I would like to thank Micah, Lilygirl95, reignsbabee, Beastielife, WickedRedRose22, Ctinaisfashion, Samantha, Insane Cali Gurl, CarolReigns, Shannon5288, angelsdee327, Solosunni, mitchy21, SPARKELS77, insky5967, Kalea N Reigns, CFierce116 (yay she's back!), JxTina (yay, she reads my stories…sooo exciting) and fenner82 for reviewing the last chapter.

In general, I would like to thank you all for reading and supporting this story, in every way possible. You guys truly rock!

Onto the next chapter: Enjoy and review :)

...

Chapter 14: Nice to meet you…not

"I can't wait for you guys to finally have that bloody Christmas break," Maxine sighed, snuggling closer to Seth who chuckled after her statement. "I need you home with me."

Together with their kids, they had made their way to the nearest playground. The weather was fantastic: the sun was shining and it was enjoyably warm. Not too windy too. A little fresh air didn't hurt anybody.

"I must say that I can't wait either. I'm tired. And my body's aching," he admitted, trying to get comfortable on the bulky wooden bench, but it was to no avail.

"You've denied my offer. I was willing to voluntarily give you a massage," she said, slightly pinching his side, giggling when he yelped.

It was funny, and sad also, to see that after Roman and Karo's disastrous breakup, her relationship with Seth had strengthened. It was as if the whole drama had woken them both up, making them see just how important they were to each other and that they needed to change something. They took each other for granted and that was the worst thing that could have happened. So they started having date nights again, talked a lot more and just cherished spending time with each other and their kids.

"I know something you could massage," he whispered into her ear, nibbling on her earlobe gently. A smirk crept onto his face when she moaned quietly.

"Hmm…and what would that be?" she whispered back, moving her head so that she was eye-level with him.

She followed Seth's gaze, seeing that he was checking if their kids were looking their way. When he was sure that they were distracted, he took his wife's hand into his, guiding it to his crotch.

"This right here needs some attention," he stated, groaning when she gripped him softly.

Ever since Maxine got her boob job done a few years ago, their sex life had turned exciting once again. She was more open-minded now, trying out new things with him whenever he had another crazy idea. They really enjoyed being with each other.

"Oh really?" she asked playfully, running her hand up and down his crotch teasingly, loving how he was getting hard just by her touch. "You have no idea how desperately I need you to fuck my pussy. I want you to make me scream your name…I want you to slap my ass so hard that I beg you to finally take me."

Seth swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. His wife had such a dirty mouth sometimes. He loved it.

"Mommy, daddy…we want to go to the swings. Can you push us?" Joan yelled for them from afar, making them jump in shock. They were so lost in each other that they totally forgot about where they were.

They both blushed when they realized that they got carried away on a playground of all places. They would definitely go to hell one day. That was for sure.

"Sure, we'll be right there," Maxine screamed, just loud enough for their children to hear, before nuzzling her nose into Seth's neck, laughing heartily. That was close. So so close.

"Oh my God. I can't believe we just did that," Seth mumbled, joining her laughter when she gasped for air, grunting like a pig. She was having a fit of laughter. "Don't forget to breathe, woman."

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Thankfully these were tears of joy, not of sadness. He kissed her temple, shaking his head when she still continued to laugh. He loved seeing her so happy and carefree. She should always feel like that when she was with him.

While Roman and Karo's marriage was falling apart, his was flourishing. And as much as it hurt him to see his best friends struggle so much, he was thankful that for once his love life was going into the right direction.

He loved Maxine, unconditionally, with all his heart. They had survived many ups and downs already. They had been on the brink of breaking up more than just once. But in the end, they managed to find their way back to each other. And he would never let it get that far again. Ever.

…

"Leni, stop it now. I'm not going to discuss this with you any further. Put on your shoes and get ready. Mommy is waiting for you. You have to go back to kindergarten tomorrow," Roman roared, eventually losing his patience with his daughter.

Leni and Siaki had spent the last two days at their father's apartment, like they had done many times before whenever he was in town. Each and every time it got more difficult for them to go back home to Karo. Or to be specific: It was Leni who continuously made a scene whenever they had to leave. And Roman has had enough of that now.

"But I don't want to go home," she whined, stomping her foot on the ground to prove her point, her arms now folded across her chest. "Mommy's always in a bad mood. It's no fun."

