Natalie was standing, she held a cup of coffee and was looking around for a place to sit. But since the place was crowded, she couldn’t find one. Eddy didn’t want to be rude and had no choice but to offer her the empty chair next to him. Natalie asked him how he was doing and said “Long time no see.” Eddy forced himself to smile but he was sure she could see it was insincere.

Natalie said she was sorry to hear about his daughter. But Eddy wasn’t in the mood to have a conversation with her or with anybody else for that matter. Still, out of politeness, he asked her what she was doing in the hospital. She said she came to visit one of her clients who was abused by her husband so severely that she had to be hospitalized.

Natalie became a family lawyer more than a decade ago. She decided to change her practice to family law after she went through a failed marriage and a traumatic divorce which left her emotionally scarred. Eddy suddenly remembered that Dylan told him a long time ago that she changed her practice to family law.

Anyway, Natalie said she shares an office with two other female lawyers and that all of them accept Legal Aid clients. In particular, she helps women who were sent by the authorities to shelters for abused women. Eddy was looking at her while she was talking and was amazed at how much she had changed. 

There was nothing left of the old Natalie. She looked sincere and there was some sadness in her eyes. Eddy was thinking to himself God knows he could use a really good family lawyer but he didn’t dare tell her anything about his messed up life.

However, at some point, Eddy thought maybe he should compromise and give Anna most of what she wanted in order to reach an agreement and get rid of her. But instead of appreciating his effort, Anna became more greedy and he couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

Although Eddy left the company he established with Dylan, the two of them stayed friends. They would occasionally get together and would catch up. In fact, Eddy met with Dylan a few weeks after he bumped into Natalie. Dylan knew that Eddy was having problems with Anna but didn’t know any details. But this time, Eddy needed to blow off some steam and also told Dylan about meeting Natalie.

Eddy wished to reach an out of court settlement with Anna but unfortunately going to court was unavoidable. Dylan thought he should ask Natalie to represent him. He said she had an excellent reputation and it’s about time he stop being so nice to Anna as he was only going around in circles.

With Eddie present Dylan called a friend of his who went through a divorce and hired Natalie to be her lawyer. He put her on speaker and asked her opinion about Natalie. Without any hesitation, the lady said that Natalie was the best and highly recommended her. After Dylan finished his conversation with his friend, Eddy expressed his concern about his history with Natalie.

Dylan assured his friend that Natalie was a professional and wouldn’t allow their past to interfere with doing her job as his lawyer. He added that the maximum that would happen is she would decline to take him on as a client. He mentioned to Eddy that the interactions between them took place many years ago and she probably doesn’t even remember them. 

Eddy decided to take Dylan’s advice and called Natalie when he came home that night. She was surprised to hear from him and after a minute or two of small talk, he told her he was going through a divorce and needed a lawyer. Without any hesitation, she said you’ve got one now and they agreed to meet in her office as soon as possible.

Natalie had an office that was tastefully designed and quite beautiful. The environment had a calming effect which put everyone there at ease. And this was very helpful as Eddy was quite stressed when he entered her office. Eddy waited for Natalie only a few minutes before she came into the waiting area to escort him to a meeting room.

Natalie asked him to tell her everything he could about his marriage, even if he thinks some details are irrelevant or unimportant. Eddy was surprised at how direct she was and he needed a few moments to compose himself. And then he told Natalie how rapidly the relationship between him and Anna deteriorated. He also talked about her ridiculous demands. He kept saying that he doesn’t want a battle with her and doesn’t want the situation to get ugly.

Eddy didn’t mention that Anna started an affair with Adam 3 weeks after Angie went into a coma. For some reason, he felt too embarrassed to talk about it. When he finally finished talking, Natalie could tell he hadn’t told her everything. So she asked him again, is there anything you left out, any details you remember that you could tell me about.

Eddy was unable to look her in the eyes and she said to him, just spit it out. Then he said OK, you’re right. There is something I didn’t mention, but I’m uncomfortable talking about it and making it public………..

 

To Be Continued………………..

Eddy was in shock and not because he found out that Anna cheated on him but because of who she had an affair with. He felt embarrassed and was speechless. Adam and Patricia were good friends of Anna’s and the two couples would occasionally go out together. In addition, Anna and Patricia would often meet for coffee or go to the theater. Patricia was always warm to Anna and treated her as if she was the sister she never had.

Anyway, Patricia was from one of the wealthiest families in Halifax. When she met Adam, he barely had enough money to pay the rent. Adam came from a broken family and grew up with his mother, as his father left them before he was born. Unfortunately, his Mom struggled to support him and his brother.

When Adam decided to study medicine, he had to take two part time jobs to help pay the tuition. This is what attracted Patricia to him in the first place. However, his lifestyle significantly improved when they got married. Anyway, before their children were born, they were very affectionate with each other. But all this changed and he started cheating on her once the children were born.

