When my hangover continued for the next few weeks, I realized it couldn't be a hangover after all. I had to be pregnant!




Sure enough, I was soon too fat to fit into my pretty clothes, and had to start wearing maternity outfits. I also started reading up on pregnancy and childbirth, though eventually I wished I hadn't—those diagrams and photographs would give me nightmares for months!




I wasn't about to let a little thing like pregnancy stop me from going to Sugarqube every day to dazzle customers and make sales. The store even got a glowing review and received the Best of the Best award!




When I returned home from Bluewater Village, Benjamin was there to pamper me. Backrubs were an everyday treat, and we cuddled every night before going to sleep.




Exactly nine months after our honeymoon, I was woken up in the middle of the night by labor pains—the baby was on its way!




It was a girl! Aurora looked just like her daddy with her dark hair and gray eyes.




I absolutely loved cuddling and playing with Aurora, but the other aspects of motherhood? Not so much.




Luckily, Aurora had two wonderful grandparents to help take care of her. Mom, who'd always wanted a big family, was thrilled to have her first grandchild, and Dad loved having a new little princess to dote on.




Before I knew it, Aurora was starting to crawl and was even saying a few words. She was growing up so fast, and she was the spitting image of Benjamin.




With two live-in babysitters to look after Aurora, I was free to get back to work, and day by day my small shop grew into a very popular toy empire. Even the occasional fight between two customers who wanted the same limited-edition Water Wiggler didn't slow business down.




However, I did have to close up shop when I was hit with a fresh bout of nausea, and I knew what that meant: soon there'd be another baby in the house!




After a few months of throwing up, wearing maternity clothes, and waddling around the house, my second child came bursting into the world. This time it was a boy, with the same coloring as his sister; we named him Darien.




Raising a baby was much easier this time around since we knew just what to do, but Benjamin and I still had a lot of help from my parents as Darien grew up.




Darien was always after one of us to tickle him or read to him from his favorite fairytale books, and of course, we were always happy to oblige.




On the other hand, Aurora was becoming more and more independent as she got older. She was content to play all by herself without any interference from the grown-ups.




She didn't need her little brother as a playmate, either—in fact, instead of playing with Darien, Aurora teased him and often made him cry.




We tried to discipline her by giving her extra chores, but that was no use—she loved cleaning, just as Connor had when we were kids. The maid had hardly anything to do when Aurora took a sponge to every bit of dirt she saw!




I hoped that Aurora would take better to her new baby brother or sister. I spent most of my third pregnancy painting, and my masterpieces eventually sold for a pretty impressive price.




Meanwhile, Benjamin was slowly working his way up the ladder in Veronaville's crime ring. I didn't mind him breaking laws and committing crimes—bad boys were so sexy! Of course, we had to keep his career a secret from the kids, who were still learning the difference between right and wrong.




Mom was still the top bread-winner in the family, having not yet retired as CEO of Capp Commerce. She still hadn't published her book of memoirs, but reviewed and made changes to it almost every night. The only one who'd read the book so far was Dad; I wasn't even allowed to touch it.




Soon enough, our family grew again with the arrival of baby Nadia! Just like her big brother and sister, she had jet black hair and sparkling gray eyes.




Now that he was working night shifts, Benjamin was home during the day to take care of the baby. His reward? A face full of spit-up after every bottle.




Still, who could resist that sweet little face?




Nadia was a very docile toddler, always smiling, never crying for attention. As she grew older, she started to look a lot like I had at that age, though she didn't have the same playful streak that I'd had.




Darien was growing to be quite the serious child, too, even playing with his toys quietly in his room instead of scattering them all over the house like I once did.




Aurora hadn't gotten any more outgoing, and still preferred to be on her own. She could often be found pounding away on the piano while Darien and Nadia played together.




A few more birthdays saw Aurora becoming a teenager. All she could think about was boys, and although she was still very shy, her beauty was sure to win her a ton of boyfriends.




