Delaney looked at Norberto with shock written all over her face. She just could not believe he was referring to her with such words. “Are you freaking kidding right now? You are calling me a leech. Norberto, you were almost kissing her just now and as your fiancée I have all rights to know what’s going on.”

“Oh please just stop all these already Delaney. Stop. I don’t have time for all your silly talks right now.”

“Are you such a gold digger too Norberto? I can’t believe you are running after her now just because she’s now rich. It still won’t help your company which is going bankrupt.”

Norberto was furious. He glared at her, gritting his teeth, “Can you just hear yourself. I can’t believe I loved a nuisance like you.”

“I said what I said. I am your woman, so stay the hell away from that slut.”

“Erica is my wife and I won’t have you talk about her like that.” Norberto shoved her aside, leaving her behind in the restroom.

Torrents of tears flowed down Delaney’s face the moment Norberto left. She slid down the wall with her back against it. She stared at the big mirror just in front of her and realized her makeup was smudged. Her mascara ran down her face forming a black line on both sides.

She approached the sink to wash her face. She patted her face dry and wiped her hands with a napkin after which she walked out.

……………

“Dad I saw them in the restroom. Norberto is now swooning over her. I think I’ve lost him dad.”

“That should be the least of your concern now Delaney. After all, she is still his wife…”

“But we are engaged dad.” Delaney cried out, swinging her arms in the air furiously.

“She took everything from me and now the only man I have, she’s taking him away too.”

“I feel like I’ve lost it all dad.”

“You should sort this out between yourself and Norberto. After all you got engaged to him because he was the youngest richest billionaire but now, his company is almost winding up due to bankruptcy, so I see no reason why you should be beating yourself up if he wants to leave.”

“But dad… I am loving him already.”

“Enough Delaney. I’ve had a long day. I need some rest.”

George walked out on her with Delaney running to catch up with him. She looked at him with her eyes swollen from crying as he entered his car and drove off.

Suddenly an evil smile formed on her lips as though she had thought of something. She got into her car and drove home.

……………..

Norberto bumped into Carlo on his way out of the restroom. “Where have you been, Carlo?”

“Sorry sir, I went to grab a quick lunch.”

“Did you see Erica?”

“She left already sir. I saw her walking away with her boyfriend. They were both looking so gorgeous.”

“Will you keep shut. That’s my wife we are talking about here.”

“How sir, make me understand. Erica, your wife, I mean you are married, when? How? Where?”

“That asshole of a man cannot be her boyfriend. We didn’t even get divorced.” Norberto said to a confused Carlo, who was silently wishing his boss wasn’t going crazy.

“You are getting me scared, sir, if I must say.” Carlo said with a puzzled look. He pondered for a while about his boss’s weird behavior.

“I need you to do something for me Carlo.”

“Okay boss, what’s that?”

“Hire a private investigator and find out whatever you can about Erica and her company. I need the information in three days from now.”

“Rose, what are you doing here at my place, so early.” Erica walked over to her best friend, hugging her. Her eyes fell on the woven basket she had in her hand.

“These are for you and the triplets. Goodness girl you did so well. I could not bear hearing the gist on the phone so I had to come over. Kudos to you girl.”

“UHH, you are so dramatic rose. Anyways, thank you for your lovely words.”

“Where are they?”

“In their rooms, sleeping.”

“Perfect! Now we have all the time to discuss and have some good ladies time. Tell me how it all happened.” Rose asked as they both walked to wards the cushion chair side by side.

“It was a hell of a day rose. Maybe I shouldn’t have showed up. Maye I shouldn’t have accepted their proposals or take the role of the new CEO of the company.”

Rose stopped in her tracks. She held Erica by the shoulders and turned her, facing her.

“Girl, you have no reason to regret anything at all. You did what’s best. After all that’s your father’s company we are talking about over here.”

Erica took a deep breath, folding her arms and reclining on the cushion. “I don’t need this too much attention. I just want to make enough money that will be sufficient for my kids and I and live a low-key life. I also hate the fact that I had to run into Norberto. It’s like my past replaying itself again.”

