“Yes mom, I promise to call you everyday” I say, smiling as I talk to her. “Good, I need to know how you’re doing” she says.“Yes mom, I understand and appreciate that you care about me. I’ll make sure to talk to you everyday”. She chuckles, “that’s fine honey, I’ll talk to you later”“Bye mom” I say, ending the call as I walk into my bedroom. I didn’t sleep so well yesterday night, seeing how I slept late and the fact that this is a new environment that I’m just getting used to. It’ll take a while but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.I carefully place my phone on the bed and grab my towel hanging on the door before walking into the bathroom. The bathroom is bigger than the usual bathroom, especially the shower. The shower is one of the reasons I chose this apartment, as it’ll enable me to comfortably place a baby bathtub in there.Once I’m done with my shower, I wrap myself tightly in my towel and head out of the bathroom, walking into the closet. Today is my first day at the company
6 months laterSix months have gone by and I’m so grateful for the people around me. Hema came to Yuhic for the birth of my son Taek. I was really grateful to have a familiar face there in addition to David who has consistently been supportive.I can vividly remember the morning of my delivery. I had cried several times, thinking of how Nek wouldn’t be here to see his child. No matter how much David and Hema comforted me, I just couldn’t be comforted.But all that seized the moment I held my son in my arms, his soft coos feeling the room and my heart. I felt so much love for him, that I stopped doubting my decision to leave Nek and Yula.“Hi my love” I say, smiling as I take him from Isabella's arms. Isabella is the live-in nanny and housekeeper. The first month after the birth of Taek made me realise that I couldn’t do it all by myself, that I needed extra hands.“Good morning Taina” Isabella smiles, “good morning. How was your night?” I ask, gently rocking the child in my arms.She
“Good morning” I say, walking into the conference room. “Good morning Taina” Mena says, standing to her feet, “how are you doing?” She asks, extending her hand.“I’ve been good, and I’m even more excited about my book being published” I say, shaking hands with her. She smiles, “you should be, it’s a big deal. Not many get their books published in the span of six months, and this would be your third book to be published”I smile, “thanks. Where’s Delian?” I ask, my eyes darting between her and the door, expecting him to walk in any time from now.She smiles, “he informed me that he’d be late today. So we should give him a 30 minute grace”. I chuckle, “I’ll give him an entire days grace after all he’s the one who’d be publishing my book”“Good morning everyone” Delian says walking into the room, his smile wide as he turns to face me which makes me a bit uneasy. In the first month of knowing Delian, he confessed to me that he likes me but I shut it down. I wanted to keep things professio
My laptop makes a notification sound informing me that an email just dropped in my inbox. I minimise the page I’m on and click on the email application.The first message at the top reads, “Reminder of the dinner tonight”. Mentally rolling my eyes, I click on the message to view it fully.Hi TainaJust wanted to remind you of the celebratory dinner scheduled for this evening.Venue: The Excellence Don’t forget to call David and inform him you’ll be out late. See you at dinner.“Thanks” I reply, before shutting my laptop. I pull out my phone and dial David’s number, his number was recently placed on speed dial since I practically consider him family.“Hi David” I say, pronouncing every word slowly. “What’s wrong?” He asks, concern apparent in his voice. That’s just like David to notice the slightest things about people. I shake my head, “nothing is wrong. Why do you ask?” I say, placing my phone between my ears and shoulder as I put my things away.“You sound tired or maybe I’m just
I quietly watch as she signals for someone to come over, a guy who I presume is her senior. A wide smile spreads across my face, as I slightly bend over, leaning on her desk. Normally I’d let this slide but with the manner she spoke to me, I definitely can’t.“Is this how you normally speak to your customers?” I ask, my eyes glued to her. She eyes me like I’m some filth, “we wouldn’t classify you as a customer, you’re probably one of those women who badly want to get with Mr Nek”I playfully nod my head as I take in what she just said, “so Bella” I say, reading the name tag attached to her shirt. “Do you know Nek personally?” I ask, giving her a bored look.She smiles, “I don’t need to know him personally, the only thing I need to know is that you’re a liar and you need to leave here now” she says, slightly raising her voice.“Shush” I say, placing my index finger on my lips, “we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. You should probably take a seat and relax while we wait for th
“Hi” I say, purposely taking a seat opposite Delian, creating enough distance between the two of us. He smiles, “you arrived just in time, right at 6pm and have I told you that you look radiant this evening”I smile, “I’m wearing what I had on this morning” I say, feeling a bit uneasy. He nods, “I know, and I apologise for not telling you earlier”“Where’s Mena? Has she not arrived?” I ask, changing the subject. He shakes his head, “I haven’t seen her, she’ll probably arrive anytime soon”I nod, “that’s unlike her, she’s always the first to arrive, she despises being late” I say, pulling out my phone. “Let me call her”He nods, “sure”. I stand to my feet, “please excuse me”.“Good evening, please where’s the washroom?” I ask, one of the waiters. “That way” he says, pointing to a hallway, “thank you” I say, walking away from him while I dial Mena’s number.“Mena!” I say, the moment she answers the call, “where are you?” I ask, not giving her an opportunity to speak.“I’m sorry, somethi
