"If they haven't already left the hotel, that is," Alexus remarked dryly. "My life is in chaos every time she's here," he said grimly.
"So you would prepare that you don't see her around?"
Alexus opted not to respond, but his demeanor was anything from happy.
"How come you got married to her in the first place?"
He gave him a scathing glance. He could not talk about his relationship with Rafaella without feeling regret, especially what went wrong after their marriage.
"I've previously questioned whether the events in your marriage are still impacting you. Your current state of agitation proves that everything in your life is spiraling out of control. Since you engaged me to take care of your injury five years ago, I have only learned a little about your marriage. And most often, when you're angry and complaining about how foolish you are."
Alexus let out a long sigh. "I wed her by proxy just a few days before she became 18."
"What?"
He gave him a stern look. "For this reason, I avoid bringing up the matter. I'm aware of the audience's response," Alexus stated firmly. "And everyone would say that it was all my fault."
"And why is that the response you get mostly? What made you marry her differently?"
"I married her without her knowledge, with her father's approval."
"Oh!" Timothy said. "Do you imply that the affection was one-sided?
As he didn't like what he had said, Alexus pursed his lips.
One-sided? He shook his head after scowling. "No, it wasn't like that at all."
"Wait. There is an activity in front of us."
Where his driver's eyes were fixed, Alexus followed. The familiar image of a woman hurrying to meet a boy halfway down the road caused his eyes to enlarge.
"That's Rafaella," Timothy was so flustered that he almost didn't say it.
No! Alexus closed his eyes when she grabbed the boy, but she couldn't stop the racing car. Before falling to the ground, Rafaella's body hovered in the air.
"Move fast, Tim!" Alexus exclaimed with agitation. His heart was beating so fast. And when Timothy parked the car on the road, his feet nearly flew off. He moved swiftly to the collision where his wife's body had been found.
“Mommy? Mommy?”
Rafaella could hear her son’s panicked voice but could not see him correctly. She extended her right hand towards her son, attempting to grasp his face. But her hand slowly dropped to her side as her vitality began to wane, and her vision became foggy. She finally gave in to the darkness.
"Mommy!" Joshua got to his mother’s side and shook her shoulder to awaken his mother. “Mommy, wake up. Let’s go home….”
Timothy seized the sobbing little boy in his arms.
“Who are you? Let me go! I want to be with Mommy.” His shrieking voice echoed.
“You saw me with your mom a while ago….”
Joshua stared at him with tears cascading down his face. “I want my mommy….”
“Later. She needed to bring to the hospital,” Timothy explained. “But for now, be quiet. Mommy won't be happy seeing you cry, right?" Timothy said. He was eyeing the kid closely.
The little boy wiped his tears and looked at him.
"But I want my mommy." He had beseeching eyes which touched Timothy's sympathy.
"Relax, kid. You will see her later," Timothy stated and looked down at Alexus, who was panicking at Rafaella's side. He held his unconscious wife in his arms.
"Rafa?" Alexus shouted in panic. He was shaking her shoulders. "No, you can't do this. You can't die. Rafa? Wake up!" But she was lifeless in his arms as he gently shook her.
"Stop it, Alex. You're going to make it worst," Timothy reminded him when he saw Rafaella move.
"Hmm..." Though she tried to open her eyes, her vision was cloudy. She wailed in intense, excruciating pain that tore at her bones and left her weak as she groaned in misery. Because of the torment, she wanted to enjoy and embrace the calm, white light of people passing in the street. She kept seeing the warm sunlight, which gave her energy as her mind reached and took it in.
"Please, stay with me. Rafa, I won't let you die! You heard me?" A man howled. "Damn it, where's the ambulance? What's taking them so long?"
Rafaella tried to stay awake as she could not ignore the beseeching voice. Nevertheless, it nonetheless brought that excruciating anguish back with it. Every time the voice spoke, the soft glow withdrew a tiny bit of support, bringing the dull despair closer.
She needed to recuperate more than she needed to fight. She required the terrible stir inside and around her to stop.
With the last yell, the voice vanished, and in an instant, obnoxious hands were all over her injured body. The hands poked and prodded, forcing a minor complaint from her lips that couldn't compare to the terrible agony the contact caused her. Her skull was touched, and the hell crushed her. She had forgotten to take one last breath before giving in to obviousness. Unaware that she passed in her husband's arms.
"Rafa?" Alexus uttered anxiously and started sobbing when he could not see a tiny movement from her.
While holding Joshua, Timothy knelt, picked up Rafaella's hand, and felt her pulse. "Alex, calm down. She is just unconscious."
Alexus' mood seemed revived by this statement, and he looked around at the increasing number of curious people.
