Our orders finally arrived and we begin to dig in. Right after her first bite, Kendra is excited to know about my news. I first feel awkward sharing things in front of Nikolai, but since I already decided to accept him, I think more meetings and setup like this will happen in the near future, so might as well be more comfortable with him. “Well, K, as you already knew, the guy I met in Austria is actually here in The States, and I just met him today,” I excitedly share the bean. “Well, isn’t that great, A? Is there any progress? Did you jump at him now?”, Kendra frankly asks so Nikolai bumps her shoulder with his, but she sulks at him and explains, “What? This is how we talk, duh?”I laugh at them, “Well, I didn’t jump at him, but he may have jumped at me?”, I teased them. And I shared the story about how I felt embarrassed at first, then the hot scene inside the conference room, and how that red-haired woman grimaced at me when she finally realized that I am his woman. I actually
My whole body suddenly gets numb as I hear the voice, the only voice that has a huge impact on me, a voice that I can literally recognize even just for a mile. Right at that moment, my surroundings seem to stop, and only I can move, I don’t know if it is the alcohol or not, but now, I can clearly see Dee’s face.My body is parallel to his, and his arms are now supporting me, then he brushes my nose again with his finger like he always does,“You naughty woman, why are you putting yourself out here in danger? Don’t you see guys are already undressing you in their minds?” his stern voice says.“And what do you mean by danger when she’s with me? Who the hell are y-”, K is unusually much more wasted than I am, so I immediately cover her mouth and whisper to her, “He’s Dmitri Sullivan, the guy that I’ve been telling you?”Her eyes open wide and her jaw drops, she eyes Dmitri from head to foot and utters, “He’s the guy who’s been getting in your pants? He’s damn hot.”I signal Nikolai to ge
I continue listening to their conversation in secret. I just can’t believe what I heard. How will I face Dmitri knowing all about this? How will Dee react? Will he distance himself again? Or will he hold it against me or Kendra? How about K? Should I tell her or not?My mind is so confused right now that I can’t even take another step towards them, so I decided to just go back to Kendra’s, who seems not so herself today. I thought, does she know about all of this? Curiously, I ask her.“Err, K, I hope you won’t be mad, but, did you ever research about Nikolai’s family or his wife specifically?” then I let out a sigh and wait for her to answer.She looks at me with those reddish eyes probably from throwing up earlier. Then she asks me to come to her and softly answers, “Honestly? No. I tried to look it up before but every time I do, I just can’t seem to look at them: the family I am destroying, the woman who’s hurting, the innocent kids who are about to lose their father.”Then her tea
Frustrated as I am, I cry my all inside the cab, and scream a lot while the driver just stares at me, “What?” I hiss at him.“I said what’s your destination?”, the driver asks, slightly upset with my attitude.“Just keep on going and circle around the city. I’ll pay you just don’t stop driving,” I rudely say to him.“Lady, I am running by meter, are you sure-”, the driver doubts my financial capability. I wonder if I look poor to him.“Yes, and just so you know I am pretty damn rich, so please just drive and let me have my sentiments,” I yell at him. I look at the outside city and breathe through the window to relieve my stress.Wasted and distressed, I didn’t notice that there were ten missed calls from a restricted number. So when it calls again, I manage to answer it. My mood is still off so I rudely take the call, “Who the hell is this?”“Where are you, Avery?” the cold voice questions without answering mine.“And why would I tell you when you can’t even answer mine?”, I launch my
After Seid’s visit, I finally sober up, and I remember that no matter how mad I am with Dmitri, he is still the one that I like. But it will never be easy to accept that we have different logic at some point. Now I remember how I bolted up earlier, and I could feel a little embarrassment. I drink the last drop of my coffee and clean the mugs we used.Just like now, even if I want to call him, I have no idea how to contact him. He doesn’t want me to have his number or even his office’s number, but he can call me anytime. I didn’t even give him my number, but he found it anyway. A mixture of unjust feelings and frustration is what I have right now. But I need to accept our differences if I want to be with him. I take a deep sigh.I get my pouch, turn off all the lights and make sure my office is locked and head home to my apartment. I take a cab once again and go straight to my house.***The elevator dings and I get off. I slowly walk to my apartment door, while I search for my keycard
“I am not jealous,” he clears his throat and answers defensively, like a male species who don’t want to be a laughing stock.“Oh, really, then, you don’t have the right to question me about anything, do you agree?” I rebut sarcastically. “At least Seid and I had closure because we used to have a beginning. What about us? We can’t close something, because we never started anything at all. If you like open relationships with no label, please, not me. Because I can’t tolerate that,” I continue while shaking my head, still eyes intact to him.“Why are you so fixated on being in a relationship when you’ve seen how worse it can be? Cheating husband? Busy boyfriend? Mistress? Huh?”, he pounds the wall behind him.“Are you talking about Nik and K? Siegfried and I? How about you, you’ve never been in a relationship with someone you love dearly, have you?” I confront him.“Exactly, why would I if I’ve seen relationships are fake, always crumbling and falling, giving heartaches?” he fights for w
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the master of all these magnificent artwork, Jodie Russels,” I open the exhibit and welcome all the guests to their hearts’ content.After my opening speech, I straightly go down from the stage and look for Kendra, who’s been MIA since her last call with Seigfried.A hand grabs me and pulls me behind the stage, when I look back it was Nikolai. Suddenly, the rage I feel for him for being a married man rushes back.“Avery,” he whispers. I glare at him and rudely answer, “What? And you have the nerve to bring her here, huh? What the fuck Nikolai?”“I am sorry. I didn’t we will be going here. Dmitri sets it all up,” he defends.“Oh, right? Your brother-in-law, right?”, I scowl at him. His eyes widen. “Yes, Nikolai, I heard the two of you talking that night,” I add to answer the confusion in his face.“Did she know?”, he looks down and whispers.I sigh deeply, “No, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. I am such an asshole best friend.”“I am sor
“Are you okay, Ava?”, Seid asks and helps me sit down. I nod at him and continuously cry as I remember when I had those eyes, I remember those times, the day I went to Italy, was when my parents died of an accident.I could see Dmitri’s figure still standing up, I slightly tilt my head and look in his direction, his gaze are still fixated on the portrait. When the host opens the bid, a lot goes for it. It has the highest bid now from all the artwork.Then Seid asks me, “Do you want to have it?” I smile at him and say nothing.So he tops up the bid without any hesitation. He keeps on topping up every bid there is and is looking forward to winning it, but with just two words coming out of Dmitri’s lips, everything goes silent.“Five hundred,” Dmitri says. And it isn’t just bucks, we are talking about grand. I look at him surprised but he didn't look back in my direction.“Going once,” the host says.“I am sorry Ava, I can’t top that,” Seid humbly admits his defeat. So I comfort him by s
(Avery’s Thoughts) (Two Years After The Divorce)I am standing backstage at one of the famous morning talk shows here in NY.I don’t know why I feel so nervous, well, it is my first TV appearance nationwide.Then I look at the mirror and fix myself, “Well, I am not yet ready to reveal my personality so I think of a way to hide my identity, and that is to use a pen name and a sophisticated mask, like the ones you wear in a masquerade ball.”A staff finally reaches out to me and says, “Miss Sparks, in a minute they are going to call you on stage. And your cue is the dimming light, okay?”“Uh-huh,” I hesitantly answer.But she is there to boost and cheer me up, “Take a deep breath, relax, and remember, you are good, and you definitely got this!”The sound from the crowd suddenly dies down and the voice of the host is heard. I look up at their gigantic spotlight and wait for the cue.I take a deep breath and say to myself, “You got this, Avery. You got this!”“Let us all welcome with a ro
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Dear Avery - My Loyal Wife, When you came into my life and agreed to be my wife, that was the best day of my life. That day, on our sudden wedding day, I promised that I would cherish you more than anyone else.I swore to protect the smile on your face, a smile so genuine when I first met you at that hotel five years ago. Avery, I know you’ve been trying so hard, and you never once failed to fulfill your duty as my loving wife, even if it means putting your heart aside. You’ve been so good to me, and you’ve been faithful to me like you promised me. But sometimes kindness and compassion aren’t enough when love is forced. Eventually, the true feelings will immerse.With so much regret, I’ve seen you fell right in front of my eyes. I’ve witnessed how your bright spark faded when you married me. I’ve become the reason why you lost yourself.I let it happen. And I can’t forgive myself for that ever again. You were forced to love me. I forced you to love me. And
(Avery’s Thoughts)“Babe, did it come out now?” Jeff yells behind the door. While I am damn nervous to even peek at it. “It is only a minute, it needs another minute, babe. Please, don’t stress me out,” I yell back at him. “I’m sorry. I just feel so excited about the news. I can’t wait to tell mom and dad about our baby!” he says exhilaratingly. “Don’t jinx it!” I scream angrily. “Okay, okay, I’ll wait here patiently,” answers Jeff. I am here sitting on the bathroom floor, waiting for the result to come out from the pregnancy test kit. It has been almost three years since we got married and there was never a time that we didn’t try having a baby. But until now, there’s still nothing. I hug my knees and start crying silently, “What if it fails again? Am I infertile?” I ask myself. The kit finally ticks and now I have to face the truth. God knows we’ve been trying so hard that’s why I even ask Kendra to take full charge of the business for now. I stop all my physical activities
