself, knowing that I had no one else to ask about this. I was a married man, and the marriage was one that no one approved of. It was something that I knew for fact, and I had to admit, I hated it more and more by the day. I sighed and shook my head. I knew that I had a lot to do today, and thest thing that I wanted to do was worry about something like this. Iris was not going to spare me a second nce anyway. She made it obvious that she didn¡¯t want me in her life when she chose to disappear for years. It was something that killed me inside, but I knew well enough that I deserved it. She wouldn¡¯t have epted to sign the divorce paper if not that, and that was something that I knew very well. If anything Iris has fought me against it for months, and has tried to make things right with me despite knowing that I had an affair. It sickened me about myself that I had her ming herself for it. She med herself for MY scandal, and that was something that I caused her to do. It was something that she did not deserve, 20:07 Wed, Aug +41%3 this was something that I knew for fact. But I didn¡¯t have it in me to actually admit that she didn¡¯t If anything, I made her feel like it was her fault, and regardless of how wrong I knew I was, I didn¡¯t do anything to stop it. I walked out of my office and toward the meeting room where almost everyone was waiting. They knew that I didn¡¯t like dys, however, the one empty chair was Ashton¡¯s, Iris¡¯s father, and that came as a surprise to me, especially considering the fact that I knew well enough how strict he was about his timing. If anything, he didn¡¯t like it, and he didn¡¯t ept dys at all. ¡°Where is Ashton?¡± I asked, nodding at his empty seat. The men around frowned in confusion, each one of them just as confused as I was. We all knew of the man¡¯s uracy, and we knew how much he hated dys, if anything, I think he hated them more than even I did. ¡°He hasn¡¯t answered any of his calls. We have tried reaching him to no avail, sir.¡± Delh said, and I nodded. Delh was my second secretary. Knowing Mariana, I doubted that she would be keeping my employees without making sure that they quit faster than they were hired. It was her tactic since the two of us got married, and again, I couldn¡¯t me her. The trust that she had in me was close to nothing, and though it wasn¡¯t something that I liked, I knew not to question her about it. Our rtionship was toxic and was built on it. The two of us knew that we started wrong, the one thing that worried me was whether or not she would be letting me end this. Knowing her, the woman has fought to marry me, and the ONLY way to get a divorce was topensate or give her what she wanted. And after everything that she has asked for and gotten throughout our marriage, I doubted that I wanted to know what it was that she wanted. Iris chose to sign the divorce papers for free whereas when I was thinking about it now, if I were to ever want to divorce Mariana, I would have to negotiate my way into the divorce. It was something that I didn¡¯t even want to think of, I had to admit that much. Plus, there was the fact that I would have to face the whole world who told me against the marriage, and that was another thing that I didn¡¯t want to deal with. The woman was insane, and I knew that she would y the victim who wanted to do nothing but protect her marriage, home, and the man that she loves. The war of divorce, and media is not something that I want to deal with again. I knew how hard it was on Iris when it happened. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. The two of us have chosen to keep silent about it, we chose not to cause a scene nor did we want people to ask questions that we didn¡¯t have answers to. Our divorce, being a ¡®mutual¡® decision, was barely done within a few hours, and when we parted ways, I could swear that I saw her crying: however, she didn¡¯t turn to face me. If anything, she just walked directly toward her car as if the whole weight of the world was carried on her shoulders. The office¡¯s door was opened, catching us by surprise. I turned to face who it was only for my heart to drop as I caught sight of the woman that I didn¡¯t think I would be seeing. The woman who has been running through my thoughts throughout the whole day stood right before me, holding aptop bagin her , making me blink twice to try and process whether or not this was a dream. I stayed quiet as I tapped on the desk twice, fighting the urge to stand up as I faced her, wanting to know whether or not she was real. Her eyes met mine and I couldn¡¯t help but feel like my breath got caught in my throat. This was thest thing that I expected to deal with today, and though I didn¡¯t know how I felt about it, I knew one thing, I didn¡¯t know how I was going to deal with it. She took a deep breath, as if catching herself off guard, wanting to snap out of the moment before she turned to her father¡¯s seat. ¡°My apologies for keeping you waiting. Traffic was hectic¡­ Baby 8 Iris: My heart aced against my ribcage as my eyes met Dean¡¯s. The one man who had the effect to both my heart and mind, and that was something that came as a surprise to me, especially after all this time of being away, I had to fight back looking down at my feet as I refused toe out as weak in front of the man who broke everything in me. I had to y the strong act, even if it wasn¡¯t how I was feeling. The man was thest person who was supposed to see me in a broken state, especially since he knew that he broke more in me than any other person could have. The man not only broke my pride, but he also broke my heart by both cheating and wanting a divorce to begin with. And I was thankful for the fact that I chose to ept the divorce and no longer live with a scandalous excuse of a marriage that only seemed to break my heart more and more by the day. The man wasn¡¯t worluss, it only saddened me that it took me years into the the marriage and years after it to realize that I was worth a lot more than the hell that I lived through. The way the man looked at me was enough to break my heart and soul, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t find myself forgiving him for. My little one has lived wondering where her father was for as long as she could remember, and that was something that broke my heart, especially since I knew that I was telling her that her father was the hero that every girl wanted to have when he was the exact opposite, at least to me. I didn¡¯t know how he would be treating her, but judging by how he treated me, I knew that he wouldn¡¯t be better as a dad toward her. I sat on my father¡¯s chair, my heart aching at the fact that he was sick. However, I was more than thankful for the fact that he had agreed to at least ept going back to treatment. I didn¡¯t want him giving up on his body, and whatever the expenses were, I was more than willing to take care of them. My dad knew very well what I would do for him, and though it saddened me that he reached this point, I knew to be happy that I was going to be the backbone that he needed through this. ¡°Is Mr. Ashton okay?¡± One of the men sitting beside Dean asked and I nodded. Dad wouldn¡¯t want anyone knowing that he was very sick. If he wanted it, then he would have announced it himself; therefore, I knew not to cross my limits as to talk about what didn¡¯t concern me, especially in a state like this. One wrong word could cost us a lot, and though it didn¡¯t matter to me as I knew that things would manage to be better as time went by, I still didn¡¯t want to risk ruining what my father spent years building and maintaining. has ¡°He is a little ill, and for that, I am here. However, he should be back soon enough.¡± I said and the man nodded in understanding. Dean looked at me for a few seconds, studying my expression before choosing to get up. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t ask any questions, not yet anyway. But I knew that he would, and I wanted to be out of the office before that happened. The man could read me like an open book, and despite me masking my feelings and emotions. with a monotonous expression, I knew that he could see through what I was hiding. He knew that something was wrong, and that was something that didn¡¯t like. If anything, thest thing I wanted or needed was to feel like I was being questioned by my ex about +41% anything concerning my life. The pain that I was in because of him was more than enough, and that was something that he knew very well. ¡°Well, considering that we are all here, we can start with our meeting¡­¡± Dean said, looking me in the eye as he spoke. His eyes spoke into my soul, and I could tell that he was well aware that dad wasn¡¯t just a ¡®little¡¯sick. There have been times when he was sick, very sick, but he would stille to meetings. But now he was beyond just that. However, no one knew about his disease, and I knew why he didn¡¯t want to make it public. Thest thing he wanted or needed was to be a public image, and paparazzi had no respect for privacy. If anything, they mostly lived on invading people¡¯s lives and private matters. The others on the table nodded, wanting to start the meeting. However, I stayedpletely still as I studied my ex¡¯s expression, trying to read it. And I had to fight back a frown as I saw regret in his once proud eyes. The man who had the whole world bending to his knees as he imed seemed to be regretting something, but whatever it was, I didn¡¯t know; however, I wasn¡¯t going to ask. If anything. I shouldn¡¯t be caring to begin with. ¡°Yes, Mr. Dean, you can start with your meeting¡­¡± ¡°What is really going on with your father?¡± Dean asked, stopping me from leaving the room. Nhad to fight back, turning to punch the man in the face, reminding myself that the man was my father¡¯s partner, and it was only normal for him to ask; otherwise, he could be considered rude, especially since he knew my father well enough to know how he was when it came to work. ¡°I don¡¯t think that it concerns you. If it did, he would have told you himself.¡± I said, snapping at him. He stayed quiet, listening to me before he raised an eyebrow. The thing was, him and my father have indeed cut so many ties between them after everything that happened between us. Dean was mostly thankful for the fact that he and my father agreed to keep ties of work after our divorce. He knew the drama that happened a while before the divorce, and regardless of not knowing what initially happened between them both. I knew that things were different now, and that dad did not forgive him for what happened. If anything, I didn¡¯t me him. My father trusted him with his only child, and all he did was break me. It was something that I couldn¡¯t get over, and that was something that I knew that even Dean knew. The patience that I showed toward him just wore off one day, and that was when I decided that things needed to stop and change. ¡°I am your father¡¯s partner, Iris.¡± He said as I opened the door to leave. Lhated admitting it, but I hated having too many things that needed to be collected, and for some reason, being the ¡®newest¡± member on the table, Dean had the men questioning my ns and what I was going to do. And that fact alone was what dyed me as I needed to collect my things, papers, and files. ¡°Then as I told you, you can call him and ask, or find him at one of the hospitals. I am not going to associate in meaningless conversations with you.¡± I said, ring at the man who looked down at his feet, avoiding my eyes. I wouldn¡¯t even be here if it were up to me. If anything, I would have just sold my shares within this region to someone else. Thest thing that I needed was to sit on the same table with the man who broke me, and yet, here I was. +41%3 ¡°You are acting out of anger, Iris.¡± He said, his tone holding a pain that I didn¡¯t think that I would hear. The man was a fool if he thought or believed that I would be sparing him a second nce or second. If anything, he was lucky that I was even speaking to him right now. That alone took more courage from me than I thought that I would have as a person, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat thankful for it.. ¡°I wonder why.¡± I said sarcastically, making the man tense behind me. ¡°I will show myself out of the door¡­ Property ? N?velDrama.Org. COMMENT 0 Baby 9 Chapter 9 Dean: I stayedpletely quiet as I watched Iris walking out of the office, clenching her fists as she tried controlling whatever she was feeling. I knew that she was more than just a little angry, and I couldn¡¯t me her for her anger. She was hurt by what I did, and that was something that I knew for fact. It was something that I built myself, and now that I was dealing with the consequences, hated to admit it, I couldn¡¯t help but find myself hating it. It just upset me that she wouldn¡¯t even bother trying to listen or speak, but I knew for fact that I couldn¡¯t expect any less from her. This was the first time the two of us have seen one another in years, and that alone was enough to set a major gap between us. Not that a bigger gap needed to be created, I already created one between us years ago when I started dating Mariana, cheating on my wife and marriage. The fact that she knew about it and didn¡¯t speak at the time confused me, but I knew that she did it to maintain our marriage, one that I chose to break. She was in pain, and that was something that I knew very well. The woman that I knew wouldn¡¯t be acting on this much anger. If anything, the Iris that I knew was more in control of her emotions regardless of the situation. However, I knew that for her to be acting like this, she was broken and was trying to both hide and control it, and I knew that it would be somewhat worse than that as time went by, I just hoped that things didn¡¯t end up backfiring badly on both our businesses, that would be something that I didn¡¯t want to deal with. ¡°Boss?¡± Matias, one of my men asked, entering the meeting room. The men knew that I often left after thest of the partners left, mostly, it was supposed to be me and Ashton, or in this case, Iris, but this time, I just couldn¡¯t find myself moving, and I knew that Iris left because she didn¡¯t want to deal with me anymore. She needed her space, and I knew that I needed to respect that if the two of us were to work on proper boundaries with time. It was like my feet were paralyzed to the ground, and I knew for fact that it was due to the fact that the woman that I loved and lost stood in front of me minutes ago when I had been searching for her for years. It just annoyed me that I didn¡¯t realize that I was in love with her until she was gone. It was a sad game of life and fate, and it was a game that I didn¡¯t find myself calcting correctly. I didn¡¯t even have the guts to face her with the fact that she was in a new rtionship, it was something that sickened me to the bone, and was something that hurt me more than anything that I ever thought would. It shouldn¡¯t be concerning me, I knew that, but I couldn¡¯t help the pain that I felt at the fact and idea that it could have been the two of us who had the baby. The two of us could have built our family somehow, but I was the one who chose otherwise; therefore, I couldn¡¯t me her if she chose to move on, it was her basic right to do so. ¡°Call in and check on Mr. Ashton. I want to know what is wrong with him and if there is anything that I would need to do to help. Let him know that would be more than willing to offer it, all he had to do was let me know.¡± I said, and Matias nodded before walking out of the meeting room. I picked up my phone and wallet before walking out and heading to my office. My heart raced with every step, and I knew that I was in for long days ahead. The man was still like a father to me despite everything that happened, at least, it was how I saw him. I knew that it was the opposite 20:02 Aug +41% This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Chapter 9 when it came to him looking at me. Ashton has been avoiding me since he found out about everything that happened between Iris and I. The thing was, I couldn¡¯t me the man. I would have done more than just cut ties between us. If anything, I would have let the man who tried to break my daughter lose everything that he had before I made sure to discriminate against him in ways that he didn¡¯t even think possible. I hated admitting it out loud, and I knew that I wouldn¡¯t have the guts to face the man on an asion that wasn¡¯t work rted. I had to admit, I couldn¡¯t even look at him in the first few weeks when we started working together after the divorce. The way he looked at me was more than enough to make me regret ever deciding to file for the divorce to begin with. The first words that he told me after that were still drilled in my memory, and I knew that they would be until the end of time. Especially considering the fact that I knew that he was right about them. I had no right to do what I did to the woman, She truly didn¡¯t deserve to be treated the way that she was. ¡°I gave you a bright and beautiful flower, and you not only killed her by plucking her and throwing her away. You drained her until she was no longer able to fight to survive, and that is something that I am going to make you regret, Dean.¡± He said, making my chest ache. I had to admit, it was first time that I felt so out of ce, and so disoriented. the I was often the confident man who knew what to and what not to say, when to and when not to say the words that needed to be said. But when it came to that situation, I found myself being blocked to the point where I didn¡¯t know how to think of a proper response. I entered my office and sat on my desk, my heart aching as I felt like I was inplete conflict. However, my conflict didn¡¯tst for too long before the confusion that I had was reced by anger when my phone rang. I red at the device already knowing the ringtone that I set for her. It was one that I used to ensure that I knew who was calling me when I didn¡¯t want to answer her. And this time, I knew that I didn¡¯t want to. I set my phone aside before my office¡¯s door opened, revealing Mariana who raised an eyebrow at me as she looked at the phone. I stood up, ring at her, not understanding where she thought that she could get the attitude from. I was not one who even allowed her back at thepany. It was one of the rules that she knew for fact, especially considering that she was well aware that the two of us ruined my marriage by the scandal that we put up. The funny part was the fact that almost everyone, including Iris, knew about it. No one really ever spoke until the divorce news. I guess that it was because it wasmon for a few men to fall for such scandals sometimes, but the fact that she didn¡¯t even face me with it made it harder for me to digest. Things would have been a lot easier and I would have felt less guilty if she did. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked, standing up from my chair as she closed the door behind her. She red at me, crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head in question. I could tell. that she was looking around, probably trying to find someone inside the office for her to start a fuss about it.- She knew for fact that I didn¡¯t like her being in the office, and she knew that I had my reasons. The 20:08 ed, Aug number of rumors that spread after our divorce made the office toxic and annoying when it came to working at, and the fact that she has managed to fire more secretaries than I ever hired in a span of our first two years as a couple said a lot about why I didn¡¯t want hering to the office anymore. The woman suspected that every other woman would lure in a married man simply for a few thousand dors. However, she didn¡¯t know that her case wasmon, but not all girls who entered MYpanies had those features. The reputation of my work was always important to me no matter what the content. Therefore, hiring Mariana didn¡¯t seem like the best decision that I made. She was good at what she did, I knew that very well, but the fact that I didn¡¯t stop to think for a second before hiring her was something that I regretted. I had to admit, the innocent gaze that she had at the time was what caught my attention. The fact that I could tell that she struggled to get whatever degrees she had was another fact. She was a hard worker, it was something that I knew, but I was wrong in not choosing to let her go when I saw the first sign of her trying to seduce me. It was the mistake that I made. ¡°I asked a question.¡± I said, ring at her when I saw that she didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I called and you chose to hang up on me. You have been treating me coldly for months, if not a year already now.¡± She said, and I red at her. The woman was sick if she thought that I needed permission from her if I didn¡¯t want to do anything that concerned me. ¡°So, where is she?¡± ¡°She?¡± I asked, frowning in confusion. The woman couldn¡¯t be seriously asking me this question within MY employees and assistants. ¡°Yes, SHE.¡± She said, and I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for what she had to say. She pulled out a picture before handing it to me. It was Iris walking into thepany. ¡°Where is your slut of an ex, Dean?¡± 0 Baby 10 at I felt in my chest after our encounter, and the thing was, I hated that it wasn¡¯t going to be our only one. The man was my partner, and until my father was well, and I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that it wouldn¡¯t take a day or two for him topletely heal, the two of us were going to have to keep working together. And that was something that I dreaded more than I can dare to admit. The fact that he was yet to know about Lilian was something, but the fact that he would actually find out about her after years of keeping her away from him was another thing. I didn¡¯t even know what his reaction would be, nor did I know whether or not I wanted him to meet her to begin with. I couldn¡¯t be selfish, I couldn¡¯t deprive her of her father because of our past. The pain that I felt at that idea was one that I couldn¡¯t find myself describing. I was scared of him finding out about her, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t admit out loud. I was scared of him. getting into a custody war over her, and I was more scared that he could end up taking her away from me after everything that I did to keep her safe. I got inside my car and let out the tears that I forced myself to contain as I stood in front of him. I was only thankful that he didn¡¯t ask too many questions; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to answer them nor would I be able to actually talk about them without tearing up. The man not only broke my heart, but he also managed to break my confidence in myself, and that alone took almost a year to rebuild again, and I knew that it was still shaken. I was only forced to keep myself contained and strong because I didn¡¯t want to end up hurting my daughter with my emotional breakdowns. She didn¡¯t have her father, and thest thing that I wanted to do was break her confidence in herself. Therefore, I forced myself to build a wall in my heart, a barrier that contained my emotions and stood as strong as a warrior for her. My phone rang, breaking my train of thoughts, and checking the phone, I forced myself to take a deep breath, ignoring the pain that I was dealing with before I answered my mother. I knew that it would be dad who was calling to check on everything, and I didn¡¯t want him to hear me being in pain. The man needed to regain his own strength, and thest thing that I wanted was for him to weaken because of me. ¡°Hello,¡± I said, answering the phone, forcing my tone to be normal. It pained me that I had to act the way that I was with my own parents, but I couldn¡¯t be med. On one hand, I tried to protect my father from being in pain, and on another, I didn¡¯t want to show myself as weak in front of my mother who was often sure to break me for her simple sense of satisfaction. ¡°How did it go?¡± Mom asked, not bothering to greet me. I could hear dadining in the background, but she didn¡¯t seem to care, not that I expected her to anyway. The woman wouldn¡¯t really care whether or not he liked it. As long as things went ording to what they wanted, she wouldn¡¯t bother. I doubted that she even cared about how I felt about anything or that she cared about how things went. I knew that she simply called because it was dad who asked her to. +41%3 ¡°It went well. The meeting went with no trouble though Dean did ask about dad; therefore, I do suggest expecting a call from him.