'Sometimes the strongest women are the ones who love beyond all faults, cry behind closed doors and fight battles that nobody knows about' ~ Farzana Baig Italy. Spain. France. England. Australia. There are so many amazing options but I can only pick one yet whichever one I pick is one which could strongly impact the rest of my life or at least the next few years of my life because this isn't just a vacation, it's more of a temporary staycation. "Can I help you, ma'am?" An effeminate voice with a southern twang asks me. I narrow my eyes from the board on the wall to the young man behind the desk who was looking at me with a big, bright smile on his glossy l**s. "Actually, you can...do you fancy playing Russian roulette with me?" I ask him with a smile and he looks at me like I've lost my Dam mind. "Ma'am...this is an airport, it's not a casino" He says and I chuckle. "I know that, sir, I'm just looking to get away from New York for a little while but I'm stuck on where to go" I say and he rolls his eyes in a jokey and semi-serious kind of way. "Let me guess, you're running away from a boy?" "Got it in one" I say while nodding my head and smiling. Dylan Tate is definitely a little boy. g*******s men who are mature don't do what he did. "You really shouldn't let a man run you out of your own home, honey because the moment you give a man that type of power and control, it's hard to get it back" "Well, it's kind of hard to stay here when my fiance scr'wed my brother behind my back" I say angrily while smiling a sad and pained smile as the guy behind the desk gasps dramatically and clutches at his invisible pearls. "Oh my" He says as he straightens his jacket and looks at me with a shocked and sympathetic expression. "Well, if I can make a suggestion...London is always beautiful at this time of year" London. I think to myself as I smile a real and genuine smile. This is the first time in four whole weeks that I've smiled like this. I've always wanted to visit London, England but for some reason, it just never happened. "The UK has also got a lot of historical and cultural spots if you're interested in that type of stuff, not to mention their nightlife is lit" He says the last bit while doing a little twerk before quickly getting himself together and looking around to see if anyone had seen him do it. "Sorry ma'am, that wasn't professional at all" "Don't worry about it" I said while chuckling. "It looks like I'm going to London then, when does the next flight leave?" "In twenty minutes, ma'am" "Great, book me a seat please, oh and make sure it's one way" I say and the guy looks up at me with sympathetic eyes. He then arranges my ticket for me and books me on the next flight to London. I was so excited but I was also feeling really nervous as well, especially when I was handed my ticket and I was told what gate I had to go to. The reason why I felt this way is because this meant it was real, I was really leaving not just New York but also America, my home and right now with how I'm feeling, it's going to be for good. I thank the worker who wishes me good luck as I head towards my gate and take a seat letting out a sigh as I did. The past four weeks have been super freaking crazy and stressful for me and I just can't wait to get away for a little while so that I can get over recent events, get myself together and work on myself mentally. I take a sip of my water as my mind drifts back to four weeks ago when all of this mess started. My fiance Dylan Tate and I were hosting our engagement party at the Ritz Carlton and it was supposed to be the party of the century. The Carpenter, Black and Tate families are the top three most powerful, influential and richest families in New York's elite and the fact that two of these families were joining together through marriage was a big freaking deal but I didn't care about any of that. I loved Dylan and I had loved him ever since I first set my eyes on him when I was sixteen, we were childhood sweethearts and had dated each other ever since our high school days. He's the love of my life, the man of my dreams, so when he proposed to me in Bali, the answer was a given and I couldn't have been any happier but then my whole world came crashing down the night of my engagement party, the night that was supposed to be one of the best nights of my life turned into pure god. What happened was, Dylan had gone AWOL right before we were supposed to make the official announcement, so I went looking for him but I wasn't expecting to see what I saw when I finally found his bottom. I found Dylan in our hotel room with my brother Luca and they were both b**t-bottom barely covered body hа'ving sex on our bed. I can't even begin to describe to you how painful it was to see the love of my life and my beloved older brother who I love so freaking much entangled the way that they were. I was so heartbroken and devastated that I didn't even stay to hear their sorry bottom excuses. I quickly left the room and the hotel altogether because honestly, there's nothing they could say or even do that would be good enough for me to accept or even forgive. After I left the hotel, I went to a nearby bar where I drank all of my pain and sorrows away. I ended up getting so freaking drunk that I found myself in a hotel room losing my virginity to some strange guy or at least that's what I thought at the time. When I woke up the next morning, I realised the guy who I hа'd sex with and gave my precious virginity to was none other than New York's most eligible bachelor Logan Black who is also the best friend of my eldest brother Justin. I was in so much shock and I couldn't believe I hа'd sex with Logan. I instantly freaked out and panicked because I didn't know how Logan was going to react when he woke up and realised he'd hа'd sex with me, the girl he had always seen as his younger sister and I really didn't wanna to stay to find out, so I quickly got dressed and left the hotel room. I then went home where of course, I found out I was the villain of my story because I had left my engagement party without a word and had shown up the next morning literally doing the walk of shame. My parents questioned me about where I had been? who I had been with? why did I leave? how could I embarrass the Carpenter and Tate familys the way that I did? you know all that blah, blah, blah BS. Of course, Luca and Dylan didn't say anything and they were only too happy to throw my bottom to the wolves which broke my heart even further because they were supposed to love me, yet they didn't care and they stood there allowing me to take the brunt of the blame for last night when it was all their fault. Anyway, I took all of the abuse and all god broke loose when I told them that the wedding was off and I didn't want to marry Dylan anymore which angered my parents, more specifically my dad who hit me for the first time in my life and he demanded or I should say he commanded me to still go through with the wedding. Even that fake bottom piece of shift Dylan acted like a love-sick victim and begged me not to cancel the wedding and even had the nerve to say he'd forgive me, you know ME for MY indiscretions, the cheeky bаst3rd but I refused to budge even despite my dad's determination for it to still go ahead. I didn't wanna fight them anymore, so I let them all think they had won, so while everyone was planning the wedding of the century, I was making plans of my own to leave and get away. I really didn't want to leave because at the end of the day, my family are still my family and I love them so much but I knew I could never forgive them, especially Luca. Luca was my best friend growing up and I was the closest to him out of all of my brothers which is why this is so devastating to me. It's also the reason why I stopped myself from publically dragging Luca and Dylan out of the closet and outing them to the world so that everyone would know I wasn't the big, bad wolf in this story because deep down inside of me, I still do love them both and I don't want to hurt either of them. There's also another reason why I'm leaving or I should say this was the final nail in the coffin if you will and that reason is because I'm pregnant with Logan's baby. I knew my parents would flip their lids when they found out and they'd either assume Dylan is the father and would use my baby to make the wedding happen sooner or they'd wanna know who the real father is and if they learned Logan is the father then they'd force me to marry him to save face. I didn't want either of those options, I didn't want Dylan and I didn't want Logan, I just wanted me and my baby, so I packed a bag and grabbed as much cash as I could because I didn't wanna take any cards with me in case they tried to track me down and I headed straight for JFK airport hoping to start a new life. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard the boarding call for my flight. I let out a breath and smiled as I thought to myself this is it whilst placing a hand on my stomach. "It's just you and me from now on my little angel" I take a final deep breath in and slowly release it before standing up and grabbing my bags. I then head towards my gate and my new life in London, England.

