September 28, 2024. Chapter 2-2. Thank you for waiting. The next update will be tomorrow.
“Well, what is it, Raelyn?” Charles asked loudly from outside the ladies’ room. “Is it done?”Then, he muttered, “This isn’t actually the first time she threw up, but it just never occurred to me that she could be carrying a child.”“Are you done, Mom?” Riley also inquired. She was situated behind the cubicle, waiting for the results. Renee was inside the ladies’ room with Riley. She was standing on her own, but she still had a walking stick to help her balance. She fanned her face and said, “I’m nervous. Hurry, Raelyn! Hurry!”“Is she pregnant?” Outside, Abner asked aloud. “Mom, try it twice, okay? So that’s a double confirmation,” Riley suggested. “Can you imagine Freya having a younger uncle or aunt?” Renee asked Riley, and they both made varied expressions.“Well, that does happen,” Riley said. “Oh, my god! My daughter will be so confused.”Clearly, there is a commotion in there,” Adrian said. “You are all pressuring Raelyn,” Anthony commented. “Haha! Give her some space!”Only
Renee made a face. She pouted and complimented, “Wow, even with your hand slightly shaking, you can do a good massage.”“I have to push myself, so I use all parts of my body and get off this wheelchair,” Anthony said. While Anthony could walk, he could not balance himself for longer than twenty seconds. After his accident, he suffered muscle weakness on one side of his body, which was why he and Renee were having treatments together.They go to the hospital together and have their treatments. Sometimes, they have lunch together after the hospital visit. So, pretty much, Renee and Anthony have gotten used to each other’s presence, but rarely do they delve into their personal lives. If they end up in a chat, they often talk about Riley and Adrian, their treatments, the people who help them, and Anthony’s work. “But where did you learn to massage like this?” Renee asked. “I used to give Freya massages when she was pregnant. I had to learn,” Anthony revealed. “You must miss her,” Renee
“Here, this is for you. I had my omelet made, and I got yours too. You like your eggs soft, right? Lightly cooked?” Renee said while putting the egg dish in front of Anthony. “Yes.” Anthony smiled at Renee. “You remember, thank you.”Renee’s face burned as she took her seat beside Anthony. For the first few seconds, she studied how he ate the omelet. After seeing a satisfied smile on his face, she ate her breakfast silently. No, they did not get to finish their sunrise walk, for they were already hungry at eight in the morning. So, they made their way to the resort restaurant instead. They met Raelyn and Charles there, who were already settled at a long table reserved for their group. As Renee ate, she felt someone staring at her. She looked up to find Raelyn, giving her a questioning look. Thankfully, Riley, Adrian, and Abner arrived at the restaurant. Clint, Zia, and their families also came to have breakfast, distracting Raelyn from whatever speculations were cooking in her head
Everyone’s eyes were on Anthony at that point. Renee was particularly confused with his actions. But eventually, Anthony responded to Michael with a laugh, saying, “Ask me? I’m not Renee. Why don’t you ask her?”“I was— I was helping her out. It’s the first time you have met, and Renee tends to be reserved around new people,” Anthony suggested.The commissioner leaned back. He crossed his arms against his chest and said, “Okay, well. Let’s try that again, shall we?”“Renee?” Michael asked. “Go ahead, ask me anything,” Renee politely responded.“Yes, Michael, you can ask Renee anything,” Abner encouraged. While all this was happening, Renee noticed Adrian giving Anthony a strange look. Once Anthony became aware, he turned his attention to his food and simply listened. “Are you married, Renee?” Michael asked. “No, I am single. I have never been married,” Renee answered with a smile. “Well, I am a divorced man. So, I have been single for five years,” the commissioner said in a joking
At first, Anthony simply felt sorry for Renee and what she had been through. She was often left out because of her condition, unable to join Riley and Adrian in their quest for the truth about Raelyn.While living under Adrian’s roof, he got to know Renee’s personality. Her motherly qualities shone, reminding Anthony of Freya. This remained true even after learning that Raelyn was alive. Despite her struggle to walk properly, Renee tried to get involved in preparing Riley and Adrian’s breakfast. Together with Linda, she was often the first one at the dining table with a big smile on her face. “Good morning! A healthy breakfast to start everyone’s day!”“I made smoothies! With Linda’s help, of course. This will be great for the baby, Riley.”“Adrian, are you sure you are going to work? How about taking a break? You look like you could use some.”“Anthony? Are you leaving without breakfast? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, plus you get to spend it with family. Why don’t
Anthony was in his bed, back at the old mansion. He was sleeping, yet smiling. He was in a dream, and in that dream, he saw Freya chasing after butterflies. Freya loved butterflies. Then, Anthony’s dream shifted to a scene when Freya was still pregnant with Adrian. In the garden, Freya found a caterpillar pupa. She had watched the pupa for days, and when it became fully transparent, and the shape of the butterfly became obvious, Freya stayed by the plant for two hours. Anthony participated in the observation, bringing his laptop to the chrysalis’ location. Then, the most magical thing happened: the pupa’s front opened, and the butterfly came out. It flew away; its wings were a bright yellow and orange!“Metamorphosis, isn’t it great?” Freya said. “It symbolizes many things, like freedom, personal growth, renewal, or simply a beautiful change.”Anthony awoke from the dream with tears brimming in his eyes. He never expected to have that dream of Freya. In fact, he had not dreamed of
