64H U G OThe flight was ten freaking hours.And sitting next to Audrey for ten goddamn hours inside a plane isn't doing good to meat all. She keeps complaining about everything around her even if it’s pretty much really petty. It's actually irritating and embarrassing to the cabin crew and the others who are here. She whines that she needs to go to the bathroom all the freaking time and also complains about how unsanitary the lavatory was although I checked it and it was spotless clean. She even mentioned that the smell was too much and it was hurting his nostrils which I think she was overreacting. She says that she needs to pee and I need to accompany her all the time because she doesn't want to go there all by herself. She whines about the foods she orders because she's claiming that she is goddamn hungry then the next second when it's ready, she doesn't want to eat it anymore and I end up eating it. I understand though because she's pregnant but her being pregnant is much worst
64.5M I R A N D A"Oh my God! I love that ring!" Paris exclaims as they examine it. "You are so lucky to have Landon.""Nah." Scarlet disagrees. "I think Landon is too damn lucky to have her.""The diamond's so huge." Dina says.I smile at them, feeling a little embarrass for the words that they are telling me. Actually, wearing this diamond really captures a lot of people’s attention because the diamond is really huge. I don’t even think that this ring suits my face and my hand."Ladies." I almost jumped when I heard that voice.All of us turn around and found Hugo standing right next to us with Audrey on his side. She looks like she doesn't even want to be here and we've talked about her while she wasn't around and now that she is here, we can't. Paris and Scarlet doesn't like her because they both think that she's after Hugo's fame and money.Hugo's eyes glancing at my engagement ring and I didn't move it away to let him have a closer look at it. He quickly recovers and looks back
65M I R A N D AI stand on an empty balcony as I try to process what Paris confessed to me because it was something that is hard to sink in after hearing such revelation. I couldn't stop thinking about it because it is a part of their past and I hate it when I'm too bothered about something that needs to be said but at the same time, I don’t have any right to say this because it happened even before Landon met me.I am stepping boundaries.It actually came from Paris’ mouth that Audrey is using Hugo and has been using Hugo ever since she met her. She used Landon too to get famous but failed with it because Landon was protecting her from all the hates she'll be getting yet it wasn't enough for her because of her selfish desire to be famous. She even used her own best friend to get what she wants and how could a person be that selfish, not even thinking about the other person’s welfare. I don't know if it's true but base from what Audrey did to Landon, I think she is using Hugo even un
65.5H U G O One week ago. New York City.I sat on the couch right across Landon and I have been inside his office, waiting for him to finish his negotiation with his new client in the other room. I glare at my watch the same time he finally steps inside the room and he quickly joins me. He sat on the couch right across me with a folder in his hand and he looked…. calm."I know I promised to meet you at lunch today but I had some meetings to attend to. I am sorry for that." He say."It's alright." I answer."Coffee? Tea? Water?" He offers."No, I'm good." I responded.He nods. "I'm glad you're around New York." He tells me.I nod. I study Landon from where I am sitting down and he looks indisputably calm yet tensed. I could tell he's tensed. I should be the one who should be tensed, I was the one who almost cause him to break up with Rose. I fucked his girlfriend but he's acting like it doesn't bother him."Landon, I know you're mad at me for what I did. Don't stop yourself from hitt
66H U G OHe's sleeping.He's sleeping peacefully.He's beautiful.I can't wait to carry him on my arms.But...I don't feel it.Why do I don't feel it?I don't feel what I felt when I saw Ben.It's not here.I don't feel it.This one is different.I begin to walk back to Audrey's room feeling confused and jaded wondering why the fatherly feeling isn’t here. Now that our baby's out, this goes out all over the tabloids quicker than a second. I guess it's already out on the tabloids and online now and I am sure that everyone wants to know more about the baby right away. God I wish they would all just stop for once in their lives.I stopped as soon as I saw Rose. She is all alone and I had to take the chance to walk up to her and talk to her. I've been wanting to talk to her again the second I saw her getting inside the plane with Landon."Rose." I say.She quickly looks at me over her shoulder and spins around, "Hugo."I smile with tight-lipped. "You're alone?" I ask her as I look aro
66.5M I R A N D AI run to the nearest bathroom and burst into tears as they were falling over my cheeks which were seemingly unstoppable. It hurts so much that I cannot even describe how painful it is. It hurts. It hurts. I really fucking fucking hurts and honestly, I hate this. I really freaking hate this. I hate this so much that I do not even know how to describe it.As much as I held back everything inside that elevator, I know I need to let this one out. I grabbed onto the sink and just cried aloud while my shoulders slumped as if it was the end of the world. I feel my heart is aching so much that I feel it's terribly tingling and throbbing. I know I could not do anything about this one. I can't do something about this because this is what is right. This is the right thing to do, to end this stupidity and to end this selfishness. This is what Hugo wanted to happen and this is what he should have done in the first place, to give up on me.I never thought it'll hurt this much hea