Six Years Later... "KIDS!!, BREAKFAST IS READY!!" "OK, MUM!!" I plate up mine and the kid's breakfasts and place them on the table along with four cups of orange juice and а-'cup of coffee for myself. I was grabbing a few condiments for the table when my three babies came barrelling into the room with my youngest son Dayton looking like he was going to a Marvel or DC convention. "Dayton baby, I thought I told you all to get ready for school?" "You did and I did" He said cheekily and I rolled my eyes. "Son, you can't wear your Batman mask and cape to school" "Why not? I look cool" He says and I chuckle. "Yes I know you do, son but you can't just wear it" "Why not?" "Because it's the rules, Dayton, we have to wear our school uniforms and nothing else" My one and only baby girl says before taking a sip of her drink. "But Elijah gets to wear his Spiderman costume every day, mum" "That's because Elijah is autistic, baby and the school are trying to make his school life a little bit easier and make it as comfortable as possible for him" I tell him for the umpteenth time and he drops his head in defeat. "Ok, fine...can I wear it after school?" He asks and I smile. "Of course, you can" I bend down and give him a k**s. "Now come and eat your breakfast before it gets all cold and soggy" "Ok, mum" Dayton and I take our seats and my eldest baby, my firstborn Logan couldn't resist making a comment about his brother's attire. "You look like a nerd, Dayton" "Says the one who is reading a chemistry book at the breakfast table" "It's biology actually and it doesn't hurt to want to warm your brain up before school" "That makes no sense at all" Dayton says while rolling his eyes. "Actually it does, Dayton, it's just like when you go to the gym, you warm up first, right? Logan reading a book before school is like a warm-up for him to go and learn" Why did that make so much sense?. I mean, don't get me wrong, my babies are smart, actually, they're super smart, so it shouldn't be surprising or shocking to me that they'd say something clever but it is every single time. "Ok guys, knock it off and eat, please" We all eat our food and I couldn't keep my eyes off my three bundles of joy as we ate. It was one of the biggest shocks of my life when I found out I was expecting triplets and I Dam near fainted in the doctor's office, especially when my mind started going into overdrive about things like giving birth but thankfully the pregnancy and the birth went better than I expected because I had my best friend Carmella there with me and she's been there for me ever since. My kids are my entire life and have been ever since I left New York six years ago. I've got two handsome boys and a beautiful little girl who have all just turned five years old and they're the lights of my life. My eldest son is Logan David Junior, yes I named him after his biological father and his paternal grandfather David Black which is something that I never planned on doing at first but as soon as I gave birth to him and I held him for the very first time, I knew that I couldn't give him any other name. Logan is my quiet child and he's very introverted compared to his siblings, he also loves to learn new things and is always either studying, reading a book, watching educational programmes or looking up something educational on the internet. He's not as sociable as his brother and sister but he still likes to have fun and hang out with other kids his age just as long as he knows and trusts them. My baby is also obsessed with science and computers and is constantly learning the ins and outs of them both, hence why he's currently reading a biology book while he's eating his eggs. All three of my kids are very skilled musically and Logan is one god of a pianist. He's won so many awards for it and he even performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety performance in front of the royal family last year which made me one god of a proud momma wolf. Then there's my youngest son Dayton James who is named after my father. Dayton is my little troublemaker, he's my cheeky child who has got one god of a smartass mouth and he loves to joke around and play pranks on people which I fking hate and I'm trying to knock it out of him but it's hard, especially when he religiously watches Home Alone because he says the main character Kevin is his idol. I really should've given Dayton the middle name Liam after my big brother because he's just like his uncle in every way possible, even his laugh is the same as Liam's. Despite being a Johnny Knoxville in training, Dayton is a mathematician which is something he must've gotten from his dad because I'm dumb as f'k- when it comes to numbers, he also loves the drums which fits perfectly with his personality and lately, he's been taking air guitar lessons with a tutor. Then there's my little princess, my daughter Teddy Louise who I named after my mom. Teddy is a little girly girl who is obsessed with Disney, she loves to get dressed up and look pretty but she's also not afraid to get her hands dirty. She loves it when it rains because she gets to stomp around in puddles but her favourite weather is when it snows because she loves to build snowmen and make snow angels. Teddy also loves to bake and can make pretty much anything but her favourite thing to bake is cupcakes because she loves to decorate them with different icing and sprinkles. She's obsessed with many forms of art and loves to learn about the history of different famous artists, especially the likes of Picasso and Van Gogh, they really intrigue her for some reason. Teddy also loves to play the flute and can play many different beautiful melodies on it but she's not as into it as her older brothers are with their instruments. All three of my kids are incredibly smart and they attend a special school for the gifted after they were referred there by their previous school when they all started showing signs of being child prodigies. I always knew my kids were special and were more intelligent than most other kids their ages but I never in my wildest dreams would have ever thought that one let alone all three of my babies would be child prodigies because I always believed they were rare like one in a million type of rare, yet I managed to birth three, that's crazy. "Mum" Dayton's cute, adorable