Patricia didn’t want their family to fall apart, so she forgave him. Besides, he promised her every time it wouldn’t happen again but he kept lying to her. Another reason she stayed with him was because she didn’t want their children to grow up without a full time father. Adam was too arrogant and he thought Patricia would never leave him which was partly right.

The last time Patricia found out he cheated on her, it was with Anna, and she couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Since her younger son left home to go to university, she felt this was a good time to get rid of Adam. Although Adam earned a good living as a doctor, he could not have afforded the lifestyle that Patricia gave him.

Eddy was listening attentively but didn’t know what to say to Patricia except that he was sorry his wife got involved with her husband. He mentioned to her that he wasn’t surprised Anna cheated on him because he was a mess for a long time. He thought his wife was simply looking for attention and Adam provided that to her. However, what they did was unforgivable.

Patricia said well, I have a surprise for you, they started their romance 3 weeks after Angie went into a coma. Eddy felt disgusted and couldn’t believe what he just heard. But Patricia continued and told him that her best friend’s cousin named Nina worked in the same hospital as Adam and Anna. Nina said that she caught the two lovers passionately kissing several times. She also said she was surprised as Anna’s daughter was lying unconscious in a hospital bed while she is behaving like a reckless teenager.

Patricia confessed to Eddy that she knew about the romance for a long time but couldn’t bring herself to tell him. She knew Eddy was in poor condition and didn’t want to add to his problems. Nevertheless, once she heard that Anna and Eddy had split up, she decided he needed to be told.

Patricia and Adam were going through a divorce battle in the courts. Adam tried to extract a huge sum of money out of her by saying he was used to living a certain lifestyle, but she was adamant that he would only get that amount over her dead body. Patricia said that since Adam would probably get nowhere near what he was asking for, he would likely convince Anna to extract more money from Eddy.

Eddy just looked at her and nodded his head. At the end of their conversation, Patricia suggested that Eddy use the report she received from the private investigator for his own benefit. But he didn’t want to start a war with Anna. Instead, he wanted the divorce process to proceed smoothly. Anyway, he thanked Patricia for her offer and said he would think about it.  Before Eddy left, Patricia told him he shouldn’t be so naive. She said Anna wouldn’t give up on her efforts to get her hands on his money, especially when Adam is pulling the strings in the background. And when there is money involved, there is very little chance a divorce will go smoothly.

The next few weeks were difficult ones for Eddy because his older children took their mother’s side and refused to talk to him. It was obvious Anna was manipulating them. And poor Eddy didn’t know what to do about it. However, one day he went to visit his daughter in the hospital. He went downstairs to the cafeteria during doctor’s rounds until they were finished. He was thinking about how his life was turned upside down so quickly.

He was a happy person with a happy family and then suddenly everything started to fall apart. He was daydreaming and didn’t see that someone was staring at him until the person came closer and said “Eddy, is that you?” Eddy lifted his head and saw a lady standing there and said to himself “Oh God, not her. I can’t deal with her now.” The lady was Natalie……..

 

To Be Continued………

 

Eddy needed to hire a family lawyer for the meeting with Anna and her attorney Alan. When his older brother Bobby heard about it, he suggested Eddy hire his son Bernie. Bernie was a young and eager attorney with little experience. But since the case was not supposed to be complicated his father was sure he could handle it.

Bobby also thought there is an advantage to the fact that his son was young and enthusiastic. He was confident Bernie would do the job to the best of his ability, especially when it comes to his beloved uncle. On the other hand, Eddy’s mother Angela suggested he hire an experienced lawyer. She said it’s impossible to know how things will develop and she thought he should protect his assets.

But Eddy calmed her down and promised her that everything will be OK. The meeting was scheduled to be held in Anna’s attorney Alan’s office. The office was located in one of the wealthiest areas in Halifax. When Eddy entered the attorney’s office, he couldn’t help but notice how large and fancy it was. He did not understand why Anna had to hire one of the top family lawyers in the city. The answer was obvious shortly after they started the meeting.

Although Eddy and Anna had a prenup agreement and Eddy became a millionaire before he met Anna, her lawyer completely ignored those facts. Alan presented a long list of ridiculous and excessive demands which almost caused Eddy to fall off his chair.

His nephew Bernie was speechless, but he quickly composed himself. He contested their statements and tried to negotiate with Alan, but Alan was aggressive and kept interrupting him. Anna’s attorney saw an inexperienced lawyer in front of him and treated him with disrespect. He dismissed everything Bernie said in order to shake his confidence.

Instead, Alan claimed Anna suffered from emotional abuse during the course of the last year. He mentioned that Eddy didn’t function as a husband and father and thus his wife deserved compensation. The attorney added that Anna had to put her life on hold and had to function as both a father and mother in addition to her job in the hospital. This took a heavy emotional toll on her. Eddy stopped himself from laughing out loud. He repeatedly rolled his eyes while listening to the nonsense that came out of Alan’s mouth.

