Seid enters the passcode without even pressing the doorbell so I ask him, “Hey, what if she’s not here, or both of them are having their moments. Is this even legal?”Seid pats me on my shoulder, “Relax, Ava. Have you forgotten, we always do this to one another, Kendra is not another person, you know.”I sigh, still feeling nervous about how Kendra will react once she sees me. Seid finally opens the door, and Nikolai’s face is the first to show up. He is flustered seeing us standing behind the door. Then I hear K’s voice, “Love, who is it? Is that the food we ordered?”Nik couldn’t answer right away, his voice is still as husky and deep as ever, “Uh, well, not really.”“Then who is it? Are they soliciting, again? Would you mind giving them some penny, I am a bit busy here,” K’s voice sounds like music to my ears, loud and vibrant. Nik keeps on staring at me and holds his stare to Jeff who’s just beside me. Then he mouths to Seid, “What the heck? You didn’t even bother telling me? S
(Jeff’s Thoughts)I woke up in the middle of the night and looked at Avery who was deeply sleeping next to me. Seid got this hotel room for us. To be honest, I don’t like Seid lurking around her, but I, I have to respect Avery’s opinion, and besides it’s not him I am mostly worried about. I trace her face and kiss her on her forehead, “Sleeptight, baby.”Avery was so wasted yesterday, and she kept on crying complaining as to why Kendra still hasn’t forgiven her. Even after staying here for a week and putting on a lot of effort each day, Kendra didn’t waver. After all, two years of pain and abandonment wouldn’t be easy to erase from her. I go to the mini-fridge this hotel has, I get some beer, lie on this chair facing the balcony glass door, and drink. I finally got to meet people from her old life. As far as I know, she no longer has parents. Yet, I know little about her. This thought suddenly come to my mind.“I want to know her more,” I told myself.With amazing people surroundi
(Jeff’s Thoughts)Walking back to the hotel, all the conversations Kendra and I had kept on running inside my mind. There are many things I didn’t know about her, things that I should know about her. I am her fiance after all. “But why do I feel so left out? Why hasn’t she even shared this important information about her life? Am I not worth it?” So instead of going straight to the hotel room, I drop by the hotel bar and sit at the counter, and order some drinks. “Evening, man. What can I get you?” a bartender with a happy mood comes in. I lift my head and nod at him, “Yeah, can I get some scotch?”“Clean or on the rocks?” he asks while preparing the glass. “On the rocks, bro, and make it two,” I order. “Oh, somebody’s starting really strong, tonight, any problems, man?” the bartender keeps on asking questions. “nothing, just wedding blues,” this is the excuse that I give. “Ohh,” he seems happy about it, “Congratulations, man! And good luck!” then he laughs out loud. “Huh! A
(Dmitri’s Thoughts) “You will meet them today? I see. Just go with our plan, okay? Remember, never say a word until I say so. I’ll be going back soon, try to stall the agreement, bring the best lawyers, negotiate or whatsoever, until they agree to have another meeting, this will be your last meeting as the owner,” I instruct the person I am talking on the phone with.“Understood, sir,” he says. And I hang up. I then, rest my back at the backrest of my office chair. He’s one of my employees and I promise him a promotion if he will take care of everything. “I am sorry, Avery. I will take you by force, you are mine and mine alone!” I clench my fist as I remember how Avery left me in Germany a month ago.Now that she’s back in the States, I won’t let her out of my sight ever again.“I hate to be like this, but I can’t let you go, I can’t live without you. Wait for me, I will be coming home soon. I am the one you love, not him,” I told myself. I close my eyes, but seconds after, someon
(Avery’s Thoughts)I am still in bed when I am awakened by Jeff’s voice who seemed to be having an argument with someone over the phone. I turn around and he notices me. He puts the phone down and sits beside me in bed. He embraces me and kissed me on the lips. I see his brows furrowed so I know something’s wrong. I get up and scratch my eyes and then inquires about the phone call, “Babe? Is everything okay? I woke up from your voice,” I utter. “I’m sorry I woke you up, you should go back to sleep,” he says while smiling and still, worry is all I see in his eyes. “Is everything okay? You look worried. Tell me,” I convince him.He sighs and hesitantly says, “Babe, I have to fly back to France, I am afraid I can’t join you for the signing session,” he sadly announces.“What happened?” I stand up and go to the bathroom. I wash my face and go back to where he is. I sit on his lap and he embraces me even more. He looks me in the eyes. “It’s Uncle–”The moment I hear it, my heart rac
(Dmitri’s Thoughts) “I am dreaming again, I know I am,” I say as I watch myself from this very incident I wish to forget, “This is my worst nightmare.” Almost a decade ago, one particular incident changed not only my life but the life of a young woman who untimely lost her parents because of my recklessness. I clearly remembered what happened that night. The scene in my dream changes and it brought me back to the night of the accident. I was out hanging with my friends, drinking, partying, clubbing, doing things that I thought would make me happy. Not until I received a call that night. I went out of the bar only to hear my sister’s sobbing voice, “Dee, she’s gone! Mom’s really gone for good!” “Hello, Heathe, what the hell are you talking about?” I scold her with my drunken voice. “Unsere eigene Mutter hat uns verlassen,” after repeating what she said for the third time, I finally understood. “Maybe she went out for a while. Or probably with her friends, or just on a vacat
(Dmitri’s Thoughts) Finally, I woke up from that nightmare in the middle of the night. I thought I could let go of the past after lots of sessions with a shrink, and yet, here I am, still having nightmares. I went to the kitchen and reached for my medicine in the secret storage that only I know. Once in a while, I still meet with my shrink in Germany. I drink water and stare at the moonlight.I sigh when flashes of scenes still appear in my mind. I rub my temples. Yes, I lied, so that no one would ask me what happened. And I was right, no one reminded me of what happened, no one even dared to ask. That’s how I lived my life for the past decade, full of secrets, full of lies. And this has something to do with Avery, this is how our ill-fated relationship started. People say everything is a coincidence. They strongly believe that everything is fated. Every circumstance happens for a reason, and it depends on how we act according to what life brings us. But I am the living testimon
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)When I said that nothing was a coincidence for us, it was true. I followed her around like a stalker, and I knew her every move. So when she and Seid were having some problems in their relationship, I was a bit happy about it. The only thing I didn’t like about was the resort she came up with. Me, being a billionaire, I admit that I love women, and rich guys, like me, sometimes love doing crazy stuff. That’s why my closest friends and I created the sex online community SEXONITE.“I was one of the founders of SEXONITE,” and seeing her name pop out of the system somehow aroused my heart. I immediately called the group to make sure that I, alone, will own Avery. I asked them to block all the results that would come out of Avery’s reference but they said it would be too impossible to happen. “In order to do that, we would have to recreate all the algorithms,” Damien said. “I don’t care, just do it!” I scold him. But the other two said, “No can do, Mr. Sullivan. W
(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