WINTER:All I could do was stare at my ex-husband strolling towards us, with a smirk on his face. He wore a comfortable white T-shirt and black shoes, which he did not normally wear, especially if he came here after work. Wait. It was still three o'clock and he was done with his pile of work?Why are you asking? Isn't he the one whom you wanted to see? You missed him. I don't miss him!Ynes and I stared at each other for a moment before I returned my gaze at him. Calcifer stopped right in front of me. "I volunteer to be your groom, pumpkin," he repeated, wearing an amused expression on his face. “When will the wedding be? Please tell me about it and I am more than willing to be part of that celebration.”I folded my arms in front of my chest. My lips pressed in a thin line. "Why are you here, Calcifer?" Why was he so good at entering at the right time when he was being backstabbed? “I thought you had a business trip abroad.”He scratched the back of his head. “About that…I did g
WINTER:My ex-husband was only messing at me, right? He was only asking those words so that I would get angry, or he wanted to embarrass me. But that was what he was mistaken about. I would never give him the satisfaction.“Why would I miss you? Are you a part of my family? Are you, my husband? You belonged in the past, Calcifer and you would stay there forever.”He clutched his chest. “Your words are cruel, pumpkin.”“What you did was more than cruel,” I retorted. He heaved a sigh. “How long will we keep on dragging the past? We cannot move forward with that, pumpkin.”“I will forever remember the past because I don't want you to forget that you are now my ex-husband. You were part of my past. If not for Liam, I would never ask for your presence, Calcifer. Seeing you made me remember the past and I could not help it.”I stood, but he instantly pulled my hand down.I gasped when I landed on top of him. His body was all muscles. Those delicious muscles I had ran my hands when we cons
WINTER:Hawk seemed like he was going to kill Calcifer. His body shivered as he continued throwing punches to my ex-husband. Silently but with accuracy. The way his fist moved seemed like he had thrown all his hatred to his fist, as he aimed it directly towards Calcifer. My ex-husband was at a disadvantage. First, he had no excellent training in fighting compared to Hawk. Second, he was at a disadvantage. Calcifer was able to dodge some of the attacks, but he was not that excellent in dodging. Some punches were able to land on Calcifer's jaw while some by the couch. "Stop it, Hawk!"My voice was only swallowed by his anger. He was no longer listening as he continued throwing his punches. “Hawk! I order you to stop!”Still, my voice could not reach him. When Calcifer was able to have an opening, he returned some of the punches and landed on Hawk's jaw. "Stop it both of you!" I ordered. Panicked kicked in.What would happen if someone was sent to the hospital? It was definitely
WINTER:I squinted my eyes. “Where did that come from?”He averted his gaze, which he usually did. “I saw you smiled at him when he pushed you on top of him.”I tried to recall if I acted like a teenager squealing because of happiness as she touched her crush's body, but I did not. “Is there a problem with that? We did not kiss or fuck each other in the living room. Besides, I am single. So is Cali though I am not saying that I wanted something to happen between us. That chapter of my life was already closed, Hawk.”He stared at me for a moment before he looked away again. “You are right. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you two loved each other.”I narrowed my eyes. “Wait. Stop whatever wrong thinking you have in your mind. I wanted to clarify. Who said we loved each other? Calcifer loved Carmela. He never loved me. What did you see earlier? He was messing me out. Trying to make fun. I was out of the equation. Cali had no feelings, okay?”Now, why did that thought stung
WINTER:Seeing Jett-Jett meant seeing Carmela, too, which I did not like at all. But could I tell them that I don't approve of it?“Mommy, please? I was already looking forward to meeting Jett-Jett. We always talked over the phone.”Courtesy of Calcifer. It seemed like he wanted the two to get closer to each other so that when he would drop the bomb that they were siblings, it would be easier for the two to accept it. “This will be a good time to let them meet, pumpkin. The two have nothing to do right now.”“How about that woman?” I inquired. How would I explain to Liam if that woman will come out of the blue and do something else? Like doing inappropriate things?Like showing her cleavage in front of the kids? Or maybe in front of Cali and the kids would see how she seduced my ex-husband? “She is not living with me, pumpkin. Rest assured that she will not know I am at my house.”“And the child? Are you taking custody of your child?”“I was the one taking care of her. Carmela gave
WINTER:“Jett-Jett,” Cali called, his patience wearing thin. “I told you to be nice to Liam and his mom when they visit us. I thought we were already clear about that?”Jett-Jett's lips pressed into a snarl. “Well, I don’t like them, Dad and they can go back to where they came from. They are not welcome in our house.”I wished I never came here. I felt sorry for my child who did not even know what was happening or why he was being hated by someone who did not even know him.So unfair. “What? That’s not a good thing to say. You apologize to them now!” Cali demanded, his patience wearing thin. Not wanting to back down, Jett-Jett retorted, “I don’t want to! It’s not my fault! It’s her fault for taking you away from me and Mommy. How could she be shameless, Daddy?”“Mommy? Are you okay?” Liam whispered, clutching my clothes as if his life depended on it. “I'm fine, Liam. Don't listen to what she says. She's only upset,” I whispered. “Let's forgive her, shall we? Planting a grudge again
WINTER: As much as I knew that Calcifer was single and that he had no girlfriend and it was not Carmela, the feeling as if you were caught sinning persisted.It seemed like a bucket of water was thrown into me. As if burned, I pushed Calcifer away from me. My eyes trained on the newcomer whose nostrils were steaming. Carmela. His other ex-wife.If looks could kill, I would be dead by now. She shrieked an ear-splitting one that nearly made my ears bleed. “How could you do this to me?” she exclaimed; her face burned with anger. Calcifer straightens himself while blocking my eyesight from the woman. He was trying to protect me.Don't you dare hide, Winter. You did nothing wrong. You did not seduce Calcifer of anything like that. Still, why did it feel like we were discovered for doing immoral acts even if there were none. Why am I hiding behind him? His broad back felt like strong walls that would protect me from any rabid animals. “Do what?” he calmly asked. “What am I doing?
