Novels by INKOFTHEFOX

I punched the wall in front of me. I won't marry that girl. I’m still enjoying my life, damn it! Fuck! Celeste Hara, huh? Her name sounds familiar to me. I hurriedly left the room without glancing or saying anything at Ericka. Why should I? She’s just nothing compared to Celes, her bestfriend. I drove my Mercedes Benz until I reach our house. I goddamn need to talk to my Father. I need to stop him! “Oh, umuwi ka?” he sarcastically said. My jaw clenched. “I don’t want YET to get married.” He made a face. “Hindi ka na bumabata pa. You need to settle down, son.” “Oh, tapos?” “That girl needs help and marrying her can save her from death.” I remained my face emotionless. “Why me? I’m not the only man in this world who can help her.” I don’t even know her, so wh

Nakaupo ako sa kama nang biglang sumulpot sa harapan ko si Lexus na halos wala ng saplot! “The fuck are you doing?” I asked when he started grinning. Napatingin ako at sa katawan niya hindi ko maiwasang mapalunok! Apat na taon. Apat na taon. Ilang sandali pa ay bigla siyang kumanta ng The Eve by EXO na siyang ikina-awang ng labi ko. Oh My God! Umarko ang katawan niya sa harapan ko at nagsimulang gumiling. Halos manginig ang buong katawan ko sa gulat. Nalaglag ko pa ang panga ko. Si Lexus? A Billionaire? Gumigiling sa harapan ko? He rolled his arms on the air habang tumataas-baba ang dibdib niya. Ilang saglit pa ay nasa harapan ko na siya. Nakaupo lang ako roon, hindi pa rin nagsi-sink in sa utak ko ang nangyayari. Isa pa, putang ina. Exo songs, huh? Imbis na mahiya sa akin ay itinaas niya lang ang kamay niyang hanggang sa ul

“Mommy will it fit me?” she asked while holding the Barbie designed pink backless dress I picked for her. “Let's see, baby.” Pumasok kami sa fitting room at pinasuot sa kaniya iyon. Nang maisuot ay dali-dali siyang lumabas at nag-pose sa harapan ni Lexus. “Daddy, am I beautiful?” Ngumiti ito ng pagkatamis-tamis. Napa-ikot ako ng mata. Malamang! Galing siya sa akin, eh kaya maganda siya. “Of course, my princess.” Ngumiti pa si Lexus. “More than mommy?” pang-aasar pa ng anak ko. Sumasakit ulo ko, ah! “You are both beautiful, period.” Natawa ako sa sagot niya. Pagkatapos naming pumili ng damit niya ay pumunta kami sa may toy section. Hawak-hawak ko si Lexi habang hawak naman ni Lexus ang push cart habang nakaakbay sa akin. Kung titignan mo ay para kaming

“Binugbog nila ako. Hindi pinakain at palaging pinapahirapan pero tiniis ko lahat ng iyon kaysa naman ikaw ang masaktan. Gustong-gusto na kitang makita pero hindi pwede kasi papatayin ka nila. Nang malamang nakauwi ka na galing sa hospital, napanatag ako kasi alam kong poprotektahan ka ng mga magulang mo. Saka lang ako pinayagan na lumabas ng selda para papirmahin ka. Kaya pala nila ako dinakip ay dahil hindi mo napirmahan ang annulment natin. Nang makita kong maayos na ang kalagayan mo ay nakahinga ako nang maluwang. Sabi ko sa sarili ko,sawakas magiging malaya ka na, asawa ko. Sobrang sakit, sobrang sakit sa- sa akin na makita kang pinipirmahan iyon pero wala akong magagawa dahil nasa likod ko ang mga tauhan nila. Pinilit nilang isama sa akin si Ericka para raw mas lalo kang masaktan. Nang umalis ka ay saka lang nila ako pinakawalan. Hindi ako makatulog sa kakaisip sa iyo, Celeste. Hindi ako makakain ng maayos dahil inaalala ko kung okay ka lang ba? Kung kamusta na kayo ni baby? A

“Gising ka na,” mahinang sabi ko na tila hindi makapaniwala. Napatitig ako sa mukha niya. Walang nagbago, guwapo pa rin sa paningin ko iyon nga lang ay medyo pumayat siya ng kaunti. Siguro dahil na rin sa ilang buwan niyang pamamalagi sa hospital na tanging dextrose lang ang nagpapalakas sa kaniya at ibang mga gamot. “Yeah, kanina pa.” He smiled weakly bago inalalayan si Lexi pababa ng kama. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko, baka mabinat siya! Pero imbis na sawayin siya ay nanatili na lang akong tahimik. I don't know how to open a conversation between us. “I want to cry, Celeste,” kagat-labing sabi niya kaya napaiwas ako ng tingin. Bakit naman gusto niyang umiyak? Dramahan na naman ba kami rito? Tumakbo papalapit sa akin ang anak ko at saka ako hinalikan sa labi. “Mommy, I’m so happy! Papa God heard my wishes! He granted it! I’m so happy! I want to cry!” masaya nitong sabi haban

"Are you ready?" tanong ko kay Lexi habang hawak-hawak ang kamay niya. Nauna kaming umuwi ni Lexi nang malaman ko ang nangyari kay Lexus. Hindi ko kasi maiwasang mag-alala. Kahit papaano ay may pinagsamahan pa rin naman kami. At tatay siya ng anak ko. Next week pa uuwi sina mommy. Nag-commercial flight na lang kami dahil sa pagmamadali. Nang makarating kaming NAIA ay nasa waiting area na sila Kuya Lace at Loreen. Sila ang nagpresintang sumundo sa amin kaya sino ako para tumanggi?. Buhat-buhat ko si Lexi habang hawak ko ang maleta namin. Kumaway-kaway sila kaya napangiti ako. Na-miss ko sila, sobra-sobra. "Mommy are they my Daddy's siblings?" nagniningning ang matang tanong niya kaya tumango ako. Tinapik niya ang kamay ko para bumababa na at saka tumakbo papunta kina Kuya Lace. "Hey! Look on your way, Lexi!" sigaw ko dahil nababangga siya ng mga ta

