Since that fateful day, a548Please respect copyright.PENANA99qBUELnWl
lot had changed the in the McDonell household. When the wedding 548Please respect copyright.PENANAiubDX24JRw
got cancelled, things took a turn for the worst and its been that way 548Please respect copyright.PENANAfreNsWXECl
ever since. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAz74repvVDQ
Life was getting a whole548Please respect copyright.PENANAsV2gcPOXCH
lot complicated, especially for Leo. Home didn't feel the same anymore,548Please respect copyright.PENANAbHT8pcKjss
not after what had happened. The place felt like a ghost town and he 548Please respect copyright.PENANAjsZRiSches
could tell that it didn't carry that welcoming feeling anymore. To him, 548Please respect copyright.PENANA3TZtlmlEXZ
he felt like a stranger in his own home.548Please respect copyright.PENANALVratfbCDs
Only his grandmother and548Please respect copyright.PENANABlTrpj3WFg
Eric, who had been with him in everything, gave Leo the little comfort 548Please respect copyright.PENANAKU2ftmhR8v
he needed in the house. Including his little cousin, Oliver. As for the 548Please respect copyright.PENANA9xBUC1fg8E
rest of the others...... well, it was another story all together.548Please respect copyright.PENANAzdoQuJX0Td
Coming to his father, he548Please respect copyright.PENANAVvriKfFmWG
wasn't mad at Leo at the reason every one seemed to be mad at him for. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAAIdS6GahIX
Mr McDonell was more concerned about Leo not apologising to Angel over 548Please respect copyright.PENANA9dzkrkl5Ph
the accident and Leo didn't like that at all. He knew he was wrong, but 548Please respect copyright.PENANAQNCItSoBKT
the fact that his father was more on Angel's side just because his 548Please respect copyright.PENANAcoeS29roVZ
father was Angel's late mother's friend, was driving him crazy. It was 548Please respect copyright.PENANACeeV2kOkKQ
already enough that he had met the angry Angel who almost tore him apart548Please respect copyright.PENANAed6mBAYQ3W
on the day of the wedding. Now it turns out that his father obliged to 548Please respect copyright.PENANAUurrWhXVjJ
taking care of Angel and Carly because of the promise he had made to 548Please respect copyright.PENANApuInsr2R4R
their mother. Not that Carly was the problem, Angel was.548Please respect copyright.PENANA5rxSysQKpK
As Leo sat in the car 548Please respect copyright.PENANAXr5oPSQR8I
packed outside along the driveway of the house under the setting sun, he548Please respect copyright.PENANA8hVeElER4K
thought of what Carly had told him earlier. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAk3QQIYdH8q
"You and my sister still hate each other."548Please respect copyright.PENANANTys9QxJ1w
Was that it? Was that 548Please respect copyright.PENANAOTxuwmZCWo
why he still couldn't stand the fact that his father was helping Angel 548Please respect copyright.PENANAF7XLeBfW9o
out? Did he really hate her that much?548Please respect copyright.PENANA9g1POCXrI2
Well, judging by the way548Please respect copyright.PENANAgb4NXb62ki
she almost killed him that day, what wasn't there to hate? No one had 548Please respect copyright.PENANAd0BYVeUcGP
ever approached him like that, especially a lady. And he hated her for 548Please respect copyright.PENANAXFiW4r7rdk
that. Or was there another reason to hate her?548Please respect copyright.PENANAtT8dEL13Oj
Carly. It's pretty 548Please respect copyright.PENANAzlAqjAGzjG
obvious that Angel wouldn't allow Leo to be with Carly when Leo was 548Please respect copyright.PENANAlKYzBs7yNV
madly in love with her. And after almost killing Angel with his car, it 548Please respect copyright.PENANAViCGrXyPD1
