REINA“What do you want from me, is it money?” I asked her but Ravenna shook her head and I wondered what she wanted.A lot was going on inside of her. I wished I could read her mind to know her next step.If I chicken out this way, it is going to be a disaster for me in this industry and in the state at large.I had a reputation to protect and I had a child to guide with all my heart. My child, Andrew, was my topmost priority and even Ravenna could not do anything to come between the both of us.“To hell with money! I do not need any of those. I do not need fame either, in case you would want to offer it. Yes, you are famous but you are not much more of a famous person yourself,” she said, flaring up.This was tougher than I had imagined. It was going to be a huge fight and I had to be prepared for it.My mind began to get to work. I was laying strategies at various corners on what I should do next if pleading with her won't work.I had to show her that I had an upper hand in this.
REINA The doors that led to my Apartment opened slowly and I saw my six year old son, Andrew give me a warm smile. “Andrew, my love…you are back from school and you are awake. I thought your nanny put you to bed,” I said to him and he rushed into my arms, hugging me tightly. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled. He was warm and healthy. Seeing him reminded me of what transpired between myself and Revenna before I came here. My heart dropped. I needed to keep this child safe away from my arm and make sure that the secret about him doesn't come out. “I miss you, mum,” he said to me and I carried him up, ignoring the fact that he was rather weighty. “I miss you too. How was school? I can guess that you have eaten already,” I said to him with a wide smile. “School was fine. Nanny fed me.” That was the response he gave to me and I was more than satisfied. I held his hands as we walked around our mansion. It was lonely here. Just the both of us and a few maids who
ETHAN My eyes had followed her as she walked to her car. Reina was already out of sight and I had to go back to my office.I loved her. She made me feel different and she altered my sense of reasoning.I glanced at my phone, thinking of only her. She said she was going to get back to me if she was in for the hangout, I really hope she does.She never wanted to have anything to do with me. I promise that I will change that perspective after this date.Well, she does not like hearing that. But, that's what I see it as.“You have tried countless times and failed, why do you think this is going to be different?” I heard a voice ask.That was just my inner thought doing its work. It was showing me various ways in which I could see this.I was already hopeless. More of like a hopeless romantic. He was not wrong. I had tried and I had failed. But, will I stop and give up just because I have failed countless times?No!I went back to my office, still staring at the clock. I didn't want to wo
ETHANWhat came over her? Why did she change her mind?Those were the questions running through my mind as Reina's text came in. I kept on staring at it countless times because it was still unbelievable.“This has to be a dream! A fucking dream!” I exclaimed.My joy had suddenly become full. I could not wait to start preparing for the date like I always call it.I wanted to be with Reina on this day and give her all my best.I took off my clothes, fantasizing about everything that was going to happen on that day.I heard a knock on my hotel room door and out of excitement, I told the person to come in. To my surprise, it was the waiter who was assigned to my room. He came in with the food for the day and placed it on the table in front of me.“Your food sir,” he said and I nodded. I was famished already but the news that I got made me too excited to eat.“Thank you.”With that, he left the room. I was alone once again and took off the lid of the plate to see what was in it.On one p
REINAI wished I could spend this night with my boy in my suite because my child needed all the comfort that he could get after his crazy day at school.They called his mother a hoe. I knew that whichever way, he was never going to forget what had happened. His mother is about to make a terrible decision. Going out this late to see Ethan. The man who she has long decided not to have anything to do with.“Please take care of him. I will be back later tonight,” I informed the nanny who nodded to my request.This nanny has been with us since my child was born. She has been a good one and I won't stop rewarding her for the good job she has done for me. “You know I always do my best, ma. I will take care of him. He is asleep now and he has done all his assignments,” she answered and I was impressed.“I always trust you to always do a good job with my son. There is one thing I will keep stressing and that is security. Please, make sure that everywhere is locked. Do not allow him to roam a
ETHANReina acting nice to me was the last thing that I expected. What I expected from her was her usual self. Uptight, refusing to talk to me and all. But, surprisingly she proved me wrong.“Thank you, Rei. If you care for it. I can place an order for you. Trust me, it's very expensive but it's definitely worth it and it gives you all the attention that you need,” I said to her.I was afraid that I talked too much. I expected to see her countenance change when I talked about placing an order for the perfume for her but, still nothing.She flashed her white sets of teeth in front of me. That alone showed that she was fine with everything.It was still too good to be true. Someone must have bribed her for me on my behalf. Where was all this niceness coming from all of a sudden?“I would appreciate it,” she said.She made everything look so easy for me and my heart melted just by staring at her.I didn't lie. The woman in front of me was beyond stunning. Her smile was perfect and I wou
