Since that fateful day, a549Please respect copyright.PENANAHCVuRSQslX
lot had changed the in the McDonell household. When the wedding 549Please respect copyright.PENANARXU3fQDmwf
got cancelled, things took a turn for the worst and its been that way 549Please respect copyright.PENANAMWxhipq31v
ever since. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAAIgr7uCKm3
Life was getting a whole549Please respect copyright.PENANAXRAXOU5w9O
lot complicated, especially for Leo. Home didn't feel the same anymore,549Please respect copyright.PENANA3p8jwH8SPR
not after what had happened. The place felt like a ghost town and he 549Please respect copyright.PENANA03r3exFe3z
could tell that it didn't carry that welcoming feeling anymore. To him, 549Please respect copyright.PENANA7RzvR6Kks9
he felt like a stranger in his own home.549Please respect copyright.PENANAsbVQqfdRcC
Only his grandmother and549Please respect copyright.PENANAD1KoNxEfBd
Eric, who had been with him in everything, gave Leo the little comfort 549Please respect copyright.PENANAGHHjrMrJ2q
he needed in the house. Including his little cousin, Oliver. As for the 549Please respect copyright.PENANAGIReo6Jg1A
rest of the others...... well, it was another story all together.549Please respect copyright.PENANANyFFb8C1ta
Coming to his father, he549Please respect copyright.PENANAreQ6h9sj0m
wasn't mad at Leo at the reason every one seemed to be mad at him for. 549Please respect copyright.PENANABa9z18pJ5q
Mr McDonell was more concerned about Leo not apologising to Angel over 549Please respect copyright.PENANAaPTc8gwKuv
the accident and Leo didn't like that at all. He knew he was wrong, but 549Please respect copyright.PENANAqyOxiIavH1
the fact that his father was more on Angel's side just because his 549Please respect copyright.PENANASo6rgrBdAu
father was Angel's late mother's friend, was driving him crazy. It was 549Please respect copyright.PENANAHBwywmVKW6
already enough that he had met the angry Angel who almost tore him apart549Please respect copyright.PENANAqXnNk6HNlG
on the day of the wedding. Now it turns out that his father obliged to 549Please respect copyright.PENANA3aXz6KCuNK
taking care of Angel and Carly because of the promise he had made to 549Please respect copyright.PENANAwGFQFxFUk9
their mother. Not that Carly was the problem, Angel was.549Please respect copyright.PENANABkPQx9jJvS
As Leo sat in the car 549Please respect copyright.PENANA91JXx2Vvfc
packed outside along the driveway of the house under the setting sun, he549Please respect copyright.PENANAPYk911PTwJ
thought of what Carly had told him earlier. 549Please respect copyright.PENANARWrB89P6at
"You and my sister still hate each other."549Please respect copyright.PENANADYIdZbnWU8
Was that it? Was that 549Please respect copyright.PENANAc0MlbuEOwr
why he still couldn't stand the fact that his father was helping Angel 549Please respect copyright.PENANAlFQSP6qIKh
out? Did he really hate her that much?549Please respect copyright.PENANA2gb3HMg7f8
Well, judging by the way549Please respect copyright.PENANAICEW66IDYC
she almost killed him that day, what wasn't there to hate? No one had 549Please respect copyright.PENANA0OJW1p8RZf
ever approached him like that, especially a lady. And he hated her for 549Please respect copyright.PENANAnWPRQukqO6
that. Or was there another reason to hate her?549Please respect copyright.PENANAiuYcAoIr48
Carly. It's pretty 549Please respect copyright.PENANAiuvuqt8OgD
obvious that Angel wouldn't allow Leo to be with Carly when Leo was 549Please respect copyright.PENANAkFs6MzzVv6
madly in love with her. And after almost killing Angel with his car, it 549Please respect copyright.PENANAhTZr7Q93Px
just seemed to have made things turn from sour to rotten.549Please respect copyright.PENANAnEAtflBGGK
