Since that fateful day, a567Please respect copyright.PENANAREVuxCXjxP
lot had changed the in the McDonell household. When the wedding 567Please respect copyright.PENANAPACNceNJzH
got cancelled, things took a turn for the worst and its been that way 567Please respect copyright.PENANA9AB7WuoIXG
ever since. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAuGv6ec6QEv
Life was getting a whole567Please respect copyright.PENANAip6pCCHgtx
lot complicated, especially for Leo. Home didn't feel the same anymore,567Please respect copyright.PENANAPb4WAM7as3
not after what had happened. The place felt like a ghost town and he 567Please respect copyright.PENANAI0cRgS6bwK
could tell that it didn't carry that welcoming feeling anymore. To him, 567Please respect copyright.PENANAwJbXu67Ubx
he felt like a stranger in his own home.567Please respect copyright.PENANA8TTQGIi6cR
Only his grandmother and567Please respect copyright.PENANAtNkPcCtlH2
Eric, who had been with him in everything, gave Leo the little comfort 567Please respect copyright.PENANArp0HVxtAwt
he needed in the house. Including his little cousin, Oliver. As for the 567Please respect copyright.PENANAJtdNGg2OXk
rest of the others...... well, it was another story all together.567Please respect copyright.PENANA66xfJDH8MC
Coming to his father, he567Please respect copyright.PENANABvz0CDMnuo
wasn't mad at Leo at the reason every one seemed to be mad at him for. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAz0lXvSz6fF
Mr McDonell was more concerned about Leo not apologising to Angel over 567Please respect copyright.PENANAlvwWD3yO7C
the accident and Leo didn't like that at all. He knew he was wrong, but 567Please respect copyright.PENANAb0VnLh5KA0
the fact that his father was more on Angel's side just because his 567Please respect copyright.PENANAEGEbT44D4j
father was Angel's late mother's friend, was driving him crazy. It was 567Please respect copyright.PENANAIfWtzeiweO
already enough that he had met the angry Angel who almost tore him apart567Please respect copyright.PENANAPiEHIcU5aj
on the day of the wedding. Now it turns out that his father obliged to 567Please respect copyright.PENANAxOpKVPAe9m
taking care of Angel and Carly because of the promise he had made to 567Please respect copyright.PENANA0MpmVDJGo7
their mother. Not that Carly was the problem, Angel was.567Please respect copyright.PENANA8zgn9V0Xpe
As Leo sat in the car 567Please respect copyright.PENANA0G2znQKh9G
packed outside along the driveway of the house under the setting sun, he567Please respect copyright.PENANAiLfTg4BPlI
thought of what Carly had told him earlier. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAGZwXZV2mrH
"You and my sister still hate each other."567Please respect copyright.PENANAmKcGgYfYts
Was that it? Was that 567Please respect copyright.PENANAu1sDbLo6pQ
why he still couldn't stand the fact that his father was helping Angel 567Please respect copyright.PENANAX5zSqJRon7
out? Did he really hate her that much?567Please respect copyright.PENANAUUTg2oQteL
Well, judging by the way567Please respect copyright.PENANAqftxGtev7N
she almost killed him that day, what wasn't there to hate? No one had 567Please respect copyright.PENANANlVW9nLZkr
ever approached him like that, especially a lady. And he hated her for 567Please respect copyright.PENANAOuNGsMcXJ1
that. Or was there another reason to hate her?567Please respect copyright.PENANABdFvueo8H1
Carly. It's pretty 567Please respect copyright.PENANAaG79ySQrBr
obvious that Angel wouldn't allow Leo to be with Carly when Leo was 567Please respect copyright.PENANAIGGrmFBW8o
madly in love with her. And after almost killing Angel with his car, it 567Please respect copyright.PENANA5sDSAdmTtR
