"Let's talk," he said as we stood by the pool. It was scorching hot inside since the air conditioning had broken down. The poolside was a much better place—cool and refreshing.I cradled my growing belly. My baby is almost two months old now, and I couldn’t wait to meet them. Every morning felt like my stomach was being churned, and I was so sensitive to smells that I’d feel nauseous out of nowhere.And… I hated vegetables! My favorite cravings were french fries, or sometimes bananas."What do you want to talk about?" I asked, dipping a french fry into ketchup before popping it into my mouth.Mmm, delicious!"About us," he said seriously."Oh?" I set down the bowl of fries and faced him."I want to say sorry," he began, and I avoided his gaze. It still hurts, though not as much as before. "For everything I’ve done, for all the wrong decisions I made. I’m sorry for hurting you. I can’t even forgive myself. Seeing you covered in blood... It drove me insane."And it’s all my fault—" I c
It took four days before I was discharged from the hospital. They said they needed to monitor the baby more closely, so from now on, I have to be extra careful.I looked at the scar on my wrist, which Lexus had taken care of for me.I was really stupid. Doc Sanchez said to "always think positive," especially when you're pregnant because everything is more sensitive.The baby’s attachment to me is still weak since it's just forming, so I really need to be careful.The doctors gave us so many instructions, and my husband? He didn’t even let me walk on my own—he carried me! He said he didn’t want me to get tired.He doesn’t stress me out anymore, either. He gives me everything I ask for. Well, that’s good. I feel like a princess now, with an instant assistant who’s also my husband.“Buy me bananas!” I shouted at Lexus, even though he was just in front of me. He was busy with his phone, tapping away, which was starting to annoy me because he was too focused on it.He finally looked up. “W
“She came back! With my baby!” Kuya Lace exclaimed joyfully.“How is she?” Lexus asked while the little girl, who looked about six years old, smiled up at me.“She’s fine and she’s mine,” Kuya Lace replied with a grin.“Mommy doesn’t suit you, Dy!” the child pouted.The two of them laughed. Once again, they were talking as if I wasn’t even there. I skipped breakfast and went straight to my room, locking the door behind me.I felt invisible earlier. When Lexus saw the two of them, it was like I didn’t exist. I stared at the ceiling, feeling completely alone.My mom and dad weren’t by my side.Ericka betrayed me.And Lexus? He was downstairs.My thoughts were swirling. My mind was in chaos. I felt like I was all alone in the world. Being sad was exhausting. Didn’t I deserve to be happy?Someone knocked on my door, but I didn’t open it. Even if they used the duplicate key, they wouldn’t be able to get in.I double-locked it. I just wanted to be alone right now.I wasn’t a suicidal person
"What are we going to talk about?" Ericka asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked nervous, like a guilty child caught red-handed. Well, she should be."Why don't we order first? What do you want?" I asked calmly, trying to ease the tension. She was fidgeting so much she resembled a worm sprinkled with salt.I ordered beef steak, Hawaiian pizza, and fruit cocktail, tapping the items on the iPad menu before handing it back to the waiter. Ericka ordered the same."I-I've got a shoot later. C-Can we hurry? I might get scolded," she said, clearly uneasy. And rightly so."It's Monday, isn't it? If I'm not mistaken, Mondays are your break days since your shoots run from Tuesday to Sunday," I stated matter-of-factly. She swallowed hard and avoided my gaze."You knew he was going to be my husband, didn't you?" I broke the silence.She nodded hesitantly."Why did you do it? We were supposed to be friends. Did you even think about how I would feel?" I asked bitterly. When she didn't respond, I con
Several days have passed since I was discharged from the hospital. Lexus has been quietly taking care of me. As usual, I still haven’t spoken to him. It’s just that my mind hasn’t figured out what to do yet—it’s not that simple.He hasn’t gone to work for days. He said he wanted to take care of me and make up for the past. Meanwhile, I’ve mostly confined myself to my room, hardly stepping outside.I’ve been feeling lazy, preferring to stay in bed all day rather than get up or even take a walk. I’ve lost interest in eating, bathing, talking, or even standing up.My phone rang, but I didn’t answer it because I was too lazy to. It kept ringing until I decided to pick it up because the sound was getting on my nerves.Lexus had changed my ringtone! Instead of LANY’s voice, it was his voice singing. How irritating.“What?!” I snapped at the caller without even checking who it was. I just wasn’t in the mood.“Don’t go anywhere, Celeste. Lock the door and wait for me,” said Kuya Lace on the o
Does he feel something for me? Or is it just an illusion because I’m dizzy?The brothers turned to where I was, but Kuya Lace spoke first, "What?"Lexus exhaled harshly. "She's not hard to love," he continued, but I could see the smile on his lips. However, it didn’t reach his eyes. "She knows what I did on the first night of our marriage..." he trailed off.Liar! You didn’t tell me who! But why did it have to be my one and only friend? Traitors!"The pretending stopped when something happened between us, especially when I saw her trembling with fear. So don't speak like you know. You don't understand how I felt when they forced me to marry a woman I didn’t love. I didn’t want to settle down, you know that, damn it. But when I saw the fear in her eyes, I regretted it. From that moment, I took care of her—not out of pretense but genuinely. Can you blame me? I know I made the wrong decision, but don’t we all make mistakes? I’m trying to make it up to her to correct my mistakes."The tea