Roman sighed heavily, not wanting to hear any of this. He knew that his wife was taking good care of their children. They weren't suffering from her moods. All they were suffering from was their parents not being with each other anymore. And Karo was definitely lying when she said she didn't feel the same way.

"Mommy is in a bad mood because you're not behaving. That is why," he groaned, running a hand through his long, dark hair that for once wasn't held back in a ponytail. "Look at your brother. He's such a good boy. Why can't you listen to me like he does?"

Leni didn't know what to answer to that so she remained silent, just pouting. Roman was at the end of his rope. He had no idea how Karo was doing this on a daily basis. He would have killed himself already. He only now realized how hard it was raising two kids on his own. Karo had his full respect for all of her efforts.

He knew he should have just picked her up, take their belongings and put them in his car. But he just couldn't. Siaki wasn't the problem here. Of course he missed his daddy, loved spending time with him. But he understood that he was living with his mommy. And when it was time to go, it was time to go. He had accepted it just like that.

"I need a fucking break," he mumbled to himself, massaging the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of an impending headache.

He left the kids behind in their room, knowing that they needed to calm down just as much as he did. They were sharing one room as his place wasn't that big, but he considered it appropriate for the time being. He didn't know if things with Karo would get back to normal one day. But as soon as he was sure that there wasn't a chance for them anymore, he would look for a bigger apartment. As much as the thought hurt him.

He took out his cell phone, doing something he knew he shouldn't do.

He called Karo.

One ring, two rings…finally, after the third ring, she picked up.

"Roman…what's wrong?" she immediately asked, concerned when he called because he normally didn't do so. "Are the kids okay? What happened?"

He smiled to himself when he realized just how worried she was about their children. It showed him how much they really meant to her. It made him love her even more.

"No…they're okay. We're fine," he quickly said, not wanting her to worry too much.

"Why are you calling then?" she asked, the tone in her voice having changed instantly. Sometimes she could be as cold as ice.

"Leni is acting up once again," he groaned, sitting down on the couch in the living room. "She doesn't want to leave."

"So?" she wondered aloud, not seeing a problem here. He was a 265lbs Samoan wrestler. She was sure he could handle the little girl on his own. "You want to keep her overnight? I thought you have to leave for the road tonight. Or are you expecting any visitors?"

"Karo…," he sighed in annoyance, leaning back on the couch in exhaustion. Would people ever stop doing this to him?

"Don't 'Karo' me. That question was justified," she grumped, not feeling one bit sorry for him. "So?"

"I can't keep them overnight. Me and the guys are leaving in 3 hours," he explained, moving his head when he heard noises coming from the door.

Leni and Siaki were standing in the doorframe, both of them looking at their father sadly. It broke his heart to see them like that. His kids were the ones that were suffering from the separation the most and it just wasn't fair. They deserved all the love and sympathy in the world.

"I wish you could see them right now, Karolina. They're heartbroken," he said quietly, not wanting them to hear any of this. He wasn't sure if they did or not though.

"Don't use them against me now, Roman. That's not fair," she retorted, tears filling her eyes when she thought about her kids and how devastated they were about their parents not being with each other anymore.

"I don't. I promise you I don't. Just...please just do me one favour. Just one," he pleaded, moving slightly so that his back was facing his kids. "Come here, Karo. Come here and let's order pizza or something. Let's have one dinner as a family. And maybe it will be okay for them to leave afterwards. Just this once. I'm begging you."

There was an uncomfortable silence on the phone. Roman's body was tense, he was afraid of what she was about to say. Clearly she was thinking hard about what he had suggested.

"Ok," she whispered, letting out a deep breath. "Okay. I'll be there in a couple of minutes. But Roman?"

"Yes?" he asked hopeful, his heart beating fast in his chest when she agreed. He was so relieved.

"This is an exception. And I'm doing this for the kids. Not for you," she explained. And with that, she hung up, not giving him another chance to reply.

There was nothing for him to say anyways. He knew she was only doing this for their children. But he couldn't care less. As long as they would spend time as a family, as long as he had his loved ones around him, he was happy.

It was a move in the right direction.

…

It was only a couple of minutes later that Karo arrived at Roman's apartment. She was nervous, that much was clear. But she needed to get her act together and not let this affect her too much. She didn't want him to see or feel how much of an effort this cost her.

"There you are," he said after opening the door, a smile on his face. It was hard not to notice how happy he was to see her.

She just nodded her head, entering his apartment when he stepped aside to let her in. This was the very first time she had been there. He normally picked the kids up from the house and also brought them back. So it was weird being in his 'home' now. It once again made her realize that things between them were over. And that hurt.

