Its unedited again, do point out if I have made mistakes. Thank you!
*************
I couldn't say a word to Terrence.
There was so much I wanted to say to him. I wanted to slap him, curse him, kiss him, tell him I love him - so much I wanted to do but instead, I stayed silent.
Still and silent.
Only the babies' giggles and the sound of my heart pounding was heard by my ears. It seemed that even Terrence had a lot to say but couldn't say a word. All the promises we had made to each other before today seemed like white lies now.
We promised each other to stay together.
We promised each other to fight for the twins we had loved so much.
We promised each other to be strong.
We were none of that now.
We were sitting next to each other yet there seemed to be a distance between us. My insecurity had hurt him. The entire situation had hurt me and it was making me feel insecure.
I doubted my capabilities of making decisions. For a moment, I thought it would've had been better if I had taken legal custody of the twins the moment I had found them. It might be a tedious process, but it could have saved me a lot of heartache now.
But I had trusted Terrence. And I still trusted him. We both were confident that Vincent Powers would be understanding, that it would be a simple matter of discussion and then everything would be solved.
But the world was not as black and white as it seemed.
"Alyssa." Terrence finally whispered, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Everything will be alright." I lied perfectly, "We might not have seen this coming, but we'll find a way out of this mess." My tone rose slowly, "We will find a way to keep Raine and Ryan with us - I'll do anything to make sure of that. I didn't find two babies in a dumpster, took them to my place, cared for them, loved them, spent sleepless nights, restless days just to give them away to a heartless bitch —"
"— Did you just say dumpster?"
"No."
Terrence looked at me with such gravity in his eyes that I squirmed in my place. For a woman as clingy as I was, it was for the first time that I wasn't cuddling Terrence or sitting in his lap. The distance felt better this time round.
"Alyssa."
"No."
"Alyssa. I'm not going to ask you again. Where did you find the twins?"
"It will definitely be better if you don't ask me again. I found them in a carton in an alley behind the hospital."
"Any lies of omission?" He asked again, his disbelief showing on his face.
"Nope." I didn't look at him.
"Alyssa, look I know you're mad at me—"
"— I'm not mad at you, Terrence!" I shouted, "You had no idea this would happen! We were being too careless and didn't prepare ourselves for this...mess well. It's not our fault. But this doesn't mean I'm going to let the twins suffer just because we couldn't take right decisions at the right time! I have no idea what Larissa will do to them and I'm not going to let your father be an idiot and jeopardise everything I've taken care of. I don't want Raine and Ryan to grow up feeling rejected just because I didn't fight for them the way I should have!"
He looked at me for a moment, his blue eyes shimmering with too many emotions, just like mine. He was hurting too, but I was too far gone to be understanding, now.
"Alyssa," Terrence wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, "I promise you'll be back at your rightful place - with me and the twins - soon." He kissed my forehead.
"How soon, Terrence? Fifty years later?" I cried.
"You don't believe that, Alyssa. I love you." He frowned at me but held me just as tight.
"Guess it's finally time to test if it's true or not, isn't it?" I wryly chuckled.
And then, I suddenly felt horrible.
How the fuck could I say that to him? I had seen and felt his devotion, his love, and right at the moment when all of it was being tested, I was being a bitch.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" I blurted out, and cried some more, "I'm so sorry, Terrence. God, I know how much you do love me. I didn't mean any of that —"
"I know," he hushed me and kissed my mouth softly, "I know you're just angry. I love you. I know you."
"I love you, too - so much Terrence, so much."
************
I managed to get through the night without having any kind of stupid thoughts that could fuck up my mind more than it already was. Even though I was trying to look forward to something positive in the morning, I couldn't sleep a wink at night. It was almost impossible. My brain was so hyperactive with possibilities and explanations that it refused to calm down.
As amazing as it was that Terrence shared his father's devotion towards the one he loved, it was honestly being a pain in the ass. I knew that if ever anyone - especially someone we've never heard about - told Terrence that I wasn't what he believed me to be, he would refuse to believe that person.
Same was the case with his father. All of a sudden, we couldn't expect him to understand that the wife he loved so much was completely opposite to the kind and caring woman he believed her to be.
But, he at least could have let me stay near the kids. As much as I trusted Terrence, I was still anxious about letting Larissa near Raine and Ryan. I could be overreacting, yes, but my babies were barely a year old. They were innocent and wouldn't even understand if something was wrong - nor would they be able to tell about it to their Dodo.
That's why, I had my fingers crossed, hoping that maybe Larissa changed for good and would at least stay amiable towards them.
