Miranda was already standing in the middle of the living room, her eyes fixed on the hanging photo frame, covering the majority portion of the wall near the couches. It was definitely of the four of us, grinning at Xavier who was clicking the first proper picture ever of his life.
It was a beautiful one, which was why we decided to develop it and put it on the wall.
"Hey, Miranda." I said, with a smile on my face as I carried Raine into the living room.
"Hi." She smirked as she gave Raine a once over. "Busy playing Mommy, aren't you?"
I just shrugged.
"I heard," she said, trying to muster a fake sympathetic look, "...about your ex-boyfriend coming after you at the party."
"It's alright." I shrugged it off and motioned her towards the couches. "Things like these keep happening."
"Just like some other things that you should be aware about, you know, because, after all, you're Terrence's fiancée." She smirked again, and this time, I frowned.
"Isn't Terrence here today, to tell you about his escapades?" The smug tone in her voice made me itch to bring a multipurpose diaper and smother her to death.
"What do you mean?" I set Raine down, my eyes slightly narrowed at the bitch, still standing smugly.
"Well, sorry to burst your happy Mommy bubble..." she flipped her hair over shoulder haughtily, "While you've been busy playing house and running around those brats, you have been neglecting your poor fiancé."
I looked at her, annoyed, "What. Do. You. Mean."
"Terrence and I have been in an on and off relationship ever since we met, Alyssa. Every time he went around, he always came back to me. And that's because we could never get enough of each other, no matter what. If you think that by guilt-tripping him and by getting yourself pregnant will make him all yours? Ha! You're so fucking wrong?"
I couldn't believe this woman.
I gritted my teeth in annoyance, "What are you trying to say?"
"Ever since the day when I met you the first time, Terrence has been cheating on you, with me. Every business trip he went to, it was me he came to. Even yesterday, in you absence, he drawn to me, but had to leave in the middle because of you screaming like a banshee."
I ignored the pang in my chest as my brain carefully processed every word she said.
No. I trusted Terrence implicitly, and even though I knew that Terrence and I couldn't find enough time for each other, I also knew that he wouldn't do that to me, to us, to my babies. His dick definitely wasn't more important that the twins, and he knew that.
How could I believe someone else, when Terrence told me everyday that he had eyes only for me? How could I even think of him as a cheater, when every moment he held me so gently was ingrained in mind?
Above all, how could I believe Miranda Jacobs, with her wonderful reputation, when I was so much in love with Terrence Powers.
No, I couldn't.
"Say something, Alyssa." She snickered, and takes while shaking her head, "You disappointed Terrence so much that he had to come back to me."
I was going to sock this bitch and chuck her out of the house just like that. Did she seriously think I was going to believe her?
"Really, how do you know?" I asked, trying to look hurt.
"Oh, Alyssa, he told me that you were such a bad lay, stiff as a board and completely stuck, not adventurous or something like he prefers. He regrets fucking you, badly."
"Pardon?"
This bitch needed to get her facts straight.
She smirked again, "Terrence bates fucking you, princess. He acts all fatherly and lovingly only because he regrets impregnating you."
Ha! Miranda, hah! Terrence Powers wishes he fucked me-well, I do too- but that's not the point. She was making everything up, because I knew that Terrence would've rather told her the entire truth than lie about fucking me.
"Oh. Is that what he said to you?" I raised a brow at her, glancing at Raine who was looking at Miranda curiously.
I wanted to laugh at her so badly.
"Yes." She answered confidently and this time I was sure that my brows disappeared into my hairline. There was a limit to everything, a limit to being a bitch and lying.
She had fucking crossed all the limits and I knew that I wouldn't mind dragging her by her hair and throwing her out of the house like a cave woman.
What was she getting out of all of this? Some kind of stupid kicks, some relief? Some kind of assurance that she managed bring a wall of mistrust between yet another happy couple and destroyed their belief in faith and love?
I was glad that Lucy and Victor, Jonah and Aria were able to survive it. Aaron and Allie, well they were a completely different case.
"Don't believe me, do you?" She said, a knowing look in her glinting, as if she knew I wasn't going to believe her.
