CHAPTER 21. One Last Gift"Yes, in onesies, but for boys," the clerk replied."I don't care! She's a tough baby! Isn't that right, my love? You're going to wear a snowboarding onesie!" he exclaimed, making a funny face, and Adriana burst out laughing.Andrea leaned against one of the racks, watching the scene. She couldn't begin to express how happy she felt knowing her daughter would have so many nice things, but it was also a reminder of everything that was missing. By January, Adriana wouldn’t have a father to hug or spoil her, and she felt it was her fault.Helplessness welled up in her eyes as she watched them, and when Zack turned to her, he noticed she was hurriedly wiping away tears."Hey, I'm sorry if I'm going overboard... it's just that baby stuff is so cute that I want everything for her," he said gently."It's okay, I think I have to accept that you're the type to go overboard often," Andrea smiled."Perfect, in that case, you'll forgive me for the last one!" he exclaimed

CHAPTER 22. Hospital or jail?Zack squeezed Andrea's hand for a moment and assured her that he would take care of Adriana. The young woman ran after her neighbor, crossed the hallway, and entered Mrs. Wilson's house. The poor old woman was breathing heavily, as if she had asthma or something, but Andrea knew it wasn't that."Calm down, Mrs. Wilson, we've already called the ambulance. The paramedics will be here soon," she said gently, holding her hand.Shortly after, they heard the sound of the ambulance siren, and they quickly put her on a stretcher while giving her oxygen.Both Mildred and Andrea were nervous because they didn't want her to go alone, but the truth was, the lady had no family to accompany her."Does anyone know her allergies?" a paramedic asked, and Andrea immediately started filling out the form. "We need to take her to the hospital. Who will accompany her?"Andrea and Mildred looked at each other, worried."I have all the kids at home, and two of them have a bad fl

CHAPTER 23. A daycare"You damn idiot, that's not urgent! You scared the hell out of me! Look up 'urgent' in the dictionary and let me fuck in peace! Call me tomorrow!" Ben shouted before hanging up, and Zack stared at the phone."He must be having terrible sex to be in such a bad mood..." he joked and got to work himself.That night, he reviewed the company records and found that seven moms needed daycare support. So by the time Ben arrived the next day, Zack was already deep into the paperwork."Wouldn't it be better to include daycare in the insurance?" Ben asked when he saw Zack searching for the perfect spot to set up the daycare on the floor."No, because this way, the moms can have their babies close by. I assure you, they'll all feel more at ease.""All of them, or just Andrea?" his friend asked slyly."I know your fucking schedule, Ben. Do you want me to interrupt you every day?" Zack threatened, and Ben shook his head."No, sir, thank you very much! OK, let's get to work the

CHAPTER 24. Knight in shining armorAndrea felt a tightness in her chest that was hard to describe. She usually didn't care what people thought of her, but it hurt to hear women she had worked with for over four months speak so superficially about what had happened with Trembley or what she was doing with Zack."Still workplace prostitution," another woman laughed. "Though I'd do the boss for free!""That's true, I don't want a promotion, just eating up that hunk is enough for me," another said."Well, Andrea got the promotion and the hunk! It's no different than if she had slept with Trembley. The fact that he's attractive doesn't mean she didn't do it for the promotion."Andrea clenched her fists in frustration. All the women sitting there had come to her for favors more than once, and Andrea had helped them gladly. She didn't expect them to repay her, but she would have settled for them not speaking badly about her behind her back."We all thought she was a complicated girl, one of

CHAPTER 25. First-Time ParentsZack huffed in frustration, but when Ben put it that way, it really did seem incredibly stupid."So I screwed up," he murmured."Monumentally, like I said. Especially because you attacked her for not reacting the way you wanted. That wasn't right."Zack pressed his lips into a grimace. "Damn it! Now I have to apologize even to my fake girlfriend. Guess I should get some flowers or something...""She's not your real girlfriend, idiot," Ben muttered. "Get some food instead."Zack took a deep breath before leaving, went to his apartment, and took a shower to clear his head. Then he called Andrea."I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," were his first words. "I just want the best for you, you know that. It bothers me that people who don't know you talk bad about you, but if you decide that...""Sorry, Zack, but I can't talk right now!" Andrea interrupted him, and he noticed the baby's cries in the background."Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned."No... I don't

