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Lahat ng Kabanata ng When Warmth Rose: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

I, May Stewart, had just welcomed a baby girl into the world.Everyone showered me with congratulations, but they had no idea what I was going through. I was in agony.My breasts were painfully congested, the milk refusing to flow properly.Each nursing session left me trembling with pain, sometimes drawing blood.When my best friend found out, she hooked me up with a postpartum care specialist."Very skilled," she assured me, "with a steady hand and loads of experience."She texted me his details, and I did not waste a second before booking a home visit.I was desperate; the throbbing pain nearly drove me insane.Two days later, the postpartum care specialist was due to arrive.I had set the appointment for 3 p.m., and right on the dot, the doorbell chimed.Opening the door, I was taken aback: the postpartum care specialist was a guy.He looked to be in his thirties, clean-cut and easy on the eyes, dressed in crisp white linen, way younger than I had pictured.A wave of do

Chapter 2

Lying there, fully dressed but face-up in front of a guy I barely knew, I could not help feeling jittery.My hands clung to the couch like they were the only things keeping me grounded.Howard caught on to my jitters and chuckled softly. "Just relax, ma'am. You can lift up your shirt now."I nodded, bit down on my lip, and with a blush creeping up my cheeks, I pulled up my shirt just enough to bare my chest.Howard gave a nod, his eyes locked on my chest with a look of pure wonder, as if he had just spotted the most incredible gem in the world.I was well aware of my chest's appeal, and having a kid seemed to have only enhanced it.However, Howard was not exactly subtle about it, and I felt like I was on display, like a fish laid out for inspection.The thought made my cheeks heat up, and I shifted a bit, murmuring, "Mr. Jones, can we start now…?"Howard came back to earth with a soft smile."Absolutely, you look stunning."The way he said it was kind of double-edged, and I w

Chapter 3

Howard's touch became lighter, soothing my nerves and lulling me into a near-sleep state. "We're all done, ma'am," he announced, just as I was on the edge of dozing off.I sat up quickly, removing my eye mask in surprise. "Finished already?" I asked, a little disappointed that the session had ended so soon.I glanced up to see Howard cleaning his hands with a damp cloth, noticing a smear of massage lotion. I looked away, my face heating up at the sight.Howard remained unfazed, his expression unreadable. "Yes, this session should help you feel better. If you'd like to continue with the messages, just message me to set up another appointment," he said, packing his things to leave.I sprang to my feet, ready to walk Howard out, but something about his look just did not sit right with me.My shirt was still halfway up.Then, out of nowhere, the door rattled.I jumped, almost forgetting I had a husband in the picture.If he walked in on another guy and me, my shirt half-off and all

Chapter 4

My husband even said that next time I hire a guy for the job, I should have someone with me–just to be safe.I nodded but did not really worry about it.Howard was all about the rules. His hands stayed put, and man, he knew his stuff.After his massage, I felt way better.However, that nagging pain crept back before too long; the fix was not a full one.My husband had just left on a trip, and I thought about waiting for him to come back before calling Howard again, but I could not handle the constant ache.With that, I rang up my best friend to come over.She was all in, but when the day came, she bailed."Hey, just kick back and enjoy!" she said jokingly over the phone. "Trust me, Howard's got magic hands. He'll take good care of you..."When the convo took a turn for the too-much-info, I just hung up.While I was on the phone, Howard was right there, waiting.Noticing my discomfort, Howard gave me a knowing smile and said, "Ma'am, you can relax. When it comes to my work, i

Chapter 5

Howard must have seen how much I was struggling because he leaned in and asked again, his voice a soft murmur.My mind was foggy, and before I could even think, my ear suddenly felt damp.He was licking it!I realized how awkward this was and wanted it to stop.However, my body felt so weak, like all my strength had melted away.Howard's touch moved from my ear, trailing slowly downward.His hands were not content just to linger at my chest and started to slide lower.I was getting lost in the pleasure, telling myself to just let go for once.Howard was good at this–really good. His hands alone were enough to send me soaring.Then, out of nowhere, he stopped. I pulled off my eye mask and saw him undressing.I was embarrassed, knowing that was not right, but my body was telling a different story.He looked down at me with a gentle smile, his good looks sending my heart into a flutter."Ma'am, is this okay?" he asked.I mentally kicked myself. Even then, he was asking for pe

Chapter 6

They were laughing and goofing around, and he had a look of love and tenderness I had not seen in forever.I just stood there, watching them walk away together, feeling that sour twist in my heart.This was the man I had loved for a decade, the father of my child.All the love I poured into him was worth nothing after all.My eyes started to blur with tears when I heard a voice I recognized."Ma'am, do you... need any help?"I turned to see Howard, standing a little ways off with a couple of grocery bags in hand.He looked surprised to see my eyes all red but kindly offered me a tissue."Take this."I was too out of it to do much but gesture 'no thanks' and head for my car.However, Howard caught my arm, his eyes full of a concern I could not quite read. "Let me drive you home."His face said it all, and my heart sank with disappointment.Even strangers offer a shoulder to lean on, but the one person who should have been my rock had turned his back on me.I used to beat my

Chapter 7

Howard sounded a bit taken aback on the phone, but he agreed to come, mindful of how I was feeling.After we hung up, I went ahead and took down the living room camera.By the time Howard arrived, night had fallen.He had that worried look on his face, and seeing that I was not in the mood for chit-chat, he kept quiet.He started getting things ready on the couch like he always did."Not here today, let's go to bed," I said calmly, not bothering to catch his reaction, and headed for the bedroom.Howard paused, but he followed me in nonetheless.He did not bother with the massage oil this time. As his hands gently roamed across my chest, I did not hold back my longing.It was just over an hour before Howard, flushed and breathless from my responses, started to pack up. "You're looking a lot better. Maybe we can cut back on these sessions..."I did not let him finish. I stood up and silenced him with my mouth.Howard jumped, his hands reaching out to push me away before he real

Chapter 8

My husband froze for a second, looking rattled, but shook it off fast.He shot me a sly grin. "How'd you guess I got you a present?" he said, eyeing me like he was trying to read my mind.I just smirked. If he was not ready to spill, I would wait for the truth to bust out.I had given him his shot. If he had come clean, we could have split nice and easy. After lying to my face, though? No more second-guessing.While he was at work, I planted the spy cams I had snagged earlier, hiding them in the living room and bedroom. No proof yet? I would make my own. I needed solid ammo for the showdown over our stuff and our kid.I had arranged for my best friend to drop by over the weekend, and I had a small gift waiting for her."May, you're the best!" She squealed on the phone. I had to laugh. Was she jazzed about the gift, or just psyched to see her guy?Come Saturday, my husband had a day off, and my 'best friend' showed up right on time. I had stocked up on wine and whipped up a feast

Chapter 9

As my husband absentmindedly ran his fingers through the hair of my so-called 'best friend', his brow was furrowed with worry. "I still haven't caught her cheating, and with the cameras down, it's going to be really tough…""Chill out."She was not sweating it, soothing him with confidence, "Howard's pocketed my cash, and he'll deliver. We just gotta hang tight."That was when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Howard was their pawn all along!They set him up to trip me up...It all made sense then, why my husband was always nudging me to get Howard's 'care.' They were playing me like a game of chess.A part of me was relieved that I had not slipped up those other times.However, something did not add up. Why had Howard not spilled the beans about us to them?By their playbook, they should have been clued in by then.The only thing that made sense? Howard kept our secret.He kept our thing under wraps.Just like that, I felt nothing. No matter his game, I was not about to be an

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