Anna didn’t initiate eye contact with Eddy while her lawyer was speaking. She shed some tears which Eddy thought were crocodile tears. He thought to himself that she could be an excellent actress. Eddy looked at the woman who he once thought was the love of his life and couldn’t believe how greedy she was. She wanted to get her hands on his money that she had nothing to do with.

Anna’s lawyer kept talking on and on and at some point Eddy stopped listening to him. He was so frustrated that he couldn’t tolerate it anymore. So he stood up and said, “I’ve had enough.” And he and Bernie left the fancy office.

Eddy didn’t deny he had a breakdown after Angie went into a coma, but he refused to compensate Anna with money because of it. He remembered that he tried to please her for months even though he did not have feelings for her anymore. Yet she would not let him come close to her and instead pushed him away.

Eddy remained silent on their way back. He was preoccupied and couldn’t believe what he just heard in Alan’s office. Bernie felt embarrassed because he couldn’t handle Anna’s lawyer. He apologized and said he should not have taken the case. Eddy felt sorry for his nephew and didn’t think it was fair that he blame himself. Therefore, he made it clear that he underestimated the situation and should have known better.

Anyway, Eddy dropped off Bernie and decided to drive to the hospital to see his daughter. He couldn’t face his mother and didn’t want her to see him while he was so agitated. He received a phone call a few minutes after he entered his daughter’s room. He was surprised to see Patricia’s name on the display when he took the phone out of his pocket.

Patricia was Adam’s wife, who was Anna’s lover. Eddy and Patricia were friendly but she had never called him before. However, when he answered the phone she said she wanted to meet with him and inquired if he could come to her place. When he asked her what this was all about, she said she’d prefer to discuss it in person.

Eddy went to see Patricia as she requested. After a minute or two of small talk, he asked her about Adam. She told him she had no clue what was going on with him as the two of them were no longer together.

Eddy didn’t want to pry and instead said he was sorry to hear that. Patricia replied that she wasn’t sorry, and was glad to get rid of him. Eddy looked at her in surprise as she continued and said, this is the reason I asked you to come here. I wanted to tell you Adam has been having an affair with your wife for a while………….

To Be Continued……….

Quite a few business owners were forced to close their businesses as the epidemic continued. As well businesses that suffered financial difficulties before the outbreak, collapsed a few months after it began. The recession didn’t pass by Eddy who lost a lot of money in the stock market and also in the local businesses that he invested in which literally collapsed.

On the other hand, the company he established with Dylan remained stable but unfortunately for him, he had recently sold the majority of his shares. Although he lost a lot of money, Eddy was still well off. Money was the last of his concerns as he always believed money comes and goes. What really bothered him was his daughter who was in a coma for nearly a year now.

In addition, his father was in the hospital with Covid. Bruno was sedated and ventilated without anyone from the family able to be by his side. Sadly, Bruno passed away a few weeks after he was hospitalized, without his family having a chance to say goodbye. Eddy’s mother Angela took her husband’s death very hard. She couldn’t accept the loss of her beloved Bruno.

Angela and Bruno were never apart since the time they met. They were very young at that time, yet they already knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Fortunately for them, they were like two love birds all their lives. However, Angela’s children didn’t want their mother to live by herself in her huge house at her advanced age after their father died. They were afraid that her health might deteriorate and something would happen to her.

Angela’s children admired her and never forgot how devoted she was to them. They thought that each of them would have her stay at their home as long as she wanted. But Eddy thought it isn’t right that she would go from one house to the next. He felt she needed stability in her life. Thus, he suggested she stay in his house and if she wanted to visit one of her children, she could do so.

Eddy invited his mother to live at his house. He hoped time would heal her soul, and besides, Angela and Anna always liked each other. Anna said more than once that Angela was like a mother to her and Eddy assumed it would do Angela a lot of good. Plus it would lead to a more positive environment in his house. But this didn’t happen and his expectations were proven wrong.

Anna hardly paid attention to Angela at all. She always looked preoccupied and was impatient, which didn’t ease Angela’s sadness. Eddy’s mother knew that her son and his wife had some difficulties but she didn’t know how deep the rift between them was. Shortly after she moved in with her son, Angela suspected that her daughter-in-law was having an affair behind his back. This caused her a lot of sorrow. And she was worried about him as Eddy had not returned to his old self since his daughter went into a coma.

Nevertheless, when Angela went to visit one of her daughters, Anna came to Eddy and said she needed to speak with him. She said she wasn’t happy with their marriage and moreover, she felt empty and miserable for a long time. She added that she couldn’t go on like this anymore. She felt that their relationship had completely faded away and this was irreversible.

Anna kept talking and said she deserved to be happy and wanted to move on with her life. Therefore she wanted a divorce. Eddy couldn’t disagree that their marriage was over despite the fact that he tried to approach her over the last few months, especially for Jessie’s sake. But Anna kept pushing him away until he finally gave up.