just seemed to have made things turn from sour to rotten.548Please respect copyright.PENANAj1oaeCFXPh
He had to admit, it was 548Please respect copyright.PENANABfpeda2Kp7
going to be pretty hard to accept Angel around if she really did decide 548Please respect copyright.PENANAqY3zdFh6YM
to come and live with his family. He wasn't going to allow that to 548Please respect copyright.PENANAFccRg6vogY
happen, not for now at least. Even his own mother wouldn't accept such a548Please respect copyright.PENANAhTmnWHiylK
thing to happen.548Please respect copyright.PENANAcYg4ClFwpu
Speaking of his mother, 548Please respect copyright.PENANA7mFoN1olHm
Mrs McDonell had been avoiding Leo these past few days. She always got 548Please respect copyright.PENANAcrTpmFlvvj
like that whenever things never went her way. There were a few times the548Please respect copyright.PENANAgLxFczRbAD
two talked, but it was always about whether Leo had gone to see Kim and548Please respect copyright.PENANAEZqycwY0Py
tried to set up plans for their next wedding. The fact is, Leo didn't 548Please respect copyright.PENANA7249uZnVFg
want to marry Kim, yet meet her ever again. Ever since the day of the 548Please respect copyright.PENANA4LhiBriO3D
wedding, Leo had never even bothered to see Kim face to face. Not that 548Please respect copyright.PENANA8pJMemoTlQ
he was a coward, he just didn't want to. Kim usually called him to try 548Please respect copyright.PENANANCjoaU2erN
and talk things over, but Leo would say he was busy and would call her 548Please respect copyright.PENANAwfHwOlnHVG
later, which he never did.548Please respect copyright.PENANAbHOFdr1PKU
Leo pulled out his phone548Please respect copyright.PENANAmOkJL8ognR
out of his pocket and he saw a text message. It was from Kim. Oh great!548Please respect copyright.PENANADiZr8H8aRE
He wondered what it was all about now.548Please respect copyright.PENANAmfuK3DWVQG
"Hi, Leo. Was trying 548Please respect copyright.PENANA3FEuv9EO0a
to reach you through your phone, but it seemed to be off. I just wanted 548Please respect copyright.PENANADzsiAMoQOx
to inform you that your mother invited me over for dinner at your place 548Please respect copyright.PENANACtln9bSQ2T
and maybe we could try to talk things over in person. I've been dying to548Please respect copyright.PENANA61MBDjPRH7
talk to you, Leo, and I think this will be a perfect opportunity to do 548Please respect copyright.PENANATlEQKGOZjI
so. See you at eight then."548Please respect copyright.PENANAxESenb5FJI
"Damn it, mum!" Leo hit the steering wheel with his fist with so much anger.548Please respect copyright.PENANAfDaBMObhjD
He quickly got out of 548Please respect copyright.PENANASIlbAtWirj
the car and banged the door shut behind him. He charged towards the 548Please respect copyright.PENANAcwOtiPCFCV
front door of the house on the stone path like an angry bull. He knew he548Please respect copyright.PENANABM2jVT7Ka2
had let his mother get her way, but this was too much.548Please respect copyright.PENANAR3akYOs044
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.548Please respect copyright.PENANA2bGjSH7uNR
***548Please respect copyright.PENANAf76NkmBxKr
"I548Please respect copyright.PENANAmq3UNADEi1
want dinner to be extra special tonight," ordered Mrs McDonell to the 548Please respect copyright.PENANAWAxTk0EVVp
chef who worked in the kitchen. "We're receiving a very important guest 548Please respect copyright.PENANAFAmBve7Eqm
this evening and I want things the way I like it."548Please respect copyright.PENANAjWNnFtx0Ah
The548Please respect copyright.PENANAKVg1Ves5Fj
chef gave her an obedient nod and left for the kitchen. A few minutes 548Please respect copyright.PENANA95QtkTFQog
later, the sound of the door being opened and banged shut was heard. Mrs548Please respect copyright.PENANAlnPV58vnYY