"Enough of moping around, Liz." Allie sighed the moment the entered the room and found me lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "It's the first time I'm seeing you look so horrible, and honestly, you're scaring me. You are strong, honey. These things are not supposed to scare you. I know I said some shitty stuff yesterday, but looking at how miserable your boyfriend was, I can at least ask you to hope everything turns out to be better."
"I'm not moping, Allie." I sat up, "I'm just thinking."
Looking at her outfit, I frowned a little. She was dressed and looked like she was about to go out and —
My eyes widened in realisation.
"You don't need to worry, Dree. I'll be fine alone here. I'll probably take a walk outside or something, too. You can go and meet your boyfriend and stay there as long as you want to."
She rolled her eyes, but her blush gave it all away, "I won't be long, I'll be back soon. Aaron knows what you two are going through so he himself won't let me leave you alone for a lot of time."
Half a month ago, my poor best friend finally caved in. I didn't know if I should have been happy or not. As much as I wanted her to put up more resistance, I was happy that she was finally happy, and now had someone to take care of her. No matter how stubborn she was to admit it, she was an emotional cry baby inside and a comforting hug was always the best way to heal her broken heart.
What I couldn't do with thousands of hug, I knew Aaron would do it with just one embrace.
"I'm so happy for you, Allie." I gushed, "It's so good to see you like this, a looking all pampered and happy."
She rolled her eyes again and gave me a kiss on my cheek, muttering a good bye and leaving the next moment. I chuckled when I remembered the tantrum she threw when a picture of hers had appeared in the newspaper as Aaron Fischer's girlfriend.
I sighed.
I just wished this happiness would've come at a better time, when I could've been completely happy for her and not muddled with my own issues.
*************
Just as I had told Allie, I finally came out of my temporary hermitage and went to the park that had held so many memories for. It was the same park where Terrence had first seen Raine and Ryan, from where it all had kicked into gear.
It didn't feel the same anymore, and I wasn't able to pick up the cheery atmosphere in the park. A few people who recognised me sent me smiles and I faked a smile back. This park was too much for me.
The air was thick with memories of me coming here everyday with the twins and spending my time here with them. I could imagine myself holding their twin stroller as they bounced and squealed in their seats, their smile being enough to make my day.
Allie was so right. My life felt impossible without them in it. Not when I was alive and fit to fight for them.
I kept walking around, ignoring some of the stares because it had been months since I had come here all alone. I didn't care what people thought. I had just come here for a moment of peace and fresh air, and honestly, I was not getting any.
I'd rather be back home.
"Hello, cousin. You look as miserable as I want you to be."
Some things never change.
I turned around and my heart stopped the moment I saw Larissa with a conniving smile on her face, her hands on the handle of the twin stroller where my babies were sitting very quietly, looking very very scared.
I took a step towards the stroller.
She took a step back, shaking her head and smirking. I didn't like how scared and still my babies were. Just a few moments ago I was imagining them bouncing and squealing in their strollers, and now they looked like someone had strapped them tip to toe and had scared them into staying still.
Raine and Ryan both kept looking at me hopefully, and suddenly I was drawn to the very first day I had met them. My heart pounded in my chest and a tear trickled down my cheek, looking at how helpless and hopeful my babies looked as they gazed at me.
Raine started crying.
"Shut up!" Larissa yelled at her and she quietened instantly.
I couldn't see that.
I immediately moved forward and scooped up both Raine and Ryan in my arms before Larissa could step even an inch behind. I was furious: she didn't have to treat them this way. All my hopes of Larissa changing for the better were dashed, and I knew I wouldn't want Raine and Ryan to stay with her anymore.
"Why are you doing this?!" I cried out, not caring if anyone could hear it. Raine and Ryan clung to me as if their life depended on it and both of them were shivering.
"Why am I doing this?" Her brows rose, "Your father snatched away all the money my father deserved. Your family is the reason I spent my entire life in poverty. Now that I finally got someone who could pay for all my needs and make up for all I missed my entire life, these brats had to just come along and ruin my game." She sneered in disgust.
"What kind of a woman are you?!" I spat, "They are you own children. Don't you feel anything for them - the ones you had in your womb for months?"
"That melodrama and shit won't work for me," she snorted. "I love Vincent, I really do. But I love his money more. I already have to share half of his inheritance with Terrence - I can't handle sharing it with two more. If Terrence hadn't been this smart, he would've had already been thrown out and disowned by his father. But he never falls for my feminine wiles."
