Since that fateful day, a841Please respect copyright.PENANAMVFL0URDsa
lot had changed the in the McDonell household. When the wedding 841Please respect copyright.PENANAHHN6k4PPqr
got cancelled, things took a turn for the worst and its been that way 841Please respect copyright.PENANA1tMcEhKtO4
ever since. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAtxQthJ97Z9
Life was getting a whole841Please respect copyright.PENANARyVQGirL5G
lot complicated, especially for Leo. Home didn't feel the same anymore,841Please respect copyright.PENANAcWusGXiRP6
not after what had happened. The place felt like a ghost town and he 841Please respect copyright.PENANA9FR2BfFfAq
could tell that it didn't carry that welcoming feeling anymore. To him, 841Please respect copyright.PENANADuh7FhVeYc
he felt like a stranger in his own home.841Please respect copyright.PENANA4hz5KqCVnH
Only his grandmother and841Please respect copyright.PENANAgKqsjj2J1u
Eric, who had been with him in everything, gave Leo the little comfort 841Please respect copyright.PENANAbvCNogj2I2
he needed in the house. Including his little cousin, Oliver. As for the 841Please respect copyright.PENANAv99JuIAHk7
rest of the others...... well, it was another story all together.841Please respect copyright.PENANAO6ydiexj54
Coming to his father, he841Please respect copyright.PENANAUrAqsKqf4Y
wasn't mad at Leo at the reason every one seemed to be mad at him for. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAML3mIc9kJa
Mr McDonell was more concerned about Leo not apologising to Angel over 841Please respect copyright.PENANAWacxYru6pP
the accident and Leo didn't like that at all. He knew he was wrong, but 841Please respect copyright.PENANAMYTsdzPVGv
the fact that his father was more on Angel's side just because his 841Please respect copyright.PENANAgDy0cV8TeJ
father was Angel's late mother's friend, was driving him crazy. It was 841Please respect copyright.PENANADoLe417MtS
already enough that he had met the angry Angel who almost tore him apart841Please respect copyright.PENANASoMmZW6FqX
on the day of the wedding. Now it turns out that his father obliged to 841Please respect copyright.PENANAJeXLnyYaP1
taking care of Angel and Carly because of the promise he had made to 841Please respect copyright.PENANASpmxX1uVVj
their mother. Not that Carly was the problem, Angel was.841Please respect copyright.PENANApdZ6lqGAHd
As Leo sat in the car 841Please respect copyright.PENANAaEGHg2ccRs
packed outside along the driveway of the house under the setting sun, he841Please respect copyright.PENANAU6mfOBZm7d
thought of what Carly had told him earlier. 841Please respect copyright.PENANA4CxRoC3Znf
"You and my sister still hate each other."841Please respect copyright.PENANAfcBb66XGoO
Was that it? Was that 841Please respect copyright.PENANA1vGG2EKNAc
why he still couldn't stand the fact that his father was helping Angel 841Please respect copyright.PENANATpR2qs9SOC
out? Did he really hate her that much?841Please respect copyright.PENANAdhszIwQJdP
Well, judging by the way841Please respect copyright.PENANA19rUR1xL0L
she almost killed him that day, what wasn't there to hate? No one had 841Please respect copyright.PENANAbciSE6zEK9
ever approached him like that, especially a lady. And he hated her for 841Please respect copyright.PENANALDf0BZtuU4
that. Or was there another reason to hate her?841Please respect copyright.PENANAafSmPSFp9q
Carly. It's pretty 841Please respect copyright.PENANAyKQpZNWjjH
obvious that Angel wouldn't allow Leo to be with Carly when Leo was 841Please respect copyright.PENANAd3V1OVGx4t
madly in love with her. And after almost killing Angel with his car, it 841Please respect copyright.PENANALDMNRGozo7
just seemed to have made things turn from sour to rotten.841Please respect copyright.PENANAFKKSVdtctG