She was already catching the eyes of every man to cross her path, from the delivery man to the maid who'd once cleaned up her dirty diapers!




But there was one boy she didn't like, and never did. Aurora still picked on her little brother whenever she could, no matter how many times Benjamin and I chastised her for it.




She also loved helping out at Sugarqube on the weekends. She was winning over customers left, right, and center with her charm. I wonder who she inherited that from?




If only she could put so much effort into her homework, but she often ignored it to groove to the latest tunes on her mp3 player.




Darien, on the other hand, was bringing home straight A reports every day. Benjamin and I were so proud of him!




When Nadia was old enough to start school, she was just as great a student as her brother. She actually liked doing homework!




Nadia was a lot like her big sister, too, being a total neat freak. She made her bed cheerfully every morning, and always cleaned up after meals.




Nadia was much more outgoing, though, and had many friends. Her very best friend was her cousin, Jane, who came over almost every day to play cops and robbers. Nadia was always the robber, making me think Benjamin and I hadn't done such a great job at hiding what he did for a living after all.




Even though the kids didn't always get along, they put aside their differences to frolick in the sprinkler on the hottest summer days. Even Aurora could have fun with her brother and sister when there was water to splash around in!




When it came down to it, the five of us were a very close and loving family. I was so proud of Benjamin and I for raising three fantastic kids, and for being wonderful parents to them.




I was also proud of us for having such a loving and devoted marriage. After so many years together, our passion was still just as strong as it had been when we were in college.




As for Mom and Dad, they were still as in love as ever. I often found them in the bedroom dancing to 50s rock and roll, reminiscing about earlier days.




Eventually, my curiosity of those earlier days got the better of me, and I read Mom's book of memoirs against her wishes... and finally realized just why she hadn't wanted me to read it. I couldn't believe what Uncle Consort had tried to do all those years ago, before I was even born—and what he'd wanted from her in exchange for sending Connor and I to college!




I didn't want to believe any of it, but soon enough, I witnessed it for myself: in broad daylight, Uncle Consort grabbed Mom about the waist and tried to kiss her! She pushed him away, just as she had every other time he'd tried the same thing, so she said in her memoirs. Why wouldn't he give up?




I ran to my bedroom in horror, thinking of everything I'd just discovered, and seeing memories flash before my eyes of things I didn't understand back then, but understood all too well now...




Although Consort had always been a welcome visitor at our house, Mom wasn't always friendly and warm to him.




He sometimes did things that were inappropriate, like kiss her hand or give her a tight hug when leaving the house. I thought it fine for a friend to do... but was he ever really a friend, or did Mom only put up with him because he was her ticket to success in business?




Then I remembered the way he'd looked at me when I was a teenager. I felt a little uncomfortable with the way his eyes followed me around, but I never thought anything of it. After all, Consort had always been so sweet to me, and he'd known me since I was a baby!




Even when he stood by the pool to watch me swim, I didn't see anything wrong with it. Mom trusted him, so I did, too. But now that I knew the truth, Consort's actions seemed twisted and perverted, and made me feel sick to my stomach.




And now... now he was looking at my daughters the same way. Of course, they weren't bothered by it, and neither was I—but now I was terrified of what his gazes meant, and what he might do to my girls one day.




But I wouldn't let him do anything to them. Mom had put up with his strange behavior, but I didn't have to, not anymore. I had to protect my children, and my mother, and myself.




I stayed up very late waiting for Benjamin to get home from work, and when he did, I told him all I'd learned, and what I was afraid of happening if we didn't put a stop to it. Benjamin was now a smuggler, and often handled very illegal and dangerous substances—substances that we could use to our advantage.




A few days later, I invited Consort over to share a glass of wine in celebration of Sugarqube's success. But it wasn't only wine I served him...




In minutes he was clutching his chest and struggling to breathe. He collapsed to the floor as the forced heart attack ravaged him. After what seemed like hours, it was all over... he was dead. The sight and sound of his slow and painful death would haunt me for a long, long time... but knowing my family was safe was worth it.