Valerie's POVWith my hands tightly wrapped around him firmly and my head on his back, I let the sound of the motorcycle engine drown my thoughts, concerns, and worries.I am also ignoring the suspicion I am having about Ryan lying to me about the kiss. I don't want to think about anything now. I just want to enjoy the evening air brushing past my face and hair.If I wasn't in a sad mood, I would have loved to shout into the air with one of my hands flying around and the other holding onto Ryan as he drives.I don't know where he is driving me to but I don't care. I just want to be far away from that cold room and let my worries go.My father is still in the hospital. I wanted to spend the night with him but my mom insisted on having me gone. From her persistence, I can see how much she wants me and Ryan to work unlike what I told Ryan a few minutes ago.Even with that, I still believe that the person who needs this sort of assurance is his mom, not my mom. My mom is just after the mo
Valerie's POVMy chest feels like exploding as he slams his lips onto mine again, kissing me fiercely with his hands grabbing my hair firmly.He continues to seek entrance until I can no longer hold it in and stick my teeth together. The moment I open up, he kisses the insides of my mouth, then he begins to trace the outline and his hands make their way to my bosom.When he bites me solely at the edge of my lips, I realize what we are doing.It is frustrating how I get to ask myself a lot of questions yet I am unable to find any answers to the questions. Then the next minute, the question will manifest. Something related to the question will happen.Ryan has never looked serious the way he looks right now. Everything about his expression says that he meant what he said but I still can't believe he is kissing me again for the second time in a day.Quickly, I push him away breathing heavily. "What are you doing?!" I yell, trying so hard to control the racing of my heart.A few minutes
Valerie's POVFred and Brenda are the only ones who know that I am a virgin. No one else knows. Not even my mother. Because of the wild parties Brenda and I go to and the fact that I had a boyfriend, she must have assumed that I have lost my virginity.She never asked me but I know that is what she thinks. She is my mother yet she doesn't know a lot about me.If only Mother knows, I will think she told Ryan this behind my back but Mother doesn't know so who did?"You can't have sex with someone you don't love but you never had sex with Fred and you two have been together for years. Don't you love him?""Ho..w..how did you know that?" I find myself stammering as I ask him with intense curiosity."How I know doesn't matter, does it?""It does", I retort back, desperate for him to answer me.Silence ensues, except for the loud beating of my heart which I can hear. I continue to watch him, anticipating the answer to the question I asked him."I will answer you", he drops his hand from hi
Ryan's POVCelina has been blowing my phone up with calls for days. She never had a reason to call me all this while but seeing me again after so many years with a woman I call wife must be so bothersome for her.Valerie does not need to know who she is. Her topic annoys the shit out of me. I wonder how she got my number. She never called me once and then all of a sudden, she starts to call.When she first called and I heard her voice even before she introduced herself, I quickly hung up and I haven't been picking ever since then.This morning when she called, I blocked her from reaching me. She is too annoying and I blame her for Valerie's recent coldness.I have no one to blame. I don't want to believe that my offer is what is making her so cold. So Celina is at fault. It's been days already since I took her to the garden and she has been ignoring me on purpose. She has been spending the night at the hospital with her dad but last night, she came home and slept in her room.I he
Valerie's POVFather is refusing to answer all my questions. I gave him enough time before bombarding him with the questions but his aloofness shows how much he doesn't want to talk about it.Now, I am sure he knows something. I am sure he is either hiding something or he wants to protect Ryan's father just because he is my father-in-law.Just like Ryan said, how can we help him if we don't know what they had in the past?I try to touch him to see if I can persuade him once more when the door opens without a knock.I turn to the door to see Mother come in with a huge smile on her face. "Guess who is here?" She beams in excitement as she stretches her arms toward the ajar door and it reveals Ryan.I don't know if it's from my imagination or if Ryan is really looking upset tonight. His jaws are clenched and he is looking at me with a sort of new gaze that I can't point out.He enters fully and closes the door behind him.I didn't tell him that Father would be discharged today but I gue
Valerie's POVFinding out a huge part of my life like this is something I never want Mother to know about. I never gave it serious thinking. I just assumed she wouldn't mind as long as her goals were achieved.But seeing her mouth still hanging open, I feel ashamed of myself and I wish she didn't get to eavesdrop on my conversation with Ryan.It is embarrassing.It is as embarrassing as letting Ryan know that I am still a virgin, despite all the wild parties and the silly things I have done in the past as well as my strong-headedness."A contract marriage?" She demands again, as though she still can not believe what she clearly heard. Finally, she shuts her mouth while I slouch to the bed with my head lowered down in shame.We shouldn't have done this here. "Valerie, talk to me. What did he mean by a contract marriage? Did you two sign a contract?" She grabs an ottoman and sits on it while she faces me squarely.I guess Ryan was still enraged to even answer yes or no to mom when she