¡± I said, choosing to keep my formality. Our rtionship as at mother and daughter has been formal for years now, and therefore, I was rarely ever surprised when I saw that she didn¡¯t care about how I felt. ¡°Thank you for letting us know, we would be sure to take the call in consideration.¡± Mom said and I hummed in response. There was no point in dragging the conversation more than it needed to go. It was a formal rtionship based on mutual respect, and that was something that I was grateful for. ¡°Where are you off to?¡± ¡°To pick up my daughter. You know, as her mother, it is my duty to care for her as my child.¡± I said, and she took a deep breath, taking in my silent message. ¡°If there is nothing that you called to tell me, mother, I would please like to hang up. I am driving, and I need to focus on the road as it seems to be darkening.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mom asked, and I looked at the clouds, frowning when I saw that they seemed to be growing heavy. Thest thing I needed was for Lillian to be at school when it rained. She hated thunderstorms, and judging by what I was seeing, it seemed to me that a storm was going to hit. ¡°I think we are expecting a thunderstorm.¡± I said, watching as most of the cars slowed down at the sight of the clouds. Some even pulled over, and I shook my head before taking a deep breath as drove to her school. Thankfully, no rain started pouring just yet, and the school was very close to thepany. How ironic was it that he moved his building a few blocks away from my little one¡¯s school. But I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, the area was one of the ssiest, and the school was one of the best in the city, hence why I chose to apply for her here. ¡°Are yo you going to be able to drive to the house if a storm hits? If not, you can eithere to the hospital or go to our ce. I know that it is close to Lillian¡¯s school. Mom suggested, her tone genuinely concerned and I couldn¡¯t help the small smile that formed on my lips at that. It was moments like this when I knew that despite her harsh behavior, she still did care for me as her daughter. She may not often show it, but when she did, it was in the most genuine situations. ¡°So far, there has been no signs of rain. But hopefully I will be able to make it home before then. If not, I wille to the hospital. It would be good for dad to see Lillian anyway.¡± I said, and mom hummed in response. ¡°Alright, stay safe and keep me posted on your arrival.¡± My heart swelled at that, and I couldn¡¯t help the nod that I did despite knowing that she couldn¡¯t technically see me. But it was an action that happened spontaneously, and that was something that I knew that I didn¡¯t want to change. If anything, I knew that it happened simply because I was well aware that she was being genuinely concerned about me. ¡°Okay, mom, I will.¡± I said, frowning when the sound of thunder filled my ears as the sky lit up for a second before it started pouring. ¡°For now, I need to hang up.¡± H ay safe.¡± Mom said, sounding concerned. I knew that she would be calling me in a bit to check on me, it was moments like this when she broke down her walls, if a little, to show genuine concern. I will, momma, don¡¯t worry.¡± I said, ¡°bye.¡± She hung up without responding, though I knew not to be worried. She wasn¡¯t the type to like byes and goodbyes. If anything, in her mind, these words often told her that things could end, and that was something that she didn¡¯t like. She wasn¡¯t the type to like endings regardless of whether they were happy or sad. And in her mind, a goodbye was an ending, no matter what it was. I stared at the sky for a few seconds before getting call from Lillian¡¯s teacher. ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­¡± ¡°I am aware that my daughter might be causing you a fuss right now, but tell her that mama is on her way.¡± I said, assuring her teacher. ¡°I am five to ten minutes away, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am, thank you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you.¡± I said, slowing down as I saw that people were slowing down to ten or twenty as they drove, fearing the wind that picked up. Shit¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be over in a bit, goodbye¡­¡± ¡°Mama?¡± Lillian asked, her eyes widening before she jumped in my arms. I wrapped my arms. around her as I pulled her in for a hug only to be surprised when I saw Dean walking with the principal a few steps ahead. ¡°Are the kids all safe?¡± I heard him ask the principal who nodded. ¡°Yes, those whose parents managed to pick them up have left, and those who are still stuck are safe here.¡± She said before Dean looked up to see me. He saw me carrying Lillian in my arms before he walked away from the principal to head toward me. ¡°Iris? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°The main question to ask is what are you doing here?¡± I asked before being able to stop myself. The idea of him having a child with Mariana was not something that I wanted to put in mind, especially not in the same school that my daughter was at. ¡°I own the school. When I saw the forecasts, I rushed here to ensure an evacuation. It was a bit toote when I arrived though.¡± He said, looking at the window as another loud roar of thunder hit. Lillian hid her head on my chest as a scream escaped her lips. Taking sight of her, Dean tensed for a second, his eyes showing more pain than I ever remembered seeing before. ¡°Mama¡­¡± ¡°Shhh, baby girl, momma is here.¡± I said softly, kissing her temple, not wanting her to be scared. It was one of her fears as the sound of thunder was too loud for her liking. I was often the quiet kind of mother who refused yelling, I had enough of it during my marriage and it wasn¡¯t something that I wanted to deal with anymore. ¡°Yours?¡± He asked, Taking my heart race. This was tiot the right ce for this. I knew that, but I also knew that there was no other right time for something like this. It wasn¡¯t going to be for him. He could easily resent her as a daughter, but at least I would know that he knew about her. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ours¡­¡± I said, looking down at my little blonde daughter who had her father¡¯s stubbornness, attitude, and eyes. ¡°Lillian is our daughter, Dean¡­¡± Baby 11 Chapter 11 Dean: My heart dropped to my stomach as I tried processing Iris¡¯s words. I looked down at the little girl who was in her arms, noticing how much she looked like her. The fear that I saw in the girl made me force myself to stay quiet for a few seconds, trying to gulp down the lump that formed in my throat. The way she said it so casually made my chest ache, especially since she knew that I was not even aware of the pregnancy to begin with. Nevertheless, it meant that the two of us got the divorce while she was pregnant, and that fact alone felt like a stab in the gut.. ¡°You¡¯re being serious right now?¡± I asked, taking a step back, trying to keep in mind that we were at the school and that there was a child in front of me. The idea of scaring her was not something that I wanted, and the fact that there were other kids and their parentsing to pick them up was something that made me bite my tongue. ¡°Dean¡­¡± ¡°Mommy, who is he?¡± The child asked, her voice as soft as an angel. I felt like fire was being poured on my chest, and I couldn¡¯t help but frown when her eyes met mine. The little girl frowned and hid her face on Iris¡¯s neck, avoiding my eyes. Iris gently ran her finger over the little girl¡¯s hair, cooing her to be calm. Iris stayed quiet for a few seconds, her eyes fixed on mine before she looked at the blonde girl in her arms. Iris put her down from her arms before getting down on one knee in front of her. She cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead, letting her lips linger there for a few seconds before pulling away to look her in the eye. The gentleness of her touch told me that it was how she was used to treating the little girl. I didn¡¯t expect any less from her anyway. She was genuinely a gentley woman, she didn¡¯t like being aggressed, and I knew that she wouldn¡¯t be aggressive toward her own daughter ¡°Princess, can you please go to ss with your ssmates? I know that you just left the ss but I want to speak to¡­¡± ¡°Do you want us to take you to the office with us, little one?¡± I said, stopping her. Iris looked down. at her feet, avoiding my eyes. My chest felt like it was on fire, but I knew that the child had nothing to do with what her mother did, if it were true at least. Iris could easily be lying to fumble me up right now, and if that was proven to be true, then things were going to getplicated. Iris stood to face me, her eyes showing more pain than I ever remember seeing before, but I knew that it wasn¡¯t going to be the end of this. If she was telling the truth, then this was going to be a massive change. The child held her mother¡¯s hand for dear life, wanting to hide behind her back as if to protect her. Little did she know that her mother was throwing a bomb like no other, and that was something that I was beginning to hate. It was something that I hated even about myself, and it pained me to admit that I didn¡¯t even know how things were going to go from here. If anything, I was scared for my life about the consequences of her actions. 20:08 Wed, Aug ¡°I don¡¯t want her to be in the office while the two of us talk, Dean.¡± Iris said, and I raised an eyebrow as she stood. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting to hear her reason, but she stayed quiet, giving nic none. She knew that this time, she had no reason or right to think of trying to object. She was lucky enough that I was quiet right now. Any other man would have been yelling or turning this hallway upside down in rage. ¡°There is a secluded area in the office where she can see you and watch TV. I think that it would be fair for her considering that most of the kids already left.¡± I said, and she looked away from me. She looked down at the little girl for a few seconds before nodding. The little girl smiled as she looked at her, somewhat feeling morefortable seeing that her mom was being calm and collected. about this. We walked toward my office as Iris held the girl¡¯s hand for a few seconds before we entered the room. The room had a meeting room and my main office. There were two secretaries who were going to be there as well to ensure that she was fine and nothing happened. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°The child is under your care. Turn on the TV and have her watch cartoons while I speak to her mother.¡± I said, nodding at the woman whose eyes met the little girl¡¯s. Iris looked at her daughter and gave her an encouraging smile before letting her go toward the secretary. She was on that all the kids knew as she was in charge of taking care of them entering sses during the day if they were out or in the bathroom. Therefore, I knew that the little one wouldn¡¯t be as frightened. I nodded at her to follow me and the two of us entered the office as I fought to find the right words to the situation. Never in my life did I think that I would be put in such a situation, especially not with Iris who was the ¡®angel¡® who did nothing of this. If anything, she was always envied for the way she acted because she was always straightforward. ¡°You expect me to believe that you came back five yearster with a girl, iming that she is mine and that I would believe you?¡± I asked, not bothering to turn to face her. I knew that it was something that she hated when we spoke and she felt like she was being scolded, but I also knew that she would hate seeing my angered expression right now. ¡°I found out about her pregnancy a while before I epted the divorce.¡± She said, and I chuckled, shaking my head at her. She didn¡¯t exactly expect me to believe a word that she was saying right now, right? She could think that I was that stupid. ¡°And who was the bastard that you had fucking you to make her? Is that why you epted the divorce with no fuss? Because you wanted to start your life with him? Did he dump you, is that why you came running back to me like the gold digger that you¡¯ve always been?¡± ¡°I am thankful to inform you that despite your scandalous rtionship, your affair, and you having her sleep on My bed as you fucked her that I did not stoop as low as you.¡± She said, hitting me with the past that we shared. ¡°I was a good wife, a patient and loving one, and I was sure to rise from the ashes for my daughter. If you don¡¯t wish to believe me, then you can have your DNA scan, but I know for fact that you are well aware that I wasn¡¯t the type to cheat on you no matter the circumstances.¡± ¡°And what is the guarantee to that? You could have changed, you could have had different ways in 8+41%3 Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. life. You suddenly choosing to ept the divorce was odd enough as it was, and now youe to tell me that you had a child¡­¡¯ ¡°You can check her DNA and get your results. I believe that you know for fact that she is your daughter. However, if you are refusing to believe it that much, then it is no problem, go on ahead, and I will be sure that we do not appear in front of you again.¡± She said, wanting to turn to leave. I turned to face her and wrapped my hand around her arm, stopping her from moving. One doesn¡¯t just drop an atomic bomb like this one only to leave. She was going to be paying for this, one way or the other, I was going to make sure that she pays for keeping my daughter away from me through all this time. ¡°We are going to have a DNA test, and if she isn¡¯t my daughter, then I will guarantee that I make you regret breathing the same air as me.¡± I said, and she raised an eyebrow before pulling her hand from mine. ¡°And if she is?¡± ¡°She gets all her rights as my daughter and you your rights as a mother who has supported her on her own for years.¡± I said, and she raised an eyebrow. ¡°She gets her rights, but what I did, I do not need a man like you to pay me for it. She is my daughter and I did what I have because of that and that alone.¡± She said, taking a step back as she turned to the door. She looked at me over her shoulder, and I could swear that her heart was racing and that her hand was shaking. ¡°Choose the hospital that you want the tests to be taken at. We can do them at a suitable time that doesn¡¯t interfere with her schedule¡­¡± Baby 12 Chapter 12 Iris: I took my daughter and the two of us quickly walked out of the building of her school, driving off to the house as it poured, careful not to get in an ident as the road became too slippery and the thunder kept hitting every few minutes, It was windy, and that was something that had most cars pulling over. I knew that I should if the house was too far, but thankfully, we were barely two blocks away. And I was morefortable with getting my daughter inside the house where I knew that she would befortable in her own space instead of out on the street where she would be somewhat scared and worried about what was to happen until we went home. I waspletely quiet as she sat in the backseat, looking out the window, noticing that I was upset. My little princess could read me like an open book, and considering that I was always engaging in conversations with her in the car, I knew that she could easily tell if I was upset now. I wiped my tears, and tried to prevent myself from sniffing as I recalled Dean¡¯s words. The man was not only breaking a lot in me, but the reminder of his presence was not something that I liked or appreciated. If anything, it was something that I resented with everything that I had. And it sickened me to know that he was well aware of it. He just didn¡¯t care, or if he did, he never showed
  1. it.
¡°Mommy?¡± Lillian called, snapping me out of my daze. The fact that I knew that I had to conceal my pain was something that hurt me more than ever, mostly because I didn¡¯t know how I was going to react to what happened. I also didn¡¯t like crying in front of my child. Regardless of the situation./ I didn¡¯t like to be that weak figure of a mother to her. ¡°Yes, princess?¡± I asked, making sure not to look through the rear mirror. I didn¡¯t want her to see my puffy eyes. Thest thing I wanted was for her to see me in pain right now. But it seemed to me like the five years that I took away to recover from everything just went down the drain. It was like seeing him made me relive all the pain that I was in before. ¡°You are not talking to me, mommy.¡± She said, her voice sounding hurt. ¡°Did I do anything wrong?¡± I had to fight back the new forming tears as I forced myself to focus on the road. I didn¡¯t need blurry eyes in this rain, and I couldn¡¯t even wipe my tears in fear that she would realize that I was crying. ¡°No, baby girl. But you know that the rain is a bit too heavy and mommy needs to focus on the street to make sure that nothing wrong happens.¡± I said softly, trying my best to assure her. Thest thing that I wanted was for her to be scared or to think that I was upset with her. The thing was, I wasn¡¯t even angry with Dean, the way he reacted was normal. The man just found out about his daughter after five years of us being divorced. I was more upset with myself for everything that I was going through. ¡°Yes, the rain is scary today.¡± She said and I smiled as we stopped at a traffic light. She was indeed right. The weather has had its ups and downstely, but this time, it was far worse than anything ? B+41% Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. that I have seen in a long while. ¡°Now, now. If you are scared, who is supposed to protect mommy if she is afraid? I thought that the two of us were a team on this one.¡± I said, yfully crossing my arms over my chest making my little one giggle. She loved it when I imed that she was my protector. Though I knew that she was well aware that it wasn¡¯t true, I still liked seeing the smile that was on her face when I said it. ¡°I will protect you, mummy. Just like the big heroes we watch on TV.¡± She said, and I smiled and nodded. She was my little savior and light in this world after all. I knew that had it not been her, I might have never been the woman that I was today! ¡°Yes, exactly. My little Lillian is my hero, and she is not to cower over rain. I would need my little soldier to fend by my side.¡± I said, and she this point. I didn¡¯t want them seeing me in pain, especially not my father when he was as sick as he WHIS. I didn¡¯t want him thinking that I couldn¡¯t handle this. I knew that I theoretically couldn¡¯t. The pain that I felt was one that I never thought that I would be feeling if I ever saw him again after our divorce. I had to admit, I thought that I waspletely over him. But it turns out, I seemed to have simply run away from him. My heart was still his and that was something that killed me inside. ¡°So, what do you want us to cat today? Pasta?¡± I asked and her eyes lit up making me smile. I knew that it was her favorite. No matter the number of dishes that I made her and the variety, pasta was always her favorite. At times, I used to wonder why, but now, I no longer questioned it. If she liked it, then I would dly make it for her provided that she had a healthy meal along with it. ¡°Yes!¡± She said, pping her hands and I smiled. She looked at me through the rear mirror and I smiled, momentarily getting distracted from what happened earlier; however, that didn¡¯tst for long as my daughter grew curious. ras ¡°Mommy?¡± She asked, looking somewhat hesitant. ¡°Yes, baby girl?¡± I asked, smiling at her, encouraging her to tell me what she wanted. I knew to build her confidence as she grew older. I didn¡¯t want her to be broken or being shy, if anything, I wanted her to grow up being the leader that I always saw her as. It was something that I have been building in her since she was old enough to sit on a table. ¡°Who was that man today?¡± She asked, dropping her head to herp as if doing something wrong by just asking. She knew that I often didn¡¯t let her question who my friends were and who I was around, but I couldn¡¯t me her for being curious at this point. I had to admit, it took me a few seconds to try and form a proper sentence that didn¡¯t discriminate against the man. He was her father, and I knew that it would be wrong to put myself between them, especially when I knew that he was someone that she has always been asking about. My daughter wasn¡¯t stupid and I knew that she saw how tense I was; therefore, I couldn¡¯t expect any less from her asking an innocent question. It was one out of curiosity at least, a curiosity that she had because she could easily read my pained expression. Wed, Aug ¡°He is a hero, baby girl I said, not wanting her to see her father as anything else. She may not know. who he is vet, but I knew that she would soon, and thest thing that I wanted was for her to see him as anything less than that. He may have hurt me and the two of us may have had our numbers of conflicts, but she didn¡¯t have to know of them. ¡°You mean, like my daddy?¡± She asked, making my chest ache before I smiled. The fact that I had it drilled in her head that her father was a hero was something that I loved despite the pain that I was in because of the man. At least his daughter didn¡¯t see the pain that came with it. I had seeded in that part at least. ¡°Yes, baby girl. Just like your father¡­¡± SEND GIFT Baby 13 Chapter 13 Dean: My heart raced against my ribcage as I sat in the car unable to drive to the house. Hell, at this point, I was barely able to see the street ahead of me to be able to drive. Mariana¡¯s questioning from earlier not only annoyed me, but was enough to make me want to punch a wall. However, I was thankful that I contained myself enough not to hurt her; otherwise, I knew that things would have taken a different turn that neither one of us wanted to deal with. And I knew that it would be one that not even Mariana could handle. The fact that somewhere deep down I knew that Iris was telling the truth didn¡¯t make things easy on me. At this point, I wished that she was the type to be lying about it. I wished that she would have been the type to cheat. It would have made things a lot easier for me. But I knew that judging by the little girl¡¯s age, Lillian. It was a name that I remembered her telling me about when we first got married. She told me that if she ever had a daughter, she would name her Lillian. I remember telling her off that night. I had married her based on agreement and despite knowing that it was my duty to fulfill my part as her husband, I knew that I didn¡¯t want to start a family with her. I regret that more than ever right now. ¡°Why, Iris? Just fucking why?¡± I asked myself out loud. I didn¡¯t know what to say or do about this. All I knew was that it wasn¡¯t something that I liked at all. If anything, it hurt me a lot, and that was something that I didn¡¯t know if anyone would actually care about. I doubted that they would. I deserved everything that I got, it was something that I came to ept. I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling on my roots for a few seconds as I tried to think straight it was still pouring outside and I knew that the more I dyed going home, the worse it was going get. The rain didn¡¯t seem to be slowing down any time soon, and the fact that I knew that Mariana would be calling didn¡¯t make this any easier. Thest thing I wanted was to hear her voice, and knowing that I left while she was theoretically upset, I knew that I was in for a night. My phone rang, breaking the train of my thoughts and I frowned in confusion when I saw that it was my father calling. The man rarely ever called after I married Mariana. It was either for work or to invite us to important gs or gatherings. Mostly work rted; therefore, to say that I was surprised was only logical. ¡°Dad?¡± I asked, frowning in confusion though I knew that he couldn¡¯t see me. ¡°You and Mariana are invited to tomorrow¡¯s dinner We are having a few meetings with the investors and I think that as a founder and CEO of his ownpany as well as a direct partner, that you shoulde.¡± He said coldly. It was like this between the two of us since my marriage with Mariana. Mostly because I challenged him to marry her. He gave me a choice not to, and I chose her. Little did I know that both he and mother had a vision when they told me against marrying her. They saw what I was too blind to see. But now it wasn¡¯t going to be as easy divorcing her. The woman wouldn¡¯t allow it if it killed her. She fought me and the world to fit in my own bubble, and 1/8 that was something that she has failed to do, and though she never seems to be convinced of it, I as a person knew better than anyone that she wouldn¡¯t be able to cope with everything that was going around her in the society that we lived in. ¡°When is the dinner?