Ethan I was sitting on the bed, patiently waiting for Reina to come in here. My face was filled with so much desperation that anyone who comes in now would be able to see it. “Reina, thank God you’re here,” I said with my voice partially strained. “We need to talk.” *** The silence in the house was suffocating every bit of me. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone, waiting for Reina to come home. Every second that passed felt like eternity. The worst part of it was that she was not responding to her messages. My hands trembled as I sat down there and waited for her. I had been trying my best to get things back on track. I had also been trying to fix everything between us. But every time I thought we were okay, something else came up and scattered all our plans. Reina had gone out to meet Laura, and that was fine. I didn't have any problem with that. In fact, I endorse every bit of it. I was not selfish. I wanted her to have a break and enjoy herself. But a
ReinaPeace. Is that too much to ask for? After everything that had happened , I just wanted peace. At least for a while before something else happened. I thought maybe, just maybe, we could live a normal life, enjoy each other’s company, and focus on Andrew.But things rarely go the way you plan them.It was a hot afternoon and I sat at my desk with a chilled juice beside me as I went through my emails.There was something unexpected that caught my eye. An unfamiliar name popped up in my inbox: “Andrea Louis R. Attorney-at-Law.”I leaned forward to look at it clearly. It was unusual for me to receive any emails of this nature, let alone from a lawyer. I hesitated before clicking on it to read . The subject line was short and straight to the point and it read:“Urgent: Concerning Your Husband’s Involvement.”My stomach dropped. Concerning my husband's involvement in what exactly?I opened the email and I could not stop my heart from racing. The message was also very concise. I
ReinaI barely slept after a long night of arguing with Ethan.Ethan had promised to fix things and it echoed in my head till now, but they all felt empty. I had heard it all before. They were not new. The next morning, I decided to push aside everything I was thinking and go about the day as if nothing had happened. Andrew was already at the breakfast table, having breakfast. This time he was unaware of whatever quarrel his parents were having. I gave him a quick kiss on the head and poured myself a cup of coffee to make myself feel better. But no matter how hard I tried to do that, I was still down. The lawyer’s warning wasn’t just some minor inconvenience; it could turn our lives upside down. I had built a lot of wealth single handedly before and after I even met Ethan and I don't want anything that will cause my effort to be in vain. I could not trust Ethan to fix things. Things that happened before had taught me otherwise. I didn’t have much time to dwell on it, though,
Ethan “Damn it! How did I fuck things things up?” I lamented bitterly. I sat in the empty house long after Reina had gone upstairs angry at me. The weight of what I had just told her felt like a heavy object pressing down on my chest. Eight hundred thousand dollars, gone. I had gambled such a huge amount of money on something that I was not too sure of. I rubbed my elbow, staring at the cold, untouched cup of coffee in front of me. There was no use sitting here and feeling sorry for myself. I have to do something about this. This was not the first time I had made a mistake, but it had to be the last. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Jude's name. He had been the one to pull me into this mess. The one who had promised me that this investment was golden and was worth every penny. I should have seen the warning signs when things started going sideways, but I kept believing him. I was such a fool. I had to fix this, but there was n
Reina I woke up to the sound of the front door closing softly. After waking up, I found it difficult to go back to bed. Looking through the window, I discovered that it was still dark outside, and when I glanced at the clock. It was 2:30 AM. 2:30am!!!My heart sank into my belly. Ethan was not in bed beside me. I sat up, straining to hear anything else. But, I was answered with silence. I threw off the covers from my body and tiptoed to the window to look out clearly.My instincts were right. His car was gone. “Nice. Very nice.”My heart raced as I tried to push back the wave of suspicion that was already rising inside of me. He had promised me that everything was over. The lies and the secrets were done and all over. But now, here he was, sneaking out in the middle of the night.A small voice inside me kept on begging me to be calm and patient. That it might not be what I was thinking. How was I supposed to ignore what I was feeling? I grabbed my keys and pulled on a jac
ReinaI was reluctant to tell Ethan about what I saw the other night but he didn't look too good and I decided not to bother him anymore. I watched the clock tick closer to five in the evening.Ethan had not come home yet, and I didn’t expect him anytime soon. He had been busy trying to fix his mess and has been in the business of moving from one place to another. In a way, I appreciated the space I was getting but I didn't want the distance between the both of us to grow longer. I was lying down in my bed doing nothing serious. I have made a lot of money from the dresses I made for some rich clients. Today was a rest day. While I was still passing time, Bruce texted me asking if I was free to hang out and I could not resist the offer.It had been too long since we met nor spent time together.As I looked around our quiet room. I was filled with so much excitement Ethan would not mind, I told myself. Bruce was just a friend. A very close friend by the way. I quickly changed