Ryan's POVThe rage that fills me up even after apologizing to her is unexplainable. I can't explain the tightness in my chest and the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.I can't even control my anger anymore as I grit my teeth while sitting down in front of the bar counter downstairs and drinking the combination of wine and whiskey in my glass cup.I wish this never happened. I wish I never told her how I felt, then maybe this wouldn't be happening.She is still in love with him. He is her boyfriend. Or rather he was her boyfriend before I came along.Perhaps, if she didn't get to know about the betrothal, she would have accepted his apology and accepted him back.I guess it's not so easy to get rid of her first love. I guess she misses how he used to kiss her."Shit!" I voice out, slamming my fist on the counter and groaning in pain.I never saw this coming. I didn't mean to be attracted but it just happened. I thought it wasn't a bad thing to be attracted to her since she is
Valerie's POVNetflixing for over two hours with a bowl of tasteless popcorn, I sigh deeply and take the phone and the cone of popcorn away.I am bored despite the movie. I have lost interest in almost everything and nothing seems to kill the boredom.Not even the popcorn.Maybe it's because it is tasteless.I am beginning to feel sick out of boredom. At first, I thought it was because I was in my room so I came over to Ryan's room so I could at least feel his presence but that only worked for a while because I am now dead bored.I need a walk.When I was unmarried and in a relationship with Fred, I barely felt bored but whenever I felt bored, the solution was easy.Fred. Or parties.I miss my old life. Not the relationship lifestyle but the enjoyable moments I had without having a cause to worry about anything.Now, I am not just worried about Ryan and me as well as our relationship but also worried about my Parents.Ryan is too cold for my liking. He is making me wish I never agreed
THIRTY-EIGHT MONTHS LATER Valerie's POV With a frustrated groan, I give up on the dress as I watch myself in the mirror, thinking of what to do about this mess.The seamstress should be blamed for this but I am not in the mood to blame anyone at the moment. What I want and need right now is another dress that fits in and can accommodate me and my big belly.The knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts and the seamstress comes in with another beautiful white dress, making my face light up and my worry vanish into thin air.She smiles back at me when she notices the relief on my face.My makeup is done. My hair is done. My shoe is ready. My jewelry is on. What is left is my white dress.Just then, the door opens again as noises fill the air and Kayla and Kyle stroll in pushing each other playfully. Kayla is dressed in a Floral Bow Tulle Ivory Cap-Sleeve Princess Pleated Ball Gown while Kyle is in an Ink Blue Stanford Suit makes me smile broadly.My wish and that of Ryan came
Valerie's POV His lips capture mine as his hands work on my long hair while I cling to him as close as I can because I can't get enough of him. As he kisses the life out of me, a small groan leaves my mouth and suddenly, he pulls away, making me flutter my eyes open.With a smile, he caresses my face. I concentrate on his expression trying so hard to figure out what he must be thinking.I made us come here for a good reason and I know he is a little sad about it. Today is the final judgment for Mr. Lorenzo, Anita, Brenda, and Celina. Ryan was getting prepared to go to the court when I suggested we take a day trip here. I wanted to see the mountains and more of nature and coming here was the best idea.I didn't want him to go to court to be reminded about the death of his kind Mother. I didn't want to go either because I don't want to feel any iota of sympathy for any of those criminals, especially Brenda.She must have thought she would get out of this because I am Ryan's wife. I g
Ryan's POV The denial and her expression said it all; she doesn't want the baby and it takes me back to my shell of grieving.Hearing about the news of a baby coming made me forget my sorrows for a second and reduced the pain of losing someone who means so much to me.I am not superstitious but it felt as if the baby was going to be a replacement for my dead Mother. Now, my hope has been shattered by Valerie's outburst and confidence about not being pregnant.Her parents were extremely shocked too. It proved to me that I was wrong about her joking over a serious matter like that.I didn't say a word. I just remained quiet till when it was time to discharge her and we came home.It's been days and Valerie isn't saying anything yet about the baby. If she doesn't feel the baby, then am I supposed to wait till her belly begins to protrude before bringing this issue up and resolving it once and for all?The baby is a blessing. Coming to us at this time is a blessing, why then does she ke