6 months have gone by, making it a year since I left, Yula and most importantly Nek and my family. I feel stronger than how I felt during the first 6 months in Yuhic.In three months, my son will be a year old. Sometimes I get worried thinking how I’ll explain the fact that his father isn’t present in his life. When I get like that, I try to get my mind off it by pondering on the wonderful moment we would have as he gets older.“This is for you” Hema says, handing me a cup of coffee before taking a seat opposite me. His eyes move across the room, scanning every little detail, “I like what you did with the office, it looks really nice” he says, taking a sip of his coffee.I smile, “I put in extra work, seeing how I’ll be doing most of my writing here”. He nods, “yeah, the room seems like it’ll help with creativity”.“So how long do you plan on staying?” I ask, changing the subject. “Ouch” he says, grabbing his chest, “I didn’t know you didn’t want me around” he chuckles.I smile, shaki
“How’s Tela’s son, Jamie? I suppose he’s gotten a lot bigger than the last time I saw him” I ask, turning my attention to Hema, who’s sitting next to me.He smiles, “he’s so cute, Taek and Jamie would have been best friends, if they had grown up together”. I smile, “I know, I wish that was possible. I should ask Tela to send me a picture of Jamie, I need to see how he looks now” I say, standing to my feet.Hema follows suit, and follows me out of the office. We head to the lounge room, where Isabella is holding Taek, who’s sleeping soundly in her arms.“Do you think you’d ever return to Yula?” He asks, taking a seat on the sofa. My eyes widen as I turn to face him, “is there a particular reason you’re asking me this question?” I ask, slightly agitated.He shakes his head, a smile spreads across his face as he places his hands on mine, “I didn’t mean to get you anxious, I was just wondering that’s all. I thought it’d be nice for you to pay a visit to your family and friends back in Yul
“Taina” Nek says softly, waking me up. “Yeah” I say, sleepily rubbing my eyes.“We have arrived at our parents' place” he says. “Oh” I say, sitting up, taking into view my environment. “It’s been a while since I was here” I say, coming down from the car.He smiles, “don’t worry, we’ll see them more often” he says, holding my hands with Taek on his other side.The maid opens the door, at the sound of the doorbell. A huge smile on her face at the sight of us, “they are at the lounging room” she says, before stepping away from the door.“Thank you” we say, walking past her and towards the lounging room. “Hi everyone” I say, waving as I walk into the room. I take time to respectfully greet my parents and Nek’s parents before returning to Nek’s side.Everyone has an enthusiastic look on their face as their eyes rover on me, I’m guessing they haven’t heard the reason why they’re there.“Who are the parents of this cute little boy” mom says, as she takes Taek from Nek.I smile, “it’s ours”
The months that went by were fun, full of love and laughter. Nek showed up everyday without missing a single day, bearing flowers and gifts each time he came.He was always with Taek, almost as if he was trying to make up for lost time, which is completely understandable.Taek’s clocked one and Nek threw a massive birthday party for him, inviting my friends in Yuhic. I had wished that my family and friends in Yula would be able to make it but Nek explained that it wouldn't be a nice way to reveal the existence of our child, they’d be happy for us but also hurt and confused. So we decided to wait until we returned to Yula.Nek proposed to me at the end of the party, signifying that it’s a new start in our marriage and I gladly accepted as he’s the only man I want to be married to.Three months later“Are we going straight to your parents' place?” I ask, with Taek in my arms as we alight the plane. Nek takes Taek from me, noticing that I look uneasy, “are you okay?” He asks.I nod, “I’m
I smile, “I love you too but you have to work for it. I forgiven you but I need to know that I can trust you. I need to know that the situation with Juris will never repeat itself again whether with Juris or with any other lady”.He nods, “I understand and I promise to put in the work”I smile, “you have to”. He nods, “can I ask a question?” He asks, looking a bit uneasy. I nod, “you can ask me anything”. He smiles, “who’s the guy that I met at the Excellence, is he your boyfriend?”I chuckle, “you mean David. David isn’t my boyfriend, he’s just a very good friend and besides, I wouldn’t let you kiss me if I had a boyfriend that’ll be cheating. And in the same manner, I can’t have a boyfriend if I’m married to you, if I do so, that’d be cheating”A look of relief washes over his face, “wait.. so that means… that means” he says, gently holding me by the shoulders.“What?” I ask, looking into his eyes. “Does that mean the child is mine, the little boy I greeted is our son” he asks, a s
