I paid the cab fare, returned the driver's smile, before walking into my apartment building. After spending no less than an hour in the bathtub, I felt completely relaxed and at ease. Placing myself in a big white robe, courtesy of MansionView hotel, I sat on the bed, ate my fried chicken and watched a reality tv show. After all that, I had a long, refreshing nap. When I woke up, it was already noon so I decided to return to my shabby little apartment.
“Hey Raya." I turned around when I heard a familiar voice call out to me in the hallway.My eyes widened when I recognized who it was. “Lucas!" I exclaimed, quickening my steps in his direction. He also made his way towards me.In minutes we were standing in each other's arms. Lucas was the son of an old lady who lived a few doors away from mine. He always visited her once a month and I used to have a very huge crush on him. He hadn't visited in the last six or seven months so my crush ended up fading away.“What's it to you?" I hissed at him before taking a few gulps of water. “What I do with my time is none of your business." I added after swallowing the final mouthful of water with a relaxed sigh. As I made my way past him, he sighed loudly. “Is this about Katy?" "What do you think, Einstein?” Sarcasm with a bit of irritation played around my words. Ignoring his puppy eyes, I walked to the little wardrobe in the corner. The image of the big, beautiful, wooden wardrobe at the hotel in Paris flashed through my memory. I would give anything to have a beautiful room like that. “Oh c'mon Raya," Rain groaned, bringing me back to the present. The hint of frustration in his tone made me giggle for less than a second. “I said I was sorry." he added. "Sorry doesn't take back the fact that you fucked her.”"She fucked me.”I instantly shot him a cold stare. "Really?”"Sorry,” he said quickly. "I'm sorry,” he
“Let me drive you there, Raya." Rain suggested for the umpteenth time. "I said no.”I repeated the same word that had been my answer each time he offered. “But it's almost midnight," he murmured as I took out a little cash from my purse and into the back pocket of my jeans. “It's not entirely safe to go out alone, you know." "I know,” I whined like a stubborn teenager who was definitely not going to do what she was asked. "But I know this place like the back of my hand," I turned to meet him standing a few inches behind me. “Every nook and corner," I traced my fingers up his chest, lowering my voice to barely a whisper. “I know every single one of them." “I know Raya, but…" “And the cafe is just down the street,” I went on before he could finish his counter statement. “I would be back before you even say the name ‘Jack’." He fell silent, looking into my eyes. "Jack." I giggle
My eyelashes fluttered repeatedly until my eyes opened. Almost immediately, they felt a throbbing pain which caused them to close shut. After a minute, I decided to try again. I slowly opened my eyes, giving them time to adjust to the insanely bright light that poked at them. The vast whiteness started to slowly clear up as I continued to blink. One muscle at a time, I started to regain control over my body. By the time I had gone around all six hundred of them, they simultaneously ached in the most painful way I had ever felt. The most prominent was the one in my head. As if being banged in between two cymbals repeatedly, my head throbbed. I unconsciously winced in pain. That was when I felt a hand on my arm. My eyes darted away from what I realized was a white wall with very bright light reflecting off it. “Hey beautiful." My eyes followed the gentle voice, only for them to fall on Rain. With a sweet smile, he got up from a chair stationed b
I watched Rain jerk to his feet with a look of disbelief and a tint of rage. I expected a shocked reaction but definitely not one of so much drama.“How can you say that Raya?!" I could sense him struggling with the tone of his voice but it came out of his lips really loud. His reaction showed me how difficult steering this boat in her direction was going to be. I needed to thread as carefully as I could. “I know she doesn't exactly like you…”"She hates me, and she threatened me.”He rolled his eyes after a small exhale. "You say it like she's a hardened criminal." “You should have seen her that day she came to my apartment," I countered, making sure to keep my voice calm. “I could tell she meant every word she said to me that day." Rain started by shaking his head, denying his mind from giving my suggestion a single moment of thought. I tried to stifle the frustration that was slowly building inside me. A part of m
Rain insisted he stay by my side until I'd be cleared for discharge, but to my greatest relief, the universe sent an emergency class his way which caused him to leave, even though very reluctantly. Before he left, I lied about wanting to reach Anna and since my phone was taken by the unknown attacker, it was the perfect excuse to get a new phone. It was a painstaking wait because I only had a few hours before Rain returned and I needed to speak to David before then. Eventually, my new phone finally arrived. An iPhone 15 Pro. A major upgrade from the 7+ I had been using since my parents died in the accident. I didn't hesitate to unbox my new phone, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of it. Probably the most slick device I had ever laid my fingers on, and it was mine. I turned it on and went straight into the camera app. The first thing I noticed when I turned the selfie camera was the white cloth that was wrapped around my head. With my eyes on the
