~Some of us have hearts, you know.
Some of us don't
give up on true love.
-Sophie Kinsella

"Mom, why is he looking at you like that?" Vince all but yelled, gaining the man's attention, "Hey you! Why are you looking at my mom like that? " Vince looked deadpan at the man then marched over to his table. "Vince get back here!" Venice yelled, making her way to the table. I sighed, grabbing my coffee and the cupcake. I walked to the table where'my son' was presently staring daggers at the man.

"I'm sorry about my son here. He's a little possessive over me," I said, looking at the man who was staring at me, his eyes raking down my body, and I cringed, not liking that he was doing that in front of my kids. "That's fine, he does seem like that and I've sworn I've seen him before. He seems very familiar," he said, ruffling Vince's hair. He took his hands and bent his fingers. I had to pull him back from his actions. Venice was too quiet for my liking. She would've scolded him for his upbringing, but watched us casually.

"A tough one I see, I'm Jake, nice to-" Vince cut him off, gaining everyone's attention in the café. "She's married and it wasn't nice at all to meet you," Venice this time cut in to address him. "I'm very happy that while your girlfriend is using the bathroom, you are here fawning over our mother, who is married," Vince, who was now holding my handheld, forward, showing my wedding ring on my finger. At that, there were gasps and whispers in the crowded café.

"You little brat-" I held my hand up shaking my head in a no gesture, "I think you've stepped over your limits. My children are in fact right. You were indeed flirting with me while your girlfriend was busy using the restroom. You're a dirty man." I took Vince's hand and headed out of the café. Venice was walking ahead of us. Once we entered the taxi that was waiting for us, I turned to Vince, seeing that he was ready to get scolded.

"What you did back there, young man, is very rude. You're seven and not twenty-five. I'd admit that man is a jerk, but you are already in trouble for telling three other men to go and die or you will rip their eyes out for staring at me and that boy on the plane who threw the cupcake in his face. Don't think that I haven't seen you punch him when we got off the plane. I've seen it all. In addition to that young girl who had spilled water on your shirt by accident, you threw a tantrum and ripped her doll's head off! " I said all in one. He opened his mouth to back himself up but closed it.

"Oh come on mom, I'm protecting you, and in fact, you are married." I rolled my eyes when he smirked at me. The taxi driver was looking at me weirdly and I had the urge to shout at him about what he wanted. All the commotion was giving me a slight headache. "Is there something you need?" I inquired, cocking my brow, "I'm sorry, but you look exactly like Vincent's Johnson's wife, but I've mistaken you. She has brown hair, and well, your hair is black." I hummed looking at my kids who were looking out the window. They had surprised looks all over their faces while pointing out the window in awe. I had to change my appearance. Of course, I didn't have the money to do plastic surgery, but even if I did, I wouldn't.

"Mam, we are here." I was abruptly brought out of my thoughts when the car came to a halt outside the apartment, the apartment I was most familiar with. I gave the driver his money and stood up looking at the window. The pot plant was still there but the tree had grown much taller. Soon it would be planted somewhere far bigger and more environmentally friendly.

"So this is where your father lived? I thought I would be at somewhere better, like a mansion per se, or somewhere cleaner. I'll pass on this. I want to go back home. "He held up his fingers indicating the apartment that was in front of the neighborhood and us that I used to live in. It wasn't all that bad. He was exceeding the limits of influence and I'd had enough for one day. If you wanted to see where I grew up, I'd be lucky to drag him there, but I'm not cruel enough to let my kids see that haunted side of my past.

"That's enough for one day, Vince. Mom is already exhausted from the plane ride and you are here worried about where Dad lives. It's unbelievable," she said, and I mouthed a thank you, then glared at Vince, who quickly kept quiet the whole time. When we reached inside, we went up to the third floor of the apartment complex.

"

So mom, are we going to go inside or stand here and have a staring contest with the door? I'm hungry, "Vince whined, clutching his stomach. "I told you to eat your food, but instead you were staring at men that we would never possibly meet again." He squirmed, clutching his stomach more. If only he'd just listened to me. He was just seven.