"Let's talk," he said as we stood by the pool. It was scorching hot inside since the air conditioning had broken down. The poolside was a much better place—cool and refreshing.I cradled my growing belly. My baby is almost two months old now, and I couldn’t wait to meet them. Every morning felt like my stomach was being churned, and I was so sensitive to smells that I’d feel nauseous out of nowhere.And… I hated vegetables! My favorite cravings were french fries, or sometimes bananas."What do you want to talk about?" I asked, dipping a french fry into ketchup before popping it into my mouth.Mmm, delicious!"About us," he said seriously."Oh?" I set down the bowl of fries and faced him."I want to say sorry," he began, and I avoided his gaze. It still hurts, though not as much as before. "For everything I’ve done, for all the wrong decisions I made. I’m sorry for hurting you. I can’t even forgive myself. Seeing you covered in blood... It drove me insane."And it’s all my fault—" I c

It took four days before I was discharged from the hospital. They said they needed to monitor the baby more closely, so from now on, I have to be extra careful.I looked at the scar on my wrist, which Lexus had taken care of for me.I was really stupid. Doc Sanchez said to "always think positive," especially when you're pregnant because everything is more sensitive.The baby’s attachment to me is still weak since it's just forming, so I really need to be careful.The doctors gave us so many instructions, and my husband? He didn’t even let me walk on my own—he carried me! He said he didn’t want me to get tired.He doesn’t stress me out anymore, either. He gives me everything I ask for. Well, that’s good. I feel like a princess now, with an instant assistant who’s also my husband.“Buy me bananas!” I shouted at Lexus, even though he was just in front of me. He was busy with his phone, tapping away, which was starting to annoy me because he was too focused on it.He finally looked up. “W

“She came back! With my baby!” Kuya Lace exclaimed joyfully.“How is she?” Lexus asked while the little girl, who looked about six years old, smiled up at me.“She’s fine and she’s mine,” Kuya Lace replied with a grin.“Mommy doesn’t suit you, Dy!” the child pouted.The two of them laughed. Once again, they were talking as if I wasn’t even there. I skipped breakfast and went straight to my room, locking the door behind me.I felt invisible earlier. When Lexus saw the two of them, it was like I didn’t exist. I stared at the ceiling, feeling completely alone.My mom and dad weren’t by my side.Ericka betrayed me.And Lexus? He was downstairs.My thoughts were swirling. My mind was in chaos. I felt like I was all alone in the world. Being sad was exhausting. Didn’t I deserve to be happy?Someone knocked on my door, but I didn’t open it. Even if they used the duplicate key, they wouldn’t be able to get in.I double-locked it. I just wanted to be alone right now.I wasn’t a suicidal person

"What are we going to talk about?" Ericka asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked nervous, like a guilty child caught red-handed. Well, she should be."Why don't we order first? What do you want?" I asked calmly, trying to ease the tension. She was fidgeting so much she resembled a worm sprinkled with salt.I ordered beef steak, Hawaiian pizza, and fruit cocktail, tapping the items on the iPad menu before handing it back to the waiter. Ericka ordered the same."I-I've got a shoot later. C-Can we hurry? I might get scolded," she said, clearly uneasy. And rightly so."It's Monday, isn't it? If I'm not mistaken, Mondays are your break days since your shoots run from Tuesday to Sunday," I stated matter-of-factly. She swallowed hard and avoided my gaze."You knew he was going to be my husband, didn't you?" I broke the silence.She nodded hesitantly."Why did you do it? We were supposed to be friends. Did you even think about how I would feel?" I asked bitterly. When she didn't respond, I con

Several days have passed since I was discharged from the hospital. Lexus has been quietly taking care of me. As usual, I still haven’t spoken to him. It’s just that my mind hasn’t figured out what to do yet—it’s not that simple.He hasn’t gone to work for days. He said he wanted to take care of me and make up for the past. Meanwhile, I’ve mostly confined myself to my room, hardly stepping outside.I’ve been feeling lazy, preferring to stay in bed all day rather than get up or even take a walk. I’ve lost interest in eating, bathing, talking, or even standing up.My phone rang, but I didn’t answer it because I was too lazy to. It kept ringing until I decided to pick it up because the sound was getting on my nerves.Lexus had changed my ringtone! Instead of LANY’s voice, it was his voice singing. How irritating.“What?!” I snapped at the caller without even checking who it was. I just wasn’t in the mood.“Don’t go anywhere, Celeste. Lock the door and wait for me,” said Kuya Lace on the o

Does he feel something for me? Or is it just an illusion because I’m dizzy?The brothers turned to where I was, but Kuya Lace spoke first, "What?"Lexus exhaled harshly. "She's not hard to love," he continued, but I could see the smile on his lips. However, it didn’t reach his eyes. "She knows what I did on the first night of our marriage..." he trailed off.Liar! You didn’t tell me who! But why did it have to be my one and only friend? Traitors!"The pretending stopped when something happened between us, especially when I saw her trembling with fear. So don't speak like you know. You don't understand how I felt when they forced me to marry a woman I didn’t love. I didn’t want to settle down, you know that, damn it. But when I saw the fear in her eyes, I regretted it. From that moment, I took care of her—not out of pretense but genuinely. Can you blame me? I know I made the wrong decision, but don’t we all make mistakes? I’m trying to make it up to her to correct my mistakes."The tea