Reina’s POV“Secrets always have a way of revealing themselves, don’t they?”The voice in my head was relentless as I sat on the porch and I could see the lake glittering under the early afternoon sun.My fingers toyed nervously with the edge of my sweater, but my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about the message I received a night before. Ethan had not brought it up again since our tense conversation, but I could feel his watchful eyes on me everytime as if he was trying to figure out what I was not saying.I could not shake the dread that was coming up in my chest. Whoever had sent that message knew something, but the question was, how much? And why now, when Ethan and I were just starting to make progress?The sound of Ethan’s heavy footsteps broke me away from my thoughts. He walked onto the porch with a coffee mug in hand, looking like a man who had made up his mind about something.“You are awfully quiet this morning,” he said, sitting down across from me.“I have a lot on m
Reina I and Ethan reconciled again. After so many times of quarreling. The weeks after our reconciliation felt good at least. Ethan was attentive, loving, and almost like the man I had fallen in love with years ago. It felt too good to be true, and deep down, I could not shake the feeling that the storm wasn’t over. We were still going to have our quarrel again. One evening, as I was sitting in my home office reviewing proposals for my latest fashion campaign, my phone buzzed. It was Celia.“Reina, you are not going to believe this,” she said happily and her voice tinged with excitement and panic.“What is it?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.“I just saw Ethan,” she began.“And?”“He was at a café with a woman I didn’t recognize. They looked… close.”I felt my stomach drop. “Close how? What do you mean by that?”We just reconciled and now, Celia was telling me this? This was not true. “They were sitting in a corner booth, whispering, and he handed her a thick envelope. I did
Reina’s POV The pounding in my head kept on returning as it screamed vengeance to me. It was the third day this week, and I could no longer ignore the dizziness that often followed. I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, trying to keep myself from falling to the floor as my vision blurred for a moment. “Mom, are you okay?” Andrew’s small voice pulled me out of my haze. He was standing by the fridge, holding a juice box, his curious eyes staring at me. I forced a smile. “Of course, sweetheart. Just tired. Did you finish your homework?” “Yes,” he replied, but his brows furrowed. “But, mum. You don’t look okay.” Before I could reassure him, the front door opened, and Ethan walked in. I could still feel his presence as he stepped in and it gave me a kind of feeling that I could not quite explain. Things had been better between us, but there was still a fragile thread tying us together. “Hey,” Ethan greeted, glancing at Andrew and then me. His eyes lingered on my face.
Reina's POV I woke up to the sound of rain tapping against the window. When I turned to my side, Ethan was not in bed. Again. For the past few days, he had taken to waking up before me, always slipping out of the room quietly. He said it was to give me more time to rest, but I noticed some strange things about him. He hovered around me yet kept his distance, as though he didn’t know how to approach me anymore. I sat up slowly, careful not to let the dizziness creep in again. The doctor’s words echoed in my mind: “Stress is a major trigger.” I could not help but laugh bitterly. How did he expect me to avoid stress when my entire life already felt this stressful? I was trying not to allow myself to be very stressed but, some things won't let me. “Reina?” Ethan’s voice startled me. I had not even heard him come in. He stood in the doorway, holding a tray with what looked like breakfast. I could see some scrambled eggs, toast, and a glass of orange juice. “You made br
ReinaI woke up that morning feeling restless. Something was off, though I could not quite put my finger on it. I didn't know what was wrong. Ehan had left the house earlier than usual, claiming he had a meeting with a client. Andrew was still asleep upstairs and I could hear his small snores drifting down the hallway, reminding me that he was here in this house with me. Although, I knew that in an hour or two, he was going to be left with his nanny. I lingered over my coffee, staring out the kitchen window at the dull gray sky. The forecast had warned of heavy rain later in the day, but I was not worried. My schedule was packed with back-to-back meetings, and I had promised myself to leave early to pick up a package. "Are you going to sit there all day, or are you finally going to get ready?" Celia's voice crackled through my phone.“I’m moving, I’m moving,” I mumbled, setting my mug down and heading upstairs.As I dressed up, my thoughts wandered to Ethan. He had been doing goo
Reina Everyday in the hospital was filled with so much pain and all I could see were patients who were attended to and nurses who were filled with so much concern. Ethan never left me for a second. He was there every morning when I woke up and every night when I drifted into restless sleep. But the accident had changed something. It was not just in my body, but in the air that surrounded us. I could feel it in the way he hovered over me, his hand brushing mine as if afraid I might shatter. I could see it in the way he looked at me. It was not just love; it was fear. And I hated it. “You are not eating enough,” Ethan said one afternoon. I pushed the food tray away, the smell of the hospital’s chicken broth making my stomach rumble. I hated the sight of food. I didn’t want to eat anything. “I’m fine.” “You are not fine, Reina,” he said, his tone hardening. He sat down beside me, his knee brushing against the edge of the bed. “You almost died.” I flinched at the word. “You