He had to admit, it was 841Please respect copyright.PENANAUVHdYyUeUl
going to be pretty hard to accept Angel around if she really did decide 841Please respect copyright.PENANAUiHWqbhTF6
to come and live with his family. He wasn't going to allow that to 841Please respect copyright.PENANAVtVeM3LJGQ
happen, not for now at least. Even his own mother wouldn't accept such a841Please respect copyright.PENANAzOl8K40ii9
thing to happen.841Please respect copyright.PENANAuhF39ALq9s
Speaking of his mother, 841Please respect copyright.PENANA1O0mX4Wbaz
Mrs McDonell had been avoiding Leo these past few days. She always got 841Please respect copyright.PENANAMEtRy3QRpj
like that whenever things never went her way. There were a few times the841Please respect copyright.PENANAdhioEU9ezg
two talked, but it was always about whether Leo had gone to see Kim and841Please respect copyright.PENANA1Hrq1yWl7F
tried to set up plans for their next wedding. The fact is, Leo didn't 841Please respect copyright.PENANAMjYRokGzCn
want to marry Kim, yet meet her ever again. Ever since the day of the 841Please respect copyright.PENANAeX6PTSFMlI
wedding, Leo had never even bothered to see Kim face to face. Not that 841Please respect copyright.PENANAZemIOjmgxe
he was a coward, he just didn't want to. Kim usually called him to try 841Please respect copyright.PENANAWlpx0lkbuh
and talk things over, but Leo would say he was busy and would call her 841Please respect copyright.PENANAwMn9aOxDRl
later, which he never did.841Please respect copyright.PENANAVGxkvonov1
Leo pulled out his phone841Please respect copyright.PENANAz6myt36fgX
out of his pocket and he saw a text message. It was from Kim. Oh great!841Please respect copyright.PENANA2qmYhomhqN
He wondered what it was all about now.841Please respect copyright.PENANA0FWfqFTWoQ
"Hi, Leo. Was trying 841Please respect copyright.PENANAGqMugvZf6n
to reach you through your phone, but it seemed to be off. I just wanted 841Please respect copyright.PENANAyQxOkiZD0L
to inform you that your mother invited me over for dinner at your place 841Please respect copyright.PENANAcPcdmYXNgj
and maybe we could try to talk things over in person. I've been dying to841Please respect copyright.PENANANOVOT21YZ5
talk to you, Leo, and I think this will be a perfect opportunity to do 841Please respect copyright.PENANAW9UkTIk83D
so. See you at eight then."841Please respect copyright.PENANAYfN9KAqThv
"Damn it, mum!" Leo hit the steering wheel with his fist with so much anger.841Please respect copyright.PENANAyXeAWQC5GA
He quickly got out of 841Please respect copyright.PENANA24M29dWzsR
the car and banged the door shut behind him. He charged towards the 841Please respect copyright.PENANAxa7nd2cAgj
front door of the house on the stone path like an angry bull. He knew he841Please respect copyright.PENANAQKQjl5tYJt
had let his mother get her way, but this was too much.841Please respect copyright.PENANAnZnXUUXYA1
He wasn't a kid anymore and he was tired of being treated like one. It was time he gave his mother a piece of his mind.841Please respect copyright.PENANAfOMXhAVS3M
***841Please respect copyright.PENANAyI7iWyTDVb
"I841Please respect copyright.PENANAdVC5KJHtkl
want dinner to be extra special tonight," ordered Mrs McDonell to the 841Please respect copyright.PENANA9KJuCx53YP
chef who worked in the kitchen. "We're receiving a very important guest 841Please respect copyright.PENANAhI1OiPKpRT
this evening and I want things the way I like it."841Please respect copyright.PENANAcSfAhC0QcW
The841Please respect copyright.PENANA9j97FmAkHP
chef gave her an obedient nod and left for the kitchen. A few minutes 841Please respect copyright.PENANAhGVZSndJZl
later, the sound of the door being opened and banged shut was heard. Mrs841Please respect copyright.PENANAuM3Hg6IJah
