Kelly’s POV
I got off the bed and tried to leave but Pierce grabbed my hand. I immediately wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks before he could see them. He stood in front of me and looked at my face as I tried so hard to look down and avoid his eyes.
I felt my heart breaking into pieces. I thought… I thought I could make him fall in love with me within those three years together. I thought his feelings would level up and would see me as a woman rather than just a best friend. I was stupid for hoping and dreaming so high.
I failed. No matter how hard I tried, his heart belonged only to his first love Lexi.
“Kelly…”
I sucked my breath and swallowed the pain as I looked at him. I faked a smile, “I need to wash up before eating.”
He stared into my eyes as if trying to figure out what I was thinking. I know he knew me too well so I tried so hard to hide my pain and smiled at him.
He sighed and let go of my hand. “Okay. I’ll wait for you here. Let’s eat and go to work together.”
Together? How cruel could he be? He still wanted us to get along like he didn’t ask for a divorce? He wanted us to stay the way we were right after he told me that his first love was back and he wanted to divorce me?
Oh Pierce, what was going on in your head?
If I used to be able to force myself to stay in the seat of his best friend wishing him happiness, I no longer had that courage after the three years we'd shared. There's no way I could endure that kind of torture again, especially when I'm carrying his baby.
The baby...I had thought it was good news for us but now...it would be more like a burden to him, I guess. A burden that would prevent him from getting his true love and freedom.
I knew how an unwanted child to grow up. My parents were divorced even before my mother died and the new family of my father hated me and it hurts like hell. I don’t want my baby to experience the same thing I felt. I need to keep my baby away from it.
I faked a smile again. “We can’t. I need to visit the studio for the photoshoot of our new models…”
“I’ll go with you—”
“No.” I pushed his hand. His eyes followed my hand before he lifted his face to look at me again.
“You have some documents to sign. Our schedules are already organized, remember?”
“But…”
“I have a personal driver, Pierce. I’ll be fine to go alone.”
He sighed and slowly nodded. I turned my back on him and entered the bathroom. I immediately opened the shower and stood under the cold water. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I covered my mouth to suppress my sobs.
My shoulders were trembling really badly and when I thought about my baby, I swallowed hard and tried to calm myself down. I wiped my face and caressed my belly. I need to be strong. I need to stay calm. I shouldn’t put my baby’s life on the line just because I got my heart broken. I have to deal with this smartly.
I sucked my breath and finished my bath. When I got out of the bathroom, I was shocked to see Pierce was still there. He was struggling to fix his tie in front of the full-length mirror. I also noticed my pair of heels and dress on the bed.
“Hey! I picked your dress for today.”
Since our marriage wasn't public, Pierce said he would try to do little things for me as a husband. He did it well and I used to enjoy these sweet moments but now, it was going to kill me.
I grabbed the dress and went inside the walk-in closet. I felt him following me. I put the white dress back and picked a red one. When I faced him, his forehead was creased.
I smiled. “I prefer red today. I’d feel beautiful in this dress.”
His eyes went to the dress I was holding and his face immediately calmed down. He nodded and walked towards me.
“I see. Help me fix this first.”
I put my dress on his arm and started fixing his tie. I could feel his eyes staring intently and it was making my heart beat so fast. I took a deep breath and chewed my bottom lip as I struggled to fix the tie. My vision is becoming blurry again. d*mn!
“Kelly…”
I jumped in shock. “Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
I looked at him and smiled, “Yeah.”
“I have another thing to say.”
I finished fixing his tie so I immediately grabbed the dress from him. I glanced at him before I walked past him and spoke… “Let’s just talk some other time. I'm going to be late.”
I heard him sigh as he followed me again. I grabbed my underwear and got dressed while he was standing behind me. He’s silent the whole time as if he’s thinking about something.
“You should eat before you leave.”
I faced him and nodded. “I will. You should go now.”
“Kelly, we’re on the same page, right?”
I stared at him. No, Pierce. We’re never on the same page. All of these are just my stupid fantasies. I thought you had feelings for me and I was so wrong.
“If it’s about the divorce, I understand everything, Pierce. I know what I have to do. Just give me some time because I’m really busy with the company. I will not run away.”