Venice started knocking at the door. She somehow took control at this moment, and I'm most happy that Vince took control when it was not most likely necessary. He added on to whatever fuse we had with people we had encountered.

The door flung open, revealing a still sleepy Tina. She ushered us in, and I made my way to the living room where the kids followed me to the place. It hadn't already all changed, but a picture of me, Andrew, Claire, and Tina hung I remembered that night as if it were yesterday. Tina's birthday party was the night when my life changed between Vincent and me.

"Mom, where is that crazy lady? I'm hungry already " I pinched his cheeks to get him to keep quiet. He rubbed at his now red cheeks to help the pain subside. "Mother, do you think she has fallen asleep at the door?" I laughed wholeheartedly. It was possibly said than done that she might be sleeping at the door. We did, in fact, wake her up. I just shrugged as my answer instructed the kids to go put the pieces of luggage away while I went to check on Tina and make a sandwich for the now starving Vince.

"Tina," I called out once I knew the kids were finally in the room. I walked towards the door where she was sprawled out on the floor. I sighed, helping her up, walking back to the living room with her where I let her rest on the sofa. Once she was comfortable, I walked towards the kitchen, opening the drawer where I knew the aspirins would be. I took out two and filled a cup with water, walking back. Her feet were now flung over the couch. Her chestnut hair, which I was most likely glad to see was frizzly. Then a loud snore filled the room, followed by her talking about rhinos.

I saw in the corner of my eyes, Venice carrying a bag of chips and two sandwiches. "Is he asleep?" She stopped and nodded before taking off. She cared for him more than he could ever do. I know that they were hard to get along with, but they always made sure the other was doing okay.

I sat in the single chair right before placing the items on the small table that was in the middle that was surrounded by the sofa and the two single chairs. It was going to take a while for me to wake her, so I thought about waiting a few minutes before waking her up from her hangover.

It was over forty-five minutes now, and she was stirring in her sleep. The twins were probably sleeping by now. "Tina get up!" I shook her arm when she quickly got up, hitting our foreheads together in the process, "Ouch that hurts!" I watched as she massaged her forehead. It didn't hurt that much, but her hangover was making it worse. I took the pill and water. I outstretched my arm waiting for her to open her eyes. When she finally did, my heart was beating uncontrollably in my chest, and I fought the urge to not swallow it.

She looked up slowly from the water, and the pill. When her eyes finally met mine, she suddenly shot up out of the couch, clutching her head in the process, which made her stumble and fall back on the couch on her butt. "Just take the pill, I have no time to argue, so please-" She rapidly grabbed the pill and the water and chugging everything down, cutting me short of my sentence.

"Sit. I. Need. To. Know. Everything," she emphasized, and I sighed at having a seat beside her. She let her head rest on my lap. She turned her face away and I knew she was going to cry. I felt the dampness on my jeans this time. I knew she wasn't crying over her crazy ex, but over me being gone for years.

*********************

"I was going to call the cops." I chuckled ruffling her hair, "I bet you would've. I'm glad you changed back your hair color. It brings out your eyes." She batted my hands away from sitting up when I told her about the crash. She became mad and I wondered how it was going to go down when I told Vincent. But do I even owe him an explanation?

"Laura, I thought-we thought you died" she managed to choke out. In all honesty, I didn't want to be reminded of what happened that day. There was blood everywhere, crying, screaming, just the thought had me shivering all over. The thought of them thinking I was dead broke my heart, but what other options did they have to think I died? The accident left several people dead, others burned and unrecognizable in the face. There was little hope for some to survive the crash. I left my pregnancy out just to see her reaction.

"The whole world knew I died, I didn't exist anymore, and that's how it has been for the last seven years." I kept my voice strong. Not one sense of fear or sadness crossed my features. "So you're meaning to tell me you didn't die?" So here I was trying to tell her I didn't die. Apparently, she kept asking the same question over and over again. The nerve to just knock her out cold is driving me crazy.

