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[Matured content, no rape.] "Mama, Custard," Adrian said as he rushed towards me. Adrian Woods, my four years old son whom I was left to raise alone. "Darian," I called out, staring intently at him, "who gave you the right to touch him, and even call him your son?" He was back! The man I tried my best to run from, the man whom I did everything possible to stay away from, the one person who was happy seeing me in so much pain. Darian Woods was back, my divorced husband, the father of my child.
"Mama, Custard," Adrian said as he rushed towards me. I smiled watching him, my four years old son running to me. His face all smiley and his eyes reminding me of that one person. I could remember vividly four years ago, which seemed like yesterday when I had him wrapped in my arms. The nurse had just announced to me that it was a boy, a cute little one at that. I remember rubbing his golden curly hair he had from birth, I just couldn't control the joy I had that day.
"Custard," he said stretching out his hands for me to carry him.
"Mmhmm...," I hummed reaching out my hands to him. Raising him from the floor while playing with his belly, "see who wants to stress Mama now," I giggled.
I don't know if he understood what I said, but he stretched out his hands to my face and started rubbing it smoothly in a way that was as though he was comforting me and reminding me that he had no plans to stress me.
Smiling at his actions, "indeed Children were cute," I thought internally. I carefully put him into his baby buggy which I carried to the kitchen and kept a close eye on him as I turned on the electric kettle to get hot water. I quickly reached out for his milk since he enjoyed taking milk, mixed it with some little water and put it in his feeding bottle for him to suck. While waiting for the water to heat up, I picked up my phone and was greeted with a notification that just popped in,
"Your child needs so much warmth and love, luckily he/she is fortunate to have you as the perfect Parent," excitement was all over my face. It was from the Baby's app I installed on my phone that dropped tips on how to handle a growing Child. I just didn't agree with them saying "the child is fortunate," I think I'm the fortunate one. Definitely, I'd have been so lost without Adrian, he really gave me a reason to live.
The whistling from the electric kettle called me out from my reverie. I made the custard while stealing a glance at Adrian, who had already sucked almost half of the content in the feeding bottle. His concentration was so much on the bottle, it felt like he was thinking of the possibility of gulping down everything without having to suck. The custard came out perfect just the way he liked it. Over the years, well the past four years actually, I did nothing apart from working and spending time with him. It was okay to classify the working time as spending time with him also, because I did remote jobs.
I pulled him out from the baby buggy, kept him on the bed and fed him because I was certain he was going to sleep soon. Just as I thought, few minutes after, he slept off and I was left alone staring at his face, that beautiful face made from the union of me and some other man whom I called the Devil's incarnate over the years.
Just after I finished putting him to sleep, a ring came through my phone. It was a call from Jane, my best friend. Picking up the phone, I stepped out and answered the call.
"Hello," I said
"Did you see the news just now," Jane muttered incoherently.
"What news?" I said, confusion written all over my face.
"Just turn on the TV, check the news...," I heard Jane say with a voice filled with panic and before I left my daze, the call was disconnected.
Immediately, I rushed to the sitting room and turned on the TV which took some time to start up. In tension I turned on my phone and started searching for the latest news. Just as my eye caugt the tags on the well known billionaire, I heard the reporter say out loud,
"Famous and established billionaire, Darian Woods will be relocating to Carlton, as he just commissioned a new project here. We heard from some Shareholders that the building here at Carlton is going to be his headquarters and we have no idea on why he will be moving."
I couldn't believe what I heard. I switched to the next news station, it carried the same news with different headlines. Hearing all of it made me drop on the couch, I could feel the pace of my heart beat increasing and my head suddenly felt dizzy. The one person I was running from was now coming closer to me.
Picking up my phone from the couch, I tapped on the tags and saw comments rushing in,
"Oh my.... Darian Woods will be coming to Carlton"
"Good thing, it will create more employment opportunities here"
"Gosh, he's just so cute, I can't take my eyes off him," I rolled my eyes reading this comment.
"I heard he is married, I've not seen any of their couple photos in a while."