just seemed to have made things turn from sour to rotten.567Please respect copyright.PENANAQR5DCqyyBS
He had to admit, it was 567Please respect copyright.PENANAB1TkYn860e
going to be pretty hard to accept Angel around if she really did decide 567Please respect copyright.PENANAqNE9hPK3fR
to come and live with his family. He wasn't going to allow that to 567Please respect copyright.PENANAmI4wAwFlA4
happen, not for now at least. Even his own mother wouldn't accept such a567Please respect copyright.PENANACs7h6Q3sQA
thing to happen.567Please respect copyright.PENANAK3lBZToV71
Speaking of his mother, 567Please respect copyright.PENANAx1lkxNIj7y
Mrs McDonell had been avoiding Leo these past few days. She always got 567Please respect copyright.PENANAK28p6NCV3d
like that whenever things never went her way. There were a few times the567Please respect copyright.PENANALFMWUR1l3S
two talked, but it was always about whether Leo had gone to see Kim and567Please respect copyright.PENANAyPSwjDpit3
tried to set up plans for their next wedding. The fact is, Leo didn't 567Please respect copyright.PENANATm7IkUjMqO
want to marry Kim, yet meet her ever again. Ever since the day of the 567Please respect copyright.PENANAoGHzLHQTJa
wedding, Leo had never even bothered to see Kim face to face. Not that 567Please respect copyright.PENANACp2jW3nooB
he was a coward, he just didn't want to. Kim usually called him to try 567Please respect copyright.PENANAVPeqIWWgmA
and talk things over, but Leo would say he was busy and would call her 567Please respect copyright.PENANAJlCvNSdRPF
later, which he never did.567Please respect copyright.PENANAFQrN6EDknH
Leo pulled out his phone567Please respect copyright.PENANAzt0pADoVf4
out of his pocket and he saw a text message. It was from Kim. Oh great!567Please respect copyright.PENANAAha1TpllNz
He wondered what it was all about now.567Please respect copyright.PENANAlwtLtBeOL9
"Hi, Leo. Was trying 567Please respect copyright.PENANAHqa9fXNbL9
to reach you through your phone, but it seemed to be off. I just wanted 567Please respect copyright.PENANAgq9EC6XRDy
to inform you that your mother invited me over for dinner at your place 567Please respect copyright.PENANAUelleHOxso
and maybe we could try to talk things over in person. I've been dying to567Please respect copyright.PENANAI5Bi3DOYtx
talk to you, Leo, and I think this will be a perfect opportunity to do 567Please respect copyright.PENANAVav3cAhfg7
so. See you at eight then."567Please respect copyright.PENANAbWV9oRYwzw
"Damn it, mum!" Leo hit the steering wheel with his fist with so much anger.567Please respect copyright.PENANARDHRTPqS34
He quickly got out of 567Please respect copyright.PENANACirhj1zRod
the car and banged the door shut behind him. He charged towards the 567Please respect copyright.PENANAZOwOJWFHXK
front door of the house on the stone path like an angry bull. He knew he567Please respect copyright.PENANAd1BInUqWFy
had let his mother get her way, but this was too much.567Please respect copyright.PENANADbew2YqlP4
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.567Please respect copyright.PENANAIqxmV2lydd
***567Please respect copyright.PENANAsuV6ZOrsJI
"I567Please respect copyright.PENANA4V6gTawbVf
want dinner to be extra special tonight," ordered Mrs McDonell to the 567Please respect copyright.PENANAfd9LfJ0Qkh
chef who worked in the kitchen. "We're receiving a very important guest 567Please respect copyright.PENANArUbfaewxzh
this evening and I want things the way I like it."567Please respect copyright.PENANAFaJivmy2ed
The567Please respect copyright.PENANAhWIrUzwhYY
chef gave her an obedient nod and left for the kitchen. A few minutes 567Please respect copyright.PENANAg0Qz7TIn8f
later, the sound of the door being opened and banged shut was heard. Mrs567Please respect copyright.PENANAkulXiVQP7N