REINAI would have been more mean if I wanted to but I decided not to. Following Ethan up was not that hard to do. I just had to remain calm so that he could get the impression that I was not angry at him anymore.To him, I was a changed divorced woman who would see any man and try to be in his good books.I bet Ravenna would be somewhere plotting something against me again. Well, her cup was going to get filled up soon. It was just a matter of time.We had some mini chats and everything that Ethan brought about was heading towards a relationship.“Is that why you called me out here, Ethan? To start a relationship with you? When you are married? Have you forgotten that we are divorced and I can't go back to my vomit,” I blurted out in anger.Whatever he was trying to do was not going to work. Not this time around.I was more than disgusted that he brought me out at night to say such nonsense to my face.I had never felt this insulted in my life.“I know we are divorced, Reina. I can
REINA“What are you still doing messing around with my husband, you daughter of a bitch?”That was the first question that welcomed me when I resumed work for the week.“Excuse me?” I asked, staring at the already raging woman in front of me.Ravenna was fuming with anger when she barged into the office. I could see the anger written all over her and I knew I had to thread carefully.“Respect yourself, Ravenna or I will call the security to get you out,” I warned her.That was not an empty threat. I would never make any empty threat now as regards Ravenna. She had been in my bad books for a long time now.“Do you think I should be scared because you want to call the cops for me? You call them and explain to them why a wretched divorced woman like you keeps following another woman's husband,” she blurted out.I pushed the chair I was sitting away and stood up to face her. I clenched my fist together, preparing to slap the hell out of her if she utters anything that will make me angry.
EthanI could not sit still. Not after everything that has been happening.My fingers drummed against the edge of the hotel desk as my eyes looked towards the door for the hundredth time. I had double-checked the lock, slid the chain in place, and even propped a chair under the handle. But it was not enough. Not when I knew someone was following me.All these things felt like deja vu because something like this has happened to me before I moved to the country my family is in. Why was all these messing up with my life? “They have been watching us. There are cameras in the house.” I remembered Reina's words. And now this being tailed by a black car, the creeping feeling that every step I took was being tracked. I ran my hands through my hair and each strand was damp with sweat. I felt trapped and powerless, and it was eating me alive.My phone buzzed on the desk. I snatched it up, my heart pounding, hoping it was Reina. It was not.It was Carl. He never backed down even when I told
Reina I was scared to death, unaware of what to do. Ethan had been yelling at me that I should call the cops. “Call the cops now! Reina!” I wish I could. My hands were shaking and I could not dial the number correctly. When I was able to call the cops, the line operator answered and I heard a faint knock at the back door. My breath caught in my throat.“Reina?” Ethan’s voice came in again. I knew he heard the noise. “They are at the back door,” I whispered with tears streaming down my face. I could not believe that I would be crying this minute. See what we have gotten ourselves into. “Get out of there,” he said. “Now.”“I can’t. It's not that easy,” I said, my voice barely audible.“Then hide,” he said. “Go somewhere safe and stay there until the police arrive. I’m on my way, Reina. I promise.”On your way? Oh, Ethan. I know that you haven't booked a flight yet even though you pleaded with me that you will book the next available flight. I hung up and bolted toward the pantr
ReinaThe house has always been this quiet in the past few days. The kind of quiet that made every creak of the floorboards and every faint rustle outside feel like something heavy. I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the unknown number on my phone screen. My hands were trembling as I read the message again.“You’re in over your head, Mrs. Reina. Tell your husband to back off and leave Japan or you will both regret it.I had seen my fair share of threats in my career. The angry competitors, disgruntled clients, jealous rivals but this was different and more dangerous. I knew Ethan was in danger. I knew I was in danger. But what chilled me to the bone was the realization that whoever sent this message didn’t just know about us, they were watching us. They had their eyes on us. I felt like I was suffocating, the walls of the house closing in around me. I needed air. I needed to breathe. I ran outside so that I wouldn't faint and the cool night breeze kept on hitting my face as I