I shrugged again, not wanting to give her an answer.
"I knew you wouldn't, after all, you're so much in love with your baby daddy." She rolled her eyes and unlocked her phone, scrolling through something, and then she handed it to me.
"Here, take a look at it."
My heart stopped in my chest.
Raine started crying.
Trust me, Miranda Jacobs riding Terrence Powers was the last thing I wanted to see today.
The picture was what you could call erotic, stimulating, something Miranda perhaps would finger herself to.
But it was absolutely, completely disgusting. To me.
Raine's cries were still echoing in my ears, but for the life of me I couldn't move my feet, or even move my gaze. I didn't dare to look at Miranda, because I knew I would punch the life out of her, and she would have a black eye matching that of Hunter's.
Even though dread curled deep inside me, and I wanted to throw up, mentally gagging at the pornographic image in front of me, I kept my face straight, and my thoughts rational.
Terrence wouldn't do this to me.
Terrence simply couldn't do this to me.
"What the fuck is going on here, Alyssa? Why is Raine- Miranda? What are you doing here?"
I didn't want to look up from the phone. I didn't want to look up to see those beautiful blue orbs of the last person I wanted to see today.
But I looked up, my eyes travelling from Miranda's smirk to Terrence's bewildered look. He looked taken aback when he saw through my nonchalant features, and could see the emotion flickering inside me just by looking at me.
He definitely wouldn't do this to me.
Miranda didn't look happy because she definitely couldn't see how hurt I was.
"Alyssa, why-" Terrence started but Miranda cut him off with a sweet smile.
She went to his side and let her finger trail across his bicep, "Nothing much, Terr. I was just telling her something she should know."
He cringed away.
"What the fuck are you talking about Miranda?" Terrence pushed her off him, and none too gently, "If you think that just because you're Jonah's sister, you can get away with anything, you are seriously out of your mind."
I looked at their annoying exchange silently.
Terrence wouldn't dare do this to the twins. He couldn't ruin whatever we had in between us just because he wanted to warm his fucking bed.
Miranda pouted at him, "Come on, Terrence. We can't do this to her. She's you fiancée, she needs to know what you're doing behind her back. We can't keep her in the dark now, can we? I told her that she hasn't been able to keep you happy, so I'm doing her duty and am satisfying your needs."
The rage that shook his entire body made whatever little doubt I had in me go away, as he pushed her off himself. But then he looked at me and stepped towards me, his eyes pleading and begging me to believe him.
Then his eyes fell on the cell phone I had clutched in my hands tightly, and his eyes widened in panic.
Panic wasn't what I wanted to see.
"Alyssa..." He took another step towards me, "Please, let me explain."
No, that wasn't what I wanted to hear, definitely not.
"Alyssa, please. If this is about last night then-"
"Last. Night?" The words tumbled out of my mouth very slowly, and very lowly, and I somehow struggled to keep the hurt of betrayal off my face. I didn't want Miranda to know that she had won this stupid war she had started.
My heart fell and lost itself somewhere, but I didn't feel...so hurt. I could wrap my brain around the entire situation yet and I didn't know what to do.
But I knew whom to believe.
Terrence looked even more desperate now, but Miranda smirked at me again, "I told you, didn't I? Terrence was with me, yesterday. He came to you only when he heard your scream."
I looked at Terrence, waiting for an explanation and he took another step forward, "I was searching for you, Alyssa and then she came along and I...I was with her for a few moments, but that's it, Alyssa. There was nothing more than that. You know I wouldn't do that to you."
I glanced at the mobile screen again.
I then glanced at Raine, who was still crying.
"Raine needs to be fed. I'm taking her to the nursery. And please do leave me alone for sometime, I don't like it when someone I interrupts when I'm breast feeding." Murmuring all of it quickly, I immediately took Raine in my arms, hiding the cell phone under her and disappeared inside the bedroom.
The last thing I heard was Terrence shouting at Miranda:
"Why don't you just fucking shut your mouth? And hear me carefully, Miranda. Alyssa's way smarter than you. I know she will believe me."
But that's the thing.
