VINCE I rubbed my hands, placing the coffee mug on the table, while Jordan stared at me like I was some convict. The muffled sounds of Aubrey and Mum’s laughter travelled out from the house to the garden, making me smile. “How did she look?” I asked. “Who? Joyce?” Seeing me nod, he answered, “Good. Not like she’d been dumped or anything.” “I didn’t dump her. If we regard the circumstances, she kind of dumped me.” I sighed, my mind drifting off to the beautiful moments I’d had with Joyce. “I’ve tried texting her, calling her. Hell, I’ve even gone to her apartment.” “And?” He arched a brow. “She doesn’t answer my call or respond to my texts. She didn’t even open the door for me and just asked me to leave.” I grunted, “It’s like she’s punishing me or something.” He shrugged. “You had it coming. I told you repeatedly that you need to tell her about Paige. Your secrets ruined your relationship before it even began properly.” Smack

VINCE I was more scared than Joy was, but I didn't want to admit it. Mum had seen me with a few women now and then, but I had never brought one home and the thought of Joy not being liked by Paige agitated me. Mum already like her as it was clear from her face. When Paige jumped into Joy’s lap, half my worries were gone. Joy, as I knew, wasn't very fond of kids, and her nervousness was completely understandable. Paige tried to take her upstairs, and all she needed was my reassurance.  "She seems nice," Mum said. Her eyes scanned my expressions, and she added, "Definitely nicer than you described her. She’s beautiful as well and on the bonus side, Paige seems to like her too." I sighed with relief. "Yes." "Are you happy?" I looked into Mum’s eyes, trying to find the correct words. My insides filled with joy now that the mess about my life was out in the light. But I was more concerned about how Joy would react to

VINCE Paige had been clinging to me since I had arrived home. She hated it when I had to go out on business, and for the same reason, I hated it too. But there was little I could do about it. Everything I did, my job and all those business outings, were all to secure my daughter's future. "Did you bring anything for me?" she asked in her soothing voice as I made her sit on the kitchen island. I nodded. "I did, but first answer my questions. Did you have lunch?" she nodded, smiling. "And what did you do all week?" "Granny and I learned origami." Her hands shot up to grab my nose. "What’s that?" I questioned in a nasal voice because of Paige's grip. "Origami is harder than it looks," Mum said, entering the kitchen with a smile on her face and glass plates in her hand. She walked to me and planted a soft peck on my cheeks. "Welcome back, honey." “We made butterflies, ships, wall hangers and so many more, Daddy. You have to

JOY "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 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