Valerie's POV With her beautiful black hair around her shoulder, she smiles down at me, making a cold spine run down my spine.She is dead, isn't she?Then why am I seeing her and why is she smiling at me?Did I do something wrong to her and she is smiling instead of reprimanding me?Am I dead? Why am I seeing a dead woman?Ryan and I were at the graveyard where she was buried. She is dead but I can't seem to remember the last thing that happened before I got here.Is she alive? Is she hiding somewhere just to be safe from that monster she calls a husband?No, I shake my head involuntarily. This can't be. I saw her cold feet and a pale body. She was extremely cold all over and heavy. She is indeed dead.With a low gasp, I try to twirl around so I can flee from the dead but my legs are stuck on the ground. I look down at my feet and they are buried deep in the ground.I almost let out a yelp in fright but she stretches an arm at me, still smiling brightly. "My child."My child?Despit
Ryan's POV Ignoring the emptiness I suddenly felt when her body was lowered feet down the ground, I glanced away to stop myself from breaking down but it was impossible because the action alone hit me hard.She is gone. Never to be seen again.I want to break down now but I can not. I am a man. I have a wife who is looking up to me. The way Valerie reacted to her death was shocking and I have to control myself so she doesn't end up crying again.But I can't hold it back.How can I when this woman meant so much to me? Is it the pain of losing her when I least expected it? Or the pain of thinking about the people who killed her?Maybe if it had been a natural death, I wouldn't be in so much anguish. Maybe if it weren't planned by the people I know, I wouldn't be hurt this way.Why her? Why Mother?Everybody loved her. She was a great woman. She was wealthy but no one knew she was because her husband was handling everything except, of course, her supermarket which is now closed down.Lo
Valerie's POV Moodiness and lack of appetite are now Ryan's favorite pastime. He barely spoke a word to me last night after we left the police station without seeing the Commissioner who had already left before we got there.We couldn't see the suspects either and we had to sleep in a hotel nearby.I was able to catch some sleep but Ryan could barely sleep a wink. I feel his pain and I hope he gets over this soonest.He almost left me still sleeping in our hotel room this morning so he could come to the police station without me. The running sound of the shower woke me up and I jumped down from the bed.I ended up not taking a shower because he was in a rush to come here.Now that we are here, we are still yet to see Mr. Lewis and I wonder what exactly is going on. I had to excuse myself to come to get us some coffee as breakfast before he comes.As soon as I pay the cafe man, I hold the two cups of coffee in my hand and turn round to take the door out when I bump into a hard wall,
Ryan's POV HE IS NOT YOUR FATHER, RYAN! I LIED.These were her first words to me. If only I was there before the last moment, I would have heard her say them to me herself instead of writing them down.I wanted so desperately to hear the whole truth from her but I wanted to give it time. I wanted it to be the right time to ask so she wouldn't give me an excuse not to talk about it but now she is gone.I will never hear her talk to me again.I REGRET LYING TO YOU, SON. IT WAS NOT IN MY INTENTION TO DO THAT BECAUSE I THOUGHT HE WAS WORTH IT. APPARENTLY, HE ISN'T WORTH IT.I THOUGHT I COULD CHANGE HIM. I THOUGHT I WAS DOING A GREAT JOB CHANGING HIM FROM THE MAN HE USED TO BE BUT NOW THAT IT IS TOO LATE, I REALIZE HOW MUCH DAMAGE I HAVE CAUSED TO YOU AND MYSELF.YOUR BIOLOGICAL FATHER DIED A MONTH BEFORE YOU CAME TO THE WORLD. DAVIS STOOD BESIDE ME AND HE WAS LIKE A FATHER FIGURE. I NEVER KNEW HE HAD ULTERIOR MOTIVES.I REGRET HAVING YOU USE HIS SURNAME INSTEAD OF DARCEL'S NAME. I REGRET
Valerie's POV The sight of her cold feet almost sends me spiraling to the floor as I let out a loud gasp with my hands flying to my mouth.She is no longer the woman I came here to visit yesterday. She is pale white and gone.This is when it suddenly dawns on me.When I heard Celina telling Ryan over the phone that his Mother was dead, I almost laughed out loud because I wasn't shocked like Ryan was. It felt like a joke.How could she be dead? We saw her yesterday, she was getting better than ever before, then how could she be dead today?The added information about the attack on the hospital is enough to make me believe as well as the sight before me.She didn't die a natural death. She didn't die due to complications from the surgery. She didn't die as a result of the fake cancer diagnosis. She was killed.I begin to go down slowly as I continue to watch her from where I stand. The sight of her feet is doing unimaginable things to my reasoning.She shouldn't be dead. That bastard
Ryan's POVShe is gulping down the whole content of the wine and looking away to make me think she wasn't staring at me peeling off the baggy shirt and trouser she gave to me on behalf of her dad.All of a sudden, I feel like taunting her a little about it. This is definitely not the first time she is seeing me naked, so why is she uncomfortable with it?Well, maybe it's because it's the second time. We have had sex only once and that was the first time she saw my nudity and also the first time I saw the beauty beneath her clothes.I know this is definitely not the right time for this but I can't help it. Coming here was the right decision and I feel more than relieved to have gotten help from Mr. Lewis."Hey", she shoots to her feet abruptly as I approach her and she begins to walk to the door, hiding her face from looking down at my naked body.Laugh erupts from my stomach, not at her action but at the fact that the door is locked and the keys are with me.There is no escape route.