Bitterness Blooms

Shay’s POV:

Serena’s visit that morning wasn’t casual. It was obviously intentional.

She showed up draped in wine-red silk, and with lips to match. She had a smile that curled like smoke.

She’d always known how to slither into a space like she owned it.

Even now, she looked around the estate like she still had a claim.

Lila wasn’t home.

I should’ve told her about Serena and what we had, but I didn’t.

I feared it'll break her. We would lose the bond that we shared.

Serena walked into the sitting room like it was her own home. She acted like nothing had changed.

“Still playing the good husband?” she asked, head tilted like a curious cat. “You know it’s only a matter of time before she finds out who you really are.”

I didn’t flinch. “I don’t hide from her. Not like we used to.”

“You think she’ll love you once she knows?” she purred, stepping closer. “You forget who you were. What we were.”

I met her gaze coldly. “What we were doesn’t exist anymore.”

But Serena wasn’t finished.

“Tell her the truth, Shay, or I will. And when I do, she’ll look at you the way I do now. With disgust.”

She tried to touch me but I declined.

She repulsed me. She always forced her way into everything.

When she noticed I wasn't moved by her intended seduction, she left behind the scent of roses and ruin.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I held Lila like I was anchoring myself to this world. I pressed my lips into hers.

She enjoyed every bit of me, and my wildness.

She was the last good thing I’d ever know. I should tell her. But how do I explain the kind of man I once was, when she only sees who I've become?

Days passed. The air felt heavier, like the end of this bliss was drawing near.

One evening, I sat in the study room alone. When the entrance door opened, I rushed out and saw Serena step in with Kai.

He was the most unreadable of the six. He was always polished and good-looking, with an eerie calm that made people uneasy.

He smiled faintly at me. “I see you’re taking full advantage of the inheritance.”

I wasn't moved. “What do you want?”

Ma Felicia entered next. Her presence dragged shadows behind her.

“You’re getting too attached, Shay,” she said with her voice like a warm venom. “The agreement was simple. Play your role. Keep her distracted and away from the truth.”

Kai stepped forward. His voice was like ice. “If you try to tell her anything... you’ll be gone before your next breath.”

I clenched my jaw. “You threaten me now?”

“It’s not a threat,” Kai said calmly. “It’s a reminder, Shay.”

They had seen the way I began to cherish Lila. Her love had softened me.

And that made me dangerous to them.

As they left, Ma Felicia turned. “Let the curse sleep, Shay. Or allow it to destroy you should you open your mouth.”

I sat in silence long after they’d gone. My heartbeat was unsteady. I needed to think of a way out of this, and fast.

A few days had passed after everything that happened.

The day the storm truly broke, I came home early through the garden path.

I wasn’t expecting anyone except my wife, Lila. But I saw Damien.

Impeccably dressed in a suit, holding a small wrapped box. His eyes were focused on the house, unaware of my presence.

He was lurking at the corner of the estate with an expression that wasn’t exactly soft.

He was watching my wife who was coming from a distance.

He had an intense expression that read possessiveness.

It looked like he was stalking Lila.

He moved toward the back patio, intending to sneak in. That’s when I stepped out from the side.

“Don’t,” I snapped.

He stopped mid-step.

“Shay,” he greeted, looking calm as ever. “I’m here for Lila.”

“You should leave.”

He raised a brow. “She wasn’t answering my calls. I just wanted to talk to her. We have history, you know.”

“You’re history,” I corrected. My fists clenched, ready to land on him.

He gave a cool smile. “Careful, writer. You’re letting emotions ruin you.”

I stepped forward. “If you come around my wife!”

“You’ll what?” he asked. His eyes were now dark and creepy. “Be the hero? The truth is, she still thinks about me.”

“You wish,” I interrupted.

My wife didn’t see any of his movements until she was close. I had seen enough.

“Lila,” he growled. “You think you can just leave me behind? You chose him and pretended I didn’t matter?”

She stepped back. Panic in her eyes. “What do you want?”

He reached for her.

I was on him before I realized it. My fist met his jaw with a crack. He hit the ground hard.

“Touch her again, and you have me to contend with,” I snarled, shaking.

Damien wiped the blood from his mouth and spat it on the grass. “You loser,” he said, crawling away.

Lila ran to me. “Are you hurt?”

I wasn’t.

Something old and ugly had been stirred up again.

I saw the look on her face. She was frightened.

The next day, Ma Felicia appeared again in the garden. The atmosphere felt airtight.

She was sipping tea, her face serene as poison.

“You’ve made quite the enemy list,” she said as I approached. “Taming a man like you... that comes at a price.”

“I’m not yours to tame,” I said.

“No,” she said quietly. “But you’re mine to destroy. I will be your end.”

I should have walked away. But I didn’t.

“If you tell her everything,” she whispered, “the curse will awaken. And this time, no one will be spared.”

“This should be the last time you show up at this estate again like it's your own home,” I said.

She looked at me with pity. “You know what to do.”

Then she walked away.

Serena was jobless enough. She showed up at Lila’s office under the guise of being a patron of women-led businesses. A pitiful lie.

She was there to unravel everything about our past to Lila. I caught on to it and made sure she didn't harm Lila or reveal anything that'll break her.

I needed to be there for Lila. Everyone was intentional about destroying her and taking away anything called happiness from her life.

I was at her office the day Helen humiliated her during a client meeting. I didn’t hesitate.

Although I walked into the firm uninvited, I was ready to do anything to protect Lila.

Lila looked up, startled and pale.

“If you make my wife cry again,” I said, “you'll be sleeping in a cell before you know it.”

I meant every word.

I went to my wife immediately, holding her tightly and leading her out of the building.

After some days of uninvited and unexpected visits, I was ready to tell her about Serena. I waited eagerly for her return.

I looked for the best way possible to relay my message without hurting her.

She was running a little late, and I started writing in my study. My coffee was going cold beside the stack of old letters I had shared with Serena.

I started to feel a crippling pain. My knees were shaking vigorously.

Something was wrong.

I was losing strength when I heard her voice from the doorway.

She called out my name.

I wanted to answer and tell her I was okay.

But I couldn’t.

My soul was stuck between the now and the after.

I wanted to hold her one last time. But my strength failed me. I couldn't understand what was happening to me.

My eyes started dimming. I was gasping for breath.

She came to the room. I felt relieved seeing her beautiful face.

Even though I could be dying, I was happy her face was the last thing I saw.

She shook me, calling out my name.

I couldn't hold out anymore...

Then, I breathed my last.