David excused himself to find the doctor responsible for me. While he was away, his son gracefully walked into my room a few minutes later. In that second, my heart stopped. I definitely wasn't expecting to see him so soon, but I forced a smile when he smiled at me. “Hey beautiful," he whispered when he came close, leaning it to place a kiss on my forehead. My eyes scurried to the door, fearing his father would walk in any minute. “How is your head?" He asked as he began to stroke my hair gently. With each stroke, my anxiety heightened. My stomach churned, along with an eerie feeling at the bottom of my stomach that told me David was going to walk in. “What's wrong Raya?" His concerned tone forced my eyes back to him. “You seem distressed." “It's nothing," I forced a faint smile. “It's just," I cleared my throat, my eyes glancing at the door again. “Stroking my hair feels a little uncomfortable." "Oh, of course,”
Getting father and son to work together on the same project yet independently from each other was hands down the hardest thing I've had to do in my entire life, but I made it work. My sick genius brain made it work. Since I couldn't go house hunting, David got someone to interview me on the things I would want in my new apartment before proceeding to find one that would match my taste. A few things I mentioned were, a beautiful kitchen, two bedrooms with a bathtub in at least one of them, close proximity to Anna's new hospital, and I still wanted an apartment because I loved having to climb stairs or use elevators. I listed a few other details but those were my major green flags. David didn't want me to return to my old apartment either, so he insisted I stay in the hospital until my new house was ready, which also translated to mounting pressure on the poor young man who was house hunting for me. He was kinda cute. I could swear he flirted with me while we were
"Are you fine to walk or do I request for a wheelchair?”"A wheelchair please.”I replied in a low tone. I could walk just fine but I chose to be rolled out in a wheelchair simply because why the hell not? “Alright, give me a moment." After a short nod from me, David dashed out of the room. He came to pick me up from the hospital. My new place was finally all set up. Down to moving my clothes, and other belongings from my former apartment, everything was ready. David was very decisive about not letting me near my apartment area, not even to get my things. So, he instructed the house hunting guy to get all my things moved to the new place. Although I was going to arrange them the way I wanted. By me, I'm referring to the new maid David hired to live with me. “Here we go." David walked in with two nurses and the doctor behind him. One of the nurses pushed the wheelchair in front of her. I formed my lips into a smile,
“Maya, could you fetch the diapers on the next aisle?" The bubbly bright eyed blonde turned to me with a charming smile. “How many of them?" At her question, I looked down at the little human strapped to my chest. She slept peacefully, oblivious to the troubles of the world, or her mother's indecisiveness. “I honestly don't know,” I mumbled when my eyes reconnected with Maya's. "Anna has been eating a lot lately.” Pushing the almost filled shopping cart in my direction, she laughed. "She's a healthy baby, healthy babies poop a lot.”I glanced at my sleeping baby again. Fighting with the urge to rub my fingers over her chubby, smooth cheek, I smiled widely. I absolutely adored her. She was perfect. Ever since she came into my life, I couldn't imagine ever wanting to get rid of her. She was my whole world. “Well, this healthy baby needs to hurry up and start paying some bills." Maya burst into a loud laugh at my joke. I laughe
The miserable seconds turned into miserable minutes, that turned into miserable hours, that turned into miserable days, as I laid on my bed in my dark, smelly apartment. I didn't know when it was day or night since the drapes were shut tightly. My heart was as dark as the rooms, my stomach as empty as my fridge. I lay quietly, waiting for death, hoping it'll come any day now, but it didn't. Somehow my eyes kept opening each time it seemed like they were going to close forever. I stared at the small Urn that stood on the other side of my bed. I couldn't exactly see it, but I knew it was there. Its shiny body occasionally glistened in the darkness. It was Anna's new body. I spoke to her. Every time my eyes opened, I sighed and said hello to her. I told her about everything I did. I told her about David, about Rain. I told her about Chyna, about Katy. I told her about Maya, about Devin. She didn't judge me. She didn't cuss at me or remind me how much of a terrible person that
The loud, rapid beeping sounds from Anna's vital monitor pierced through my subconscious, instantly waking me up from my deep slumber. My heavy eyes flung wide open, my weak legs pushing my aching body to my throbbing feet. The intense panic that clawed its way to my windpipe was enough to numb every other pain that my body felt. I noticed Anna laid completely still, her chest wasn't rising and falling like it did before I slept off. “Nurse!" I screamed so loudly, I hoped it would wake her. She remained still.In a heartbeat, my weak legs mustered up enough energy to run. I headed straight for the door, pushing through it like a hurricane. “Nurse!" I called again, louder. Two worry stricken nurses ran in my direction. I didn't wait to be asked what was wrong. “Her monitors are beeping." We all ran to where my sister lay. The nurses quickly started pulling plugs, pressing buttons, grabbing stuff. Their hands moved so fast, I
