Past:It is strange how Tom seemed to sense a change in Michelle. She continued to do all her usual chores and she never complained or treated him in any different manner. But her heart was not on it anymore. It was as if she had stopped believing that they had a future together. She was even more quiet and thoughtful than usual.Tom only saw life in her eyes when she was playing with Scott. Even her lovemaking was sort of automatic and at those moments it was like she had not only shut up as he preferred, but also shut off. Her mind appeared to be somewhere else and Tom was not a fool, so he concluded that she was out of his reach.His mean words didn´t affect her anymore and she just nodded to him when he mistreated her or asked her to do extenuating chores, like cleaning the bathroom after midnight or ironing all of his shirts first thing in the morning for no reason at all.It was as if Tom was testing Michelle and after a few weeks, he changed

The main building of the Global Bank of the World was an impressive skyscraper. The facade had the capital letters, GBW, detached in a golden sign.There was no other way but to face the redoubles Tom had caused her. And in order to do that, Michelle needed to understand her situation in detail. The men that had visited her home were not the ones that had lent the money to Tom. They were simply the employees in charge of collecting the delayed installments.When she told them that she preferred to visit the bank personally, there was no argument against it. That is why she was here staring at the building and gathering her last drop of courage to go in and face her predicament.Michelle was surprised to be ushered into the banker´s office. She thought she was going to deal with a manager or an assistant, but Stanley Worthgold himself was shaking her hand and offering a seat in front of his enormous mahogany desk.“How can I help you, Ms. Clark

Past:SWEET TALKS, SWEET DATESStanley took Michelle out for dinner at least once a week, sometimes twice. And they talked about everything, arts, politics, sports… They enjoyed sharing facts about their lives, their dreams. She often mentioned how much she was relieved for not having to go to jail.“At least some good came out of all this stress, Stanley.”“What do you mean?”“Well, according to the conditions of my loan, and again, thank you so much for that… In six years, I will have paid all my debts and become the proud owner of a nice restaurant. I can finally have my own business which has always been my dream.”“And you made a new friend.”“Yes, Stanley. You are the cherry on top of my cake.”“Sweet silly girl.”“I am not so young anymore. I am already 26.”“Tell that to a guy who is 38 and you will make

It turned out that the beach house was a great acquisition and Michelle enjoyed being there with Stanley and Scott. She made sure to bring Nancy along because when Stanley went to exercise at the beach or locked himself in his office to take care of some businesses, Nancy kept her company.Scott was a smart and healthy five years old boy. He made friends with the neighbors´ kids and they took turns playing their games in each other´s houses.One afternoon, while they were sunbathing by the pool, Nancy told her friend,“I never thought this could happen to me.”“What do you mean, Nancy?”“Well, living in a mansion with you and Scott who I love dearly, and spending most weekends and all the vacation months in this magnificent beach house. Maids come here to serve us ice tea, imagine that. A luxurious life like this was not even part of my dreams since I considered it impossible to happen.”&ldquo

Michelle was in such a happy phase of her life that it amazed her that they had already celebrated Bethany´s third birthday. Time seemed to speed. The birthday party had been mentioned by every paparazzi in town. Hundreds of guests who belonged to top society came to wish the best to the toddler. They brought bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made of gold. She also received the best clothes and toys as presents.And Bethany had a smile for everyone. People were drawn to her and she welcomed them all. Of course, her favorites were daddy, mommy, and Scott which was expected because they also loved her much. Bethany liked grandpa too but she saw little of him because the billionaire man traveled a lot on business.Life was so perfect that Michelle was not ready for the tragedy that came her way. One afternoon, while Bethany was taking a nap and Scott was busy at school, she noticed that Stanley was already late to get home. He was supposed to be getting ready since