Anyway, from his perspective, she moved on with her life a long time ago. She acted as though Angie didn’t exist anymore, and she wasn’t very attentive to his mother and wasn’t very welcoming towards her. In fact, she almost completely ignored her and this was after all the things Angela had done for her over the years.

Eddy didn’t say any of this to Anna. The truth is that he didn’t feel anything after hearing what she said. In reality, he was completely indifferent. Once she finished speaking, Eddy looked at her and said you can have your divorce. Anna was surprised by his reaction and said she would move out of their house in a few days and would update their older sons. Regarding their youngest son Jessie, they could inform him together.

She also thought Jessie should stay with Eddy, at least for now. Jessie unequivocally decided to stay with his father permanently. He never felt close to his mother and especially so over the past year. Anna moved out a few days later and Eddy received a letter from her lawyer the next day which stated she filed for a divorce.

Anna didn’t waste any time whereas Eddy didn’t even have a lawyer and didn’t know what his next step should be. But he wasn’t worried as the two of them had a prenup. And besides, she was the mother of his children and he wanted to end their marriage in a civilized manner…………..

To Be Continued………..

Anna and Eddy who were best friends before the tragedy that befell them started keeping a distance from each other. In fact, they would avoid each other most of the time. The more Eddy sank deeper into sadness, the more Anna bloomed. The affair with Adam was refreshing. Anna never thought she would cheat on Eddy let alone fall in love with another man.

At first, Anna and Adam would meet in hotels. But later on, they varied the locations. Two of Anna’s older sons attended the University of Toronto and only occasionally came home. In addition,  her younger son Jessie just turned 15 years old and was barely at home. And Eddy hardly left his daughter’s side in the hospital. Thus, Anna suggested they meet at her house from time to time.

Adam would come to her house when Eddy and Jessie were absent. Anna had no moral problem cheating on her husband in his home and in his bed. Yet, she was afraid her children would find out what she was doing. Anna was focused on herself and slowly stopped visiting her daughter on a regular basis. She would only go to see her once a week.

As time passed and Angie didn’t wake up, Eddy started suffering from depression. Mind you, he never lost hope that she would wake up one day. Eddy didn’t want to take antidepressant medication and tried to avoid them if at all possible. But his doctor felt otherwise. He told him if he doesn’t get treatment as soon as possible, his condition would only get worse. In addition, he would reach a point where he would be unable to do basic things.

Eddy thought about his youngest son Jessie who still needed a functioning father, and he did not want to lose him. Eddy also thought long and hard about his relationship with Anna. Although they lived together under the same roof and shared the same bed, they were like strangers. Anna quickly returned to her normal life after Angie went into a coma, which made Eddy wonder……

Anyway, Eddy agreed to take the antidepressant pills and started to feel some improvement a few weeks later. It wasn’t that he jumped for joy, but he could function better. Eddy started going to his office more often. He also tried to be more approachable to his son. He wanted to spend more time with him and bought season tickets for basketball as both of them loved watching the games.

Jessie appreciated his father’s gesture and was happy to spend more time with him as well. Eddy also tried to approach Anna by suggesting she join him and Jessie for a basketball game. But she was not very receptive to the idea. Eddy knew how much Anna loved to watch the games so he was surprised by her reaction, which was very strange. He thought to himself that…. she even looked a little frightened……. However, he decided not to press the issue and gave her some time.

Eddy could think more clearly once he started taking the medication. He thought about his work which didn’t bring him any pleasure anymore. He remembered how excited he was and the adrenaline that gripped him every time he had an idea for a new device. He recalled how thrilled he was during the creative process and again when the completed device hit the market.

Unfortunately, none of this was present anymore. It was difficult for him to admit to himself that he didn’t want to do this anymore. Eddy was deliberating with himself about the fact that he started working as a teenager. He became very wealthy at a young age and had enough money to retire. But this wasn’t what he wanted.

However, after spending so much time at the hospital with his daughter and having seen so many sick people there, Eddy decided he wanted to volunteer his time and help others. Therefore he came to the decision that he would sell the majority of his shares in his company. He went to see Dylan the next day and told him it was time for him to move on.

Eddy said he would like to sell 70% of his shares while keeping the rest. Dylan was very sad to hear the news. He didn’t think it would ever come to this but understood that after everything that his partner had been through, he wanted to move on. Eddy didn’t want to put all of his eggs in one basket, so he decided to invest in real estate, as well as in the stock market.

Eddy had a friend who owned a car dealership. The man tried to convince him to invest in his business for a long time. Thus, he decided to go for it as well as to invest in a few small companies. He also began to do some fundraising for local hospitals, particularly those treating children with special needs. Of course, he continued visiting his daughter in the hospital every day. Eddy loved to play the guitar and the drums with his son, which brought them closer together. In short, his life was very full.