McDonell had a puzzled look on her face as she went to see what was 841Please respect copyright.PENANAS0TXRGRdjX
going on. As she was entering the living room, she saw Leo standing 841Please respect copyright.PENANAziGXDeqVvf
close to the front door and he looked pretty angry.841Please respect copyright.PENANAeaSY4tzfiU
"Leo! What on earth is going on with you busy banging doors like a mad man?" Mrs McDonell asked.841Please respect copyright.PENANAhlUZBs4jCM
Leo841Please respect copyright.PENANAWoElpcjM7x
turned quickly to his mother as he heard her voice. He straightened 841Please respect copyright.PENANAhk9HjHZjH3
himself and walked into the living room closing the distance between him841Please respect copyright.PENANAjo5WbRpTMd
and his mother. He stood at a reasonable distance and his mother put 841Please respect copyright.PENANAVAdQGOiY3s
her hands on her hips staring at him, as she furrowed her eyebrows. 841Please respect copyright.PENANA1OUM3FfKyZ
"Aren't you going to say anything or are you going to keep on staring at me like you want to kill me?" Mrs McDonell asked.841Please respect copyright.PENANAKbdnVG3MhL
"Maybe841Please respect copyright.PENANA7WQ79xq6wv
I do want to kill you, mum," answered Leo, "but apparently, I wouldn't 841Please respect copyright.PENANA3zQr0Wr5zU
have the pleasure of doing it even if I wanted to."841Please respect copyright.PENANAHUSDZcabyW
"What the heck are you talking about? Why are you mad at me?"841Please respect copyright.PENANAlYR2oXkKlh
"The841Please respect copyright.PENANAMqzSH5PAr8
reason why I'm mad is because you always do what you think is good only841Please respect copyright.PENANAkJ2xeuyfrj
for yourself and not considering anybody else around you."841Please respect copyright.PENANApmzF2FwnvT
"Be clear, Leo. I don't understand all this," Mrs McDonell now looked concerned.841Please respect copyright.PENANAwu70Vb42bO
"What is going on here?"841Please respect copyright.PENANAlCzrDQiwD4
Amanda appeared from the hall with Eric pushing her wheelchair and Oliver following behind them.841Please respect copyright.PENANAiYVwktm88k
"We heard the banging of the door," said Eric, "is everything all right?"841Please respect copyright.PENANA6hFFInleUi
"It's841Please respect copyright.PENANAYfa9qeati3
all under control," replied Mrs McDonell, "Leo and I just need to talk 841Please respect copyright.PENANAsANJEMIKDO
over a few things. May you leave us alone for a while?"841Please respect copyright.PENANAFmE4JzEsl0
"No, I have no problem if they stay here, mum," said Leo, "this matter also concerns them too."841Please respect copyright.PENANACdkU0w4YJL
"Now841Please respect copyright.PENANAFYo0sXLlah
this is about to get interesting," said Amanda as she folded her hands 841Please respect copyright.PENANASSu2TnNUCc
over her lap. Mrs McDonell shot her a look and turned towards Leo again.841Please respect copyright.PENANAHYa7vRGZ5l
"What is it, Leo?" Mrs McDonell asked.841Please respect copyright.PENANALScnsXXxgW
"I841Please respect copyright.PENANAQjZo2Z4J7L
want to know why you invited Kim over here to have dinner with us 841Please respect copyright.PENANAXXzxERCPXw
tonight," Leo went straight to the point. Now wasn't the time to start 841Please respect copyright.PENANAllb3I5HxwP
beating around the bush.841Please respect copyright.PENANAkT27dT9e6Q
Mrs841Please respect copyright.PENANAFd2wqhXExl
McDonell paused for a while as she stared at Leo who clenched his 841Please respect copyright.PENANAGik2yKMZyQ
fists. A smirk appeared across Amanda's face and it was good that Mrs 841Please respect copyright.PENANA9wLXR3V0Y7
McDonell didn't notice. Things weren't going to turn out well at all.841Please respect copyright.PENANA4VGoLB6yTy
"I...841Please respect copyright.PENANAoZo4ySTXRH