¡± I asked, wanting to know when we were toe. I knew that now, instead of being treated as family like we were before, we were treated as guests. With Iris, we used to be the first toe, and sometimes Iris even got ready with mom. She would bring her dress and the makeup artist as well as her hair dresser woulde to our ce. Other times she would be but we were to be sure to be there before all the guests for her to help mom with setting thest of things and me to be by my father¡¯s, side when our guests arrived, ready Our family, despite how shaky it was at the time, was still bound by a nice bond which we lost after my marriage with Mariana. Now we were to be thest ones to enter the dinner and the first to leave. We were told directly that we were not wee over, and this was only done for our social gatherings and family¡¯s reputation. Thest thing we needed was to lose more than we could afford over such family drama. My marriage has already cost us enough, and that was something that I knew both my parents: didn¡¯t want to deal with. It was something that they both made very obvious. Mariana wasn¡¯t even wee on normal asions to the house, she knew that since we got married. Mom had taken her to her room a week after our wedding when we came to visit. We couldn¡¯t have a long honeymoon after everything that we had to deal with, but I knew that she didn¡¯t mind, and Mariana was put in ce that night. Mom had told her that she may have been married to me, but she was not and will never be part of the family. When attending gatherings, she was to sit like the wife that she was supposed to be, and one fuss caused by her, and she would be forced to deal with mom. It was something that I didn¡¯t like, but I knew better than to question my mom about her decisions, especially when I knew her reasons. ¡°At eight sharp. I expect you to be there a few minutes into it.¡± He said, and I hummed in responser The fact that he was calling me to be there a few minutes before the dinner told me that he wanted me out after the wine. Mariana was not going to be liking this, especially since I knew that she would question why we were not treated the way that I was before. The two of us were having our affair throughout most of my marriage with Iris. On nights when I was arguing with Mariana, I would be the loving husband to Iris, and the poor woman used to take that as me trying to give our marriage a chance. I had to admit, I knew that I was happy with her. She gave me the peace that I couldn¡¯t find in an affair, which should have been the exact opposite. An affair was a ce to escape to, whereas in my case, my marriage was my escape. Iris, the little angel that I broke was the peace that I longed for, and yet, I chose to just break her. ¡°Any dress codes?¡± I asked, knowing that mom often had her random dress codes. She didn¡¯t like it when people wore too revealing clothes in her house. She preferred elegance when it came to outfits that reached just over the knee, and hair to be done right. When it came to Iris, she was thankful that she didn¡¯t have to deal with such issues. Iris was naturally elegant. She often wore decent and long clothing that often reached her knees. Even if the dress that she wore was shorter, she would be wearing stockings under them and that Wed, Aug This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Chapter 13 was something that I knew that both my parents appreciated. It was the direct opposite when it came to Mariana and her dresses. It was mostly why mom and her argued at first eventually leading her to tell us off, not wanting us toe. Mariana came from a whole different world, and it was one that mom knew about and hated. She got her wealth out of marrying rich before getting divorce years ago. It was long before we got into our rtionship, but I was well aware of the scandals that she did to get out of her marriage. It was one of the reasons why I knew mom didn¡¯t want me with her. ¡°Just make sure that your wife is decent enough to meet people.¡± He said, answering my question. ¡°Otherwise, do not me me for kicking her out. She would deserve it this time, and I think that you are well aware of the chances that your mother and I gave her.¡± ¡°She has the right to wear what she wants, you do realize that?¡± I asked, knowing that this would be. creating an issue between us. But thest thing that i wanted was for him to think that he could be speaking of her in such a manner and just get away from it. It was sick and it annoyed me, I had to admit that much. ¡°Outside my house, she can go to hell naked for all cared. Inside my house and within my perimeter, she is to respect your mother and I and would do as she is told.¡± Dad said, giving me the same hate attitude that he¡¯s been giving me for years. ¡°Otherwise, she choose not toe. It is up to her¡­ can Çú Baby 14 Iris: ¡°Are you okay, Iris?¡± Mom asked, handing me a cup of coffee, taking me off guard when she approached me. I was sitting in the study room, alone, as I looked out the window, watching it pour. My parents weren¡¯t stupid, they knew that something was bothering me, and thankfully, mom took the initiative of taking care of Lillian for me while tried calming myself down. It has been hours since we arrived, and yet, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to face anyone as I tried drowning myself in the pain that I was in. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. I was surprised to enter the house to find that she was already there, waiting for our arrival. Dad was sitting in the living room as they also brought their maid to help with things, wanting me to rest, or clear my mind to be more specific. Though I initially grew confused as to why they were here. I knew that she and dad had spare keys to the house; therefore, I didn¡¯t ask how they got inside. Just like I had spare keys to their house, they had theirs to mine. It often came in handy if one of us grew ill, or if an emergency was to ur. In my mind, it was important for them to be able to enter when they wanted to. One, sometimes they were needed around and I wasn¡¯t able to tend to the door. Two, considering that I was not married and was a single mother, at least someone would know how to reach my daughter if anything ever happened, especially when I knew that Dean didn¡¯t know about Lillian to begin with. Now, that he knew, I knew that things were going to take a wild turn, I just wasn¡¯t sure how much I was going to like it. ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t get me the wrong way, but is everything okay?¡± I asked, and she frowned in confusion. However, she shouldn¡¯t be as confused that I wasn¡¯t sure of why she was here. The two of us have been having rocky rtionships for as long as I can remember. She couldn¡¯t expect me to not ask such a question. ¡°Is asking about my daughter a wrong thing in your dictionary now?¡± Mom asked and I raised an eyebrow. For a woman who did not want me back inside her house after my divorce, her question. came as a surprise to me, I had to admit that much. If anything, she was the most to fight me about. my rtionship with Dean without even bothering to listen. ¡°I do believe that you are well aware that I have my reasons to ask, mother. Needless to say, I have had a long day.¡± I said, and she nodded. She knew that the two of us had a major gap between us, but she often refused to admit it, and I understood why. Mom and dad believed in keeping the vision of our family perfect. To everyone, we were the happy and unbreakable family that everyone would want to be part of. It was far from the reality of things, but I knew not to object or question it. It was how things had to be if we wanted to live without random rumors spreading around. ¡°I asked because I know that you saw Dean for the first time in years. I wanted to know how it went, and whether or not you got to talk about Lillian.¡± She said, choosing to be direct. Her questions never came for no reason, I knew that much about my mother. I had to admit though, I did not expect her to be this direct with what she said. Her caring about whether or not Dean knew about Iris: ¡°Are you okay, Iris?¡± Mom asked, handing me a cup of coffee, taking me off guard when she approached me. I was sitting in the study room, alone, as I looked out the window, watching it pour. My parents weren¡¯t stupid, they knew that something was bothering me, and thankfully, mom took the initiative of taking care of Lillian for me while tried calming myself down. It has been hours since we arrived, and yet, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to face anyone as I tried drowning myself in the pain that I was in. I was surprised to enter the house to find that she was already there, waiting for our arrival. Dad was sitting in the living room as they also brought their maid to help with things, wanting me to rest, or clear my mind to be more specific. Though I initially grew confused as to why they were here. I knew that she and dad had spare keys to the house; therefore, I didn¡¯t ask how they got inside. Just like I had spare keys to their house, they had theirs to mine. It often came in handy if one of us grew ill, or if an emergency was to ur. In my mind, it was important for them to be able to enter when they wanted to. One, sometimes they were needed around and I wasn¡¯t able to tend to the door. Two, considering that I was not married and was a single mother, at least someone would know how to reach my daughter if anything ever happened, especially when I knew that Dean didn¡¯t know about Lillian to begin with. Now, that he knew, I knew that things were going to take a wild turn, I just wasn¡¯t sure how much I was going to like it. ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t get me the wrong way, but is everything okay?¡± I asked, and she frowned in confusion. However, she shouldn¡¯t be as confused that I wasn¡¯t sure of why she was here. The two of us have been having rocky rtionships for as long as I can remember. She couldn¡¯t expect me to not ask such a question. ¡°Is asking about my daughter a wrong thing in your dictionary now?¡± Mom asked and I raised an eyebrow. For a woman who did not want me back inside her house after my divorce, her question. came as a surprise to me, I had to admit that much. If anything, she was the most to fight me about my rtionship with Dean without even bothering to listen. ask, mother. Needless to say, I have ¡°I do believe that you are well aware that I have my reasons to had a long day.¡± I said, and she nodded. She knew that the two of us had a major gap between us, but she often refused to admit it, and I understood why. Mom and dad believed in keeping the vision of our family perfect. To everyone, we were the happy and unbreakable family that everyone would want to be part of. It was far from the reality of things, but I knew not to object or question. it. It was how things had to be if we wanted to live without random rumors spreading around. I asked because I know that you saw Dean for the first time in years. I wanted to know how it went, and whether or not you got to talk about Lillian.¡± She said, choosing to be direct. Her questions never came for no reason, I knew that much about my mother. I had to admit though, I did not expect her to be this direct with what she said. Her caring about whether or not Dean knew about Wed, Aug my daughter confusedane. ¡°Need I ask the reason?¡± I asked, shaking my head in question. Thankfully, Lillian was now taking a nap and wouldn¡¯t be intervening in such a conversation. I still didn¡¯t know how I was going to exin to her that the owner of her school was her father. Just the fact that he was the owner of her school came as a major surprise to me. Mostly because this was thest thing that I expected him to
  1. do.
¡°He would need to pay child support¡­ ¡°I do not want his money, mother.¡± I said, stopping her. She frowned at my words and shook her head in question. It was the main reason that Dean and I got into our first argument that distanced the two of us. She wanted me to go after his money, and though it wasn¡¯t in MY own intentions to do so, he took it out on me when he knew that he couldn¡¯t do so when it came to her. She made me lose the man that I was in love with, and now she wanted me to risk my daughter¡¯s security and sanity over the one thing that she seemed to love. ¡°Why not? The other woman has benefitted from it while and after your marriage. You chose to end it by giving her everything, at least do not deprive the child from what is rightfully hers.¡± Mom said, angering me even more if that were possible. Just the my fact that she wanted me to use daughter for such a thing annoyed me. I didn¡¯t take the initiative of epting the divorce when I knew that I was pregnant toe, five yearster, wanting to im any money from the man. just sickened me that she still had her eyes on it despite everything that we had, and needless to say, we had a lot. ¡°I did not raise my baby alone, go through my pregnancy andbor alone, only for me to ask for child support. My apologies, but you didn¡¯t even bother supporting me through giving birth like every other mother did. I was in that room alone, crying in pain while holding a nurse¡¯s hand because you refused toe. You refused toe to your own daughter¡¯sbor because I chose to divorce a cheater, something that you have refused to acknowledge.¡± I said, wiping the tears that fell from my eyes. ¡°Therefore, to answer your question, Dean did find out about his daughter and I will not ask a dime from him. I don¡¯t want his money, but if he chooses to see her, then it would be under my watch and supervision, not you, and not anyone in the world.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Mom asked, raising a challenging eyebrow, ring at me as she asked. Though I could. tell from her tone that she was satisfied with the news, I couldn¡¯t help the anger that boiled in my chest at that. ¡°You gave me the option to either stay with him or choose to be on my own. I made my choice, what changed now? Or is it the fact that you know that I personally came to im what was mine? You are upset that it wasn¡¯t you who was assigned to take care of thepanies and think that you can take advantage of that part through me, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked, ring at mom who shook her head, her expression filled with disgust. It was something that she often did. Her judgment and anger from me. She was angry when I wasplimented, when I worked to make myself something, and when I refused to be insulted. In her mind, it was what she drew for me to be. I was to be the wife of a man who wanted nothing to do with me. I was to be patient through everything, and when asked whether she would have been with dad if it were her, I was told off and was told to not . ¦° In her mind, the two of us were different in terms, and in truth, we were. I wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to hurt my daughter and just watch. It was against my nature, and considering that I knew how she would feel, I would rather die than ept this on her. ¡°You know, when your father told me of the decision of giving you everything, I was against it. I asked him to HIRE someone to do the work. I personally have no interest in such hardships. But now, I want to watch you run yourself to the ground.¡± She said, making my chest burn. ¡°I have enough money to support me and my great grandchildren. However, I won¡¯t be needing to support anyone as I have no children to begin with.¡± I stayed quiet as I waited for what she had to say only for her to smile, her smile cold and wicked making my chest ache. She, of all people, knew how to damage me as a daughter, and that was something that I both dreaded and feared. Though I stayed calm, I knew, judging by her cold smile, that she would end up stabbing me in the back worse than anyone would do. ¡°I will call the ounting team tomorrow to withdraw all my shares.¡± Mom said, knowing that this would be the first thing to drop my stocks considering that I am now in my dad¡¯s ce. She was doing this out of revenge, this was something that I knew for fact. ¡°You can do what you wish in ¡°YOUR¡®panies. ALL my shares would be withdrawn tomorrow. Good luck building your market from there, yeah?¡± Baby 15 Chapter 15 Dean: I ran my fingers through my hair as I entered the house. My heart raced against my ribcage and thest thing that I wanted was to hear Mariana¡¯s voice. But of course, I knew my luck and I knew for fact that she would not be quieting down, mostly because I was out of the house for a while without bothering to answer her calls. If anything, the two of us were yet to even talk about what she did at the office, and that was something that she knew I hated, I didn¡¯t allow her toe considering that she had nothing to do there. No shares, no job, no meetings, and no work; therefore, for her toe and think that she could question what I was doing, now that was not something that I was going to allow. Nor was it something that I was going to allow her to believe that she could do. ¡°Dean, I am your wife, not some maid that you hired toe cook and clean.¡± She said when I didn¡¯t even bother to kiss her. I had to admit, thest thing that I wanted was any physical contact with her, but of course, this was Mariana that I was talking about. Exining to her that I just wanted to be alone was like telling a toddler that they needed to go and take a nap. ¡°You don¡¯t cook or clean, Mariana. There are five maids for the two of us in this house; therefore, don¡¯t act like you do anything around.¡± I said, heading toward the room. I had one maid when I was married to Iris, and her duty was to take care of cleaning and help Iris with whatever she needed in the kitchen. ¡°And the two of us still need to talk about what you did today at the office. Don¡¯t you dare think that I am going to let it side, do you understand me?¡± When it came to taking care of the house¡¯s needs, it was Iris who was in charge. However, with Mariana, the woman didn¡¯t know the basics of setting a table, and therefore, I was forced to hire four maids and their headmistress as well as two other drivers to tend to the thousands of things that she ¡®needed. ¡°I take care of myself to be presentable when you arrive, Dean. Plus, you know that I have a busy morning schedule. I can¡¯t cook and clean while tending to the social duties that I have to take care of.¡± She said, making me fight back rolling my eyes. By social duties, she meant shopping, going to the gym to socialize, the spa, and a few foundations that had her ¡®mingling¡® with the other women. She knew for fact that it was not what I meant but at this point, I didn¡¯t want to bother with this. Thest thing that I needed was to speak to the woman about whatever duties she needed to take care of as a wife. ¡°As for what happened at the office, I am sorry, I can¡¯t risk losing you as a husband to a gold digger like Iris. You and I both know what she did during your marriage and what she was after. If she was back for it again, then she would be finding me in her face.¡± I had to fight backughing at her statement. If Iris, the woman who has barely gotten anything from me, was a gold digger, then I didn¡¯t know what Mariana was. I knew for fact that it wasn¡¯t Iris who was after anything, she proved it to me over the years, but by the time that I was sure of it, I Property ? N?velDrama.Org. already in too deep with Mariana. The woman and I were already lovers who wanted to be together, and Iris was only an obstacle that I wanted to get rid of. It was something that I knew killed Iris inside, and that was something that I regretted two months into my marriage with was Mariana. +41%2 ¡°Plus, I am here for you and am more than willing to take care of my duties as my wife with you. All you have to do is allow me to.¡± She whispered, standing on her toes to kiss me. I put my hand on her waist and slowly pushed her away, not wanting her to touch me. The woman had to be fucking mental if she thought that she could easily seduce the that way. I wanted a wife, and not a hooker, and with her, I couldn¡¯t find it in me to want to think of building a family. ¡°Dean, I am begging you to try and help us work out. I don¡¯t know what it is that I did that has you this angry with me, but for fucks sake, I am trying to work things out between us.¡± She said, growing frustrated. I had to fight back rolling my eyes at her words as I raised an eyebrow. She kept her eyes on mine for a few seconds before taking a step back, understanding my silent message. ¡°Are you going to file for a divorce with me too?¡± She asked, making me frown in confusion. She didn¡¯t know how much I wanted to end our marriage, but I wasn¡¯t stupid, first, I had no true and valid reason for it. The two of us had our conflicts, but that was normal in all houses, and two, I knew that I couldn¡¯t face anyone with the fact that they were right about her being my wife. ¡°Is there someone else in your life? I need to know to mentally prepare myself. ¡°Where did thate from?¡± I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. She took a step back and looked away from me, knowing that she was crossing limits by opening up a past that she knew that she too was responsible for. Iris was the victim in our affair. The woman was an angel and I the demon who lost her, but Mariana knew for fact that she had her own part in this as well. It sickened me to admit that she knew Baby 16 Chapter 16 Tris: ¡°I need you to go to a gathering today, Iris.¡± My father said, and 1.frowned in confusion. Mom kept her eyes on me, waiting for me to tell dad about her withdrawing her shares. I knew that it would end up creating an argument, and I knew that it would end up stressing him more than he needed to be. And for that, I was forced to suck it up and handle whatever happened. If anything, I could easily take these shares instead and hide whatever happened. I could easily afford it, but that was not something that she knew. This was the first time that he has asked me to go to a gathering since I was eighteen or neen. Therefore, for him to call me right now for a gathering came as a surprise to me. However, I knew that since he was asking, that it wouldn¡¯t be something that I liked. It was most likely one that he wouldn¡¯t be able to attend, and I couldn¡¯t help the bad feeling that I got as I looked at him. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I am sorry, but I am lost right now.¡± I said, frowning in confusion and dad sighed. He took my hand in his and gently ran his finger over mine. His eyes met mine and I could tell that he was debating on how he would be able to tell me about something. He often did that when I was a kid. He would take my hand, and look me dead in the eye, letting me know that he was sorry for what he wanted me to do, but that it was something that had to be done. I knew that he was a man who wanted to try his best for his daughter to stand strong, and I knew that he wanted me to be the best. Though it sometimes did hurt, like I could tell that it would right now, I knew for fact that he never did anything to actually want to hurt me. But when it came to social duties, even I knew that sometimes, I was forced to suck it up. ¡°Dean¡¯s parents are holding a gathering. I know that you going is not something that you want, but it is something that I need, Iris. The..¡± ¡°Hold on, hold on, you want me to go where?¡± I asked, shaking my head in question as I stopped him. I had to admit, I was more than just a little surprised after hearing about what my father was telling me. The man knew for fact that I found it hard enough to go to the office to see Dean. To go to his parents¡® house was more like a punishment to me, and I had to admit, thest thing that I wanted was to deal with Dean and his questions. I knew that he would be asking about Lillian, and though the man is her father, I didn¡¯t want him interfering in her. The fact that he could have also told his parents about it by now was something that scared me. Neither one of them called me once after the divorce, letting me know that they too have cut ties with me, and despite my pain, they managed to make their son¡¯s wedding one month after the divorce. The wedding was streamed live, and it was one that broke my heart as I knew that they not only didn¡¯t care, but that MY heartbreak was used to build someone else¡¯s happiness. I don¡¯t even know how I managed to survive the night without losing my daughter after the tears that I cried, but it was one of the nights that told me that I had to be strong no matter how painful it was. He was the one who chose a scandal years ago. Our marriage was consistent with her being around. Though I wasn¡¯t aware of it when we first got married, it didn¡¯t take me long to figure out that he had a mistress. The smell of women¡¯s perfume that often used when he came home told me that he was with her, and the number of times that I had seen lipstick on his shirt¡¯s cor, and not my lipstick, told me that he was with her. However, I never did have the courage to confront him. In my head, considering that I chose to stay with him, knowing that he would eventually get over her, he just proceeded with whatever he was doing over the years. I had to admit, it killed me inside when he did it. And by the time that I saw them publically together, the two of us had been married for over a year. The two of us were supposed to travel based on our ns, but he changed themst minute, and I found out why. Mariana, the woman who was initially his secretary, had him traveling with her. It was the first time that I felt like my world was crumbling down beneath my feet. ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want to see the man, but I know for fact that your presence would be changing a lot. The stock market would skyrocket, and that is something that we can benefit greatly from especially considering the fact that we both know that we need new investors now that you are in charge. The older ones also have to meet and get to know you.¡± Dad said, and I smiled, leaning in to kiss his knuckle. He smiled at my gesture before moving his hand to my right cheek. ¡°Dad, you are the owner of all this. I am merely representing you right now. However, I know for fact that you will be back in the office, scaring the employees like you always did. For now, you need to heal, and I know for fact that you will.¡± I said, feeling thankful that I managed to at least have him proceed with his therapy. I knew that it would be hard, and that the doses that he would be getting were nowhere near being easy. They would be painful, and I knew that he would need to be strong to be able to ovee them. But I trusted his skills and knowing my father, I knew that a small sickness would hopefully not be too hectic on him. ¡°As for Dean, the two of us know my reasons for not wanting to be in the same room as he is. Don¡¯t get me wrong on this, but going to his parents¡® house is like telling him that everything that he did didn¡¯t matter to me. Believe me, dad, I know that it shouldn¡¯t matter to me that much, but I also know that I am not a stone piece that can forget everything.¡± I said, trying to talk sense into my father. I hated to admit, but I knew that my bargain would go in vain. The man knew that I was the type to know what she had to do, and this was not only a choice, it was a must that I did it. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been at thepany to begin with. This was something that both my parents knew very well. ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want to see him, Iris, but this is something that is important to the family.¡± He said, squeezing my hand gently. ¡°I know that everything that he has put you and Lillian through might have been hard on you. But, Iris, this is work, and he is one of our investors, and the two of us know that we can¡¯t just drop him.¡± I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, ignoring the clench that I felt in my chest as I knew that there was no other option. The man was right, and if I was going to act as childish as I was being right now, then I might as well just drop my position to someone who could actually handle it. This was not one that I should be weak in, nor was it a situation where I should be allowed to think that I could hide from. 20:09 Wed, Aug 7 r G I was going to end up dealing with the man, whether it was at meetings or in gatherings, and therefore, I knew that the way that I was acting wasn¡¯t going to take me anywhere. I just needed to clear my mind enough to know how to deal with the man without punching him in the gut. As for Lillian, I knew that only time would tell how things were going to be managed. I couldn¡¯t be as selfish as to deprive her from her father. It was not something that I should think that I was Baby 17 Chapter 17 Dean: I watched as Mariana approached me slowly, wanting to help me with my shirt, and I raised an eyebrow, knowing that she rarely ever did so. It was something that Iris did on a daily basis, whether the two of us were arguing, were on bad terms, or were on our best, it didn¡¯t make a difference to her. She woulde and help me with my shirt and would walk me to the door,e and greet me at the door with a beautiful smile, it was something that I couldn¡¯t help but miss knowing that I lost it because I was being foolish. The fact that she could tell that our marriage has been rocky for months was not something that she liked and appreciated. The woman was scared of what was going to happen, and I knew that in her mind, she feared that I might tell her that I wanted to end things. In truth, the only thing stopping me right now was the fact that it was me who fought to be with her. That fact alone was enough to have me standing down with filing a divorce file. I knew that people and the media would be questioning my decisions, and thest thing that I could need right now is to be the talk of the media in a way that would make me lose more stocks than I could afford. I already risked losing a lot when I chose to divorce Iris and marry Mariana. I couldn¡¯t go back to repeat the same process again. ¡°What are you doing, Mariana?¡± I asked, shaking my head at the woman whose eyes dropped to the ground as she kept her hands on my shirt¡¯s buttons. It was something that Iris did for me all the time. The woman was doing it whether or not we were on our best terms, and at times, her gentleness was what had me somewhat softening toward her as a husband. ¡°The two of us need to start solving things between us, Dean. I don¡¯t know what is bothering you with me as a wife, but I can¡¯t fix it if you¡¯re not willing to talk to me about it. I know right now that you don¡¯t want to..¡± ¡°What are you trying to prove to me right now, Mariana? That you are suddenly caring about me as a husband?¡± I asked, stopping her. I knew for fact that she was just ying a game not to lose what she had. And that was the main reason why I resented her. The woman and I were nothing but a couple on paper, and I expected her to know better than toe roaming around, thinking that she could get anywhere with her attitude. ¡°Because if that is the case, then I do suggest that you stop. The two of us are well aware that I mean nothing to you as a husband, and that is something that I don¡¯t want you faking. You have what you want¡­¡± ¡°You know for fact that I fought to get you, Dean. I fought for your heart, and I fought to earn your love. It is you who doesn¡¯t want me, and despite that, I know that it is you just getting cold toward me that is the issue. I can help you with that, but you¡­¡± This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°Let me go, Mariana.¡± I said, putting my hand on hers, stopping her from saying another word. I removed my hand, ring at her, and she looked down at her feet, avoiding my eyes as her expression hardened, realizing that what she was trying to do was not working. I hated being this way with a woman. I hated treating her like she was nothing, though it was how I treated Iris, it was something that I was now ashamed of. ¡°We have to go out and be together publically, therefore, whatever it is that you have of affection right now, you can save it when we are at the gathering.¡± 20:09 Wed, Aug / ¡°I was simply helping you with¡­¡± +40%2 ¡°I can dress myself, that is one. Two, You can¡¯t expect me to believe that you would be helping me get dressed. Especially since you as a person barely know how to be a wife unless it is giving me your body.¡± I said, ring at her, watching as her eyes widened in surprise before she pped me. I turned my face to the side before putting a hand on my cheek where she pped me, and she shook her head. I red at the wall that was beside me, controlling my anger as I knew not to do something that I was going to end up regretting. I didn¡¯t want to end up hurting the woman, I wasn¡¯t the type who everid a hand on a woman, and that was something that she knew very well. ¡°I fought for years to get your love. I did not force you to marry me, nor did I neglect you. You are a man who could afford having a thousand maids to take care of whatever it is that you need. As your wife, I have satisfied your bed and kept¡­¡± ¡°You know, Mariana, you need to know the duties of a woman, and not a hooker at a random club.¡± I said, stopping her, taking her by surprise by what I was saying. But as much as I didn¡¯t want to admit it, it was how she was acting. She wanted me to be with her when she was acting like a random booker who wanted to give me nothing but sex; however, when it came to anything else that concerned her being my wife, it was like she didn¡¯t exist. ¡°If I wanted one, then I would have easily gone to a club. Therefore, unless you know the duties of being a wife, please do not speak to me. As for the maids that I can hire, I don¡¯t think that I am married to a maid, I married you. because I thought that I loved you¡­.¡± ¡°Thought?¡± She asked, stopping me. I raised an eyebrow at the woman and shook my head at her and took a step back, no longer wanting to keep going with this conversation which was clearly going nowhere. I could tell that she was trying to start a fuss, and that was something that I did not, want to deal with right now. I had enough on my mind to work with, and knowing that we were going to my parents, I knew that thest thing I needed was for her to pretend that something was wrong with her to attract attention. ¡°Get ready, Mariana, we are leaving in fifteen minutes.¡± I said, walking out of the room. I had my tie around my neck and knew that I would need to fix it before getting my phone and wallet. The driver was the one who would drop us off. He would drop Mariana to the house and I would take my car which was parked at my parents¡® ce to the office. I had a few things to tend to thereter and to be honest, thest thing I wanted or needed was to be at home after things escted to the point that they had from here. Plus, there was the fact that I still didn¡¯t know how to bring up Lillian who I knew that I would be wanting to seeter. The girl, my daughter, went to my school, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t get off my head. Her beautiful and innocent eyes stuck to my mind like a glue, and that was something that despite wanting to get over, I couldn¡¯t help but feel pain as I thought about it. The way she looked at me, and the way Iris spoke when she informed me of her. I couldn¡¯t help but go back to the night when she signed the divorce paper. Did she already know that she was pregnant? The way she held her stomach as if she was fighting a pain that night. The night just yed in my head as I saw so much pain in her eyes. I knew that she fought me against it, she fought to protect her home despite me being the one who was mistaken. It sickened me inside to think of it the way that I did, and it killed me to know that I broke her despite her wanting to willingly take care of me and the house. Wed, Aug And now that I knew about my daughter, I knew that I couldn¡¯t just easily drop the girl. However, I still needed to talk to Iris. The woman and I still had a lot to both discuss and try to figure out. And knowing that it wouldn¡¯t be easy was something that I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think of ignoring. Iris was not an easy prey for me to toy with and I knew now that she was not the loving woman that I first married, if anything, she was the phoenix who rose from the ashes after I had burned her. Therefore, I needed to thread what I had to tell her carefully. I just needed to find the right time to do so. COMMENT Baby 18 Iris: ¡°Mommy, can¡¯t Ie with you?¡± Lillian asked, pouting her lips, making my heart swell at the innocence of her action. It was one that I grew to love, especially since it reminded me of myself when I was a child. I would often pout when i didn¡¯t get what I wanted, and though it rarely ever worked, I could tell that my daughter got it from me. I smiled and shook my head at my little princess as I got ready. I wore a royal blue dress which exposed just enough of my breasts despite it being strapless, it wasn¡¯t too revealing. The slit that was on any left leg reached my thigh giving me an easier maneuver to walk. The dress was somewhat tight around the waist and would loosen around my hips, giving it a princess style. I had silver heels on and jewels to match. The diamond earring, ring, ne, and bracelet were ones that my dad gave me as a present on my birthday two years ago. I chose to wear them tonight as a reminder that I was doing this for him. The fact that I knew that Dean would be there didn¡¯t escape my mind, and if anything, it hurt me to admit that I didn¡¯t want to think of the oue of this if he was. I was scared of how his reaction would be when he saw me, and more importantly, I knew that he would have questions. I got on my knee in front of my daughter and cupped her cheeks, running my finger over it gently. I was getting ready at my parents¡® ce considering that they would be taking care of Lillian, and. that I would be spending the night here. Both my parents knew that I might not be okay after the gathering and told me to stay at their ce tonight. And though I did assure them that I would be okay, and that there was no need for it, they both insisted that I came back to their ce. ¡°No, baby girl. You are going to be staying with nana and grandpa. I won¡¯t be too long, but I don¡¯t want you staying upte or giving them a fuss. Nanny Juliet would be here as well, and I want you to be good with her. Can you promise me that?¡± I asked gently. She looked down at her feet, avoiding my eyes before she smiled and nodded. ¡°Mommy is going to be with adults, and you know that you don¡¯t like being with them when no kids are around. When you are a bit older, you would being with mommy.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± She asked, and I smiled. I didn¡¯t know how to exin to her that I didn¡¯t even want to be where I was going today, and needless to say, she was going to be attending so many events with me that she would eventually just want to stay at home and rx instead. ¡°Yes, I promise you that you would being to all gatherings with me when you are older. Eventually, you are going to ask me not to keeping.¡± I said, and sheughed. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my cheek, making me smile. I knew that she didn¡¯t process what I was saying nor did she understand what I was talking about, but I knew that she would eventually, my little princess would grow to understand what I was referring to when she grew a little older. I got up from my knee when she took a step back and twirled around to have her see my dress. It was something that I often did when I went to gatherings. I always wanted her to be the first. critique of my outfits. My little beauty never failed to amaze me with the kindpliments that she gave me whenever she saw my outfit, and when I was well dressed, she always made me feel like I was the most beautiful princess. ¡°How do I look?¡± I asked, and she smiled as her eyes lit up. She walked around me and fixed the slit of my dress, straightening it gently before she smiled and pped her hands when she looked at me. I knew that she didn¡¯t understand why my dress had a cut on it, but she didn¡¯t really bother asking, it was one time that she asked why my dress didn¡¯t have sleeves, and after exining to her that it was a ¡®big girl¡® dress, she didn¡¯t ask again. ¡°You look like a princess.¡± She said, and my cheeks reddened at her genuinepliment. In her eyes, princesses were the most beautiful creatures on Earth. It was how she saw them; therefore, whenever she told me that she believed that I looked like a princess, I knew that she meant that I looked beautiful. ¡°You are going to be enchanting all the princes that see you.¡± Iughed and cupped her cheek before kissing it gently. She giggled as I wiped my lipstick off her cheek, making me smile. She had her way of captivating my heart, I had to admit that much, and the fact that she didn¡¯t even understand how much loved her was something that I couldn¡¯t help but cherish. ¡°There would be no princes where I am going, my little one.¡± I said as I rose to my feet properly. I took her hand in mine and took her toward the living room where my parents were sitting. Dad was cleared out of the hospital since he chose to carry on with the medication. Thest thing that I wanted from him was to give up on his body. The man was stronger than that, and I knew that he could fight it off. He just needed a push, and me being here for him was going to be that push. I didn¡¯t understand how mom had allowed him to choose to stop his treatment. Maybe she tried to convince him but he chose not to listen. Either way, I didn¡¯t like what I saw when I did, and that wasn¡¯t something that I was going to let go of. If anything, I was going to fight everything to ensure that he got better. ¡°You look beautiful, Iris.¡± Mom said, smiling at me. I nodded in response, giving her a small smile before looking at dad whose eyes were fixed on me like I was the only thing that he could see. I knew that he was proud of the woman that I became, and that he regretted a lot of what happened to me. I was a virgin when I first married Dean. The man¡¯s mother heard of my dedication and ¡®purity¡® and insisted that I married her son. I was not a woman who ever dedicated myself to a man. If anything, I often chose to take care of my studies and work. I was a spotlight of the media who often wanted to know who I was ¡®dating, but I never was. It was the thing that caught his parents¡® attention when choosing a bride for their son. Dean himself was curious about me. He was my first kiss, my first time, and even my first love. Our marriage may have been arranged, and the two of us weren¡¯t even in love when we got married. I didn¡¯t know him properly on our wedding night. But our first year was heavenly and I knew that he was happy during that year. I could see it in his eyes. However, that quickly changed in the second year where he drifted off with work. I didn¡¯t mind though, I was busy with my own thing. Little did I know that he drifted off because of a woman, and it didn¡¯t work. However, even after finding out, I didn¡¯t make a fuss about it. If anything, I was quiet and didn¡¯t Wed, Aug 8 +40% argue, keeping my pain in. It wasn¡¯t until Dean chose to tell me that he wanted a divorce that I snapped. ¡°You look gorgeous, Iris.¡± Dad said, shaking his head at me as his eyes teared up. I smiled and walked toward him, his eyes softened as I took both his hands in mine, gently kissing his knuckles. He didn¡¯t even know how thankful I was that he was here and safe. The man was my backbone and security in this world. The idea of anything happening to him broke my heart, and I knew that he was well aware. ¡°Wee home, dad.¡± I said gently and he smiled, cupping my cheeks. He kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds before pulling away to look me in the eye. I knew that he was thankful for the fact that I agreed to go to the gathering, choosing to be an adult in a painful situation like this one was something that I didn¡¯t expect from myself. To say the least, I was even. surprised that I agreed to do this. ¡°It feels good to be home. Though I know that I am going to have nurses over my head for around an hour¡­¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± I said, stopping him, yfully ring at him, making him chuckle. He ran his finger over my cheek gently before giving me a gentle nod. I could tell that he was proud of me, and that alone meant the world to me despite everything that went on. I hadn¡¯t told him that mom withdrew her shares, but I was quick to buy them and now, I was the owner of the bigger shares in thepany. It was something that even mom was surprised about when she heard of it happening. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will not drive them too crazy.¡± He said, and Iughed, shaking my head. ¡°Just be safe, tonight, and I am a call away if you need anything.¡± I smiled and nodded. I knew that he was well aware that I wouldn¡¯t call him. Thest thing that I wanted or needed was for him to grow nervous about something that I could easily take care of. I have been raising my daughter alone since the day she was born. Dealing with Dean was easy inparison to that. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I will be, daddy. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be too long.¡± I said, assuring him. ¡°You are my daughter, Iris, and I am going to worry about you whether or not you assure me not to.¡± He said, and I smiled. ¡°Just try having fun, and we will be here waiting for you back¡­¡± when you are Baby 19 Dean: Mariana got out of the car, not bothering to wait for the driver to open the door for her like she always did. It was something that in her mind, showed that she was superior. She didn¡¯t know that those who were truly superior opened the door for themselves at times and didn¡¯t need to show off a driver opening the door for them. The woman was not one who liked to take charge of anything that she could easily take care of as a person. Whether i was opening the doors or making coffee, a driver, maid, or butler had to be the ones doing it for her. It was something that she pretended to be used to when I knew what her life was before the two of us got married. If anything. I went to her apartment when the two of us first started ¡®dating. It was a small one bedroom apartment that she was even embarrassed of inviting me into. I didn¡¯t judge her for it, I knew not to do so, but it sickened me that she was forgetting that as she chose to act the way that she was, refusing to be humble. I had to admit, though I did expect her to at least help her family when we got married. I didn¡¯t know who they were to begin with, and she never did bring them up. I did ask about them a few times, but I was quick to realize that her first name had been changed when she was legal age. Therefore, I chose not to hurt her with a past that she was trying to keep hidden, but that didn¡¯t mean that it didn¡¯t stir questions in me. She stopped by the front door and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew not to be stupid as to enter the house without me by her side. It was something that she didn¡¯t want the family seeing as she feared them telling her off for marrying me to begin with. At this point, I wouldn¡¯t have med them for telling her off. Mom did warn her about marrying me when she first came to the house after our engagement. I couldn¡¯t believe that I got in an argument with her for it. The woman has been trying to protect me over the years, and yet, I chose to follow a fling and have lost a rtionship that was beautiful between the two of us. I hated to admit that Mariana entering my life not only cost me a beautiful marriage, but it also cost me my mother, who I have lost as a best friend. The two of us were more than just a mother and her son, if anything, my mom knew almost everything that there was to know about me. I wasn¡¯t one to keep secrets from her, and thankfully, she wasn¡¯t one to do that to me. Sadly, all that changed when I married Mariana as she gave me the choice to give her up or lose her friendship. I chose Mariana over it, defending what I thought was ¡®true love. I wrapped my arm around Mariana who put the best smile that she could muster before we both walked toward the door. My heart ached with each step that I took, recalling the moment when Iris and I walked into the house for the first time after our first date being engaged. Her parents were waiting for her in the house, wanting to pick her up, a stupid tradition that we had as our parents saw whether or not our first date went well. I cupped her cheeks and kissed her in front of the door, ignoring the fact that I knew that both our parents were watching us from the window. I knocked on the door twice and a maid opened the door for me before taking a step back as mom approached us. She smiled at us, weing us inside and I smiled. I cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. She put her hand on my chest for a second before turning to face Mariana who tried +40%4 approaching her to hug her. However, mom took a step back, not wanting her to touch her, and Mariana nodded, understanding the silent message. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Mom wrapped her arm around me, pulling me inside the living room where guests were already seated. Most of them had their drinks in their hands and got up when they saw me entering the house. Mariana was a step behind us, walking alone ¡°Dean, how are you?¡± Alexander, one of my partners asked, smiling at me. I smiled and nodded in response. The man was one of my oldest partners, and though I knew that a lot has happened, I was thankful that he was one of the few men who chose to stick around me long enough to support me through everything. ¡°I am well, and you? How are you?¡± I asked, approaching the man to shake his hand. Mariana tried approaching to stand beside me, however, one look from mom told her to stop her tracks. She knew not to cross her limits when it came to mom and I knew for fact that it was only mom who would put her in ce. Mariana looked at me, and I raised an eyebrow before turning my attention to Alexander once again, choosing to ignore her. I wasn¡¯t here to cause trouble or problems, and the two of us were already having too much to deal with right now. Thest thing I wanted or needed was to deal with more of her bullshit, and that was something that she knew well. She was often quiet after we got into an argument for a few days. She would avoid annoying me, and would ensure that I forgot¡® that I was ever mad at her. However, it wasn¡¯t like the two of us had anything to do with our marriage anymore. It was something that we both knew very well. ¡°I am good. I heard the news about Ashton, and I was both surprised and sad about it. He was holding strong for a long while to the point where almost none of us knew that he was sick.¡± He said, and I nodded. I had to admit, it was something that even I was surprised about. Thest thing that I expected to hear was the man being sick and when I did hear of it, I couldn¡¯t help but grow worried. Iris was a woman who was attached to her father, and for known reasons. The man was her backbone and main supporter in this world. Though he did agree to our marriage, he did ensure that she would be happy through it. He made me promise that I would take care of his little jewel. It was me who broke my promise, and thus also lost him as a man who would have fought the world. for my sake. The man even got into fights with my own father for me when he heard about a conflict between the two of us. The argument was one that I wouldn¡¯t forget if I was paid to. However, I wasn¡¯t one who appreciated it at the time, and even after the divorce when he knew that I was going through a rough patch with my parents, my stocks, and thesh out of the media, he was the one who upported me enough to stand by my side. He did tell me that things would not be the same, and he was indeed right. Things between us were not the same again, but the man didn¡¯t remove his investments and was still one of my greatest supporters. It was something that I couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful for. ¡°Yes, I was surprised when I heard about it. I nned on visiting him at the hospital, but I heard that they cleared him to go home. I will be passing by him in the next few days though. Regardless of everything, the man is still my partner.¡± I said, and Alexander nodded in understanding. The doorbell rang and mom rushed to the door to greet whoever came as the maid opened the door. ¡°I heard that his daughter Iris was the one taking care of things on his behalf.¡± He said, and Mariana tensed as she waited for my response. I was about to respond before heels clicked as a woman. entered the house. I looked up from Alexander to find Iris standing in front of me. Her eyes met a second. mine and she nodded in respect before looking at Mariana f ¡°Yes, you have heard right, Alexander.¡± Iris said, looking at the man whose eyes were fixed on her as he took in her beauty. It was an elegance that I missed seeing, and I had to admit, I couldn¡¯t get my eyes off of her even if I tried. ¡°I am taking care of things on my father¡¯s behalf.¡± She turned to look at mom and dad who had their eyes on her, and I could swear that I saw a small smile forming on mom¡¯s lips as she took in her beauty and my expression. The woman looked like an angeling from the sky. I had no other way to exin it, and though she didn¡¯t bother to look at me, I wasn¡¯t stupid as not to know that she had myplete attention. ¡°Viktor, Nikita, I am sorry foring without giving you a notice beforehand.¡± She said, looking at mom whose eyes brightened. She looked at me for a second before smiling, her smile mischievous. as she knew that my ex had caught my attention in ways that she shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Not a problem, Iris.¡± Mom said, turning to face her ¡°You of all people are always wee here¡­¡± Baby 20 Iris: Now, if anyone would have told me that I would be feeling nervous to just sit down, I would have told them that they were fools. Sitting down was something that everyone knew how to do, if anything, even children knew how to sit. But it was at this point that I was frightened and worried about how things were going, if anything, I just felt like I was being watched by everyone who was around, and in theory, that was correct. Everyone was indeed watching me. Especially Dean¡­. His eyes would meet mine every few seconds when I looked up at anyone who was talking. He would avoid my eyes a few seconds after, however, that didn¡¯tst for too long as he slowly approached me with a ss of white wine. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Vintage,¡± he said, handing me the ss, knowing that it was my favorite vor of wine. I looked down at the ss for a second before taking it from him. The fact that he remembered, despite us being divorced for five years, made my chest ache despite my heart skipping a beat. It was something that he was the only one who knew about. I was often one who didn¡¯t mind drinking different types of wine, but vintage was my simple favorite. ¡°You still remember my favorite.¡± I stated, taking a sip of the drink before looking at him. I knew that Mariana had her eyes on the two of us, most probably ring as she fought back an aftermath reaction. I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that she was now feeling threatened. The woman saw me as a threat, especially since she knew that I didn¡¯t bother responding to what she did when she chose to break my marriage. ¡°You were my wife for years, I have picked up a thing or two about what you might prefer to drink? He said, and I nodded in understanding, choosing not toment. In my theory, I knew that he shouldn¡¯t really remember what I liked, especially since he was married to a woman that he obviously wanted to be with. Mariana had her eyes fixed on us for a few seconds, and I could swear that I saw tearsing out of her eyes for a second before she wiped them. I looked at Dean who didn¡¯t even bother looking at the woman who was supposed to be his wife. The woman seemed to be in pain, and yet, the man who was supposed to be her husband didn¡¯t even care about it. ¡°Dean, isn¡¯t your wife going to be upset about you handing me a drink? You and I both know that she tends to grow a bit¡­¡± ¡°Overprotective? Snobby?¡± He asked, and I shook my head at his choices of words. I hated to admit, but I had to fight back augh that almost escaped my lips. When he was with me, thest thing that he would worry about was me being jealous or overprotective, if anything, I was mostly working with other men just like he was with other women; therefore, in my mind, as long as we were supportive to one another, it didn¡¯t make a difference. But that changed a bit when Mariana entered his life, and even then, I chose not to create a fuss, interfere, or intervene so as not to cause an issue. I had a lot to deal with and thest thing that I needed to deal with at the time was a stupid affair that he had. It was something that I was used to hearing and seeing around, and though it wasn¡¯t something that I liked dealing with, I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that some women were scandalous when they saw a man with money. And Dean had the looks, the young age, figure, and money. It was a win, win for her. ¡°I was going to say jealous.¡± I said, and he shrugged, seeming not to care. ¡°You were jealous too, and yet, you never caused me any problems.¡± He said, and I shook my head at his level ofparison. It didn¡¯t take me long and I didn¡¯t need a shrink to tell me that the man wasn¡¯t happy in his rtionship. I knew his parents well enough to know that they didn¡¯t like the fact that he was married to Mariana to begin with. The fact that he was referring to me as the jealous type who didn¡¯t cause him trouble told me that he didn¡¯t know what jealousy did to a woman. When it came to him marrying me, the family chose me for him to marry into a family that would help him grow and prosper. Both families grew and prospered together, whether it was businesswise or even reputation wise. Everyone knew that our bloods joining one another would be creating a stronger bond in the business world. And everyone knew that our children would be having a lot more than any of them could have ever wished for. Our fortunes would be merged into one, and that was something that the families wanted. However, when it came to Mariana, the woman was a secretary who his parents wouldn¡¯t have approved of. It was something that I knew very well considering that I knew how his mother thought. And I couldn¡¯t me her. She wanted someone who was used to what she had her for her son. Taking someone from an environment to another was not something that she wanted to deal with. It would require a certain education, time, training, and energy. And judging by what I was seeing right now, I could tell that Mariana was nowhere near being as educated as any of us were. It didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t, but there was ack in her etiquette and that was something that we weren¡¯t excused of when we grew older. Theck of etiquette meant that we were neglected by our parents who should have hired our tutors for us should they not want to train us themselves. I personally had three etiquette trainers for each level that I got. By the time that I was twenty. I was a princess who would stand and sit with her back straight. I knew how to cook and clean without getting myself in a mess, and I also knew when it was a maid or butler¡¯s turn to work. It was something that I knew Dean appreciated. Whenever he came home, I would be the one taking care of him myself. And whether or not he liked it didn¡¯t make a difference to me. I was his wife and I acted like it. By time, I knew that he grew fond of it; however, just as good things never seem tost, our rtionship was never one that was stable when it came to Mariana appearing whenever we started getting closer. Eventually, I just chose to give up trying to please him thest night he touched me when I grew pregnant with my child. ¡°You don¡¯t need topare the two of us, Dean. You know for fact that each one of us has her own +40%3 personality, and she is just expressing her jealousy because she wants you by her side. Being by your ex is not something that she would want, especially after the years that have passed.¡± I said, trying to exin the situation to him, and he nodded. His expression was softer than it was at the office; however, I could tell that he was still in pain after what he heard. ¡°I am sorry for hiding..¡± ¡°The two of us are still going to need to have a proper and full conversation about this.¡± He said, stopping me. I could tell that he was upset and also confused about what he heard, but I could tell that he was trying to hide whatever pain that he was feeling right now. ¡°However, I do believe that it can be done after the gathering.¡± ¡°Can what be done, Dean?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow. Though I knew that he wouldn¡¯t be dropping the subject, a part of me hoped that he would. If anything, a part of me wanted him to just let it go and pretend that he didn¡¯t heard of it. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t expect me to abandon my child, do you?¡® He asked, raising a simr eyebrow. ¡°Before youe to any conclusions and assumptions, I won¡¯t be taking your daughter away from you; however, as her father, I have every right to see her.¡± ¡°Dean¡­ ¡°We will be discussing thister when you have the time, and we can even have ourwyers working on the legal papers that permit me to see her as my daughter as I pay for whatever it is that you need to support her.¡± He said, and I crossed my arms over my chest. The fact that this conversation led to financial support was not something that I liked, especially since I didn¡¯t want anything of the sort from him. If anything, I didn¡¯t want him thinking that he owed me anything to do that for my daughter. ¡°I don¡¯t need your¡­¡± ¡°I am aware, but as her father, she has every right for this.¡± He said, giving me a gentle wink. His wink sent shivers down my spine as it reminded me of the first time the two of us talked as an engaged couple here at his house, and ironically, in the very same position that we were standing on, before he asked me out on our first date. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, little flower¡­¡± Baby 21 Chapter 21 Dean: ¡°What were the two of you talking about?¡± Mariana asked the second I reached her. I wasn¡¯t stupid. or blind, and both Iris and I knew that she was watching the two of us, but that wasn¡¯t something that I liked or appreciated. If anything, I was simply thankful for the fact that it settled to her watching us. Though I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that her watching us seemed to catch more attention than we wanted or needed. Everyone around had their eyes on us as they waited for what she was going to say or do, and that was something that I didn¡¯t appreciate. I raised an eyebrow at the woman who shook her head in question, clearly waiting for a response which I was not going to give. The fact that she believed that she could actually ask and expected an answer came as amusing to me; however, I knew for now that I shouldn¡¯t bementing. ¡°I find it odd that you think that I would answer your question right now; however, I will leave it at that.¡± I said, not bothering to answer. She red at me then at Iris who was talking to a couple, Elijah and Riley, two other partners of the family. She smiled, her smile bright, making my heart. skip a beat at how professional, beautiful, and elegant she was. The woman¡¯s femininity is something that caught my attention and my heart, and that was something that I knew even caught my parents¡® attention as they looked at her proudly ¡°You are my husband and I have every right to know what you are speaking about with¡­¡± ¡°She was my wife and she never asked what I spoke to you about, and you were my mistress.¡± I said, stopping her. I didn¡¯t care that we were at my parents¡® house when I spoke, but I knew that my words came out as shocking for Mariana whose eyes widened in surprise. Her hands shook and she nodded before putting on the best smile that she could muster as mom and dad approached us. I could tell that they noticed the tension despite our low tones, and I knew that I had to fight back the urge of walking away and leaving her to deal with the mess that was to ur. I looked at mom whose eyes met mine and she shook her head in question, trying to understand what was going on. I shook my head in response and giving her a gentle smile, I nodded at Mariana whose eyes were fixed on Iris. I expected her to follow me, but instead, she walked toward Iris who raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. She was a queen like she has always been, something that Mariana knew that she would never reach. ¡°Hello to you too, Mariana.¡± Iris said calmly, noticing Mariana¡¯s anger. She kept her eyebrow raised at the woman, waiting for what she had to say, and Mariana shook her head. Everyone around us looked at both Mariana and Iris, clearly waiting for what was going to happen. I knew that this was something that almost everyone anticipated. The divorce and marriage were rocky enough as they were; therefore, this was an encounter that neither one of them expected to ever see. ¡°What game are you ying right now? And don¡¯t tell me that you aren¡¯t. I am not stupid nor am I blind¡­¡± ¡°Need I ask what you are referring to right now, Mariana, becausest I checked, no one was ying any games. If anything, we are all here, attending a gathering together.¡± Iris said coldly. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Elijah looked at me, shaking his head in question and I shook my head in response, motioning for him to stay quiet. Thest thing that we needed was a fuss right now, but judging by what Mariana was doing, I knew that it would be a fuss that we are getting. It was something that my parents wouldn¡¯t drop either, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to me them. We were here as guests, and yet, she was being ill mannered. ¡°I do not know what kind of dirty tricks you¡¯re trying to throw, but stay the fuck away from my husband. Things would not end well if you choose to y such dirty games.¡± Mariana threatened and Iris raised an eyebrow. She studied Mariana¡¯s expression for a few seconds before taking a step back toward the bar where they were serving cocktails. She took a ss before turning to face Mariana, handing it to her. ¡°I do suggest that you don¡¯t forget your past, Mariana.¡± Iris said coldly. Her eyes were fixed on Mariana, waiting for her to say a word or act wrongly as she knew that Mariana was not only crossing a line, but was ying a bad game here. It was something that I couldn¡¯t defend her in if I tried, mostly because even I knew that Iris was right. It was Mariana who was ying a dirty game here, and Iris was simply responding to it. ¡°If you have done something, then you should not expect everyone to be the same.¡± ¡°I beg your fucking¡­¡± ¡°Take what I said as it is.¡± Iris said, stopping Mariana whose eyes were fixed on Iris¡¯s. Iris didn¡¯t even flinch or respond to my wife who looked like she just saw a ghost. The fact that Iris was delivering the message that I wanted was something that I knew very well. However, I knew that if I didn¡¯t interfere, Mariana was not going to drop the topic. It was something that she would end up arguing with me about when we got home, that was something that I knew very well. But I knew not to say a word about it as I knew that she was ying a very dangerous game, it was one that I knew that I would even hear about from my parents, but for now, I was going to choose to stay quiet Mom looked at me, and I nodded, silently asking her to help. Iris¡¯s eyes met mine and I shook my head, watching as she gave me a quick nod of understanding. It amazed me that even after five years of divorce, that she could still read my expression as well as she could. She understood what I¡¯ was saying without the need of me opening my mouth, and that was something that I valued a lot more than I could even let out. It was something that I appreciated about her. At least, I knew very well that she wouldn¡¯t end up doing something that would risk the family¡¯s reputation, even if she wasn¡¯t even part of the family anymore. ¡°I will choose not to carry this conversation with you, Mariana as you truly are not worth the fuss or second thought.¡± Iris said, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. ¡°But I do suggest that you start thinking differently. You know, not everyone is after the money that you searched for, and thankfully, no one can deny that 1 grew up wealthy.¡± She looked up and down at Mariana whose eyes widened at her words. She looked at me as if silently begging me to interfere; however, I chose to stay quiet. I knew better than to do so, especially when I knew that Iris was right about what she was saying. That fact alone made my wife¡¯s hands shake as she tried controlling her anger, feeling embarrassed as she knew that everyone had their eyes on her. It was something that I didn¡¯t like and didn¡¯t want for her. But it 20-12 Wed, Aug was something that she dug for herself, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t help her with. Mariana had Iris being a victim of her games, and that was not something that Iris was supposed to be expected to be quiet about, especially when she knew that Iris was not only cheated on, but she was the one who ended up in pain out of this marriage. Mom and dad looked at me, wanting to see my reaction; however, noticing that I waspletely quiet, mom put her hand on mine, gently squeezing it, snapping me out of my train of thoughts.. She knew that I didn¡¯t like this, but she knew that Iris was right in every word that she was saying. ¡°I grew up in wealth, and I know what it is to be a woman of pride. Whereas you, I do not know what to refer to you as.¡± Iris said coldly. Mariana looked at me before giving Iris a dark smile as if thinking that she was putting the final card, in her mind, I was the final card that she was going to use to break Iris. But I wasn¡¯t stupid, Iris wasn¡¯t going to show her that she was shaken because of it. ¡°Yes, and yet, it is me who ended up marrying the man that I love.¡± Mariana said, trying to defend her point. ¡°Indeed, it could be true.¡± Iris said, looking at me for a second before she focused her attention on Mariana who thought that she would be victorious about this; but I knew Iris enough to know that this wasn¡¯t how she was going to end this conversation. ¡°But at least I know for fact that I was, and could still be, his first andst thought on a daily basis¡­¡± Now, this time, Iris looked at me, making my breath get caught in my throat. ¡°At least, this is how it was until a fling appeared in his life¡­¡± Baby 22 Chapter 22 Iris: My heart felt like it was set on fire as I did my best topose myself so as not to burst out on the woman who thought that she could double cross me the way that she was. I had to excuse myself from the gathering not to say something that would not only end up embarrassing her, but also Dean¡¯s parents who were clearly worried about where this was going. If anything, even I didn¡¯t know where the idiot woman wanted to take things. But I knew that what she did was wrong and was done by misjudgement, and that was something that she was too stupid to realize. She didn¡¯t see that not only was she costing herself her reputation, but was also damaging Dean¡¯s, and that was enough to tell me how stupid and low she was choosing to stoop. The fact that she was speaking to me in such a sense annoyed me, and the fact that I knew that guests were watching was something that I couldn¡¯t get over. Everyone had their eyes on us, and the fact that I knew that most of them wouldn¡¯t keep this quiet, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about where this was going to go. She wasn¡¯t seriously trying to y the victim when she was the wrecker of my home, right? She couldn¡¯t be that stupid, right? It was something that I saw as impossible at this point. But this only showed me the kind of woman that she was, it just sickened me to the bone that Dean didn¡¯t see it. The man didn¡¯t even see that she was ruining his family¡¯s name by what she was doing, and instead of stopping her, he chose to allow her to keep crossing her limits. ¡°Iris¡­¡± Dean said, following me toward my car. I frowned and turned to face my ex who avoided. my eyes as he saw my anger. If anyone could read me like an open book, then it was him. But then, again, the two of us were married for five years regardless of how messy it was. The years that we spent together, rocky or not, were enough for us to know one another¡¯s expressions, bodynguages, and even silent messages by heart. It was one of the things that kept us going strong despite everything that happened. One look from either one of us was enough to give the message, one smile could be read, whether true or not, and one frown could be understood, whether of pain or anger. It was something that I knew he wouldn¡¯t be living with anyone else. And I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that he too knew that he wouldn¡¯t be finding what he had with me with anyone else. ¡°What do you want, Dean?