The coronavirus epidemic began a few months later and like everybody else, Eddy thought the outbreak would last for a few weeks and then everyone would return to their regular routines. But sadly, this wasn’t how things turned out. He couldn’t leave his house too often and couldn’t visit his daughter too frequently, which was very hard on him. The fear of not knowing what the future would bring was debilitating for him………..

 

To Be Continued…………

Eddy and Anna thought Angie could use a break from her busy schedule. Thus they decided to go on a family vacation for two weeks. They knew that their daughter always dreamt of visiting Singapore. Angie had a good friend from university named Julia who was originally from Singapore and returned home once she graduated from university. Since Julia left, she and Angie would FaceTime at least twice a week. Angie expressed her desire to visit her friend at the first opportunity she had.

Anyway, Anna and Eddy wanted to surprise their daughter so they planned a trip to Singapore and Indonesia. In the meantime, Angie kept suffering from headaches and the pain only grew worse over time. She tried many different painkillers but didn’t find any relief. She took them so often as if they were candy. Angie was good at hiding her pain and as a result, her parents didn’t have a clue how much she was suffering.

Anna, Eddy, and the rest of the family were excited about the trip. They told Angie about it after everything had already been arranged. Unfortunately,  Angie collapsed two days prior to their departure. She was rushed to the hospital and after a thorough examination, the doctor dropped a bomb on the family. He told them Angie had a large tumor in her brain and needed to undergo surgery immediately. The doctor said the surgery was risky and there was a chance Angie could lose her sight or the ability to speak.

Eddy and Anna felt as though the sky fell on their heads when the doctor gave them the diagnosis. This was the last thing they expected to hear. Angie was scheduled for surgery a few hours later. The surgery was complicated and took several hours. The surgeon came out to update the family once the procedure was completed.

He said that the tumor was larger than they thought it would be and they tried to remove all of it. However, they were unable to do so as part of it was located in a very sensitive area of the brain. The surgeon thought it will take time but he was confident that Angie would be able to return to living a normal life. He added they would be able to visit her shortly. Eddy and Anna were relieved to hear the doctor’s optimistic report.

Anyway, Angie was monitored closely to ensure everything was working properly after the surgery. She was sleeping when her parents entered her room to visit her. Anna and Eddy sat next to their daughter and held her hand until they were asked to leave.

They got a phone call from the doctor the next day telling them that Angie went into a coma, and asked them to come to the hospital immediately. Eddy felt as though he would faint when he heard the news. The doctor told them when they arrived they didn’t know why Angie lost consciousness as they communicated with her during the surgery, and she was fine. He said they hoped she would gradually recover and regain consciousness shortly.

But Angie didn’t wake up the next day, or a week later. Her parents especially Eddy would sit next to her bed for weeks. Her father would talk to her and put some background music on. At some point, Anna said to Eddy they have other children to take care of, and he can’t sit beside their daughter 24/7. Anna also wanted to return to her regular routine in order to keep her sanity. Since she worked in the same hospital her daughter was in, she would come to visit her from time to time.

However, Eddy didn’t want to leave his daughter’s side. He thought she could wake up at any minute and he didn’t want to miss the moment. Eddy played the guitar in his spare time and he brought it into the hospital with him. He would play Angie’s favorite songs during his visits with her.

Over time, Eddy stopped going to work or meeting with clients. He was totally focused on his daughter’s recovery, which unfortunately didn’t happen. Anna asked her husband to go back to work and resume his regular routine about a month later. She reminded him again they have other children who also needed him and that he shouldn’t neglect them.

Like his family, his partner Dylan also told him it wasn’t a good idea for him to spend all of his time at the hospital and put his life on hold. Eddy would go to work for a day or two but his mind was elsewhere and he couldn’t concentrate on anything. As well, he couldn’t function as a husband or a father for a while, which caused many arguments between him and Anna.

Anna felt lonely and she needed someone to listen to her. She had a colleague named Adam who became her good friend over the years. Not only that, but Adam and his wife Patricia would socialize with her and her husband from time to time. Anna would confide in Adam and he would patiently listen to her. They would sit and talk for hours after work and Adam would tell Anna he was also having problems with his marriage.

Their meetings were helpful for Anna and she found herself looking forward to them. These friendly interactions eventually led to an intimate relationship between them………….

To Be Continued……………

Anna was heartbroken on the day her grandfather passed away. Many people gathered at her grandparent’s house in the evening, and several brought food with them. Everyone was saying how special he was and how much he contributed to the community. Anna appreciated their gestures but all she wanted was to be left alone.

A few hours later all of the visitors left. Anna was relieved that only the immediate family was left in the house. But it wasn’t for too long as someone knocked on her door about 30 minutes later. Anna thought to herself, “Oh no, who could that be?” She opened the door and saw Eddy standing there. He apologized for the late hour and said he wanted to personally express his condolences.

