Chapter one

Buffalo, New York USA 2017

It was a terrible stormy night. It seemed as if the pelting rain had an assurance of never ending. Dark storm clouds covered the sky but it was hardly seen because the sky turned black. The wind whistles and howls raucously and thunder rumbles while forked lightnings flashes. The weather girl had already forecasted the rain and the bad weather. The bungalow was buffeted by strong winds. It was a terrible monsoon and it's gale force wind blowed angrily and loudly.

My daughter, Chloe came in the living room with some coals to heat up the fireplace. She glanced at the casement windows crying with rain and I remembered when she was little, she loved to draw smiley faces at the steamy window when the weather's parky. I still look at her as a baby even when she's a teen.

I stared at Chloe whilst laying on a chaise lounge. Chloe had her father's raven curly black long hair, her father's twinkling and intelligent grey eyes and when she smiled, her smile reminded me of her father. It's so hard to tell that Chloe was actually my daughter but Chloe had my luscious full sensuous pink lips and heart shaped face. I wondered if it was still okay to celebrate Chloe's sixteenth birthday due to this monsoon. Although we are at Chloe's favorite fast food restaurant and i and Ed have her a decent birthday present each. A delicate expensive necklace with a green stone. Green was unfortunately her father's favorite color. I pushed my self from my seat and went to the kitchenette. Although the kitchen was small, it was still modern and filled with possibly every kitchen stuffs you need. I brought out a large chocolate cake from the icebox, covered with blue frostings and took it to the living room. Chloe gasped in amazement as she saw me coming with her sixteen year birthday cake.

"Mum, you shouldn't have done this", Chloe exclaimed.

"I should have done this because you are my daughter and it's your birthday", I said whilst smiling.

"Oh Mum", Chloe gasped as she hugged me.

"This is amazing", she shrieked.

Chloe blew her candle and the both of us ate the cake together. To Chloe, this day is the happiest day of her life but sadly to me, this day was a day I once avoided. This actual date, sixteen years ago, I didn't want Chloe. I didn't wish for her but she was so beautiful and innocent that I couldn't throw her away.

I know you'll ask what happened to her father. I told Chloe that her father died of an auto accident when she was born. But her father is out there somewhere. And I'm sixteen years older than my daughter. I know it sounds weird but it's true and I wished for this day to pass by like every normal day because Chloe's age was the actual age I had her. I know it sounds untrue but it's certainly the truth. I couldn't tell Chloe because it would hurt her. I can't tell Chloe now because I don't want to see her heartbroken and i don't wanna break the trust she has for me. Although I'm engaged by another man and yes, I'm thirty two years old. I never told Chloe my age. Whenever she ask, I'll lie that I'm not really certain of my actual age. I messed up big time and I'm so scared. Her father is out there with his own family. But I don't care because he brought me so much pain and regret although I have forgiven him.

As I watched the rain hammering down on our roof, my mind drew back to the actual day, it drew me back to sixteen years ago, it drew me back to when it all started. The day that if I was given the chance to arrange back, I'll certainly go back in time to clean up my mess. The day of Charlotte Brown's Big Mistake.