voice broke me from my thoughts. "Yes, baby" "Can I have some more juice, please?" "Of course you can, do you two want some more as well?" I ask Logan and Teddy who nod their hands. I grab the jug of juice and fill up their glasses before sitting back down in my chair. "Thanks, mum" My babies said in unison while smiling and I smiled back at them. "You're welcome, babies" I said as I heard a noise coming from the front door which I knew was the mail. I once again get up from my chair and go to see what junk I've been sent today. I wasn't expecting anything important because all of my bills have been paid for and are up to date, so I wasn't expecting anything more than just junk mail and takeaway leaflets which they seriously need to stop giving us, the internet is a thing, folks. I let out a breath as I look through the pile but my eyes narrowed and I was confused/scared when one of the letters caught my attention for several reasons. The first reason is because of the American stamps and the address which are in the corners of the envelope. The latter is something the majority of the UK don't do, so that struck me as odd and the second reason is the very familiar handwriting on it which I immediately recognised as my grandfather Joseph's handwriting. My heart was beating a mile a minute and my anxiety had spiked as I continued to look at the envelope and they got worse as my fingers danced over the Christmas stamp which had been used to seal the letter. I didn't know what was in the letter but it was enough to make me feel panicked and nervous because nobody from my previous life except for Carmella knows where I live now, so how in the hll has my grandpa found out where I am? and why is he writing to me? what does he want?. "Mum, we need to go, we're going to be late" Teddy says and I look up to see all three of my kids standing in the hallway putting on their coats, hats, scarves and gloves. It's December and the weather is cold which is something I'm used to as a native of New York but in the UK, the mornings always seem really bitter, so I make sure we're all wrapped up warm whenever we leave the house. I place the pile of letters on the side cabinet and go to put on my coat and accessories before grabbing my bag and making sure I've got everything I need including my phone, purse, house keys and car keys. "Are you ready to go, babies?" "Yep" "Mmm-hmm" "Yes, mum" The kids all say at the same time. "Have you got your book bags and packed lunches?" I ask them and they all nod their heads. "Ok, let's go" We leave our home and head towards the car. I make sure all of the kids are safely strapped in before getting in myself, we then set off for their school as we sing along to the Christmas songs which were playing on the radio. Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year and it's also my kids favourite as well. This time of year is also always really bittersweet for me because Christmas with my family used to be amazing and we'd always have so much fun. It was the one time of the year when we'd all gather together and stay at my parent's mansion for the entire holiday and we'd celebrate it in style. I really wish I could go back to those times. There's nothing I'd love more than for my babies to have a REAL family Christmas with our family maybe even with their father and his family but I highly doubt this will happen anytime soon.

It's crazy how fast our lives can change within the blink of an eye and sometimes you don't even know it's happening until it's already happened. The past six years have been a crazy whirlwind and I've had to get used to a lot of changes in my life since I moved to London but now I'm happily settled and living my best life, well, I'm living as great of a life as I possibly can without my beloved family here with me. There was a time when my family and I were extremely close, we would always see and talk with each other every day and we always did anything and everything for one another but all of that changed and I saw a totally different side to my family after Dylan and Luca's betrayal. I always used to think I had the perfect family, the perfect parents, the perfect grandparents and the perfect older brothers and in a way, I still feel that way about them but I also can't forget the immediate change in them when I found out my older brother was having fun with my fiance. The betrayal left me a heartbroken mess and it changed my entire life forever, it also changed all of the plans I had made for my future. Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a school teacher, I wanted to teach the future generation and prepare them for the next stages of their lives. A few months before everything happened six years ago, I was offered a place at one of the best colleges in New York to get my teaching degree but then my relationship broke down and the perfect future I had planned with Dylan had gone up in flames along with everything else. I no longer had any desire to get my teaching degree but I needed to find a steady income so that I could provide for myself and the triplets because I knew my savings which was a very substantial amount of money wouldn't last me forever. I wasn't used to living like this because I was born a millionaire heiress, I had always lived a life of luxury and I never had to worry about anything, so to now live knowing money was running out was kind of scary, especially since I now had three extra mouths to feed and I didn't want my kids to grow up differently to how I did. Don't get me wrong I wasn't a spoiled little rich girl or anything like that but I lived a comfortable life with no worries and I wanted the same for my kids as well. I didn't want them to grow up worrying about things that they shouldn't have to which I know they would've done because they're really smart and they would've immediately sensed when something was wrong. Anyway, I knew I needed to make some decent money and fast but I didn't know how. That was until one day when I was watching some soppy rom-com movie which was based on some old book and it unlocked a brand new passion inside of me, a passion which I never knew existed if I'm being perfectly honest with you. I always loved to read and loved nothing more than to get lost in a good book but I never once saw myself as a