12: Little Sacrifices Pt.2"I don't want my life to always be in turmoil, Red. I want to be at peace. You understand what I mean, right?" I avoided his gaze, afraid that he might see all the things I've been hiding. My heart is breaking. Red will always be someone who can calm me down. His mere presence can make me feel at ease. I want to be with him. But if him being close to me means losing my daughter, I am willing to make small sacrifices to keep Melody with me. I can't afford to lose her. It would destroy me, for sure."Am I the one causing chaos in your life, Symphony? Isn't it Wesley who hurts you? I'm here to save you from your demon of a husband. Do you think what I'm doing is just causing trouble?" He sounded offended and frustrated, but I kept going."But I never asked you to save me! I'm fine! Everything's well, Red! Just... just please, stay away from... me..."I tried so hard not to shed tears in front of him. I didn't want to give him another reason to think I needed hi

13: Story’s Other Side Pt.2I questioningly looked at him.What's with my father? What does he know?Those were the questions that I wanted to ask him, but there's something about the atmosphere that's keeping me frozen in my position.His mocking grin grew wider. "Come to think of it, Floresca. If you pull me down, your friend will get involved. Is that what you want?" Soffi remained silent, allowing Wesley's smirk to linger."Stop it, Wesley. We're leaving," I said, taking hold of Soffi's hand. When I looked at her, her face was almost contorted as she stared sharply at Wesley."If that woman keeps on provoking me, I can do anything I want right here and right now. Have you forgotten that you're in my territory? And aren't you and your self-righteous friend the ones who came storming in here?" he threatened. I gently pulled Soffi behind me. No, Wesley. You can't touch any of my loved ones. I won't let you harm them.But Soffi became more aggressive and yelled, "You fucking asshole!

14: Caged Pt.1SYMPHONYIt felt like I suddenly went deaf because of what he said. My brain tried to process what I heard, and I found myself struggling to catch my breath. "W-What?" Amidst the chaos in my mind, those were the only words that came out of my mouth."I know you heard it clearly, Symphony," he hissed.I suddenly became alarmed as I fully realized the meaning behind his words."N-No... Melody will stay with me, Wesley! You have no right to make decisions for my daughter!" I started to get hysterical. The thought of my daughter living away from me was driving me to the brink of insanity. "It's not possible, Wesley! I am Melody's mother. I have more rights to my child! I am the one who gave birth to her and raised her! What gives you the right to make arbitrary decisions?!"I slapped his shoulder multiple times. I tried pushing him away from me. I needed to get out of here. I needed to go and get Melody from Wesley's mother. There's no way I would let them take away my daug

14: Caged Pt.3I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by complete darkness. I immediately panicked. I sat up abruptly and strained to see my surroundings. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized that I was in my own room.I stood up and headed towards the light switch. As the room brightened, I quickly scanned my surroundings. The wall clock indicated that it was ten minutes to 4 am. I sighed. What happened to me?I tried to recall what had happened earlier, but I couldn't remember. I winced as I felt the pain at the back of my head. Oh, right. I got this when my head hit the wall after Wesley pushed me onto the sofa.The sudden thought of Wesley made me remember exactly what had happened last night. I quickly left the room and looked downstairs. I groaned when I saw numerous men guarding the house. They were stationed in almost every corner. He's really serious about keeping me here, huh?I glanced at Wesley's room. I walked slowly towards it, examining if he was there. When I turne

15: Love is Not Dead Pt.2RED"Why don't you focus more on your studies, Reagan? Why do you prioritize playing music over studying diligently?" My mother lectured me while I kept my head down. I wanted to explain to her that music was an integral part of my life. That it wouldn't leave my system, but I didn't want her to get even angrier with me. I didn't want her to be mad at me."Didn't I tell you that you need to study hard? You need to finish your education. You need to become a professional engineer so that your father's new family won't look down on us anymore. Reagan, do you understand me, son?"I clenched my hands when I heard her mention my father. I knew that she wanted me to finish my studies and become a professional just to prove to my father that she could provide for me good education even though he left us for his new family.It hadn't been easy for my mother to support my education up to college. Ever since my father left, my mother had worked tirelessly just to provi