Author's POVThe scene that Lucian entered the room to find left him heartbroken and worried. The back of Anne’s head was buried between her knees as she knelt on the floor, snuggled against the wall. She was crying out inconsolably and trembling.“Anne?” He called but there was no response.He hastily walked over to her side, softly cradled her, and carefully placed her on the bed. Her small stature and pale skin gave her a ghostly appearance. She had been imprisoned in this space for days without food, and she had seriously dehydrated.He said sternly, “Ladies, kindly see that the children do not enter this room. I don’t want them seeing their mother like this,” Lucian shouted out to Gemma, Kiama and Daisy who were still outside the door with Marie and Madeline.“Okay Lucian,” the ladies responded.“Tell everyone the funeral has been postponed. I can’t leave Anne this way. She needs me too much now,” Lucian said.“We will,” Kiama responded.As he observed Anne on the bed, frail and
Author’s POVAnne and Lucian were drawn again to the door where they saw the nanny, bent with both palms on her knees. She was breathing heavily and couldn’t speak for a while as she was trying to catch her breath.“What’s happening here, Rosaline? How come you and the kids are here”? Lucian asked with an air of irritation.“I thought I gave you orders to feed the kids and put them to bed.”The nanny seemed confused as she hastily straightened herself after finally noticing the kids standing next to Anne.“Mr. Lucian, I apologize. They wouldn’t listen to me. They were adamant about meeting their mother and when I told them that they could see her tomorrow and not tonight, they ran out of the room and started running around the mansion and I chased them up until we got here,” she said.Anne exhaled in relief as she grinned at her kids. “Don’t worry, Rosaline. Babe, it’s fine. I’ve missed the kids anyways,” She replied.Despite their lack of awareness of the seriousness of the situati
Author’s POV“What’s up babe? Is there any problem?” Lucian asked, dropping his cutlery as he turned to Anne to pay more attention to her as she spoke.“Not everything is fine; it’s just I have something I have been meaning to tell you about the kids. I have been thinking about it for a while,” Anne replied.“I’m all ears babe, tell me,” Lucian said.“Since the kids turned five, we’ve been homeschooling them. Now they’re six, I think we should take them to a real school,” Anne said.“Why? I thought you wanted them to be homeschooled because you loved seeing them around. Why the sudden change?” Lucian asked.“Well, like I said I’ve been thinking about it. Our daughters have no friends besides themselves and once they get into a fight, they both end up getting emotional. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be friends; all I’m saying is they need to get more friends,” Anne suggested.Lucian nodded seriously as he gave Anne’s advice some thought. “Babe, I get your point. They must interact wit
Author’s POVDays passed and Anne began to get used to the girls going to school. Marie and Madeline made lots of friends and they were very happy. To Anne, that was all that mattered. One day, while they were in bed, getting ready to go to sleep, Anne told Lucian that she had something important to say to him. “What is it, babe?” Lucian asked, paying attention to his beautiful wife.“I’ve been thinking of something for a while and I want to share my thoughts with you,” Anne started.“Go on, babe. I’m all ears,” Lucian replied.“I have been thinking about getting a job,” Anne said.“Why? Am I not providing enough for you?” Lucian asked, a concerned look on his face.“C’mon babe. You know that’s not what I mean,” Anne said.“Then what is it?” Lucian said.“Its just that whenever the kids leave for school and you leave for work, I’m always left alone at home and I get bored. All my friends go to work while I don’t. Please babe, just let me work,” Anne said.Lucian became more perceptiv
Author’s POV“What’s wrong?” Lucian asked, fear dripping from his voice.He was having a meeting in the boardroom and had excused himself to take the call because he was worried about the kids.“Marie and Madeline were playing during break with other kids on the playground under my supervision. All of a sudden Marie fell to the ground unconsciously. We had rushed her to the hospital and now I’m calling from the hospital,” Miss Mary said.“Which hospital is that?” Lucian asked.As Lucian heard Miss Mary’s unnerving remarks, his heart raced. He waited impatiently for her answer, and the minutes seemed like hours. Miss Mary gave the name and address of the hospital. Lucian abruptly concluded his board meeting without further ado, explaining the situation to his colleagues, who were understanding and helpful. His mind raced over the potential reasons behind Marie’s abrupt fall as he hurried to the hospital.As he made his way out of the company and towards his car, he pulled out his phone
Author’s POVMadeline looked at the youngster, her attitude changing from one of interest to one of rage. She moved up closer, studying him intently. The youngster was about her age, with messy brown hair and hazel eyes that reflected a range of emotions similar to her own.“What did you just say?” “This is my hideout,” the boy repeated.She reasoned that it couldn’t be. This treehouse was her discovery years before, before the boy could have claimed it. “I think there’s been some kind of confusion. This very treehouse has been my hiding spot for a long time,” Madeline retorted. “I have no idea where you’re coming from, but I’ve grown up using this spot since I was a young child,” she added.The boy appeared astonished as his demeanor relaxed. “Have you been going here for some time now? I didn’t intend to bother you. I’ve only lately begun to come here.”“Good; now that you know this is my hiding space, scram,” Madeline said rudely.“Whoa, whoa, you don’t have to be rude,” the b
Author’s POV“Thank you so much," a woman with beautiful voice replied.“Please come in," Lucian said.The woman walked in and a young boy followed after her. Madeline was shocked as she recognized him as the boy from the tree house the other day. She had no idea that his family were the dinner guests they were having over that night. Daniel smiled when his eyes met Madeline’s but just like the other day Madeline didn't smile or look at him in a pleasant way.“Thank you so much, Mr. Hawthorne and Mrs. Hawthorne, for welcoming us into your home. You've invited us into your home for dinner but we didn't want to come empty-handed so we brought this small bottle of wine and we ask that you received it with joy in your hearts,” the woman said.Anne took the bottle of wine from her with a smile, saying,“Aww, that was really nice of Mrs. Brown.”“Oh please call me Rachel,” the woman said.There was a brief moment of silence. Anne’s expression changed and Lucian noticed it. He knew exactly
Author’s POVLucian groaned.He had been expecting some action all evening but he understood his wife. She had assisted the chef and his assistants in making dinner. “I’m sorry babe,” Anne apologized sincerely.“It’s fine,” Lucian replied.“Are you sure?” Anne asked, worriedly.“I just have to take a cold shower now,” Lucian said, getting up from the bed.Anne chuckled as she watched her sexy husband make his way to the bathroom. She yelled her apologies and as he vanished inside tßshe bathroom door, she blew him a playful kiss and promised to make it up to him later.Lucian stood in the cool mist of the falling water, allowing the day’s stress to melt away. He was struck, once again, by how fortunate he was to have Anne in his life. She was a fantastic spouse in addition to being a fantastic cook.Lucian’s mind drifted to their weekend plans while he was getting ready for the shower. He was planning a surprise trip for their anniversary. He had no idea that Anne was cooking up some