McDonell had a puzzled look on her face as she went to see what was 567Please respect copyright.PENANAf16iHCpafh
going on. As she was entering the living room, she saw Leo standing 567Please respect copyright.PENANAfKo0q7A7Tq
close to the front door and he looked pretty angry.567Please respect copyright.PENANA5R1yvMJzG1
"Leo! What on earth is going on with you busy banging doors like a mad man?" Mrs McDonell asked.567Please respect copyright.PENANAzftRocJ25B
Leo567Please respect copyright.PENANApUybP6tJOL
turned quickly to his mother as he heard her voice. He straightened 567Please respect copyright.PENANA50t5HeMuah
himself and walked into the living room closing the distance between him567Please respect copyright.PENANArazdA8JIWJ
and his mother. He stood at a reasonable distance and his mother put 567Please respect copyright.PENANAzPhHoCd0Mr
her hands on her hips staring at him, as she furrowed her eyebrows. 567Please respect copyright.PENANACUDw897kDR
"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.567Please respect copyright.PENANAzzdiKs0koZ
"Maybe567Please respect copyright.PENANA2gDfnz3mqt
I do want to kill you, mum," answered Leo, "but apparently, I wouldn't 567Please respect copyright.PENANApGIF8epsKX
have the pleasure of doing it even if I wanted to."567Please respect copyright.PENANA1037PSCDZv
"What the heck are you talking about? Why are you mad at me?"567Please respect copyright.PENANAcKwuImuMSA
"The567Please respect copyright.PENANAYtx0ExnvVh
reason why I'm mad is because you always do what you think is good only567Please respect copyright.PENANAC1BUZGb5Ii
for yourself and not considering anybody else around you."567Please respect copyright.PENANAkxvucF7fRJ
"Be clear, Leo. I don't understand all this," Mrs McDonell now looked concerned.567Please respect copyright.PENANAA6LbHZJOsa
"What is going on here?"567Please respect copyright.PENANANaXcIgimYT
Amanda appeared from the hall with Eric pushing her wheelchair and Oliver following behind them.567Please respect copyright.PENANAomngl2EJ6p
"We heard the banging of the door," said Eric, "is everything all right?"567Please respect copyright.PENANAkallipP2S6
"It's567Please respect copyright.PENANAg4hzdHMSZN
all under control," replied Mrs McDonell, "Leo and I just need to talk 567Please respect copyright.PENANA59bvQuU1Hl
over a few things. May you leave us alone for a while?"567Please respect copyright.PENANAwsEd7dQwBb
"No, I have no problem if they stay here, mum," said Leo, "this matter also concerns them too."567Please respect copyright.PENANAfTljorYTyl
"Now567Please respect copyright.PENANA5LzJL2OeTj
this is about to get interesting," said Amanda as she folded her hands 567Please respect copyright.PENANAgoTF1LDRS8
over her lap. Mrs McDonell shot her a look and turned towards Leo again.567Please respect copyright.PENANAE1xdIgnDsH
"What is it, Leo?" Mrs McDonell asked.567Please respect copyright.PENANA1Ghe7Eo4aT
"I567Please respect copyright.PENANAn1nNQOX2pK
want to know why you invited Kim over here to have dinner with us 567Please respect copyright.PENANA2uSDV1iLnR
tonight," Leo went straight to the point. Now wasn't the time to start 567Please respect copyright.PENANA0guIbrgxvb
beating around the bush.567Please respect copyright.PENANAuPSrBsT7o3
Mrs567Please respect copyright.PENANAEzFdyzmfKr
McDonell paused for a while as she stared at Leo who clenched his 567Please respect copyright.PENANAl41p3jFVQt
fists. A smirk appeared across Amanda's face and it was good that Mrs 567Please respect copyright.PENANAjEvfs5NerX
McDonell didn't notice. Things weren't going to turn out well at all.567Please respect copyright.PENANAbzFV2KyIcI
"I...567Please respect copyright.PENANA6tuKHwye5Y