EthanI stood outside the warehouse on a cold night. The cold air blew across with so much force and it wrapped around me like a heavy blanket, making me shiver.My hands trembled slightly as I clenched them into fists, trying to keep myself off the cold. The money in the bag I was carrying felt like the only thing that could save me.I had finally gathered enough to pay back the debt, but I knew this was not the end. There was always a catch. With people like them, there was always a catch.The warehouse door loomed in front of me, dimly lit by a single bulb. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open and the creak from the door echoed in the silence. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of oil and rust. My footsteps echoed against the concrete floor as I walked further in, searching for them.They were waiting, as I expected. A group of men stood in the shadows, their eyes locked on me as I approached. The man in the center, Lucian, was the one I was here for. He lean
Ethan POVThe house felt too quiet tonight, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. I stood by the window, staring out into the street, where the last glow of the sun was fading from. It was getting towards evening.My mind drifted to the pile of mail sitting unopened on the dining table. With everything going on, I had avoided it for days, but there was something that had been bugging me. The letter looked really old, almost as if it had traveled through time. I was unable to shake the feeling that I should open it. I walked straight to the dining room and shuffled through the envelopes. All I came across was Bills, junk mail, more bills… and then, there it was.The letter. It was yellowed at the edges, the handwriting on the front neat but unfamiliar. It was not something that I had seen before. My name was written there, but not my address. The address was that of my parents’ old house, where I had not lived or been to in so many years. It must have been forwar
ReinaI was wiping down the kitchen counter when the doorbell rang. Andrew was upstairs, resting after a long day of physical therapy, and Ethan had stepped out to pick up a few things from the store.It was odd for someone to come by unannounced, especially at this hour. I wiped my hands on a towel and I headed for the door to check who was there. I was so curious and at the same time cautious that I checked the security camera three times. When I opened it, my heart stopped. I thought I was dreaming or something. “Evans,” I whispered, gripping the doorframe right. He was standing there, looking exactly as I remembered him. He was quite tall, with those piercing blue eyes and well shaved beards. But seeing him now didn’t fill me with the same warmth it once did. Instead, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been splashed over me.“Reina,” he said, his voice soft but steady. “I hope I’m not intruding.”“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. He w
Ethan “Our anniversary was tomorrow?!” That was my exact reaction when I checked the calendar and I saw that I had long forgotten the date of our anniversary . An idea had come to me while sitting in the car, waiting for Reina to return from the grocery store. Our anniversary was tomorrow, and I wanted to do something special. Something that would remind her of the good times we had shared before everything got complicated.I had been racking my brain all week, trying to come up with the perfect plan. Reina deserved something meaningful, something that was not just flowers and a card. She needed to see how much she meant to me.“Okay, Ethan,” I muttered to myself as I parked in front of the house. “You will get our way around this.”The plan was simple yet heartfelt. I was planning a surprise dinner at the place where we had had our first official date before we got married. It was not the fanciest restaurant, but it held a special place in our hearts. I had reserved a private cor
Reina“I want to support you,” he said. “In everything. Just tell me how.”“I will of course. You have to write me some checks,” I responded and winked at him. I sat there, my coffee cup in hand, still warm but untouched. My mind was racing. So much had happened in the past few days. Andrew’s illness, the fear, the worry and now, with him finally waking up and starting his recovery, things were slowly returning to normal.But there was something else on my mind. It was Ethan. He had changed. In the best way possible. After everything that had happened, after all the mistakes, I hadn’t expected this. I could not help but worry about how he had been surprising me with little gestures. The breakfast in bed, sweet notes hidden in my purse or jacket pocket. He was not perfect, and neither was I, but somehow, it felt like we were slowly finding our way back to each other. We were slowly finding out long lost love. I glanced at the note I found this morning. It was simple, yet the word