She looked around, noticing how the rooms sparsely had any furniture. But one thing stood out: there were pictures every. On the wall, on the cupboards. As far as the eye could reach. Pictures of them as a family, of them as a couple. It made her heart skip a beat.

"Do you want anything to drink? Water? Soda? Maybe coffee?" he asked, leading her into his living room where he had a table set for four persons.

"Some water please," she said politely, not wanting to cause any trouble with their children being in the same apartment. "Where are the kids?"

"They're in their room," he called after leaving the room, startled when he turned around and she was standing right behind him. He didn't expect her to follow him into the kitchen. "Yeah…uhm…they're in their room."

"Can I go see them?" she asked, at the same time looking around in his kitchen. It was small but useful.

"They're your kids as well. Of course you can," he said as a matter of fact, opening a cupboard to retrieve a cup.

"It's your apartment though," she retorted, taking the cup from him when he had trouble coordinating to open the bottle of water and keeping the cup in his hand at the same time.

"Thanks," he said sheepishly, not remembering the last time he felt so nervous around her.

Karo didn't even answer, not knowing what to say. It was such an awkward situation and she couldn't wait to have her children around them again. It was sad to see how much they had grown away from each other already.

"Mommy," she heard a tiny little voice say, her heart jumping for joy when she saw her little boy.

"Hey munchkin," she replied, kneeling down to pick him up, placing feather kisses all over his face. "I missed you. Have you been a good boy to daddy?"

Siaki eagerly nodded his head, very proud of himself. He hated to see Leni get scolded by their parents on a regular basis, so he decided to always behave. He enjoyed being the good one far more than his parents would ever know.

"That's great. So…shall we order some pizza then? Would you like that?" she asked her son, smiling brightly when he clapped his hands happily, knowing that the little one loved pizza just like Garfield loved his lasagne.

Roman loved watching the interaction between his son and wife. It made him miss home even more. It was the little things he took for granted. Now, after having lost everything, he eventually realized just how important they were. To see her smile, to see the love in her eyes that she had for their son…it made his heart melt.

"Can I have pizza as well?" another voice asked meekly, both Roman and Karolina with Siaki on her arm turning around, seeing a defeated Leni.

They knew their daughter wasn't doing all of this on purpose. Part of her behaviour was their fault; the other part was her trying to get her parents' attention. It was a sign, showing them that these circumstances were too much for their daughter to handle. She was such a daddy's girl that she had a hard time accepting that her father wasn't living with them anymore. They needed to be understanding, they needed to give her time to adjust.

"Of course you can, boo," Karo said, making her way over to where Leni was leaning in the doorframe, kneeling down to be eye-level with her. "But baby, you need to listen to your daddy when he asks you to do something."

"I know," she mumbled, looking down at the ground in shame. "I just don't want him to leave again."

Roman swallowed hard, tears immediately filling his eyes. His daughter had always had a hard time seeing him leave when he was still living with them in the house. Now her fears were doubled. His heart broke for the little girl.

"I told you that you can see daddy whenever you want to, sweetie. But he has to go to work tonight. He would have to leave anyways. You don't need to worry, you hear me? Daddy will always come back. He will never leave us alone," Karo said soothingly, caressing her daughter's head lovingly.

"Do you still love daddy?" she asked, her eyes full of hope and curiosity.

Karolina was taken aback, not having expected this kind of question. What was she supposed to say now? Would the little girl even understand?

She looked up to see Roman staring at her intently, noticing how he was holding his breath. She couldn't get out of this so easily.

"Of course I do. Your daddy will always have an important place in our heart. That doesn't change just because he is living in another house," Karo replied, hoping that her answer was adequate. She didn't give away too much, just stating facts.

That was all Roman needed to hear. He hoped that she was telling the truth. It would break his heart should she have lied to their daughter about something so important.

She still loved him. There was a modicum of hope for them.

…

Karolina would never be able to pay Roman's parents back for what they were doing for her. After Roman confessed to them what he had done, Patty and Sika immediately paid her a visit, apologizing for their son's sickening behaviour. They felt horrible for the things he did, begging Karo not to take the kids away from him or them for that matter.

Now they offered to take the kids for the night, not only Leni and Siaki, but Dylan, Joan and Hayley as well, so that Shannon, Maxine and Karo could enjoy a girl's night out in town that night. They really needed it.