My legs were shaking, back and forth, up and down, while I sat in the waiting room of Anna's hospital. I rushed in less than five minutes ago, hoping to see the doctor but I was told she was in surgery, Anna's surgery. I was told that her blood pressure spiked, again, causing some implications as well as internal bleeding, resulting in an emergency surgical procedure that needed to be carried out. I begged the nurse to let me wait in Anna's room, but she didn't let me. Too weak for a struggle, I yielded to her offer, landing in the waiting room with other nervous family members or friends waiting for their loved ones. My insides were in a knot. I had felt so much anxiety in the past few days, my brain couldn't register the feeling anymore. I was numb. I couldn't cry, I could speak, breathing was a chore, and my eyes sometimes closed on their own. While I waited, the sudden urge to consume food came over me, but the uncertainty of Anna's situation was enough to suppress the
The past few days had been miserable. I was cut out of David's life, as well as his finances. I was cut out of Rain's life, as well as his finances. Since I couldn't afford her salary, Maya moved out of the apartment. I was running low on food and money. If David hadn't paid a year's advance for the apartment, I definitely would have been homeless as well. All I did was cry, day in, day out. I couldn't bring myself to eat anything. I had a baby growing inside of me that caused me to be sick every morning, but I had to drag myself around the house because I was by myself. I had tried to reach Rain so many times but after so many tires, I realized he had blocked my number. The same went for his father. Both men had blocked my numbers and I couldn't bring myself to show up at the house. I didn't know if the witch was still living there and I knew she could very much hurt me without hindrance from any one. The only person that showed me care was my sister. We spoke e
At the sound of the intruding voice, my legs spun me around. I felt my heart beating again, thumping loudly, when my eyes met David's. He looked pale, as if he had seen a ghost. I tried to breathe but it was continuously caught in my throat, hanging halfway. “Dad," Rain whispered behind me. I didn't need to look to know he was on his feet. David's eyes shifted to his son behind me. When they shifted again, I knew they rested on the diamond ring in Rain's hand.“What are you doing here?" Rain's voice dragged his father's gaze to him. After a second, he shifted his eyes to mine. He quietly moved his feet towards me. I wanted to step backwards but my legs were numb. The closer he got, the harder my heart pounded, creating a feeling of dread that traveled through every cell in my body. “Are you pregnant?" He asked again. His low, bloodcurdling voice sent ripples down my stiff spine. I struggled to push down the lump in my throat
From the minute Rain started the ignition, pulling out of the hospital parking lot, my heart pounded. I was completely distracted, unconsciously spacing out when I wasn't being spoken to. Rain was especially chatty while he drove, and Maya happily indulged in his conversations. She also seemed unusually excited which made me conclude she was in on whatever Rain had planned. When we drove into my building parking lot, I was relieved to finally be home. I hated every minute of breathing in that hospital and everyday I begged to be allowed to leave. When Rain brought the car to a stop, Maya was the first to jump down. Before I could undo my seatbelt, throwing my legs to climb out of the truck, there was no sight of her. “Where’s Maya?" I asked when I walked around the back of the car to meet Rain waiting on the other side. He took his left arm around my waist, pulling me forward. “She went up first." he answered, pressing the lock button on the car remote.
After two days of imposed bedriddeness, I was finally being discharged and Rain was to take Maya and I back to my apartment. When Rain called, letting me know what time he was going to be coming, I sent for the nurse to request that I be taken off the tubes before he arrived. She initially refused but after my insistence, the determination to cause a big scene although it was intercepted by my doctor, I was let off the hook. Without hesitation, I was freed, after which I headed straight out of the room and down the hall. I hadn't forgiven Maya for picking Rain's call a few days ago. She was the reason I was in a difficult predicament. If she wasn't such a tattletale, I would have instantly gotten an abortion and no one would know about it, but with Rain as excited and involved as he was, the chances of getting away with that were zero to none. I was either to have the baby, or lose it in an unfortunate situation. What amused me was how clueless she was to the way
My eyelashes slowly fluttered open. Instantly attacked by really bright light, I closed them, giving it a moment before trying to open them again. The painful feeling of its intense impact reduced as my blurry vision adjusted to reveal images of things around me. After a few more blinks, I noticed the familiar arrangement of a hospital room. The sterile white walls, the bright overhead lights, the small TV hanging on the wall with the small fridge directly beneath it, all seemed to stare back at me. As my eyes traveled through each item, they fell on the person who sat by my bed. “Rain?" I managed to mumble, my voice raw and weak, unsure that he was going to hear me. He did. He looked up from his phone. When his eyes met mine, they immediately lit up. A smile of relief crept onto his face.“Hey beautiful." He said, his voice filled with warmth. He leaned forward in his chair, taking his hand to delicately stroke my hair. It then occurred to me