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10|Purely Business
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“You do?” Once again, I spoke without thinking. My words came out as if what he uttered was an answer to a prayer I’ve waited years for a positive response.
I’m thankful for the darkness that looms over this alley. If not for it, this infuriating man would’ve wallowed in the heat crawling on my cheeks. Not to mention the uncomfortable burning sensation in my core that’s still perturbing me up to this moment.
I cleared my throat, rephrasing my statement, hoping to save myself from humiliation. “I mean, you agree, to marry me?”
Xavier sighed, sauntering away, leaving me confused. The patter of his Italian shoes with each step bounces off of the walls. His figure, almost bathing in the warm street light glow, paused and asked without glancing back, “are you coming or what?”
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Falling For My Husband 11|Questions
What he said baffled me, but I didn’t say anything. I waited for him to explain further. “Nadia and I, we came to an understanding that we will keep our marriage, but we will still see other people. Everything is just a responsibility to our families.” “Oh,” I never actually thought of that because again, I acted on impulse, which landed me in this troubling situation. But the effect of this reality turned my stomach upside down. I want to puke all the alcohol I’ve consumed. I knew this was his way of saying there could be no love between us. What was I expecting, anyway? Needing something to keep me going, I finished the content of my glass, hoping it was enough to help me accept this. Something about what he said made
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Falling For My Husband 12|Emotions
“What?!” my blood didn’t boil. No, it thickened - fast, like molten lava slipping within each vein, looking for a way out. It tickles every nerve ending in my body, teasing me to let out my fury to the world. “It’s not their choice,” Xavier explained, stepping further into the dimness. “I don’t care!” I hissed, succumbing to my anger. My foot began tracing the pattern of the Persian rug laid on the floor. Each skid of my flat shoes sounds like the wheels of a drifting car. “The nerve of that bitch to set foot in my house!” “Zia, calm down.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jean’s pocket, lighting it up, taking a long drag before puffing out the smoke in the dimmed light of the balcony. Leaning on the stone railing, he had one palm gripping the edges while the other held the slow burning cig.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Falling For My Husband 13|Craving for Sweets
I knew Xavier was speaking. I can hear every word, but my mind can’t process what he meant. I took another glance from the dimly lit garden back to his face, locking gaze with his dark hues. There was something in my chest that disturbed me. It’s confusing, but the sensation of the tight knots in my belly is not helping me figure out what it is. From the contour of my closed knuckles that’s still holding onto his shirt, I could feel his beating heart. It’s as wild as my own, and his chest is heaving the same way mine does. The only difference between us is the calmness in his face. How he managed to put on a show like that is beyond my understanding. I’m pretty aware of how hot my entire skin is. It’s not because of the humidity… it’s because of this man. The burning splash on my cheeks and core clouded my thoughts. All senses in my body are in an uproar, but
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Falling For My Husband 14|Decision
One… one, two… one… one, two… This is the tapping pattern of Xavier’s fingers on my knee. His rough, large palm never wandered higher. He didn’t have to. The warmth spreading from his touch is enough to make my insides combust. He’d remove his hold on me when he needed to eat his food and slyly slide it back under the table to resume where he’d been touching me. I knew what he was doing. He’s distracting me like what he did back in my room. It’s working. I managed to eat my food properly - timidly - and my focus remained on myself, in the burning need building up on my core. I’ve ignored everything around me, including the thoughts of Ashley and Calvin and the contemptuousness of dining with them. Never in my life has this happened before. I feel so hot all over agai