He had to admit, it was 549Please respect copyright.PENANANzgZPsXL1s
going to be pretty hard to accept Angel around if she really did decide 549Please respect copyright.PENANApO7zjVu5dt
to come and live with his family. He wasn't going to allow that to 549Please respect copyright.PENANAoLmpa46rtf
happen, not for now at least. Even his own mother wouldn't accept such a549Please respect copyright.PENANAiKRekXKOrA
thing to happen.549Please respect copyright.PENANApPl8AEigKJ
Speaking of his mother, 549Please respect copyright.PENANA8gZMeHvETF
Mrs McDonell had been avoiding Leo these past few days. She always got 549Please respect copyright.PENANARu8yihIINF
like that whenever things never went her way. There were a few times the549Please respect copyright.PENANA3DGJmI2RXz
two talked, but it was always about whether Leo had gone to see Kim and549Please respect copyright.PENANA23n8mqFgfg
tried to set up plans for their next wedding. The fact is, Leo didn't 549Please respect copyright.PENANAgWsx8mEQTJ
want to marry Kim, yet meet her ever again. Ever since the day of the 549Please respect copyright.PENANA6ipyANAJAE
wedding, Leo had never even bothered to see Kim face to face. Not that 549Please respect copyright.PENANAlO26LrduzM
he was a coward, he just didn't want to. Kim usually called him to try 549Please respect copyright.PENANAeCUbCBMtz6
and talk things over, but Leo would say he was busy and would call her 549Please respect copyright.PENANAqZ9SNwknLb
later, which he never did.549Please respect copyright.PENANArDrCK380qG
Leo pulled out his phone549Please respect copyright.PENANAbloTZTGmKQ
out of his pocket and he saw a text message. It was from Kim. Oh great!549Please respect copyright.PENANAB5kcraXCUk
He wondered what it was all about now.549Please respect copyright.PENANAppyohx5Nym
"Hi, Leo. Was trying 549Please respect copyright.PENANASIzyNgVZsZ
to reach you through your phone, but it seemed to be off. I just wanted 549Please respect copyright.PENANAtkpznzH3sI
to inform you that your mother invited me over for dinner at your place 549Please respect copyright.PENANAYGHiYLQSMT
and maybe we could try to talk things over in person. I've been dying to549Please respect copyright.PENANAFEq9vV5cDp
talk to you, Leo, and I think this will be a perfect opportunity to do 549Please respect copyright.PENANAQsjBAas6OD
so. See you at eight then."549Please respect copyright.PENANAaNiUQgxB7I
"Damn it, mum!" Leo hit the steering wheel with his fist with so much anger.549Please respect copyright.PENANA7GyLzMCnmC
He quickly got out of 549Please respect copyright.PENANA4SWJgyQkhM
the car and banged the door shut behind him. He charged towards the 549Please respect copyright.PENANAygJTNUtWXx
front door of the house on the stone path like an angry bull. He knew he549Please respect copyright.PENANAsUOk06mVDh
had let his mother get her way, but this was too much.549Please respect copyright.PENANAmwCPxczhVC
He wasn't a kid anymore and he was tired of being treated like one. It was time he gave his mother a piece of his mind.549Please respect copyright.PENANA7coz9rv5V2
***549Please respect copyright.PENANA0xoNPNN6Mi
"I549Please respect copyright.PENANADznzQLQ9S6
want dinner to be extra special tonight," ordered Mrs McDonell to the 549Please respect copyright.PENANA08Oxn8j1SS
chef who worked in the kitchen. "We're receiving a very important guest 549Please respect copyright.PENANAKdQvBwI98I
this evening and I want things the way I like it."549Please respect copyright.PENANAHvvsckPMAO
The549Please respect copyright.PENANAllLY24rcZw
chef gave her an obedient nod and left for the kitchen. A few minutes 549Please respect copyright.PENANAL5vP7ygppa
later, the sound of the door being opened and banged shut was heard. Mrs549Please respect copyright.PENANAXF14omrpbg