writer because I didn't think I was creative enough to be one. All of that changed as soon as I put pen to paper or my fingers to my laptop I should say and that's when magic happened. Within two months, I had finished and completed my first book The Billionaire's Secret Baby which later turned into a five-part series when my fans demanded more from me. The series was a huge hit and before I knew it, I was a world-famous author, I was successful and I was rolling in the money, most of which I've either invested or I've put into different bank accounts for me and my kids for when they're older. The rest of the money I used to buy us our current home and everything we needed to furnish it and I also bought myself a decent car as well. I mean, I'm not at Donald Trump's level of rich but I've got enough money for me and the triplets to live happy and comfortable lives together. Right now I'm in my office working on a new book and a new series but for some strange reason, I can't seem to concentrate and for the first time in my writing career, I've got writer's block. I let out a sigh as I take off my glasses and rub the bridge of my nose. This is so frustrating and annoying. The worst thing for a writer to experience is knowing what you want to write and how you want to write it but being unable to articulate it in the right way and have it make sense. There have been many times in the past where I've written something and when I've read it back I was like what the fk? this makes absolutely no sense. I looked back at the screen and decided I needed to take a break, so I got up and went into the kitchen to make myself а-'cup of coffee and something to eat. I didn't really have much of an appetite but I knew if I didn't eat something now then I probably wouldn't have anything to eat until dinner later on which wouldn't do me any good. You need to be healthy in your mind, body and soul in order to do anything and I can't focus on writing a great story if I'm pushing myself without resting or eating. I was sitting on the couch and eating my food with the television on in the background which I wasn't watching, it was just on for background noise because I hate silence and that's all I ever seem to have in this house when the kids aren't here. Anyway, the T.V. quickly caught my attention when the annoying presenter with a high-pitched squeaky voice, who was wearing more make-up than a drag queen mentioned several familiar names which piqued my interest, one of which and the gossip about him almost had me choking on my coffee. "Hello everyone and welcome to the Hollywood Daily, it's been a busy week for many of the Hollywood elite, more specifically those within the affluent Carpenter and Black families" The presenter said with a huge grin on her face. The first piece of news she was gossiping about was my sister-in-law Sabrina launching two new clothing lines, one is a maternity line and one is for kids which will be released after Christmas. This will be her third and fourth lines that she's released, the first one being a b****i line and the second one was a Hot l******e line which she worked on with my mom. "Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen because the latest announcement from the Carpenter family is one that is going to break all of our precious little hearts, Luca Carpenter the youngest son of James and Louise Carpenter has come out as gay" This is the news which had me almost choking on my coffee. What does she mean he's come out as gay?. Didn't he do that six years ago?. "According to a statement released earlier today, Luca said it's taken me a very long time to finally accept who and what I am and now I can proudly say that I'm a gay man" Holy shift. "But that's not the most shocking part of the statement, the part which has left many of the public including fans of the family baffled and scratching their heads in confusion is when Luca also confessed his undying love for his soulmate and the love of his life Dylan Tate...does that name ring a bell? well, it should do because Dylan is the eldest son and heir of Lachlan and Sandra Tate and he's the former fiance of Luca's younger sister Lacey Carpenter who has been M.I.A for the past six years, are Luca and Dylan the reason for her disappearance from the limelight? has this love story been going on for a lot longer than the Carpenters want us to believe? this is something we may never know unless Luca, Dylan or even Lacey herself comes out and explains it to us" I can't believe this. It's a good job I legally changed my name six years ago before I gave birth to my kids because if I didn't, then this could have caused a lot of trouble for me and my kiddies. "Moving on, we've got everyone's favourite billionaire playboy Logan Black who is as much known for his dating life as he is for his wealth, businesses and modelling career, the fitness model and business mogul is known for having a different woman on his arm every week but is his bachelor life officially over? it seems so after the Hot hunk was spotted shopping at one of New York's most expensive jewellery stores with singer and actress GiGi Addams" What?. It hurt my heart to hear about Logan settling down with someone else, especially with a snake like GiGi Addams. Deep down in my heart, I knew why it hurt me so much but I just didn't want to admit to it. I had always had a crush on Logan ever since I was a kid and I think somewhere over the years, that crush manifested into something more but I really didn't want to confess to those feelings because he's my older brother's best friend and also because of Dylan, not to mention Logan is everything I hate in a man. He's cocky and conceited and he thinks if the world doesn't revolve around him then it should or at least that's how he was six years ago, I don't know if he's changed at all since I left the States. I couldn't help but smile a sad and bittersweet smile as the presenter continued to talk about my family and those who used to be close to me and it really hurt my heart because I miss them so freaking much and I hate hearing about them and what's new in their lives through channels like this. Changes are a natural part of life but sometimes it's the ones you weren't expecting that cause you the most pain and sorrow but also the most happiness as well.