Anna was so happy to see him that she hugged him tightly and didn’t want to let go. This was something she never did before. When she composed herself, she backed away and said sorry. Eddy was a bit embarrassed, but he totally understood the circumstances. He smiled to assure her that everything was OK. Anna apologized for letting him stand in the doorway and invited him inside.

Anyway, the next day Natalie woke up with a lot of energy and full of excitement to meet Eddy. She received information ahead of time that he planned to stay in LA for approximately a week. Thus, she thought to herself this was enough time for her to win his heart. But this time Natalie promised herself she would behave when she saw him. She finally understood that due to her conduct, instead of drawing him closer she pushed him away.

Natalie went to the dining room for breakfast after taking a shower and wore an outfit that flattered her figure. She hoped to see Eddy there. She planned to apologize to him and wished to start a new page with him. But to her disappointment, he was nowhere to be found in the hotel that morning.

However, Dylan and Natalie’s friend were sitting together at a table in the dining room. They were focused on each other and didn’t even notice somebody was standing next to them. Natalie cleared her throat and said “Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but have either of you seen Eddy this morning?” Without looking at her Dylan responded that his partner left early that morning. To her regret, he added that something urgent came up and Eddy had to leave right away.

Natalie was choking back tears. She couldn’t believe he had slipped out of her hands again……. She quickly left the dining room before she started crying, without eating anything, as she lost her appetite. Exasperated, she went back to her room to call Eddy’s secretary Luna. But this time Luna had no idea what was going on with her boss, which frustrated Natalie even more.

Eddy stayed with Anna in Sydney, Nova Scotia, until her grandfather was buried. From there, both of them went to Bar Harbor Maine where they stayed for a few days. They had a good time together and God knows they really needed it. A month later Anna moved in with Eddy and they got married three months later.

Over the years Eddy developed more car security devices. Every time he came out with something new, the product sold like crazy. He was also highly respected in his field. Many people that he did business with thought he was a genius. They kept telling him he should also invest in a different field.

Several of them offered to go into the real estate field with him. While others suggested going into the car importing business. He even received offers from restaurant owners to work on various opportunities together. Although his partner Dylan thought that diversification was an excellent idea, Eddy wasn’t convinced that was the correct approach.

Nevertheless, Anna and Eddy had four children together, one girl and three boys. Eddy loved all his children very much but he adored his daughter Angela who was his eldest child. Angela was very smart since she was a young child, and very beautiful as well. She was named after her beloved grandmother which wasn’t Eddy’s idea but Anna’s. Anna wanted to show her appreciation for all her mother-in-law had done for them.

Angela, who everyone called Angie, had a very special relationship with her father. During each school break, Eddy would take her to the office with him in the hope she would take over from him one day. Over the years, Angie showed more and more interest in the business while her brothers made it clear they weren’t interested in it.

Like her father, Angie started university at 17 and studied law and business. She was one of the top students at school. Angie studied hard, and instead of taking time off during school breaks and traveling as her friends did, she would work with her father. Her parents were worried about her lack of social life. They would tell her this period in her life is short and would not last forever. They would frequently encourage her to enjoy herself more.

Anyway, Angie started to complain about headaches when she was close to finishing university. Her parents thought she was under too much stress and asked her to slow down…………..

To Be Continued…………..

Anna was waiting for the opportunity to spend time with Eddy alone. However, she didn’t want to appear too eager when he invited her to join him in LA. Thus, the answer she gave him was that she had to check with the hospital to see if she could take a vacation. She said it despite the fact she knew she was entitled to take some time off.

Anna would visit her family when she had time off from work. However, prior to receiving Eddy’s invitation she had already planned to go to Sydney, Nova Scotia. She was keen on visiting her mother and sister whom she hadn’t seen for several months. In addition, she wanted to see her grandparents, particularly her grandfather who recently got sick.

Anna spoke with her mother Julia just a few days after Eddy’s invitation. Her mother told her that her grandfather’s condition had rapidly deteriorated. Julia added that his doctor was not optimistic about his recovery. She suggested that Anna come to see him as soon as possible before it’s too late.

Anna’s grandfather was a very important figure in her life. Actually, he was like a father to her and her sister, as their father was rarely in contact with them since he divorced their mother.  The father started a new family and had 2 young children from his second marriage. As a result, he was busy with his children and his wife who was much closer in age to Anna than him.

Unfortunately, after Anna spoke with her mother, she knew she would have to decline Eddy’s appealing invitation. She told Eddy she wished she could join him but under the circumstances, she would have to fly home. Anna hoped there would be other opportunities for them to go on vacation together in the near future.

Eddy was disappointed that Anna couldn’t join him. He thought maybe it wasn’t meant to be after all and decided to go ahead with his travel plans. Eddy was supposed to travel by himself but his partner decided to join him at the last minute. Dylan had a huge fight with his girlfriend and they broke up. They were together for two years, the longest relationship he had ever been in.  Dylan was sure she was the one for him but it didn’t work out for them in the end. When he heard Eddy was going to LA by himself, he jumped at the opportunity to take a break and get his mind off of the breakup.