CALCIFER:I watched in agony as Winter dragged Liam outside the house. It was so close. Winter had slowly given in, but Carmela had to buted in, killing the moment. Fuck. Why did she have to show herself and create a scandal? This woman had no class. I clenched my fist. How to get rid of this woman? She won't even give up on me and I did not like it a bit. She was getting on my nerves. "Why haven't you told me you arrived, Cali?" Carmela asked when it was already the two of us. “Didn't I tell you that I will get you at the airport?”I glared at her. "Winter is my visitor. I invited them because Jett-Jett has no playmates. Why do you have to destroy everything, huh?" I growled.She looked at me in disbelief and pain. Then, she pointed at herself. "Me?”“Yes, you!”I've been trying to win her back. To aim for her forgiveness. But then Carmela had to show herself. What a fucking right timing. “What if it is my fault? Why are you so angry? Is it because I stepped in and stopped you fr
WINTER: One week later… Just like what I wanted, it was a small wedding only, attended by some important people. The wedding only happened in the mansion, something Calcifer did not approve of, but agreed to in the end. Did he have a choice? He did not. In the end, he had no choice but to give in. My wedding dress was nothing fancy. It was a simple one which I bought at the mall. Cali wanted to hire someone to make the dress for me, but I declined. I didn't want anything extravagant. It was better to donate the money to some charities. After all, what was more important was the marriage. Our marriage life after the wedding. We only invited the pastor to come into the mansion. The press found out about our wedding. It was all over the news, but I told Cali not to give any statement about it. I will do it when I want. Despite the venue, Cali was still able to ask the wedding planner to transform the hall into something beautiful, with a lot of flowers on each side. The servan
HAWK: The door burst open and saw Miss Nathalia’s angry look. I stopped drinking and looked at the newcomer. The alcohol did not even make me drunk. I need more. “Miss Nathalia. Cheers.” I offered a bottle of beer, but her expression told me she was not a bit happy. “Is this all your plans, right now, sulking in the corner? Smoke. Drink?” Nathalia asked. She put her hands on both of her lips as she looked at me with disappointment. Almost a week of staying in this apartment which she had helped me get. In the meantime. I was supposed to start working on her, to be her bodyguard, but I did not have the strength to work at the moment.It still hurts.Miss Winter was my ultimate love and there was no other woman beside her.The alcohol made me numb the pain, but when I got sober, it was back again. When will this end? "I am only giving you this week to fix yourself. If you will not, I will kick your butt and let someone drag you to my condo and stay there."She had been pestering
WINTER: The crowd was expecting my answer while all I could do was stare at Cali kneeling down, holding an opened box where the ring was waiting for me. “I know this is not the kind of proposal that you’re expecting. This is simple, but I thought that you also did not like anything fancy. This is not like what you see on social media platforms, but there is one thing that I wanted to assure you. My feelings are real. My promises will remain the same. It's the feelings that matter, right?”Cali was expecting my answer, and the more I was silent, the more he grew nervous. My eyes went to Dad. He was already wiping the tears from his eyes while Nathalia was silently cheering for his brother. The servants seemed like they could no longer breathe because of the fast beating of their hearts. “Cali…I…” I bit the inside of my cheeks. Was I ready now? “May I talk to you for a moment?”His mouth fell but was able to get hold of his emotions. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yes, Pumpkin. Wh
WINTER: ONE MONTH LATER...“Mommy? Why is Uncle Hawk leaving us?” Liam asked, watching Hawk bringing his bag outside. Not only Liam and I were sending him, but Calcifer was also with us and the rest of the maids. None of us wanted him to go. “He is just visiting his parents, Liam. He does not know when he will be back, that's why he resigned.”He looked at me with pure innocence. “Daddy? I don't understand why he needs to leave us while he visits his parents,” Liam continued. Cali patted Liam. “You will understand when you become an adult.”He pouted. “I don't want to become an adult, Daddy. I want to be your baby forever.”“You will be our baby forever.”A month had passed since I accepted Cali's love. A month of always showing me how much I meant to him and our son. He never failed to show us how much he loved us, by cooking and traveling abroad. Above all, Liam was the happiest. He constantly brags to his classmates that his Daddy is already with us and he constantly wants Ca
