Kristel masked the disappointment that appeared on her face. Fear sprouted in her chest when Galvin acted strangely after they shared heated intercourse just a while ago.
Most of the time, after they made love, Galvin preferred to stay in bed and sleep while she was in his arms, except when his presence was badly needed in the company. However, they are in the company now, and no emergency needs Galvin’s immediate attention.
It was the first time Galvin had left after their wild intimacy. Galvin usually demands more later after she has rested enough. Even with the red light flaring above her head, Kristel shoves it aside and acts casually.
She smiled and asked, “Then? Before you leave, can we discuss something? I want you to know that…”
She gathered her courage to spill the news. She reached for the test sheet she placed on the chair beside her, but Galvin suddenly spoke.
“Galvin, one of these days, my lawyer will deliver you the draft of our divorce agreement. If you have a problem with alimony, discuss it with him.”
“Di….divorce? Now?” She was taken aback upon hearing the word she solemnly prayed she would never hear in this lifetime. “Are you sure to end it here?”
Kristel retracted her hand from picking up the pregnancy test result, clenching it into a fist, and placed it on her lap when it didn’t stop shaking from the emotion she worked hard to stifle, not for Galvin to see her pitiful look. She fought the tears that began to mist her eyes, then pursed her lips into a forceful smile.
How would she be able to forget him after a year full of memories they shared?
Even though this marriage was merely a contract that would end anytime soon, she hoped it would last longer.
Although he kept their marriage a secret, she and Galvin shared such intimacy in the passing year. The memories flashing through her eyes were the role-playing she mindlessly played because she was so head over heels for him.
She loved him, and she thought she could mend his broken heart as there were no days and nights he didn’t touch her except during her red days or he had business trips that she was not needed to accompany him.
The one year of marriage with him was like she was living in heaven. May Galvin never brought her into public, but their bodies reacted in such a way when they were together and tangled in the bed.
Then she only had the wrong assumption he had forgotten his ex-girlfriend.
Why? Is she not enough for him?
She would never demand him to introduce her to the world that she was Mrs. Hudson. However, the agreement she signed was as clear as crystal that he would end it anytime he desired.
How about she stayed like his kept woman?
No. She is not that lowly of a person.
“Okay…” After a long while of silence, Kristel replied. The actuality is she has no strength to utter a single word.
Galvin furrowed his brow at hearing her calm response. Although his marriage proposal came with such terms, Kristel was obedient throughout their marriage. She never gives him a pain in the ass, but she is always in the mood to do the task he demands of her as part of their role-playing game in this marriage.
Even so, it never crossed his mind that she was his pet, but a wonderful wife, a man, could not ask for more.
Realizing where his reverie was headed, Galvin was taken aback. How come he had such a thought?
It may be true that Kristel satisfies all his needs. However, he dreams of marrying Fiona when the perfect time has arrived, and she accepts his marriage proposal.
“Kristel, she’s back after a year since we agreed to take a break from each other. Fiona realized I was the one for her. Also…" Galvin is reluctant to finish his words and speak further. With a solemn face, he added. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t teach my heart to love you.”
“What are you saying?” Kristel let out a low chuckle. She shrugged and then added, “I understood the terms of our contract when I signed it. We will file a divorce once none of us forgets our past and fall in love.”
Galvin didn’t understand, but he could feel his chest tightening upon hearing Kristel make such a statement. ‘Then? She still hasn’t forgotten her crush she dreams of marrying?’
Kristel failed to notice the changes in Galvin’s tone the next time he spoke. She was busy suppressing the pain when a blade cut her heart into thin slices; thus, she focused on brightening the atmosphere.
“Congratulations! You must be happy now that she has returned.” No wonder he was all dressed up after he made love with me. Kristel thought.
Despite the needles that pierced his heart, Galvin could not bring himself to display the unpleasant feeling boiling inside him. ‘Is that all?’ Galvin felt dejected.
“What are you going to discuss with me?” Before he exploded unnecessarily and revealed such emotion, he changed the course of their conversation.
Kristel shook her head and smiled. “It’s about a new design of coats my friend showed me and asked me if you want additional sets of business suits similar to the one you wear today.”
After some thought, Galvin nodded. “Sure. I actually feel comfortable wearing her custom-made suits. Tell your friend I want to order a dozen sets of different colors. Perhaps she could include a blue striped suit and a black one.”
“Sure! I’ll tell her the good news first thing tomorrow.”