well, you see, Kim has been dying to speak to you, Leo," the response 841Please respect copyright.PENANAgwVaXv1INN
came out as a struggle for Mrs McDonell. "I thought you two should try 841Please respect copyright.PENANALhKWkS2hEW
to see if you could arrange the date for the next wedding."841Please respect copyright.PENANAzh6MluOXEX
"So841Please respect copyright.PENANAJIYFIFZ62Y
all that's running in your mind is about the wedding then, isn't it?" 841Please respect copyright.PENANAjW8Hl4xw2T
Leo almost laughed, but he shook his head. "Have you ever tried to think841Please respect copyright.PENANA33KBFhfYhE
about what I want? You think bringing me and Kim would try to make 841Please respect copyright.PENANAxPnsvLvB5s
things better? You pretty well know that ever since that day, things 841Please respect copyright.PENANANgJEQtDKIE
aren't the same as they were, mum."841Please respect copyright.PENANA3tAZ6ohsAv
"I know, Leo, but I'm just trying to make things right for you."841Please respect copyright.PENANAhRQYrkBc0W
"No,841Please respect copyright.PENANAgckHLtK95H
mum! You aren't! You're making things worse! All this is what you want,841Please respect copyright.PENANAKjxUMZenvf
but not what I want! I have the right to make my own decisions, don't 841Please respect copyright.PENANAc4vgMUIBM9
I?"841Please respect copyright.PENANAAeQJAAXqhr
"You've every right to. But you ignoring Kim like this isn't going to help."841Please respect copyright.PENANABR6yybVklW
"Look,841Please respect copyright.PENANAWm5q7mBCZV
mum," Leo pressed his temples with his thumb and index finger, trying 841Please respect copyright.PENANArZzRyaTQLT
to keep in the pressure, "I know that ignoring Kim for so long isn't 841Please respect copyright.PENANAxhZ9XXLgA1
right, but don't you think I should have known all about this first? As 841Please respect copyright.PENANA6yYz0TZwlI
far as I know, I'm the one who was supposed to get married to her, not 841Please respect copyright.PENANAPEZaWykXsu
you."841Please respect copyright.PENANAKjHfp7G44I
There841Please respect copyright.PENANASPDeyBvD0H
was silence in the living room as the air around them turned cold. Mrs 841Please respect copyright.PENANAPtEi2ZfraR
McDonell looked as white as a sheet while Leo kept on giving her the 841Please respect copyright.PENANAnbdd34oOI6
angry stare. Eric and his brother, Oliver were stunned and Amanda's 841Please respect copyright.PENANApFMff5pTLt
smirk soon turned into a wide smile. 841Please respect copyright.PENANArhWEpmif3k
"Leo, how... could you...." Mrs McDonell was lost for words. 841Please respect copyright.PENANA1rcpImRuo1
"You841Please respect copyright.PENANAjY5hqrOYWM
don't like it when someone talks back at you, don't you, mum?" Leo 841Please respect copyright.PENANATymRciF6Gv
asked. "I have told you time and time again that I would talk to Kim 841Please respect copyright.PENANAPKfIeziCiX
when the right time came, but no. You only want things to be done your 841Please respect copyright.PENANAAIOzZGGkmk
way! I've tolerated that these past years, but you have gone too far, 841Please respect copyright.PENANAkui2z2llHR
mum, way too far."841Please respect copyright.PENANAtWlbohQxSQ
Mrs841Please respect copyright.PENANAY4jyqDPd7u
McDonell stammered, but it was no use anyway. Leo seemed to be done 841Please respect copyright.PENANAP6jZcjqYSr
with what he had to say and he turned for the stairs. Before he began 841Please respect copyright.PENANArcSJXU2R2h
the ascension, he stood still for a moment. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAQrNu8tlHag
"And841Please respect copyright.PENANAC76FBXubKs
do me one favour, mum," said Leo, without looking at his mother, 841Please respect copyright.PENANA2618cW6yDP
"cancel the special dinner you had for Kim. And tell her I'm meeting her841Please respect copyright.PENANAupAWrUzODX