Even he couldn't sound so sure about it.
************************
I had never seen a woman like Miranda Jacobs in my entire life.
Nor I ever wanted to see.
I was still sitting in the nursery with her cell phone with me. I was blankly staring at the screen, waiting for at least something inside me to hurt.
It didn't.
My brain, as well as my heart, had completely refused to believe that Terrence would jeopardise something so special just for a fuck. I mean, the weekend was coming along, right? And then, all my heart could do was remind me of the sincerity in his eyes for me, of the love in his eyes for the twins.
So with this thought in my mind, I looked at the picture again, no matter how disgusting it was. There was no doubt, I loved Terrence, and all my decisions were biased towards him. So I started searching for evidences right inside the photograph that would make me believe that Miranda was lying.
Oh, trust me, I got so many that now I wanted to make Miranda deep throat her own iPhone.
There was no photoshop, no blending, nothing that could convince me otherwise.
Terrence was lying down, his six pack-yeah, I'd counted it- abs on perfect display.
I remembered all the times I trailed my fingers and felt his bulging muscles, especially when I counted all the pectorals of his, currently, eight packs. So, this could have been bothering if there was a way eight packs could turn into six and back into eight in just a day.
Also, his head was thrown back in a groan, and I traced my fingertips along the mobile screen, looking at his clean-shaven jaw.
Terrence never completely shaved off his stubble, not anymore. It was because the twins had a strange fascination to this poking facial hair.
And of course, I loved it when his stubble scraped my skin whenever and wherever he kissed me.
Miranda probably thought that I never went to school or university, and probably had never seen what and how a cheerleader looks like.
On the screen, I could clearly see the skirt of her cheerleaders uniform bunched around her waist, and I could see her jersey somewhere else too.
I wouldn't have believed her even if she had worn her cheerleader uniform on her birthday.
I slowly walked out of the room, after making sure that Raine and Ryan were asleep. Just at the same moment, the room's door burst open and Terrence barged in.
"Alyssa, listen to me." His voice was demanding, yet when I looked up at him, I felt a pang at how I was torturing him and definitely at how frustrated he was when he thought that I didn't trust him.
I leaned up on my toes and pecked his lips, making his eyes widen. I gave him a small smile and said, "I have to talk to Miranda."
Whatever little hope that had flickered in him still stayed as he followed me out. Once I was standing in front of the Smirking slut, I tossed her phone back to her.
I just hoped that she didn't check and see that her photos gallery filled with her narcissistic duck-faced selfies was completely empty.
You see, once my finger had swiped across the screen, I had realised that not only she had so many selfies and pictures of herself, but she had gathered a lot of blackmail material over the years. I found Victor, Terrence, some other guys of her school and other places, and lastly of Aaron, with an open door next to the couple, where Allie was standing, wrapped in a towel, her jaw dropped open.
I couldn't even imagine how hurt Allie must have been.
Now all I could was hope that Miranda wasn't smart enough to store the pics on another device. I had cleared all the backed up ones too.
"It was nice seeing you, Miranda. You can leave." I said curtly, my eyes harshly trained on hers.
She gave me a lopsided smirk, "I'm really sorry for you-"
"Sorry?" I faked a frown, "Why in the heaven's name would you be sorry?"
"I mean," Miranda said, her expression not looking so sure anymore, "You have been cheated on, by your fiancé."
"So what?" I shrugged, "I definitely don't mind."
Terrence gripped my arm.
"You can maybe talk to Allie, after all she has exp -wait, what? You don't mind?"
I almost wanted to laugh as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish. She looked absolutely dumbfounded as she gaped at me, searching for words to say that could hurt me.
"No? Do I have to?" I raised a brow, and crossed my arms, shrugging off Terrence's hold on me.
"But you...you are his fiancé. You guys are going to get married and..."
"Didn't Terrence ever tell this to you when you were fucking together?" Terrence grabbed my arm again, "Oh, Terrence, you should have told this to her." I gave him a small smile and turned back to Miranda, "Terrence and I are together only because of the twins. We are getting married only because we want to give them a proper upbringing."