McDonell had a puzzled look on her face as she went to see what was 548Please respect copyright.PENANAPiMxxEm7RT
going on. As she was entering the living room, she saw Leo standing 548Please respect copyright.PENANABcCQ0NwCYd
close to the front door and he looked pretty angry.548Please respect copyright.PENANAvGyqMcHvAo
"Leo! What on earth is going on with you busy banging doors like a mad man?" Mrs McDonell asked.548Please respect copyright.PENANAYvVebUNgWx
Leo548Please respect copyright.PENANApsIMahFwod
turned quickly to his mother as he heard her voice. He straightened 548Please respect copyright.PENANANRjuN1sQX7
himself and walked into the living room closing the distance between him548Please respect copyright.PENANAp0DXCG61ai
and his mother. He stood at a reasonable distance and his mother put 548Please respect copyright.PENANAGgD0uyqCgG
her hands on her hips staring at him, as she furrowed her eyebrows. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAnaHWbYzfXj
"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.548Please respect copyright.PENANAQ0fF45UWLy
"Maybe548Please respect copyright.PENANAtWwuA9GXFh
I do want to kill you, mum," answered Leo, "but apparently, I wouldn't 548Please respect copyright.PENANAkHDBXs7kzl
have the pleasure of doing it even if I wanted to."548Please respect copyright.PENANAXh8CsaGq0R
"What the heck are you talking about? Why are you mad at me?"548Please respect copyright.PENANARqswy2D3XO
"The548Please respect copyright.PENANAHwbiLY7BJn
reason why I'm mad is because you always do what you think is good only548Please respect copyright.PENANAibINWnbSNL
for yourself and not considering anybody else around you."548Please respect copyright.PENANAUMSu7Qmxrq
"Be clear, Leo. I don't understand all this," Mrs McDonell now looked concerned.548Please respect copyright.PENANAS3ExDFId4S
"What is going on here?"548Please respect copyright.PENANAYC3xpYAPuh
Amanda appeared from the hall with Eric pushing her wheelchair and Oliver following behind them.548Please respect copyright.PENANAtNxAUxqXIR
"We heard the banging of the door," said Eric, "is everything all right?"548Please respect copyright.PENANACMJ6Z7yxvQ
"It's548Please respect copyright.PENANAbBG5NYYr7r
all under control," replied Mrs McDonell, "Leo and I just need to talk 548Please respect copyright.PENANAfp30v3b0fI
over a few things. May you leave us alone for a while?"548Please respect copyright.PENANAOWBTGtWzIe
"No, I have no problem if they stay here, mum," said Leo, "this matter also concerns them too."548Please respect copyright.PENANAGYlCsMf0yA
"Now548Please respect copyright.PENANAwH0TzutvB9
this is about to get interesting," said Amanda as she folded her hands 548Please respect copyright.PENANAePz0rUqqf8
over her lap. Mrs McDonell shot her a look and turned towards Leo again.548Please respect copyright.PENANAD67rf2TE6g
"What is it, Leo?" Mrs McDonell asked.548Please respect copyright.PENANA5E4jT7kdzB
"I548Please respect copyright.PENANAIoHlovhtql
want to know why you invited Kim over here to have dinner with us 548Please respect copyright.PENANAlog3GFx8uL
tonight," Leo went straight to the point. Now wasn't the time to start 548Please respect copyright.PENANAjtVLglBbLF
beating around the bush.548Please respect copyright.PENANAiohxeci968
Mrs548Please respect copyright.PENANANqJ1KNciPG
McDonell paused for a while as she stared at Leo who clenched his 548Please respect copyright.PENANA7rTvlnpnAG
fists. A smirk appeared across Amanda's face and it was good that Mrs 548Please respect copyright.PENANArnxCBBZLTm
McDonell didn't notice. Things weren't going to turn out well at all.548Please respect copyright.PENANA1TM8jbsSFW
"I...548Please respect copyright.PENANAcrx2c3jzYI