WINTER:I rubbed my hands together as I waited for Hawk. Craning my neck, I stared at the gate, waiting for a car to enter— the car I let Hawk lend.My heart continued to hammer against my ribcage. Damn it. Why was he making me this worried? Was he punishing me? It was already six o’clock and he was not here yet. I wonder what happened to him. He was not this late. He also never was the type who never texted me where he was right now.I bit my fingernails while pacing back and forth on our porch.That man. I will give him a scolding for making me worry this much. This was so unlike him. Did he want me to die because of worrying?Cut him some slack, Winter. That man is hurting after you told him the truth. Do you think it is easy for him?But he went out to have some check right? It was nothing to do with me and Cali?I stopped and checked my phone again for the nth time. Still, no messages coming from him. Damn it. What seemed to be wrong?What if I call his number? Why haven't I
HAWK:Nathalia was pretty easy to talk with.The moment I asked for her pin code, she gave it to me without hesitation. Was she always like this to other men? [Don’t be shy to order something online, Sweetie.][Are you there, yet? Your silence is making me nervous.][Hawk! You have to answer me, or I will call the police and declare you missing.]I shook my head while reading the last message.Answer her. She does not joke when it comes to you. Again, left with no choice, I texted some replies and hit the word send.[Yes? Yes? Is that the only thing you could answer me, Sweetie? I’m putting all my efforts into giving you a reply and you’re going to answer short ones? You are seriously hurting my feelings.]I pocketed my phone after telling her that I was going to enter her condo.She was not the one who I was expecting to text. It was Miss Winter. But I did not receive anything from her.I stopped at Room 703 after double-checking it. This was the room Nathalia had given me.I was a
HAWK:I stared at the ceiling like a fool. Now what? Where would you go now? Why did you lie to Miss Winter saying you’re sick? Now, you’re forced to go out and spend the rest of your day there. Now, you’re forced to go out and spend the rest of your day outside while your guilt is eating you away. You never lied to Miss Winter like this. I smiled bitterly. Could I be blamed? When I heard Liam and that bastard’s laughter, I gave in to the temptation and I went to the pool and saw them myself. The bonding of the real father and Dad. Something which I will never be able to achieve. My chest felt like it was being wrung. I held my breath as the pain became too much seeing how they looked good together. The three of them. Liam was happy. Miss Winter was happy with the bastard’s presence in the mansion. When he failed to sleep in this room, something might happen between them.I closed my eyes tightly as images of them being together entered my mind. Something already happened betwee
WINTER:Hawk's silence was not helping at all. “Hawk? I'm waiting.”"May I use this day as my day off? That's the reason why I approached you.”“Day off? Where would you go? You did not usually use your day off, right?”“I'm not feeling well right now. It started last night."Worry flashed over me and touched his forehead. “You don't have any fever at all.” But sometimes, you felt hot inside your body but on the surface, it was not hot. "Do you want me to call our family doctor to check on you?""No, Miss Winter. I already called someone. A friend of mine. I will visit his clinic so that he will know the diagnosis."“Don't you think it's better to stop smoking? It's not good for you.”“I will think about it, Miss Winter. It's not easy to quit.”“If there's a way, there is a will. Do you have a friend who is also a doctor? No offense, Hawk. But I don't see you hanging out with anyone.""I met him on social media.""Oh, I see. Is that person to be trusted? Hawk. Please be careful. Ther
WINTER: I was dreaming. You know the feeling that you were aware that you were inside your dream? That's what I'm feeling right now despite facing Cali in a fine dining restaurant. He wore a suit while I was wearing a red dress. He looked so handsome.“Why are we here?” I asked. “You don't remember, Pumpkin?”“What?”“We are celebrating because we are having our second child. So don't drink any alcoholic drinks from now on.My eyes bulged. “I'm with a child?”He chuckled and grabbed the wine glass from my hand. “This is supposed to be mine.” He emptied the contents. “We're going to have a baby?” I asked.“We are. I'm so happy, Pumpkin.”I looked down and saw that there was indeed a baby bump. Tears simmered down my eyes when I felt the kick of my baby inside. “We are going to have a baby?” I whispered while caressing the bulge on my stomach. “Thank you for approving to have another baby,” he whispered and kissed my hand. “Calcifer!” a woman's voice suddenly shouted. We all lo