McDonell had a puzzled look on her face as she went to see what was 549Please respect copyright.PENANA7gbvrvy32n
going on. As she was entering the living room, she saw Leo standing 549Please respect copyright.PENANA6zacsLAd9J
close to the front door and he looked pretty angry.549Please respect copyright.PENANA5mXQSQv4Dw
"Leo! What on earth is going on with you busy banging doors like a mad man?" Mrs McDonell asked.549Please respect copyright.PENANAwHHsAHEhJn
Leo549Please respect copyright.PENANAghCYjqMbw0
turned quickly to his mother as he heard her voice. He straightened 549Please respect copyright.PENANAlyARTxMqBD
himself and walked into the living room closing the distance between him549Please respect copyright.PENANAiLGbTaNiSV
and his mother. He stood at a reasonable distance and his mother put 549Please respect copyright.PENANABRgF7lAYGf
her hands on her hips staring at him, as she furrowed her eyebrows. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAl4qVf2KCGV
"Aren't you going to say anything or are you going to keep on staring at me like you want to kill me?" Mrs McDonell asked.549Please respect copyright.PENANAbSUBnx5Yw3
"Maybe549Please respect copyright.PENANAZm3AJPSd39
I do want to kill you, mum," answered Leo, "but apparently, I wouldn't 549Please respect copyright.PENANA98IHMd4L8q
have the pleasure of doing it even if I wanted to."549Please respect copyright.PENANAQrhwN1wBdW
"What the heck are you talking about? Why are you mad at me?"549Please respect copyright.PENANAlINl2YYYK6
"The549Please respect copyright.PENANAMscZ9i6VHM
reason why I'm mad is because you always do what you think is good only549Please respect copyright.PENANAP4ZU6JebSd
for yourself and not considering anybody else around you."549Please respect copyright.PENANAlF0TTk7gpj
"Be clear, Leo. I don't understand all this," Mrs McDonell now looked concerned.549Please respect copyright.PENANA1BOKAcMlcX
"What is going on here?"549Please respect copyright.PENANAwdvCZslSLi
Amanda appeared from the hall with Eric pushing her wheelchair and Oliver following behind them.549Please respect copyright.PENANAApMzAzmb81
"We heard the banging of the door," said Eric, "is everything all right?"549Please respect copyright.PENANAwg2eW4nASM
"It's549Please respect copyright.PENANAAiAOj3Lr1A
all under control," replied Mrs McDonell, "Leo and I just need to talk 549Please respect copyright.PENANAAIt1XDSJgO
over a few things. May you leave us alone for a while?"549Please respect copyright.PENANA00SlqnPPkq
"No, I have no problem if they stay here, mum," said Leo, "this matter also concerns them too."549Please respect copyright.PENANA7BnTX9N9WI
"Now549Please respect copyright.PENANAAqzC5IxsGG
this is about to get interesting," said Amanda as she folded her hands 549Please respect copyright.PENANAnDNKzDUrXZ
over her lap. Mrs McDonell shot her a look and turned towards Leo again.549Please respect copyright.PENANAeMKFGUXc8p
"What is it, Leo?" Mrs McDonell asked.549Please respect copyright.PENANA3BMMBl34kI
"I549Please respect copyright.PENANAQ53sO4Zi7X
want to know why you invited Kim over here to have dinner with us 549Please respect copyright.PENANABlPquOlHaw
tonight," Leo went straight to the point. Now wasn't the time to start 549Please respect copyright.PENANAYW9ZUnC2Oz
beating around the bush.549Please respect copyright.PENANAVlBBFyH9tG
Mrs549Please respect copyright.PENANAW80hcwlgW8
McDonell paused for a while as she stared at Leo who clenched his 549Please respect copyright.PENANA9fzr2TE1dE
fists. A smirk appeared across Amanda's face and it was good that Mrs 549Please respect copyright.PENANAininGPepBY
McDonell didn't notice. Things weren't going to turn out well at all.549Please respect copyright.PENANAge4dVj0Joc
"I...549Please respect copyright.PENANAN1GYf8GR1D
