Mag-log inI insisted on leaving, but it only left Caesar bewildered. "Why aren't you happy, Eva? What more do I need to do? Do you want to settle down here in the States? I don't mind. We can have our wedding in your favorite church here. We can get married where Joey can see us. What do you think?"That was not worth answering.I might end up cursing out loud at him.Caesar vanished for the next few days.I thought he returned to Italy because of my rejection.Little did I know that he would send me a message inviting me to our ‘wedding’.He even promised to wait for me.I ignored him.That was until I heard my subordinates in the family start talking about him."Did you hear about it? There's a man nearby who dresses in a groom's suit every day. He always has a wedding gown and a ring in his hand as he waits for someone at the church, but no one ever shows up. Some say that he went crazy after getting dumped. Others say that his wife died and he can't accept the truth.""I heard that
Days passed, and I slowly got used to the work tempo of my new job.I did not need to work overtime, and there were plenty of holidays. It was like heaven to me.Things ran so smoothly and comfortably. I did not feel used to it.However, it was not long before I found a new hobby to fill my spare time.Yoga.There were days when I eventually let go of all my troubles and anxiety through meditation during yoga.I felt peace in my heart, and the day passed by very quickly.Recently, Caesar had been messaging me every day without fail.He initially did not believe Rosetta could be so vicious. He was sure the recording I sent him had been faked.Caesar even hated me for being ruthless and wanted to block my number out of anger.However, he would ask me if I was doing well after a few days.I never replied to his messages, but I did not delete him either.It was my way of remembering how Joey had died. Caesar's messages were a reminder to me never to repeat my mistakes.Little
It had been a busy day. As I watched the sunset, Caesar called me.Based on our different time zones, I knew it was midnight where he was.I wanted to decline the call, but I picked it up out of habit.There was no choice for me but to speak to him.No one said anything on the other end of the call. The background was noisy. I could tell he was at a bar.I called out to him twice, then frowned impatiently. "If you have nothing to say, I'm hanging up."Caesar was drunk. He slurred while speaking, sounding very upset. "Eva, you were always worried when I drank. You know I get rashes every time I have something to drink. Why won't you show concern for me anymore?"I know I went overboard with the plan to take Rosetta down."She rejected the luxury cars I gave her in the beginning, and I made fun of her for being pretentious, but when she started accepting my gifts, I felt happy, for some reason. It was like seeing a wild, homeless cat finally willing to take some food from my hand
"Before he died, Joey kept crying, asking me why his brother-in-law did not come to save him. How did you expect me to reply, Caesar?"Caesar was full of regret. His hand released my luggage handle weakly."I had no idea. I'm sorry. I had no idea…"At that time, I thought it was a normal relapse. I thought it was a minor surgery that could be delayed."I stopped him."It was a minor surgery. A surgery that had a 100% success rate. But the delay caused his death."Caesar's tears could not stop falling. He knelt before me while hugging my waist tightly.The Underboss of the Carlonis stopped in his steps while at the gate. He looked at me in bewilderment. "Who is this, Eva?"The family allows you to bring your right-hand man if you need him."Before I could say anything, Caesar spoke up."I'm her fiancé. We're about to get married. She won't be joining your family."My eyes were cold as I pushed him away."No, he isn't. He's just a stranger."The Underboss knew that there w
Caesar lowered his head to look at the phone in his hand. He had not hung up and was about to say something.An airport announcement was clearly heard from the other end. "Dear passengers, the international flight you are boarding…"The call was hung up the next second.I turned off my phone and queued up for the flight to the United States.The Carlonis' Underboss smiled at me and asked, "You refused to see us whenever we extended an invite to you the last three years, Eva."Were you moved because we waited for you for three years?"Thank God!"He started chattering with an excited look on his face.My eyes lowered. The hand on my luggage handle tightened.Joey and my parents' ashes were lying in my luggage next to each other."I just want a new environment and a new life. I'm tired of living the same way every single day without moving forward."The Underboss patted my shoulder and laughed heartily."You won't ever stop moving forward with abilities like yours, Eva. Don't
It felt like a slap to my face. I laughed self-deprecatingly as I turned to pick up my bag. I pulled my luggage along and walked out the door.When one was extremely disappointed, even making a fuss was pointless.Even the sound of me pulling my luggage did not alarm the man masked by the smoke.I got a taxi and found a random hotel to stay in.My phone vibrated. Rosetta had sent me a video clip to taunt me.The clip showed her trying to get drunk in a club, but Caesar appeared to snatch the drink from her hand.He knelt on one knee to beg her to put on the expensive ruby necklace and bracelet he had given her."Rosetta, this is my fault. I wanted to bring you down for Eva, but I fell in love with you unknowingly when I realized how kind, gentle, and righteous you are. I love how you’re always unmoved whenever I give you expensive presents."All of his condescending remarks about her, his attempts at comforting me, and the delays were nothing but his excuses for falling for som