"Where the hell is the ambulance?" Snarling, Alexus put his ear to her chest. He could hardly hear her heartbeat as the police car's siren drew closer. And a police officer introduced himself as Detective Warren, came out from the police patrol, and started asking questions about the incident.
The hotel where they checked in called an ambulance. Only Alexus was in the car with his wife. Oxygen was immediately attached to Rafaella while Alexus kept an eye on her. He was still stunned at what he had witnessed.
"Rafa? Please, bear with me, sweetheart." He called in a tiny voice. Whispering a silent prayer for his wife's safety. Alexus continued to speak while holding her hand between his palms. He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks the entire time. He felt like the sky had fallen on him of what had happened as he was overcome by isolation and excruciating grief as he imagined the worst-case situation.
What if she couldn't survive? The question that tormented him. And he couldn't help the vision of the automobile running over Rafaella out of his thoughts.
Her bloodied head was covered in messy hair, which he delicately removed with his hand. His wife appeared lifeless and colorless in his eyes, which bothered him, and he impatiently waited to reach the hospital.
Rafaella was unconscious until she arrived at the hospital and headed to the emergency room.
As he left the premises, Alexus could feel the heaviness of anguish in his heart while waiting in the emergency room hallway. He had been familiar with the emotion that ruled his heart. He seemed to have traveled back in time. His weak heart was pierced by anguish and grief.
Five years ago, he experienced the same emotion when he woke up with his face buried in the pillow, and his hand groped for the warm body next to him but failed. He jerked his head to look at the space beside him. There's no one but only him in bed.
"Rafa? Sweetheart?" He started calling as he laid back and listened to the silence in the room. Then his eyes wandered to the bedside table with his wife's picture frame that caught his attention, the jewelry box, the ATM, the credit cards next to the picture frame, and the wedding band.
His heartbeat started to kick in as he swallowed hard and felt his heartbeat racing. He was having a hard time breathing and could not move. He began to listen to the room's silence for movement, thinking that his wife could be in the bathroom, but nothing.
Alexus breathed heavily. Air filled his tight chest before he moved. He quickly moved out of bed, walking into the bathroom fully naked.
In the bedroom's deafening silence, he gradually felt his chest tighten. He pushed himself to his feet and peered around. He checked the bathroom and outside the bedroom, but there was no shadow of Rafaella.
Was it just a dream that transpired last night? He pondered as he looked at the messy bed, his eyes glued to the lacy black bikini at the foot of the bedside table.
He returned to sitting on the edge of the bed and picked up the underwear his wife was wearing last night. Then he looked again at his wife's items on the table—things he gave to Rafaella.
That's when he recalled that he had broken the bond. And she was no longer his wife officially because of the divorce he filed. And that his passionate meeting with Rafaella the night before served as a farewell.
Alexus jerked from his reverie when he felt a hand gripping him on his shoulder and met the eyes of his Physical Therapist. He didn't realize tears were falling down his face. He quietly ran his palm on his face to wife it. "Are you alright?" Timothy enquired. He studied the distressed CEO intently, a look of worry on his face. He took a deep breath and shook his head. He was watching the emergency entrance with concern. "Did you hear anything from the doctor that examined her?" "No, and that only makes it worse. I'm going insane while waiting here, anticipating the worse." "Alex, you can't be acting like this. Be upbeat and consider the children's feelings." "What, children?" He inquired, appearing perplexed. Timothy stared at him and shook his head. He realized Alexus was not in the right mind to handle another issue. AFTER MIDNIGHT, the surgeon informed Alexus that his wife's procedure had been completed and was a success. Within twenty-four hours, she was supposed to be awa
"I don't dispute that. But Alex, it's just for fundamental gratification. Not enough for me to want to wed him." "Well, that's your issue, and I'd rather not be part of that. And never claim you wanted to be my fiancee because you love me. Then we have a different outlook on loving someone." "Alex-" "Sandy, no. Enough already. As you know, I am still married and would like to try it again with my wife." "Even when she betrayed you many times?" Hoarse laughing was heard coming from Alexus's mouth. "She didn't, in my opinion. And I chastised myself for assuming the worst. She might have, but I still want her back." "You're nuts!" "Spare me this name-calling, Sandy. Have a good time. Bye." And as if nothing had happened, he pocketed his mobile phone again when he saw Timothy enter the room. Timothy patted his shoulder and grinned at him, saying, "I'm happy you look better than the last time I saw you. Guess what." "You tell me, and stop seizing me with your eyes," he stated. He w