well, you see, Kim has been dying to speak to you, Leo," the response 549Please respect copyright.PENANAZ8IvXUROXA
came out as a struggle for Mrs McDonell. "I thought you two should try 549Please respect copyright.PENANAZNCJwIjL8G
to see if you could arrange the date for the next wedding."549Please respect copyright.PENANAFaR5efJrLp
"So549Please respect copyright.PENANAp46PENuEkv
all that's running in your mind is about the wedding then, isn't it?" 549Please respect copyright.PENANAjwD5xHQrqi
Leo almost laughed, but he shook his head. "Have you ever tried to think549Please respect copyright.PENANASHMp9eyovI
about what I want? You think bringing me and Kim would try to make 549Please respect copyright.PENANAIsd5CwuyJ1
things better? You pretty well know that ever since that day, things 549Please respect copyright.PENANAqTKGOKjSI4
aren't the same as they were, mum."549Please respect copyright.PENANAvdcA6XsTJZ
"I know, Leo, but I'm just trying to make things right for you."549Please respect copyright.PENANAr2Pjb6RkYa
"No,549Please respect copyright.PENANAaF9kplUj38
mum! You aren't! You're making things worse! All this is what you want,549Please respect copyright.PENANA12V4SAdzDH
but not what I want! I have the right to make my own decisions, don't 549Please respect copyright.PENANAlgyfb4bpyI
I?"549Please respect copyright.PENANAmSpbnkNUGW
"You've every right to. But you ignoring Kim like this isn't going to help."549Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7gJCWpBSX
"Look,549Please respect copyright.PENANALlQU2usJZ4
mum," Leo pressed his temples with his thumb and index finger, trying 549Please respect copyright.PENANAVSj2gRFTmy
to keep in the pressure, "I know that ignoring Kim for so long isn't 549Please respect copyright.PENANAzXscYlNslA
right, but don't you think I should have known all about this first? As 549Please respect copyright.PENANAT5OZMnSHni
far as I know, I'm the one who was supposed to get married to her, not 549Please respect copyright.PENANAalaNZ6Ub8u
you."549Please respect copyright.PENANApFoZQTNhFG
There549Please respect copyright.PENANA6YopWLtx2H
was silence in the living room as the air around them turned cold. Mrs 549Please respect copyright.PENANAYRRSZkogDD
McDonell looked as white as a sheet while Leo kept on giving her the 549Please respect copyright.PENANAq3fjtwJPkn
angry stare. Eric and his brother, Oliver were stunned and Amanda's 549Please respect copyright.PENANA8BRkjpujlw
smirk soon turned into a wide smile. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAfKpFKjQSIo
"Leo, how... could you...." Mrs McDonell was lost for words. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAkjaxyqewXB
"You549Please respect copyright.PENANAPmleqlf5Dm
don't like it when someone talks back at you, don't you, mum?" Leo 549Please respect copyright.PENANA83NhrKWtds
asked. "I have told you time and time again that I would talk to Kim 549Please respect copyright.PENANAu8rMgP9ixQ
when the right time came, but no. You only want things to be done your 549Please respect copyright.PENANAz4v46Wzibc
way! I've tolerated that these past years, but you have gone too far, 549Please respect copyright.PENANA764YuRpJkt
mum, way too far."549Please respect copyright.PENANAd2XX18iMs0
Mrs549Please respect copyright.PENANAPYBWMo8UQC
McDonell stammered, but it was no use anyway. Leo seemed to be done 549Please respect copyright.PENANAFO1oZXAgs8
with what he had to say and he turned for the stairs. Before he began 549Please respect copyright.PENANAJms280WGKp
the ascension, he stood still for a moment. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAQn2JeE9l8Y
"And549Please respect copyright.PENANAccCjQYiMTD
do me one favour, mum," said Leo, without looking at his mother, 549Please respect copyright.PENANA5o45jXBbH5