“I’m so tired rose. I feel like I’m just going to pass out from too much thoughts.” She sighed, rubbing her temple.

“Calm down. Now is not the time to lament over anything. Here…”, rose said, pouring the contents of the basket on the table. “I got you your favorite chocolates and muffins. Tonight, lets Netflix and chill. Want to grab a drink girl?”

Erica smiled at how thoughtful her friend was. “Yeah sure. What would I have done without you rose.” Erica said fondly.

“Oh my! Now some is seriously flattering me.”

Rose made her way towards the kitchen. She soon returned with a bottle of wine and two glass cups which she placed on the table. She poured herself and Erica a drink. The two best friends sat quietly, sipping the wine.

She watched as Erica sipped her wine absentmindedly. She marveled at the strength of her best friend and silently wished things fall in place for her soon.

“How did it go between you and Norberto?”

She stared at rose, swirling her cup.

“Don’t feign ignorance Erica. Just tell me, how was the situation when you ran into your husband?”

“Ex-husband!”

Rose chuckled, “But you know you guys never really had a legal divorce. Anyways how did it go?”

“Nothing really happened though. He was just being a pest all through.”

“A pest! How?”

Erica brought the glass to her lips and drank its content in one gulp. “he cornered me in the restroom. He wanted us to talk. He kept on apologizing for what has happened in the past.”

Rose chuckled. “Aww, really?”

“He said he searched everywhere for me. He looked for me and he regrets all that happened in the past. He was actually very jealous of Richard. He burned up so bad due to jealousy, you could literarily see his skin turned red.” The two girls laughed loudly and took a bite each from their muffins.

“So now, he wants you back?”

“Yeah he does. You could see the pain in his eyes and the regret in his tone.”

“I bet his chewing his fingers in regret now.”

“You needed to see him. He looked so off and unkempt and a bit tattered. He must have really lost some night’s sleep because of his company.”

“I can only imagine.” Rose said, pouring herself more wine.

“Give me more too.” Erica demanded, pushing her glass cup towards rose. “He never allowed me to say anything. He treated me like I was some piece of shit. He even brought my stepsister to our matrimonial bed. Gosh! I was such a foolish, young, naïve lady in love.”

“You were truly in love and you are such a good person. Don’t blame yourself for his mistakes. It’s his loss actually.” Rose comforted her.

“But then, I want you to tell me the truth. Do you still have something in your heart for him, I mean do you still feel something for this guy. I remember how you so loved him them.”

“I feel nothing for him. I just see him as I see others now. I don’t think I can feel a thing for someone who kept seeing me as an evil human just because he never got married to Delaney. He had always told me how I was a nobody and I won’t ever be worth anything and how Delaney is better than me in everything. I don’t think a tiny part of me is even willing to trust him or feel anything for him.”

Rose rubbed her thighs, soothing her. “I understand how you feel Erica. I’m so sorry you had to go through this rollercoaster of emotions.”

“How did Delaney react? I bet that evil lady was so shocked seeing you.”

“She couldn’t believe I was the owner of global enterprises. She didn’t want to believe it even though Lucas kept mentioning it. She stumbled upon Norberto and I in the restroom. She was so furious. She called me a gold-digging slut, can you imagine the guts? Well I sure put her in her place.”

Rose clapped her hands in delight. She patted her best friend on the back and gave her a thumbs up. ‘You did really great. Now she will think twice before trying to mess up with you. Huhu!”

“I keep wondering, why does she hate me so much? She always picked on me and at any slight chance, she reminds me of how I was a lonely, dejected child whose mother was brought into their house and I had no other option but to be allowed into the family.”

“I tried my best to please her. I made sure I took blame for whatever she accused me off even though I was not guilty. I wonder where and how I’ve wronged her.”

“She’s just a bitter person. I mean there’s no other explanation for this. She hates you and that’s on period.”

“I just want my kids safe. And now that their father is already in the picture, I got to be extra careful.”

“I don’t think I’m ever willing to let him know about the triplets. I just want to keep them away, away from him and every other person. I fear the kids getting harmed.”

