"Dad...whatever it is, anything, however minor, if Robert Graham told you, it's a lie! He's a manipulative, self-centered person who only thinks about himself. He's the worst thing that could exist, and I don't have the slightest doubt about that." As Alice spoke, tears welled up, with her parents glaring at her.Wasn't he supposed to have told her he didn't say anything to them? Then...why did her father seem to know everything?"Do you want to start this by lying to me, or can you be honest? What do you have to do with Jared Sinclair?" asked Mr. Taylor. The mother looked pleadingly at Alice, hoping she wouldn't say anything. "Look at me!" Henry complained, irritated by Alice's silence."I... love him," she confessed. The lady put a hand to her head; this wasn't the way to start the conversation. "I've been in love with Jared since college.""Did you know he and Robert were friends?" the father inquired."No, I didn't know, Dad. It was too late when I found out.""Do you really feel

It was morning. She was joining Simon Leclerc's team. Alice felt nervous; she had bought so much clothes with her mother that they didn't fit in the wardrobes, and there were bags everywhere. There was no uniform, so daily outfits were plentiful, and she wanted to change her style for something more... eye-catching. Her mother recommended it because of her new figure, and she accepted, because when she saw herself in those clothes, she loved the look she had. That woman in the mirror looked amazing. "You are beautiful," her mother said at that moment. Now Alice was just like the others with a slimmer figure, her face had always been too beautiful. She had the most beautiful face of all, and now the change in her body made her a beauty to which her circle was more accustomed. Thin women, with those small waists and those flat bellies. They had given the diet Alice would follow to the cook. She didn't even want to gain weight again because, with all the effort in the world, she co

Alice watched him leave, her eyes misty. She didn't agree with the part where he said that their child would suffer because they didn't love each other. She was sure she could give all the love in the world to that baby. Even knowing that it would tie her to a bad marriage with Robert Graham, nothing could prevent her from loving Ethan without limits. She would love him so much that the last thing he would lack was love. Unlike Robert who, for whatever reasons, possibly personal ones, never approached her during her pregnancy. He left them there, abandoned, forgot about them, and showed no interest in either of them.She knew that the things Robert mentioned weren't just excuses; he was simply answering her questions. But more questions formed inside Alice, almost like complaints, as if it was necessary to have this conversation with the man who once was her husband, the father of her child.She dried her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, picked up the brochure, and left the room.

Another day dawned and Robert wasn't feeling the same as the previous day because of his job. He thought of Ethan, not Alice.But her words were in his head."You left us."He never got to know him, except for that photo he found in that house among Alice's belongings before she went to retrieve her things. It was the only glimpse he had of his son, plus that room that neither of them could enter after Ethan Graham Taylor's death.He took the keys and drove there, he wouldn't be early for work.The lady greeted him with much surprise seeing him there now that Alice was gone and the divorce had been finalized."Sir, I wasn't expecting you, would you like some breakfast?""Just a coffee, please.""Right away."Robert headed to that room, and when he opened the door he saw so many things ready for his son that he started to cry. He wasn't fooling himself, he still thought that baby was a mistake, he wouldn't be a good father, which was clear even to Alice. But being there in that empty

"Have you never been to his grave?" Simon loved driving his comfortable car. He felt happy every time he went out in it; he could almost fall asleep every time he sat in its comfy seats. It was a gift from his uncle, as he had to travel frequently. He loved comfort, or he'd get stressed; he would stress horribly. "No, I've never been there.""Sofia told me you never met him, Robert.""I didn't make it to Ethan's birth. I didn't plan to.""And what were you doing?""I was with... my mistress.""A classic villain move, right? I'm starting to understand why Sofia detests you. Alice should too, and you should hate yourself.""Everyone already does, Simon. You should too.""And why didn't you plan to attend your son's birth?""I don't have an answer to that which you'd understand without having to explain many other things. So I'd rather just say I didn't want to. That's it; that's the answer you'll get." For someone who loved to talk, he didn't want to discuss this. The Taylor family m