After a while, he stands to his feet and walks to his desk, pulling out a pile of tissue from its box. He gently dabs his eyes and blows his nose into the tissue, backing away from me so I can’t see him.The room remains silent, only the sound of his sobs filling the room. My heart goes out to him as I watch him cry, I want to walk over to him and embrace him in a hug telling him it’s okay and that I’ve forgiven him, but my legs don’t move as I remain fixed to my seat while I watch him dab his eyes.“I’m sorry” he chuckles, returning to the seat, “I guess it’s just pent up emotions for the past one year”. I smile, “it’s fine”.He shakes his head, “no it’s not, I chose my ex over our marriage, our relationship, our family. I literally embarrassed you in front of the staff and others by not upholding your honour”.He sniffles, “for the past nine months, I’ve been planning to see you. I wanted to apologise for my mistakes”“Two months with Juris revealed who she truly is, she is a gold d
I walk into The Excellence, taking the first stairs, turning right; my heels clicking behind me. How I knew his office was not really a big deal, to others maybe, but to me no.I had taken a chance, The Excellence in Yuhic is built almost exactly like the one in Yula with few structural changes to fit in with the culture in Yuhic.I based off my judgment on that information, the worst that could go wrong is that I got lost and if that happened, I’d just call for help.My actions bring my movements to a halt as I stop at a door, there’s no plaque specifying what the room is, just like the one in Yula. Unlike the others which have a Plaque attached to this door, this one doesn’t. Nek didn’t want people to know he had an office here or that he was around, he said it caused too many unnecessary visits. And to be honest, I completely agree with the concept.I take a deep breath, pulling myself together before knocking on the door.“Please come in” I hear a voice on the other side of the r
“Dear Taina BellosTrust this email meets you well. I’m writing to you, because I need to see you and sort out some facts that tie me to my past. I’d personally go over to your home, but we are not as close as we used to and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like that. I’d love it if we could meet at the Excellence hotel, in my office this evening at 4pm. My secretary will guide you at my arrival.P.S. I know it’s old fashioned to send you an email, but I don’t have your new number and I figured you’d still be using your old email.Warm RegardsNek Bellos”My heart flutters as I read the email. I've read the message over four times but every time I see the name Bellos attached to my name, I just can’t help but feel butterflies.The first thing I did after receiving the email, was to save it to my computer; just in case he rethinks his actions and retracts the mail.“Dear Taina Bellos” I mutter under my breath, reading the email once again. The feeling of giddiness overwhelming me as I re
Taina’s POVI’ve been a nervous wreck for the past few days, I’ve anxiously been waiting for Nek’s call or from his secretary. Not that I wanted to receive a call, I assumed he’d want to know if the child is his, after all Taek bears a striking resemblance to Nek.I haven't had a single call, not even a text message. My heart feels less constricted and I can finally stop thinking about my next line of defence. I feel relieved but deep down in my heart, I’m a little anxious and worried that Nek could ask about Taek in the future. But I can’t live my life in worry, so I’ve decided to let things pan out; but one thing is sure, I’m not returning to The Excellence, especially not with Taek.“Good morning Taina” Isabella says, walking into the kitchen. “Good morning Isabella, how was your weekend?” I ask, a smile on my face as I embrace her in a hug.She smiles, “it was good, but I wish I didn’t miss the dinner at the Excellence with you all”. I nod, “well luckily, we’ll be doing it again
Nek’s POV“Good evening sir” Clinton says, walking into my office, who is the manager of The Excellence located in Yuhic.“Good evening Clinton, how may I help you?” I ask, closing my laptop, and focusing my full attention on him. “Sorry to disturb you sir, but I wanted to inform you that your wife, Mrs Taina Bellos is currently at the restaurant”.My eyes instantly light up, “wife?” I ask, standing to my feet. He nods, “yes, your wife. She actually came some time ago”.I slowly nod, “and how do you know this person is actually my wife?” I ask, resting against my desk. “I’ve seen pictures of her in newspapers and in tabloids, so I could tell straight away that she was Mrs Bellos” he says.I smile, “alright, thank you for informing me. I’ll be downstairs in some minutes time” I say, fully believing that he knows Taina. He nods, “you’re welcome sir, I’ll be going now” he says, walking out of the office.My mind races as I think of Taina, my wife; the one that holds my heart. I slump int
I gently shut the door to my room, with Taek sleeping soundly inside. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting for so long” I say, walking into the lounge room.David smiles, “I don’t mind, is he sleeping now?” He asks. I nod, “he’s sleeping soundly, the crying in the car must have worn him out”.He nods, “to be honest I’ve never seen Taek cry like that, he’s usually a quiet baby so I was shocked to see him cry so loudly”. I nod, thinking the same thing; could it be that being separated from his father upset him.“He probably was just tired, making him extra cranky. And the broccoli situation didn’t help matters” I chuckle, in an attempt to calm the mood.He smiles, “maybe”.“So what do you want to know, you can ask me anything?” I say, sitting on the sofa. David nods, he looks deep in thought, almost like he is carefully constructing his questions.“Is Nek really your husband?” He asks, breaking the silence. I nod, “he is, he has no reason to lie about that. Nek is my husband and he’s Taek