Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ex and Son Beg, But I Never Turn Back: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

Luigi’s POVThe hotel ballroom was noisy, with glasses clinking and the people chatting. At the side of the small stage, I mentally ran over my notes, preparing myself for what I was going to say in the press conference.My company was launching a new wine, a sparkling wine actually, which was new for our brand. In the past, we’d stuck specifically to red wines, but I’d procured a vineyard in the hills of California that grew the perfect grapes for sparkling wine, so I was excited to branch out into that wine genre. The press was there in full force, thanks to my publicist, who had arranged the whole thing. Public speaking wasn’t my favorite thing, and I always got a little nervous speaking in front of a crowd, but I’d rehearsed the speech so I was ready. Adjusted my cufflinks, I took one last deep breath, and approached the podium. Behind me, the table displayed bottles of my brand-new sparkling wine. Elegant bottles made from delicate glass, as delicate as the bubbles in the wine.

Willow’s POVThe world fell away.That’s what it felt like. Time stopped, and the room sort of swayed for a moment. I didn’t even know how I felt as I sat there, staring at the screen.She kissed him. On the lips. In front of all those cameras.“I think I’m going to be sick,” was the first thing that came out of my mouth. My stomach twisted into a knot and I felt bile rise in my throat. It was a strong physical reaction to what I’d just seen. Thankfully though, it passed.And the sick feeling was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.Adonis quickly reached for the remote control and snapped off the TV. Then he turned to me and took both my hands in his. I gripped Adonis’ hands, my knuckles turning as white as my face. Adonis leaned closer, and brushed a stray hair from my face.“I know it looks bad, but you’ve got to trust me. But just breathe. Don’t overreact. He didn’t kiss her back. He pulled away the second…”“All those cameras. They took pictures. They’re going to

Willow's povAdonis and I were sitting on the couch, my hands still clutched in his. We were talking about the fact that I didn’t think I could stay in a relationship with Luigi. It was getting too stressful. He was listening intently, proving to be a valuable sounding board for me as my heart ached.Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.Looking at each other puzzled, I got up to answer it.“Let me talk first. Don’t say anything, just listen.” Luigi help up his hand, his face despondent. Behind me, Adonis rose from the couch.“I have somewhere to be,” he said,quickly grabbing his coat and his wallet. He came towards me and took me by the shoulders. “You text me if you need anything, yes?”I gave him a weak smile and nodded. Then he leaned in close. “Listen to what he has to say. Really listen, Willow. Relationships are complicated, but he’s worth fighting for.”He gave me a little peck on the cheek, nodded at Luigi and left.Luigi was still standing at the door. My eyes fell on his f

Willow’s POVHesitantly, I opened the door for my father.“I’ll put on some coffee,” I said as he walked into the living room. I watched as he glanced around the space.“Is this…your studio? I thought this was your apartment,” he said, a puzzled expression on his face.“It’s both,” I replied as I fetched the coffee grounds and started a pot of coffee. I had no idea what he wanted, or why he was there, but even though our relationship was fractured, he was still my father. So I sat on the couch while the coffee brewed to hear whatever it was that he had to say.He looked very uncomfortable sitting on the couch. “Why don’t you get a proper studio,” he asked me. “This isn’t a very professional setup.”My anger flared. “If you’ve come here to insult me, then you can just leave,” I told him, my tone dry. “This is all I can afford right now. I’m still building my company, and I’m doing it all on my own.”His face dropped and he looked down at his hands. “That’s not what I meant,” he said. “I

Luigi’s POVMy fist pounded on the door to Guilia’s hotel room as hard as my heart pounded in my chest.“Guilia,” I seethed through the door. “I know you’re in there.”My voice was loud, loud enough to draw the attention of the maid down the hall. But I didn’t care. My mother had just informed me that my father was missing. No one had heard from him since last night. He’d gone out to a business dinner but hadn’t returned home. And now his phone was going straight to voice mail and he wasn’t answering his texts.My mother was naturally frantic, unable to hide the panic in her voice. My mother and father had been happily married for thirty years. He had never NOT come home exactly when he said he would. This was entirely out of character for him, hence the panic.I’d calmed my mother down as best I could, got in my car, and told my driver to bring me to the St. Regis, where I knew Guilia had been staying ever since I kicked her out of my house. A small bribe to the hotel receptionist had