(Avery’s Thoughts) We are waiting in the lobby when a man approaches us from behind. He says something to Dmitri and I don’t even understand what is. Then Dmitri holds my hand and I follow, “Let’s go, the chauffeur is here.”“You’re not going to drive?” I ask. He shakes his head, “I don’t want to drive drunk, Avery.” That’s one thing I notice with Dmitri, I’ve never seen him drive drunk. And that’s something admirable, isn’t it? The chauffeur opens the door for us, Dmitri lets me in first, and then he follows. Then he begins to introduce me to the people we are going to meet later, “Avery, I want to tell you a little bit about them. Whatever you hear, keep it to yourself, okay? And, they are really different,” he stops and become quiet for some time, “If ever they say something pertaining to you, please be patient. They don’t know how to control their mouths, they don’t even know you’ll come. And, if you hear some secrets, you can ask me later when we are alone. But please, don’
(Avery’s Thoughts)My phone keeps on buzzing in my purse while Dmitri and I are sharing this unique smoking experience together. I try to ignore it and put the purse on my side, and enjoy the unique feeling. I honestly thought of it as a bad thing, well it’s not good either, since not all states consider shisha as a legal vice. I even thought it would smell really bad. But with my first hit of the smoke circulating inside this little flask over there, the chocolate minty flavor goes straight to my nostrils. It felt weird but not bad, so I must say, I enjoy this. Plus the fact that Dmitri’s warm hand has been traveling all over my body. And it boosts this strange feeling inside me. My phone vibrates again and when I check it, the screen displays Jeff’s name. I try to hide it from Dmitri but he notices it right away, so he puts down the pipe and asks me, “Avery, would you like to answer that?”I shake my head and answer him with a smile, “Uh, no, it is better not to answer it.” And
(Avery's Thoughts)As I continue to sniff and sip some drinks. Dmitri looks at me in silence. He notices the changes in my mood, but he doesn’t even question me. He just lets me do what I want. But the silence between us is suddenly shaken by the sudden roar of this man, who was a while ago quiet at the corner. “Aha!” he literally jumps from where he’s sitting and walks towards me. Then he bents towards me and looks at my face from a very close distance. All I could do is blink because of shock. “I knew it!” he once again shouts with the same energy he exerted a few seconds ago. There’s a hundred and eighty-degree turn of his personality. Now that I look at his face, he’s smiling towards me, and his face brightens. I wonder what happened to him. I can finally witness how Dmitri introduced him to me in the car before coming here. Then he stands behind Dmitri and massages his shoulder while uttering the words, “You are one hell of a sly fox, you asshole!”“And the biggest mouth r
(Avery’s Thoughts) We just finished our tour in Macau yesterday, and we arrived in the States just a few minutes ago. Even though we had some disagreement, we made up the next day, and our stay there was splendid. I got to know more about his billionaire friends, and they told me more stories about Dmitri’s past. They even told me what kind of tricks Dmitri pulled to get me out of the SEXONITE’s system. We were back to being sex buddies, and we are enjoying our moments together because I added a clause in our contract that once Jeff and I married, I could no longer meet him. I may be a cheating girlfriend, but I want to honor the sacrament of marriage just like my parents did. And besides, somehow Jeff deserves it. He did nothing but love me with all his heart. But sometimes being apart tests your relationship in terms of patience, loyalty, love, and trust. And to be honest, I already failed two of them. I do love him, and I want to be patient with him, but I am no longer loyal
(Avery’s Thoughts)Our first stop today is a bridal gown boutique not far away from the coffee shop. A wedding wouldn’t be complete without the gown just so you know. They already expect our arrival so as we step into the boutique, a warm welcome greets us. She leads us to the space which I reserve for today’s fitting. “We’re going to fit the gown now? Wait! Is it only me? How about the others? Don’t you have friends in France?” K begins to ask me questions. So before she could even ask more that could ruin my surprise for her, I send her inside the fitting. “Wait, aren’t you going to fit, too?” she asks in a louder manner. “K, before they give you your gown, can you do me this favor for once?” I plead to her. “Huh? What favor?” she asks. And when the staff brings the bridal gown in, she squeals, “Goodness gracious, Avery Anderson, what do you want me to do with this?”I can’t see her but I can imagine the look on her face. And I can’t stop giggling. “I am going to make you pay
(Avery’s Thoughts)It is nine in the morning, I am taking a sip from this cup of coffee while currently looking at my wall scratching out things from my bucket list one by one. “Go to a casino, done, scratch it… Fit the wedding gown, done, scratch it… Hang out with bestie, done, scratch it…” I smile feeling great seeing my progress here. The next on the list would be ‘Donating Egg Cells’. I don’t know why but after watching a lot of documentaries about surrogacy, IVF, and couple having troubles getting pregnant, it makes me aware that not all can be given a chance to be a mother. Somehow, I believe I might help others, and besides, I have such great genes, duh?!A few minutes later my phone buzzes and the screen displays my day calendar appointment, “Seattle's Fertility Center appointment at 10.”Okay, I guess I’ll get going. Before I go out of my hotel room, an unregistered number appears on my phone screen and I immediately know who it is, so I answer happily, “Hey, Dee.”“I’m he
“Ava?” he is the first one to call my name. So I untangle my arms on Dmitri and walk to him. I kiss him on his cheek as a form of greeting and say, “Hey, Seid. Didn’t expect you to see here!”I try to be civil and I smile even though I am so damn nervous about this unexpected rendezvous. Why now? And why with Dmitri? “What are you doing here? And why are you with him?” he peeks on Dmitri who keeps his distance from us for some time.“Uh, I have things to do, how about you? What are you doing here?” I ask him back. I wonder because there’s no probable reason why he should be here so I thought he must be meeting a friend or a client. But his face tells me so, it is indeed related to him. He didn’t answer my question and his eyes are just fixated on Dmitri. “Avery, tell me what’s going on, does Jeff knows about this? Are you pregnant with that man’s child?” he straightforwardly asks me without any buckle. “Am I what?” I suddenly feel offended by what he said, although, there’s a good
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Hey, you’ve been crying since you and Seid talked but you never answer any of my questions,” I hear Dee comforting me while he’s driving back to his penthouse. But words can’t just escape my mouth. All I feel right now is heartache, pain, sadness, and guilt, a mixed emotion of thoughts,“I wished I had known.”“He should have told me.”“I wish I would have been more understanding.”But on the other note, this is how my mind goes, “I loved him for 10 fucking years, I was loyal, and yet he was a cheater.”“He was a liar.”“He deserved what happened to him.”My brain feels like exploding and I feel suffocated, I think I’m having a panic attack. So I whisper to Dee, “S-stop the car, Dee.”“Why, are you hurt or something?” he asks with full concern towards me. I can’t even bring myself to tell him, and because of frustration, I raise my voice, “Stop the fucking car!” All I ever want is to get out of that small moving box. I need to feel the air. My attack is limiti
(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