"You're still crazy" I chuckled, engulfing her in a hug, but quickly she pulled away, giving me a concerned look. "Are you going to see him? Because you should, and he has the right to know you are alive. "She had no idea why I was here. I wasn't here to reunite with him and live happily ever after, even though I hated to say it, but he was married a few days ago before Venice asked to see Vince started to snoop around again and found that he was married.

Vince was furious, and there wasn't any more convincing left for me to do, even though I told him that his dad had a life, but he went ahead and addressed him by his first name. He made it clear to me that we were his life and if he didn't have us, he was nothing. Even when I'd talk to him, he became angry, started to go about, and not listen. I even went as far as to make an Instagram account to let him know that he owes his mother an apology. It was soon deleted when I came to know about it.

"He acts and thinks like a mad person, and that's been going on for almost eight years. When you die, it's like hell began. He won't talk, he won't sleep, and I'm most likely curious about how he manages to still run his entire empire in this state. " I pulled my hand from hers, cutting her conversation short. "I came back for one purpose, and that was not for him. He pushed me away when we were finally making progress. His downfall was all on him, not me." It was all true. He lost me and being so distraught was all on him. We were taking everything step by step. Even though our relationship was built upon hate, I still managed to let him take everything I had in me. Then he ended up breaking me, leaving me with doubt. I doubted myself that I wasn't good enough, but I remembered clearly that our claimed marriage was a fragment of my mind that had expired.

"I know, but maybe if-" I wasn't giving her any chances to address this matter, "I'm not saying he deserves it, but it hurt me too by coming into my life, but I don't regret any of it, but that day still ticks off in my head like a bomb ready to explode, but you know what's worse, it doesn't stop, it keeps ticking." A day doesn't go by where I don't think about that man. When I look at my son I see the happy moments, but alone the bad one feeds on me.

"Laur-" This time she was cut off, but it wasn't by me, but by Vince's voice. "Mom," he called, tears rolling down his cheeks. He rubbed the sleep off his face, revealing his blue-brown eyes reaching out with his arms extended. He wrapped his arms around me, and the warm embrace seemed to put him at ease.

"You have a child!" Tina yelled, but she sat down instantly by the piercing of Vince's eyes on her, a glare that nobody who encountered him would want to get. She looked down and played with her fingers, then looked up back scowling. "He looks oddly familiar," Vince scoffed and walked towards her on the couch. She scooted over to the end and looked between him and me.

"I'm said to look like Vincent Johnson, better known as my dad, "he shrugs and I watched Tina's mouth formed into an O shape but didn't look convinced. "So, you were pregnant with him inside you and didn't care to tell me that you were. What else were you hiding?" she added, but I just stared at her while she looked at Vince, followed by an eye-roll when he brushed her off.

"Well..." I drew out but then I heard the voice of my baby girl. "Am I going crazy or did I just hear another voice?" Tina inquired, looking around the room. Vince looked at her as if she was a madwoman, laughed, and then went back to his once cold stare. "I'm afraid you're just too stupi-"

"If you ever finish that sentence, you'll regret those two minutes of your life." Venice's voice came out strong while they stared at each other in a battle I knew Vince wouldn't win. She was indeed the oldest by just two minutes, but she wasn't going to let him disregard other people or, moreover, people that were older than him.

"Fine," he pushed himself off the couch and went in the direction of the kitchen, where Tina was looking back and forth and pointing all over the place. "There's no more, right? Are more going to come out calling you mom? "I chuckled and shook my head in a non-descriptive manner.

"Unless you want a gorilla to come crawling out," she laughed while Venice tilted her head looking at Tina, and I wondered what she was thinking at that moment when she closed her eyes. "Mom, I wish to see my father," I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking out the window, seeing that night was falling.

"Soon baby," she nodded and walked to the kitchen where Vince was probably making a mess.

"They're just like him, high and mighty," Tina said, and I nodded in agreement. Indeed they were.