ETHAN'S POV I had been knocking endlessly on Reina's door and wondered if she was deliberately refusing to open the door up for me.Maybe I deserved that much but at least, she could at least think that perhaps I'm here to apologize which I'm there to do nonetheless.I tried calling her phone but she wasn't picking up and I've already sent series of text messages to her but she hadn't replied any of them.I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. But there was no answer.I tried again, this time louder. Still, no answer.Another tenant in the opposite condominium was walking up the stairs and then stopped."Excuse me? Are you looking for someone?" The lady asked and I rubbed my forehead in frustration before sighing."Yeah, the lady and her son that lives here." I answered plainly.I didn't want her to get the idea that I had already been there for hours on end and was at the verge of giving up."Miss Gray?" "Yeah, Miss Gray.' i rubbed my worry lines to make the go again as I sh
ETHAN"Ravenna, I need you to leave," She grimaced as she looked at me with a daring yet challenging gaze but I wasn't going to give her that satisfaction of doing whatever the fuck she wants, she would do as I say today. "I don't mean later, Ravenna. I mean now." Ravenna looked up from the photo, a hint of defiance in her eyes shwoing that she wasn't willing to back down but what i knew was that, either by hook or by crook, she just had to go.Her presence was irritating enough for me."Why? I'm not doing anything wrong." She smiled maniacally and I sent my hands into my pockets were I can freely clench and unclench them."You will leave because I said so, Ravenna." I snapped, my patience wearing thin."And because I don't want you here ." Ravenna shrugged and shook her head in negativity, placing her hands on her waist.It was more like she was challenging me to do my worse and she already knew that I wouldn't even think of raising my hands on her. That would be too much and to dis
"I don't know if you're well aware that you're seating in the CEOs office and I don't have the time neither am I about to play three guesses with you. So please, leave before I cal the security."Hey Lulu, your name has such a ring to loo loo." She squeaked in a baby like voice and I stared at her in shock.I never expected that I would ever see her again.If this isn't a blast from the past, a shadow from my past then I don't know what is. The world seriously knows how to surprise me even when I'm not searching for any surprises. Lucy, my childhood friend, was sitting in the chair in front of my desk, a bright smile on her face.I hadn't even been able to recognize her because well, quite a lot had changed about her. She looked more beautiful and more mature and a lot of her features had worn off.To top it off, she has black hair but she had dyed it brown now and even it cut it and curl it."Lucy!" I exclaimed, feeling a rush of excitement."Oh my god, it's been ages." I moved to hu
"Alright, Ravenna, that's enough. You've had your fun moment so you should leave now." Ravenna smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement and that look that she had whenever she had something in store for someone. Something bad."Oh, sure thing, hubby," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and I sent my hand to my pocket again trying to remind myself that I shouldn't hit a woman."I wouldn't want to interrupt your little reunion." Ravenna completed and Lucy sighed out."Gosh, some women would act like the others made a mistake coming out as the same gender with them." I glanced at her, gesturing at her to stop as I had have enough for Ravenna already. I didn't need more."Alright, I'll shut up. But your wife is really loosing it, it's more like her head is not intact." Ravenna stared at her trying to o decipher what she had said because Ravenna had spoken with gritted teeth. I had already mastered it so whatever she said, she picked me.She turned to leave, but not before casting
LUCYS POV.Obsession starts in different ways and I was most definitely sure of what I saw in Ethan's eyes today when I mentioned why he was looking for her.Obsession! Possessiveness. And it's annoying me.I sat at my desk, staring at the picture from the folder that Ethan had given me. Reina, the woman he was so desperate to find. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Why was he so obsessed with her?He was already married else I would have concluded that she was his wife but his wife was here and she was a punk ass bitch so who the hell was this bitch?I thought back to why I had returned to Pentagon City. I had achieved my dream of becoming a top designer, and now I was back to reclaim my childhood love - Ethan. But it seemed he had moved on.And not only moved on with a wife but with a mistress, I suppose."Lucy, focus." I told myself, shaking my head. I had a job to do. I need to find who this chick was.Not for the sake of doing my job and submitting to Ethan but for the