"cancel the special dinner you had for Kim. And tell her I'm meeting her549Please respect copyright.PENANAFpa5Et72Zz
tomorrow. Maybe then, you would stop bothering me about all this."549Please respect copyright.PENANAceNHGPvmNB
Mrs549Please respect copyright.PENANAzC5Gv7l4KC
McDonell still didn't say anything as she continued to look at her son.549Please respect copyright.PENANABNjRkcQWTt
As Leo climbed up the stairs, Mr McDonell was coming down from his 549Please respect copyright.PENANAaSKcVVHV5R
room. As he passed Leo, he noticed that something was wrong and he 549Please respect copyright.PENANAMgzekZcdRT
stared down at the people at the bottom of the stairs.549Please respect copyright.PENANALi9klENp5e
"May I know what's going on here?" Mr McDonell asked. "And why does Leo look so upset?"549Please respect copyright.PENANAqwqFP0KPP4
"It's... its nothing, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell, "he's just upset. Thats all."549Please respect copyright.PENANAOSC31QjvdR
"Aww, come on now," said Amanda, "you know perfectly well what's going on. You don't have to lie to Frank here."549Please respect copyright.PENANA6uLRpWlulJ
"Could you just shut up for once!" Mrs McDonell looked red on the face as she turned to face Amanda.549Please respect copyright.PENANAnrWQIt9Dr3
"Look549Please respect copyright.PENANAtcqxJc53Jp
here, Bertha, Fred is going to find out anyway. Just tell him now so 549Please respect copyright.PENANA3SALeKIu8B
that you won't have the problem of telling him in the future."549Please respect copyright.PENANAXpJ0nWTI1R
Mrs549Please respect copyright.PENANAEsRslPa06G
McDonell didn't say anything as Mr McDonell slowly reached the bottom 549Please respect copyright.PENANANerJdMdZ18
of the stairs. He looked at his wife and then to Eric, Oliver and his 549Please respect copyright.PENANA3WMbu4etwZ
mother, and they too were quiet.549Please respect copyright.PENANAgtU0Pjtuq4
"May someone please tell me what's going on?" Mr McDonell asked.549Please respect copyright.PENANAEYxHYB14hm
"I told you that nothing is wrong, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell. "Are you going to listen to the lies of your delirious mother?"549Please respect copyright.PENANAVb2kjDmzME
"Since when I'm I the delirious one?" Amanda asked shockingly. 549Please respect copyright.PENANA3p4hoSTW4s
"Mind what you say, Bertha. This is my mother you're talking about," Mr McDonell warned.549Please respect copyright.PENANA4H7UuSFH3C
"Believe me, honey, nothing is wrong," said Mrs McDonell. 549Please respect copyright.PENANArBZ3hrlrOB
Mr McDonell shook his head and stared at his mother and the others. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAyS7qr7A4kV
"Mum, please tell me whats wrong, right now," demanded Mr McDonell. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAdw0OibU8on
"Leo is angry at his mother for inviting Kim over for dinner," replied Amanda quickly. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAaBGzQj9twe
Mr McDonell looked back at his wife who avoided eye contact with him.549Please respect copyright.PENANAFAlaQnqHTn
"Of549Please respect copyright.PENANANDdLRkHXIk
all people you must know better than anyone how Leo is. You know he 549Please respect copyright.PENANAJpIpkTbEPX
wasn't ready to face Kim even when he knows it's wrong avoiding her for 549Please respect copyright.PENANAcEXQwhonpv
so long. As a mother you should know that all he needed was time," said 549Please respect copyright.PENANAbGLctg0e8X
Mr McDonell. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAuZ18l5bDZq
"Ya, but for how long was he going to keep this up? All I'm trying to do is help him out," said Mrs McDonell. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAdWf6dRyKuj
"Well, he did say he was going to see her tomorrow," interfered Amanda, "just to quit you from nagging him any more."549Please respect copyright.PENANAkGMV1FUCEj