Reina “Damn it!” I almost yelled at the blank wall b The sound of the rain splattering against the window just reminded me of how my mind was. The atmosphere in the house had changed since the accident. I was getting better of course, I knew I was. I was taking my drugs and going for my frequent checkups to make sure I was fine. I was doing all I wanted to do to stay alive. Because, Damn. I still had a little boy that I needed to take care of. Ethan was trying his best to be present, trying to make things better between the both of us and I always appreciated his efforts but something still felt fractured. No matter how hard we tried, the pieces of our relationship didn’t fit the way they used to. That was just the plain truth. I could not continue lying to myself. I loved him, yes. But we were not as we used to be. Tonight, the tension felt unbearable. I sat at the dining table, staring blankly at the steaming cup of tea in front of me. Andrew was already in bed, and t
Reina The following morning, the house felt colder than ever. It was not the weather or the light drizzle outside my house, it was the emptiness Ethan left behind. After our little argument last night. Ethan left the house and refused to answer my calls. I was going crazy because of a husband I had married and now, he had refused to come back. My heart became so heavy as I began to think about the implications of our argument. Had I pushed him too far this time? Was this all my fault? I would have shut the fuck up and not talk much to him about anything. It would have saved us a lot of stress. I stared at the clock, my coffee untouched on the table. Every second that passed without a word from him felt like a ticking bomb. My pride told me to wait, to let him be the one to come back and apologize, but my heart was screaming at me to call him, to beg him to come home. I needed him home. I needed to see him even if we were quarreling. I picked up my phone, my fingers hov
Reina The following morning, the house felt colder than ever. It was not the weather or the light drizzle outside my house, it was the emptiness Ethan left behind. After our little argument last night. Ethan left the house and refused to answer my calls. I was going crazy because of a husband I had married and now, he had refused to come back. My heart became so heavy as I began to think about the implications of our argument. Had I pushed him too far this time? Was this all my fault? I would have shut the fuck up and not talk much to him about anything. It would have saved us a lot of stress. I stared at the clock, my coffee untouched on the table. Every second that passed without a word from him felt like a ticking bomb. My pride told me to wait, to let him be the one to come back and apologize, but my heart was screaming at me to call him, to beg him to come home. I needed him home. I needed to see him even if we were quarreling. I picked up my phone, my fingers hov
Reina “Damn it!” I almost yelled at the blank wall b The sound of the rain splattering against the window just reminded me of how my mind was. The atmosphere in the house had changed since the accident. I was getting better of course, I knew I was. I was taking my drugs and going for my frequent checkups to make sure I was fine. I was doing all I wanted to do to stay alive. Because, Damn. I still had a little boy that I needed to take care of. Ethan was trying his best to be present, trying to make things better between the both of us and I always appreciated his efforts but something still felt fractured. No matter how hard we tried, the pieces of our relationship didn’t fit the way they used to. That was just the plain truth. I could not continue lying to myself. I loved him, yes. But we were not as we used to be. Tonight, the tension felt unbearable. I sat at the dining table, staring blankly at the steaming cup of tea in front of me. Andrew was already in bed, and t
Reina Everyday in the hospital was filled with so much pain and all I could see were patients who were attended to and nurses who were filled with so much concern. Ethan never left me for a second. He was there every morning when I woke up and every night when I drifted into restless sleep. But the accident had changed something. It was not just in my body, but in the air that surrounded us. I could feel it in the way he hovered over me, his hand brushing mine as if afraid I might shatter. I could see it in the way he looked at me. It was not just love; it was fear. And I hated it. “You are not eating enough,” Ethan said one afternoon. I pushed the food tray away, the smell of the hospital’s chicken broth making my stomach rumble. I hated the sight of food. I didn’t want to eat anything. “I’m fine.” “You are not fine, Reina,” he said, his tone hardening. He sat down beside me, his knee brushing against the edge of the bed. “You almost died.” I flinched at the word. “You