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Xavier’s distractions help me make it through that dreadful dinner. But after Luciano’s left, the reality slowly sinks in - the painful truth that the man I love and Ashley finally got what they wanted. They’re together, and there’s a great possibility that in time, Pier and Francine will accept Ashley with open arms… together with her child. Who knows if they’ll permit them to get married too. They will have a family in the arms of one another while here I am, wearing another man’s ring on my finger. A man who gives me confusing feelings. Not even forty-eight hours after my proposal to him, he turned my world upside down. He ignited something in me from the alley to the kiss we shared, a feeling I’ve yet to put a label on. It’s wrong to even think of Xavier this much, as if there will be something more between us than what we have. Twice, he ought to be my b
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Dressed in an oversized shirt and sweats, legs crossed, I’m seated comfortably on the soft cushion of my reading nook. I leaned on my best friend’s shoulder, waiting for the steaming hot chocolate set on the windowsill to cool down a bit. I told Penny not to come over, that I’ll be alright, but she knew me better than I gave her credit for, all the freaking time. We’ve been inseparable since college freshman year for an unknown reason. We don’t exactly agree with everything; in fact, we argue most of the time, especially when it comes to matters of relationship. But she’s surprisingly tamed since she came in an hour ago. For Penny to shut her mouth for half an hour is a miracle. I sat up straight, reaching for the cup of warm choco she prepared with both hands. The steam danced with the movement of the cup as I l
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I gave up on thinking of a good password for my phone. Penny, being a genius, only took about five seconds to crack the code I thought of for an entire day. Seriously, I thought that my new password, ‘supermanpanties,’ wouldn’t be so easy to figure out. My phone bounced on the mattress as I flopped on my stomach, face buried on the crumpled white covers. I stared at the clock on my nightstand. 7:15 a.m. and his flight would leave at 10. I’m honestly lost on whether to tell Xavier that I’m not driving him to the airport or not. What would he think about me now? ‘Hubby?’ I kept reading the message throughout the night, hoping I just saw some kind of hazy nightmare. It looks as if I’m so comfortable calling him like that. It’s so… so flirty like I was trying to be sweet
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“What the hell happened to you?” Penny barged inside my room without knocking or announcing her invasion of my privacy. Lost and numb with a freezing chest, this is my body and soul’s state after the airport. As soon as I slid inside the car, my tears spilled profoundly. I don’t even know what I was crying about. It’s not like Xavier promised me love and adoration together with this engagement. Realization hit me hard where it hurts the most. God, he must be thinking I’m using him to forget his brother. Shame in bold capital letters danced around my head because of what I did. What he spoke of hurt so badly. ‘Don’t fall for me.’ I don’t understand what this searing pain in my chest is for. ‘You’ll only hurt yourself.’ Having him as my fiancé somehow gave light to the
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Falling For My Husband 79|Epilogue 4
~Zia~ About thirty minutes into the drive, Xavier parked in front of the cabin by the lake. My mind was somewhere else through the drive; another guilt feeling washed over me. This was our night together, and I pushed my worry about Lu and Penny aside for a bit. I just have to trust that they’ll work things out. Xavier slid out of the car; I took this chance to shake my worry away as he skirted over to my side, opening the door for me. Trees shadowed over us, creating a dancing pattern through their leaves as the sliver of the silver moon slipped between the gaps. The gentle purr of the summer wind made the small lights anchored from tree to tree swayed like sparkling stars within my reach. In my awe, I admired the cabin, small, cozy, made of glass and wood. Yellow l
Falling For My Husband 78|Epilogue 3
~Zia~Like always, Xavier had everything planned out. We took a drive to Club Sky and met with our friends. I haven’t gone out with any of them since I gave birth to Franco. Sure, they visit our place often, sometimes for no apparent reason.Diego would pop up the most; he even had his things in the guest room since he’s been sleeping there a couple of nights a week. One time, I interrogated him about why he’s always in our place. I don’t mind having them over, but Diego is a pain in the ass. He whines when we run out of Batangas coffee. It’s cute. He’s a child that cries when there’s no cereal in the morning. And his response was even infuriating.‘You hoard the best coffee in town,’ was his nonchalant response. I pity the girl who would fall for this kid.
