INICIAR SESIÓNEliza's POVI watched how smoothly Alaric cooked. The way he cut the ingredients with his strong, veiny arms was such a sight. I couldn't help but stare at his hands.I lifted my eyes to his face and saw his forehead slightly furrowed. He was serious about what he was doing. Thick eyebrows, always-dark eyes that made him look like he was constantly annoyed at something. His broad shoulders alone were enough to tell me that he was a sexy beast.“Uhm… let me help you,” I offered.I shifted my weight when he looked at me with a raised brow.“Just sit there and watch.”I bit my lip.“What took her so long? What did she say she was getting upstairs?” I heard a hint of irritation in his voice, which made me a little nervous.“She said she had something to do. I wanted to go with her, but she said she wanted to be alone. So I came to you because I have no one to watch with.”I didn't want him to know that I had made his girlfriend cry. She was only a fling anyway, and Alaric would eventually
I went straight to the bathroom to let out everything I was feeling. No matter how hard I tried to push my thoughts away, I couldn't. Eliza's words started to get to me. Everything she said seemed to make sense. Maybe it was true that Alaric was only using me and didn't really love me. It happened too fast. One moment, he was so cruel to me. He kept belittling and humiliating me. Then the next thing I knew, he was caring. He suddenly became kind, and I gave in to him just as quickly. And now look at me, I'm pregnant!I stood in front of the sink, facing the mirror. My tears wouldn't stop. It felt like my heart was being stabbed by all the horrible thoughts running through my mind. Was Eliza right? Was I only being used? Is this still part of his revenge? I was so confused. I wanted to pull my own hair out.When I got tired, I sat down and hugged my knees. I rested my head on them and sobbed. Sometimes, your own mind can be your worst enemy. Instead of helping you figure out what's bes
“Hello,” she greeted me even though she could clearly see that I was irritated by her presence.Is she really this dense that she can't even tell how annoyed I am?I didn't say anything. I just kept my eyes on the TV screen, so she turned around and went to the kitchen instead. I stared at the TV, but I still hadn't chosen anything to watch.“I told Tita not to disturb you if you're busy, but she insisted that you weren't. She gave me your address and sent me here.” It was Eliza. She let out a soft laugh.I turned toward them when I didn't hear a response from Alaric. I saw him drinking water. Eliza also took a glass and poured herself some water.“If you're not busy, could you accompany me? I really don't know my way around here. It's been a long time since I last visited,” she said, sounding a little shy.I rolled my eyes. Damn you!“I'm not busy, but I'm also not available.” Alaric put down his glass and let out a breath. “I'll just tell you what to do. You can handle whatever you
The night before Alaric and I went to sleep, my mother called me. I wanted to answer, but Alaric told me not to for now. My mother called several times. When she finally gave up, she just sent me a text.[Come back home, Seraphina.]The next morning, I woke up at seven because of my phone. Alaric had his arms tightly wrapped around me, and my head was resting on his shoulder. I moved slightly to answer the call, but he pulled me back to him.“It's too early. Answer it later,” he whispered in his hoarse, deep voice.“Maybe it's Mama?”“Call her later. Let's sleep first,” he ordered.I quickly fell asleep again. When I woke up, it was already ten. Alaric was no longer beside me. After I came out of the bathroom, I went straight to my phone when I remembered that someone had called me earlier that morning.And true enough, it was my mother. She had fifteen missed calls. I wasn't even dressed yet, only wearing a bathrobe, when I called her. It didn't even take three seconds before she ans
Mom shot to her feet at once. Scarlet and Serenity didn't know what to do.“What? Pregnant?” Serenity blurted out in shock. She stared at me with wide eyes. Scarlet looked just as stunned.“What have you done to my daughter?!” Mom screamed.I felt the blood drain from my face. I couldn't say a word. Alaric took my hand, trying to calm me down.“Ate... What is this? Is it true?” Scarlet asked quietly. It was obvious she didn't want to believe what she was hearing.“If you want revenge, leave my children out of it!” Mom shouted. Her eyes were bloodshot.“What revenge?” Serenity asked, completely confused.“I don't intend to upset you, Mrs. Salazar. Perhaps we can talk about this calmly,” Alaric suggested in a serious tone.I couldn't sense even a hint of fear from him. It was as if this was nothing new to him—as though there was nothing frightening about the situation at all.“Seraphina, how could you let this happen?” Mom turned to me. “You're better than this. Why did you let this man
It took me a week before I found the courage to tell my parents about my pregnancy. It's Sunday today, and everyone's home. Since Dad isn't around, I'll tell Mom first. I haven't told Alaric that we're going to tell them today. I'll talk to Mom first and let her know that I have a boyfriend. She'll be shocked if I suddenly tell her I'm pregnant when she doesn't even know I have one.We were all in the living room. Scarlet was watching TV. Serenity was busy texting on her phone. Mom was reading a book. I stared blankly at the television, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept rehearsing in my head how I was going to tell them.I shifted in my seat before finally deciding to speak.“Mom…”“Hm?” She didn't even look at me. She simply acknowledged me with a hum.I swallowed.“I have something to tell you.”My voice was so shaky that everyone stopped what they were doing. Mom lowered the book in her hands and looked at me. Serenity stopped typing and lifted her gaze. Scarlet turned the TV volum
I didn’t tell Alaric that I didn’t have a passport. I had no intention of going to Italy! My salary was already barely enough, and I was supposed to spend on that trip? And even if the company covered the expenses, I still didn’t want to go. An alone trip with Alaric? Never! Who knows what might ha
Alaric immediately rushed to me. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears. Maybe because of the pressure and the pain in my right hand. Even more when I saw him approach me with anger written all over his face.“You couldn’t even do a small thing without causing trouble,” he said irritabl
The next morning, if Serenity hadn’t woken me up, I wouldn’t have woken up at all. Mom hadn’t planned on waking me, so Serenity did instead. It was strange—on days she doesn’t have school, she usually wakes up at noon. But today, she was up early.“Sis, don’t forget to send me the pictures,” Sereni
I don’t know how many hours I was unconscious. I woke up to find a proper bandage wrapped around my hand. I was also lying properly, which I remember I wasn’t before I lost consciousness.My hand no longer hurt, and I felt a little lighter. But who treated my wound? Did Alaric do it even though he







