Lahat ng Kabanata ng For Better or Buisness: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

ELAINE Words are like barbs. Sometimes you don't know when they sink in and stick. The moment the ladies left the room I got out from where I was hiding and finally let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding. The secrecy from earlier between Nik and Serena and the way they were discussing them gave me an inkling that something was up. The thin lady must be an ex, or someone who was once interested in Nik, in whatever capacity I don't know. I managed to rub my wet hand over my straight hair to make sure that there was no fly always and finally stumbled out of the toilet. Just outside Serena had come to the lounge also, probably looking for me and we almost bumped into each other on my way out. “Babe,” she called out in her soft voice and I managed to croak out a smile. “You look like you have seen a ghost, are you sure you're fine?” She followed her initial question. “Hmn hmm” I nodded rapidly, and made to leave when I noticed that the men had moved to the

ELAINE “What does this even mean?” I sat up angrily and tried to tug off the pillow. “You do not get to come home in bruises and decide when to end a conversation with me. I am your wife!” I yelled and he turned around so that we were looking at each other. “I had an altercation with someone old from the past. I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the best of me, but it did. That’s what happened.” He made to turn again from me and I dragged him back. I wasn’t done with this conversation. His nostrils flared in anger and he hauled me over so that I was lying on him half way. “So who is Don’t pick?” We stared at each other for a second and I could tell when the anger in his eyes turned to desire. “Don’t you dare kiss me. Do not dare, try to have sex with me right now!” I tried to get off but he held me by the hand. “Well, instead of fighting about your insecurities we might as well fuck.” My mouth fell open in shock. He was so cruel, unnecessarily so.

“What happened to your face?” I watched him from my position at the vanity and dropped the under eye cream I was applying unceremoniously so that it was the only sound in the room. I could sense that he was going to shut down before he even did. “Nothing.” He shrugged. My eyes followed him as he pulled off his shirt which looked rough, another indication that he was in a fight or squabble. “Who hit you?” I asked instead. Obviously the black eye and bursted lip was an indication that someone did. “Someone disgruntled I know from the past.” He avoided my gaze as he spoke, and chose instead to begin to undress before going straight into the bathroom. I know that I should leave it but somehow the unnecessary secrecy only served to make me even more worried. I swallowed my next words and completed my night routine. It was usually simple; wear my hair in a silk scarf, because it was better for hair health, cleanse my face after brushing my teeth, and then apply my under eye cream, my

Nik. She was crying. I had sworn over and over never to make her cry, but she was lying right beside me and trying to hide her tears from me and I feel like shit. I don’t even know why I froze when she made her proclamation earlier. It startled me yes, but maybe I could have handled it better than I did. I fisted the sheets hard, trying hard to resist the urge of reaching to her and pulling her back into my arms. I hate seeing her hurt, I hate it even more when I’m a the one hurting her like right now.I lay there for what feels like an eternity until her shoulders stopped shaking and she started sniffing, indicating that the tears were ending before I finally released the sheets. My conclusion was reached far too quick because she just started another bunch of tears. *******I needed to punch something, someone or myself. It also didn’t help that I was working on 3 hours of sleep. I read the document in front of me, focusing solely on the black ink but my mind was replaying

ELAINE. I adjusted the strap of my bikini and stared at the man beside me with pity. “Here” handing him a sunscreen in a stick formula so he could apply over his exposed areas. Today was the only day since we got to South Korea that we were just lounging and resting. Turns out that I’m the partner that likes to explore and cram a thousand activities on vacation, while he is the one who thinks it’s an opportunity to rest and reset in a new location. What’s the point of coming down here if we are not going to explore? So with his one and half leg we had been doing a food tour through South Korea. I am so lucky that this trimester didn’t have nausea in it, and I’ve been able to eat to my satisfaction albeit with my antacid close by because I’ve been having the worst heartburns. I watched him apply the sunscreen grudgingly and my heart swelled in warmth. This semi naked man with ripped chest and abs, tanned skin and a face that could equal a Greek god was mine. I don’t know when