(Red’s POV)“How dare you tell Lucy I’m not returning to work anymore!” She growled, clutching the collar of my shirt.I heaved a sigh, ignoring her anger and taking her hands off me. Her lips trembled as she gripped my shirt, but I was stronger, not caring if she would break the fabric of my clothes. I hissed angrily, grabbing her hands and gripping them hard, but the stoic look on her face told me she would not back away.“I need my job there!” She growled. “I need to earn money.”“You don’t need that job!” I snarled, not realizing I was still gripping her hands hard. “What do you need the money for when I have given you more than you can earn in your lifetime compared to that place.”“I need that job, Red,” she whimpered. “Lucy promised me a promotion after my graduation.”“Isn’t this a promotion already to you?” I gritted my teeth, hating her for crying in front of me. “Have you forgotten, Aya? I married you, remember? Can’t that be a promotion to you? This is your job now. Your l

(Aya’s POV)I picked up the cup and sipped coffee, thinking of Red and me. I honored Red as my husband, and as his wife, I wished to fulfill my duties, make him happy and become a good mother to our children. However, he should have remembered that it was not always about him and that I also had a say in everything involving my life and career.Last night, as I waited for him on the porch, I thought of coming clean, telling him everything from the Gino-to-Ryan story and why I got stuck with him. But when I saw him, the brave Mariel Aida Sophia lost its power to be honest; instead, I escaped from him and went to the kids.“If you see Gino again, what would you do?” Addie asked, stupefying me with her shocking question.My eyebrows knitted, thinking about what I would do if I saw him. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders, not because I did not know the answer but because I was praying not to cross his path again. My cousin knew very well that the reason why my heart was paralyzed,

(Red’s POV)“Ryan Lopez, I’m her boyfriend,” he again said as if the receptionist was deaf.“Ah!” The receptionist’s mouth opened in surprise, nodding at him and then glancing at me.“Is she here?” Ryan knitted his brows when she slowly shook her head. “That’s odd. Aya never absent, unless…” he breathed out as he pressed a number on his phone, calling her. “Did she, by any chance, call Lucy and tell her…”His forehead creased as he looked at the screen, murmuring his worries. I pressed my lips, suppressing a displeased smile, wanting to tell him she would not answer his call because she had turned off her cell phone. I knew her whereabouts because her own bodyguard reported to me where she went, and right now, she had probably shared with Addie and Leslie what had happened between us. My eyelids were half-closed for a second because it would be another topic that Aya would irk about, as she did not know about the security personnel following her discreetly.“She’s not answering,” he

(Aya’s POV)There were two imaginative voices I was hearing. The first one tried to confirm if Red did say he intended to spend the rest of his life with me, and the other validated that he did but for the kids. It could have been romantic, but again, the other voice told me Red would not go overboard for someone like me.It may be hard to explain, but when I said ‘I do’ on our wedding day, I thought of the same thing but we could not be together and live harmoniously if lies kept coming between us. I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking quickly about what to do, and there was only one thing best to do… Telling Red the truth!“Ryan gave me a jewelry set, and I… I lost it. He’s not supposed to be back this year from his business trip, so I thought it would give me time to save money. I’ve been thinking of breaking up with him, but I must return that expensive gift.” I explained and breathed hard before I continued, “But…”He placed his index finger on my lips, stopping me from talking. “Do

(Red’s POV)“You can let go of my hands now, Red, because if you don’t, how can we get inside and cook your dinner request?” Aya chuckled nervously.For some reason I could not understand, I did not want to let go of her hands. My heart was hammering my ribcage, screaming to pull her closer to me and kiss her.“Red…” Her eyes were wide as her voice trailed off after saying my name.“Just a kiss, Aya,” I murmured, thinking I was crazy to ask her.I didn’t need to hear her answer because as soon as our eyes met, I knew she was giving me permission to do it. Just a kiss… a brief one, nothing more, nothing less. I breathed out nervously and lowered my head, unsure why my heart acted strange. It stopped beating when my mouth touched her soft lips, but my heart pounded erratically when Aya parted her lips… to welcome me?I intertwined our fingers to imprison them from touching Aya more, not wanting to misunderstand her and thinking she was giving me the signal that I could deepen our kiss.