"GOOD morning."I stopped pouring coffee into my mug when I heard that familiar voice. I turned my head and saw Gideon at the entrance of the kitchen. He was still wearing the clothes from last night. His white shirt was slightly crinkled from sleeping. His hair was slightly disheveled. There was a five o'clock shadow on his face. "G-Good morning." Damn. It was the first time I heard that from him. Everything he had been doing since he woke up from the accident was making me jump. He was still asleep when I left him in the bedroom. "I smelled coffee…" He smiled as he maneuvered his wheelchair towards me. I cleared my throat. I don't think I could get used to him smiling. "Do you want some?" "Yes, please. The same as yours."I blinked. Even his preference for coffee had changed. I remembered he liked his coffee black. "Are you sure? You wanted your coffee black, Gideon."He glanced at my cup before looking back at me. "I wanted it just like yours.""Fine." I shrugged before ma

I STIFFENED. "Why did you ask?" I asked, trying to avoid his gaze. My eyes fell on the maroon tie I was putting on his collar."I remembered what he told me when we had dinner. You two were friends even before we met. So how long have you been friends? Did he introduce us to each other?" "No." I refrained myself from taking a sharp breath. Damn. I wanted to slap the truth in his face right now. "But we've been friends for a couple of months before we met.""When did you meet?" "In the New York Public Library." I noticed my hand was a little trembling as I continued to fix his tie."Why are you asking, Gideon?" Why was he suddenly asking me things?I tilted my head. I was welcomed by his blue eyes. "You're my wife. I wanted to know more about you," he smiled.I raised my brow and didn't comment. "You're done." I dismissed him instead. I straightened my back and stepped away from him. "Just fix your hair and you're ready to go."I went behind him and pushed his wheelchair in front o

"CALM down, Bianca…" I whispered to myself as another thunder reached my ears. It was already midnight. I was curled up here in the nook of the kitchen tiled floor. My head was buried in the hollow between my knees, my hands covering both my ears. I woke up in the middle of the night with a strong thunderstorm hitting Pasadena. "It'll pass. It'll pass…" I continuously muttered to myself, my lips slightly quivering in cold. I could hear the heavy downpour of the rain outside. It was like the sky had gotten furious and decided to punish everything beneath him. "Bianca…?" I didn't know how long I was there in the dark when I heard a familiar voice. "Bianca?" I shut my eyes as the kitchen light blinded me. "What are you doing there, Bianca?" It took me a moment before I looked at him. Gideon… in his wheelchair was in front of me. His hair was a mess, his eyes a little slanted for waking up in an ungodly hour, his thick eyebrows in a deep furrow. "I woke up without you beside me

"ARE we celebrating something?" Hanna asked when she noticed the food in front of us. She then turned to me.I dragged her to the kitchen to let her taste the food I cooked this afternoon. I shook my head as I looked at the plate of truffle mushroom pasta on the table."Nah. I just wanted to cook." The truth is, I was kind of nervous with my job interview scheduled for the next day. So I distracted myself by cooking one of my favorite pasta dishes. It was a habit of mine--cooking whenever I'm feeling nervous.Two days ago, I walked past a local bookstore on the next street. I saw they were looking for a part-time staff so I tried to apply for the job. This morning, they called me to inform me that I had an interview with the owner tomorrow. "Hmm… or maybe this is for Gideon?" Hanna gave me a teasing smile. I frowned. "This is not for him. It was very obvious that there's no love between us, Hanna. This whole marriage was a mistake."This was the first time I opened up to Hanna abo

"I MISSED you, Bianca!" Helen said as she pulled me in for a hug. I smiled as I inhaled her familiar scent. Damn. It's been two years since we last saw each other. "I couldn't believe you're here." An hour ago, she surprised me by calling and saying she was already boarding at Burbank Airport. "I told you. One of these days, I'm going to visit and here I am now!" She pulled away and grinned at me. "I'm happy you're here, Helen." I gave her a grateful smile as I stared at her. We had lived together in college for four years. She's the closest friend I've got. Seeing her right now, in front of me, was making my heart warm. Finally, after living in a strange place for almost a year, a familiar face showed up to me. "Me, too. Damn. I missed you." She pursed her red-painted lips as she motioned for the small luggage beside her. "I'll only stay here for a night, though. I can't leave Andrea for long." "How's Andrea?" I asked her as we walked to my car. "She's already in rem