“And now you are no longer listening to me.”Kali shook herself out of her thoughts and faced her worried sister. They had come out to the city to enjoy the warm day, but her mind was full of Richard. Just when she thought things would start going smoothly, he had to show up and ruin everything.“Sorry, my mind is wandering.”“Something wrong? Samuel? Your job?”“No. Samuel is fine, and so is work. Don’t mind me.” Kali urged her sister to continue walking. “We probably should get something to eat. Are you hungry?”“No, and don’t change the subject. Come on. Since the wedding, even before, I could sense something was wrong with you. I kept quiet out of respect for your space, but I am more worried about you now.”“June, believe me, nothing is wrong. A stupid thought got in my head when I woke up, and it has been rolling around since then.”“What?”“Well, it’s just the problems I have with Samuel’s family. You know they are not all in with me. That’s all.”The empathy on June’s face ass

Peter stood in front of the wide mirror, leaning over the sink to get a better look at the bruise on his torso. It was purpling a bit and felt as sore as the first day he got it. He went a bit too hard in the ring that day, and his sparring partner had been equally invested. With the pad of his thumbs, he dabbed some ointment over it. He dressed up and left the shower room. As he left the room, he received a message from Ember reminding him that she was waiting for him at the restaurant for breakfast. They had agreed to meet because she wanted to talk about their little brother. More specifically, she wanted to talk about their sister-in-law. The hottest topic in his home was Samuel’s new wife. Kali. The announcement of his marriage had caused quite a stir. Peter was hopeful that everything would get back to normal after the wedding. It hadn’t. His father was recently coming to terms with it, but Giovanna and their mother believed Kali was no good. Peter could not wait for them t

Giovanna was in a state, watching her mother from the window of her room as she walked around the garden. The weaved basket that swung from her elbow was already filled with flowers. The gardeners usually tended to the garden. They ensured the grass was always levelled, never an inch out of place. The shrubs were trimmed to the same spherical shape each time and watered.The only thing her mother went into the garden for was privacy. Giovanna watched her speaking passionately with someone and couldn’t help but wonder who. Neither her mother nor the gold-digger of a wife Samuel married knew what she knew. They were probably filled with cynical satisfaction, but Giovanna knew their game. She had heard it with her own ears. The day after the wedding, when everyone prepared to leave the hotel, she heard them speaking. She wasn’t sure what exactly they were talking about, she came at the tail end of the conversation but she heard enough. She heard clearly when her mother informed Kali that

Ysabel looked up when the door to her study flew open. She looked agitated, but Ysabel didn’t believe that was a reason to forget her manners.“You knock before you come in.” She spread her arms out to indicate the cluster of papers on the desk. “I am busy right now.”“I have waited long enough, mom. One more second with this on my chest, and I will explode. I swear I can’t take it.”“Giovanna, I don’t have the time to pay attention to one of your meltdowns. I have a lot of wo

Servants carried fresh baskets of flowers past the servants that were busily decorating the hall and stairs. The house was aflutter with activity preparing for the dinner that was taking place in the next few hours. The floors were shined earlier in the day. Every piece of silverware was polished till they reflected like mirrors.It was as much a dinner as it was a celebration, celebrating the miraculous recovery of their grandfather. Outside the immediate family, some of her cousins, aunts and uncles were invited. A few of them had never met the new daughter-in-law, so they were excited to meet her at the dinner.“Hey, kid.” Vincent snapped his finger at Giovanna, and she came out of her daze. “What’s wrong with you?”She took in his T-shirt, jeans and sports jacket. “You’re leaving?”“No one is being driven today. Your mom gave us permission to leave early.” He touched her arm gently. “What’s going on. You have been broody the past two days.” Vincent looked over his shoulder toward