well, you see, Kim has been dying to speak to you, Leo," the response 567Please respect copyright.PENANAqD2w3QMGA6
came out as a struggle for Mrs McDonell. "I thought you two should try 567Please respect copyright.PENANAUAB6VejX8V
to see if you could arrange the date for the next wedding."567Please respect copyright.PENANATJ3zmFqTkf
"So567Please respect copyright.PENANAraLQAad3di
all that's running in your mind is about the wedding then, isn't it?" 567Please respect copyright.PENANAr6J1op2k5L
Leo almost laughed, but he shook his head. "Have you ever tried to think567Please respect copyright.PENANAQMFXIV5aoE
about what I want? You think bringing me and Kim would try to make 567Please respect copyright.PENANAVNwDuEOBM4
things better? You pretty well know that ever since that day, things 567Please respect copyright.PENANAB2PF6L4KMK
aren't the same as they were, mum."567Please respect copyright.PENANAUt0r3aURQf
"I know, Leo, but I'm just trying to make things right for you."567Please respect copyright.PENANAVrbzbURuC4
"No,567Please respect copyright.PENANAdHxXGXejBU
mum! You aren't! You're making things worse! All this is what you want,567Please respect copyright.PENANAdnhfrvH6Wn
but not what I want! I have the right to make my own decisions, don't 567Please respect copyright.PENANA4F6bM6P8MU
I?"567Please respect copyright.PENANAe0XdV6WNUX
"You've every right to. But you ignoring Kim like this isn't going to help."567Please respect copyright.PENANA6mBiloddz1
"Look,567Please respect copyright.PENANAAKZ5IsdvWm
mum," Leo pressed his temples with his thumb and index finger, trying 567Please respect copyright.PENANA7PK5IlaSdq
to keep in the pressure, "I know that ignoring Kim for so long isn't 567Please respect copyright.PENANABXTY9wkxs5
right, but don't you think I should have known all about this first? As 567Please respect copyright.PENANAMEONrkuTtW
far as I know, I'm the one who was supposed to get married to her, not 567Please respect copyright.PENANAT75c3aGwcG
you."567Please respect copyright.PENANA8OBk6jthEK
There567Please respect copyright.PENANATzGRszPIW2
was silence in the living room as the air around them turned cold. Mrs 567Please respect copyright.PENANAuXFhPvR9m4
McDonell looked as white as a sheet while Leo kept on giving her the 567Please respect copyright.PENANAY0Cou4NMnH
angry stare. Eric and his brother, Oliver were stunned and Amanda's 567Please respect copyright.PENANAPJy48PeYsa
smirk soon turned into a wide smile. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAgoaKtPXxXc
"Leo, how... could you...." Mrs McDonell was lost for words. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAwWqesjV39X
"You567Please respect copyright.PENANAZbNMyosQo1
don't like it when someone talks back at you, don't you, mum?" Leo 567Please respect copyright.PENANAciAIctCCpK
asked. "I have told you time and time again that I would talk to Kim 567Please respect copyright.PENANA2O560mDjqT
when the right time came, but no. You only want things to be done your 567Please respect copyright.PENANAwx7arvnHYw
way! I've tolerated that these past years, but you have gone too far, 567Please respect copyright.PENANAnerrHfsBLZ
mum, way too far."567Please respect copyright.PENANAOfA6VBszT3
Mrs567Please respect copyright.PENANAu0YArhTbzP
McDonell stammered, but it was no use anyway. Leo seemed to be done 567Please respect copyright.PENANA9h9RsI8fR3
with what he had to say and he turned for the stairs. Before he began 567Please respect copyright.PENANAsUH3RPzZ3r
the ascension, he stood still for a moment. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAcLo3maGKjw
"And567Please respect copyright.PENANAWBe3X7GAX1
do me one favour, mum," said Leo, without looking at his mother, 567Please respect copyright.PENANAC9BJjp3Kkb