well, you see, Kim has been dying to speak to you, Leo," the response 548Please respect copyright.PENANAUsH9BMRAZ1
came out as a struggle for Mrs McDonell. "I thought you two should try 548Please respect copyright.PENANATAJbLgQgyV
to see if you could arrange the date for the next wedding."548Please respect copyright.PENANAdu4zczbpND
"So548Please respect copyright.PENANAy2ogZh5jHp
all that's running in your mind is about the wedding then, isn't it?" 548Please respect copyright.PENANAqcRM4SeZLS
Leo almost laughed, but he shook his head. "Have you ever tried to think548Please respect copyright.PENANAw1aFSOnFgu
about what I want? You think bringing me and Kim would try to make 548Please respect copyright.PENANAWR8EOMNEOE
things better? You pretty well know that ever since that day, things 548Please respect copyright.PENANAqcUmfkSVH2
aren't the same as they were, mum."548Please respect copyright.PENANA2GlgyTcOcG
"I know, Leo, but I'm just trying to make things right for you."548Please respect copyright.PENANApAN4IpTVTx
"No,548Please respect copyright.PENANAlyGJGYFzEP
mum! You aren't! You're making things worse! All this is what you want,548Please respect copyright.PENANAWQOti8QPa2
but not what I want! I have the right to make my own decisions, don't 548Please respect copyright.PENANAibbCeyXond
I?"548Please respect copyright.PENANAtK1SDM5z2O
"You've every right to. But you ignoring Kim like this isn't going to help."548Please respect copyright.PENANA4uJQEZ5hUR
"Look,548Please respect copyright.PENANAloeoU3Ftww
mum," Leo pressed his temples with his thumb and index finger, trying 548Please respect copyright.PENANALHcyqVgAQx
to keep in the pressure, "I know that ignoring Kim for so long isn't 548Please respect copyright.PENANACEdv5ogsfo
right, but don't you think I should have known all about this first? As 548Please respect copyright.PENANA8hvv95JlUt
far as I know, I'm the one who was supposed to get married to her, not 548Please respect copyright.PENANAsgY10rAwxM
you."548Please respect copyright.PENANA3n0osq9Q48
There548Please respect copyright.PENANAcUbH7aTdVT
was silence in the living room as the air around them turned cold. Mrs 548Please respect copyright.PENANAMbayb2NXE8
McDonell looked as white as a sheet while Leo kept on giving her the 548Please respect copyright.PENANAlPX1NJS7pt
angry stare. Eric and his brother, Oliver were stunned and Amanda's 548Please respect copyright.PENANAAD9LlD4r1S
smirk soon turned into a wide smile. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAc2QZC9cQgQ
"Leo, how... could you...." Mrs McDonell was lost for words. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAEpGig6fPxi
"You548Please respect copyright.PENANAGy40HTuBhH
don't like it when someone talks back at you, don't you, mum?" Leo 548Please respect copyright.PENANAZPzqzrjeBU
asked. "I have told you time and time again that I would talk to Kim 548Please respect copyright.PENANA0oIHOcnCcv
when the right time came, but no. You only want things to be done your 548Please respect copyright.PENANAPPw6tHcCtl
way! I've tolerated that these past years, but you have gone too far, 548Please respect copyright.PENANAFE5GiDJqHJ
mum, way too far."548Please respect copyright.PENANAdvmrC4AMLk
Mrs548Please respect copyright.PENANAFcavZpU3Mo
McDonell stammered, but it was no use anyway. Leo seemed to be done 548Please respect copyright.PENANAqVIV7pxNZh
with what he had to say and he turned for the stairs. Before he began 548Please respect copyright.PENANAAUuUvaHSCg
the ascension, he stood still for a moment. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAPbQuNZzDc7
"And548Please respect copyright.PENANAAOzinSTzhF
do me one favour, mum," said Leo, without looking at his mother, 548Please respect copyright.PENANAaPfd2Dus8H