"MUM!!" Dayton shouts as he comes running into the kitchen waving my phone around like a caveman s******g his club. "Your phone is ringing, mum" "Who is it?" He looks at it briefly before looking back at me. "It's auntie Abby" "Oh, thank you honey" I say as I take the phone from my son. "Ooh, can I speak to her, mummy?" Teddy asks and I shake my head. "No, you three need to go and shower and get ready for bed" "But mum" They all g***n and I just give them the look which quickly has them doing what I say. It's not a scary look, it's just an expression which tells these kids not to question their momma. "You too, Logan" "Ok, mum" Logan says with a sigh as he puts his book down on the couch and leaves the room. I swear that boy has always got his face buried either in a book, his laptop or his tablet. "Hello" I answer my phone and smile when I hear the cheery voice of my publicist Abby who is also a really good friend of mine. I've known her ever since I got signed to her agency five years ago, she's such an amazing woman and has been an absolute godsend to all of us the past few years. We're honestly so lucky to have her in our lives. "Hey, Lace" "Hey Abs, how's it going?" "Everything is just fabulous, babe, especially after what I found out today" "And what did you find out today, Abs?" I ask her as I try to multi-task talking to her and cleaning up the kitchen. "Well, I found out my favourite client Miss Olivia James just made the New York Times Top Ten Bestsellers list for the fifth year in a row" "Oh really? well, congratulations to Miss Olivia James, she should be so proud of herself" I said with a slight chuckle and Abby g*****d at me. "It's so creepy when you do that, Lace" "Do what? what do you mean?" I asked even though I knew exactly what she meant. "When you talk about yourself in the third person, it's so weird" She says and I shake my head while smiling. She's so freaking dramatic. Just in case you're wondering or you're confused, Olivia James is my writing alter ego if you will, it's a name that I created using both my middle name and my father's first name so that I could publish my work without anyone knowing it's me who is writing them. At first, I had no intention of hiding my identity because I honestly never expected my work to take off the way that it did, it was only when in the space of a few months, my fan base exploded and then I got signed to an agency that wanted to release it on hardback that I decided to create an alias and trademark it as well. There are several reasons why I did this. The first and most important reason is that when I wrote and released my very first book, I was pregnant with my kids and it was a high-risk pregnancy, I had been put on bed rest during my second trimester by my doctor and he told me to avoid stress as much as I possibly could. The next reason is because I knew my family had been trying to find me and even though I had changed my name six years ago from Lacey Carpenter to Lacey Wright which is my momma's maiden name, I wanted to take extra precautions so that I wouldn't be found. I'm not afraid of my family and the reasons why I wanted to stay hidden from them isn't because I'm scared or anything like that, it was more because I didn't want to see my family again or deal with my brother and my ex, especially while I was having a risky pregnancy. I also didn't want my family or the Black family to see my kids and force an arranged marriage between myself and Logan so that they could save face as well as their reputations. The Carpenter and Black families are two of the three most powerful and richest families in New York and they're all about their reputation and protecting it at any cost even if it means at the expense of their kid's happiness and I refuse to allow them to do this with me and my kids. "Anyway babe, guess what I've arranged for you for your fifth anniversary?" Abby asks in a sing-song voice and dread immediately fills me. "Please don't tell me you've arranged another blind date for me, Abs? I haven't recovered from the last guy you tried to set me up with" I say and she chuckles. "That was six months ago, Lace" "Exactly and I'm still recovering" I say while rolling my eyes. "Anyway, what have you arranged for me?" "Well, in honour of my besties anniversary and all of her success, I've arranged a party for you which will also double as a New Year's Eve party" "What? why would you do that, Abby?" I ask annoyed. I know I probably sound super ungrateful right now but that's not the case, I hate parties with a passion and I haven't attended one since my engagement party. I don't even attend book signings or launches because of the anxiety it gives me. "Because you need to start being proud of your success and being the face of your own brand Lacey which means meeting with your fans and socialising with them, they're all dying to meet the infamous Olivia James who has been setting her reader's hearts and loins on fire with her hot and steamy books" She says and I chuckle. "Besides, you need to move on from the past, Lace...you deserve to be happy and you can't be happy when you're hiding from your past" Urgh!!. "You're right" "Of course, I'm right" I let out a sigh as I sit down on my couch and run a hand through my hair. "So, where's this party going to take place then?" I ask expecting to hear somewhere expensive in London because Abby doesn't do cheap and I just knew that if she's organised a party then it's gonna be a rich and luxurious affair. It was only when Abby started to stutter and was hesitant to answer me that I started to feel nervous and I didn't have a good gut feeling about this. "Well, erm...you see I erm...I wanted this to be the biggest, baddest event of the year and one to remember" "Ok" I drag out feeling my nerves getting stronger and more prominent. "Well, there's only one place in this whole wide world that can pull off a party like that, Lacey Lace" Oh no, don't you say it, please don't freaking say it, Abigail Walters. "NEW YORK, BABY!!" Oh god no. "You've got to be kidding me, Abs, there's no way I'm going back to New York" "Oh, come on Lace, it'll be fun" Fun?. Did this Beach just say it'll be fun?. "Abigail, you do remember where I'm from, right?" "Yeah, you're from New York and what better place is there for you to flaunt your success than in your home city" "I can't do this, Abby, I can't go back to New York" "Yes you can, Lacey babe, you're..." Abby said but was cut off by someone in the background who was saying something I couldn't quite make out. "Sorry babe, I've gotta go, I'll call you tomorrow, ok" "Abby" "Bye Lace" "ABBY!!...Abby, don't you dare...hang up on me" I said the last bit with a g***n when she hung up on me before I could finish my sentence. I sighed in frustration as I once again run a hand through my hair and tugged on it. I can't believe this. I can't believe she's not only arranged a party for me which I don't want but she's arranged for it to take place in fking New York. "MUMMY!!" My daughter shouts for me and I head upstairs accidentally knocking over the pile of letters on my cabinet as I did. I ignored the mess and went upstairs to deal with my kids who had all had their baths and had gotten changed into their pyjamas. I first checked in on my daughter and read her a bedtime story until she fell asleep, I then switched off her light and put on her unicorn night light. "Night, night princess" I give Teddy a k**s on her head before leaving her room. I then went into the boy's room and I wasn't surprised to see Dayton on the floor playing with his toys and Logan laying in bed reading a book. "Boys, why aren't you asleep yet?" "Because I wanted to play with my toys, mum" "And I wanted to finish reading this chapter of my book, did you know that there are six hundred muscles in the human body?" "Really?" I ask faking being shocked. "Hey Logan, did you know that the human body has seventy-eight organs in it and right now, this momma wolf wants her big boy to rest that big one in his head?" "Ok, fine" Logan g****s as he puts his marker in his book and puts it on his bedside table. "Night, baby" I give Logan a k**s and he smiles. "Night, mum" As soon as I turned around, Dayton had already put his toys away and had gotten into bed. I give him a k**s and bid him goodnight before turning off their light and putting on their night lights as well. I then go into my bedroom and I had a quick shower. Normally, I'd like to have a bath after a long day but I'm just so exhausted and I want nothing more than to have a nice glass of wine to wind down enough so that I can sleep. After blow-drying my hair and putting it into a couple of braids, I head downstairs and g*****d when I saw the mess that I had made earlier. I knelt down to pick the letters up and that's when my eyes landed on the letter I received this morning which I honestly forgot all about. I really didn't wanna deal with this right now because I'm way too tired and I've got absolutely no energy to not only deal with the contents of this letter but also the questions surrounding how my grandfather found out where I am and where I'm living. In the end, I decided to just bite the bullet and open the letter because I was gonna have to eventually and it wasn't going to help my anxiety by prolonging it. I quickly opened the envelope and unfolded the fancy stationery before I chickened out but to my surprise, it wasn't a letter like I had originally thought it was, no it was something else which I also wasn't expecting and my eyes widened when I realised what it was and also whose names were on it. This has got to be a joke.