tomorrow. Maybe then, you would stop bothering me about all this."841Please respect copyright.PENANAqmJb860RPL
Mrs841Please respect copyright.PENANAnHpfUjHxAw
McDonell still didn't say anything as she continued to look at her son.841Please respect copyright.PENANAcnVrx6zXVt
As Leo climbed up the stairs, Mr McDonell was coming down from his 841Please respect copyright.PENANAcB5nQh7r1t
room. As he passed Leo, he noticed that something was wrong and he 841Please respect copyright.PENANAUoqEzH37zo
stared down at the people at the bottom of the stairs.841Please respect copyright.PENANAHs59uADEFa
"May I know what's going on here?" Mr McDonell asked. "And why does Leo look so upset?"841Please respect copyright.PENANAqskB6GuwQz
"It's... its nothing, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell, "he's just upset. Thats all."841Please respect copyright.PENANAP8lpEzHofp
"Aww, come on now," said Amanda, "you know perfectly well what's going on. You don't have to lie to Frank here."841Please respect copyright.PENANATjPePPjOKJ
"Could you just shut up for once!" Mrs McDonell looked red on the face as she turned to face Amanda.841Please respect copyright.PENANA4TVGVMoESa
"Look841Please respect copyright.PENANAyJc2Ra4c6r
here, Bertha, Fred is going to find out anyway. Just tell him now so 841Please respect copyright.PENANAmUv6NmoGpL
that you won't have the problem of telling him in the future."841Please respect copyright.PENANAH6alKaARwV
Mrs841Please respect copyright.PENANAVbV21uLBQI
McDonell didn't say anything as Mr McDonell slowly reached the bottom 841Please respect copyright.PENANAoJtwk6lFwf
of the stairs. He looked at his wife and then to Eric, Oliver and his 841Please respect copyright.PENANAqkm4HkM3Uj
mother, and they too were quiet.841Please respect copyright.PENANAzOJXRfmXfA
"May someone please tell me what's going on?" Mr McDonell asked.841Please respect copyright.PENANAoGxYCVCkIs
"I told you that nothing is wrong, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell. "Are you going to listen to the lies of your delirious mother?"841Please respect copyright.PENANAnudhaJV9Ud
"Since when I'm I the delirious one?" Amanda asked shockingly. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAUOgWh5Vcob
"Mind what you say, Bertha. This is my mother you're talking about," Mr McDonell warned.841Please respect copyright.PENANARvQR9dKaSu
"Believe me, honey, nothing is wrong," said Mrs McDonell. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAMBAiYMKoUp
Mr McDonell shook his head and stared at his mother and the others. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAkmnakdpiC3
"Mum, please tell me whats wrong, right now," demanded Mr McDonell. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAznT5btfhpi
"Leo is angry at his mother for inviting Kim over for dinner," replied Amanda quickly. 841Please respect copyright.PENANARFGLx9HlEY
Mr McDonell looked back at his wife who avoided eye contact with him.841Please respect copyright.PENANAQWfRa42yyM
"Of841Please respect copyright.PENANAZCuAiXpkFL
all people you must know better than anyone how Leo is. You know he 841Please respect copyright.PENANAzg5fzF3fqK
wasn't ready to face Kim even when he knows it's wrong avoiding her for 841Please respect copyright.PENANAEaNWqUdXEP
so long. As a mother you should know that all he needed was time," said 841Please respect copyright.PENANA73TD04lR8X
Mr McDonell. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAX0CbIHlOXY
"Ya, but for how long was he going to keep this up? All I'm trying to do is help him out," said Mrs McDonell. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAvLvHaiH6B8
"Well, he did say he was going to see her tomorrow," interfered Amanda, "just to quit you from nagging him any more."841Please respect copyright.PENANAw2YQ6OzyXv