Falling For My Husband 77|Epilogue 2
~Zia~My parents have been traveling back and forth from New York to Seattle for about two months now. They have the penthouse next to ours to their name. They wanted to be close to Franco. I mean, they even hold him longer than I do when they’re around. I only get to hold him when he’s hungry; where’s the justice in that?Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, admiring Franco as he cooed, yawned, and fluttered his eyes because he was already sleepy.I stare at them from the kitchen, eating my salad with a pout on my lip. There’s a small part of me that feels a little possessive about my son. I knew my parents only wanted to be with their grandchild. They’ve been waiting for him excitedly, like Xavier and me. They’ve been deprived of this chance when Nadia lost her baby; now
Falling For My Husband 76|Epilogue 1
~Zia~“Xavier!” I pressed my hand on my lower back, the other set under my huge belly, breathing in and out. The cramps were different. Dr. Shiovan told me I would know when it was time. And it’s damn time.Still in his pajamas, Xavier came rushing into our room with flour decorating the black apron around his neck. He was making a ravioli for me, my request last night, and he promised me he’d make his pasta for the dish, which became my go-to food in the third trimester of my pregnancy.“It’s time?” he asked, helping me up from the reading nook where I spent my entire morning.“Fuck,” I hissed, feeling another contraction. “He’s coming out.”Xavier&rsquo
Falling For My Husband 75|Hope
~Zia~ It doesn’t matter if we are alive and breathing. The emptiness written all over our faces screams we lost more than what we gained. Xavier got out safely, but the manor didn’t survive the explosion. Part of our plan was to make the crime scene look like a gas leak under the estate, making it easier for our people in the government to investigate and conceal this chaos. There’ll be a lot of questions asked, and for the most part, everything we’ll say would be a lie. We headed back to the safe house to spend the night and tend to our wounded. Xavier was silent the entire drive; we all were, for that matter. He gave me a quick peck on the forehead when we got to our room and headed directly to the bathroom to clean up
Falling For My Husband 74|The Luciano Manor 2
~Zia~“Lu, Bo,” Xavier grunted, fighting his way through the hallway that led to the basement. “I really need you two to move your fucking asses now!”“This is a fucking sewage system!” Lu grunted. They had the job of setting up explosives under the manor. A big argument took over before the two agreed to do this. They wanted to be on Xavier’s side, to protect their boss and friend, but they had a bigger task at hand. “It would’ve been easier if we came in with you, you idiot!”Xavier grunted, taking cover on the busted wall of the hallway. A Luciano family portrait hangs above him, swaying with each wave of gunfire through the air.“Did you just call me an idiot?” Xavier chuckled.
Falling For My Husband 73|The Luciano Manor 1
~Zia~“Where is my grandson?” the man who slit Francine’s throat asked, his thick brows arched, head tilting to the side, seizing my husband up. Brown eyes, burning with a hunger for blood, starred into Xavier’s hues.Like what we expected, the moment Xavier stepped out of the car, armed men from the opposing side surrounded them. They’ll never play fair. We are mere pawns in his game of death, and he plays an award-winning role of a devil.Xavier glanced around at the men surrounding him as if they’re nothing but mere mortals, and he’s fucking above them.That’s my husband right there. He’d look death straight in the eyes and would never show a hint of fear. ‘Death should be afraid of me,’ that’s wh
Falling For My Husband 72|The Trap
~Zia~The sight that bombarded me when I descended the stairs puzzled me. I was expecting Xavier and Calvin to gut each other’s throat, not that I was hoping for it, but this was the least I predicted with everything that’s happened.Ammunition and firearms, from handguns, knives to assault rifles, are scattered everywhere I glance. Xavier, Mom, Dad, the rest of the team, my sister, and her people are arming themselves, wearing a mask of confidence.We’re going to war.A loud crashing of metal against the floor grabbed my attention from studying my family. I saw a glimpse of Calvin in the kitchen, arming himself with a bulletproof vest, surrounded by a few more of Nadia’s men.“Xavier,” I n
Falling For My Husband 71|To Have & To Hold
~Zia~Our lips moved against one another, gentle, searching and asking for anything to make us feel alive.The kiss wasn’t filled with lust. It was filled with the need for love, warmth, and hope in our world that has turned unrelenting and cold. We need each other to have and to hold, just like our vow, just like what this wedding band in our fingers meant.My hands gripped his shoulder tightly, holding on to him, unwilling to let go, to stay here with my husband.I seamed his lower lip, asking him to let me in. When his lips parted, I slid my tongue between them, begging him to lose himself in me. His hands came up to my hips, nails digging painfully, making me hiss against his mouth.“Zia…” Xavier