"So...you don't..."
"No, no!" I shook my head as if that thought was completely ridiculous -damn my acting skills- "We don't love each other or anything. It's going to be an open marriage."
"What?!" It was Terrence and Miranda together, and I suppressed my urge to giggle out loudly.
Terrence's grip on me tightened to an almost bruising one, and his tone clearly told me that he wasn't desperate anymore, but now was terribly furious at me.
The thought itself was outrageous.
"Don't you know what it means? It means that Terrence is free to fuck anyone he wants to, all day long, as long as he comes back home at night, to me. I don't want any one of us to feel trapped just because we are parents, he can go wherever and whenever he wants to, to sate his needs, and if he's using you as his mistress oblique whore, then I don't mind, well, as long as I'm still his queen."
That poor(well, not so poor) girl was still gaping at me, realising that her little plan to wreck yet another relationship failed miserably.
"I just don't understand why you'd say that Terrence regrets fucking me, I mean, when I know I'm the only one who can finally get him fully and completely satisfied, why do you have to go one step ahead and lie to my face? That jealous, huh?" I shifted my weight to one foot, Terrence's heavy arm grabbing me still constricting my movement.
God! We were going to have a long talk about our so called open marriage.
"No...uh...well..."
"Don't bother, you can have him again if you want to. I think even I need to do some exploring of my own. With the twins coming along, I haven't been able to look after myself much. It's been just Terrence ever since. Maybe even I'll go ahead and find someone once the babies are a bit independent." I grinned at her, wide enough for her to know that it was fake.
Terrence looked like he was going to take me to a corner and kill me now.
"So...you weren't hurt when I showed you that..."
"Oh, that? No." I shrugged, "I wasn't. I know I haven't been able to give him much attention, and I also know that men are men, players will always be players. I had suspected he was relieving himself somewhere. I just didn't know that it's you." I said, mustering as much disgust as I could. I gave her a once over and then sneered, particularly at Terrence who was busy glaring at me, "You could do much better, T. I mean her? Couldn't you find someone who has a rack better than mine?"
If Terrence's glare was threatening before, now it definitely promised murder, bloody and torturous murder.
Or maybe hot, angry sex.
"You can go." I composed my face again, and said it curtly.
"W-what?" She stuttered and for a passing moment, I pitied her.
This girl was so busy wrecking other lives, that she didn't seem to even take care of her own self. I had no idea what was so addicting about being a bitch, I mean, I knew that it was fun once or twice.
But making it something that you are? No.
"You can go. Or is there something else you want to talk about?" I raised a brow and impatiently tapped my foot.
"Uh...no. I'll just go."
Ha! Bitch.
Terrence's hold on me loosened, and I chose that moment to disappear in the kitchen. I didn't want to fight, or talk or do anything, I just wanted to stay alone. My brain had been cooked and fried in the last half an hour, and I knew that all I would need was a fight with Terrence to turn it into noodles.
But Terrence didn't waste a moment in pressing me up against the kitchen counter.
"When..." He growled in my ear, "When we will be getting married, I will be your only king, do you get my point? Only one queen, no misters or mistresses. Just me, just you, and yeah, our babies."
I shivered.
"Terrenc-"
"No!" He gritted out, "You are going to listen to me right now. Nothing, absolutely nothing turns me on except Alyssa Reynolds. And if you think that in any way you are not paying attention to my needs, then trust me on it, it should be me treating you like a fucking queen, not the other way round. You know I wouldn't -"
"No, no, no Terrence!" I turned in his arms and the wrapped my arms around his shoulders, looking straight at him, "I trust you. I believe you." I love you. "Not her. About that open marriage thing, I dare you to take it seriously and you will have your balls chopped off right now with my knife. I just said that to get her off our back."
He searched my eyes for lies, but found none. He was still unsure, "Alyssa..."
I shushed him and then softly captured his lips with mine, for two reasons.
1. The most important one. I needed him, needed to know that he was still here, with me, and all mine. I needed this reassurance, because even I didn't know what I would've done had Miranda been right.