Although her heart was bleeding, Kristel could not hide the excitement in her voice. She was happy for her friend to continue striving in the design industry. After news spread that Galvin ordered customized suits from her, the store flooded with more orders. Megan uses high-quality materials, so their customers are satisfied with her work.
However, Galvin misunderstood her joy. He thought Kristel could not wait to divorce him because her High School ex-boyfriend also returned, and after they finalized the divorce, she would marry him then.
‘If that’s the case, I should get married soon first.’ Galvin was unaware that he had a childish thought. He only focused on the fact that Kristel would soon pleasure another man after he divorced her.
Galvin clenched his hand into a ball, and his short fingernails dug into his palm. He sneered in his heart with gritted teeth, displeased with his head having crazy thoughts. Yet, he could not exhibit his irritation thinking another man was about to dig that hole of hers.
“Alright. Then I’ll go speak to my lawyer to visit you tomorrow to finish drafting our divorce agreement.”
Kristel squeezed a smile. “Actually, I did not worry about the contents of the divorce papers.”
She doesn’t care if Galvin would only leave her small alimony. However, she was pregnant with his child. It has rights for his company. Even so, Kristel did not voice her thoughts for fear that Galvin would make new arrangements that would devastate her.
“Thank you for agreeing to the divorce. I hope you can attend our wedding,” said Galvin. He got up from his chair and was ready to take a step. He was waiting for her to shoot him a protest and beg him for her to stay.
“Okay.” Kristel nodded, flashed a smile, then lowered her gaze to hide their sadness. She bit her lip to suppress the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
Seeing her listless answer, Galvin strode to the door with a grim face, withholding his rage.
Kristel was left alone in the penthouse. She placed her hand on her lower abdomen and looked around, reminiscing the memories she shared with Galvin in this very room.
“Don’t worry, love. Everything will be alright. I’ll ensure you’ll receive all the love in the world, even without your daddy. Mommy loves you so much.”
Now that Fiona is back and Galvin wants to fulfill his promise to his first love, she is afraid that Galvin will not let her go with their child, but he will take him from her.
No matter what happened, she would not let him separate her from her child. She’ll protect him with all her might.
Galvin exited the elevator in a foul mood. He missed noticing the security guards greeting him a good night. He walked straight to his car, slammed the door, and punched the steering wheel.The two security guards assigned to the second-floor parking lot for the executives and used as their boss’ garage shared a confused look.They wondered why the president looked glum when they saw Mrs. Hudson was wearing such a sexy dress hours ago.Mrs. Hudson used to dress plainly. Seeing her effort tonight, both grinned when they thought their boss would have the best time of his life.The security guards, aware of the secret marriage, became familiar with Kristel, who arrived almost every night in the past year.When their new boss started to live in his office, the missus came over to take care of him, and most of the time she came in, she was carrying grocery bags, and they would help her bring them over to the elevator and even press the button for her.Mrs. Hudson would frequently bring fre
“Who are you talking about?” Galvin glanced in the direction Fiona pointed at. He was no longer in the mood to eat dinner after Fiona’s nonsense suggestions.“She’s gorgeous. It would not be a shame if you introduced her to your grandparents.”“What are you saying?” Half-heartedly, Galvin looked over his shoulder and asked lazily. He saw many female waitpersons walking around the restaurant, serving their guests.“It’s the waitress standing next to Chef Raymond.”Galvin stared at Chef Raymond and paid less attention to the woman beside him. Chef Raymond entertains foreign guests. Probably the guest had requested to meet him since he was one of the most skilled chefs in the world and his restaurant received four Michelin Star so all wealthy people don’t mind wasting money to dine here, which is worth it anyway. However, he could no longer enjoy his food.“Stop the nonsense, Fiona.” Galvin didn’t hide his irritation when Fiona insisted he sought a contracted wife to get his inheritance.