The two of them had a very successful business meeting on their first day in LA. Dylan, who was gloomy during their flight to the West Coast, suddenly came to life as soon as the session began. Once the meeting was over, they went back to the hotel and quickly changed clothes, and went to the pool area. Dylan didn’t waste any time and started flirting with women the moment they got there.

All of the sudden, Natalie showed up out of nowhere while Dylan and Eddy were relaxing with their drinks by the pool. Eddy almost dropped his drink when he realized she was walking towards them. He knew his vacation was over the minute he saw her. Natalie was wearing a tiny bathing suit that barely covered anything. She wasn’t by herself but came with a girlfriend. When the two women got closer, Eddy could tell they had both been drinking.

Natalie sat next to Eddy and her girlfriend sat next to Dylan. Natalie had such a strong smell of alcohol on her breath that Eddy could get drunk just from the smell. He had to move further away from her. She started touching him which was something she hadn’t done before. And Eddy was very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Natalie wasn’t a spontaneous person. Everything that happened in her life was planned in advance. Therefore, it wasn’t a coincidence that she was staying in the same hotel as Dylan and Eddy. She made sure to become closer to Eddy’s secretary Luna as soon as she moved to Halifax. She did it to get information from Luna about her boss. Natalie noticed right from the start that the woman liked to talk and that she was an attention freak. Thus, she used her cunning to get all the information she wanted about Eddy.

Nevertheless, Natalie tried to look surprised when she saw Eddy and Dylan in the hotel, but Eddy didn’t buy it. He felt it wasn’t a fluke she was there and suspected she knew in advance where he was staying. Eddy felt that Natalie was obsessed with him. He wanted to put her in her place but was too polite and didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

In the meantime, Anna was spending time with her family. She also sat by her grandfather’s side in the hospital for hours on end. Her grandfather was very happy to see her and Anna confided in him about Eddy and his family. She told him how welcome Eddy’s parents made her feel which pleased the old man a great deal.

The night before Anna’s grandpa passed away, she told him how much she loved him. Anna was very happy she had the opportunity to do this. Her mother Julia said he waited especially for her to say goodbye before he took his leave………

To Be Continued………….

Anna moved to Halifax recently after receiving the job offer from Victoria General Hospital. She did not have family in the area and barely had any friends as well. She shared an apartment with two younger doctors not too far from the hospital. But unfortunately, they didn’t see each other much because they worked in shifts. Anna felt pretty lonely since she moved to Halifax, especially on the weekends. She missed her sister and her Mom who she was very close to. Thus, she would talk to them on the phone almost every day.

When Anna saw Angela and Bruno at the hospital she recognized them right away. She remembered having a crush on their son Eddy as a young girl. She also remembered that he never paid attention to her. Anna read every article that was published about him when he came out with the child detector. She hoped that one day she would bump into him when she moved back to Halifax. Furthermore, she wished that he would be single and available for her when they met again.

Eddy’s mother really liked Anna when she was a child and liked her even more as an adult. So when Bruno was released from the hospital, Angela decided to invite her for dinner on the weekend. Of course, she made sure that her son Eddie would attend too. She thought that something might develop between the two of them and that her son needed a little push to make it happen. Anna was more than happy to accept Angela’s invitation. And Eddy thought it was very nice of his mother to invite Anna since she had no family in Halifax.

However, Natalie continued to come on to Eddy. But he kept coming up with excuses why he couldn’t meet with her. Natalie wasn’t stupid, she knew very well that Eddy wasn’t interested in her. But every time he came up with an excuse, it only made her more determined to continue pursuing him.

Anna was excited to attend the dinner and she couldn’t decide what to wear. She wanted to look good that evening, but she didn’t want it to seem as though she was trying too hard to impress everyone. After giving it some thought, she decided to wear a simple black dress that flattered her figure. She barely put on any makeup but added earrings and a necklace to her outfit.

She bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Angela on her way to dinner. Anna called Angela earlier that day to ask if there was something she could cook or bake for the dinner. Angela thanked her for the kind offer and said she doesn’t need to bring anything, as everything was taken care of. Then she added that all Anna had to do is to show up at their house at 7 pm.

The food was delicious and the atmosphere was excellent.  Angela invited 2 of her daughters besides Eddy. Anna couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed both the food and the company at the same event. At some point, the others left Eddy and Anna sitting by themselves in the living room.

After talking in the living room for a while, Eddy took Anna to sit outside on the balcony where they had a view of the ocean. And then he told her how beautiful she looked. Fortunately, it was dark outside and Eddy couldn’t see she was blushing. This was the first time that Eddy gave such a compliment to a woman.

Anyway, the two of them sat and talked long into the night, without paying attention that it was so late. Luckily for her, Anna didn’t have to work the next day. They exchanged telephone numbers at the end of the evening. Anna was so excited about the evening that she couldn’t sleep.