Reina“Are you going to work today?” Ethan’s voice broke the silence at breakfast.I glanced up from my plate, startled by his tone. It was not the regular cold or distant tone and it was almost… soft. He had been trying to be different lately especially after Andrew's was back from the hospital and I didn’t know how to feel about it.“I’m not sure,” I replied, poking at my food. “I might work from home.”“Good,” he said. “You have been stressing yourself. You need rest.”I blinked, unsure of how to respond. This was not the Ethan who used to complain about my hours or make sarcastic remarks. I kept quiet and continued eating.When I returned to the bedroom later that morning, something caught my eye. There was a tray on the bed. I could not remember keeping any tray on my bed. I also noticed that there was a cup of tea, a bowl of fruit, and a small note on the bed. The note read:“ You have been carrying too much on yourself lately. Let me take some of the weight. Allow me.”I s
Reina POV“Do you think he’ll wake up today?” Ethan’s voice broke the stillness of the room.The room was quiet as usual and even if a pin dropped to the floor it would be heard. I glanced at Andrew, who was still lying on the hospital bed. He was looking fragile as always and the machines were still giving him the support that he needed. “I have no idea, sweetheart. I wish he could wake up today. It would be a relief. Don't you think so?”I asked and I reached out to brush a strand of hair off his forehead. “I want that to happen too. It would be a miracle.”“He has to wake up,” I said firmly, though my heart trembled with some doubts. I was uncertain about what was happening. “I can feel it. He is going to open those eyes and look at us.”Ethan sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I wish I had your faith.”I turned to him, my eyes narrowing. I was the most pessimistic person but, somehow I had a little faith in me. “You do. You are just scared to admit it.”He stared at me for a
Reina POV The hospital was lit with some fluorescent lights and I was having chills all over my body as I remained there. I was just like a patient who was admitted there. I hated hospitals. Who doesn't, by the way? By this time of the day, the hospital was quiet and the silence was not really comforting. It just kept reminding me that there was a battle Andrew had to fight alone. I didn’t think it was possible to feel this helpless. Sitting in that chair, watching my son fight for his life, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait, it was agony. Ethan was not himself. He was pacing around the room again. “You are going to create a hole in the floor if you don't stop,” I murmured to him. My voice was low and strained. He stopped mid-step, turning to look at me. “I can’t sit still,” he admitted. “Not when he’s in there, fighting for his life.” “I know how you feel Ethan. I feel the same way. ” I said, more to myself than to him. “He has to be strong so that he can com
Reina “Alive?” Sickness was cruel. No one deserves the kind of pain myself and Ethan had passed through since Andrew took I'll and was admitted in the hospital. I sat frozen by Andrew’s hospital bed, staring at his small frame covered in wires and tubes. My son, my sweet boy, was fighting a battle that I could not fight for him, and it was tearing me apart. I wish I could fight this battle for him. I wish I could step in and take all the burdens but, I can't. I can only hope. Again, the same thing the doctors have been saying was that the surgery went well but the critical hours following were crucial. I held up his tiny hand, willing him to wake up, to smile at me, to tell me everything would be okay. But he didn’t say a thing. His pale skin was all I could see and the shallow rise and fall of his chest all felt like a nightmare I could not wake up from. “Reina,” Ethan’s voice broke through the haze. He was standing at the foot of the bed, his hands buried in his pockets,
Ethan Reina looked up at me, her eyes filled with both hope and fear. “We are going to get through this, right?” I nodded, though my throat felt tight. “Of course, yes. We are together. Don't forget. ” And in that moment, I knew we had no choice but to keep fighting for Andrew, for each other, for our family. Finally, we were both with him after waiting for hours. Waiting. That was all we could do before being let in. Wait and hope. The clock on the wall seemed to move slower than usual, its ticking loud and relentless, as if mocking us. I sat in the sterile waiting room, the faint smell of antiseptic in the air. Reina was beside me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her knuckles were already white but she didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes stayed fixed on Andrew and I'm glad we were both seeing him. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything would be okay, but how could I when I didn’t even believe it myself? For hours, Andrew has been in there, fighti
Ethan “Mr. and Mrs. Ethan,” the doctor said as he approached us in the waiting room. His voice was calm, but the tightness in his expression betrayed the gravity of the situation. “We have done everything we can to stabilize Andrew, but his condition has deteriorated. He needs surgery immediately.” The words hit me like a truck. My knees almost buckled, but I gripped the edge of the chair to prevent myself from falling. “Surgery immediately?” Reina’s voice cracked as she stood up beside me. “What kind of surgery?” “We need to address the complications caused by the infection. If we don’t operate now…” The doctor hesitated, and his eyes moved between us. “Just say it,” I barked in a sharp voice. I sounded so desperate of course, I just wanted my child to get out of this damn hospital. “If we don’t, his chances of survival are very slim.” The room spun, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Reina let out a soft, choked sob and covered her mouth with her hands. “How soon