Mona did not want to answer him. She increased the TV volume to pretend she did not hear him. She was not his servant. Why must he treat her with a condescending attitude? When he was unhappy, he would mock her; when he was in the mood, he would use her like a servant. It felt like he came all the way here just to be her boss. Thaddeus noticed the silence. He grabbed his laptop and walked out of the room. He had a pair of golden-framed glasses on that made him look elegant. “I said I want a glass of water. Why didn’t you answer me?” The man sat down beside Mona and leaned over. His nose was millimeters away from hers, and she could feel his breath assaulting her face. For some reason, Mona felt disgusted by the sudden intimacy. Yes, disgusted. She could not help but picture him and Ginny being excessively intimate. She could not accept it. She turned around and threw up in the trash can. Thaddeus’ strong palm tapped on her back softly and consoled her, “Are you feelin
Thaddeus kept his laptop and went into the bedroom to get his jacket. Angrily, the man walked to the door, and when he opened it, he saw Anna waiting outside. She seemed to be surprised. Anna smiled awkwardly and said, “Mr. Fontaine, you’re here as well? Are you here for Mona? I’ll give you the room. I don’t want to disturb you two.” Thaddeus was shrouded in frostiness. He said in a deep voice, “It’s okay. Take care of her. She’s feeling nauseous. Get some citrus and put it in the room. It will make her feel better.” Anna smiled and said, “Mr. Fontaine, why are you telling me this? Since you are here, shouldn’t you be doing it for her?” Thaddeus was annoyed. “You talk a lot. Just do what I told you.” Anna pursed her lips. It seemed like the man just had an argument with Mona and was lashing out at her. She strode into the room, held the door knob, and waved at Thaddeus’ back. “Okay, Mr. Fontaine, I will do exactly what you tell me to do.” Anna only closed the door when Thad
“He’s not cold-blooded. He’s just into another woman now.” Mona curled her lips into a bitter smile. She had experienced his cruelty more than once, but it felt even more tormenting when she treated the relationship seriously yet ultimately got abandoned by him. “Then, just follow your heart.” Anna patted Mona’s shoulder. “It’s your body, and you should take care of yourself better.” Mona looked down. Her narrowed eyes veiled the darkness in her heart that she failed to overcome. She felt like her heart was dead and that there would be nothing more disappointing than this. She thought about it over and over again, and she had been asking herself whether she would regret aborting the child. If it was not her truest wish, she would definitely regret it. Maybe all she needed was one last straw to break her, and with that, she could stop resisting the voices in her head. …“Mona, the crew just released a statement that the shoot is delayed.” In the evening, Sophie came back
Mona went upstairs. The entire floor only consisted of one presidential suite, which took up half the space. The other half was the entertainment room and the children’s playground prepared for the guests. The door was unlocked, and Mona could hear the kids’ laughter and noise inside. She went inside and saw Bobby wearing a pair of adult slippers. He had a glass of water in his hand and was leaning on the couch next to the window. Beside him was the vinyl record player, playing some jazz, and he was waving his glass along to the music. Mona found it amusing. She covered her mouth and chuckled. “You really know how to enjoy yourself, little man.” She went over and sat down beside Bobby. She then used the towel to wipe the boy’s hair dry. “Do you want a mask on your face?” Bobby’s eyes glinted when he saw his mother. He sat up straight and said, “Mommy, Millie and I were going to see you after our shower.” Mona patted the boy’s fluffy head. “How’s the zoo? Had fun?” “It’s
The man’s eyes were on the kids, but his attention was on Mona. From the moment she entered the room to when she spoke to Bobby, he had been listening to her voice. The woman must be regretting what she said earlier. How could she push a man, who loved and protected her from every aspect, away and not feel anything? He wanted to punish her for a bit, at least, for the night. Who would have thought the woman would cry in front of him? It softened his heart. Thaddeus put the hairdryer away and turned on the TV for the kids so that they could play with each other. He then turned around and saw Mona wiping her tears silently. He pocketed his hands and walked over to her. Mona sensed the warm and comforting aura enveloping her whole. She snorted and her eyes were as red as a rabbit when she looked at Thaddeus. The man looked at her silently. He looked at her pink cheeks and smiled. She was beautiful, even more so without makeup. She was beautiful when she cried and when she laug
Thaddeus went silent after he heard what Mona said. He could not feel her helplessness. He tried to understand it, but from an analytical perspective, it seemed like she was jealous of Ginny. “Ginny and I are not what you think.” Even though he knew explaining would only make things worse, he had to at least try. “It’s just a relationship of interest between me and her. It’s not what you think, and I didn’t betray you or the family.” Mona shook her head. She knew he would say something like this. A relationship of interest? The man weighed profits and losses using meticulous calculations, and telling him to cut off a relationship that would benefit him would be harder than asking him for a divorce, again. Mona curled her lips into a bitter smile. His explanation was useless to her. Thaddeus held her hand and said firmly, “You don’t believe me now, so you’ll suspect whatever I say.” “So what? Of course, I suspect you. Shouldn’t I be suspecting you after what you have done?
Millie got up on the bed and climbed under the blanket. She stretched her legs and hands to ease herself up. “I’m switching off the lights.” Bobby then switched off the lamp beside the bed. A while later, Millie’s eyes opened, and she stared into the darkness of the room. Bobby looked at Millie. “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Millie sat up and tugged her brother’s sleeve, grumbling, “Bobby, I want to sleep with Daddy and Mommy.” Bobby got up as well. He tried to calm Millie down by saying, “Millie, I’ll sleep with you tonight. I’ll read you a story.” Millie pouted. “I don’t want to. I want to sleep with Daddy and Mommy.” “Then, I’ll give you some snacks, but you have to sleep after that.” Millie’s eyes widened and started to glisten. “I don’t want to! I want to sleep with Daddy and Mommy!” Bobby had no idea why Millie insisted on sleeping with their parents, but he could not bear seeing his sister cry, so he compromised. “Fine. Get your pillow and we’ll go next door
“Millie, aren’t you tired?” Millie shook her head. “I’m not tired at all. Millie is happy because I can sleep with Daddy and Mommy.” Mona’s chest tightened when she saw the silly girl’s reaction. How could she be so happy just because she could sleep with her parents? Thaddeus returned to the bed and sandwiched the kids in between Mona and himself. He looked at the two little rascals, and with the dim light from the lamp on their faces, it felt harmonious and peaceful. The sight of his family was calming. Mona put her hand on Millie’s belly and patted it softly. “Sleep, precious girl.” She was tired already and could not keep up with the girl’s energy levels. Millie pulled her hand out from the blanket and held Thaddeus and Mona’s hands tightly. She was thrilled. “Daddy and Mommy cannot be separated again,” Millie said with a happy smile. “Our family will always be together.” “Of course. No matter what happens, we won’t be separated,” Thaddeus said as he held the girl’s