'Dear Miss Lacey CARPENTER, you and your children Master Logan CARPENTER Junior, Master Dayton CARPENTER and Miss Teddy CARPENTER have been cordially invited to attend the annual Carpenter Christmas festivities in Manhattan, New York' These words have been running through my mind ever since I opened that godаm letter last night and I've been feeling many different emotions ever since. At first, I was shocked and angry that I was being invited to my family's annual Christmas event. I couldn't believe they had the nerve or the brass balls to think that I'd actually wanna spend the most magical and happiest time of the year around Luca and Dylan. Yes, six years have passed and I've moved on and I'm happy now in my new life but I've still got a lot of anger and bitterness in me towards those two аs holes. I also felt confused as I thought about how my grandparents had found out where I was living so that they could send me this invitation which then led me to nearly having a panic attack when I realised my grandfather clearly knew more about me and my kids than I'm comfortable with. One of the reasons why I felt this way is because the kids and I were referred to as Carpenters on the invite, not as Wrights which is our official legal name and also because my former name had been capitalised on each of our names. It's almost like my grandfather is trying to tell me that he knows I've changed my name and that I can do this as many times as I want but I'll always be a Carpenter. Another reason is because this was sent to me through the post which the last time I checked can only be done if there is a valid address and stamp on the envelope which means that my grandfather knows where I am? but what I want to know is how long has he known? and why is he doing this now?. There's also the fact that they know about my kids which is impossible because only one person from my previous life knows about them and she wouldn't tell my family about them. Right now, I'm on my way to pick up my kids from school and I can't wait to see their cute little faces. My babies are the only ones who can cheer me up when I'm feeling down or I'm in a bad mood and I know it won't take them long to put a smile back on my face when I see them. I park my car and get out before heading towards the entrance where my babies come out. Normally, I'd converse with some of the other parents while I'm waiting but I didn't feel like it today, so I just stood on my own and waited. Unfortunately, a few feet away from where I was standing was a trio of women who are so snotty and up their own аs, they think they're better than everyone else here because they've all got rich husbands and live luxurious lifestyles. They also love to look down on people and judge them and it seems that I'm their target today which is very unfortunate for them. "Girls, do you see that girl over there in the black coat with the fur on the hood?" "The one with the red scarf?" "Mmm-hmm, she's another one who's got no daddy for her kiddies" The leader says earning gasps from her two minions. "How terrible is that? these skanks seriously need to think long and hard about the kids they're producing and how they'll feel growing up without a dad before they open their legs to every Tom, his not-so-little friend or Harry" "Right? I bet she doesn't even know who the father of her kids is" "Girls like that shouldn't be allowed to conceive, it's not fair to the child if they're born to only a one-parent household" That's it. I walked over to the Sanderson sisters who were all laughing and didn't notice my presence until I was standing in front of them and that's when their fake sides came out. "Hey Lacey girl, how are you?" "Oh, I'm fine, well, at least I was until I overheard you three gossip queens talking about me and my kids" I said with a fake smile on my l**s which was just like theirs. "Oh Lacey honey, we weren't gossiping, we were just wondering why we've never seen the triplet's father that's all, is...is he still around?" The lead Beach asked me looking all smug and I smirked back at her. It's time to teach this Beach a lesson. "Actually no, he was killed in action whilst fighting for this country" I said and they all gasped in horror. "Oh my god" "I'm so sorry" "Really? I can't believe that, is that true?" They all asked sounding genuinely remorseful and guilty. "No, it isn't but there are a lot of single mothers in this world who are single because their men have either died or maybe they're travelling for work and they don't need nosey curtain twitchers like you three out here judging them because you believe they don't have a dad for their kid just because you haven't seen him" I say and I swear I saw a look of guilt flash on all three of their overly botoxed faces. "Now answer me this, how would you all have really felt if my kid's dad actually was in the army and he had died defending this country and you're over here gossiping on the school grounds about three innocent kids whose dad is dead were any youngin could hear you and go and taunt them about it, hmm?" "We..we're sorry" Urgh!!, I hate that word. "Sorry's just a word, next time think before you speak, words are very powerful, especially when they're taken out of context and they can ruin lives, so make sure from now on that you use your brain before you open your mouths, do you hear me?" I warned them and they nod their heads. I then walked away when I heard the school's bell go off. I smiled brightly when I saw all three of my babies coming out together and as always, Teddy is smack bang in the middle of her two big brothers. Logan and Dayton have always been super over-protective of their little sister and always make sure she's safe and protected from any danger. "Mummy" My kids shouted as they ran over to me. "Hey babies, have you all had a good day?" I ask after hugging each of my babies. "Yeah mum...ooh, guess what?" "What, my love?" "Some..." Teddy started but was interrupted by one of the moms. "Excuse me, Miss Wright" "Yes" I stood up and looked at the woman in front of me. "I just wanna say thank you for raising three amazing kids" "Oh erm, th..thank you" I said confused. I already knew I had amazing kids but I was confused as to why this woman was thanking me for it. "I'm Elijah's mum, Tiffany, I found out today that he's been getting bullied by a group of boys because of his autism" Little bastards. "But today your children stood up for him and protected him from the bullies" "Really?" I ask as I look down at my three bundles who are standing there looking very proud. "Yes mummy we did and we told those boys that you