Mona pulled the blanket over her face. “Go away. I want to sleep.” Thaddeus put the cream beside the bed. He then pocketed his hands but did not leave. He stood by the bed and stared at the woman hiding under the blanket who refused to talk to him. “Mona Ortega,” the man called her full name in a rather strict tone. His tone calmed the woman down. She was all ears to what he had to say. “I’m sorry.” His apology sounded soft. So soft that Mona thought she had heard him wrongly. It quickly disappeared into the air as if he had not spoken a word. The man wore a stiff expression. His eyes narrowed, fixating on the bulging blanket. “Mona, listen closely. I’m apologizing to you with my deepest sincerity. I’m sorry for what I have done in the past to hurt you and ruin our relationship. I’m sorry.” The man finally raised his voice loud enough to blast every word into her ears, even though she was under the blanket. The atmosphere in the room became strangely quiet. Thadde
Mona glared fiercely at Thaddeus. He was right. In the past, she was never affected by whatever he did. No matter how many headlines his name was on or scandals he had with women, she was never really attached to him emotionally. Hence, the flat reaction. Now, she did not even know what caused her to react to everything he did. She was so bothered by his deceptive and elusive side. Even though she knew he must have a solid reason behind it and was capable enough to make the best arrangement for everything, she could not accept him for being dishonest with her. After a broken marriage, the trust between them shattered like a mirror. How could she trust him anymore? Liking each other was easy, but building trust was difficult. It was even more so when trying to repair broken trust. “Thaddeus, you don’t understand. You always see things from your perspective, high up in that kingdom of yours. You always look at me from a condescending angle, and that sincerity and guilt of y
Stunned, Mona’s eyes widened at the man. What did he just call her? Precious? How cringy! It sounded amusing when something so cringy came out of the man’s mouth. She looked at the man on his knees and said, “Get up.” Thaddeus asked, “Why? Are you feeling better already?” Mona bit her lip in frustration. She sat down on the carpet and looked into his eyes.“You’re not mad?” “As I said, if it makes you feel better, I’ll do anything,” Thaddeus said as his eyes fixated on her delicate face, trying to capture every expression on her. To be honest, the man did everything he could think of to make the woman feel better. The slap was actually his last resort. If he still could not make her feel better, he was out of ideas. “Yeah. I feel better,” Mona looked down at the hand she used to slap Thaddeus. Slapping Thaddeus in the face might be the proudest achievement in her life.“Great. Now get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”Thaddeus got up and carried Mona onto th
Mona exercised her arm to exert dominance. Slapping the man earlier granted her a boost of confidence. Thaddeus smiled. He nodded as he tried to hold his laughter back. “Yes, madam.” “Sleep!” Mona covered her mouth and yawned. Then, she returned to the bed, crashed onto her pillow, and fell asleep. Thaddeus could hear her breathing calming down. Through the moon’s brilliance, he looked at the woman’s back, and a strange feeling aroused in his heart. If he could stop time, this would be the perfect moment for him to do so. He could watch her sleep, accompany her, and protect her without her resistance. The moon shed its brilliance into his eyes, adding a glint of glimmer to that deep gaze. She was the only woman for him, and he swore never to hurt her again. …The alarm clock rang at 7 am sharp. Mona instinctively reached out to turn the alarm off but instead touched something that felt like human skin. She opened her eyes. To her surprise, she and Thaddeus were h
Millie tilted her head, seemingly confused. “Then, what is bias?” Mona freed herself from Thaddeus’ embrace and took the comb and scrunchies away from him. “You’d better explain it properly,” she said. The girl was at the most curious stage in her life. The urge to know more was at its strongest. She opened her eyes every day and tried to answer every question that popped into her mind. Thaddeus patted the girl’s head affectionately. He explained patiently, “Bias means that Daddy only loves Mommy and will only think about her, not anyone else.” Mona’s eyes flickered. She glanced at Thaddeus and found it difficult to believe what he said. After braiding the girl’s hair, Mona carried the girl off the bed and went into the bathroom. The father and daughter conversation continued outside. Mona started up her electric toothbrush and listened to the girl’s meek voice outside the bathroom door. “Daddy, what is pamper?” Thaddeus pondered. He answered, “Pamper is the way I l
Mona patted Bobby’s head and intentionally avoided the question. Bobby looked annoyed. He tidied his hair that his mother had tousled, and grumbled, “Mommy, you messed up my hair!” Mona squinted. She looked at her son’s gelled hair and his handsome jacket. He looked like a tiny fashion model, which surprised her. Knowing something was off, she asked, “You’ve been looking strange lately. Since when do you care so much about your looks?” Bobby shoved two pieces of bread into his mouth, causing his cheeks to puff up. There was a dash of embarrassment on his expression. He answered vaguely, “Nothing in particular. I just want to change my usual image.” He then concentrated on eating his sandwich. Mona did not delve into the question as she knew the boy would not answer her. Pressing on the topic would only annoy him, so it was important to not startle him now. Thaddeus then came down with Millie to have breakfast. Seeing that Bobby had completed his tasks, he patted the boy