Lucy's POVI slammed the door shut behind me, my heart racing with anger and hurt as i bent and pulled off my shoes, throwing them wherever they landed. I didn't care. Ethan had just dropped me off, and I couldn't believe what had just happened.I had never been more hurt in my wole life and right now I wish I can get a voodoo doll and stab it all over his face.Bestfriend my foot.We'd been at dinner, a dinner that I had proposed and all he could talk about was Reina. Reina this, Reina that. It was like I was invisible.Like I wasn't even seated right in front of me. He kept asking me what I found out about Reina additionally when everything I got was in the mail I sent him.Why would he even be talking about his mistress in my presence? My heart was hurting at this point and I slumped into my chair that was at the living room."Let's not jeopardize our friendship." he'd said, with a smile that made my heart ache and he had said it too bluntly that already suggested to me how much
LucyThe sound from the tapping of keys on my keyboard was the only actual living sound that anyone would hear if they entered my office.I had searched Reina Gray online and it didn't seem like she was the kind of person that lived her life on social media. Even hate speeches against her were taken down and it made me all the more curious as to who the hell she was.I needed to know more about her, beyond the surface level. What made her tick? What was her relationship with Ethan like?Why did he want to find her? Why does she seem almost too important to him? Every single time, Ethan talked about her, he acted like she was a priceless jewel.Because of the unseen Reina, i hadn't been communing well with my bestfriend. He didn't bother to askme how my day went or if I had eaten, always acting like he didn't care.The only time you would find him smiling is when you push a folder of "REINA'S where abouts" I took a deep breath and made a decision. I would go to meet Ravenna, Ethan's w
Lucy.I stormed into work the next day, still fuming from what Ravenna had told me. Ethan still loved his ex? It was unbelievable.How could he still love his ex? And now, he was asking me to search for her? It felt like a betrayal, a slap in the face even if he didn't know it.As I sat at my desk, trying to focus on my work, Ethan walked in, a smile on his face. "Hey, Lucy! I need to talk to you about something."I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What is it?""I have another task for you," he said, oblivious to my anger. "I need you to send out some top models to Reina's company in Paris."My jaw dropped. "Reina's company?"Ethan nodded, still smiling. "Yes, that's the one. I want to make sure she gets the best talent models for her launch."I felt a surge of anger and betrayal. He was still pining for his ex, and now he was asking me to help her?"Ethan, I don't know if I'm comfortable with this," I said, trying to keep my emotions in check.He looked at me, confused. "What's wrong,
Reina’s POVBefore I knew what was happening, the weeks had gone past really fast. It was surprising how time went fast most of the time. I had just delivered some designs for aj international brand and I decided to take a week off to calm my nerves down since I had been working my ass off over the week. There was still a lot of work to be done but that would be attended to later. I don't care about that now. What I care about is my mental health and my physical health. As the days moved fast into weeks, Ethan’s persistence didn’t waver a bit. I could feel his frustration everytime I looked at him. It was always written all over his face and he could not hide it.I was not sure if it was at me, at himself, or at the situation we had both created. Whatever it was, I knew one thing, he wanted us to be okay.But could we be? Could we really be okay? Could we forget everything that has happened between the both of us? All these questions are difficult to answer. It was a quiet eveni
Reina's POVThe air between Ethan and me felt...different. Not entirely warm, but it was not cold either. Ethan was giving me some signs that he was a good husband. He was going extra miles to win my heart and it amused me. The last thing I thought Ethan would do was for him not to divorce me. I had been preparing my mind ever since for a divorce. There were moments when I had caught him watching me with a funny expression that I could not quite read. His face always looked so soft, almost tender. But I was not ready to let my guard down. Not yet.I had spent so long trying to please him, begging him to forgive me, and now I was tired. I didn’t know how to go about this new phase of my life. He was trying and I could see it but the pain and resentment I had buried deep still clung to me like shadows.Well, his kindness towards me all started with small gestures.As I walked into the living room, I noticed a bouquet of red roses on the coffee table. At first, I thought they were f
Reina POV I could feel Ethan’s eyes on me as I poured myself a second glass of wine. The intensity of his gaze on me was suffocating, but I refused to let my eyes meet his. Let him watch. Let him wonder. I have spent too many nights begging for his attention; now it was his turn to sit with it and beg me for my attention. The silence stretched between us like a long string and I swirled the wine in my glass, feeling that I didn't care about his feelings, though my heart raced. I could still hear his words from the other night, the way he practically begged me for answers, for me to talk to him. It was crazy but funny at the same time. “I want us to fix this.” But fix what, exactly? The broken shards of a marriage that neither of us seemed willing to sweep up? The years of neglect, the lies and the half-hearted apologies? Oh, let's not forget. The cheating. No. I was done being the one to bend. That night, I stayed up late in the guest bedroom I had claimed as my own.