¡± I asked, turning to face the person who not only broke my heart, but was also in charge of the pain that I was forced to deal with. The fact that he knew of our daughter was something that annoyed me, especially since I knew that I would be seeing him more often. because of it. I knew that I couldn¡¯t deprive my child of her father, especially since he seemed to want to be in her life. It would have been easier if he didn¡¯t. I, at least, wouldn¡¯t feel guilty toward my child who constantly asked about him. But now I was both feeling guilty about not being able to open up about him to her, and the fact that I knew that he wanted to be part of her life. Both cases made my chest ache as if stabbed in my heart, and that wasn¡¯t a feeling that I liked dealing with. ¡°Iris, you are angry with me¡­¡± ¡°Why the fucking hell would I be angry with you? I am not some child who would be angry over what your wife has said. However, should she approach me again, then I would know how to draw her limits. For now, I chose to respect the fact that your parents, partners, and investors are in the gathering. Otherwise, you and I both know that I would have known how to force her to her limits.¡± I said, stopping the man whose eyes widened in surprise at my words. The thing was, Dean knew the weak woman who would weaken at just the mention of his name. I was that kind of woman who didn¡¯t know what she wanted and was weak to his touch. I was in love with him, and being my first rtionship, even if it was a direct marriage, I was impulsive about my emotions. I had to admit, I only learned how to control myself and how to be the woman that I was today after finding myself alone with my child. I didn¡¯t know how to work on raising my daughter. I didn¡¯t have any siblings, hence theck of experience when it came to children, but I acted on instinct, and fucking hell was it hard. There came nights when I even questioned my decision of keeping my baby when I found out that I was pregnant, and there were nights when I just didn¡¯t know how I would manage. But here I was, five yearster loving my little one more by the day and that would be something that I will forever be thankful and proud of. She is my blessing, and the thing was, I knew that I wanted to protect her even from myself. How was I going to be able to cope with the fact that I knew that her father had cheated on me, chose to marry his mistress, and chose to hate me, I didn¡¯t know. I just knew one thing. My one aim in this world was to protect my daughter, and that meant that I was going to keep her safe even from myself, my past, and the shaken marriage that I had. It was why I was forced to learn how to stand strong, for both my sake and hers. ¡°Iris, I know you well enough to know when you are angry. However, I will choose not to judge you for it as I know that you may be pissed by what Mariana said¡­.¡± ¡°I am more than just a little pissed, but then again, she is your wife and not me. In case you have forgotten, you fought me for her, and that is something that she knows very well.¡± I said, stopping him. The reminder was to tell him off, the man knew me enough to know that I didn¡¯t want to deal with cases that didn¡¯t make any sense to me, and this was something that didn¡¯t make any sense to me. Mariana herself was a person that made no sense to me. If anything, the woman was barely a pest in a corn field, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t help but despise. ¡°Now, I do suggest that you fend for her just like you did when the two of us were married. This attitude of yours is not one that I am liking, nor is it one that is fair when ites to your wife.¡± I went to turn around to get inside my car only for him to grab me by my arm and push me back against the car, making my eyes widen as he took me by surprise. I went toment; however, he shook his head and pinned me between him and my car, taking me off guard. ¡°You always had your attitude when angry. I do believe that you grew somewhat feisty, I will admit that much, but that could be because you are angry with me right now.¡± He said, smirking at my behavior. I had to admit, it took everything in me not to punch him in the face as I red at the man who was supposed to be my ex, pinning me against my car. My heart raced against my ribcage as gooseburnps rose against my skin as I noticed how close we were standing. The man¡¯s eyes were fixed on mine, making my breath get caught in my throat as I tried finding the right words to describe how I was feeling. And though it would have been something that I would have loved experiencing when I was married to him. The fact that he would want me to be happy rather than angry or annoyed as he smirked, taking in my expression, reading and understanding it; it wasn¡¯t the case right now. The man was not my husband, and it was something that he chose for the two of us. If I epted. the divorce, it wasn¡¯t because I wanted to leave him. I just couldn¡¯t afford the headache that came with the number of courtroom meetings, and the fact that the trials would have been put out in public was not something that I wanted to deal with; therefore, a mutual agreement was far more adequate in our situation, especially considering all the evidence that we had. ¡°You are a married man, Dean. And your wife is inside the house eating herself alive because of what you are doing; therefore, rather than ying your games with your ex, go back to her just like you always have when you were my husband.¡± I said, ring daggers at the man whose eyes dropped to the ground for a second. He took deep and slow breaths, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took as if a weight had settled in his chest, one that he wanted nothing than to get rid of ¡°What if I tell you that my marriage to her was my biggest mistake, would that be making at difference to you?¡± I froze for a second, processing what he said before shaking my head. His words hit me harder than anything that I have ever experienced, but now, it was somewhat toote for him to give up on things. He made his choices, and he was going to suffer the consequences. I had more important things to deal with. And fortunately, he wasn¡¯t part of them. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°Then it is your problem to deal with.¡± I said, holding my ground despite the pain that I felt. ¡°I am no one¡¯s second choice, and it seems to me that it is all you saw and will ever see me.¡± I moved away from in front of him and watched as he took a step back, taking in my words. ¡°Mywyer woulde with the legal papers for Lillian¡¯s visits. We will find a proper way to introduce the two of youter. For now, I have a few things to tend to, and neither one of them include bullshit¡­¡± your Baby 23 Chapter 23 Dean: To say that I was furious would not be a lie or an understatement. To say that I was hurt was not going to be a lie. If anything, it was going to be the most honest thing that I said in months now. And the thing was, I didn¡¯t even know who my anger was directed at, nor what it was that hurt me more. But I knew that I was not okay, and that was something that annoyed me more than ever, especially since I knew that I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. I was upset. I was hurt, and I was sitting in the car beside the woman who was the reason behind my anger and misery. The woman who not only made me regret marrying her, but the woman who made me regret choosing to think of looking twice at her. I got out of the car and headed toward the house, not bothering to spare Mariana a second nce as I walked toward my office, wanting to calm down. Her behavior was not one that I was going to drop. If anything, I knew that no one was going to channel drop it. We were going to be lucky if we didn¡¯t end up being the trending news on every tomorrow. It was something that I couldn¡¯t afford thinking of right now, and that was something that Mariana seemed to ignore. ¡°You chose to leave me and head to her.¡± Mariana said, ring at me the second I entered the house. I had a few meetings to tend to, but mom suggested that I drop her off first instead of having the driver do so. She didn¡¯t want the night to end with such a feud, especially since she knew that Mariana was not the type to be quiet when it came to publicly shaming a person. She was the type to want to insult for her own benefit, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t stand, especially since I knew that she was right. But I knew that I needed to grab a few papers before heading to the office, and for that, I knew that I had to get them from my house¡¯s office. ¡°The two of us needed to talk, and I live with you, Mariana. I do believe that you can tell me whatever it is that you want in the house when we are alone and away from the public¡¯s eyes.¡± I said, ring at her. ¡°Plus, the fact that you chose to act the way that you fucking did, in front of everyone, was not something that I am going to drop so easily. If I am choosing to be quiet about it now, it is because I have work to do; but that doesn¡¯t mean that I am going to drop the subject, do you understand me?¡± ¡°She is your fucking ex, and yet, you chose her over me. Not to mention the fact that you saw her insulting me and didn¡¯t bother toe and stand up to me. Instead, you just watched in silence, and rather than actually stopping her, you followed her out of the house to¡­¡± ¡°She is my fucking ex, and that is because of mistakes that I did. She had nothing to do with them, and you of all people should know that.¡± I said, snapping at my wife. Her eyes widened in surprise 20.12 Chapter 23 and she shook her head at me. ¡°Therefore, I suggest that you fucking tone down the attitude that you are havingtely. You and I are married, and have been for years, but believe me if anything is going to change that, it is your attitude, and not the women that I am around or work with.¡± You chose me over her, and that is not a mistake, especially considering the fact that you fell in love. I did not force you into this rtionship, and do believe¡­ ¡°You did not force me into anything because you know for fucking fact that you won¡¯t be able to do so. However, I will have you know that as my fucking wife you are to follow a certain behavior and if not, I will be sure that you regret the marriage to begin with.¡± I said, stopping her. Her eyes widened in surprise at my words, and that was when I snappedpletely. I was mostly quiet when it came to everything that she did and didn¡¯t do. But now was my line, I couldn¡¯t handle the bullshit that she put up anymore, and no matter how hard I tried, I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to just drop everything that she did simply because she thought or believed that I should. ¡°I chose to ignore all your mistakes and everything that you have done over the years. I never didment about them. once, but enough is fucking enough, Mariana.¡± ¡°What do you mean by enough is fucking enough? I am not doing anything to hurt you. But if I do state my anger about a situation as I don¡¯t want to end up being a victim to a¡­¡± ¡°Home wrecker?¡± I asked, stopping her. It was a name that she was called by all the news, and still is. Things quieted down when Iris chose to leave, but I knew that her being back was going to resurface the name. And having called her that right now, I knew that it was a reminder of something that she wanted to bury. ¡°You see, Iris told me once, what went around came back around, and I am sad to tell you that she was right. The two of us are going to hit on what we have done to her, and it would be harder than ever on the two of us¡­¡± ¡°You are just allowing it to be so, Dean. The two of us can manage to fix things especially since we caught sight of them early. I know that you think that it is impossible to do so right now, and I know that you might be acting out of anger. Just talk to me and tell me what it is about, maybe I can the help you.¡± She said, and I shook my head at the woman. It was sad that she didn¡¯t want to ept fact that there was no us anymore. I doubted that there was ever an us in our marriage which was obviously based on benefitting her. I had lost more than I have gained, and that was something that she knew very well. But she didn¡¯t care, as long as she had what she wanted, she didn¡¯t care about what she cost me. This was a situation that she wouldn¡¯t be able to help me with especially since she was the reason that it was created. The two of us wouldn¡¯t have been together if not her insisting that we were. One way or another, each one of us would have parted their own ways, but no, Mariana didn¡¯t see herself as mistaken at all. If anything, she saw that she was the victim when in truth, almost everything that happened, happened because of the two of us. ¡°Marians you and I both know that our marriage is not going to keep working, and though your refuse to admit it, I will be the one to tell you. The two of us are never going to be Iris and L.¡± I said, and she frowned. Theparison was not one that I liked making out loud, but it was the truth. Iris and I, regardless of everything, were a real couple, and that was something that she didn¡¯t understand. We were a husband and wife, and I knew that had I allowed her, she would have found. a way to fix what happened between us. She wanted to do so, and I knew that she wasn¡¯t forced for the need of money or power. She had the two long before I was in her life. G ¡°You and Iris were ever truly married. It was a marriage for the public¡¯s eyes, and the two of ust know it. Even Iris is not stupid enough to think that you actually loved her or your marriage. A man who loves a woman would not cheat on her.¡± She said, and I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You im that I cheated on Iris and yet you also im that marrying you should be the right thing.¡± I said, and she frowned. ¡°That is not the fucking same thing. The two of us are married out of love, and the two of us chose one another. Your parents forced you to marry Iris, and that is something that you despised. Isn¡¯t that what you used to tell me? That you didn¡¯t want to be with her? Or are you going to keep lying about it?¡± She asked, shaking her head in question. I fell in love with you and married you despite you being with another woman¡­..¡® ¡°You fell in love with the money that I gave you.¡± I said, stopping her, giving her the fact that everyone told me long before I married her. It was a fact that I chose to ignore, and that was something that I was paying for everyday. ¡°You were always in love with the presents that you got.¡± I took a slow step toward her, my eyes ring daggers at the woman whose hands shook as she tried to control herself. She knew very well that I was right about what I said, and was something that she didn¡¯t like. If anything. It was something that she was afraid of. ¡°But should I have nothing but my name, I know for fucking fact that you would never spare me a second nce.¡± I said, turning to head to my office. I was not in the mood to go out anymore anyway; therefore, working from my office in the house was more adequate. ¡°This is the main difference between you and Iris.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Mariana stayed quiet as he looked down at her feet, avoiding my eyes as if my words were like daggers hitting her chest. ¡°At least she took me for my name and my name alone. This is something that you will never do¡­¡± 0 Baby 24 Chapter 24 Iris: ¡°Are you okay, Iris?¡± Dad asked, getting me a ss of water. The fact that he was here in my room told me that he was aware that something happened. Though I wasn¡¯t sure whether he just heard or felt that I was upset, either way, I knew that it was a matter of time before everything came out on Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. the news. I was sitting on the bed of the guest room that I was staying in. I got up from the bed and rushed to him, taking the ss before helping him to sit on the couch. The man was supposed to be resting, and yet, here he was, tending to MY needs rather than rxing like he was instructed to by the doctors. It was something that both made my chest swell as I knew that his action was genuine, but also ache as I knew that I was causing him an unnecessary fuss. Whatever happened, I knew that I should have tried being calmer. Instead, I let my anger and jealousy take over my actions, and rather than choosing to just ignore the woman. I couldn¡¯t help but burst on her, and that was something that shouldn¡¯t have happened. ¡°Dad, you need to be resting, you know that.¡± I said, shaking my head at him. He sat on the edge of the bed beside me and watched as I ced the ss on top of the bedside table before I turned my attention to him. I didn¡¯t want him asking anymore questions, nor did I want to give any answers. Whatever happened today, I just wanted to drain and ignore it, pretending like it didn¡¯t exist. And though I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that it wasn¡¯t the healthiest method. I knew that it was the best right now. In truth, I didn¡¯t know how I was feeling, but I knew one thing, I was in more pain than I could let out, and that alone was something that I knew that he could see through my eyes. But that pain was only going to make me stronger if I chose to take advantage of it, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen if I chose to weaken right now; therefore, I knew to stay calm and strong for it. My father wasn¡¯t blind and he wasn¡¯t the type to just let things slide when he didn¡¯t want to. But I prayed that this time, he wouldn¡¯t dwell on the topic that I truly couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± He asked, noticing that I was quiet. I looked down at my feet, avoiding his eyes. The thing was, I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. If anything, I was scared that if I did, things would end up turning against me or even worse, backfiring, and hence I was choosing to stay quiet until I was able to process my own thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t want toe out as rude, dad, but for now, can you please give me a few minutes to myself. I know that you don¡¯t like me keeping things to myself nor do you like me blocking my emotions inside me. But at this point, I really need to find it in me to cope with whatever I am feeling alone for a while.¡± I said, looking down at myp. He studied my expression for a few seconds before nodding. He cupped my cheeks and made me look at him before wrapping hist arms around me as he pulled me in for a hug. ? ¡°It just pains me to see you in this much pain, when we can¡¯t do anything about it. The worst part about it is that we didn¡¯t see it through your eyes when the pain first started. I knew that something. was wrong, but I never did anything to stop it nor did I bother asking any questions on what I could do to help. This is one of my greatest regrets as your father.¡± He said, making my heart ache. It was something that I even spoke to them about. I did open up about what was happening, and yet, neither one of them chose to act upon it. If anything, mom asked me to ignore it and live what I had, and that was what I did. I was in pain, but I buried it down to live with what I had. And dad didn¡¯t bother asking me to do otherwise. This fact is exactly why I promised to support my daughter no matter the consequences. She was going to be my princess, and I was her rock which she could lean against. I didn¡¯t want her thinking for a second that she was alone. What I dealt with and what I was currently going through, these were two things that I never wanted her dealing with, and that was something that I was making sure to prove to anyone who tried telling me otherwise. I wanted her to feel safe, and I never wanted her to have a shaky ground under her, but this was something that I didn¡¯t have. My ground was shaking long before I got married, and me marrying Dean only added to it. The happy life that everyone believed that I had was one that was only behind the cameras as the smiles were something that the public wanted to see. But I had to admit, no one, not even my parents, read through my pain as I tried to exin to them that I couldn¡¯t handle doing what I did for them at times. It was only Dean who managed to understand my true pain through my eyes without me needing to say a word. I could have the brightest smile, and he would often know if I was being honest or if I was lying with my smile. And that was something that had me loving him more than I did. In my head, I had finally found the person who understood and read me. Little did I know was that he left me like everyone else did. ¡°I will be outside if there is anything that you or my little granddaughter need. She is asleep already but could wake up in the middle of the night.¡± I had to fight back, shaking my head at his statement. This ce was treated as if it were some guest house to me. Hell, at this point, I believed that I would have more freedom in a guesthouse as no one would tell me when to and when not to do something, eat, sleep, or take a piss. Sure, eating on one dining table was important but the thing was, we were eating in our rooms after way, but picking up our food from the dining room. It sickened me that we were forced to live this this was how things were in this house, and at this point, I knew not to bother. I wasn¡¯t part of this house, and I had my own rules when it came to raising my daughter, and neither one of them followed whatever shit that I was forced to live through with my family and parents. Therefore, I knew to just cope with this until we both went home tomorrow. It was how their system was, and I wasn¡¯t going toe and change it for them when I didn¡¯t even live here. I just knew not to teach this bad habit to my own daughter, and that was something that I swore against. If anything, the two of us would be sitting on one table regardless of the time. I watched as my father walked out of the room, leaving me alone to think beforeying on my to collect my thoughts. The fact that I couldn¡¯t get Dean out of my head was something that hurt me more than ever, bed 27/0 mostly because I didn¡¯t know how to react to the pain that I was feeling. I just knew that I was hurting and that was something that I couldn¡¯t find myself getting out of The man knew of my, well, our, daughter, and that was something that scared me. It scared me because I didn¡¯t know how he would be reacting. What his real reaction would be was something that I didn¡¯t know and at this point, I couldn¡¯t even predict, and that was something that scared the life out of me. I knew that he did tell me that he wouldn¡¯t try taking her from me, but a man who took everything from me was not a man that I trusted, regardless of whatever it is that he was going to tell me. However, I knew that somewhere deep inside me, whether or not I chose to admit it, was that I was thankful for him knowing of her. At least, this was something that I didn¡¯t regret when it came to my child. It was something that I knew that she would at least be knowing about soon enough, and that was something that I was more than just a little thankful for. ¡°Mama?¡± I heard Lillian call, breaking my train of attention as she walked toward my room, holding her teddy bear in her hand. I looked at her and got up from bed before getting on my knees in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s going on, baby girl?¡± I asked, noticing her red cheeks. ¡°Can I sleep here? I had a bad dream and I was scared.¡± She said and my heart swelled before I nodded and lifted her in my arms, cuddling her as I silently let her know that mommy was here and that she was no longer alone. I gentlyy her on the bed¡¯s center before getting in beside her. ¡°Does this make you feel better?¡± I ran my finger through her hair, gently massaging her scalp before she nodded as he snugged in my embrace. ¡°Yes, mama,¡± she said, her voice making me smile. ¡°I do feel better¡­¡± Baby 25 Chapter 25 Dean: ¡°Where the fuck do you think you¡¯re going?¡± I asked, frowning at Mariana who was heading toward the car as I was leaving the house for work. I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew that she didn¡¯t have anything to do this early in the morning. It was something that she often seemed to forget, that I knew where she was going and where she hat was something that I learned to keep in mind as I took my precautions after whatever ¡°I am sorry, but I am not going to watch my house be wrecked because of a woman who I do not trust. The two of you can rot in hell for all I care, but I am not going to allow you to spend¡­¡± ¡°Mariana, before I do something that I know I will end up regretting, and before you say something that will end up getting you in trouble with me as your husband, I do suggest that you go you go inside.