"I heard his wife was once spotted in Carlton. Or is he moving over here because of her?"
The shock from all of it made my phone fall of my hold, I couldn't control the wave of emotions running through me. After everything happened, I found it hard to put myself together, just when I was gradually pulling together, He was appearing, my pain was coming back to me, Darian Woods, my divorced husband.
After leaving Castor city where Darian lived, I tried my best to cut off every memory with him. I successfully dropped the name I had from marrying him, "Woods", without raising public talks.
Shutting my eyes, a memory with Darian rushed back to me,
~~about five years ago, Castor city~~
"Moriah," he said while working towards me and dropped a document on me.
"What's this?" I asked cluelessly while picking it up.
With the rage he used to walk in, I feared the worst was going to happen. I was used to his cruelty but I felt something was not right.
"Darian, what's this?" my lips shook in trepidation.
"You should see it yourself," he curtly replied.
My eyes went wide as I caught the first few words, subconsciously muttering it out,
"Divorce papers," I said to myself confirming what my eyes read.
"You saw well, I will be traveling to Texas and you should sign those papers. I hope to not see you when I'm back," he said, " Leave the signed papers in my room," I heard him add. That was the last conversation I had with Darian. That day, I felt like my world came crashing at my feets. From the start, the relationship between us was not really smooth. I just didn't know it was going to get worse, even to the divorce.
~~Present~~
Slowly, I let my eyes open. Funnily, the divorce was even the mildest of the treatments I went through living with Darian.
Hearing a knock on the door I stood up to check who it was.
"Oh Goodness..... Moriah, how are you pulling through?" Jane asked immediately she stepped into the house. At that moment, I felt she really had to be there because sincerely I was not feeling good. A tear rolled through my cheeks and dropped on my palms which caught Jane's attention,
"Moriah what's it?" She said while pulling me in to a hug. I really had nothing to say anymore. Jane was the person that stayed with me all through the hurtful experience I went through. Even till the divorce, she relocated because I had to leave Castor to Carlton all in a bid to stay miles away from Darian. With the connections he had, he could get to me at anytime and frustrate me. But, he decided to ignore me and he did it pretty well in the past five years.
Facts right, the Darian I know liked the city which the former headquarters was located. If he was relocating to a new place, was it an intentional act to find me or something was amiss with the company, I pondered while being wrapped up in the warmth of Jane.
Jane pulled away from the hug and stared at me blankly,
"What are you going to do?" She asked me with a sad grimace.
Trying to not feel pity for myself, as I was really lost of solutions, "I have no idea," I shrugged while wiping off tears, "He's not yet in Carlton, maybe I'll just stay on the low while thinking of what to do."
Running away was definitely not a solution and I had no plans to run anymore.
**********
Authors note to Readers:
First of all, I appreciate you all for tapping on this book and I hope you enjoy it and follow the story as it develops.
Just to clear few things;
1. This book is entirely a work of fiction and the original work of the author. Whatever character or names used in this book, was out of the author's imagination as it is not intended to create a false idea about anything or belief.
2. This book is a slow burn book and is still ONGOING.
3. Please as you read, leave a nice review and give a good rating.
4. Also, as the author, I'll try my best to update at a very good pace and give you the best of my imagination.
Thank you as you read and please enjoy.
"Mama, Custard", Adrian said as he rushed towards me. I watched him, my four years old son I have been so fortunate enough to raise. Thinking about it brought tears to me, every fucking time and Adrian was my consolation. "Darian", I said out loud, "what gave you the right to come here? and even call him your son?". He was back, the man I tried everything I could to stay away from, the man who was happy seeing me in misery, the Father of my Child.
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." She stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You are not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked in a quivering voice. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She looked at me in the mirror. "You can't even look at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of looking at that face?" Heather Bailey had a surprise from her husband that night: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. But she was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman because that person was closest to her. Shortly after she put her signature on their divorce papers, shock waves caught her up. Her flower shop was severely burnt, beyond repair. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers who came from influential families, she started her action against Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted. But that was just the beginning.
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”