"cancel the special dinner you had for Kim. And tell her I'm meeting her548Please respect copyright.PENANAInB251s01R
tomorrow. Maybe then, you would stop bothering me about all this."548Please respect copyright.PENANAKYRCuOmdbu
Mrs548Please respect copyright.PENANAKN9ELepbR5
McDonell still didn't say anything as she continued to look at her son.548Please respect copyright.PENANAcdiqlHTEbU
As Leo climbed up the stairs, Mr McDonell was coming down from his 548Please respect copyright.PENANAVJz4c9JKH4
room. As he passed Leo, he noticed that something was wrong and he 548Please respect copyright.PENANATEZK1AcZeD
stared down at the people at the bottom of the stairs.548Please respect copyright.PENANANN1Kfs2MmP
"May I know what's going on here?" Mr McDonell asked. "And why does Leo look so upset?"548Please respect copyright.PENANARlhjgAlXsM
"It's... its nothing, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell, "he's just upset. Thats all."548Please respect copyright.PENANAjlIc2blS7G
"Aww, come on now," said Amanda, "you know perfectly well what's going on. You don't have to lie to Frank here."548Please respect copyright.PENANAoYaNUMB4QA
"Could you just shut up for once!" Mrs McDonell looked red on the face as she turned to face Amanda.548Please respect copyright.PENANArdRCIVTxCC
"Look548Please respect copyright.PENANAf3jbO7OsJH
here, Bertha, Fred is going to find out anyway. Just tell him now so 548Please respect copyright.PENANACrTYrChV5g
that you won't have the problem of telling him in the future."548Please respect copyright.PENANAdVhv3TfrfC
Mrs548Please respect copyright.PENANAV8Ox8kXoEW
McDonell didn't say anything as Mr McDonell slowly reached the bottom 548Please respect copyright.PENANAS43ieUJZlo
of the stairs. He looked at his wife and then to Eric, Oliver and his 548Please respect copyright.PENANAlUW270qZEa
mother, and they too were quiet.548Please respect copyright.PENANA2SH0ZOHNdP
"May someone please tell me what's going on?" Mr McDonell asked.548Please respect copyright.PENANAWAGTGcRzVe
"I told you that nothing is wrong, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell. "Are you going to listen to the lies of your delirious mother?"548Please respect copyright.PENANA2WpIe75Akf
"Since when I'm I the delirious one?" Amanda asked shockingly. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAyCUZsE5Idw
"Mind what you say, Bertha. This is my mother you're talking about," Mr McDonell warned.548Please respect copyright.PENANAbGzaaqkhb6
"Believe me, honey, nothing is wrong," said Mrs McDonell. 548Please respect copyright.PENANACYlRJ3pHNm
Mr McDonell shook his head and stared at his mother and the others. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAmxxasHPlMG
"Mum, please tell me whats wrong, right now," demanded Mr McDonell. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAxFXjbjk6Md
"Leo is angry at his mother for inviting Kim over for dinner," replied Amanda quickly. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAamkta2TiEl
Mr McDonell looked back at his wife who avoided eye contact with him.548Please respect copyright.PENANA9buUX44hbe
"Of548Please respect copyright.PENANAYoFWjOtIdV
all people you must know better than anyone how Leo is. You know he 548Please respect copyright.PENANAjPxv5vW8eN
wasn't ready to face Kim even when he knows it's wrong avoiding her for 548Please respect copyright.PENANAc2hRuvWHW7
so long. As a mother you should know that all he needed was time," said 548Please respect copyright.PENANApXK2svGygm
Mr McDonell. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAF3817qnP3W
"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. 548Please respect copyright.PENANARkOYqNF11f
"Well, he did say he was going to see her tomorrow," interfered Amanda, "just to quit you from nagging him any more."548Please respect copyright.PENANA4rPd9ddct3