Ethan POVReina’s words echoed in my mind so loudly like a drum that one could not silence. “Do your worst, Ethan.” She had said it with so much conviction, like she doesn't care about any action that I took. What the hell has come over her? This was not the wife that I got married to . She was so indifferent and that alone cut deeper than I thought words ever could.I stared at the ceiling that night, trying to piece together the shattered pieces of our life. Our lives were nothing to write home about and I have lost all hope in making sure that things went back to normal. Divorce was what was staring at us from another end and it now seemed like a threat that we both threw around like a knife, but neither of us had the courage to file for a divorce. Truth was, I didn’t want to divorce Reina.Not because I was scared of the fallout between us or the bad press, or the whispers and gossips from our so-called friends. No, that is not it. I could not bring myself to do it because
EthanI couldn’t focus on anything anymore. Not work, not Andrew, not even the endless distractions I used to drown myself in. My mind was consumed by Reina. Her sudden indifference towards me, her mysterious outings, and the unsettling confidence she carried these days. It was as though she had transformed into someone I didn’t recognize, someone who didn’t need me anymore.The change that I saw in her made me mad and angry. She used to plead, cry, and beg for my attention. Now, she barely looked at me. She left the house dressed to kill, and returned late at night without a single explanation. When I asked where she had been, her replies were casual and almost dismissive.“It is none of your business, Ethan,” she said one night, brushing past me as though I were invisible.And that smile, she smiled more these days, but never at me. Always at her phone. One evening, I heard the door close softly behind her as she left. I sat in the living room, staring at the television, but I
ReinaTaking your friend's advice? That was a good thing to do. I sat at the dining table, absently twirling the spoon in my cup of tea. Ethan was seated across from me, but I didn’t dare look at him. I could feel his eyes on me, as though he was waiting for me to break the silence. A month ago, I would have. I would have pleaded, begged him to talk to me. But not anymore. I had decided to follow Celia’s advice. If Ethan wanted space, he would get it, more than he bargained for.“You are not going to say anything?” he asked finally, breaking the silence between the both of us. I looked up briefly, then shrugged, giving him a neutral look. “What is there to say?”His brows furrowed. “You have been quiet lately. It’s…unlike you.”I shrugged again and stood, carrying my cup to the sink. “If you have something to say, Ethan, say it. Otherwise, I have work to do.”I walked out of the kitchen without waiting for a response. My hands trembled slightly as I made my way to the livin
ReinaA divorce? A fucking divorce!!!Did I hear right or was I dreaming? Has it come to this now that he was suddenly asking for a divorce? No, no. He has to be joking. He has to be seriously joking about this. He will come around soon. I hit my head with my hand countless times as the days passed in a rush. The once vibrant and intoxicating energy that filled our home had been replaced with a heavy, suffocating silence. Ethan barely spoke to me unless it was about Andrew or something essential that he felt I should know about.Even then, his words were short and straight to the point and his tone was cold. It was like talking to a stranger.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the framed photo on the nightstand. It was from our honeymoon. Ethan and I were on a beach, laughing at something I could not even remember. We looked so happy, so carefree. That version of us felt like a distant dream, a life that didn’t belong to me anymore.How did all these disappear in the blink
ReinaI had expected that when Ethan dragged me out, we were going to have a conversation like two normal humans. But, no. That was not the case. Ethan dragged me out and left me standing after raining insults on me. The stupid me swallowed whatever I received from him and stormed back to the house. I was deeply hurt by everything Ethan was doing and I was quite sure he was doing this deliberately to hurt me. I was seated in the house and the only thing that engulfed the house was silence. It was deafening and the only thing one could hear was the ticking of the clock on the wall.I sat in the living room with my arms wrapped tightly around my knees, staring blankly at the empty coffee table in front of me. The argument from the club was still fresh in my mind. Every word, every glare, every moment of humiliation played repeatedly inside my mind. Finally, Ethan came back home. I had been expecting him all this whole time since he refused to come home. When he finally stepped in
ReinaThe house was silent, save for the occasional ticking of the clock on the living room wall. Ethan had once again left without a word, and it was already past midnight. My heart ached, and the silence felt suffocating. I could not sit still anymore. My mind was racing with every worst-case scenario. Where was he? Who was he with?Celia’s words echoed in my head. “If he can stay out all night, why can’t you? You need to breathe too, Reina. Come with me. Let’s go out, let loose. Maybe seeing you have fun will remind him what he is losing.”“I can't believe he is doing this to me. Celia. He is acting all tough and hard towards me. I hate that he is making me feel this way,” I complained.“Look, Reina. If I were you, I wouldn't bother myself about him anymore. He is not a serious man. How can a man who has a child behave that way? Are you sure he is not sleeping around with different women?” She asked and my heart kept pounding against my chest. “He has cheated on me before, Celi