“How do you wish to achieve that? Don’t forget, nothing remains hidden forever. Do you really think if you hide the birth of the triplets from him, he won’t still get to know?”

“Think about this decision of yours Erica.”

“But he may use that opportunity to try coming back into my life. He may use the triplets as a means of getting back with me. You know how they really so want to have a father figure and sees Richard as one.” Erica whined.

“Is that really your fear? Or are you scared that him getting to know about the triplets and trying to come back into their lives will spark up something between the both of you? Trust me girlfriend, I understand your fears, but I don’t think keeping his children away from him is the best decision. They need their father too. Don’t deprive them of that.”

“No, I am enough for them. They do not need someone who was never there for them even before they were birthed. I will do everything I can to make sure he doesn’t know anything about him. He won’t even know that I was ever pregnant.”

Rose placed her hand on Erica’s thighs. “I know you are so angry currently and I am in no position to tell you how to feel and what to feel, but keeping these kids away from their father isn’t the best decision you should even consider taking.”

Rose watched as Erica fell into deep thoughts. She could see her eyes twitching and knew she was trying so hard to stop the tears from falling.

The door opened and the triplets rushed in, interrupting their talk.

“My little pumpkins.” Rose said hugging them one after the other. “We will continue our talk later.” She whispered to Erica. “For now, I need to attend to my darlings. Here look kids, I got you something….” Her voice faded away as she went out to the play room with the kids.

Erica smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes. She walked over to the play room quietly. She flung the door open and saw rose and the triplets playing with some building blocks. The kids were also enjoying their snacks and chocolate rose had brought.

“Mommy! Mommy! Come join us.” Ricky shouted, jumping cheerfully on the bed.

“Mommy is so tired darling. Why don’t I sit and watch you guys play okay!” she replied, squatting on the floor.

“Look mommy, I painted a photo of you and daddy.”

Erica’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Becca’s drawing.

“In a family, there’s a mother and a father and the children. So I imagined us having a daddy and I drew it.” Becca said jumping around the room happily. She looked fulfilled and happy with her drawing. Rose stared at Erica and gave her a smile before she continued playing with the kids.

“That’s wonderful Becca. I love the drawing. Weldon my love.” She said, rubbing her daughter’s head.

Erica plunged herself on the cushion immediately she went into the sitting room. She held the painting and glared at it for a long time. She felt a sharp pain in her chest. She knew that was the pain Norberto had caused her.

Rose was seen tiptoeing into the sitting room. She had a smile on her face as she sat close to Erica. “They are sleeping already.”

“Thanks rose. Thank you for all your help. I mean, I couldn’t have done all these on my own.”

“OH common Erica. Stop thanking me. You are making me feel bad. What are best friends for if I can’t help when you need it. I will always be here for as long as it takes.”

Rose watched Erica fell into deep thoughts again. “Hey, what are you thinking about?” she asked nudging Erica with her shoulder.

“So many things. On our third anniversary, I wanted to tell him about the pregnancy but he wasn’t even willing to listen to me. He even rejected the anniversary gift I bought for him. And the next thing he did, was to toss the divorce papers at me.”

“But then he willingly had sex with you right? I mean I get it that the first was a setup by your step sister but the second was not.”

“I don’t even want to talk about it.” Erica said, as the flashbacks of what happened that night the triplets were conceived rushed to her mind.

“Wow, so now, your ex-wife is back and there’s also Delaney.”

“She’s not my ex-wife. She’s my wife. We never had a divorce.” Norberto fumed.

“I see! So that means you are in a dilemma now. Torn between two sisters.”

“Are you making fun of me or what? I called you here to help me think of something, not to make fun of me.”

“You see, Norberto…”, mark said, dragging his chair towards him. “I won’t lie to you, you really fucked things up yourself.”

“What do you mean by that?” Norberto asked, looking at him from the corner of his eye.

“Aren’t you my best friend? You are supposed to be on my side. Stop blaming me for things I had no control over.”

“I am only telling you the truth. I am not blaming you for anything unjustly.”

“I am your best friend. I will always stand up for you but that shouldn’t translate to me backing you up when you are wrong.”