Mona recollected her thoughts. She went back to the table to clean up. A while later, the helper came to clean the house. Mona then prepared to leave for the hospital to visit Grandpa Gray. Right before she left, the helper came running with a piece of paper in her hand. “Madam, you have a note in your pants pocket. There’s something written on it. Is it important?” Mona took it. The piece of note had an address of a hospital on it. She had gotten this note from the mysterious man who claimed to be her father’s old friend. He wanted her to search for her mother at this particular hospital in case she found something. “Oh, thank you. I’ll take that.” Mona took the note and stuffed it into her purse before she left the house. She hesitated whether to go or not as she walked out, but when she arrived at the front gate, she decided to go and have a look since there was nothing to lose. She got into a taxi and told the driver the address of the hospital. The taxi brought
Jennifer sized Mona up from top to bottom with a frosty gaze. “That’s my question to you. This rehabilitation center is part of our family’s business. Why would it be strange for me to be here? You, on the other hand, are hiding behind the tree, looking all suspicious. If I didn’t know better, I might have thought you are up to no good here.” Mona was left speechless. “Mrs. Fontaine, the rehabilitation center is part of your family business but this land isn’t. Can’t I be here? I’m not doing anything wrong, and I’m here out in the open. You accusing me of doing something bad is slander.” Enraged, Jennifer’s expression turned bitter. She yelled, “Oh? Look at you now, talking back to me. What? Do you think that those two kids of yours with Thaddeus are your leverage against us? Are you trying to get back into the family?” Mona grinned coldly as if she was listening to a joke. "Mrs. Fontaine, you don't think I'm still in love with your son and want to use him for revenge, do you
The couple was tired after a time of bonding, and they lay on the wicker chair, closing their eyes before slipping into dreamland. Sometime later, Thaddeus felt a chill and opened his eyes. His T-shirt was wet, and Bobby and Millie were spraying water at him with water guns. The youngest child was nearby too in her stroller. She suckled on a pacifier and watched the bustle. “Where’s your mommy?” Thaddeus shuffled his hair and looked around, searching for Mona. “Freeze, Daddy. We have held Mommy captive. Surrender yourself to us.” Acting like the boss, Millie pointed her massive water gun at her daddy. Thaddeus had indulged his eldest daughter so much that the girl would only have things her way. Nevertheless, Thaddeus played along since it was only a game. He knew his children well. Millie took after Mona and was shrewd. Still, Millie would be on her best behavior when in public. “Hurry up and surrender, Daddy. Put your hands up, and we will release Mommy.” Millie poked
It was a cooling breeze for the Summer as flowers bloomed in the garden of Fontaine Residence. Mona rested on a wicker chair under the wine arbor, holding in hand the latest issue of the weekly design magazine, with her face on the cover. In the photo, she held a trophy up on the stage of a design competition, standing out amidst the radiant background. Since the birth of her youngest, Mona took a month off for rest before picking up her passion again and returning to the world of design. Recently, she won first place in an international design competition and found fame. Mona was happy with her life and enjoyed the rich and peaceful state of things. She had time to herself for once during the weekend, so she found a quiet spot to enjoy time alone while the kids had a nap. The sunlight shone over Mona through the leaves, basking her in warmth. She let out a yawn and closed her eyes for a nap. Thaddeus walked out of the house and saw the woman enjoying the moment of bliss. The t
“Mommy, did the baby kick you today?” Millie wobbled her way over and placed her hand on Mona’s belly. She could feel the baby stirring inside her mommy’s stomach. Millie was pleasantly surprised. “The baby kicked me! Mommy, is the baby swimming inside your belly?” “Yeah. The baby is kicking.” Mona affectionately caressed her belly. The fetus had been kicking and rolling a lot more lately, so she could not get much sleep. The tall and strong man drew near and looked tenderly at Mona. His husky voice lingered in Mona’s ear. “Weren’t you craving strawberries? I placed an order, and the fruit is being airlifted here as we speak. It’ll arrive tonight.” “Yay.” Mona was gleeful. Since the beginning of her pregnancy, she had become quite fussy and craved the strangest food. She wanted caviar from Japan, cookies from France, and strawberries from the highlands. Anything she asked for would be transported fresh to the house the next day.The man had taken good care of her during her en