"You disgust him." I said harshly, getting annoyed by the way she was looking so nonchalant about this...like she had everything sorted out.
"No wonder he never liked me. But I don't know what you did to him. How come he is so taken with you that he now believes every word you say. I tried so much to turn him against you, but he never heard a word of mine." She sighed.
I rocked the twins in my arms as they slowly fell asleep, and for a moment I wondered if they had eaten anything. I chose not to say anything to Larissa and started walking back to the direction of the entrance of the park. I didn't want the twins to stay around her anymore. She had come here to taunt me, and now she would be going back home empty handed.
"Where are you going?" She asked when she noticed I was moving.
"Back to my house, where Raine and Ryan would be safe, and definitely not somewhere near you."
She smirked again at my words and I had this sudden urge to smack her and change the entire topography of her face. She had my blood boiling like no other, but with Ryan and Raine in my hold, I had to hold in my fury.
"That's where you're wrong, sweetie. Terrence might be firm, but Vincent has already been swayed against you. A few tears and motherly acts were enough to convince him how much I wanted these...whatever. Take another step away with them and I'll have you sued for kidnapping."
I reluctantly turned around to face her, my arms holding my babies tightly to me. Larissa wasn't joking - she would really do something like that and even Terrence would be helpless against her.
With my heart beating a furious staccato, protesting in my chest, I reluctant placed the twins back in the stroller. They were still sleeping and squirmed just a little on loosing contact.
I couldn't back down without one last fight. Maybe I could beg.
Losing all my shreds of dignity to her, I resorted to begging. Maybe overdramatic, but I knelt down in front of her and clasped my hands, my tears rolling down my cheeks.
"If they are such an inconvenience to you, let me take them with me, let me leave and I swear I'll never come back," even if it means never seeing Terrence again,"Just leave them out of this. Please, Larissa! I beg you! They are innocent and they don't deserve this!"
Smirking, she knelt on one knee and looked at me in the eye, "I know they don't deserve this, but you know what? I just love watching you suffer and cry."
And with that, she grabbed the stroller forcefully and pushed it until they were out of the park. I kept kneeling down on the grass until they were out of sight, cursing myself for being so weak, pathetic and helpless.
How did Terrence leave the twins alone with her?
**********
Once I had reached Allie's place, I scrambled to find my phone. My hands were shaking, my heart was pound my lips were quivering and I felt cold, so cold that I couldn't even register what was happening to me. I never reacted to fear this way, but maybe it was this way, this time, because I was afraid for myself.
Allie wasn't back home yet, even though she had said she won't be long. It meant that no one was here to calm me down.
I finally found my phone under the pillow I had used to sleep.
It was switched off.
I let out a frustrated scream.
I connected it to the charging cord and waited impatiently for it to come back to life. I didn't care if it was harmful to simultaneously charge and call, but I wasn't going to wait. I quickly speed dialled Terrence and waited for the call to connect.
It rang and rang. But he wasn't picking at all.
What the fuck is he doing and why is it so important?
Just like yesterday evening, he wasn't picking up my calls again. I grew more and more anxious as I heard the ringing time and again.
Why wasn't he picking up?
"Terrence. Terrence. Terrence. Terrence." I muttered his name like a chant, as if his name itself was enough to chase all my anxiety away.
I switched to calling Aaron. Maybe he had an idea what he was doing.
"Lisa? Is anything wrong? You should have called me." Allie's concerned voice sifted through the phone. For a moment not even a word could come out of my mouth.
"Alyssa are you there?"
"Yes." My voice croaked, "Yes, I am here. I'm fine. I just wanted to know if Aaron knew where Terrence was. He's not picking up my calls."
"He will call you back, Lisa. I'll still ask Aaron."
I heard her call out to him and ask him, but the answer seemed to be in negative. I sighed, feeling clueless about anything and everything and the insecurity returned back to me in full force.
No, no, no. Perhaps even Terrence had no idea about all of it. Maybe Larissa had sneaked out the twins just to rile me up.
"Aaron has no idea, Lisa. Are you sure everything is alright?" She asked again.
"Yes. Yes. I just wanted to check up on the twins and talk to Terrence. Guess I won't be able to do that for sometime." I said nonchalantly.
She was silent for a while, "You know what? I don't trust you right now. I'm coming right over."
"Oh God, Allie! I'm alright! I'm not going crazy and I'm not going to do anything stupid! Stay there and don't come back until you've finished or done whatever you're doing." I yelled at her.
She sighed, "Alright, but I'm worried about you. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"So I am allowed to go batshit crazy?"
