BASH
It’s been ten hours since I brought Trinity to Maternity and Children Specialist Hospital, but her cervix only dilates from three centimeters to five centimeters. Trinity is still so stubborn when the contractions kick in, she stops walking and complains of pain instead.
I’m already on my fourth cup of coffee. I’m done reading the book I brought with me. I walked ten times more compared to her just to encourage her to walk more.
She’s wearing a blue hospital gown, and her hair is tied in a messy bun, and her hands are on her hips for support.
I sigh helplessly. “Baby, if you follow what your doctor has told you to do, our baby would be distressed, and you don’t want that to happen, do you?” I ask when she sits back on an empty bench outside her room.
I’m so glad she didn’t suffer too much throughout her pregnancy. I let her stop from her job when she’s in her last trimester. She complains of having edema on her feet, but th
TRINITY Who says there is no such thing as perfect? It’s been six years of a perfect life, and what can I possibly ask for more? It feels like yesterday when I marry my hot and gorgeous husband, and now I have three beautiful kids who enjoy playing at the park. “Baby!” I turn my head to see Bash making his way towards my direction with our twins in both hands. He just comes from the airport, and he’s still wearing his dark blue suit perfectly tailored for him. “Hey, you’re early.” I rise from my seat and walk to meet him halfway. He pulls me into a big hug. My kids’ arms are wrap around his legs. “I miss you terribly, Trinity,” he whispers in my ear. I giggle. “It’s been only eight hours, silly.” I break the hug. “But I was miles away from you. You didn’t miss me, did you?” He went to Boston to visit his branch since he’s been the President and the CEO of Hughes Industries for four years. I, on the other hand, is a full-time mother since Baby Fifth was born. Bash didn’t allo
BASH I am so annoyed with the art teacher who didn’t appreciate my watercolor painting. I hop out of the car without thanking my driver. Sprinting inside the house with my backpack tightly grasp, I stomp my feet to our expansive living room. I was practicing the same concept last night over and over again until it looked satisfactory. I admit I’m so bad at art, but it hurts my ego because I’m excellent at every subject. I can play the piano, cello, violin, and guitar with my eyes closed. I can solve math in just one look at the problem, but art? Ugh! I grimace at the thought of it. I stop to halt when I notice mom and one of her best friends are laughing together. Their voices are echoing in the living room. They abruptly stop when they notice me. I roll my eyes. Mom’s beautiful face lights up and smiles at me. Aunt Zoey, the redhead does the same. I smile timidly back at her. I’m not in a mood to
BASH The chilly air wraps my skin as soon as I step out of my family’s private jet. I inhale deeply the smell of New York City—the city that never sleeps. Welcome Back, Bash! It’s good to be back! Those skyline buildings, the noises, the citylights, and the New Yorkers—I miss all of them. I get inside of the black Rolls Royce of my Grandpa Mike. My stomach churns at the thought of being back. When I think I get myself prepared for this, but I am wrong, and the anxiousness starts crawling in my skin. Now that I’m here, I want to go back to London and stay there for the rest of my entire life. But I promised my family that once I finished college, I will be back—that’s one of the two reasons why I’m here. “Welcome back, Sir Bash!” The family driver of early forties greets me with courtesy; he turns to me and nods from the driver's seat. “I’m Edmund Russell. Your driver, Mr. Hughes.”
BASH My head snaps to Lizzy’s boyfriend, Dean. I don’t like him so much, but who am I to judge, and he seems to make my sister happy. But if he ever hurts my sister, I won’t hesitate to break his face. Dean marches in my direction. As a golden boy, I give him a smile that I mastered since I was a kid. “Good to see you again, man.” I extend my hand, and he grips it tightly with a manly hug. “Welcome back, Bash.” “Thanks, Dean. So, how’s the new lawyer?” His face lights up. Honestly, he’s perfect for my sister. He gets the look that can be the future senator, built like a soccer player, and a brain that could pass laws for the country’s future. “Thanks for asking, Bash. Just got a case yesterday. A company files a lawsuit against your dad’s company. I shouldn’t be discussing this with you, but I know Liz is filling you somehow. It’s not a big deal. Your company will surely win this case. It’s nonsens
BASH I feel the instant coldness of the stainless door handle on my office as I push it open. As I enter, I feel a sudden unsettling in the pit of my stomach when a familiar flowery scent hits my nostrils. A gasp has my head snap, and my eyes are transfixed on the woman in front of me. Everything stops. My surrounding blurs. The beating of my heart races. My eyes widen in shock, and I am surprised that my jaw is still attached to my head. I’m not expecting to see her here in this building, let alone in my office. I wasn’t thinking about her when Dad told me to be nice to my assistant. What’s this supposed to mean? I shut my gaping mouth close and cough awkwardly. “Trinity.” Her name comes out a whisper, and it feels foreign in my ears. She blinks many times before she clears her throat. She smiles at me—a tight smile; just a plain smile; a forceful one. “Mr. Hughes, good Morning, and welcome to your new office,” she greets with
TRINITY My life sucks! Let me tell you a brief story of my life. To start, my name is supposed to be Kiera Trinity Mallory, but the registrar might have been cross-eyed or drunk. Now my name is officially registered as Kiara Trinity. Number one. I am the only child of Zoey and Logan Mallory. I always dream of having a sibling, but I didn’t get a chance to have either a brother or a sister. I felt jealous every time I saw my friends with their brothers. Two. I have frizzy red curly hair that looks like orange in the sun and like instant Chinese noodles. I always got bullied when I was a kid because of my hair. No matter how mom tried fixing it with a hundred hair clips, it wouldn’t just stick together. I got plenty of freckles all over my face. I’m sure you know how my face looks like. My eyes are maybe my best asset—they’re green like a tropical forest, but many girls have green eyes too. Dad loves me so
TRINITY “What am I doing?” I ask myself in the mirror. Last night I kept turning in bed for some reason that I didn’t even know. That was the first night that I didn’t think of Oli since he passed away. All I could think of was the gorgeous gray-eyed who ran away from his office and didn’t come back after the meeting. What’s his problem anyway? I play with my engagement ring on my finger while I’m humming the song on my phone. My officemates are already rushing to get in the cramming elevator. Some say hi, greet a good morning, and some think that I’m invisible. I know exactly what they talk about, so I keep my volume on my headset louder even it’s already deafening my ears. Enough thinking of Bash! You had all that last night! I’m sure he isn’t doing the same. I start my routine as soon as I get into my office. Still no signs of Bash. It’s almost nine in the morning when I check the time on my laptop.
BASH “Why didn’t you tell me that her fiancé died? I could have avoided asking her about him, Lizzy.” She sighs from the other line. I couldn’t sleep after what I just found out about her relationship. It breaks my heart to see her in such pain, and I can’t do anything to help her. “Bash, she needs you. She may laugh, jokes around, or pushes you away, but she suffered a lot losing her fiancé. She needs the Bash that she used to know. She needs her best friend,” Lizzy says softly, convincing me. “She doesn’t need me, Lizzy. You can’t push her on me if she doesn’t want me, and I can’t force what we had to be back to normal. All she needs is to accept her loss and move on. She has you as a friend.” The frown deepens on my forehead. Honestly, I don’t want to be just her friend anymore. I want to be wanted. I want to be someone she needs, not because she was my best friend. “You didn’t get it, Bash.” “Tell me t