Phoenix and Leighton’s relationship bloomed. He was spending most of his free time at her place (or lack thereof), and the two were becoming inseparable. She was smitten with his hardworking attitude and charm, and he doted on her lovingly.
However, as the town of Sunset Valley took notice of the young couple, the gossip started…
“Uhh…Nixie..Didn’t you hear about Leighton’s crazy wife?” Phoenix’s best friend Brittany questioned.
“No…What in the world are you talking about?!” Phoenix’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Well, I've never personally seen her, but the story around town is that Leighton’s mother arranged a marriage for him when he was just a young man...Not just to anyone, to a much older and quite wealthy lady from another town! No one knows much about her, but they say she's crazy. I’m worried about you…I don’t want you to get hurt.” Brittany touched her friend’s shoulder in concern.
Phoenix decided to dismiss Brittany’s story as mere gossip. After all, Brittany always loved her Soap Operas a little too much.
However, as the weeks progressed, and more of her friends and neighbours began taking interested in Phoenix and Leighton’s romance, the gossip continued.
”You should at least confront him about it. Ask him to tell you the truth,” her friends advised.
Unfortunately, Phoenix didn’t even have the chance to talk to Leighton about the rumous as the very evening she intended to confront him; the couple was ambushed by Phoenix’s greatest fear - Leighton’s lawfully wedded wife, Ophelia.
”How dare you embarrass me and your family like this! Your mother is furious with you! You must come home now and take care of your responsibilities!”
”Ophelia, I DON’T LOVE YOU! I never have and never will. I can no longer do whatever my mother wants! I can’t live my life just for her. It’s over Ophelia. I will be sending you the divorce papers in the morning.” Phoenix noticed that despite his stern and determined voice, Leighton was shaking.
The next morning before leaving for work, Leighton promised Phoenix that he would take care of everything. He departed, leaving her with a heavy feeling in her heart.
That was the last time Phoenix heard from Leighton. He wasn’t returning her calls and she never saw him around town, despite looking desperately all over for any trace of her best friend and lover.
Three months after Leighton’s departure, Phoenix bumped into her old classmate and high school crush, Xander Clavell. He was visiting Sunset Valley for a notorious freestyle competition that took over the town every year.
Catching up with Xander was a welcome distraction from her sorrow, and she was quite impressed to find out that he was in the jewelry business.
As the two chatted into the evening, Phoenix felt a little bit of nostalgia for her teen years. Could my teen crush on Xander be reawaking? she wondered. She had to admit to herself that for the first time in three months, Leighton did not occupy every corner of her mind.
Perhaps it was the pain in her heart caused by Leighton’s betrayal or the emptiness in her bed, but the night before Xander was to leave Sunset Valley and return home, Phoenix invited him over and confessed her inexplicable attraction to him.
She knew even back in high school that he was a notorious bad boy, but that night when he planted his lips on hers she threw all caution – and all thoughts of Leighton – to the wind.
Laying in Xander’s arms that evening, Phoenix felt like everything was finally going to be okay. She didn’t have any plans for a relationship with Xander, but she knew spending the night with him was a way of getting back to living life for herself and herself alone.
Xander also didn’t have plans of committing to Phoenix, despite his attraction to her, for one of his greatest fears was that of commitment to another Sim.
He also didn’t have any plans of disclosing his real profession (of a jewelry thief) to his lover, and that night while Phoenix dreamt of building a wonderful house for herself in the future, Xander was planning his next heist.
For the next couple of months, the twosome continued their affair, spending the weekends at each other’s houses...
…Or rather, bedrooms.
One evening while spending the weekend at Xander’s place, Phoenix admitted that she was falling for him and wondered what kind of a future did he see them heading toward. Xander froze, unable to respond. It was quite clear simply from his expression that he did not have any interest in taking their relationship anywhere serious.
Hurt and disappointed, Phoenix stormed out of the house, stating that she needed some space. She was beyond furious with herself for allowing herself to fall for Xander. She knew that their relationship would never be anything beyond a physical connection, but somehow her heart and mind had betrayed her once again.
Her body had also betrayed her. A week after her breakup with Xander, Phoenix fainted at work due to dehydration. She was sick with what she thought was a stomach virus, but upon being taken to the hospital by Brittany, she received shocking news – she was pregnant with Xander’s child.
She hid the news from Brittany for a few weeks, but after her friend grew concerned over the fact that Phoenix was missing many rehearsals for their upcoming musical show she had to admit what was happening.
”I think that I’m going to have to take some time off from my career dreams…I’m going to have a baby…” Admitting it out loud to someone else made it all too real and Phoenix knew that she had to contact Xander and tell him of the news.
That very night, she invited Xander over and blurted out her pregnancy announcement.
Xander was silent for a very long time. He finally spoke:
”I’m sorry Phoenix. I’m not ready to be a father yet. I don’t think that I can be there for you right now. Please give me some time…I’ll contact you once I’m ready to talk.
Phoenix was taken back with his response. However, she knew that she had to let him go.
As the months flew by, Phoenix began preparing for the arrival of her child. She didn’t know what the future held for her or her child, but she knew that she had to be strong. It was her and her baby against the world.
Stay tuned for the next chapter to meet the little Legacy bundle of joy and find out what happens to our heroine!
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