FAZER LOGINMAGO’S POV
I dragged my hands down my face, trying to steady the storm building inside me. It didn’t work. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing felt real.
“H-How did this even happen?” My voice came out rough, almost unfamiliar to my own ears. I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t look at either of them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I-I’m sorry,” Aling Naina whispered, her voice already bre
MAGO’S POVI dragged my hands down my face, trying to steady the storm building inside me. It didn’t work. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing felt real.“H-How did this even happen?” My voice came out rough, almost unfamiliar to my own ears. I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t look at either of them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”“I-I’m sorry,” Aling Naina whispered, her voice already breaking. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn’t even try to wipe them away. “I didn’t know how. I was scared, Mago. Scared that if I told you… you’d turn away from me.” She swallowed hard. “And I—I was already content just being near you. Taking care of you… even if you didn’t know I was your mother.”That hit something in me—but not enough to soften what was already burning.“But why?” My vo
ARLENE’S POVDessa opened the door looking like she had been dragged out of sleep, her hair a mess and her eyes barely open. She squinted at me for a second, trying to process why I was standing there at this hour, then stepped aside without a word.I didn’t wait. I walked straight in. “Pack your things. We’re leaving.”That woke her up a little. “Wait—what?” She closed the door behind me, blinking hard as if that would help her understand. “Leaving where?”“My boss called from Singapore,” I said, already pacing, already restless. “The training got moved up. We have to go now.”“Now?” Her voice sharpened, sleep completely gone. “Arlene, it’s barely—” She glanced at the clock. “You’re serious?”“Yes.”She stared at me, searching my face like she was trying to catch the pa
MAGO’S POVI woke up irritated at my cousin. I was already in a foul mood because of my fight with Arlene, and yet I still got kicked out of my own private room again because he brought another woman to the bar. It’s frustrating, but I cannot fully blame him, not after what happened. A man does not simply move on from being abandoned at the altar. Being left by the woman he loved on the day they were supposed to get married broke something in him. Since then, he has been chasing distractions, trying to fill the silence she left behind with anyone who is willing to stay for a night.So here I am, stuck on the sofa in the VIP videoke room while they take over my bed, knowing that in the middle of it all, he is not just being careless. He is still trying to outrun the memory of the woman who left him.“Boss Mago, someone’s looking for you.”Quinn’s knock cut through the dull throb in my head, and I forced myself upright, pressing my fingers against my temples as if I could ease the weight
MAGO’S POVBuying the rose and the jewelry was easy. Both shops were along the way home, almost mocking me with how simple it was to pick objects meant to fix something far more complicated. I climbed the stairs with an unfamiliar urgency, laid everything neatly on the bed, then turned toward the closet.Our clothes were separated. Hers on one side, mine on the other—orderly, distant, just like us.I opened her closet and cursed under my breath. Red everywhere. Dresses, blouses, fabrics that screamed confidence and heat. I rubbed the back of my neck. I would have to go through everything just to find the one dress I had in mind. I thought being romantic was instinctive. Turns out, it’s work. Work I wasn’t used to doing. Maybe that’s why I avoided it. Maybe that’s why I told myself I’d only do this once.I took a deep breath and reached in—Then I saw it.I pulled the box out sl
ARLENE’S POV: Janine was already waiting at the dining table when I arrived, her hands wrapped tightly around a mug that had long gone cold. The moment our eyes met, her shoulders sagged—like she had been bracing herself for me, like she already knew how shattered I was before I even opened my mouth. There was worry in her gaze, thick and unguarded, and I hated myself for bringing it with me again. Still, I couldn’t pretend. Not with her. Not tonight.“Budz.”The word broke out of me before I could stop it. I crossed the room and collapsed into her arms, my body shaking as if it had been holding itself together for too long. “I’m scared.”Her arms closed around me instantly, firm and familiar, the kind of embrace that had carried me through a thousand silent breakdowns. “That’s exactly what Pat and I have been telling you,” she said softly, but her voice cracked anyway. “Budz… you’re tired. You’re bleeding. It’s time to let go.”I pulled back just enough to shake my head, my chest tig
*Arlene's POV*I was too exhausted to move. The weight of my body pressed into the mattress, pulling me down, as if the bed itself were swallowing me whole. Every inch of me ached—not from sickness, but from too many sleepless nights that had blurred into one long, endless fatigue.Mago never chose a time. Sometimes it was early morning, sometimes between work hours. His needs came like clockwork—but one I could never predict. I never refused him. The thought of rejection—the dread that he might find comfort in someone else—kept me still, silent, and obedient.Now, my body was rebelling. The exhaustion pulsed through me like a fever, roaring in my veins, demanding surrender. I couldn’t keep up anymore. So, I called in sick. Let them think it was just fatigue. Just weariness. That was easier to explain than the truth—that I was slowly unraveling.“Arlene?” Nana’s voice cut through the f
I didn’t expect what Mago had in mind—not here, not now—but the adrenaline coursing through my veins made it impossible to resist. After that heated encounter in the office, I kept replaying the moment, wondering when it would happen again. I didn’t imagine it would be this soon—or inside a cabinet
*Arlene’s POV*Mago sat behind his desk, massaging his temple as he read through the financial report I handed him. The tightness in his jaw told me all I needed to know before he even spoke. The numbers were bad, worse than I expected. The newly opened bar across tow
I started moving to the rhythm, letting the beat take me. I moved in sync with the drunk man, encouraging him, letting him believe I was into it. He spun around, laughing, and his hands reached for mine. At first, it felt like a harmless game. I was in control. Or so I thought.The crowd cheered, egg
*MAGO’s POV*It was strange, even unsettling, to find myself talking about my preferences in women with her. I’d never discussed it with anyone before, but something about her drew me in. Her boldness, her determination—it ignited something inside me that I couldn’t deny. If only she wasn’t a virgin,