2. I didn't want to talk about it. Not right now. I was tired, my brain wasn't working, and I wanted to calm my racing heart down. Maybe even sleep over it and mull over the thoughts peacefully.
Talking right now wasn't going to help.
"Why the fuck did Miranda look so pissed off, Liz? Eww...gross. Why do I have to walk in on these...ugh!"
Yeah, Allie didn't sound disturbed at all.
I pulled away from Terrence, ready to move towards Allie, but he still kept me trapped in his arms. He rested his forehead against mine, "Alyssa, please listen to me. We need to talk."
I brought my hands to his arms, "We will talk, Terrence. Just not now. I just need to...think...and Allie needs me right now."
He frowned, "Yeah I remember walking in on Allie and Aaron in the backyard, wrapped around each other." Then he looked dead straight at me, seriously.
"But, we will talk. Later." And the he kissed me again and left towards the bedroom.
**********************
"Spill." Allie and I were all alone in the house after Terrence had finally agreed to take the twins to the park. They too, seemed excited to go out of the house, but daddy, didn't seem too keen to leave mommy alone at home.
He seriously thought that I might run away and leave him.
With her head in her hands, she groaned frustratedly, "I don't know what happened to me yesterday, Alyssa. It was just that I...well, Darren and I had gotten drunk, like really drunk, and suddenly he got a call and had to go back home. We danced for sometime while Darren's driver arrived and then he went away. I felt dizzy and suffocated after he left, so I went in the backyard for some fresh air. When I went out there, I f-f-found Aaron sitting...alone...there. Like the drunk fool I was, I went to sit next to him."
She then looked up at me.
God, she was crying, "H-he said that he loves me, Alyssa. He regrets whatever he did to me. H-he t-told me that he w-wants me...back." She let out a wry chuckle, "And that he loathes Darren Walter as much as he hates himself."
"I did tell you that he wants you, didn't I? And I also warned you that don't unnecessarily lead Darren on if you still feel for Aaron." I held her hand and she shook her head frantically.
"But I do like Darren, Lisa! I really, really do like him. But yesterday....yesterday it felt like I was eighteen all over again! I couldn't help but lean in when he held my face, Alyssa! I just don't know what was wrong with me!"
I thought about it for a moment, "Did you tell Darren about this?"
She gulped, "No."
"When you were about to kiss Aaron, did you, even once, think about Darren?"
She looked at me again and let out a small, "No."
This. Was. Complicated.
"Allie, think about it, sleep over it. I wouldn't mind if you play with Aaron's heart, even though I know you'd never do that, but I don't want Darren to get trapped and suffer in your twisted love story."
Silence reigned for a few moment, my eyes trained on Allie as she thought hard. "Are you sure you want to babysit the twins along with Aaron? I'm sure we can stay-"
"No, no, no, no, no!" He eyes widened, "Do you have any idea how much I've waited for the day you'd finally lose your virginity? I'm not compromising with that. And anyways, a 'talk' with sober Aaron is long overdue. I think, after yesterday, I need to face him and just finish everything off." She said, with a resolve.
I sighed, "You won't have Terrence to interrupt you, this time."
"Speaking of Terrence," she leaned forwards, "Why did he look so disturbed today? Does it have anything to do with Miranda?"
"Yes." And then I started with Bitchy Tales of Miranda Jacobs, telling her everything right from the beginning. It was fun, watching the range of emotions on her face.
"Open marriage!?" She burst out laughing, "You can't be serious!"
"Of course I fucking wasn't! And don't laugh, Terrence was pissed." I slapped her arm.
"Poor guy. He's probably still thinking that you don't believe him and you're just saying that because you don't want to ruin your relationship for the babies."
Fuck, was that really why he was still upset?
"But I did tell him, with utmost sincerity, that I believed him. Why would he still have to worry?" I frowned.
"Because he knows that you would do anything for the twins, including swallowing the fact that he cheated on you and accept it wholeheartedly." She said in a 'duh' tone.
This woman was more bipolar than anyone I'd ever met.
"But I still can't believe it, Lisa. She had evidences of nearly every guy she fucked? Did she have videos too?"