CHAPTER 26. Shirt offAndrea didn't say a word as they headed to Zack's apartment. The baby had calmed down a little, but they hadn’t.“Okay, we’ve got the medicines, the formula, and the baby... and our nerves!” Zack muttered as soon as they arrived.He opened the door to his apartment, and Andrea tried not to be surprised, but just the living room of Zack’s place was three times the size of her entire little apartment.They gave the baby a bath, and Zack decided to leave diaper duty for another day, as it was obvious the child wasn’t feeling well. She wasn’t crying or vomiting anymore, but she didn’t want to sleep; she just wanted to be held.By three in the morning, they were both like zombies, completely exhausted, but Adriana wouldn’t sleep, just dozing off a bit and then whining as soon as they tried to lay her down.Zack went to take a shower to wake up, and when he tried to rock Adriana to let Andrea shower, the baby refused completely.“Come on, princess! I love you, let momm

CHAPTER 27. The Boss's Unacknowledged Mistress“Andrea, I’m very glad that Adriana and you have someone to take care of you, because I think I won’t be around much longer,” the old lady told her.“Don’t say that, Mrs. Wilson. I assure you that you’ll be discharged very soon,” Andrea murmured, her heart heavy.“Either way, I won’t be returning to the apartment, dear. A kind social worker came by, and I think I’m going to accept that offer I declined a few years ago. I’m moving to a senior residence.”Andrea’s eyes filled with tears, and Zack could see how hard she was struggling with that decision, but in the end, she had no choice but to say goodbye.“I promise we’ll visit you very often, Mrs. Wilson,” she said. “You’ll see that you’ll feel very good being around other elderly people.”As they left, Zack saw her wipe away her tears, hugging her daughter as if she were her only defense against sadness.“You two are very close, aren’t you?” he asked.“Well... the day I came home and fo

CHAPTER 28. Zero convictionBen was a man with a special charm, but ever since he had reunited with the mother of his child, that charm had disappeared for other women. It wasn’t surprising then that no one else paid him any attention in that crowded elevator, especially when he was wearing his usual cap, head down, grumbling at Zack over the phone.His focus was on his best friend until he heard the conversation next to him, then both he and Zack fell silent.“You have to accept it, honey, these men sleep around in private with as many as they can, but don’t think he’ll acknowledge you in public. Mr. Keller must have a mistress in every branch, and rumor has it he has many... branches.”“Don’t mess with me, Ben! Where the hell is that?” Zack snapped angrily.“Yes, I’m on the elevator...” Ben said offhandedly.“I appreciate your concern, ladies, but whatever happens between Zack Keller and me is our business alone,” Andrea was saying, and for once, he was glad she defended herself, ev

CHAPTER 29. A Family Welcome"You still shouldn't have done it," she said. "I don’t see the point in proving those witches wrong now. Or do you think they won’t know in January? What are you going to do? Transfer me to a different branch?""That wouldn’t be a bad idea," he replied. "Ben will be in charge here, but I have to go back to the United States. If you’re up for expanding your horizons, you’re welcome to come with me."Andrea crossed her arms and sighed in resignation. He was a good man, but his dominant nature could be exasperating at times."I better get to work.""Yeah, make the most of it because we only have two more days," he warned her.And indeed, two days later Zack refused to let her go to work and spent the time telling her almost everything about his family. He didn’t bother to mention Giselle because, truthfully, his family had never met her. Zack wasn’t sure why, but it seemed that whenever there was an opportunity for them to meet, she always had some important

CHAPTER 30. Little Thor and SweetieZack wanted the ground to swallow him up. He had no idea when his sister had met Giselle or if that was even true. But if it was, it must have been in the past year when they were already separated. His hand unconsciously tightened around Andrea's, and she knew something was very wrong.“Well, if you met Giselle,” he said sharply, “then I don’t understand why you're putting on this act because you know perfectly well that the woman beside me is not her. Giselle and I separated a long time ago. This is Andrea, my girlfriend, so come say hello properly or save the theatrics.”“Alright, little brother, don’t get upset,” Noémi said dismissively. “You must understand that you were with Giselle for years. When you told Dad, 'My girlfriend is pregnant,' we all assumed you were talking about Giselle.”Andrea remembered Zack’s words like a punch: "If life were fair, I’d have a wife and a baby." So whatever had happened, it was clear it had been very difficul