67M I R A N D A"What about this color?" Vivian asks.Vivian keeps flipping through the pages of the booklet."Oh my god this color would be perfect for the bridesmaids." She chimes happily and I swear to God she is too excited and happy for me..She moves her head to my direction, "Don't you think?" She ask."Lavender?" I arch an eyebrow as I stare at the color intently. It is not a bad color but it’s not something I want.Vivian nods at me with a smile."I kind of want it in a shade of baby blue." I continued to say."Baby blue? Or maybe beige. Beige is a little better. It'll make my skin color whiter."I chuckle softly. "You only think about yourself when you pick the bridesmaids' gown's color when you're even my maid of honor.""I just want your wedding to look more lavish than Audrey's!" She exclaims.I smile at her. "I'm not competing against her wedding." I say as a matter-of-fact while I continued, “There is no competition at all. Besides, I want my wedding to be more intimat
68M I R A N D ABen is now stabilized and he is sleeping peacefully on top of his hospital bed. It almost gave me a heart attack when I saw Ben having trouble breathing a while ago and maybe because I knew he has asthma plus his TBI would definitely make it worse even though he has been going through therapy.Landon hasn't left Ben's side and he hasn't talked to me since we got here, even though he keeps holding me tight around his arms. I know he's still bothered about what happened and he is as worried as I am.I grab a chair and sat next to Landon. He looks a little too serious but he smiles at me ruefully as I placed my head over his shoulder. "The doctor said Ben's fine." I say.I hear him sighing heavily. "It's because of me." Landon blames himself."It's not." I tried to get his mind off of it.I know he is blaming himself for what happened but I wouldn't want him to. What happened was an accident and I was careless enough to forget that Ben had TBI."Dosa is made of wheat lik
87 T H E A Sebastian committed suicide. He ended his own life with a gun in his head. No one even knew how he had a gun in the first place and no one had any idea he was going to do that. He was supposed to meet Ben and the others tomorrow for a reunion. He was supposed to live a new life after being sentenced in prison for seven years. He was supposed to live in a tropical place and start a new life for himself. He was supposed to live a life filled with dreams now that he is out in prison. Sebastian was supposed to live. I was supposed to forgive him. The autopsy report stated that it happened around twelve midnight which means just a few hours after he left our home. I have never felt so depressed in my entire life that I wasn't even able to tell him a lot of things that I wanted to say. I didnt know what I was exactly feeling, completely lost in my thoughts and emotions after Sebastian's passing. I knew that there was something wrong in his eyes when he talked to me becaus
86T H E A"How have you been?" He asks.Sebastian wore blue, white and light pink plaided top, a pair of faded jeans and a dirty white sneakers. He looked older than the last time I saw him and his hair has gotten longer too. He looked different, but those eyes still frightens me.Those merciless eyes.I couldn't stare at him longer and I had to look away from his gaze. I clear my throat, "I have been well." I answered."I'm really glad that you are." Sebastian tells me."Um, do you want to drink something Sebastian? Tea?" Ben offers.I quickly held his wrist, stopping him from leaving me alone in here and stared into his eyes as I said to him. "Please don't leave me here."Ben stares intently at me before he turns to Sebastian who speaks, "You dont really have to offer me anything."I bite my inner cheek and breathe in some confidence before I faced Sebastian. "What are you doing here?"Sebastian stares at me eagerly."What do you want?" I asked firmly."I came here to see if you ha
85T H E AI couldn't sleep the entire night as I was bothered about Sebastian's release happening in just a few hours.Thoughts were filling and piling inside my head one over the other and I don't know if this was going to let me sleep at all.So I slipped out of the bed where Ben was sleeping soundly and headed out of bedroom to get myself a glass of wine from downstairs. I hate myself when I turn to alcohol every time my thoughts are fogged up and fucked up. I hate when there are questions left unanswered and my solution is alcohol.I hated it.I hated it so much I hate myself too.I finished two glasses of wine and spent almost thirty minutes just sitting on a chair where I tried to drown and sort my troubled thoughts. I finally pulled myself up and headed back to my bedroom only until I saw Xavier heading out of his room, crying. I rushed to his side and wished that he wouldn't smell the stingy scent of alcohol from my breath."Xavier." I cooed. "What happened?""Mommy I had a n