shouldn't bully people because that's just nasty and wrong but you really shouldn't pick on kids like Elijah, he may be different but there's nothing wrong with that" Teddy said and Tiffany smiled at her. "Thank you, Teddy, you're such a wonderful little girl" "Thanks, ma'am" Teddy thanked Tiffany who looked back at me. "I just wanted to thank your babies and thank you for raising such lovely and considerate kids, it's every parent's nightmare that their kids will be bullied but that fear is heightened when your child is ASD" Tiffany says with a smile and I didn't miss how she kept narrowing her eyes on Logan. Why is she looking at my baby like that?. "You're welcome, Tiffany" "Anyway, I've gotta go, I'll see you around, say goodbye Elijah" Elijah looked at us and just smiled as he waved his hand. Tiffany and Elijah then left the school grounds through one of the entrances and we left through the one which is closest to my car. "Ok, my little superheroes, get in and put your seatbelts on" "Ok, mum" They all say in unison while I put their backpacks and lunch boxes in the boot of my car. I was closing the door when a car passed by me and I had to do a double take as my heart almost stopped beating when I saw someone familiar in it. There's no way, why would he be in London?. "Mummy, can we go, please? I'm hungry" Dayton's voice says snapping me out of my shocked state. "Yes baby, I'm coming now" I quickly forget all about who I think I saw and chalk it up to someone just looking like him. I then get in my car and drive back home. "Mum, can we get some McDonalds for dinner?" "Sure, we haven't had one in so long" My phone started ringing and I smiled when I saw it's my best friend Carmella. "Hey, Carm" I answer using my Bluetooth. "Hey, Lace, how's my beautiful bestie and my gorgeous godchildren?" "We're good, how are you and the family?" "We're all good, well, except for my momma" "Why? what's wrong with her?" I ask her and she g****s. "She's just being pissy because I refuse to come back home, I told her I'll come back when my bestie decides to" "Which will probably be never you do know that, right?" "Yeah, I know" Carmella says in a high-pitched voice and I chuckle. Carmella moved to London a few weeks after I did and she's been staying with me ever since helping me out with not only with the kids but also with work as my assistant. Her family weren't happy with her decision and she allegedly told them 'well, I'm not happy with that jackass Dylan Tate playing peekaboo with his seksuality and messing with my bestie, so I'm going and nobody can stop me'. "When are you coming back to London anyway? I thought you were only going back home for a few days for your cousin's wedding?" "Babe, I'll be back when my mom stops playing hide and seek with my Dam passport" She says and I burst out laughing. "That woman's insane" "You can say that again, Lace" We talked for a few minutes until Carmella had to go so that she could try and get her passport back from her mom. I really hope her mom doesn't keep it hostage for too long because I need my bestie back here with us. The kids and I miss her like crazy.

A Few Days Later... I know all of you parents out there have heard of the saying 'silence is golden unless you've got kids, then silence is just suspicious'. Now I hate silence, so much so that I've got a special app on my phone with different sounds on it that helps me to sleep at night. Normally, I don't have to worry about silence or the house being quiet when my kids are home because they're always making some kind of noise, especially Dayton. My youngest boy was recently diagnosed with ADHD which explains so freaking much about him because the kid is incapable of sitting still or staying in one place for too long and he never stops talking. Carmella was the one who had actually insisted that I should get him tested for it because he was exhibiting many of the signs attributed to ADHD. I didn't believe it at first because I had just assumed Dayton was hyper naturally but then she showed me the list of ADHD signs or symptoms on the official NHS website and I was blown away at how accurate it was. The reason why I'm bringing this up is because when my babies are home, it's never quiet and they're always making some type of noise but for some strange reason today they're not and all three of them are unusually quiet and they've been acting strange, in fact, they've been acting like this ever since I picked them up from school. Many parents would probably be happy to have a bit of silence but not me and I'm starting to feel concerned that something may have happened or something is bothering them. I know nothing has happened in school because the school would've told me, unless something happened and the teachers don't know about it. No, that's not possible because the teachers are like hawks in that school and besides, the kids would've told me if something was bothering them. I know this because they're completely incapable of hiding anything from me or at least I thought they were. Urgh!!. I g*****d in annoyance as I wondered what the hll was going on with my kids. Just go and ask them if you're feeling so concerned, Lacey. My inner self taunts me and I know I should go and speak to them but I also know that children aren't exactly keen on telling their parents everything, especially if they're hurt or upset. I let out a sigh as I head upstairs to see my three bundles. I had just got to the top of the stairs when I heard the hushed voices of my kids coming from the boy's bedroom. I know it's not nice or polite to eavesdrop on anyone, especially my own kids but I don't care right now because they're acting weird and as their mom, I've got every right to go to any means necessary to make sure they're ok and they're not hiding anything serious from me. "Can we trust him?" "I don't know, Lo" "I think we can trust him, I mean what's he got to lie about? besides, he did say that he had overheard his mum and dad talking about us" "But what if he's lying?" "Like I said, why would he lie? he's got no reason to lie to us, Dayton" Teddy says sassily and I just know my little princess was rolling her eyes as she said it. I was startled when out of nowhere there was a loud banging sound which I knew was Dayton playing on his drum kit. "Stop it, Dayton, do you wanna alert our mum?" "Oops, sorry" "Whatever, so where were we?" Logan says and my heart Dam near stopped when I heard what Teddy had to say next. "We were talking about this Logan Black dude being our dad" What the fk?. How in the godаm god do they know about Logan?. I've never spoken about Logan