"I548Please respect copyright.PENANAh7FSLNKBD0
know that you're trying to help Leo, but you should let him make his 548Please respect copyright.PENANAvTI6Xq73yZ
own decisions," said Mr McDonell. "You always think you can take control548Please respect copyright.PENANAGH7u5X36jt
over people's lives when it isn't your own, Bertha."548Please respect copyright.PENANAEudBxHDQH0
"But...." Mrs McDonell was quickly interrupted. 548Please respect copyright.PENANA2unEQEJXAy
"Not548Please respect copyright.PENANAokk9tHzXka
another word, please." Mr McDonell raised a hand to stop his wife from 548Please respect copyright.PENANA9c8UJBqlpH
saying anything else. "Putting that aside, I need to make an 548Please respect copyright.PENANAbA840QC3dF
announcement."548Please respect copyright.PENANAOfVuCQ5jMm
"And what is that, son?" Amanda asked looking concerned.548Please respect copyright.PENANAvq8RzjWikI
"In548Please respect copyright.PENANAf0kXY3ICuG
a few days time, we will be putting Lisa to rest after her daughter, 548Please respect copyright.PENANAkgGhDejfII
Angel is discharged from the hospital," said Mr McDonell, "and the two 548Please respect copyright.PENANAqSlJD2JP82
sisters might come to leave with us."548Please respect copyright.PENANAvd9JrgAgj5
For548Please respect copyright.PENANAHsxxSXKkOz
a moment, the room was quiet, until Amanda laughed with so much glee 548Please respect copyright.PENANAfe68BC2085
like a teenager and clapped her hands. Eric had a smile on his face.548Please respect copyright.PENANAjhU5JrLcJK
"That's548Please respect copyright.PENANAkfJsxdVjNh
good," said Amanda. "I've been dying to meet Lisa's children for a long548Please respect copyright.PENANAeXelECxTp5
time now. This is good news, Fred. I can't wait to see them."548Please respect copyright.PENANAT6ICWdd7A7
Mrs548Please respect copyright.PENANAvHuX3FKkPe
McDonell gave out a loud snort and everyone turned to face her. Her 548Please respect copyright.PENANAZECBRcX2BK
arms were folded and her face was one full of fury and disgust.548Please respect copyright.PENANAlfCzo74ZA1
"This548Please respect copyright.PENANAxxzRyR7rt5
is just ridiculous," said Mrs McDonell, "you're bringing in those two 548Please respect copyright.PENANAAeQlzueaBM
girls just because of that stupid promise you made to Lisa before she 548Please respect copyright.PENANAmsQPKKYGob
died."548Please respect copyright.PENANA9feuIhRuV3
"What's548Please respect copyright.PENANAImJiFYzGrs
wrong with you? Is it me or is it that you have always had a problem 548Please respect copyright.PENANAu1fWfk1m1c
with Lisa even now when she is dead?" asked Mr McDonell. 548Please respect copyright.PENANAVBdYuZQa9w
"Ya,548Please respect copyright.PENANAbHgpJNKb9I
you're right. I have had a problem with Lisa for years. And now, it 548Please respect copyright.PENANA4YjEJwclns
seems problems still come about even from the land of the dead."548Please respect copyright.PENANAvlDSv370jX
"You548Please respect copyright.PENANAI3h1rErvjS
should learn to respect the dead, you know?" said Amanda. "I wonder why548Please respect copyright.PENANALoheKA46S3
you have hated her so much all these years, Bertha."548Please respect copyright.PENANAem5eJV1gNK
"You'll never know so stop asking," Mrs McDonell snapped. "I just hope those girls never agree to come and stay in this house."548Please respect copyright.PENANAv9Qf8VqzNd
With548Please respect copyright.PENANAuA0FUCMy2W
that, Mrs McDonell headed for the stairs like an angry devil ready to 548Please respect copyright.PENANA69NxceSoDQ
destroy everyone and everything in her way. When she reached her room at548Please respect copyright.PENANAxgKKAjcH0V
the top floor, she banged the door shut behind her.