Chapter 12

★★★★ DELIGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL★★★

5pm

Robin sat on the curb outside the school, his backpack at his feet. He watched the other kids being picked up by their parents, feeling more and more alone with each passing minute. He was an only child, and his parents were never late to pick him up. He knew they loved him, but sometimes he wished he had a brother or sister to keep him company. He picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it into the street. He watched it bounce and roll, feeling just as lost as the pebble.

As Robin watched the pebble come to a stop, he wondered why his parents were so late. They were always punctual, never late for anything. Something must have happened, he thought. He tried to think of what it could be, but his mind kept wandering back to the same question: What if they had forgotten about him? He knew it was unlikely, but the thought still nagged at him. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. His parents were now an hour late. He felt his heart start to beat fast in his chest.

Robin got to his feet and started pacing back and forth. He tried to tell himself that everything was fine, that his parents were probably just caught in traffic. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the worry from creeping in. He thought about calling them, but he didn't want to bother them if they were busy. He looked up and down the street, hoping to see their car. But all he saw were other parents picking up their kids. He felt his eyes welling up with tears, but he blinked them back.

Just then, Robin heard the sound of a car approaching. He looked up, and to his relief, he saw his parents' car pulling up. He ran towards it, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. The car door opened, and Jessica got out.

"I'm so sorry we're late, there was an accident on the freeway, and it caused a huge traffic jam." She explained with her voice full of concern. Robin hugged his mother, and then Davis got out of the car and joined them.

"Are you okay?" He asked, putting his hand on Robin's shoulder. Robin nodded.

Jessica and Davis looked at their son, and they saw the tears in his eyes.

"Oh, honey," Jessica said, her own eyes filling with tears. "We're so sorry. We didn't mean to make you worry. We know it must have been difficult for you." Davis nodded in agreement.

"We love you so much, and we would never, ever forget about you. We're so sorry this happened" He added, Robin sniffled and wiped his eyes.

"I know, I just got scared" Robin said and Jessica pulled him into a hug.

"We understand," she said.

After a moment, the family pulled apart, and Jessica smiled at her Robbie.

"How about we go home and have some ice cream?" she suggested. Robin nodded, and a smile began to creep across his face.

"And maybe we can play a board game?" he added. Davis laughed.

"I think that's a great idea" Davis said. With that, they all climbed into the car and headed home, the tension of the past hour melting away.

★★★★★★★★

As they pulled into the driveway, Robin turned to his parents and said,

"I'm glad you're here."

The family walked into the house, and Robin went to the kitchen to get the ice cream while Jessica and Davis put their things away. A few minutes later, they were all gathered around the kitchen table, bowls of ice cream in front of them. Robin took a bite and smiled.

"This is the best ice cream ever," he said. Jessica and Davis laughed, and they all dug into their ice cream, enjoying the simple pleasure of being together. And in that moment, they all knew that everything was going to be okay.

.

.

.★★★★★ CARLO'S APARTMENT★★★★

Veronica stomped into her apartment, seething with rage. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She'd been humiliated in front of everyone at the hotel, and she knew it was all Jessica's fault. She threw her bag on the floor and began pacing around the room, her anger growing with each step. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She started throwing things around the room, screaming and swearing as she did. She felt like she was losing control, but she couldn't stop herself.

As Veronica was in the midst of her rage, she heard a door open behind her. She turned and saw Carlos, standing in the doorway. He looked at her with wide eyes, his face full of concern.

"Babe?" he said, his voice full of worry. "What's going on?" Veronica took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," she said, with her voice shaking with anger. "I was just upset about something that happened at the hotel." Carlos looked at her, concern still etched on his face.

Carlos looked at Veronica, concern turning to concern mixed with anger.

"What happened at the hotel?" he asked, his voice tight. Veronica took a deep breath, trying to find the words to explain what had happened.

"I went to meet with a potential client," she said, her voice still shaking. "And...and Jessica was there. And she started yelling at me, and she made me look like a fool in front of everyone." Carlos' face turned pale.

" You meet Jessica?" He asked.

" Of course" she scoffed. " And she knows about us"

" You mean the reason why she cut off her wedding was because she found out that you were having an affair or what?" Carlos asked unsure of what to feel.

" Yes I think so but there's something else she said that makes me wonder if it is true or not" she said,

" What?"

" She said she was married to the owner of that hotel and if my guess is correct the owner of that hotel is the famous billionaire Davis Miller. So I don't know how they both met each other and then got married but in her finger there was a ring indicating that she was truly married and even the way the security, guards, the workers is bowed for her and drag me out of there at just the snap of a finger was something else. There was kind of authoritative audacity she has around her. I think we should look into it" Veronica said unable to get the scene that happened earlier out of her memory.

" She said she was married?" Carlos asked in shock

" I just said so dummy, that's why you were fool and she found out about us. Always pretending not to hear someone. For once in your life man up like a man" she scoffed in anger.

" If it's for Jessica Winter that I know that means she's not married she's either doing it to get you out of the hotel or I don't know what else to say" Carlos shrugged and staggered upstairs.

Carlos' mind was spinning. He couldn't understand how Jessica could have married someone else, and he couldn't understand why she would have said such things to Veronica. He was angry and hurt, and he couldn't make sense of any of it. He went to his bedroom and lay down on the bed, but he couldn't relax. He kept replaying the scene in his mind, over and over again, until he finally fell into a fitful sleep. He tossed and turned, dreaming of the chaos he had witnessed that day. And as he slept, the question lingered in his mind: What did it all mean?