I nodded my head, my thoughts still on Terrence.
"Fuck, Alyssa, fuck! I never expected her to be that evil."
"Neither did I, Allie, neither did I."
*********************
The rest of the day went through a haze and blur of events that didn't need much of my brain functions. The exhaustion was slowly setting in, but there were loads of work to do.
No, I couldn't find out time to 'talk' with Terrence, and he didn't bother hiding how upset he was.
We cooked and ate dinner together, but in silence. None of us made the move to talk first. Me; because I was too tired to bring that topic up right away, and him; because he wanted me to open up first.
That was pretty much how it was till the night.
It was as if Raine and Ryan could sense the tense atmosphere, because even though we tried our best to sound as cheerful to them, we were too tired and upset to convince them.
Babies, for a fact, got annoyed when the tone and the voice conveyed different emotions.
I thought maybe, after we showered at night, we could talk, because an Upset Terrence was someone as bad as a Silent Terrence. The last time Terrence was upset, I ended up sobbing and begging, and eventually ended up in this mansion with him.
I decided that I didn't want to upset him anymore.
But I couldn't help it, as I fell asleep when I was waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. The last thing I felt before the darkness completely overtook me was a sweet kiss on my forehead and arms wrapping around me.
***********************
Movement woke me up in the middle of the night, and I glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
2:35 am.
Arms that had wrapped themselves around me like tight vices tightened again, and I felt Terrence's shaking breaths fanning my bare shoulder. I was wide awake now, and I felt Terrence press a sloppy, wet kiss on my shoulder.
His tears soaked the fabric.
Shit, no! I fell asleep?!
I immediately turned on the lamp on the nightstand and turned, "Terrence?"
He squinted at the sudden light, but I didn't fail to see those bags under his bloodshot eyes, his flushed nose and cheeks, and the tears in his eyes.
Oh my...
"Alyssa." He whispered, yet it came out as a croak. I immediately launched myself on him and he caught me, his loud sobs sounding muffled in my shoulder.
"Please, Alyssa, please believe me. I would never do that to you. I-"
"Hush." I shushed him softly, pulling away and kissing his tears away. I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "I do believe you, Terrence, I told you earlier, didn't I?"
"No." He protested childishly and sat up, pulling me on his lap immediately, "You were lying. You are doing this only because you don't want to ruin anything between us because it will affect the twins, and you don't want it."
Oh my, Allie was right.
"Terrence-"
"You will do anything for them, even if it means staying with me thinking that I cheated on you. Of course, the babies have always been our top priority, but I'm not going to let them rule what's between us."
"Terr-"
"No! I want you to believe me with only because you really, really, really believe me. Not because of reason x, for y, since z, and definitely not for the babies." His tone changed and he was now scolding me, "Come to think of it, everything that we do is for Raine and Ryan. This weekend is the only thing we are doing for ourselves, aren't we? Tell me Alyssa, are you here, with me, only for the twins? Do I hold no-"
He went way too far with that.
In a moment I was straddling him and the next moment I brought his head down to mine, crashing my lips against his. My mouth was definitely harsh and demanding against his, and I made sure his lips would be red, swollen and bruised once I was done with him.
I gasped loudly when his arms came around me and literally crushed me, squeezing the life out of me like a fucking Teddy Bear. They were like iron vices around me, and held me in place as he took his turn in ravishing my my mouth. Both of his hands now disappeared into my hair, fisting them tightly and tugging hard, almost painfully hard.
I bit down on his lower lip, and he groaned, his voice humming through my entire body.
"You way too talk much, it's st-stupid."
My brain failed to formulate proper words in the haze of his bruising and demanding kiss, the incessant waves of pleasure making my body zing.
My heart failed it's purpose once or twice in between, and I feared that it would stop altogether.
I felt hot all over, the heat that his body radiated making it even more intense. Though we still had a lot to talk about, we forgot it all as we continued torturing each other's mouths.
"You..." He gasped for air, "You make me think and do stupid. It's your fault."
At that moment, I hoped for just one thing.
I wished that just like today, Terrence reminded me everyday why I was so much in love with him.
************************************