Within a short time, Anna became a permanent guest in Bruno and Angela’s home. Angela made sure to invite Anna for dinner quite often, especially on weekends. In addition, Angela would pack up food for her to take home for the rest of the week. Anna really appreciated this gesture as she was so busy at work that she didn’t have time to cook for herself. As a result, she would eat junk food much too often.

Angela used to cook a large amount of food for her family which numbered seven people. Even after her children left home, she still cooked the same amount of food and would have it delivered to them. Angela was a very warm mother who took Anna under her wing. And for that Anna felt very blessed. However, to Angela’s delight, the relationship between Anna and Eddy slowly warmed up. Angela saw this coming but didn’t want to interfere and instead waited for her son to update her.

Nevertheless, a few weeks after he met Anna, Eddy had to go to Los Angeles on business. He hadn’t taken a vacation for a long time and decided to combine business and pleasure. He wanted to stay in LA for another week, to relax and go to some museums that he always wanted to visit. But he didn’t wish to do it by himself and thought to himself it was time to move forward with his relationship with Anna. Therefore, he invited her to join him in LA……..

To Be Continued………….

Eddy reluctantly went to meet Natalie and her mother for dinner. Margaret was a nice lady who was in her 50s. She had a good sense of humor unlike her daughter, and Eddy really liked her. He wished Natalie was more like her. Anyway, Margaret asked all kinds of questions about the device during their dinner. Eddy could tell from her questions that she wasn’t interested in purchasing the product. He had the feeling she was forced into asking about the device and she did it only to please her daughter.

A few minutes after they finished eating dinner, Margaret said she was tired and left to go to her room. Natalie ordered a bottle of wine and planned to have a long evening with Eddy. However, this was exactly what Eddy wanted to avoid. He started to think of an appropriate excuse, but couldn’t come up with one. At the same point, he was hoping someone would rescue him……. And then he suddenly received a phone call from his mother.

She told him she thought his father suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. Eddy was the only one of Bruno and Angela’s children who wasn’t married. He was also very close to his parents and it was logical that if something happened, his mother would call him first. Eddy told Natalie what happened and said he had to leave right away. Then he rushed to the hospital to see his father.

Eddy felt a stab of guilt while he drove to the hospital, as he thought his prayers had been answered. The doctors ordered some tests as soon as Bruno arrived at the hospital. After receiving the results, the doctor concluded that the pain and pressure Bruno felt in his chest were the results of a panic attack. The family breathed a sigh of relief when they were informed of the diagnosis.

The doctor mentioned there are some similarities between the symptoms of a heart attack and those of a panic attack. To be on the safe side, the doctor decided to admit Bruno for 24 hours observation. When Angela heard this she said she wasn’t leaving the hospital without her husband, and added she would stay with him overnight.

In the meantime, all of Eddy’s siblings arrived at the hospital and tried to convince their mother there was no need to stay with him overnight as he was staying for observation only. If she insisted he shouldn’t be by himself, one of them would gladly stay with him. Still, Angela didn’t want to listen. She knew that every one of her children had their own family, except for Eddy who was very busy with his work. Therefore, she emphasized that their father was her responsibility and asked all of them to leave and go home for the night.

In the morning Eddy went to the hospital to visit his father who was in a very good mood. Bruno was even joking with a young doctor named Anna who came to his room to check on how he was doing. From their conversation, it looked to Eddy as though his parents and Anna knew each other for a long time. Also, when Eddy and Anna’s eyes met, he felt like he knew her from somewhere but he couldn’t remember from where.

Anna was a beautiful woman and it seemed as though the two of them clicked together. Angela, who noticed the glances between her son and the young doctor, saw a one time opportunity and decided to do something about it. She approached Eddy and said, “you remember Anna don’t you?!” Eddy was smiling out of embarrassment. Angela continued talking and added that Anna was their neighbour when he was a child. The young doctor was also in Eddy’s class in elementary school.

Eddy composed himself and said, “of course I remember her.” And then he looked at Anna and said “it is nice to see you again” Eddy didn’t believe this was the same Anna who was in school with him. She didn’t look like the Anna he remembered at all. The girl he knew wore braces for years when she was younger. She also had a bad case of acne as a teenager and was never attractive.

Anna lived in Eddy’s neighbourhood until she was about 13 years old. Her parents struggled to earn a living and support their two daughters. In addition, they never got along with each other. Her parents got a divorce when Anna was 10. Her mother, who had difficulty raising her children, moved to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Anna’s grandparents helped raise Anna and her sister and they were the ones who encouraged her to become a doctor. As well, they paid her medical school tuition. Anna was quite introverted as a child, especially when she was in elementary school. However, over the years she developed more self confidence and became more outgoing. And Eddy couldn’t help but notice the change she went through from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan…………

To Be Continued…………