¡± I said, stopping the woman. Thest thing that I needed right now was for her to think that she could be acting the way that she was right now. The woman was ying a dangerous game, and I didn¡¯t think that she even realized it. I knew that if she did, she wouldn¡¯t dare y the way that she was. To say Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. the least, she would be somewhat scared of what she was getting herself into. ¡°I am not a child for you to think that you can control, nor do you have the right to do so to begin with. As for me spending time with Iris, if she is at thepany for a meeting, then we will act professionally¡­ ¡°I saw the way that you were looking at her, Dean. I am not fucking blind, and I will have you know that I will not watch my house fall because of her. I fought to build it by your side and thest thing that I want¡­ ¡°She is my ex,¡± I said, stopping her. The woman was reacting this way and she didn¡¯t even know that I had a daughter. I didn¡¯t know how she would react when she found out about her. But I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. The fact that I wanted to see her was going to be something, but the fact that I knew that Iris wouldn¡¯t let me see her alone, at least, until she was a bit older, was another think you you thing. And that was something that I knew Mariana wouldn¡¯t like. ¡°Whatever it is that saw, I will have you try and forget about it. The two of us are colleagues and partners. Thest thing that you are going to do is interfere in what I do to work, and who I work with. Be it Iris or someone else, I don¡¯t think that you have any right to think that you can choose whether or not I work with them.¡± ¡°I do not want you working with her. What do I have to do to prove it to your She is not a person that I want you working , nor is she a person that I want you being around.¡± She said, and I shook my head at her behavior. In truth, knowing that I was cold when it came to being around her, I knew that I couldn¡¯t me her for the way that she was feeling. Maybe she was scared that I would choose Iris over her, or maybe she was feeling that just didn¡¯t want to be around her anymore. Either way, I knew for fact that she didn¡¯t like where things were going, and that was something that I understood. ¡°I am heading off to work, Mariana, and this attitude better be gone when I am back. I don¡¯t know whether you are on your period or not, but whatever the reason is, just fucking snap out of it.¡± I said, ring at her. It wasn¡¯t like she would care whether or not I came back from work early. I Chapter 25 knew that she would have whatever busy schedule that she tended to y with during the day. It was just the fact that I was going to be around Iris that she didn¡¯t like, and that was something that I didn¡¯t want to think of considering. I knew that I would be around the woman more often considering that we had a daughter, and that was something that Mariana didn¡¯t know yet. If she was acting this way by just knowing that Sienna was around, I didn¡¯t want to think of how she would act when she found out about my daughter. For now, I would rather I keep that detail from her. Thest thing that I would want is to have a fuss over something like this, especially since my own daughter does not even know that I am her father. I didn¡¯t bother waiting for her to respond before I walked toward the car and closed the door. She looked at me and shook her head before turning around as I drove toward the front door. I could see her through the rear mirror as she ran her fingers through her hair and I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The woman had a lot to learn, and that was something that I knew she was refusing. It was something that I did try to help her with; however, she just seemed to reject learning or trying to improve as a wife, and instead, she simply saw me as that bank or ATM machine that she could use. ¡°It will be over soon, Mariana.¡± I said, speaking to myself. ¡°One way or the other, the two of us will find a way to just end this marriage without a major fuss. This would at least free the two of us from this torment once and for all¡­¡± ¡°Mama,¡± I heard the little girl, Lillian, say calling Iris as she approached. I was at the school as I had a few meetings after the issues of the rain that happened the other day, and I had to admit, I did hope to catch Iris and Lillian here. It was something that was going to be the highlight of my day, and now that I saw them both, I couldn¡¯t help the small smile that formed on my lips at their sight. ¡°Here¡¯s my little princess.¡± Iris said before lifting her daughter in her arms. She kissed her before pulling away to look her in the eye, smiling at the little angel who seemed to be the happiest child in the world. I smiled at the sight and walked toward them before clearing my throat, catching Iris¡¯s attention. She frowned when she saw me before putting Lillian down, watching as the little girl stepped behind her knee, looking at me as she studied my expression. ¡°I take it that it is bing a habit of youing to the school.¡± Iris crossed her arms over her chest as she asked and I smirked before looking at the little girl who was hiding behind her. I looked at Iris for a second, silently asking for permission before getting down on my knee and extending my hand toward the child. ¡°I am Dean,¡± Lillian looked at her mother for a few seconds before Iris put her hand on her head, gently running her fingers through her hair. She slowly pushed her forward, encouraging her to approach me. She looked at Iris for a few seconds and she smiled, giving her a silent nod. Lillian looked at me for a few seconds, her eyes studying my expression, clearly debating on what she would do or say, making my heart swell as a smile made its way to my lips. The fact that I knew that Iris did a good job in raising her did note as surprising to me, but I was just amazed by how beautifully educated the little child was despite her young age. Lillian extended her hand toward me and I pulled her closer before cupping her cheeks and kissing 2/3 her forehead. I had to admit, feeling her touch against my skin made my chest ache as I knew that I missed more than I should have as her father. And I couldn¡¯t me Iris f keeping her from me. The damage that did shouldn¡¯t have been forgiven to begin with and just the fact that she was allowing me to see my daughter should have been something that I thanked her for. ¡°I am Lillian.¡± She said once I pulled away, her voice was music to my ears, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t help but fall in love with. I didn¡¯t even kno how it was possible for a child that I barely even knew to steal my heart the way that she was, but it was something that I couldn¡¯t help but admire. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Lillian.¡± I said, and she smiled, blushing at me. Iris took a step back, allowing me the privacy of the moment. I looked up at Iris for a second before looking down at Lillian who had her eyes on me, studying my expression for a few seconds, making my heart skip a beat. She was a lot like her mother when it came to the first time she met me. The way she was timid, and the way she tried being careful, all that made me smile as Llooked at her, wanting to cradle and protect her from the world. ¡°How about we go out for a drink?¡± I said, looking at Iris whose eyes met mine as she frowned. I stood up and looked at the woman who used to be my wife, watching as she tried studying my expression. ¡°It would give us time to actually talk about this, Iris.¡± I looked at Lillian who had her eyes on her mom, waiting for what she had to say before I cleared my throat again, wanting to catch her attention, ¡°what do you think, little one? Would you like to go out for a little drink?¡± Baby 26 Chapter 26 Iris: ¡°You did not have to do this, Dean.¡± I said, ring at the man who was guiding us toward a restaurant. The man refused to let use with my car, iming that he could drive us back to school when we were done, and that was something that annoyed me more than ever, especially since I wasn¡¯t ready to be alone with him afterst right. ¡°We can have this conversation when Lillian is not with us.¡± ¡°I know, but there is no need to keep waiting for something to happen when we can actually do something about it to make it happen.¡± Dean said, smiling down at our daughter who held my hand. I ran my finger over hers, thankful that she was too focused on the walls around us and the art that was there, the kids area was also packed with children, but I knew that she was somewhat too tired to go there right now. At least, it was how she was at school. My little one would often take naps after school to ensure that she didn¡¯t grow tired over the day, but seeing her eyes light up. knew that things might end up taking a different turn. I Dean looked at the kids area before turning to Lillian and getting on his knee in front of her. There were a few nannies and babysitters inside and I knew that it was their duty to mostly take care of the kids; however, just the idea of someone that I didn¡¯t know watching over my child was not something that I favored; however, knowing Dean, I knew that he would find his way around this to get to spend the time he wants alone with me. Talking about this topic was not going to be done in front of Lillian, that was obvious, and he knew for fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get me alone to talk about this any other way. ¡°Do you want to go and y with the other kids?¡± He asked, his voice softening as he spoke to the little girl who stared at him with big beautiful eyes. It pained me to know that the man who stood in front of her was the man that she spent most of her childhood asking about. Since she grew old enough to go to school and recognize the fact that other kids had their fathers with them, she was often curious about why she didn¡¯t have hers with her. And now that he was, I didn¡¯t know how to confront her about it. ¡°But mommy.. ¡°If you want to go, sweetheart, you can.¡± I said softly, not wanting her to hesitate because she was worried about what I had to say about it. I knew that I would be able to keep an eye on her anyway, and the fact that this wasn¡¯t any restaurant, it was one that almost all businessmen and women came when they wanted to mingle about; however, some often brought their kids to have them interacting with one another even at the young age that they were at. It was one of the first that Dean and I came to together as a husband and wife when we were having a few meetings with his peers. Lillian smiled and nodded excitedly, and forcing myself to let her hand go, I watched as she walked with her father toward the reception where thedy took her in. He looked back at me for a second before turning to the woman who was looking at the two of us, waiting for what we had to say. ¡°Do you want to give your number?¡± He asked, looking at me and I shook my head, I had to be an adult and make this decision as long as I wanted him to be part of her life. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but small steps like this would be making a difference, that was something that I knew for fact. yes were wide in surprise as ¡°You can give them yours.¡± I said, avoiding Dean¡¯s eyes. I knew that his he froze for a second before turning to face the woman. Lillian smiled at me before running inside the room to y with the other kids while Dean turned to face me as he led me toward one of the tables. ¡°You still sit on the same table after all time?¡± I asked and he shook his head. My heart swelled at the fact that he actually remembered our exact table to guide us to it after all this time. The memories that we both had in this ce were endless, and though it was something that I wanted to do so. All I had to do was live with everything and ept it. I needed to know how to be strong because of it, but he more I thought of what happened, the more I felt weak to my stomach as I recalled how happy I was with the man before he was taken away from me. to forget, I knew that it would be impossib ¡°I haven¡¯t been here since the two of us got divorced.¡± He said, making my chest ache at the memory. The fact that I knew that things were going to be rough wasn¡¯t a lie, but I knew better than to act upon it, if anything, I knew that I needed to try and ept that things have happened for a reason between us, and whether or not I liked it, I knew that they wouldn¡¯t be changing anytime soon. ¡°What do you want to drink?¡± He asked, changing the subject as we both sat on our chairs. I looked Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. head down at the desk, trying to ignore the pain that I was feeling as his words kept ying in my And though I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he said it to hurt me or he was being genuine, I couldn¡¯t help but find myself softening as I looked at him. ¡°A caf¨¦tte would be good.¡± I said, and he nodded. I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be drinking most of it, at least, I didn¡¯t n to. My stomach was already sore and the two of us hadn¡¯t even started the conversation. Dean ordered the drinks from the waitress who approached us before turning his attention to me. I had to admit, just the fact that I had his full attention somewhat frightened me, mostly because I didn¡¯t know where anything would be going; however, I knew one thing, I was more than just scared because of it. ¡°What happened over the years? Where did you go and how did you manage things?¡± He asked, making my chest ache. It was a past that I didn¡¯t want to open. Especially since I knew that even I didn¡¯t know how I managed to deal with things. I was alone, and weak. My mom refused to be there- for me when I needed her most, and my dad didn¡¯t bothering as I knew that he couldn¡¯t face me; therefore, for months, I was just stuck on my own. ¡°I knew that staying here was not going to be good either for me or Lillian when I found out that I was pregnant. Hence why I chose to leave.¡± I said, answering his underlined question. It was something that I knew he liked. I read him like an open book and regardless of whatever he tried asking, whether direct or not, I often knew what he was referring to. ¡°As for why I didn¡¯t tell you, before you ask, I was afraid that you would have me abort her, or that you would resent her. Me hiding her was more suitable at that point, as I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle any more stress than 1¨Calready was in.¡± ¡°Did you know that you were pregnant when you signed the divorce papers?¡± He asked and I nodded. I couldn¡¯t even look the man in the eye as answered the question, mostly because I knew that things would have taken a different turn if he knew. But the damage had been done back then, and staying with him was not going to make anything better. If anything, it was going to make things worse for both him and I, especially with his mistress, or more specifically, his wife, and that wasn¡¯t something that I wanted to handle. ¡°I almost lost her on that day when I was signing the paper. The two of us were arguing and that was when I decided that it was either my love for you or my child.¡± I said, taking a deep breath as I tried voicing out what happened. Dean stayed quiet as he listened. ¡°I chose my baby that night. It killed me inside to know that my choice could lead to the fact that she might not end up having her father, but I knew that protecting her was my duty as her mother. If not, then I wouldn¡¯t be considered a mother.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? I mean, when you found out?¡± He asked, and I gave him a weak smile as the waitress came with our drinks. The guilt that I felt about not telling him was one that I couldn¡¯t describe, mostly because I knew that things might have been different, but I couldn¡¯t tell him about it, I was scared. ¡°You had Mariana in your life and I knew that you didn¡¯t want me in your life inparison to her.¡± I said, avoiding his eyes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ruin that happiness for you, and I couldn¡¯t build my happiness over a misery that I knew would end up being my fate.¡± Dean stayed quiet for a few seconds, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel like my chest ached as he looked down at his cup of coffee. His next words took me off guard though, despite him not looking at me, and despite his somewhat cold tone, I could tell that he was being genuine with his question. It was one that I knew to expect, and was one that I knew that he would be asking, especially since I knew that he wanted to take part in our daughter¡¯s life. It was something that I wouldn¡¯t be able to deprive him from his daughter, especially when I knew that he missed a lot in her life because of
  1. me.
¡°So, what do you n on doing from here?¡± Baby 27 Dean: I forced myself to stay calm and collected as I looked at my ex, the woman that I have hurt more. than anyone in the globe, looking like she was having the mental battle of her life. It was one that I knew I forced her into. It was one that she never thought that she would end up dealing with, and yet, here she was, fighting to catch her breath as to exin to me whatever she had in mind. Her eyes wouldn¡¯t meet mine, reminding me of the night that I broke up with her as I filed for the first divorce paper. It was one that she refused to sign, and this was one year and a half into our marriage. The night that I first told her about Marina despite her knowing and not confronting me about it. shback: ¡°I have another woman in my life, Iris, what is hard for you to understand in that? I don¡¯t fucking want you in my life anymore.¡± I said, snapping at her. She stayed quiet and collected, obviously not surprised before she pulled her phone out to show me a picture. ¡°I always knew that you had Mariana in your life, Dean. But fucks sake, if she managed to somehow seduce you to get in your pants, then snap the fuck out of it. I am your wife, and you are my husband. If she is a mistress, then it would stay that way.¡± She said, taking me off guard. I had to admit, it wasn¡¯t the response that I expected at all, if anything, I expected her to be furious; however, she seemed to be calm and collected, and I had to admit, that fact bothered me more than ever. ¡°You and I are going to be getting a divorce. At this point, I don¡¯t give a fuck about what you say.¡± I said, snapping at her. She stayed quiet for a few seconds before shaking her head. ¡°And what are you going to tell the jury? That I want to file a divorce because I am cheating on her? Because I am having an affair? Fucks sake be logical, Dean. The two of us are the ¡®perfect¡® couple that everyone wants to associate with, do you really want to risk your career for a woman like Mariana?¡± She asked, snapping at me. I red at her before taking a step toward her, forcing her to step back as I pinned her against the closet¡¯s door which was behind her. I put my hand on the door behind her, ring daggers at her as I did and she raised an eyebrow. ¡°What? Are the facts bothering you?¡± ¡°You are going to regret this, Iris,¡± I said, and she shook her head. ¡°I will be sure that you regret choosing to make this harder for yourself. I give you my fucking word.¡± ¡°If I regret anything in this world, it won¡¯t be not giving up to a mistress. My apologies, but thest thing that I would do is regret not giving my home and marriage to an idiot who has seduced my husband for fucking sex and his money.¡± She snapped back before putting her hand on my chest. I watched as she pushed me back before walking toward the door past me. ¡°Get ready, your parents areing over and I doubt that you would want them to know about this.¡± T End of shback. I hated admitting it now, but she was right about every word that she said. She wasn¡¯t a person that I could im was wrong about what she said or imed. If anything, she was very right. It just sickened me that despite her fighting me for three years, wanting to exin the concept to me, maybe thinking that Mariana and I¡¯s fling would die down, that I didn¡¯t understand until it was far toote to revert from it. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Mariana was with me for the money and only the money. That fact alone was painful for me to admit after all the time spent defending her before she was my wife and after I chose to elope with her. ¡°You know that the two of us are going to have to do something for Lillian, and it will have to be something that we both agree on.¡± I said, and she frowned in confusion. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t expect me to give up on my daughter now that I know that she exists. I may not want to take her custody, but you know that I want to take part in her life.¡± ¡°Dean, it is not that simple, you do know that, right? She doesn¡¯t even know who you are and I doubt that it would be easy for her to understand that you are her father and yet we are keeping it from her. Yes, she may just be a child, but I did not raise her to¡­¡± ¡°Then we go to a psychiatrist and they tell us how to handle this situation.¡± I said, stopping her my voiceing out louder than I expected it to be. She looked down at her cup for a few seconds, taking a deep breath as she processed the fact that I was fighting her over this; however, this was not something that I was asking her for. ¡°I understand that the two of us broke up, but the girl has nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°The two of us broke up for me to be able to protect my daughter. I doubt that you would have wanted to take part in her life before, and I don¡¯t think that you would want to do it now; therefore, I don¡¯t think that you have any right to suddenly im that you want what is best for her when you knew nothing about her a week ago.¡± She snapped, ring at me. I froze, not knowing what to say as she fought to keep her tone collected despite her anger. I could tell that she was in pain, and that was something that forced me to step back as I looked at her, studying her expression. ¡°I understand that you now want to be in her life, but that would be based on what I say, and based on how she epts it. I am sorry, but you made the choice to y me for four years, simply choosing to be with me when you knew that you wanted to annoy your mistress. While I am well aware that I do not have the right to judge, I apologize, but thest thing that I would want for my child is for her to be around a mistress that broke her parents¡® home.¡± My heart raced against my chest and I fisted my palm, ring at the woman who sat in front of me. Her eyes were fixed on mine, and it hurt me to say that I saw her pain in her eyes. It was one that i never expected to see, but was also one that annoyed me more than anything. Mostly because I knew that her pain was due to her feeling helpless. She knew that she was making a mistake, and she knew that she was being stubborn because she was angry with me, and though I couldn¡¯t theoretically me her, I wasn¡¯t the best person for her to trust around herself or her daughter, I still didn¡¯t like the way that she was acting. ¡°You know for fact that you are making a mistake, Iris, and that mistake is going to fire back at you in ways that you will not be able to handle.¡± 19%2 ¡°Is that a threat?¡± She asked, frowning in confusion. The way she asked told me that she was now no longer frightened, but was ready to act on impulse, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t help but find my heart aching for. ¡°You know for fucking fact that you have no power over my child, and one call to the cops would have you behind bars. And believe me, I will not hesitate to protect my child if I need to.¡± The woman knew for fact that I hated when she was stubborn, and I knew that she hated when I pressed on her, but this time, she wasn¡¯t even giving me the chance to think that I could be the better man for our daughter. She wasn¡¯t the only one who made her, and had I known of her, I knew that I would have taken care of her. I knew that even Iris knew of it, at least, deep down. I wasn¡¯t sure about the woman who sat in front of me right now. ¡°You can consider it as a warning.¡± I said, keeping my eyes on the woman who shook her head at me. I knew that she would be more than willing to fight for Lillian, but I was the girl¡¯s father, and if I was deprived of her, it was because I was not aware of her existence. ¡°And by the way, I may have not wanted you in my life, and thank you for giving me the reminder of why I didn¡¯t want you as a wife.¡± She froze, not saying a word before a pained smile reced her frown. She pulled her purse out and put a fifty dor bill on the table before getting up and heading toward the y room. I closed my eyes before wrapping my hand around her wrist, stopping her from moving. ¡°I am sorry, Iris, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± ¡°Do your best, Dean.