Lahat ng Kabanata ng Winning Her Back : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

The sound of his car engine rang through the compound just as Ann wiped the last plate dry.She paused for a second, pressing a hand against the small of her back as another dull ache spread through her body. Her legs throbbed from standing all day. Between working at the company, caring for the house, preparing dinner for the family, and looking after everyone under the same roof, exhaustion had become a permanent companion.She looked down at the slight swell of her stomach and smiled faintly. "I'm trying, little one," she whispered. "Just bear with me."Her first pregnancy had barely allowed her to find herself again before another unexpected pregnancy followed. Since then, every day has become a struggle to catch her breath.Living with her husband's parents made everything harder. His mother expected perfection. His father rarely spoke.His younger siblings left dirty dishes and clothes everywhere, somehow believing she existed solely to clean after them.Yet every morning she wo

The shrill sound of the alarm pierced the silence at exactly five o'clock in the morning. Ann's eyes fluttered open. For a brief second, she forgot everything. Then reality settled over her like a heavy blanket. Olivia and Daniel. The dinner table. The humiliation. The scene played back over her mind that she couldn't help but sigh heavily. She stared at the ceiling, unable to move. The room felt unusually cold. Her body ached from head to toe. Her lower back throbbed, and her feet were still swollen from standing almost the entire previous day. She instinctively placed a hand on her stomach.A gentle kick answered her touch and a faint smile curved her lips. "Good morning, little one," she whispered. "At least you're still reminding me that I'm not alone."She slowly raised herself up from the bed, careful not to wake her other kid, sleeping peacefully beside her. She stared silently at him. He surely had no idea the storm raging inside their home. She was sure he still believed his

The house had finally gone quiet. Daniel stood alone in his study, staring through the large window into the darkness outside. His hands were buried in his pockets as he tightened his jaw. Something in him felt uneasy. Why should it be? He was supposed to be satisfied. This was what he wanted, right? He wanted Ann to understand that he was her husband and he deserves every respect from her. For months, he had watched the woman he married change. The gentle woman who once welcomed him home with a smile had become impatient and distant. Whenever he confronted her, she had an explanation. “Oh, I'm so tired. I'm pregnant. I have work. Your mother needs me. The kid need me.” Always an explanation. Never enough apology, at least in Daniel's eyes. He remembered their argument a few weeks earlier. Amara had returned from work exhausted, only for his mother to ask her to prepare something for a family gathering. "I can't do this tonight," Ann had said. Daniel had immediately defended

Ann closed the bathroom door behind her and leaned against it. For several seconds, she didn't move. She simply stood there, staring at the floor while her fingers remained wrapped around the doorknob.The house was quiet. Too quiet even when she could hear faint voices downstairs. Daniel. Olivia. His parents.She couldn't make out what they were saying, and perhaps it was better that way. Ann slowly walked towards the mirror and stared at the woman staring back at her. The woman looked exhausted. Tired. Struggling. And it seems to her that she was the only one who can see it. Her eyes were swollen from lack of sleep. Her hair was untidy, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. One hand instinctively moved to her stomach.The baby kicked gently prompting a sad smile onto her face. "Good morning, little one." She greeted and rubbed her palm all over her stomach. "At least you don't judge me."A small laugh escaped her lips. But the smile disappeared almost immediately.She turn

Ann woke before the sun had fully risen. She lay still for several minutes, staring at the ceiling while the events of the previous days replayed in her mind. Daniel had changed. Or perhaps she had only started noticing the man he had become.She slowly sat up and wiped the tears that had escaped during the night. She had cried quietly again, making sure Daniel would not hear her. She did not want another argument. She did not want him to accuse her of being dramatic or difficult. She simply wanted peace.When she entered the kitchen, Daniel was already dressed for work. He sat at the dining table, scrolling through his phone. "Good morning," Ann greeted softly.Daniel barely looked up. "Morning."She moved around the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Her movements were slow, and the tiredness on her face was impossible to hide.Daniel's mother, Mrs. Damien entered the dining room shortly afterward. She stopped when she saw Ann and for a moment, she simply watched her daughter-in-law. An