“You treated your wife so badly. You even brought her sister to the house where she stays and sleep with her under the same roof.”

“Oh please mark! You don’t have to keep reminding me of everything that happened in the past, do you?”

“Really! You were being such a jerk Norberto. If I were Erica or if she was my sister, trust me, you aren’t having her back. I can’t afford myself or any of my family accepting someone who treated them like trash back into their lives. She deserves someone better actually.”

“Don’t talk like that, common. I know I was wrong and I accept that but you didn’t have to be so blunt about the truth.”

“Anyways, why do you even want her back? Or you just can’t stand the fact that she’s happy now and glowing without you, so you want to take her back and turn her into the lady she was when she was with you huh!”

“No mark you are getting it all wrong. She’s the woman I want now.” Mark looked at his best friend with a confused look.

“You are just like a prostitute, only that you are the male version, so what now happens to Delaney?”

There was silence. Norberto tried talking but kept his mouth shut just immediately.

“I have always known what you had for Delaney wasn’t really love. I mean Erica is almost better than her in everything. I have always warned you about her but you turned a deaf ear to me and nearly picked a fight with me too.”

“Common man, I already apologized for that.”

“I don’t even know what got you attracted to Delaney in the first place or what you see in her.”

“I knew Delaney first. I just don’t get it how Erica ended up in my bed and we both were forced to marry just to save our family from shame. What would I had done, mark, when my heart was still yearning for Delaney?”

“Trust me mark, I had no intention of divorcing her. I thought she was going to beg, I thought that would make me have more power over her.” Norberto sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his palms.

“I thought I didn’t love her, I thought I was strong, but look at me now, mark, I can’t bear it any longer. I searched for her, I searched everywhere but I knew not her whereabouts.”

“The truth was that while we were married, Delaney told me she was coming back. During those times, especially after making out with Erica, I found myself falling for her, I found myself growing a soft spot for her and I felt I needed to stop. That was why I was so hard and harsh on her and then I pronounced divorce.”

“But now I need my wife back. I need my woman back. I want her. I feel incomplete. I feel like a total asshole. Just take a look at me. This isn’t the Norberto you used to know, mark, I’m looking so rough.”

“So how can I help you now?” mark asked, staring at him.

“You are my friend; you are a lawyer dude. I need you to do everything possible to bring my wife back. I’d pay any amount and do anything. I’d go to the heavens and come back. I’ll do anything, please…” he sobbed.

“Please” he mumbled. Mark stared at him saying nothing.

“Mark!!!” Norberto said faintly, tapping mark’s thigh.

‘It’s not as easy as you think, Norberto.”

“Even though you guys never really went to court for a divorce or attended any sitting, she can tell the court, she wants you to stay away from her. She can bring in what happened in the past. How you treated her and how you were the first to pronounce divorce and even gave her divorce papers. So you see, if you both should appear ibn court now, she’s surely winning the case against you.”

“so what do you think I can do now? What do you suggest I do?” Norberto asked, dejectedly.

“I have an idea though. I believe now that she is the new CEO of the company, she will attend more board meetings and will be around for a while, that’s the opportunity you have.”

“Make me understand please.”

“If you really still want your wife back, then be a fool for her. Let the tables turn now. Be the man she had always wanted you to be. Do all you can to win her back. Women love attention, care, affection too. Use these, try them, turn a new leaf.”

“But I wonder how you are going to do that with Delaney by your side. I only hope she doesn’t ruin things for you.”

“This is perfect. I’m definitely going to do this. I so want my woman back; I want her back so badly.”

“Is this really you, Norberto? Is this really you dying to have a woman back, the same woman you rejected and sent away. You are amazing.” Mark said, laughing at his friend’s words.

“But then, I hope and pray you are not too late. I mean you have been away from her life for years, she must have found someone better. I only hope she’s still willing to give you a chance.”

“But what if she doesn’t? what if she doesn’t give me a chance?”

Mark shrugged, pursing his lips. “You may as well try your luck first. You never can tell. But if she never gave you another chance, then you can go ahead and get married to your Delaney. Do your best, expect either a positive response or a negative one.”

