"Cassie! You almost gave me a heart attack!" It is my mother who scrutinizes me from head to foot. "Look at you. You've become thin!" "You're exaggerating, mom," I say as I respond to her hug. "I told you. Take a vacation in the province for a while. It will lift your spirits up." I grin at her. "Soon, mom," I say. Besides, there's only a little over a year before my contract with Liam ends. "I heard you are pregnant. You'll be more healthy in the province, I assure you." "I'm good here." "Where is your husband, anyway?" "At work." "And Lukas?" "School." "See that? If you are in the province, you will always be with someone!" Soon, I have no other choice but to be in the province. When I don’t answer, she groans and says, "When I heard you were in the hospital, I was so anxious! I thought that maybe the same thing happened to you as your Aunt Ynez!" Aunt Ynez is my independent, beautiful aunt who died alone in her house. They found her rotting corpse five days after her dea
Lukas clicks the last button on his laptop and turns to me with a triumphant smile. “I did it! I finished the application forms!” he exclaims, his eyes shining with excitement. I meet his gaze, my lips turning up a little. “You sure did.” “Thank you, Cassie!” he says, grinning. “I think we need to celebrate!” “I don’t think you should thank me already. And also, you just finished the application form. You haven’t passed it, much less taken the exam.” Lukas’ mouth splits into a grin. “Small steps should be celebrated, right? You are the one who taught me that.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t make me regret I ever teach you.” Besides, even if my meals are scheduled and balanced. Even if I am forced to exercise, I still feel so heavy. I don’t want to do anything except stay at home, stare at nothing, or sleep. “I haven’t been in a local amusement park with my father,” Lukas starts, ignoring my rejection. “I think it will be a great way to take our minds off everything. Besides, my exam wi
As Liam continues to rant, I can feel my mind slipping away from the present. I imagine myself at home, alone and free from all of this. Suddenly, Liam’s grip tightens on my shoulders, which pulls me back to reality. I look up at him. He is angry, but I don’t fear him. Why? He can easily hurt me if he wanted to. “That’s still what you want, huh? To leave me?! To leave us?!” he growls. I didn’t try to pull away from him. Maybe I am just too tired. “Well, Cassie, before you leave us. I will take whatever I can from you.” And then, without warning, he leans in and kisses me roughly. I freeze as his lips press down on mine, hard and demanding. His tongue invades my mouth, exploring and tasting every inch. Yet, I didn’t protest or push him away. I just let him take what he wants. When he pulls away, I can see the hurt, anger, and disappointment in his eyes. “You haven’t even physically left, and yet, I feel like you are no longer here.” Then he releases me from his grip and turns aw
I wake up with the warmth of the sun shining through the window. I open my eyes. The windows are already open and my head is resting on the pillow. After a momentary knock on the door, it opens, revealing both Liam and a past middle-aged man in a white polo shirt. He has thick glasses and is carrying a small back bag. “Good morning, Cassie,” he says, his voice warm and friendly. “I’m Doctor Davis. I heard from Liam that you had a minor accident yesterday?” I sit up from the bed. “Minor accident,” I say, emphasizing the word ‘minor’ and looking over at Liam, who is not meeting my gaze. “Your husband thinks that it’s safer for me to come by and check up on you.” “I don’t know,” I say. “My husband should have asked me first so we could set up a better time rather than me just waking up and seeing that I have a guest.” Dr. Davis turns to look at Liam before shifting his attention to me. “I can sense that you are a bit angry.” I did not respond. Instead, I focus my gaze on the open w
I might have reconciled with Liam however, the problem is still there. I am pregnant and within a year, I will be back in the province, with a fatherless child. I glance at Liam, who is sitting on the couch beside me. He decided to work from home and is focusing on his work laptop. Maybe, is there really a chance that he will want me even after the one year is up? I shake my head. I am getting ahead of myself again. “Liam,” I whisper, calling for his attention. He stops typing on his laptop and turns to me. “What is it, wife?” he asks, a smile on his face. “We are going on vacation next month, right? Do you have any places you want to go?” “Hmmm... How about Europe? Lukas has been insisting for a while.” “Okay, