RUE My blood was boiling beyond measure. If only I hadn't mastered controlling my emotions, I might have rearranged Charles' face on the spot. The sight of so many guys surrounding Tysha was a sickening eyesore, especially knowing that the one who could lay claim to her was my ex-friend. It could have been me, you know? Truth be told, I had actually intended to greet her, but my plans were dashed to pieces by those assholes who showed up. Another thing that grated on my nerves was the flowers those guys gave Tysha, and her reaction to them. First, there was the bouquet from her co-teacher, who happened to be Henry's Social Science teacher. “"These flowers are beautiful,” she said? What a damn lie. That was the ugliest bouquet I’ve ever seen in my entire life," I muttered to myself as I drove back to my company. I shook my head, recalling the bland bouquet Charles had given her. It didn't hold a candle to the ones I used to surprise her with. Did Tysha lower her standards again?
TYSHA“Who’s that from?”Suspicion was evident in Charles' tone when he asked me about the huge bouquet I was holding aside from the one he gave me. Given the way he reacted earlier when Rupert gave me a bouquet, I was sure he would be even mad once he found out this was from Rue. So, to avoid any argument, I lied. “I-I think it’s from Madeline,” I stammered, noticing Charles's furrowed brows.“Really? She’d make that kind of effort?” Until now, there was still a hint of suspicion with the way he talked. Not to appear nervous, I chuckled. “Of course, she always does,” I uttered. “You know we’re super close, right?” Charles examined the bouquet. He let his finger slip on the cellophane that was wrapping hundreds of red roses. Then he stared at the single note that was on it. "Why didn’t she write her name on this note?" he questioned, eyeing the note that came with the bouquet. All it said was "Happy Mother’s Day.""I’m worried my colleagues might tease me again. They might thin
TYSHAAfter Fred made my life harder, I went back to the faculty room because I had no choice but to wait for Rue. Fortunately, when I checked my kids, their teacher told me that they would overtime in their PE subject. I would still have time to talk to Rue. I told Rue to go to my department’s faculty room as soon as possible. While waiting for him, I took the time to prepare myself.I don’t know but when it comes to him, no matter how expert I am in my field, he still makes me nervous. I just learned how to hide it better. When someone knocked on the faculty room’s door, I sat straight, expecting it was Rue already. As expected, after three distinct knocks, the door creaked open, and Rue strode into the room. Instantly, all eyes turned towards him, including Celeste's, whose table was positioned opposite mine. Her jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight of Rue, mirroring the stunned expressions of everyone else present. I wasn't exaggerating when I described their reactions. Thei
RUE“I’m leaving." When Tysha announced that, I knew she was jealous. I glanced at her and nodded in acknowledgment, but to my surprise, she rolled her eyes at me. Yet, strangely, her reaction only fueled my sense of victory. When I saw her roll her eyes, I knew I had won.A smirk tugged at my lips. Damn! She’s driving me crazy again!Shaking my head, I redirected my attention to Celeste. However, when I turned to her, I found her with her lips parted, seemingly in awe as she stared at me.“Sorry, what were you saying?” I asked, realizing that Tysha had occupied my mind.“U-Uh, I’m just asking when do you want me to start tutoring your son,” Celeste stammered.“I’ll let you know once I ask my son's opinion,” I assured Celeste, eager to leave now that Tysha had exited the room.“Okay. Here's my contact number, Sir. Contact me anytime,” Celeste offered, handing me her phone number, which I accepted without hesitation.With that, I made my exit as well, knowing I had more pressing mat
TYSHAOf all the people who could witness my struggle in the middle of the road, it had to be Rue. Great! Just great!It was one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong. Aiden had a basketball game in our neighborhood league, and we were at the gym getting ready when Addison accidentally spilled her chocolate drink all over her brother's jersey. So, I had to rush back home to grab Aiden's spare jersey.As if that wasn't enough, my car decided to break down just when I was in a hurry to get back to the gym. I hesitated to accept Rue's offer of help for several reasons. First, Charles would undoubtedly be upset with me. Second, my parents were also at the gym, there to support Aiden in his game. The list of concerns went on and on.As Rue drove me to the neighborhood gymnasium, an awkward silence settled between us. With no other options left, I decided to just go for it."Thank you, by the way," I began, breaking the silence. "About the flowers. I knew they were from you."Rue
TYSHA Charles and I both watched as Rue's car drove away. After that, I met Charles' gaze. Seeing his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and anger pained me too. I knew I had deeply wounded him, and the guilt weighed heavily on me. “We need to talk. Privately,” Charles stated as he angrily grabbed my pulse and forcefully dragged me inside his car. His grip was so tight that I felt like my bone was crushing. I wasn't even exaggerating that. My face crumpled because of the pain I felt from his grip but I said nothing and just let him drag me. “Get in!” he demanded as he opened the door of the passenger seat for me. I followed him, afraid to push his buttons even further. After that, he turned around to go in the driver's seat before he started to fire me with his questions. "Why were you with him? Huh?!" Charles's voice echoed in the confined space of the car. His face turned red with anger, sending shivers down my spine. I tried to remain calm, knowing I was at fault.
TYSHA"Congrats again to our basketball player," I chirped to Aiden as we dropped off my family at my parents’ house. Thank God things were looking up. Despite Aiden missing his team's first game, they still snagged the win, making up for all the earlier drama.After the victory, we decided to have a little celebration and grabbed lunch outside. Charles, though, was as quiet as a church mouse. He wasn't showing any signs of lingering anger, but he sure wasn't giving off any forgiveness vibes either. It felt like he was putting on a show for my family and the kids. I tried to chat him up a few times, but he stayed as cold as a polar bear's toe.Still, I had to hand it to him. He stuck around just like he promised, and that counted for something."Thanks, Mommy," Aiden uttered as he planted a kiss on my cheek. That simple gesture made me smile, warming my heart. Among the twins, Aiden was usually the less affectionate one, so every time he initiated a kiss, it felt like a little victory
TYSHA Never have I ever imagined Charles could do such a thing to me. After he left, I stayed on the floor of my living room, still processing what he just did to me. I should have taken his attempt to hit me in his car as a hint that he could do more horrible things like that. The memories of what happened with him were like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I trusted him and yet he betrayed me in the most horrific way possible. Yes, I had betrayed him too but was that enough reason to do this to me? I could still feel his hands on me, rough and forceful, ignoring my pleas for him to stop. The fear that ate my whole system at that moment, the feeling of helplessness as I realized what he was trying to do... it was all still so vivid, like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. And then the assault that followed, the violence and aggression that he showed when I tried to fight back. How could someone I thought I knew so well, someone I care