“Thanks man! I will surely do as you’ve said.”

“Erica is really a great woman. And has a kind heart too. You must have really pushed her to the wall for her to have reacted the way she did.”

Norberto sighed deeply. Mark saw this and gazed at him. “What is wrong?”

“I am just worried sick about this whole thing. Delaney is a beast. I don’t know how she’s going to take this whole thing but truth is, whatever I feel for her isn’t love, maybe I was attracted to her before but it definitely wasn’t love.”

“And I don’t know what to expect. I told Carlo to hire a private investigator and get me everything I need to know about Erica, her life, her schedules, everything. I am just skeptical about what the response might be. What if she’s married or already planning marriage with that guy I saw her with? Richard or whatever his name is, goodness! I hate him so much already.”

“I never thought you could be this jealous, really. Well as for Delaney, I don’t even know what to say, but just be careful. You know how angry she can get and to what extent she can go.”

“When did Carlo say he will feed you with the information?”

“Today, he said today. Now I feel so restless.”

“Don’t worry, just keep calm. I already told you what to do though.”

“Sure, I…”, Norberto was about finishing his statement when his phone buzzed. All at once, the notification tone rang out several times, indicating he had received a lot of messages.

“That should be Carlo.” Mark said, urging him to check the phone.

He reached for his device which was on the table opposite mark, he was glued to the phone for like a minutes, staring hard at it. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and his eyes had traces of tears in them.

“What is wrong?”, mark asked, peering at Norberto’s phone. He looked at his face with was filled with disappointment and his eyes which showed his pain.

“Can you just tell me what is wrong, answer me Norberto.” Mark scowled.

“I just received information’s from Carlo. The investigator has gotten back to him.”

“Alright, that’s a good one, so what does it say?”

“Erica has triplets, two boys and a girl.”

Mark’s eyes popped open and his jaw dropped. “Are you serious? She looked so young, she didn’t even look like she had birthed a child talk more of three. The investigator must have made a mistake somewhere.”

“No! he didn’t, he sent Erica’s photos but not with the kids. I mean, we didn’t even get a legal divorce and she already opened her legs for another man, that’s ridiculous.” He voiced out, his heart burning with jealousy.

“Watch your words, Norberto. You never can tell. Those kids might have been adopted and not necessarily hers. after all, she’s a career woman and she may not have time to birth kids, so she might have just gone for an adoption.”

“What are the kids age? Any names too?”

“No, he didn’t.” he picked up his phone again and scrolled through it hastily. “he only said she is engaged to Richard and has triplets for him.”

“He further said, he couldn’t find anything tangible about her as she lives a low-key life. No social media, no parties, no uploads, nothing at all.”

“A perfect opposite of Delaney.” Mark mumbled.

“So what do you think now? I mean, with this information you’ve gotten, it will seem rude for you to still go after her, don’t you think?” Mark asked.

“I don’t know; I don’t know at all. God! I feel so messed up right now.” Norberto shouted, attracting the attention of others in his office.

“Just be calm, don’t let it bother you too much. I still believe there’s more to that message that we don’t know. So let’s not conclude now.” Mark assured him.

“I’m still not over it yet that she has that jerk as a boyfriend and now they are engaged and there are kids too! Damn it. I should have treated her better. I’m so filled with regrets currently.

His phone rang out loud which he hastily picked, on seeing who the caller was, he sighed and turned it off.

“Won’t you pick your call?” Mark asked him.

“It’s Delaney. I don’t feel like speaking to her.”

“She may be worried about you not picking up her calls.”

“Does it seem like I care? She needs to understand that I need space sometimes.”

“She’s always so clingy and it annoys me, it pisses me off.” Norberto ranted.

“Norberto, trust me, those kids may be adopted. She looks too good to have birthed a child. She was glowing when she came over to the board meeting. She looked even better than before.”

“I like the fact that you are giving me hope, false hope!”

“I’m not, Norberto.”

“Oh screw that, I’m off.” Mark watched with shock written all over his face as his best friend stormed out of the office in anger, leaving him all alone.