CHAPTER 002 - The 6-Month Deal

"Where did all this food come from?" Demani asked in surprise when she saw the dishes laid out on the table. She had only been gone for less than twenty minutes—just enough time to drop her bags off in the guest room upstairs, freshen up, and calm herself down. But when she came back down, the dining area was already set with food.

Van, who was already seated at the far end of the dining table, adjusted his napkin and laid it across his lap.

"I asked Attorney Salviejo to send them. His assistant brought all of this while you were upstairs. My maid set the table."

So now you have a maid, huh? You once said you didn’t want anyone else inside the house—just the two of us and our future kids. You didn’t want anyone disturbing us while we made love anywhere in this house.

She sighed inwardly.

I guess I haven’t really moved on from all the bittersweet memories…

Van cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned her gaze back to him.

“Have a seat and join me for lunch,” he said, motioning to the chair directly opposite him.

Without realizing it, she gave the table a once-over. It was a massive Narra table with an expensive crystal glass top. It could seat ten, with four chairs on each side. Which meant she and Van were quite a distance from each other at that moment.

She glanced at the seat across from her and couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile. They had never used that table—not once. Since the day they got married, it remained untouched. They always used to eat at the kitchen island—where she would cook for him, even though she didn’t know how to cook.

She did her best for their marriage. She did everything she could to be the perfect wife. But no matter how hard she tried, they just weren’t meant to be.

“I’m not hungry.”

Oh yes, I am! But there’s no way I’m eating with you on my first day back.

She avoided looking at the dishes—three kinds of entrées, two desserts, and rice. She was starving—she had just traveled from Bataan and hadn’t eaten anything since last night because of the anticipation.

“I can’t eat all this food,” Van said casually, starting to help himself. “We’re going to talk about our deal over lunch, so just sit down and eat with me.”

“No, I’ll eat later, once you’re done,” she insisted.

Van paused and gave her an impatient look. “I insist, Demani.”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

Van let out a bored sigh and shook his head in annoyance.

“Suit yourself then.”

See? You never even try harder! she thought bitterly. But instead of feeding her resentment for her ex-husband—no, her still-husband—she simply watched him quietly.

He hadn’t changed at all. Even sitting in a wheelchair, his presence still had power.

No wonder women still chase after you… even when they knew you were married.

She sighed again quietly.

Well, I guess they just didn’t care. You’re gorgeous and rich—three wives wouldn’t be enough to scare them off. And because you’re just a man and a flirt, you couldn’t say no, could you? Just like you told me before, remember, ‘honey’?

She clenched her fists.

Stop it, Demani. Don’t get too bitter. You’re here for the deal and to finalize the annulment. Not to wallow in the sins of that man.

Still standing there, she continued to watch him. She gazed at his face and cursed herself silently—because she could still feel the same attraction she felt the first time they met. Still enchanted.

Van’s eyes were expressive, hiding so many mysteries. His lashes were thick, as were his brows. His grandfather was Irish, which explained his gray eyes. His nose was straight and perfectly shaped, and his thin lips…

Annoyed, she looked away and focused on the kitchen instead.

Suddenly, the room felt too warm as memories of what those lips once did to her came flooding back.

“Bastard, bastard, bastard,” she muttered under her breath. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours and already her temper was boiling.

“I heard that.”

She turned back to Van when he spoke, catching a glimpse of a restrained smile on his lips. He was chewing his food with gusto and clearly holding back a grin as his eyes locked onto hers.

She didn’t know whether he’d guessed what was on her mind or if it was just from hearing what she muttered. Whatever it was, it pissed her off.

“What are you smiling about?” she snapped, one eyebrow raised.

He wiped his mouth before answering. “What’s wrong with smiling? Can’t I smile? I just thought of something funny, that’s all—”

“You thought of something funny while staring at me, so of course I’d be annoyed!”

Van smirked. “Still the same, huh, Demani? You still lose your temper over the most trivial things? Grow up.”

Her temper flared at his remark. She had to physically stop herself from grabbing the plate meant for her and hurling it at him. She was sure he wouldn’t be able to dodge quickly because of his condition.

She let out a frustrated sigh.

You’re lucky I feel sorry for you…

She closed her eyes and counted to ten to calm herself. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and stared directly into his.

“I read Attorney Salviejo’s letter clearly. What else do you want to add to our discussion today? I’m really tired, and I just want to hit the bed.”

Van took the glass of water beside his plate, took a sip, and then answered, “As explained in the letter, I still need you—legally my wife—to accompany me for six months. In six months, you’ll receive a ten-million allowance. All you have to do is act like you care about me in front of my doctors and medical team.”

“So I’m supposed to act like I care in front of the people treating you—is that it?” she asked sarcastically.

Act like I care… Damn you. I still care but I’d rather die than let you know that!

“As mentioned in the letter and what I told you earlier, I need to be with family before and after the operation, and until I recover and can walk again. That’s one of the requirements. We’re leaving for the States in two weeks. Attorney Salviejo is still working on your visa and the paperwork for our trip.”

“Are we also settling the annulment after all this?”

Van held her gaze for a moment before shrugging and looking down at his plate again.

“Yeah, sure.”

As usual… You never really cared, Van.

“You can do whatever you want, just like before. Just like the old days. Just don’t go up to the third floor. You don’t have to act or pretend when it’s just us or when Attorney Salviejo is around. You can be yourself in this house, too. The maid knows you as my estranged wife, so you don’t have to pretend in front of her either. I only need your cooperation once we’re in the States and in front of my medical team. They need assurance that you can take care of me, and we need to convince them that we’re okay—just for the sake of the surgery.”