¡± She said, stopping me. ¡°You are not going to take my daughter away from me. I give you my fucking word to fight to myst breath to ensure that she is safe¡­¡± Baby 28 Chapter 28 Iris: I held on to my daughter¡¯s hand as if my life depended on it, guiding her toward the cab, not wanting to talk or see anyone, I was currently blind to my own emotions, and that was something that was bad. I knew that about myself, but I knew that I needed to block my emotions in order not to burst in front of otherwise, I knew very well that things would be taking a very wrong turn of events. my child. I knew that the car was left at her school, but that was the least of my concerns right now. I wanted get her to my parents¡® house because I knew that I needed a minute for myself. To ¡°Mommy¡­¡± her voice made me jump despite how low it was, and I couldn¡¯t help but frown as I looked at her, growing overwhelmed with the fact that I knew that she was his daughter. The fact that I came here with her was something that I was already regretting, mostly because I knew that I couldn¡¯t do anything about it now. It was a bit toote to go back, and plus, my dad needed me here. Otherwise, I knew that he might end up refusing to proceed with the medication, and that was something that I refused to ept. I refused to think that he could go around, avoiding it because I wasn¡¯t by his side here. ¡°Please take us to this address.¡± I said, handing the driver my GPS. Thankfully, I mostly keep it inside my purse to ensure that I never forget it. It came in handy when I was stuck in such situations, and knowing that my phone was mostly with me, I knew that I could always use it in the car IF I forgot my GPS at home. ¡°Did I do anything to upset you, mommy?¡± She asked, and I shook my head. I couldn¡¯t me her for taking Dean¡¯s offer. As her mother, I was the one who was supposed to reject, and considering the fact that he was her father, I knew that I was forced to suck it up and stay quiet. However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like my chest was on fire with each breath that I took. part I wrapped my arms around my princess and kissed the crown of her head. She was my blessing, and my curse. A blessing because I knew that I would be forever bound to my little one. She was a of me, my daughter, and little angel. My curse, because despite my love for her, I knew that she would always be the one person that tied me to the man who broke more than just my heart. It sickened me to admit, but the man has done more damage on me than anyone ever has in my life, and that was something that I couldn¡¯t just forgive him for. If anything, it was something that I knew that I would never forgive him for. ¡°No, baby girl. Mommy is just tired after the long day.¡± I said,ying my cheek on her head as I fought back my tears. Dean¡¯s words yed in my head, and as if all the sacrifices that I made weren¡¯t enough for our marriage, he still had the audacity to hurt me the way that he did. But then again, it was my fault. It was me who allowed him to cross his limits with me the way that he did, and I knew that had I not done so, then he wouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Does mommy want to go to sleep?¡± She asked me, making my chest ache. I wished that I could sleep all of this away. I could swear that it was my dream to just wake up in my room with my daughter by my side, in our house in Ondo. It would have made things a whole lot easier for me. I wouldn¡¯t have to at least think of the man every now and then, and I wouldn¡¯t be seeing him as often as I was now. If anything, I wouldn¡¯t be seeing him at all. The man was constantly on the news, it was something that I knew. However, I was a person who has managed to distance myself from it, and by time, I just chose to keep changing whatever channel that he was on. The rumors, and the reporters who tried topare me and Mariana were endless, but it was often something that I chose to ignore and neglect. And thankfully, when I moved, despite everything being on TV, my life had changed for the better, especially when many saw that I was not associated with whatever bullshit the media tried to make me look like I was into. ¡°No, baby girl. Mommy is going to drop you to the pana and grandpa before she goes out. I have a few things to tend to and I want you to promise me that you will be good. Nana needs to rest as she too has had a long day, and you know that grandpa needs to heal.¡± I said, and she nodded. ¡°So, I need you to promise me that you will be good and that you won¡¯t tire them out. I know that you have homework to tend to, so, if you can do it, I would be very happy.¡± ¡°I will do my homework with nana. She likes it when I do my homework with her.¡± Lillian said, and I nodded, watching as the driver pulled over at the house¡¯s front door. I nodded at the man and handed him a fifty dor bill despite the trip costing thirteen. ¡°You can keep the change, thank you so much.¡± I said, smiling at the man who nodded. I walked out of the car with my daughter, holding her hand in mine before the two of us walked to my parents house. I knew that mom wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see us. Though I didn¡¯t call her, just knowing that I was in the same perimeter with Dean at the moment meant that I needed their support, or at least, their help when it came to Lillian when I needed to be alone. When I was alone with her, I often resolved to the fact that she had a nanny, and though I didn¡¯t leave them alone in the house, I would leave them to y in the yroom or watch a movie while I tried to clear my mind in my room. It was a daily routine that I had for myself to ensure that I was mentally able to actually manage taking care of my daughter without unnecessary breakdowns. It was something that I couldn¡¯t find myself doing right now. I rang the bell and watched as my mother opened the door for us. She looked at me, studying my expression for a few seconds before she took a step back, allowing my daughter and I inside. I didn¡¯t want to speak to her, especially not after what she did to thepany. Though the two of us were quiet about it, and though I didn¡¯t beg for whatever it was thats he expected me to, I couldn¡¯t help but feel angry with her as a person, and that was something that she knew very well. She knew the damage that she made, and yet, she didn¡¯t bother asking how I coped or managed to deal with it. She was just surprised when I was able to get out of the situation that she wanted to throw me in without sinking. It was something that she didn¡¯t expect. That was something that I knew for fact.. She shook her head in question, silently asking if I was okay, and I nodded, knowing that there was no point in trying to open up to her. She has made it obvious to me that she wanted nothing to do with me as her daughter, at least, when it came to this topic, and I honestly didn¡¯t want her worrying dad; therefore, there was no point in trying to dig into something that would hurt the two of them. +39%41 ¡°Mommy wants me to stay here and do my homework.¡± Lillian said, looking at mom who smiled at her. Mom looked at me, frowning in confusion as she tried understanding what was going on, but I had nothing to tell her to exin things. ¡°I have work to tend to, mom. I won¡¯t be too long,¡± said, not wanting her to ask any questions as I went to turn to the door. Thest thing that I wanted was for dad to see me right now. Regardless of the fact that he mostly didn¡¯t say anything, I knew that he would be able to read me like an open book, and that was something that I didn¡¯t want. I didn¡¯t want him to see or read my pain through my eyes. It was something that would worry. and I didn¡¯t want that. him. Mom nodded at her maid to take Lillian inside before she followed me to the door. She looked me in the eye, shaking her head in question, trying to get me to say anything despite knowing that I wouldn¡¯t. The two of us were well aware that it wouldn¡¯t be happening. We weren¡¯t close for that to happen, but I knew that she was asking as a mother who was concerned about her daughter. I knew that I would be worried about mine if I saw her in the same state that I was in. The only difference would be the fact that I would be in my daughter¡¯s life, I would support her through whatever it was her mother did. But that wasn¡¯t the case with my life with my mother or our rtionship; therefore, I wasn¡¯t stupid as to think that she would bother truly caring about what I was feeling or how I felt. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°What is going on, Iris?¡± She asked, shaking her head in question. ¡°You obviously didn¡¯te with your car¡­ ¡°Nothing is wrong, mother.¡± I said, stopping her. ¡°I will be back to pick my daughter up in a few hours. You don¡¯t need to worry about us staying over.¡± ¡°Iris¡­¡± ¡°Please, I need to head out before I amte.¡± I said, stopping her again. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Baby 29 Chapter 29 Dean: To say that I was annoyed would be an understatement to what I was feeling. If anything. I felt like I was breaking inside, and the thing was, I knew that I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Mostly because I knew that it was me who was crossing my limits. My heart raced against my chest as I entered the house to smell food being cooked. It was something that rarely ever happened, especially considering the fact that Mariana was often not at home when I was back to begin with. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Dean,¡± she said, approaching me with a smile on her face. She knew that with Iris here, that things would be different for her. The woman was feeling somewhat threatened, it was something that I knew very well; however, I knew that this was only temporary. She was never one to truly care about what I did or anything that went on in my head. ¡°What are you doing. Mariana?¡± I asked, watching as she tried approaching me to remove my jacket for me. I took a step back, not wanting her to touch me. It was something that she knew Iresented when it came from her, mostly because I knew that she was rarely ever genuine about it. The woman couldn¡¯t care less whether or not I was upset unless she thought that it would affect her, and that was something that I hated with everything that I had. ¡°Dean, I am your wife, and you know for fact that I am trying my best to satisfy you¡­¡± ¡°Mariana, you and I both know that you are only doing so because you don¡¯t want to lose what you have. I don¡¯t have anything to do with it, and I never will; therefore, please, just fucking stop with whatever bullshit you¡¯re putting up because I am not buying it. I really am not.¡± I said, stopping her. I was growing tired of her acts, and the thing was, no matter how many times I tried telling her that I wasn¡¯t falling for them, she didn¡¯t seem to believe or understand. But now I was more than a little determined to prove it to her. ¡°I am fucking trying, Dean. You are literally not giving me the chance to prove it. Yes, I do understand that we have our ups and downs¡­¡± ¡°Do you really believe that we have any ups and downs, Mariana?¡± I asked, stopping her. ¡°As my wife, do you think that you have anything to do with me aside from my fucking bank ount? Becausest I checked, the only thing that the two of us have is you asking for money because you want to attend a g and need a dress, you want to get a¡­¡± ¡°I am doing that to fit being in your standard. Fucks sake, Dean, do you think that all these other women don¡¯t judge me? Because they do. I listen to every single word they say and I do my best to try and be one of them¡­¡± ¡°You are never going to be one of them, Mariana.¡± I said, stopping her. Her eyes widened in surprise and she frowned in confusion, trying to understand what I had to say. But it was the hard truth. These women grew up being the way that they were while Mariana didn¡¯t even know most of the outfit brands that they wore. These women had stylistsing to make them special dresses for them to wear simply to show them off at a g or gathering while she had to beg them toe. to simply bring her dresses that she knew she would find in any store. The women got presents: from these stores to simply thank them for wearing their outfits and representing them. Mariana bought the clothes, pretending that she got them as presents, to try and show off. However, these women knew that they were not presents, and the stores themselves often embarrassed her by posting that these weren¡¯t presents and that she simply bought them. All these facts should have sunk in her head a long time ago but she seemed to still want to fight whatever battle she thought that she could reach and be part of. It was something that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do simply because she was not one of them, and the sooner she got that in her head, the better it would be for the two of us as a husband and wife, and for her as a person who wanted to keep her dignity. Because these women wouldn¡¯t leave her with any if it were up to them. ¡°Mariana, I have said it not once, not twice, but tens of times, these wormen and you are never going to be one. I understand that you are trying to fit in their society, but I will have you understand, these women, all of them, grew up with a fucking golden spoon in their mouths. These women grew up having what they do and they did not need to ask for them and will never need to beg to have what they do. You on the other hand, you will need to work hard to obtain these things that you are having, and if not for me, you would not be able to have them. I am not saying that to insult you, you have worked hard, but you know that neither one of these women has. They grew up having theirpanies and shares¡­¡± ¡°These women have husbands that also gave them shares to add to their worth, and yet, my own husband wouldn¡¯t spare me his wallet without wondering where I spent every dime.¡± She said, stopping me. ¡°If I am to be like them; then you as my husband need to treat me the way that their husbands treat them, and I do not need to grow up with a golden spoon for me to know that I can have more than whatever they do or that I could have whatever they do. I just need someone to believe that I can be like them.¡± ¡°And why the fuck would I be giving you any shares? For you to sell them on a first opportunity? Or for you to think that you have a ce in thepany?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°Last I checked, you have been the talk of everyone in thepany and the media for¡­¡± ¡°I did not force you to cheat on Iris, and if you are so into rubbing that in my face, why not go to her? You two can build yourselves together and I can just step back. You can¡­¡± ¡± back ¡°Then file for a fucking divorce and believe me the first thing that I will do is beg for that woman¡¯s forgiveness.¡± I said, snapping at her. My heart raced against my ribcage as I processed what I said out of anger. Not only did I just admit to myself and my wife that I wanted to be back to my ex, but I also contradicted myself from my conversation with Iris earlier. ¡°You are a fucking prick. I swear, you are just a prick who is after affairs.¡± She said, shaking her head at me. Tears fell from her eyes at my words and I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Last I checked, you were the one who did everything that she could possibly do to get my heels, attention. Whether it was wearing short clothes, putting on random perfumes, clicking your your soft voice when you spoke I said, raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°I do believe that you remember the first time you ¡®wiped¡® my shirt clean after you ¡®dropped¡® sauce over it. The way you looked at you remember that? Do you remember how you told me that you knew that we were me, do Wed, Aug ¡®meant to be together since that day? So, if it is me who is after affairs, what do you call yourself, huh? The woman who knew that I was married and yet chose to get between my wife and I? Or the woman who thought that she could get away with everything that she did simply because she was wearing a shirt skirt?¡± Mariana stayed quiet for a few seconds before she walked toward the closet to get herself a jacket. I watched as she put it on before she walked toward the door, wanting to head out past me. ¡°There is food for you on the dining table. I am goifig out to clear my head, not that about it anyway¡­. you would care ¡°No, you are not going to go out.¡± I said, stopping her by wrapping my hand around her wrist. ¡°Thest time you did that, you ended up causing trouble with the media, and that is not something that I will allow you to do.¡± Her eyes darkened with anger as I knew that it was what she nned on doing. ¡°I do suggest that you fucking go inside and tend to your needs. Otherwise, I will have you know that I will be sure to make you regret fighting for this marriage.¡± I looked her dead in the eye, reminding her of the past that the tw of us knew very well. If anyone knew how hard I was when it came to these situations, then it was Mariana. She knew that I wasn¡¯t a person who was to be messed up with when it came to wanting to let go of someone. She saw it first hand with Iris. ¡°Therefore, I do sugges suggest that you choose your next moves and word ordingly, Mariana¡­¡± Baby 30 Chapter 30 Iris: I found myself sitting outside the front door of my house, not knowing where to go, getting lost in the number of thoughts that I was having, feeling more pain than I ever thoguht that I would. Mostly, I was angry, and the thing was, these emotions were ones that I didn¡¯t like my daughter seeing in me. It was something that I often fought against, and yet, here I was, weakening. The thing was, I knew that I would end up going to my parents¡® to pick Lillian up. Thest thing that I needed was for them to ponder me with questions if I didn¡¯t. But right now, I didn¡¯t want to be a mother. It was an urge that I couldn¡¯t fight, but couldn¡¯t help but find myself not wanting to take care of these duties and instead, I just wanted to be left alone to drown whatever I was feeling. I ran my fingers through my hair for a few seconds beforeying my back on the porch¡¯s wall. I didn¡¯t even care if anyone passed by or watched. At this point, I couldn¡¯t care about anything. The man that I loved, the man who was my husband, looked at me as if I were some kind of pest, and the way he spoke to me didn¡¯t make anything better. If anything, I couldn¡¯t help but feel small, and that fact alone broke me more than ever. My heart raced against my chest as I ran my fingers through my hair, recalling his words. ¡°You can consider it as a warning.¡± His threat could be seen in his eyes as he spoke. The way he looked at me, ring daggers at me, told me that he would be more than willing to hurt me. But his next words were the ones that broke me, especially when I knew that I had sacrificed a lot to be with him at the time. I could have been with someone who at least loved or appreciated me, but I chose him, and this was what I got. ¡°And by the way, I may have not wanted you in my life, and thank you for giving me the reminder of why I didn¡¯t want you as a wife.¡± The words have been ying in my head for hours, and now, I knew that I needed to somewhat snap out of them. If anything, it was me who wanted to sign the divorce papers. I wasn¡¯t forced to do so; however, I knew that I couldn¡¯t really get over him that easily. It just sickened me inside that he was easily over me, and not only that, but that he was easily able to look past the rtionship that the two of us had before Mariana. The fact that I no longer knew whether he was ever honest about his feelings toward me didn¡¯t make things any better, especially when I knew that Mariana was employed a year into our marriage. But to know that he might have just felt forced into the marriage only made me lose my own self¨Cconfidence, and that wasn¡¯t something that I epted or took very lightly. A few tears fell from my eyes before I could stop them, but I was quick to wipe them to ensure that no one saw them. Thest thing that I wanted was for anyone to read my pain in my eyes. I was already going to be the center of media when it was officially found that I was working with Dean. Just the idea of dealing with that much attention was not something that I wanted to think of; however, I knew that I had to suck it up and endure the hell that I would be going through. 20:14 Wed, Aug / It was either that of my father chose to give up on fils treatment, and thest thing that I was going to do was ept that he stopped the process when just convinced him to start with it. Therefore, for his sake, I knew that I would endure whatever hell came with it. If I was going to do this for anyone, then I was going to do this for him. I just had to find the urge to stand strong in front of the one man who was my weakness. And that was something that I knew for fact. If I wanted to win this, then I had to do it for my, and my daughter¡¯s sake. There was no running from this now¡­ ¡°I am surprised that you came to the meeting.¡± Dean said, taking me off guard as he approached me after the meeting was over. I had to admit, I did debate on skipping it or sending mywyer and secretary, but thest thing that I wanted him to think or know was that he was having anything over me, and by anything, I meant any power. The man didn¡¯t deserve to think or know that I was weak, and it was something that he knew very well at thi point, but I was more than determined to wipe that idea off his head and mind. ¡°I believe that I am a partner, and your direct one; therefore, there is no reason for me not to show up at a work meeting when I know for fact that it would benefit me just as much as it would benefit you.¡± I said, giving him a cold smile. I knew that he could read past my smile, but that was the least of my concerns. If anything, the man was going to pay for what he has made me endure, and one way or the other, I was going to make sure that he didn¡¯t approach my daughter. ¡°I am sorry about yesterday, Iris.¡± He said, and I rolled my eyes as I picked up my files. I, being his direct partner, was thest to leave the meeting along his side in case there was anything to tend to with the investors. That fact itself bothered me despite knowing its importance, but I knew that it mainly bothered me because I didn¡¯t want to be in his presence. ¡°You apologizing means nothing to me, Dean.¡± I said, ring at him. ¡°The two of us are nothing but colleagues and partners. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to find the urge to apologize.¡± ¡°The two of us are parents of¡­¡± ¡°You are no parent to my daughter.¡± I said, stopping him. ¡°Parenthood doesn¡¯te by donating a which you gave me when you were in conflict with your bitch of a mistress.¡± sperm ¡°The woman is¡­¡± ¡°The woman broke MY home, and therefore, she will be a mistress in my eyes no matter what she does. You can either choose to ept it or try fighting me against it, but I do not give a fucking damn.¡± I said, stopping at him. I knew that me snapping right now was due to my anger out of everything, and that was something that I knew I needed to control. ¡°As for Lillian being at your school, I will give you this warning once, and believe me, Dean, I will not hesitate to fulfill.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Warning?¡± He asked, frowning in confusion at my choice of words. ¡°If you think of approaching my daughter without my permission, I give you my fucking word that Chapter 30 you won¡¯t be dealing with me; it would be the cops. I said ring at him. And heughed, shaking his head before wrapping his arm around my waist and pushing me toward the round table, pinning me against it as he stood in front of me, leaning in. His hot breath hit my face, and I wasn¡¯t my waist despite it not being stupid as not to know that his grip could possibly leave a bruise on hit my face, and I wasn¡¯t tight. It was me who had sensitive skin that got bruised out of almost anything. ¡°Lillian is my daughter, and if I wasn¡¯t in her life, its because you chose to hide her.¡± He said, ring at me as he spoke. ¡°Considering that I am respecting the fact that you could have been in pain, and that pain is the main reason why you hid her, I won¡¯t say a word; however, I do rmend that you don¡¯t test your luck too much If anything, I doubt that it would do you any good, do you understand me, Iris?¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!