“Renee,” Anthony said after taking a deep breath. “This is for you.”Renee gasped, abandoning her walking stick since there was only a meter of distance between them. She graciously accepted the flowers with a warm smile.“Thank you, they are beautiful,” Renee answered. All of a sudden, Anthony forced himself up from his wheelchair. It alarmed Renee that she unwillingly opened her arms, ready to catch him. Before Renee knew it, Anthony embraced her tightly. He leaned into her head as if taking in her scent. He said, “God, I missed you.”“You have a strange way of showing it,” Renee answered. While holding the flowers, she hugged him back with the same passion. Together, they created a balance that allowed Anthony to keep his stance. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure about which direction to take.”“And what is it?” Renee softly asked while tears brimmed in her eyes. “I decided I did not like the idea of you being with another man; I mean, I should be your man, not M
The soft hum of a piano echoed inside the Grand Cathedral of Dowel City, and Raelyn thought the melodies immediately brought her to a dreamlike state. Smoke machines quickly sent delicate clouds of mist across the floor, partly concealing her from the eager crowd of guests. As the piano’s melody deepened, a female singer began to voice the song’s lyrics, stirring emotions within her.~ “Remember the day our lips touched in the rain Fireworks through my veins, into my heart Remember the nights, dancing under the sky I got lost in the moonlight Found in your dark eyes” ~Dressed in white, Raelyn walked down the aisle, envisioning her young self and her dates with Charles. Yes, she remembered the fireworks, and even after reconnecting with Charles, those exciting feelings were still there.To Raelyn, Charles quickly captured her heart. Despite Calvin’s deception and her loss of memory, she still gave her love to only one person, the man standing meters away: Charles Eros. There was
In her seat, Charlie felt everyone's eyes on her. While most of those in the College of Business probably already knew about her breakup with Luke, the whole university now knows how she had been dumped and replaced!"It's not so bad," Dawn whispered to her. "Everyone could easily tell he cheated on you.""Yeah, that's right," Frank said softly. "It's a no-brainer.""Now Luke realizes that the Dean favors you. I saw that look of regret on his face when the Dean refused Regina on stage," Mia said, whispering closer to Charlie.Regina was indeed furious. In a way, she was humiliated, but no one could blame the Dean either. In the past, the Dean had always admired her and Luke together. The Dean's intentions were purely out of pride, but unfortunately, the news of their breakup had not reached her.As Charlie sat there, she noticed an intense stare directed at her. She turned to her right, and she locked eyes with Taylor West. He smirked, and Charlie's heart raced, seeing that expressio
At around four in the afternoon, all the students were instructed to proceed to the auditorium. It was the first. Luxford University had long divided each college, such as the College of Business, which had separate general assemblies and other gatherings from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, etc. Later on, Charlie learned that the school had an important announcement to make. “Here, Charlie! I saved a spot for you!” Dawn waved at her from one of the middle seats of the College of Business. Charlie smiled and hurried to Dawn’s side. The seats were filling fast, and unfortunately, the two rows in front of them were the only ones left. When Luke and his friends arrived at the auditorium, they settled in the vacant seats before Charlie. Dawn was the first to react, searching for seats. She said, “There are two seats at the back. Do you want to move?”When Charlie turned around, she saw that the seats were surrounded by a group of arrogant finance students who
“It’s so cold,” Charlie muttered while staring into the balcony. She sipped on her hot chocolate before taking a deep breath. “I wonder how long this bad weather will last.”“I checked the weather. It will rain until tomorrow. Classes will most likely resume the day after,” Taylor said behind Charlie. He drank his hot beverage and sat on another sofa, his eyes also studying the heavy downpour. There was a storm, and so classes were temporarily suspended. Thus, Charlie was stuck at home with Taylor. “So, what’s the story with you, Charlie Blondie? If we are going to be housemates, we might as well get to know each other,” Taylor suggested. Charlie turned to him, her gaze lingering longer than she intended. Taylor usually let his hair fall freely, but that morning, with his hair pulled back into a man bun, his sharp features were in full display. “Mmm. What do you want to know?”“Where are you from?” Taylor asked without looking at her. He resumed drinking his coffee. Charlie made a