(Avery’s Thoughts) Our El Nido, Palawan experience was splendid. And of course, I still can’t believe it. I came there single, “And now, I am officially Avery Tales. I am now married,” I murmur as I stare at both my and his wedding ring while he’s holding my hand in his sleep. It’s been a week since we came back here to America. Of course, the honeymoon stage has just begun and Jeff wants to make love to me almost every time. And me, being a good wife, always give him what he wants. Although, right now, I think I am still a little swollen down there. I go to the bathroom to clean myself up and wash my face as I promised Kendra I’ll be meeting her so we can talk about our new business venture. After brushing my teeth, I wake Jeff up, “Hey, babe. Didn’t you say you have an interview at Kirkland’s Best?”He groans and instead of getting up, he pulls me into the bed and showers me with morning kisses. I giggle as his kisses tickle me, “Babe, stop it. We have a lot of things to do tod
(Avery's Thoughts)Even though the wedding is sudden, Jeff managed to pull it off, and he has planned it all along. So after the wedding ceremony, we stayed for a little bit, I got to finally meet his parents. And for the longest of times, I once again felt the warm embrace of a parent. It made me cry because I knew that I am no longer alone, and no longer an orphan. Because now that we are married, his parents became my parents, too. And I can’t deny, my heart is full. After that, we stayed to talk to our guests for some time, and then we ate and enjoy the party, too. And now I am here standing on the balcony staring at the moonlight, while Jeff is still cleaning. I don’t know why. It isn’t the first time we are going to have sex, but for some reason, now that we are married, there’s this tension inside me, a feeling of hesitation, a feeling that I am officially owned by him. And unexplainably, I feel afraid. And now, my heart almost stops as I hear the gushing of the water fina
(Avery’s Thoughts) Later this evening, all four of us will meet Jeff’s parents. And because of it, I am so dead worried and I can’t get this nervousness out of my system. So while Jeff is away meeting his parents ahead of time, I rush downstairs and go to our neighboring villa. I knock ceaselessly, but Kendra and Nik aren’t coming out. I move back to look up, and I see that the light is on, it means they are there, so I continue to rampage on their door. “Kendra, Kendra,” I knock nonstop, “Open up, please!” I scream a little loud. Then after five minutes of almost breaking their door down, someone finally opens the door for me. “Thank God you finally come out, what took you so l–” I am about to complain but when I see her glaring at me with her hair a little bit frizzy and wrap in a blanket, I know that I should be more careful with my next words. Then later on Nik comes down with a little sweat on his forehead. “Uh-oh, definitely bad timing, Avery,” I say to myself. Then Kend
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Hey, we are going to be late for our flight!” I yell when I notice Kendra still struggling with how to put all her stuff in one big luggage. “Wait up! This stupid luggage just won’t listen to me!” she frustratedly yells back at me. Kendra is not a patient and she hates dealing with this kind of stuff. So I go to her room to check up on her. And there I see her leg wrestling with her luggage just so she can close it up. “Stupid-little-luggage!” she yells and kicks before she pounds it hard in the end. And then she sits beside it looking at me with so much energy wasted. “Help me out, A?” she begs. I smile at her and then gently hit her on her forehead. “That’s why I’ve been telling you to pack a week ago,” I nag at her a little and she sticks her tongue out for a moment. “Hmm, let’s see what unnecessary things you put in here,” I tease her. Then I begin to take out some clothes and things she can’t wear to our destination. “Nope!” “–But I need it.” “–It’
(Kendra’s Thoughts)Then a slight touch on my shoulder and a breathy apology are enough to get hold of the situation, “I am sorry, Kendra. Let me fix this,” is all he says. And even without looking, I know this one is definitely Dmitri’s voice since it triggers the hatred hidden deep within my bones.And as he passed by me, he steps up and grabs the arms of that tallest guy, “Let go, Luke, please,” he calmly says.Then the man who fell suddenly stands up continuing his tantrums like a child, “Why are you siding with them, Dee? He punches me first, you should get mad at that bitchy Heather’s husband” then scowls at Dmitri. But Dmitri is true to his words for the first time in his fucking life, he is trying to fix the situation. He glares at him and Luke, “I said Let go, Luke. Don’t make me say it for the third time, and you, I told you to be more careful with your words, this is my city, they know me here as a businessman, you should have thought of me more before creating a scene. T
(Kendra’s Thoughts)Avery finally got discharged from the hospital and in the meantime, I invite them over to stay in my apartment instead of wasting all their money paying for a hotel room. I have two more spare rooms in my apartment so I guess it is fine. Kervin is still here, so they will look after him while I go out with Nik and enjoy our anniversary. I am about to finish dolling up when A enters my room. “Hey there, gorgeous,” she says while leaning on the side of the door. I am currently wearing my earrings when my side zipper comes undone. So she goes to me and says, “Here, I got this,” she says and helps me out. I can’t stop smiling. I am just happy to know she’s here. I am happy we get to do this again. I hear the zip sound finishes, “Okay, you are good to go, sexy K. Are you going to bring the house down tonight with your fiery red velvet bodycon dress?” she pokes my side. “Oh god, no. We will just eat and then go home since that bitchy wife already knew our annivers