"cancel the special dinner you had for Kim. And tell her I'm meeting her567Please respect copyright.PENANAninaIjFwni
tomorrow. Maybe then, you would stop bothering me about all this."567Please respect copyright.PENANAyFFGKkEdpv
Mrs567Please respect copyright.PENANA5kbjezhyO4
McDonell still didn't say anything as she continued to look at her son.567Please respect copyright.PENANAwjJYqnlV0k
As Leo climbed up the stairs, Mr McDonell was coming down from his 567Please respect copyright.PENANA4c4Sbh4zGa
room. As he passed Leo, he noticed that something was wrong and he 567Please respect copyright.PENANA5RkY4A631f
stared down at the people at the bottom of the stairs.567Please respect copyright.PENANAJRaMTYZpKl
"May I know what's going on here?" Mr McDonell asked. "And why does Leo look so upset?"567Please respect copyright.PENANADwTbUp3rnI
"It's... its nothing, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell, "he's just upset. Thats all."567Please respect copyright.PENANAwKUezzWLXV
"Aww, come on now," said Amanda, "you know perfectly well what's going on. You don't have to lie to Frank here."567Please respect copyright.PENANAhsNSwt4YT5
"Could you just shut up for once!" Mrs McDonell looked red on the face as she turned to face Amanda.567Please respect copyright.PENANAHWdLlLmnqK
"Look567Please respect copyright.PENANA908aCfniAX
here, Bertha, Fred is going to find out anyway. Just tell him now so 567Please respect copyright.PENANAJ35QNI3nEJ
that you won't have the problem of telling him in the future."567Please respect copyright.PENANA813Ujl0wtN
Mrs567Please respect copyright.PENANAVrWk73UF1t
McDonell didn't say anything as Mr McDonell slowly reached the bottom 567Please respect copyright.PENANAtwnhtP6Sus
of the stairs. He looked at his wife and then to Eric, Oliver and his 567Please respect copyright.PENANAbWI6i2sVu8
mother, and they too were quiet.567Please respect copyright.PENANAdrMGJZiaRd
"May someone please tell me what's going on?" Mr McDonell asked.567Please respect copyright.PENANAN7DOWtiIxb
"I told you that nothing is wrong, Fred," replied Mrs McDonell. "Are you going to listen to the lies of your delirious mother?"567Please respect copyright.PENANA4woPAZzAKo
"Since when I'm I the delirious one?" Amanda asked shockingly. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAnRrKJiW9JO
"Mind what you say, Bertha. This is my mother you're talking about," Mr McDonell warned.567Please respect copyright.PENANAHmKCO8U8I7
"Believe me, honey, nothing is wrong," said Mrs McDonell. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAAELVghwmcZ
Mr McDonell shook his head and stared at his mother and the others. 567Please respect copyright.PENANA9Jsm3zujVV
"Mum, please tell me whats wrong, right now," demanded Mr McDonell. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAg51dR6bX6H
"Leo is angry at his mother for inviting Kim over for dinner," replied Amanda quickly. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAjn1IcW0DS0
Mr McDonell looked back at his wife who avoided eye contact with him.567Please respect copyright.PENANAHdTw9nGjox
"Of567Please respect copyright.PENANAoFZU5X2cKa
all people you must know better than anyone how Leo is. You know he 567Please respect copyright.PENANAHQZGmQd9vG
wasn't ready to face Kim even when he knows it's wrong avoiding her for 567Please respect copyright.PENANA9C3DW6ox5l
so long. As a mother you should know that all he needed was time," said 567Please respect copyright.PENANA5sljhBmluR
Mr McDonell. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAvoVaLHgrQb
"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. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAHCoau0l0KD
"Well, he did say he was going to see her tomorrow," interfered Amanda, "just to quit you from nagging him any more."567Please respect copyright.PENANARfEXAGgO4w
