EthanI sat on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands. I have made a lot of terrible decisions and now the consequences have come crashing down on me. The room was dark, but even in the shadows, I could see the mess I had made of my life.How did it come to this? How did I become this man? The man who let his family slip through his fingers, who made promises he could not keep. I thought I was doing the right thing when I took that job. Becoming more rich and putting my name on the top richest chart was what I wanted. But now… now I have lost everything that matters.I betrayed Reina. Not just with that night I can’t erase, but with every lie I told to cover it up. I thought I could protect her, shield her from the storm I had created. But she saw through me, she always does. And Andrew… God, what kind of example have I set for my son?Tears burned my eyes, and I didn’t fight them. I deserved this. The shame, the guilt, the fear. I deserved to feel every ounce of it.“I’m so
ReinaArriving there, the house I saw was everything we had dreamed of. It was gigantic with a lot of massive windows that enabled light to go through it. I had a liking for it already and didn't mind if we were going to live here for the rest of our lives. “It looks good. Why don't we pay for it? Relocating doesn't seem that bad. Besides, it's in another city.”“Sure. I will pay for it. I don't mind either. It's just sad that we keep running away from a lot of things. Both the unknown and the known.”“It's tiring, sweetheart. But what can we do? We are humans and we will always have a lot of problems.”Ethan shook his head while I kept admiring the building. The living room had very high ceilings and the furniture looked new and neat. The walls on the other hand were painted white and the floors were sparkling white that it gleamed as if they had never been walked on. The other me would have pushed against going to another city but when our lives were at stake, I could not say an
Reina“I was done for and my joy had been short-lived. I don't think I would be able to recover from this shock,” I muttered to myself. The house was still quiet except for the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. I sat at the table, staring at the blurry photo on my phone, the message below was still burning into my mind: “Is this your husband?”My chest felt heavy and like a heavy weight pressing me down, it made it hard for me to breathe. The image was a little blurry but I could not deny it.Ethan’s face was unmistakable, the curve of his jaw, the way his shoulders hunched slightly when he leaned in to talk. And the woman? She was a shadowy figure, even though her face was half-hidden, I could still notice her hair and the way they held themselves. The closeness between them made my stomach rumble. My fingers tightened around the phone as a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Who sent this? Why now? We had just started putting the pieces of our life back together. Why
Reina The last thing that I would believe without a visible evidence was Ethan cheating on me. I stared at my phone screen, the photo staring back at me like a ghost haunting my marriage. But this time, it was not just in a private message. It was plastered all over social media, accompanied by salacious headlines.“Billionaire Ethan Spotted with a fling.”My fingers trembled as I scrolled through the comments. Some people mocked the situation, while others speculated about the woman in the photo. There were even fake stories weaving tales of Ethan’s supposed sexual stories with her.My stomach rumbled and I was dumbfounded. I had gone from deceiving myself that this was not true to believing it in an instant. My husband’s name, our family, dragged through the mud like this, it was unbearable.I don't know why Ethan did something like this to hurt me. It was difficult for me to believe all of these up till now. But guess what? I was yet to approach him up till now. “Mommy, can
ReinaI sat on the edge of the couch, staring blankly at the rejection email on my laptop screen. My chest felt tight, as if someone had tied a band around it and kept pulling.“We regret to inform you…” the words blurred before my eyes. This was supposed to be my moment. My designs, my heart and soul, were rejected not because they were not good enough, but because I was not safe to associate with anymore.All because of the scandal on the internet. Ethan walked into the room, his tie loosened and his face weary. He carried a raging anger with him as he walked and his energy was practically crackled.“Reina,” he began, but I cut him off, holding up my hand.“Not now,” I snapped. “I just got rejected from the showcase. They said they can’t afford the bad press. Thanks to you, cheater.”His face hardened. “What?”“You heard me,” I said, shoving my laptop toward him. “This scandal of yours is ruining everything.”“Mine?” he barked, his voice rising. “You think I wanted this? Reina, som
ReinaI stared at the headline plastered across the screen of my phone: “Designer Reina Traps Billionaire Husband: Isn't she such a Gold Digger?” My chest tightened as I scrolled through the venomous comments flooding the article.“She is clearly after his money.”“Poor Ethan. He deserves better.”“I knew she was too good to be true.”“Okay, I like this. I have never liked that woman for any thing.”The words felt like daggers. Each one sliced deeper into me, leaving me raw and exposed. My hands trembled as I tried to lock my phone, but I couldn’t look away. O was shaking and deep down, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. Why was all these happening to me? This was because of the stupid man I fell in love with. Because of him, I have suffered a lot of things. I have been treated like a filthy rag and I was no longer respected. I was thinking of filing for a divorce and the thought of my son came to me again. I didn't want to drag him into this mess. “Reina!” Ethan’s
Reina I was scared of making a terrible decision. The air was heavy as I sat at the small café table, my hands cradling a lukewarm cup of tea. My eyes darted nervously around the room, scanning every face for any hint of familiarity. This meeting felt risky, but I had no choice. I needed answers. I had already made a decision a long time ago on how to deal with my relationship with Ethan. The door chimed, and in walked Sarah, her sharp heels clicking against the tiled floor. Her tailored navy suit and confident posture reminded me of the ambitious PR strategist I used to know. She spotted me and waved at me and her expression softened as she approached me.“Reina,” she greeted warmly, pulling me into a brief hug. “It has been a while.”“Too long,” I admitted, gesturing for her to sit.Sarah settled into the chair opposite me and leaned forward. “So, you said you needed help. I read about the scandal. It’s brutal. I wonder why someone would pull off something as terrible as that
ReinaThe hotel room was quiet, apart from the soft hum of the air conditioning. I sat cross-legged on the plush armchair, staring at the untouched glass of juice on the table.My luggage sat in the corner, still zipped shut. I had not bothered to unpack. This was not home. It wasn’t even close.I leaned back, rubbing my stomach slowly. My phone buzzed on the table, but I ignored it. No doubt it was Ethan again, calling to apologize, to promise that things would get better, to swear he was not hiding anything else. But how many times could someone make those promises before they started behaving like a sane human?The fight we had replayed in my mind for the hundredth time.“You don’t get it, Ethan!” I shouted at him, my voice cracking. “Every time you keep something from me, it feels like you are building a wall between us. How am I supposed to fight for us when you keep shutting me out?”Ethan had run a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated and confused. “I’m not shutting you
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