He commented, "That was quick service." Lance grinned, "Most folks here know me. One of my clients owns the business. " "Good business you have, but not to what you did though I wouldn't mind now that the hazy side of my messy problem started to put some light," he stated, veiling reference to what Lance said. "My sister told you why I wanted to see you, so I guess you knew. But make it brief and to the point because I don't have much time now." "So much the better, as I prefer it that way," Lance nodded. "But first, I wanted to apologize for waiting until today to meet you though I expected this moment when you discovered what I did. You'll learn I did not file your petition, which grounds my practice. I thought you would learn the truth quickly, and it bothered me, but I was waiting for you to confront me first." "Why?" At last, he asked that question that made him wonder overnight. "I was waiting for you to retract your decision." "Why would you think I will?" "I was aware of
"You have a dual face. Since when do you know?" "From the start." Marla pushed her chair aside and took a seat once more. Marla's action roused her, but Alexus leaped to his feet, his leg yelling in protest. But this time, he focused on the suffering and invited it—anything to prevent him from encircling his sister's neck and strangling her to death. He positioned his hands on the table straight to keep them steady and bowed toward his sister. "Would you mind explaining why this would be your first time saying it? Why did you think I wasn't entitled to know about my children?" "Your children?" Surprised, Marla repeated what her brother had said. "How can you be sure those kids are yours?" "Don't try to poison my mind now, as I know, even without a DNA test, that those children are mine. Don't you dare question my claim? Or else you'll find yourself on the street empty-handed." The anger he couldn't control caused a blood vessel to pulsate in his face. As she thought about Alexus
"No." The legal advisor sat in one of the leather seats in front of the workspace. "She is unaware that I am here. Alexus, we need to chat. I don't want you to enter that situation blindly.""Blind?" As the new development caused fresh pain to emanate from his haven, he shook his head and retreated. "I believe this may be the first time in my life that everything is crystal clear.""Not if you believe that doing so will prevent your wife from divorcing you."Alexus smirked. " Oh, I realized she has the right to divorce me, but I'm not attending to grant her one."David faltered. "That's something else. With this trust financing, you'll prevent her from obtaining anything, but what about those around you? How will you survive in the unlikely event that you invest all of your resources in it?""That's my sole concern, David. I have faith that my wife is unique compared to those around me. Not a shark, Not at all. I need her to face all the blood-sucker parasites around me!"Alexus had a
What might have occurred? Was she involved in a mishap of any kind? When and where? These random inquiries flooded her head. As soon as she sensed her head was heavy, she reached out to touch the bandage covering it with her palm. She closed her eyes and tried to recall anything that could have helped her understand what had taken her to the hospital. However, the throbbing in her head and the murmur of people outside her door made it difficult for her to focus. Apart from that, everything seemed so hazy. Just a hazy memory of a man in a white coat waving his hand in front of her face, asking her how many fingers she saw, and so on to make sure she was doing okay. However, she was incoherent and screaming at something she could not understand, so she was given a tranquilizer while two nurses assisted the man in the white gown. When Rafaella remembered a man's voice from earlier, her heart began to race again. She thought momentarily about why the man's voice had such an unnerving eff
"Are you sure?" "Yes. I'm fine. Honestly." "I'm glad to hear from one of us," he said, giving her an apathetic smile. "I was scared when I saw you were hurt." He scoured a hand through his hair. "Keep doing that, and you're reaching to drag it out." He frowned at her comment. "I guess it's a reflex. I was stressed. It wouldn't astonish me to discover every hair on my head has turned white," he told her, another half-smile curling his mouth. "No," said Rafaella. His hair was dark brown as chocolate and tended to curl only at the edges. He looked and sounded so familiar. So why couldn't she remember who he was or how he fit into her life? "God. I was so frightened I was reaching to lose you," he said, his voice crude. All traces of humor disappeared. He pressed his eyes closed for a minute. "I thought… I was so afraid…." "Don't," she said, carried away by the sadness in his voice, in his eyes. Reaching out, she grabbed his clenched fists. "I'm fine." He stiffened for a moment in
How much should he tell her? She wouldn't recall that they split up if she didn't consider him and their marriage. That was the turmoil running in his head. She hesitated at his reply and cast her mind back. "I…I can't remember it now." Rafaella felt more lightheaded than she had all day when their eyes met and locked. This man stirred in her this breathtaking, toe-curling impact, the kind of response that overflowed her center with need and cleared out her shuddering like a half-set jam which she felt frightening. He deliberately slid his palm down his dark crimson silk tie as he unzipped his suit coat. His fingers were long and inclined as he contemplated the whole thing while he studied her profile. "What can you remember then?" He casually asked. Her look returned to his addressing expression, and she inspected the sterile but comfortable private room. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice fragile. She rubbed at the spot between her brows again. "Things are a bit fuzzy. And I…I se