"I841Please respect copyright.PENANA6wOiC9oLQV
know that you're trying to help Leo, but you should let him make his 841Please respect copyright.PENANAxMqNnlkums
own decisions," said Mr McDonell. "You always think you can take control841Please respect copyright.PENANA469ZqdzJOe
over people's lives when it isn't your own, Bertha."841Please respect copyright.PENANAqK7gd08o7Q
"But...." Mrs McDonell was quickly interrupted. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAfe9lhzcP1e
"Not841Please respect copyright.PENANAw0JriPAosb
another word, please." Mr McDonell raised a hand to stop his wife from 841Please respect copyright.PENANAIYmezkCQGV
saying anything else. "Putting that aside, I need to make an 841Please respect copyright.PENANAj8tAhRfGsd
announcement."841Please respect copyright.PENANAO7BbizOjKL
"And what is that, son?" Amanda asked looking concerned.841Please respect copyright.PENANAhY6Ka2iEyl
"In841Please respect copyright.PENANA3F1b0FKjWN
a few days time, we will be putting Lisa to rest after her daughter, 841Please respect copyright.PENANAReaaf9Ao8E
Angel is discharged from the hospital," said Mr McDonell, "and the two 841Please respect copyright.PENANAXFm70cNyet
sisters might come to leave with us."841Please respect copyright.PENANAeTbwoC5bT8
For841Please respect copyright.PENANA21mtR9Va6O
a moment, the room was quiet, until Amanda laughed with so much glee 841Please respect copyright.PENANA4clcwvWEMS
like a teenager and clapped her hands. Eric had a smile on his face.841Please respect copyright.PENANAxS9RvaWaRi
"That's841Please respect copyright.PENANAqn5aoE7R18
good," said Amanda. "I've been dying to meet Lisa's children for a long841Please respect copyright.PENANAbVDqgvmiUh
time now. This is good news, Fred. I can't wait to see them."841Please respect copyright.PENANAES2PvmXRsQ
Mrs841Please respect copyright.PENANAt4ETQbh1SO
McDonell gave out a loud snort and everyone turned to face her. Her 841Please respect copyright.PENANAijFwg6TPdL
arms were folded and her face was one full of fury and disgust.841Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9tLGE46Dy
"This841Please respect copyright.PENANASoSspgmr8E
is just ridiculous," said Mrs McDonell, "you're bringing in those two 841Please respect copyright.PENANAAlfUsOW0Sk
girls just because of that stupid promise you made to Lisa before she 841Please respect copyright.PENANAfYZtO8EVNh
died."841Please respect copyright.PENANAxJhm1W8X3t
"What's841Please respect copyright.PENANAgqGfp9qBEI
wrong with you? Is it me or is it that you have always had a problem 841Please respect copyright.PENANAaEfbQcUvYz
with Lisa even now when she is dead?" asked Mr McDonell. 841Please respect copyright.PENANAWbwxRLKd82
"Ya,841Please respect copyright.PENANAdcd9WmaQk7
you're right. I have had a problem with Lisa for years. And now, it 841Please respect copyright.PENANALtNmISU5qD
seems problems still come about even from the land of the dead."841Please respect copyright.PENANAnHg7dOkhGg
"You841Please respect copyright.PENANAivCInO6wQ0
should learn to respect the dead, you know?" said Amanda. "I wonder why841Please respect copyright.PENANABGT5LkbuK5
you have hated her so much all these years, Bertha."841Please respect copyright.PENANAegSJkraKH3
"You'll never know so stop asking," Mrs McDonell snapped. "I just hope those girls never agree to come and stay in this house."841Please respect copyright.PENANAT6rDkHpEfB
With841Please respect copyright.PENANAa8H4DcO3aO
that, Mrs McDonell headed for the stairs like an angry devil ready to 841Please respect copyright.PENANAjLPmXJ25uE
destroy everyone and everything in her way. When she reached her room at841Please respect copyright.PENANAhjSobQ01EF
the top floor, she banged the door shut behind her.