“You came!”Fiona jumped on Galvin the moment she had a glimpse of him standing in her doorway. Although Galvin ignored her phone calls and messages this afternoon, she knew Galvin couldn’t bear not seeing her after she demanded he come to her place.“Yeah.” Galvin forced a smile as he stepped inside the apartment. His eyes squinted upon seeing the interior decoration that almost blinded his eyes.The apartment seemed spacious but became narrow because of unnecessary decorations. Using gold as a main theme is a good idea. However, Fiona uses too much gold in everything. From the walling, the frames of paintings and vases scattered around the floor, and the four corners of the apartment.It looks too lavish compared to his villa. Kristel decorated their house with minimal furniture. She didn’t fill the house with unnecessary decorations; he preferred that.Galvin was taken aback to have this thought. Fiona is the love of his life. He must not compare the two women regarding their prefe
Fiona caught the reluctance in Galvin’s eyes. She bit her lip, then went on. “Galvin, I still feel bad that I made wrong decisions in the past. I would understand if you harbor feelings for Kristel. I’m sorry that I left...”Fiona squeezed some tears as she went on. “Now that I realized what I wanted, I would no longer leave your side. I don’t care if a promising career awaits me in France...”Fiona sobbed, and Galvin comforted her.“Stop the nonsense question, okay?” Galvin disguises the shock in his tone. The question that startled him came out of the blue, but he must remain calm and conceal the panic in his eyes. Then he added, “Everything between Kristel and I is just a contract. You are the only woman I love. You know that.”“I love you too, Galvin!”Galvin swallowed hard, and Fiona noticed when his throat bobbed up and down. She darkened her eyes at the thought that maybe Galvin had truly fallen in love with Kristel, but he only lied.Despite her resentment toward Kristel, Fion
The following morning, the constant doorbell awakened Kristel. She glanced at the space beside her, and Galvin wasn’t there anymore. Today is Saturday. Although Galvin sometimes works on the weekends, he doesn’t leave home this early.“F*uck!” Kristel cursed in her heart. Again, someone hits the button, which creates an annoying chime. Since she was pregnant, she had become irritated. However, she only suppresses the urge to yell at the person behind the door. Still, she doesn’t want Kristel to suspect the changes in her manners.Kristel pushed her body out of bed and got dressed. She caressed her lower abdomen with worry about the fetus’s condition after intense sexual intercourse with Galvin the other night. Then her thoughts snapped when the doorbell rang again. She hurried to the door to find Fiona standing at the doorway wearing a floral dress and exquisite makeup.“Fiona? What are you doing here early in the morning?”Fiona shot her a ferocious gaze. Kristel’s neck was swollen w
“You don’t look well, Kristel. I’ll bring you to the hospital.” It does not convince Galvin that she is fine when the color on her face has disappeared, and vomiting caused by a stomach ache only means it is severe. That was his illness—this, he knew, it’s something not to ignore.“I’ll take you to the hospital.”Kristel panicked when Galvin declared that. Thus, she was squeezing her brain to look for an excuse. Galvin would learn about her pregnancy if he accompanied her to the hospital.“Galvin, I said it’s just a minor abdominal pain. I know better than anyone if something is going on in my body. Right?” Kristel eyed Galvin, hinting she had known enough medical knowledge to differentiate her discomfort from the symptoms.However, Galvin was firm in bringing her to the hospital. She was stubborn, and he knew she would not have a check-up if he wouldn’t accompany her.“It’s better to make sure what it is than ignore it; then, your condition is actually serious.” His perspective is ba
In the car, Kristel keeps glancing at the man behind the wheel. They were speeding, and she feared they would meet an accident early in the morning.Galvin initially ignored her burning stare. But it was becoming frequent, and he could not concentrate on the road.‘Does she want us to do it in the car when she is unwell?’ Galvin had this vulgar thought which he dismissed in an instant. He was not totally a jerk to f*ck a sick person to relieve his uncontrollable s*x drive.Galvin tried to ignore Kristel, but it bothered him being stared at. He waited for her to spill out whatever she wanted to say to him, but she remained silent.“If you have something to say to me, you must say it now while we’re halfway in the hospital.”It startled Kristel when Galvin suddenly spoke. She panicked but calmed down at once. Honestly, she was like sitting on pins and needles, watching Galvin drive hurriedly to the hospital.She was anxious he would find out she was pregnant; hence, she was racking her
Galvin knew that Kristel often visited the hospital to meet her professors. Before, it did not bother him, but now he is curious as hell about what she’s doing when he is not around.“Kristel, what’s the matter?”“Good morning, Doctor Miller. Are you heading home from your night shift?”“Yes. But I don’t mind assisting you. What’s wrong?” Doctor Miller offered the chair in front of her table. Kristel and Galvin took a seat.“She vomited while having breakfast.” Galvin beat Kristel to answer the doctor’s question.Both Kristel and Doctor Miller didn’t expect Galvin to be excited. Although the former who the doctor interrogated, it was he who diligently answered the interview.Observing him, Kristel had the illusion that Galvin was actually paying attention to her. But her bubble thoughts went off when the doctor shot the next question.“When is your last period, Kristel?”Kristel was prepared to lie. However, Galvin answered again. He looked at Kristel and said, “I don’t remember the l