"Alyssa." She warned, and definitely took my full name, which meant that her warning was meant to be taken seriously.
"Yeah, yeah, I understand. I'll be fine don't worry." I hoped that I sounded convincing.
"Okay. See you later."
I hung up the phone and sunk to the ground. My facade broke, and suddenly my finger fluttered crazily over my phone, dialling Terrence's number again and again until he picked up.
He didn't.
****************
I was getting restless.
Usually, I was a laid back, calm and lazy person, but in situation like this one, I was more than hyperactive, with my brain going at the speed of infinity miles per hour with it's thoughts.
Nothing was helping.
A person standing right in front of me wouldn't be able to tell what was going on in my mind - only I knew the kind of shitstorm I could cook up in my head.
And in this situation, once again, keeping faith in Terrence was proving to be difficult.
He wasn't picking up my calls, yet he wasn't rejecting them too. He just ignored them and let it ring.
For fuck's sake, he let Larissa take the twins out - all alone, with no one chaperoning her activities. That was totally unbelievable for me. What if Larissa had taken them somewhere else, maybe to —
No. No. No. No. No.
Maybe Terrence lost his phone. Yes that could be it. He was spying on Larissa and he lost his phone. Perfect. But that wasn't helping my restlessness, or my sudden loss of appetite.
So I did the best thing I could at that moment. I took my phone, and walked out of the house, hoping that a little walk would release all the pent up energy. I just hoped I wouldn't come across any other bitch I didn't want to meet.
Walking on an empty stomach - well now that was another difficulty. Yet I managed to numbly move like a zombie. I moved wherever my feet took me, and let the breeze caress my face.
It was cold. There were hardly any people around who wanted to walk around at this point of time. Apart from one or two vehicles, I was the only one walking down the street.
It was dark already, and the street lights were flickering. I looked around and was mildly surprised to find myself slowly walking down the same street where I had met the babies for the first time.
I could imagine myself stalking down the street in full steam, in a hurry to get home, talking to Allie to keep myself distracted from the creepy darkness. So much had changed that day; I was now a mother of two. I got more love than I bargained for.
And I found Terrence.
A small smile twisted my face, my first genuine smile in the last two days. Memories after memories flashed in my mind and I was proud at how far I had come ahead.
I had a family now, a family to take care of.
Not just me, even Allie was happier than she ever was since I met her. I wished our happiness would stay for long.
I wished we could brave this storm together.
But here I was, walking down the streets all alone with only the stones, lights and dumpsters providing me company. I remembered my slip in the morning, and Terrence's non existent reaction.
Was he not mad that Raine and Ryan had been dumped like garbage so that they would die and not be a part of anyone's inheritance.
Larissa should be ashamed to call herself a woman.
And then there was Terrence - the past few months that had been filled so much with love and happiness almost seemed like a dream now. He wasn't picking my calls, and at this point of time, talking to him was utmost necessary.
The more time it took for me to finally hear his voice, the more the doubts grew and I was almost worried about how pathetically I was handling this situation.
Be strong. Be focused. Not for yourself. Not for Terrence. Only for Raine and Ryan.
I kept walking. Walking was such an easy thing to do, wasn't it, especially when everything seemed so familiar, like you were back to the day when your entire life changed.
Only this time, you could recognise the wails.
My feet froze. And then I ran. Simultaneously, my hand reached for my phone and I was very, very surprised to see that Terrence was calling me.
I picked up and spoke before he could say anything:
"Please tell me Raine and Ryan are with you!"
*****************************
Hey guys and girls,
I might be a little late or slow in updates, but be assured that I will, anyhow, finish this story by midway June. I'll be in college by August and I have no idea if I will have enough time to keep up my commitments to Wattpad. Along with completing this story, I have to complete my other three stories too, and honestly, the writer's block is pissing me off.
The chapters might come out rushed, and without the cliffhangers, but I'll be editing the entire story one last time before going off wattpad (damn I'll miss this)
Also, for those who didn't read before, I'll be writing additional bonus chapters in Terrence's POV and I will also write a few chapters(they will be private) completely on Aaron and Alexandria.
It would take some time, but I'm a girl on mission these days. I'm learning cooking (again) so it's taking a lot of time. And then finding colleges😪😪😪
Anyways, vote comment and recommend. I hope you guys like the chapter. Do share your views and point out the mistakes so that I can correct them later.
Your girl on mission,
Love,
M
P.S. Our dear Alyssa is really going crazy with all the stuff going on, right?