“Eww! This is sticky—wait! I have gloves!” Charlie exclaimed after attempting to mold the ground chicken with her hand. Charlie was in the kitchen of the new apartment at seven. Her roommate was not home yet. She was watching You*Tube, learning how to make cheesy chicken croquettes. Earlier, she had followed instructions, mixing spices and condiments into the meat. Now, she was forming balls and putting a big slice of cheese inside. “Yummy cheese,” Charlie said with a smile. She loved cheese. “Cheese is life!” She claimed it.After making ten balls of chicken croquettes, she prepared the olive oil. Charlie muttered, “I’m getting the hang of this. I’m so good at this.”Charlie happily began frying her chicken croquettes. She was so excited to eat them that she took pictures of her cooking while she was at it, which she happily sent to her family’s group chat. [Look, guys! I’m cooking a very complicated dish!]Riley: [Meatballs? I’m so proud of you, Charlie!]Charlie: [Mom, it’s ch
As Taylor had promised, he was up early and about to leave for basketball practice at seven a.m. He was already in his basketball jersey, but given the bad weather, he wore a jacket over his frame. He was really tall. At six feet, he towered over Charlie.Taylor caught Charlie having another food delivery. He frowned and said, "It's not healthy, you know. You should cook on your own. There are a lot of videos on You*Tube."Charlie unpacked her food and said, "Oh, I can cook. I just haven't done my groceries yet."That was a lie. Charlie wasn't good at cooking, but she knew it was about time to learn. She had to admit it: Sofia and Ashley somewhat spoiled her by doing most of the cooking. Her contributions to the previous apartment were mostly cleaning and washing the dishes. "Anyway, I have to go," Taylor said, his voice still a little hoarse. I'll be back at noon.""I won't be here," Charlie said. "Good!" Taylor said before leaving. Well, she did not die. Thank god. Charlie conclu
At the condo, Charlie and Taylor sat in their seats, staring at each other. Both of them were clearly second-guessing the situation.“I still can’t believe I ended up in this mess,” Charlie muttered. “You are the worst possible roommate I could ever have.”“Really?” Taylor reacted. “This is given your experience of being roommates with other men?"“You -” Charlie gritted her teeth, her face burned in anger. “Why don’t you tell me, Charlie Blondie, why were you looking for another place to stay just weeks into the first semester? Where were you staying before this?” Taylor scoffed and suggested, “Maybe your roomies couldn’t stand you, and you got kicked out!”“You don’t know what you are talking about!” Charlie retorted. “I have my reasons, and it’s none of your business.”Clearing his throat, Taylor said, “Well, anyway, Charlie Blondie -”“Stop calling me that!” Charlie snapped. “It’s a way for me to differentiate you and Charlie Slade,” Taylor answered. “Who is Charlie Slade?” Cha
###FLASHBACK: TWO DAYS AGO ###“You have to try to get out of trouble! I’m tired of the school calling me every time…” Taylor’s father was ranting about the recent fight he had been involved in at school. Taylor was rarely home, yet this lecture served as his welcome-home speech. Taylor, however, barely paid attention.His phone suddenly rang. He interrupted his father, saying, “Dad, hold on. Tanya is calling.”“Tanya?” Taylor answered the call while his father was still talking. He could not focus and rushed the call altogether. “Taylor - a Charlie King - to co-rent the condo,” Tanya said on the other line. “Charlie?” He did not know why, but a certain Charlie flashed in his head. Charlie was a third-year engineering student, and they were in the same Structural Analysis class. Coincidentally, this Charlie had asked him about any vacancies at Fernwood Residence. So, Taylor immediately assumed it was him. “Yeah, I know Charlie,” Taylor said. It did not help that Tanya was out of
“Your new apartment is great!” Charlie’s sister complimented. Charlie gave her sister a virtual tour of the new place through a video call. It was late at night, but she was pumped up. She could not sleep!“I know, it’s clean and spacious. I guess it’s worth $3000. Haha!”“Pfft,” her sister, Freya, scoffed. “I think it’s cheap.”“No! Haha!” Charlie laughed again. “Luxford is not as developed as Halliport. It’s only known for the university. So, rent should not be this expensive, but I’m just glad I found a place to stay.”Charlie smiled as she sat on the sofa. She looked around, the wind blowing on her face from the living room balcony. She said, “I feel like this condo and this view will make me finish the rest of the year in Luxford.”She only had one year left, and it would be really inconvenient to change schools in between. So, maybe, just maybe, she could bear it. Charlie chatted with her family next. They had many questions, especially about her friends, but she said, “I just
Charlie looked up and met the guy’s gray eyes. His eyes were so beautiful, but this man was angry… and had a cut on his lip!‘Taylor West?’ Charlie silently named. Her heart raced as she mused, ‘How did he get into a fight early in the morning?’“I said, watch where you are going!” He repeated. His tone was sharp, and his eyes narrowed. He grabbed a younger student next to him and demanded from Charlie, “Apologize to him!”“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry,” Charlie explained. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Taylor, I’m fine,” the younger student said. “Head back to class,” Taylor told the young man and the latter nodded. He smiled at Charlie before leaving. “Look, I’m sorry. I need to go to class,” Charlie said. Taylor did not respond, so she took off.“Do I know you? You look familiar?” Taylor later asked. Charlie turned around and raised her brow. She answered, “No, we have never met.”“Okay, well, watch where you are going next time,” he said curtly. Just then, a group of students emerged