ReinaI woke up that morning feeling restless. Something was off, though I could not quite put my finger on it. I didn't know what was wrong. Ehan had left the house earlier than usual, claiming he had a meeting with a client. Andrew was still asleep upstairs and I could hear his small snores drifting down the hallway, reminding me that he was here in this house with me. Although, I knew that in an hour or two, he was going to be left with his nanny. I lingered over my coffee, staring out the kitchen window at the dull gray sky. The forecast had warned of heavy rain later in the day, but I was not worried. My schedule was packed with back-to-back meetings, and I had promised myself to leave early to pick up a package. "Are you going to sit there all day, or are you finally going to get ready?" Celia's voice crackled through my phone.“I’m moving, I’m moving,” I mumbled, setting my mug down and heading upstairs.As I dressed up, my thoughts wandered to Ethan. He had been doing goo
Reina's POV I woke up to the sound of rain tapping against the window. When I turned to my side, Ethan was not in bed. Again. For the past few days, he had taken to waking up before me, always slipping out of the room quietly. He said it was to give me more time to rest, but I noticed some strange things about him. He hovered around me yet kept his distance, as though he didn’t know how to approach me anymore. I sat up slowly, careful not to let the dizziness creep in again. The doctor’s words echoed in my mind: “Stress is a major trigger.” I could not help but laugh bitterly. How did he expect me to avoid stress when my entire life already felt this stressful? I was trying not to allow myself to be very stressed but, some things won't let me. “Reina?” Ethan’s voice startled me. I had not even heard him come in. He stood in the doorway, holding a tray with what looked like breakfast. I could see some scrambled eggs, toast, and a glass of orange juice. “You made br
Reina’s POV The pounding in my head kept on returning as it screamed vengeance to me. It was the third day this week, and I could no longer ignore the dizziness that often followed. I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, trying to keep myself from falling to the floor as my vision blurred for a moment. “Mom, are you okay?” Andrew’s small voice pulled me out of my haze. He was standing by the fridge, holding a juice box, his curious eyes staring at me. I forced a smile. “Of course, sweetheart. Just tired. Did you finish your homework?” “Yes,” he replied, but his brows furrowed. “But, mum. You don’t look okay.” Before I could reassure him, the front door opened, and Ethan walked in. I could still feel his presence as he stepped in and it gave me a kind of feeling that I could not quite explain. Things had been better between us, but there was still a fragile thread tying us together. “Hey,” Ethan greeted, glancing at Andrew and then me. His eyes lingered on my face.
Reina I and Ethan reconciled again. After so many times of quarreling. The weeks after our reconciliation felt good at least. Ethan was attentive, loving, and almost like the man I had fallen in love with years ago. It felt too good to be true, and deep down, I could not shake the feeling that the storm wasn’t over. We were still going to have our quarrel again. One evening, as I was sitting in my home office reviewing proposals for my latest fashion campaign, my phone buzzed. It was Celia.“Reina, you are not going to believe this,” she said happily and her voice tinged with excitement and panic.“What is it?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.“I just saw Ethan,” she began.“And?”“He was at a café with a woman I didn’t recognize. They looked… close.”I felt my stomach drop. “Close how? What do you mean by that?”We just reconciled and now, Celia was telling me this? This was not true. “They were sitting in a corner booth, whispering, and he handed her a thick envelope. I did
Reina’s POV“Secrets always have a way of revealing themselves, don’t they?”The voice in my head was relentless as I sat on the porch and I could see the lake glittering under the early afternoon sun.My fingers toyed nervously with the edge of my sweater, but my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about the message I received a night before. Ethan had not brought it up again since our tense conversation, but I could feel his watchful eyes on me everytime as if he was trying to figure out what I was not saying.I could not shake the dread that was coming up in my chest. Whoever had sent that message knew something, but the question was, how much? And why now, when Ethan and I were just starting to make progress?The sound of Ethan’s heavy footsteps broke me away from my thoughts. He walked onto the porch with a coffee mug in hand, looking like a man who had made up his mind about something.“You are awfully quiet this morning,” he said, sitting down across from me.“I have a lot on m
ReinaThe next morning, the sunlight shon through the bedroom windows felt softer and warmer than before.Everything felt as if the world itself had decided to give us a fresh start. Ethan was still asleep beside me and his breathing felt calm. I could not remember the last time we had shared a bed without a wall of tension between us.Quietly, I slipped out of bed and went into the kitchen. The lake house was so calm and serene in the early morning light and I could hear the sound of birdsong in t h air through the open windows.I made myself a cup of coffee and stood at the counter, staring out at the shimmering lake.This was what I wanted. Peace and a life where Ethan and I were not at each other’s throats. But could it last? That was my greatest fear. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ethan’s footsteps behind me. I turned to see him standing in the doorway, his hair messy and his eyes still heavy with sleep.“Morning, sweetheart,” he said to me. His voice was kinda