"I567Please respect copyright.PENANAOb08hjQdnS
know that you're trying to help Leo, but you should let him make his 567Please respect copyright.PENANAT9012Jpx0S
own decisions," said Mr McDonell. "You always think you can take control567Please respect copyright.PENANA9pf5J4a1nM
over people's lives when it isn't your own, Bertha."567Please respect copyright.PENANAVQDc0RGenQ
"But...." Mrs McDonell was quickly interrupted. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAzBQCv3Xe0b
"Not567Please respect copyright.PENANAbSPHHpVbPf
another word, please." Mr McDonell raised a hand to stop his wife from 567Please respect copyright.PENANA1qCSrVHlzo
saying anything else. "Putting that aside, I need to make an 567Please respect copyright.PENANAUAieUtRMwL
announcement."567Please respect copyright.PENANAQts1JoiomI
"And what is that, son?" Amanda asked looking concerned.567Please respect copyright.PENANAQSsbXwGSx7
"In567Please respect copyright.PENANA71pOzYCPyP
a few days time, we will be putting Lisa to rest after her daughter, 567Please respect copyright.PENANA10ll2Q6dc3
Angel is discharged from the hospital," said Mr McDonell, "and the two 567Please respect copyright.PENANAIOtzT9i8Qa
sisters might come to leave with us."567Please respect copyright.PENANAH2rUmo1jfi
For567Please respect copyright.PENANAdu8nN62LOO
a moment, the room was quiet, until Amanda laughed with so much glee 567Please respect copyright.PENANAxBuW8w3KE9
like a teenager and clapped her hands. Eric had a smile on his face.567Please respect copyright.PENANAV99CG7pRRS
"That's567Please respect copyright.PENANAmauyRntGYt
good," said Amanda. "I've been dying to meet Lisa's children for a long567Please respect copyright.PENANA22vD7rBErg
time now. This is good news, Fred. I can't wait to see them."567Please respect copyright.PENANAjyrF1yoE8m
Mrs567Please respect copyright.PENANAr2IhQz9xnh
McDonell gave out a loud snort and everyone turned to face her. Her 567Please respect copyright.PENANAMqTz959ZC3
arms were folded and her face was one full of fury and disgust.567Please respect copyright.PENANANbW6YfMbEw
"This567Please respect copyright.PENANAvOFtsgD1KO
is just ridiculous," said Mrs McDonell, "you're bringing in those two 567Please respect copyright.PENANAPFnlLbhVFm
girls just because of that stupid promise you made to Lisa before she 567Please respect copyright.PENANAJglfYK3vvI
died."567Please respect copyright.PENANASGAAJuYVV2
"What's567Please respect copyright.PENANAVqmi1w6i7O
wrong with you? Is it me or is it that you have always had a problem 567Please respect copyright.PENANAee4xxkWEf5
with Lisa even now when she is dead?" asked Mr McDonell. 567Please respect copyright.PENANAMA2DYoZfSG
"Ya,567Please respect copyright.PENANA4SYs1NkKl2
you're right. I have had a problem with Lisa for years. And now, it 567Please respect copyright.PENANA7GD84uCVWU
seems problems still come about even from the land of the dead."567Please respect copyright.PENANAFV8FCryq0E
"You567Please respect copyright.PENANAJVeByCUF8K
should learn to respect the dead, you know?" said Amanda. "I wonder why567Please respect copyright.PENANA5SKAqFIAJx
you have hated her so much all these years, Bertha."567Please respect copyright.PENANAhuywVP7uv5
"You'll never know so stop asking," Mrs McDonell snapped. "I just hope those girls never agree to come and stay in this house."567Please respect copyright.PENANAmKtUON1Ukx
With567Please respect copyright.PENANAsXb6kmhgG7
that, Mrs McDonell headed for the stairs like an angry devil ready to 567Please respect copyright.PENANAQI29X4SQ5C
destroy everyone and everything in her way. When she reached her room at567Please respect copyright.PENANAgKaBAah8oc
the top floor, she banged the door shut behind her.