or mentioned that he's their dad, there was no need to because the triplets have never once asked me about their dad, so why now? where's all of this coming from?. "Do you think he is? do you think Elijah is telling us the truth?" Elijah? what's he got to do with this?. "He's got no reason to lie to us, Logan" "What did he say again?? I can't remember" Dayton asked and I swear I heard Logan curse to god under his breath. "He said he overheard his mum and dad talking about us and she said how we all look exactly like this Logan guy, mainly me" That fking woman. I knew I should've been concerned with how Tiffany was looking at my babies the other day but I honestly never thought anything of it, now I know it's because she had noticed the resemblance between my kids and the world's most infamous billionaire playboy. f'k-, I'm so stubid. "Wow, you do as well, look" What the?. "Oh my god, we do look just like him as well" "Do you think that's why mum named you Logan?" "I don't know, wait...who are those two guys with him?" "Well, that guy is called Ryker Black and he's Elijah's dad, I know that because he showed me a picture of him one time at school" Wait, Ryker is Elijah's dad?. I can't believe this. I mean, it would explain me seeing him at the school the other day if he is. "The other guy looks like our mummy, what does it say his name is?" "Hmm, let me see...it says Justin Carpenter" "Do you think he's related to us as well?" "Doubtful, our mum's surname is Wright, not Carpenter" "Well, maybe she changed it" That's it, I've had enough. Sometimes I wonder if it's a good or bad thing that I've got three children who are overly smart child prodigies. Don't get me wrong, I'm insanely proud of all three of my babies, it's just right now, it doesn't feel so good. I walk over to the boy's bedroom and I open their door. "Hey kids, are you ok?" "We're fine, mummy" Teddy says as she quickly closes her laptop. "Really? then why are you all so quiet?" "We're always quiet, mum" Dayton says as he bounces up and down on his bed. "Dayton, stop bouncing on your bed, you don't wanna hurt yourself like last time, do you?" "I don't care, mum" "Oh, so you don't mind wearing a cast on your arm again or maybe it'll be your leg this time?" I ask him and he immediately stops bouncing. "Thought so" The last time Dayton bounced on his bed, he fell off it and broke his arm and it was a nightmare having to deal with him for the several weeks afterwards because he kept complaining about his cast irritating him and his arm being itchy. "And you guys are never quiet, at least not all at the same time, there's always one of you doing something noisy" I said whilst trying not to narrow my eyes at my noisiest child Dayton. "I played the drums earlier" "Yeah for like two seconds before Logan stopped you, Day" Teddy says and he rolls his eyes. "What's going on, guys? why are you being so quiet?" I look around at each of my kids who were all acting suspiciously as they looked at each other. I was hoping they'd talk to me about what's bothering them even though I knew it would be hard for me because I'm the bad guy in our little story and I didn't want them to hate me for keeping their dad from them. "We were just talking about our dad, mum and why we don't have one" Teddy says and I didn't miss the look of sadness in her eyes or the sound of it in her voice. "Kids, where is this coming from? you've never asked about your dad before now" "That's because we thought there was a good reason why we never had a dad, besides, there are loads of kids at our school who don't have a dad or a mum" Logan says stoically which I didn't like at all. I don't like how he hides what he's feeling from me, it's not normal. "You guys do have a dad, of course you guys have got a dad, you weren't delivered to me by the baby stork" I said and they chuckled. "It's just...it's a really long story why he's not here with us, kids" It's not really but it's better than saying mommy had a o*******t stand with her brother's best friend and she left before her life and future could be decided and controlled without her say so. "Is it because he's important and the world needs him more than we do?" Dayton asks me sounding sad and my heart broke for my kiddies. "No, that's not it, I mean, your daddy is important but that's not the reason why he's not here with you guys" "How do you know, mum?" Logan asks me. "Because I've known your father for a very long time and I know that there's nothing and nobody in this whole world who is more important to him than his family" "Except for us" Logan says looking down and I immediately get up and kneel down in front of him. "Logan baby, that's not true" "Then why, mum? why isn't he here? if family is so important to him then why isn't he here with his kids? doesn't he care about us?" Logan asks angrily and I let out a sigh. Ok, it's time for me to be the bad guy. "Logan, the reason why your dad isn't here with us is because...it's because your dad doesn't know about you, Logan" I say in a sad and pained tone. All three of my kids snapped their heads up and looked at me with shocked expressions and I swear I also saw a look of betrayal in their eyes as well which felt like a knife stabbing into my heart, a stab that I deserved if I'm being completely honest with everyone. "What do you mean he doesn't know about us, mum?" Dayton asks and I take a long, deep breath in before telling them the truth, well, a watered-down version of the truth. I sit down and grab hold of Logan's hand as Dayton and Teddy snuggle into my sides. "I found out I was pregnant with you guys a month after I was with your dad...there was a lot of stuff going on at the time which I'll explain more to you when you're grown and you can understand it more...but just know that I was going through a lot and I decided to leave America because I needed a break from everything and everyone" "Including our daddy?" Teddy asks and I lower my head because I honestly didn't know how to answer that question. Logan wasn't the reason why I left but he would've been the reason I would've had to stay if our families learned that I was pregnant with his children. "Mummy...is this our daddy?" Teddy asks me as she shows me a picture of Logan Black on her phone, a man who is undeniably the father of my three gorgeous children. My heart skipped a beat seeing his handsome face, his slicked back and perfectly styled blonde hair, his handsome smile which is showing off all of his perfect, pearly white teeth and those eyes...those beautiful light blue eyes of his. f'k-, he's so perfect. "Yes, princess...that's your dad"