"Yes, Mom." I gritted out, “I needed you, but you weren’t here. You never were. You never cared.”
"That's not true. I always cared, Joyce."
I shook my head. "You're such a liar . . ." I looked away, as I tried to hold on to my tears, but those stupid things.
She cleared her throat. "I was forced to marry your father. I never loved him. I know he’s a good man, and I knew it back then, too. But I was young, and I wanted more than just the marital propositions. I wanted to love, and I found that love with Luke. I was so ashamed of what I did, but I didn’t want to let this feeling go. So the best option for us all was for me to leave. And the reason I didn't call was that I thought I was leaving you all for good. I knew you both would be happy with your father."
"That's no excuse for being a shitty parent. But damn right, we were happy!" I said, anger surging through my voice.
"I’ve missed you both so much and every moment of the day
VINCE I glanced at my phone and wristwatch back and forth. For a sudden moment, something or someone on the second floor of Joy's house had caught my eye. At first, I thought it was Mr Gale but then when I’d narrowed my eyes to take a better look, there was no one there. The neighbourhood where Joy's father lived was very quiet. Even a slight shriek would've been audible to the entire colony. It was peaceful, though a little terrifying as well. I looked around and my eyes paused by the gate of the neighbour's house. A man was standing right by the door, staring at me. He wore huge black sunglasses and a dark hoodie that covered his hair and his body structure entirely. There was no movement from that man, which bothered me even more. It was as if he was frozen on spot. But what was weird was his smile. I couldn't see it clearly but the feeling of it was enough to wreck my nerves. The door unlocked and Joy walked out
VINCE Neighbour?I seemed to have missed out on that little detail. My jaw twitched, and I looked away. I could kill anyone who crossed my path at this very moment. And Joy seemed to have noticed that. She kept a hand on my knees under the table. Mr Gale, too, saw me clenching his fists and blurted, "Everyone has a tragic past. Some are bad and some are worst, there's nothing in between. It's up to you if you want to hold on to them or move on," the latter, he said to his daughter, who only nodded. We ended their dinner on a peaceful note with random topics, but specifically about business and the collaboration project with Mr Gale's company. Joy and Agatha stood up and walked to the kitchen with the plates, leaving me and Mr Gale in the room. I wanted to tell Joy what she meant to me before Mum's surgery so that I could at least get something off my chest. Who knew what was to happen? I
VINCEJoy was standing by the door with her brows pressed together, studying us suspiciously. My heart skipped a beat. Somehow in my heart, it felt as though Joy wasn't prepared to know about Josh yet."We were—" Mr Gale's voice choked.I fell back on the chair, waiting for Mr Gale to clarify the situation. He would have to decide whether he would tell her. But my phone rang, drawing everyone’s attention to it. Beau's name flashed on it and I quickly answered, "Yes, Beau.""Vi, I have updates on Joshua. He was last seen around Joyce's house."His voice sounded rough, with a hint of horror."Joyce's flat?" I looked at Joy and watched her brows press slightly."No!"Beau panted, and then added in a breath,"George Gale's house."My eyes shot up at Mr Gale, beads of sweat dotting his forehead and his hands shaking. "When?"
JOY"Are you ignoring me?" Josh’s voice was rigorous as he pulled me into the house, his grip bruising my wrist.The house was dark unlike usual and I figured Uncle Jerry wasn’t home. I watched Josh close the door behind him with a loud thud and my entire body coursed with fear and anxiety. My gut feeling had always been strong and somewhat it had been too sensitive since morning. Like I knew something was about to happen."No? I have my exams next month. I thought I told you before," I snickered, knowing how attentive he was at times.Something about his features wasn't fitting well with me today. The dark circles under his eyes and then the awful smell. That smell wasn't unfamiliar to me."You’re drunk,"I acknowledged, shaking my head."I’m going home. Call me when you’re sober." I tried to move past him but he was quick enough
VINCEI didn’t pick up. I couldn’t let my past ruin something that could be my future. I pressed the side button hard until the switch-off option popped up. I tapped on it with no hesitation and looked back at Joy, her eyes soft and face flushed red."Ms Gale, do you have any fucking idea how much you mean to me?" Placing a soft kiss on the throbbing pulse point of her throat, I asked, "Do you know how much I want you?"She shook her head playfully. "Actions are needed. Why don't you show me?""I can kiss you all day."“Then what’s stopping you?” She closed her eyes as I traced my kisses down her neck and released a heavy gasp. “Do you think of how I pleasure you when you're alone?” I asked against her soft skin.“Every fucking day,” she responded, her voice shaking.“Perfect. Because I am going to give you another memory to hold on to.” I dragged my tongue up to her lips a
JOYNervous wasn't even the appropriate word to describe what I was feeling. Vince could guess it from my face and he couldn't stop laughing. And for the first time, I didn't find his smile cute. On top of that, my habit of murmuring had efficiently increased today. God, this stupid habit!"You know, I should be the nervous one here," Vince said, unbuckling his seat belt.I snorted. "Right! It’s not like I’m the first woman your mother's seeing you with."Vince puckered his lips and said, “Not the first. But definitely, the first potential candidate that she likes.”“Doesn’t make me feel any good, Vincent.”He shook his head. "No one has ever met my daughter. So, I guess that’s a first. And Paige already likes you, so, whatever for are you afraid?"“It’s not about you, you see. I've never done this before, walk up to the mother of a man I'm seeing or his daug
VINCE"Joy has a habit of talking to herself?" Mum asked, her voice cracking because of her laughter.I nodded, "She does. A lot."Joy couldn't stop laughing either and neither could Richard. For the past half an hour, every one of us brought up stories that had our stomachs hurting."Well, it's not weird at all. Richard here has a habit of farting when he's nervous."Ri immediately retorted, “Now, that’s very embarrassing.”
JOYFriday had come by fast. And with it, Vince’s fear had only heightened. I understood what he was going through but I couldn’t do anything to help him, besides giving him the support he needed."Have you guys taken everything you need?" I asked as I ambled down the stairs.Vince had persuaded me into staying at his place with Paige. Well, there was nothing much to argue. His house was bigger compared to my apartment and Paige was used to living in a big place. Kids, usually, found it hard to adjust to new places, so staying here was the best option.My eyes drifted past Eve to the brawny man standing behind her, a heavy suitcase in his hand. It was none other than Beau. He wore a grey t-shirt with black jeans, his left arm clad with silver tattoos under his half-sleeves.His eyes met mine and he smiled. "I’m glad you stuck around."I nodded. “What can I say? He’s hard to leave.”