“Kelly, I’m not just doing this for myself. I’m also doing this for you. You’ve been caged with me ever since we got married. I know you’re not happy because deep inside, you also want to find the man you deserve. Someone who will really love you. Not me. Not someone who’s half-hearted.”
“I understand what you’re trying to say, Pierce,” I said and tried to turn my back but he held me by the waist, keeping me in place.
He did everything to capture my eyes and he succeeded. He looked at me worriedly. “You are my best friend. I don’t wanna lose you, Kels. You’re one of my few people…”
“I know,” I said out of frustration. He looked shocked, so I calmed myself down. “I-I know. You don’t have to worry. I’m just stressed about work. It’s not about our divorce.”
His lips parted and he slowly nodded as if he was able to breathe properly. He walked towards me and I froze when he gently kissed my forehead…
“Thank you, Kelly," he whispered. My heart clenched. It had been three years but I was still such a coward. Why couldn't you just tell him that you love him, Kelly? He's your husband and you're carrying his baby! Tell him and he might change his mind!
I swallowed hard and was about to tell him but his phone rang. I didn't miss the caller ID. Again, it was Lexi.
" I gotta go." He scratched his head in apology and I didn't miss the upturned corners of his mouth. "I called Luke and he’s waiting outside. Eat before you go, okay?”
With that, he left our room. The tears I had managed to suppress burst out again. Why would I think I could have a chance? He made his choice already the moment he asked for the divorce, didn't he?
Whenever it came to Lexi, I was always the one he would abandon.
Kelly’s POVI entered the studio wearing just two-inch red heels and a red dress. Everyone was looking my way as I walked along the hallway. They’re all greeting me with a smile but my face remains stoic, not showing any emotions at all.The conversation with Pierce this morning was still lingering in my head, but I couldn't let it affect my work.I couldn't fail my work after I failed my marriage.I took a deep breath to adjust my condition. However, when I entered the photoshoot room, I could notice everyone was in chaos.“We can’t! She’s not answering her calls. What should we do? The Vice President is coming today. She’d get mad.”“We can just tell her the truth. She’s nice.”“Not in this situation, Lily! She’d scold us—”“What’s happening here?” I asked as I graced the room.The staff were now looking at me with worried expressions and I knew then that there was a problem.“G-Good morning, Miss Monroe.”Miss Monroe. Of course, no one knew that Pierce and I were married except for
Kelly’s POVI was playing with the wedding ring on my finger. I told him to go home early but he didn’t come home completely. He wasn’t even answering my calls.Well, now Lexi was back, this house was probably not home in his eyes anymore.My eyes turned to my pregnancy report on the table. What a mockery. I was still naive to hold a glimmer of hope that things would be different if I told him about the baby. But forget this baby was out of his plan.Sure, Pierce was not the kind who would force me to have an abortion. But he couldn't cut out his obsession with Lexi either. He might stay in this loveless marriage if his parents asked. But all I had would only be an empty shell. That's not a Father what I wanted for my baby.I wiped off the tears collecting at the corner of my eyes and collected the report. It was 5 am already when I looked at the clock on the wall. I tried to dial his number again, but still busy. What was he busy with? Was he busy making love with Lexi? He must have
Kelly’s POVI was lying on the bed, n*ked under the white sheets. I’m watching Pierce intently as he watched me too while caressing my hair with his fingers. He was looking at me with care, with admiration. My heart is fluttering. He’s my best friend but I feel like we can be beyond that. I’m in love with him. So much in love with him that I feel like I would die if I lost him.“Why are you staring at me like that?”I swallowed hard as I felt the discomfort between my legs. I gave myself to him last night. After we got married.“What if I get pregnant?”He doesn't love me the way I love him. He only married me because of his grandparents. His grandmother is sick and our families are friends. We have been arranged to marry and I never thought he’d agree to this marriage.He gently caressed my cheek as his eyes softened. “Kels, you know I’m not ready to be a father. I’m not even ready to get married. I just did this because of my grandparents. I know you have the same reason?”I felt my
