When Mona was not shooting, she spent time with her kids at Gold Coast. From time to time, Thaddeus would drop by to accompany her and the kids. The man always came in the evening, and no matter what he wore, he reeked of antiseptic. It seemed he had been spending a lot of time at the hospital. On this particular night, Mona was reading a book on her bed. Her stomach was not feeling well. Perhaps she had eaten something bad during dinner, and it prevented her from sleeping. So she decided to get up to read a book to kill time. Suddenly, the garden’s lights went on, and a car drove in. At this hour, it could only be Thaddeus. Mona was not bothered by his arrival. She continued to read the book in her hands. Five minutes later, footsteps came outside the bedroom before the door opened. Mona shuddered. Thaddeus’ sudden entry startled her. “This is my room!” Mona was upset. “Why couldn’t you have knocked? It’s so rude!” Thaddeus was not bothered by Mona’s temper. He wor
Ever since they moved to Gold Coast, they had never used any protection during sex. They had been having sex frequently lately, so there was a chance she might be pregnant again. The man narrowed his eyes and said in a commanding tone, “Let’s go to the hospital tomorrow and do a check. If both of us are healthy, why wouldn’t you be pregnant?” Mona’s eyes flickered. She evaded the man’s judgmental gaze and quickly came up with an excuse. “It’s okay. It’s not you, it’s me. I have been taking pills.” The anticipation in Thaddeus’ eyes faded and was replaced by despair and disappointment. The woman’s body was allergic to birth control pills. Whenever she had a stomach ache, she would usually see a doctor at the hospital. She knew it better than anyone, but still, she had been taking it behind his back. How resistant was she to bear his child? Anger rose from his heart. He was shrouded in gloominess and emanated a frosty aura. Mona shuddered. “Don’t take it anymore. It’s n
The man went to Mona’s room and opened the door. The moon shed its brilliance on Mona’s quiet face. She was sound asleep. Thaddeus scoffed. While he left the house in anger, the woman went to sleep as if nothing had happened. He went inside and sat by the bed before lying down and staring at the woman’s quiet face. His eyes fixated on her. The moon’s brilliance emphasized her flawlessness, and it somehow reminded him of another woman. Guilt started to rise in his heart. He acknowledged that he treated her poorly at first because of hate, and he treated her well because she was Mona Ortega. As time went by, he realized he had developed feelings for the woman. The feelings for her sprouted little by little over the years and piled up into a mountain so big that even he was surprised how much he was infatuated with her. The feelings got so heavy that he could not blurt it out. He was unsure if it was true love or just his desire to possess her as his plaything. The man sta
Mona arrived at the restaurant around the promised time. It was a high-end restaurant that served expensive food. If she was not asking Thaddeus to dinner, she would not have chosen such a restaurant with looks but served overpriced food. Ten minutes after ordering, Thaddeus arrived. Unlike his usual casual clothes, the man dressed up for the occasion. His handsome look turned heads as soon as he entered from the entrance. “You are not wearing your jersey today?” Mona was not used to seeing the man in formal attire since she had gotten used to his casual attire. Men were visual animals who liked impactful and enticing things, and so were women. Although Thaddeus was in his early 30s, his casual attire emanated the same youthful energy of university students in their 20s. Thaddeus took his jacket off and rolled his sleeves up to reveal his forearms. Every move from his hands was elegant. “What about it? You like to see me in my casual look?” the man said scornfully as he
She invested a lot in the man, even her life. The man admired her confident and timid self. The smile on her face as she sipped on the glass of wine melted his heart. Dinner was at its end when both of them were full. Mona took the glass and drained the wine inside. Her cheeks, blush-stained; her eyes narrowed as she stared at the man opposite her. There were three of him in front of her. She must be drunk. When Thaddeus noticed Mona’s concentration fading, he took his jacket off and put it on her shoulder. He whispered softly into her ear, “You’re drunk. Let’s go home.” Mona felt tipsy. She grabbed her purse from the side and reached inside for a card. She waved it in front of Thaddeus and said, “Pay with my card.” Mona might be generous with dinner, but her heart was bleeding knowing that the dinner would cost her at least four figures. Thaddeus stroked her pink cheeks, looking worried. “Keep the card. How much did you drink? Why are you so drunk?” Mona shov
“How did my mother die?” Thaddeus was not surprised by the question at all. The woman had broken into his study room a while ago. It was almost impossible for her not to see the death certificate. Since he simply put the death certificate in the drawer, he never planned to keep it a secret forever. He knew she would ask or find out sooner or later and just did not want her to face the problem herself. His disheartened gaze veiled his feelings from her. He explained, “It was an accident. I told you you need not know so much about that woman.” Mona was disappointed by the man’s frosty reply. The man was cold-hearted. How could she not ask about her own biological mother? Mona stood up from the swing and stood in front of Thaddeus. “That’s my mother you’re talking about. As her daughter, do I not have the right to know the details? At least tell me the truth.” Thaddeus scoffed. “Your mother never cared about you since she gave birth to you. Her marriage with your fathe
The man’s intimidating aura drowned Mona. She shuddered and leaned back against the door. “Yes, I met Victor, but I don’t know about the thumb drive you’re talking about.” Why must she explain herself? There was nothing between her and Victor or Tim. “That is why I’m reminding you to stay away from the two of them! Once is more than enough. If you do it again, you will have to be responsible for what you have done.” Thaddeus found the woman unreasonable. She had always been careless and naive, and her stubbornness was the worst. He suppressed his anger after that last sentence and continued driving home. He stepped on the acceleration pedal and sped faster than usual. Mona side-eyed the man. Her mood was ruined by the man’s crazy outburst of anger. Fortunately, it was not her problem if the man’s anger ruined his health. Mona retracted her gaze and leaned backward. She had drunk a lot tonight. Her head was heavy, and she was troubled by many scattered thoughts. She wo
Mona sighed a breath of relief. She tiptoed to the bed and laid down beside him. She switched off the lamp next to the bed and turned away from Thaddeus, showing her back to him. Then, a strong and warm palm was placed on her waist, holding her in with just the right strength. A deep and soft voice tickled her ear. “Mona…” Chills ran down Mona’s spine. She had never felt so strange hearing her own name. Not only her name but even the man’s tone was unusual. It was like he was calling someone else with the same name. She opened her eyes in the dark. The anger in her boiled, and she could no longer hold it back. She bolted up all of a sudden. Thaddeus was half asleep when Mona sat up. The thoughts in his mind scattered as he rubbed his head and sat up. He switched on the lamp and saw the angry look on the woman’s face. She was like a startled kitten. “What’s wrong?” The man hugged her waist and wanted to hold her in his arms. “Is it because of what I said just now