84T H E A“Why didn’t you tell him?”Benedict's question still lingers in my mind.Why didn't I tell Sebastian back in the day?I have been asking myself that same question over and over again for the past couple of years. I used to tell myself that I wasn't ready and I know I wasn't ready. I lied to myself when I said I was ready to confess to him about our child but I was absentmindedly denying the fact that my mind was filled with so many thoughts as soon as I faced Sebastian.When I saw him, I was reminded of how he raped me mercilessly. When I saw him, I was reminded of how dirty of a woman I was. When I saw him, I was reminded of how I didn't want this baby to be born if only it hadn't been for Ben.Ben has always been my rock and my strength after everything that happened to me. All these years, he accepted me no matter what and I have been beyond blessed to have a man like that in my life.That kind of love and care he showed me is going to be something I didn't want to waste
83T H E AI stare at my own reflection in front of the mirror, I gained weight but I look different compared to the old me a few weeks ago. My eyes travelled down to my baby bump and as I turn to my side, I feel more anxiety building in the back of my head. I am not confident enough that I will be a good mother to this baby once it’s out when I know this baby came from a man who I trusted so much but just raped me. My bump is starting to show now and I know I have a lifelong responsibility waiting ahead of me. I just hope I will be responsible enough.I rub my hand over my small tummy then smiled at myself.“You will be fine.” I told my baby.Ben is here for me and for us. He always has. He made everything feel better. He made me better and happier without asking too much in return. He is a very selfless man and I owe him my life. My everything and all that I have left.I breathe out heavily and tucked my hair behind my ears as I stare at myself wearing this white dress and white ba
82B E N E D I C TShe stands by the balcony sliding door, staring at an empty space wearing my shirt and some pajamas. Standing here afar from Thea, looking at her, I can see and I can feel that her mind is full. It’s full of endless thoughts and worries. I wish I could take some from her restless bothered thoughts and I wish I could help her with what she is going through.Thea is strong but I don’t want her to have another breakdown. I hope I can share the pain and confusions she is going through right now. I wish, at least I could make her happy despite of what has happened lately.But I don’t know what to do as well.I am bothered too, restless, anxious, troubled and angry. I still have this growing hate in me and unwillingness to befriend Sebastian.I hate him.I walk towards Thea and wrapped my arms around her. She didn’t budge but still sets her eyes out the window. “There are no stars tonight.” I say.She sighs heavily.“Aren’t you hungry sweetheart?” I ask.She didn’t answer
81B E N E D I C T“The CEO of Saintclare Enterprises , finally off the market!!”I read mentally the newspaper’s headlines as soon as I got into my office. I scan through the magazines which were also over my desk, and the headlines were also all about me.I sigh. “I knew this was gonna come out first thing in the morning.”The phone on top of my desk rings, I quickly picked it up, “Yes.”“Mr. Saintclare everyone is calling in for an interview with you. They’re all asking if you have any available time.” I can hear telephones ringing from my secretary’s background.“Cancel all interviews. Tell them I have a busy schedule up until next week.” I hung up.Suddenly the phone in my pocket rings. I stare at the screen and it was Mrs. Brown, my PR.I sigh as I answer, “I know what you’re going to say.”“It’s everywhere. My phone has been ringing since six o’clock this morning. I don’t know what to answer them.”“Did you say anything about Thea?”“No. Not unless you tell me to. I’m only wait
80BENEDICTI stare at Thea, and she has been looking out of the window for minutes now. I know she still has a lot of things in mind with what has happened lately and I’m sure she’s tired of thinking about it too. She has talked to Khaleel and I have had talked to him too. Despite her past, we wanted to keep it to ourselves than letting the others know about it. They wouldn’t understand what she went through to survive and it isn’t our story to tell.I have asked myself a couple of times why she had to choose such job but then I didn’t have the courage to ask her. I don’t want her to feel bad about herself and the more I ask about her past, the more she would think it bothers me.Honestly, it has been in the past and we all have had done crazy shit a thing or two. All of us deserves a second chance and women like Thea who strives hard to change herself to become a better woman deserves more than that. I am proud of her and she knows it.A smile creeps on her face as soon as I rubbed
79THEASometimes, in our lives there are instances when you just want to disappear because of awkward situations or embarrassing moments. And right now, that’s what I want to happen. I want to teleport to another place far from here.It feels like everything inside my system malfunctioned and brain feels dead. I have never felt more disgusted of myself and my past than how Sebastian is embarrassing me right now in front of Ben. No one has ever made me feel so little of myself, only Sebastian.This bastard. This one of a hell man. I wish he dies.My tears were just flowing from my closed eyes and I feel this growing pain against my chest. I try to breathe in but the pain grows as I exhale so I remained quiet. I don’t want to face anyone or see how they look at me with disgust and filth. I just want to disappear like one pop of a bubble or run out of this house and never look back.But I cant, I know I have to face them now. I have to face Khaleel. I have to face Benedict even if it’s