"It feels like it's been ages since we've last had a few drinks together," Shannon said, sitting down at the bar with a heavy sigh. Her new shoes were killing her already and she had only been wearing them for an hour.

"We definitely should do this more often," Maxine added, waving over to the bartender to order a round of shots for them. They needed to let loose.

Karo remained silent, not feeling very comfortable in the dress that both Maxine and Shannon made her wear. It was skin-tight and shorter than just short, ending just a few inches underneath her ass. She hadn't dressed like that in ages. At least she had lost so much weight that she didn't look like a whale wearing it.

"Hey, maybe we can find a man for you tonight, Karo," Shannon suggested, yelping when Maxine swatted her arm. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"You're unbelievable, Shan. Just shut the fuck up for once," Maxine scolded, looking at Karo sympathetically, shrugging her shoulders innocently. Karo knew it wasn't her fault though. She learned not to pay too much attention to what Shannon was saying anymore.

"I'm not saying she needs to find a man to spend the rest of her life with. A little one night stand doesn't kill anybody," the brown-haired woman continued, not getting the hint when Maxine sent her a death glare.

Sex was the farthest thing from Karolina's mind, so she just rolled her eyes, finishing her shot in one gulp, letting the burning liquid soothe her for the time being. She was sure she needed a few more of these during the night.

"So, how are you guys gonna celebrate Christmas?" Maxine asked curiously, turning her attention to Karo. She knew she probably shouldn't be asking her friend any questions relating to Roman but she was genuinely concerned for her and the kids.

"I wish we could just skip it, but I think we need to get our acts together and get it over with. I asked Patty and Sika if we could celebrate with them so that it wouldn't just be Roman and me alone with the kids. It would definitely make me feel better," Karo admitted truthfully, breathing heavily. She didn't even want to think about it just yet but the holidays were just around the corner, so she needed to stop pushing it to the back of her mind.

"Will you buy a gift for that cheating son of a bitch?" Shannon asked nonchalantly, or at least she tried to, because deep down she really wanted to know. "You should buy him condoms. But no wait…wait…what about a chastity belt?"

"Shannon, would you please just shut the hell up?" Maxine groaned in annoyance, having heard enough. She had hoped they would be able to spend a pleasant and fun night out in town but Shannon was ruining it all with her dumb remarks.

Karo just tried to ignore it all, looking around impatiently, trying to find somebody that would take their order as the bartender seemed to have finished his shift. She was thirsty for a cocktail. And she desperately needed some alcohol to endure Shannon's stupid comments.

"That's kinda weird," Karolina mumbled to herself, squinting her eyes to get a better look. She really needed to go and see her eye specialist again.

"What's weird?" Maxine immediately asked, following Karo's gaze, her eyes landing on a woman behind the bar, rinsing pitchers.

"That woman over there. She looks like that girl that popped up at our house a few weeks ago," Karo explained, frowning slightly. "She said she was a journalist for some magazine. I don't get why she's working here now. I knew something was off with her."

"Maybe she was just some crazy fangirl," Shannon stated, checking the girl out from afar. "She definitely looks like one."

"Roman met up with her for an interview though. So I'm not s…," Karo started, stopping herself mid-sentence when realization finally hit her. "Oh my God."

"Oh my God what?" Maxine asked, concerned when all the color drained from her friend's face. "What's wrong, Karo?"

Karo didn't even have a chance to respond, the girl they were talking about slowly making her way over to where they were sitting. The atmosphere was tense, something was in the air. Shannon and Maxine just couldn't put their finger on it yet.

The dark-haired girl stopped in front of them, ignoring the other two women, just staring at Karo in silence.

"Two mojitos and one Bloody Mary, please," Shannon called, thinking the lady would finally take their order. She needed something to drink. Quick.

The woman didn't reply, her gaze still fixed on Karo. She swallowed hard, her heart beating fast in her chest. She felt uncomfortable, anxious even. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do?

But she couldn't care less anymore. She had lost everything anyways. So she might as well come out with it all. What was there left for her to do?

"Karolina?" the black-haired woman asked, although it sounded more like a statement. "My name's Cassie."

Karo just stared at her wordlessly, not sure what to do. She was petrified.

"What the fuck is wrong?" Shannon asked no one in particular. She could just feel that something was definitely up. But when she looked back and forth between her best friend and the waitress, she started putting two and two together.

"I'm Roman's affair."

And that sentence changed the whole course of their evening...