“No. I won’t let myself go.” The man huffed heavily after finishing his sit-ups. Then, he rolled out of bed and got changed in the walk-in closet. Mona stared at the man’s well-toned back, gasping at his body upkeep. People would probably have a hard time believing he was a father of three. With that in mind, Mona became aware of a potential threat. She got up and drew close to the man. “You’re responsible for taking care of the baby once the child is born.” Thaddeus straightened his tie. “Alright. I can do that. I want to be present in the baby’s life and your pregnancy. You should rest at home once your belly gets bigger. I’ll handle Bobby and Millie’s school run, okay?” The man pinched Mona’s face dotingly. “Now you’re talking. Are you heading out?” Mona got up on her tiptoes to brush off the dust from his shoulders. “Yeah. I need to sort out a lot of paperwork.” “I wrote down notes of the meeting I attended on your behalf a few days ago.” Mona walked out to retrieve a
Thaddeus was in the hospital for a week before he was discharged. The election day for the successor of the Fontaine Group was two weeks later, but Thaddeus had not made a full recovery in his legs. He remained in a wheelchair and persisted in his daily physiotherapy. Mona had a room freed up in Fontaine Residence for Thaddeus’ rehabilitation. A specialized doctor would come around the house every day to help Thaddeus with his recovery. Thaddeus was a strong man to fight through the pain in his physiotherapy sessions. That day, Mona watched as the workers hung a decorative painting on the wall in the hallway. She ordered paintings of her preference and had them shipped from abroad. Mona instructed the workers to put it up, not paying attention to the wobbly painting that had been hung behind her. The painting was about to hit her from the back. Thaddeus was exiting the rehabilitation room when he caught sight of the danger. Getting up from his wheelchair, Thaddeus took large stri
The few pictures of Mona and Victor at the height of a tussle gave the impression that they were having an intimate moment. Thaddeus went through the photos with a look of disdain. “So you stood there and pretended to take pictures of me to show me these? You set my wife up with another man to tell me she was cheating on me?” It was not hard to guess the game the paparazzi were playing, but who was he trying to fool? The man was dumbstruck, as it never occurred to him that Thaddeus could see through him. It had taken the three of them to come up with the idea. However, it had not taken much for Thaddeus to foil their plan. Mona let out a relieved smile. She thought that Thaddeus would be furious at the look of the pictures and had prepared herself to give a long explanation. She was surprised that Thaddeus quickly saw through the attempt to drive them apart. Their relationship was solid, and no one could come between them. Mona thought to herself with glee when she took
Mona stood in front of Thaddeus, blocking his face as she confronted the paparazzi who took their picture. “Hand over the camera!” “There’s nothing in the camera. Besides, it’s my personal property. Why should I give it to you?” “You clearly took a picture of my husband. You have some nerve to say there’s nothing.” Mona grabbed the man by the wrist and lifted her foot to kick. Thaddeus grabbed her wrist to stop her. “You’re pregnant. Think about the child.” Thaddeus pulled Mona back, leaving himself exposed to the paparazzi. “Why do you want to photograph me? Do you want to see me in a wheelchair? Take a picture then.” Thaddeus pulled a straight face. His nonchalant gaze spoke of intimidation. Dumbstruck, the paparazzi looked at Thaddeus’ legs and smiled dryly. “What happened to your legs, Mr. Fontaine?” Thaddeus did not answer. However, his dark eyes flicked chillingly as he looked murderously at the paparazzi. Even in a wheelchair, Thaddeus did not have to say anythi
With the help of the two caretakers, Thaddeus sat in the wheelchair. He had overcome his emotions and pulled himself together. His mind was clear as he sorted out what he should do next. Thaddeus called the assistant into the room and laid out the following plan. “I won’t attend any media interviews before the election, but I won’t disappear from the public eye either. I don’t want to give the press something to talk about. My wife will represent me. Going forward, whatever she says or does will be considered my own. She has the authority to attend all corporate conferences, big or small.” Mona dropped her jaw in shock. She was to attend company meetings and speak on his behalf. It was trying to make the impossible happen. On second thought, Thaddeus must have his reasons to do so. She had the confidence to do a good job anyway. The assistant took note of everything Thaddeus said. The Fontaine Group was about to choose its next leader, and with Thaddeus still in recovery, the
“It’s okay. That’s normal after surgery. The doctor gave me a heads-up. Since it’s a brain operation, you might have damage to the motor nerve. With the help of physiotherapy, you’ll be back to running in no time.” Mona consoled Thaddeus. Thaddeus lifted his hands and gave Mona a gentle push. “Leave.” Mona froze. She looked at the man who was fine a second ago, not knowing what to do. “Can you leave? I need some time alone,” Fixing his gaze on Mona, Thaddeus spoke callously. “Okay. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” It dawned on Mona why the man was persistent in driving her away. He did not want her to see him at his worst. In a way, he was trying to protect his pride and dignity as a man. However, they were a married couple. Mona would never turn her back on him. Mona could understand the man’s vulnerability and his feelings at the moment. Hence, she said nothing and quietly left the ward to give Thaddeus the time and space to sort his emotions. Instead of doing n