The man’s strong scent of cologne assaulted her nose like a tsunami. Sylvia tried pushing him away but he hugged her with both his arms. He hugged her so tightly that it cramped both her arms in between their chests. There was no space left for her to struggle. The chilly breeze continued to whirr and the leaves of the trees and plants rustled. Under the dim environment, the two of them stayed close together and showed no signs of separating for quite a while. Further away, behind a robust tree, a tall figure saw the two of them. He stared at the intimate duo and saw how the man forced himself onto the woman. Both hands of the woman were cramped tightly and she could not break free at all. He continued to stare with his frosty gaze. …Sometime later, as though the chilly breeze finally stopped, Odell let go of her. Sylvia seized the chance and pushed him away. Odell was caught off guard and was pushed to a stagger. Sylvia also took several steps backward. She wip
“Mommy!” Isabel scuttled away from Aunt Tonya and ran toward her mother. Sylvia carried the little girl in her arms and sat down beside the quiet little boy. She then smiled at Aunt Tonya. “Aunt Tonya, I’ll take care of them. Why don’t you go have some rest?” Aunt Tonya rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Okay, you too.” “Thank you.” Aunt Tonya then went out of the room. Sylvia sat down on the bed with both of her children in her arms. The two little ones looked at her and the girl asked, “Mommy, why is your face red?” Sylvia recalled Odell’s forceful kiss and it made her blush even harder. She gasped for air and forced a smile on her face. “Maybe it’s the wind.” “Are you sick again?” Isabel then got up and put her tiny hand on Sylvia’s forehead. Her soft and warm hand stroked the forehead for a few seconds before she retracted it. She could not tell if her mother was having a fever or not. Sylvia smiled and stroked her head. “Don’t worry, Mommy is fine.” The little gir
On the second morning, Sylvia was still fast asleep when she felt something heavy on her stomach. It felt like a soft rock falling on her. She opened her eyes and saw Isabel giggling at her. “Mommy, the sun is up! Hurry up and wake up!” “Isabel? Why are you awake at this hour?” Sylvia got up with a confused look. “The baddie is here. He said he’s taking us to some fun place today.” Isabel then looked outside the door. Sylvia followed her gaze and saw Odell waiting outside the door. He was leaning on the frame with a sleepy Liam in his arm. He had been staring at her deeply when she was still asleep. Sylvia glared at him the moment she widened her sleepy eyes. He got in! Not only that, he came all the way to her room! Odell curled his lips. “I’m here to bring the kids out. Are you coming?” Sylvia did not want to talk to him but she tended to be less frosty to him in front of the kids. “I have to attend some events at the Art Academy today. I don’t have the time.” O
Sylvia arrived at the event venue just on time and it was already crowded with people. She greeted the other lecturers she saw on the way as she went inside. Christopher found her soon enough and waved at her. “Sylvia, come on! We’re preparing to bake our New Year's cake! They are all waiting for you!” Sylvia went over with a smile. The cakes were already baked, so all that was left was the decoration. There were colorful creams, icing, chocolate-made figures, and all kinds of intricate decorations for everyone to decorate their own cake. Almost everyone participated in the cake-decorating event. It was even livelier than the Springsteen family’s event last night. The liveliness spread swiftly and Sylvia soon found herself decorating the cake with several other lecturers. One of the lecturers asked, “Ms. Ross, I heard you and Mr. Carter danced at the Springsteen family’s ball last night.” Her words directed almost all the attention toward Sylvia. Sylvia’s gaze shi
Sylvia froze. Thomas stroked and wiped the tip of her nose and then smiled at her. “There’s icing on your nose.” He smiled softly, as though he was a flower that bloomed in the spring after the snow melted away. He looked a lot warmer than his usual frosty self. Sylvia had a difficult time smiling or appreciating his kind gesture. Thomas noticed her blank reaction, so he asked, “What’s wrong?” “N-Nothing. Let’s go back, our cake is waiting,” she stammered and nervously walked away, trying to draw distance from him. Thomas felt slightly disheartened, but he followed her nevertheless. However, when he was at the table, he saw Sylvia got herself sandwiched between two female lecturers. He paused for a moment and sat down opposite her. The group soon gathered around the table. A piece of cake, taken randomly from everyone’s masterpiece, was served together with boxes of fruit juices. Christopher said with a smile, “Before we dig into our masterpiece, let’s have a to
He curled his lips and eyes and continued with a warm smile, “You’re only ruining it for me when you avoid me.” His words were like explosives that went off in Sylvia’s head. It blasted all the messy thoughts away and widened her eyes in shock. What did he mean by that? Thomas noticed the blank look on her face. He pinched her nose and said, “Stop staring into the air. Aren’t you going home?” His touch felt like a sting from a bee and it startled her, causing her to stagger a few steps to the side. It was at that moment that she saw Odell standing further behind Thomas. The man was wearing a navy blue coat. The frosty expression on his face was as cold as the weather. Isabel was in his left arm and Liam was on his right, holding his hand. The brother and sister were also staring at her and Thomas. Sylvia froze. “Odell? Why did you bring Isabel and Liam here?” Thomas heard her and turned around too. Odell stood there and glared at her and Thomas for a few seconds b
At the side door of the hall, the chilly wind whirred in the air. “It’s been a long time, Brother.” It was Thomas who spoke first after the long silent confrontation. Odell shot a deep gaze at him and asked, “Why are you teaching here at the academy?” “For a particular someone.” Odell’s frosty expression turned grim. He uttered each word with a hint of coldness, “She’s your sister-in-law.” Thomas’ calm and frosty look remained as he said, “As far as I know, you divorced her already.” “Even if we were already divorced, she could only be mine! She’s not someone you can extend your filthy fantasy to.” Thomas grinned in silence. Odell also pursed his lips in silence. As he regained his composure from his sudden anger, he said to Thomas, “I’d stop whatever thoughts I have for her if I were you. I’ll spare you this time but if I find out you’re trying to do anything to her, you’ll suffer the consequences.” Thomas did not answer. His calm and frosty look remained on his fa
Odell curled his lips and hummed a reply. “Okay. Liam and I will leave you be.” The mature little girl then followed her brother upstairs to the room. Aunt Tonya cleaned the table and took the plates into the kitchen. The living room became quiet, and so was the atmosphere. Sylvia got up and took a few steps back to draw distance from him. She then asked coldly, “Odell, what is it?” Odell remained seated on the chair as he stared at her. “Come closer and I’ll tell you.” “I can hear you just fine. Speak and leave.” He pursed his lips and stared at her silently. Some time passed but he showed no intentions of speaking. Sylvia took a deep breath and said, “What is it that you want to say?” He grinned. “Come closer.” Sylvia just wanted him out of the house, so she begrudgingly stepped forward. Before she knew it, his long arm grabbed her and hugged her around the waist. She fell onto his lap before she could even scream. She pushed him away but his other han