She nodded quietly. Everything Van said was exactly what was in the letter.

“Other than the annulment, is there anything else you want in exchange for this favor?”

She raised her face and met Van’s searching eyes.

“No. All I really want is for our marriage to be annulled. After that, I want us to forget each other.”

It won’t be easy, but I want to move on too…

Van just stared at her for a long time. His eyes showed no emotion. Maybe he really didn’t care about her anymore—or their relationship. Maybe there wasn’t even a sliver of feeling left in him for her.

And that hurt. Because despite everything, she still loved the man he used to be. The Van she met one lazy, rainy afternoon, three years ago.

But because they—or rather, she—failed to save the marriage, and because her heart had been shattered to pieces by everything that had happened, she made the choice to leave and file for separation. And he accepted it without even thinking twice.

And every time she remembered the day she walked out of that house, it still hurt. She hoped he’d run after her, apologize, beg her to come back.

But he didn’t. Van didn’t care. He had fallen out of love. Her leaving was convenient for him.

“Very well,” Van finally said, pulling her back to the present.

She wanted to cry and ask him why he let go of their relationship so easily, why they never tried to fix things. Why he needed to cheat just to fill whatever gap he thought she had left.

If he had only told her what was wrong, she would’ve tried harder.

She knew exactly where their problems started. Of course, they fought about it every day. But what she couldn’t understand was the cheating. She gave everything to him—she even left her dream job for him!

Her family was the excuse he used for their breakup—or at least that’s what he wanted her to believe. But the truth was, he was the one at fault.

He didn’t like the culture of her family, he was annoyed with some of her cousins, and he felt pressured by her parents and uncles. Van hated being part of her family. They often fought about it, and when they argued, they wouldn’t speak for days.

And that was one reason why they separated for good.

Instead of fixing the problem, they distanced themselves from each other. And when he completely lost interest, everything fell apart.

And then, he cheated on her. And that made her leave him for good.

But at that time, in her foolishness, she still didn’t want to believe that Van could do such a thing to her. She was skeptical—even though she was the one who caught him cheating.

She thought he had an explanation—she thought she had just misjudged what she'd seen.

So when she left and went back to her family’s house, she still hoped he would come for her— they would talk, clear things up, and fix their problem.

But it never happened.

Then, two years later, a letter came from Attorney Salviejo, asking her to meet her husband—only because he needed her for his operation!

She turned away to hide the tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t want him to see that she was still hurting—that she hadn’t moved on yet.

And she was about to leave without saying a word to go back upstairs when she heard him speak again.

“Demani.”

She stopped but didn’t bother to look at him.

“I just wanted to let you know that you are still beautiful. Nothing had changed at all since the first time I laid my eyes on you.”

She was surprised by what she heard, along with the pounding of her chest. She didn’t see that coming. She didn’t expect him to compliment her. Somewhere between the lines, she remembered the sweet and caring Van Dominic Loudd—the man she loved, not the man who hurt her feelings.

And oh, how she missed him.

But so much had been broken, and she had been hurt so many times because of her love for him. She had enough.

And Van’s feelings for her had changed, no longer like before.

And that compliment? He probably only said that to seal the deal. Probably a truce. So she stopped her heart from leaping out.

She didn’t respond to his words and continued to leave—before her feet could run to him and hug him tightly.

Her steps were quick as she headed for the stairs. When she reached the top, she roughly opened and closed the guest room door. Then she went to the bed and collapsed onto it. She stared blankly at the ceiling.

She didn’t know how long she had been lying there, just staring into space. In her mind, the past resurfaced, and no matter how much she tried to avoid it, it kept coming back.

When tears started to well up in her eyes again, she abruptly sat up and held her head. And while in that position, her gaze fell on the suitcase still standing by the side of the door.

She stood up and walked over to it, then laid it flat on the carpet and opened it. She would just take out her things and organize them in the closet. Then she would take a shower and sleep.

She needed to condition herself for tomorrow—she needed to prepare herself to see this and live with it every day. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she would do everything to endure.

A few moments later, she became absorbed in what she was doing. She was unpacking and re-folding her clothes when her eyes caught something.

She froze.

Inside her suitcase was the brown folder that she had intentionally placed there in case they needed it. She sat on the floor and, with a heavy heart, took the folder and pulled out its contents.

In the brown folder, there were their marriage certificate and 8x12 wedding photos. She had taken them out from the frame to keep them hidden. For two years after she left, those photos had been hidden away in her drawer.

Locked, as if they were some kind of magic spell that she needed to protect herself from.

Why had she brought them with her when she left just to hide them?

She put the papers down and gently stared at one of their wedding photos. She looked at their smiling faces, and her heart began to sink.

They had a beach wedding, somewhere in a private resort owned by Van’s friend. She was wearing a gorgeous Greek-style white dress that reached her feet, while he wore a white polo shirt and vanilla-colored khaki shorts. They were both barefoot, and behind them was the beautiful sunset on the ocean’s horizon. They looked so happy and in love—who would have thought their marriage would fall apart in just one year?

Her throat suddenly contracted, and her eyes watered next.

She felt regret, and the pain continued. And in that moment, she couldn’t help but remember the day they first met.

The day their eyes met for the first time... more than three years ago.