Kelly’s POVI walked out and went to the bedroom. I grabbed a pillow and blanket. I turned and was about to leave when Pierce entered the bedroom and looked at me.“Where are you going?”I looked at him sharply. “Why do you care?”“I care because you’re my wife, Kelly!”A sarcastic laugh came out of my mouth because of what he said. I looked at him with rage. “We’re divorcing anyway.”“Kelly, you can’t just run away like this. We have to talk about the problem.”“I don’t have a problem, Pierce. It was you who had a problem and you created it, just to remind you.”He grabbed my wrists and kept me in place when I tried to leave. His jaws were clenching as his eyes bore at me angrily. “My father is angry, Kelly. He’s accusing me of cheating on you.”I tilted my head, “Are you not?”His forehead creased. “I am not an *sshole, Kelly. Did you see me kissing her or fcking her? I still have my sanity with me. I won’t go intimate with her as long as you’re carrying my name—”“Frankly speaking,
Kelly's POVI slowly turned around and I'm certain I paled when I saw two people standing a few meters away from us. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Pierce still on the floor, looking at the newcomers with a shocked face."G-Grams…" I mumbled as I felt my throat dry.She shook her head as she laughed nervously. "I must be hearing things. How's everyone? I missed all of you, so we paid a visit.""Grams…" Pierce pulled himself up and walked towards his grandmother.She was the one who raised him so he loved her and respected her so much. I cupped my mouth when Grams ignored Pierce and looked away.I took a deep breath and gathered all my courage to speak again… "Grams, I'm sorry…"She looked at me with tears in her eyes, "D-Did my grandson hurt you, Kelly?"I shook my head, "No, Grams. He's the sweetest. I-I just…I just feel like I need to let him go because we're not really meant for each other.""Kelly…" I heard Mrs. Anderson sobbing.Grams shook her head and caressed her cheek. Gra
Pierce’s POVShe signed the divorce papers. She signed it without thinking twice. In front of me.A bitter smile spilled as I downed another glass of brandy.I should be happy about that when I was the one who asked for the divorce. But…but my heart felt so heavy ever since Kelly signed the papers.Kelly and I had been friends for over 10 years. The day she transferred to my high school, I accidentally bumped into her by the lake. She looked like a frightened kitten, carefully hiding her true self behind that thick antique eyeglasses. That was interesting.I didn't realize that nerdy transfer girl in everyone's eyes would be the daughter of my mother's best friend. With that, we grew to be friends. Best friends.Kelly changed a lot after graduation. When I came back from the first vacation alone with Lexi, I was surprised to find that my best friend was far different. Taking off her heavy glasses and changing out of her baggy hoodies, she learned how to dress up. She was always a fast
Kelly’s POV“What’s the problem?” I coldly asked Hayley after I reached the studio. She’s now panicking. Her assistant called me saying there’s a problem involving Lexi, our new model and our professional make-up artist.She swallowed hard. “Miss Monroe, Miss Lexi refused to do the photoshoot today. She had an argument with our make-up artist and she insisted on finding a new one.”I sucked my breath and started massaging the bridge of my nose. I saw Lexi sitting comfortably with a frown on her face.Pierce and I were in the middle of divorce proceedings, but cutting the bond between us wasn't as easy as it could have been, especially when we both valued the family and the company.Still, working with Lexi was the last thing I wanted. I really wanted to tear the face of that evil witch, but business wasn't child's play. I'd got a whole bunch of employees under me waiting for their paychecks, and I'd got to stay professional.Without further ado, I walked towards Lexi and stood in fron
Kelly’s POVLooking back at them would just hurt me more. I restrained myself and my chest was clenching again but I won’t let this pain drive me nuts.I was about to go to my office when someone called my name. When I looked at the person who called me, my mood instantly lightened.“Chris!” I called happily.He was smiling sweetly as he walked towards me and when he got the chance, he pulled me for a gentle and warm hug.Christopher Parker was my college suitor. The last thing I heard about him was he’s become a professional model and actor and he’s built a name in the industry. He’s finally a big star“It’s really true that you’re working here,” he said and examined my whole. “God! You’re still as beautiful as ever.”I felt my cheeks heated. I playfully smacked his arm and smiled at him. “What are you doing here? I’m the Vice President here.”He nodded and smiled widely. His eyes were twinkling in happiness. “I know. How are you? This is Pierce Anderson’s company right? Are you fina