ReinaThe sun was just beginning to set when I heard the sharp knock on the door. It was unusual. I wasn’t expecting anyone.I froze, my mind immediately flashing back to Leonard’s warnings and Detective Daniels’ advice to stay vigilant. For a moment, I considered not answering, but the knock came again, louder this time.“Reina, it’s me,” a familiar voice called out.Leonard.My stomach churned as I tiptoed to the peephole. Sure enough, there he was, standing in a crisp black suit, his expression unreadable.I opened the door just enough to see him. “What are you doing here?” I asked sharply.“We need to talk,” Leonard said, his voice calm but urgent.“We have nothing to talk about,” I replied, starting to close the door.He pushed it open slightly, his hand on the frame. “Please, Reina. This is important. It’s about Ethan.”That made me pause. I didn’t trust Leonard as far as I could throw him, but the mention of Ethan pulled at my resolve. Reluctantly, I stepped aside and let him i
EthanI stood by the window in my hotel room, staring at the city lights shining brightly against the night sky.The streets below were alive with honking cars and I could hear laughter, and the distant thrum of music right here in my room. Yet inside this room, the silence I felt indifferent. I felt something that I could not quite shake off. The events of the last two days replayed in my mind like a broken record. The redhead, the alcohol, the shame. And Carl, my so-called friend who had managed to vanish when I needed him most.I clenched my fists, anger bubbling under the surface. “You are an idiot, Ethan,” I muttered to myself. “An absolute idiot.”My phone buzzed on the bedside table, snapping me out of my thoughts. I reached for it, half-expecting Reina’s name to light up the screen. But it wasn’t her.It was Carl. “Come on dude. Let me be.”I hated the way I was dwelling on all of these. I had work to do and I haven't been able to do anything yet. For a moment, I conside
ReinaThe dinner with Leonard didn't go as expected. As usual, he was cutting through corners. If he knew that I had submitted his name to the cops, maybe he would have given me more information. I was left to rack my brain over this. This was something that was meant to be the detectives work but I have not gotten any report from them. I wanted to call them to ask if they are making any progress but I guess I should just wait for some time. I sat at my desk, staring at my computer screen. The article I had been reading earlier blurred before my eyes. Leonard's words from the night before were still looping in my head. How would I get him to tell me all I need to know?Ethan was in Japan and some unknown people see plotting to kill him. Getting anything from Leonard seemed impossible especially when I knew that he was more interested in my body. But, I can't give in him or anyone. I was w married woman and I had a child. "They see Ethan as a threat,” I repeated as I thought alou
EthanThe cold shower did little to wash away the guilt clinging to my skin. I stood there, water pouring over me, hoping the icy sting would calm the storm in my chest. But it didn’t.I was haunted by memories and all I could see and hear and feel were The redhead’s laughter, her touch, the softness of her lips. it all kept on haunting leaving a relentless echo in my mind.“You are a fool, Ethan,” I muttered, slamming my fist against the tiled wall. “A bloody fool. How could you do such a thing?”I turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel. My reflection in the fogged-up mirror stared back at me. I looked like a total stranger. A stranger with bloodshot eyes and a fucked up face. This was not me. This was not the man I promised Reina I would be.Reina. My sweet wife. Her face swam before my eyes and I could still see her bright smile, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. What would she think of me now? Would she even look at me the same way if she knew what
ReinaThe clock on my desk kept ticking loudly and I wondered if it was because I was paying attention to even the little things that I was able to hear it. On a normal day, I would care less about a clock. The sound of the clock was made louder by the silence that engulfed the house. At first, I was sketching a few designs that I was going to put up for sale in the online market but my attention became divided when I remembered that there was something I had to do quickly. tapped my pen against the edge of my notebook, staring at the half-written page in front of me. Research on Leonard had consumed my thoughts for the past two days, but the deeper I dug, the murkier things became.Something about him didn’t sit right with me.I sighed, pushing the notebook aside and reaching for my phone. My messages with Ethan stared back at me, our recent exchange still fresh.“Hey. Busy morning. I will call you tonight. Miss you.”His words these days had been reassuring, but something felt of
EthanI woke up to the sound of a door closing softly, followed by the faint click of heels on the floor. My head throbbed, pounding restlessly that made even the dim morning light coming through the curtains feel unbearable. Letting out a soft groan I tried to sit up, but the heaviness in my limbs kept me pinned to the bed.And then it hit me. I was naked. In her. By this time. I blinked, looking down to see the rumpled sheets tangled around my naked body. My stomach twisted as I began to remember what happened last night. The memories kept flooding back and I could not move. Her red hair glowed under the blue lights. Her laughter. Her hands. Her lips.Oh, my God! What have I done?The door clicked shut, and I turned just in time to catch a glimpse of her fiery hair as she disappeared down the hallway. She didn’t say goodbye. She didn’t even look back.I sat up quickly, clutching the sheets as if they could shield and protect me from the shame threatening to consume me. My cl