"I549Please respect copyright.PENANAosF0mJitdg
know that you're trying to help Leo, but you should let him make his 549Please respect copyright.PENANAyZKZjAemkO
own decisions," said Mr McDonell. "You always think you can take control549Please respect copyright.PENANAWSnRxih9Np
over people's lives when it isn't your own, Bertha."549Please respect copyright.PENANAGOb5x475G6
"But...." Mrs McDonell was quickly interrupted. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAIMqdtPluKS
"Not549Please respect copyright.PENANAlHVi7JRh10
another word, please." Mr McDonell raised a hand to stop his wife from 549Please respect copyright.PENANAFYXCDiaTFP
saying anything else. "Putting that aside, I need to make an 549Please respect copyright.PENANAYLlwkCxhA7
announcement."549Please respect copyright.PENANARRUxnKNiE2
"And what is that, son?" Amanda asked looking concerned.549Please respect copyright.PENANARTThbqsxPG
"In549Please respect copyright.PENANAA32sTqh9CG
a few days time, we will be putting Lisa to rest after her daughter, 549Please respect copyright.PENANAiwPCzUebWp
Angel is discharged from the hospital," said Mr McDonell, "and the two 549Please respect copyright.PENANAAbqz1oxUzW
sisters might come to leave with us."549Please respect copyright.PENANAj21NZKbhFs
For549Please respect copyright.PENANAqxzsTONtVD
a moment, the room was quiet, until Amanda laughed with so much glee 549Please respect copyright.PENANAFBEbdmDoSI
like a teenager and clapped her hands. Eric had a smile on his face.549Please respect copyright.PENANADse6dnjrKW
"That's549Please respect copyright.PENANAfUKAtCsK7T
good," said Amanda. "I've been dying to meet Lisa's children for a long549Please respect copyright.PENANAeIWrazKw3x
time now. This is good news, Fred. I can't wait to see them."549Please respect copyright.PENANALUSONgmYEo
Mrs549Please respect copyright.PENANARj160zJg1m
McDonell gave out a loud snort and everyone turned to face her. Her 549Please respect copyright.PENANAWQ1NNebEuB
arms were folded and her face was one full of fury and disgust.549Please respect copyright.PENANAtBY1gB1a1f
"This549Please respect copyright.PENANA4PfV6beRrm
is just ridiculous," said Mrs McDonell, "you're bringing in those two 549Please respect copyright.PENANAqatt1h13tE
girls just because of that stupid promise you made to Lisa before she 549Please respect copyright.PENANAipEYp2o1Bu
died."549Please respect copyright.PENANAwMcy5hdBNH
"What's549Please respect copyright.PENANAaBjOx2VMhR
wrong with you? Is it me or is it that you have always had a problem 549Please respect copyright.PENANALsAUCVjXH0
with Lisa even now when she is dead?" asked Mr McDonell. 549Please respect copyright.PENANAxXoTbeHHxF
"Ya,549Please respect copyright.PENANArACbsg4DFI
you're right. I have had a problem with Lisa for years. And now, it 549Please respect copyright.PENANA8nZ03tBbru
seems problems still come about even from the land of the dead."549Please respect copyright.PENANA2UIHdsT8kc
"You549Please respect copyright.PENANAs3vJPlvIh7
should learn to respect the dead, you know?" said Amanda. "I wonder why549Please respect copyright.PENANAYVzbxCz505
you have hated her so much all these years, Bertha."549Please respect copyright.PENANAhoirY3W4qv
"You'll never know so stop asking," Mrs McDonell snapped. "I just hope those girls never agree to come and stay in this house."549Please respect copyright.PENANAmbXPFPLDvU
With549Please respect copyright.PENANAnYGXJiSBRC
that, Mrs McDonell headed for the stairs like an angry devil ready to 549Please respect copyright.PENANAUXE0tKgHUf
destroy everyone and everything in her way. When she reached her room at549Please respect copyright.PENANAzQLsziwTkD
the top floor, she banged the door shut behind her.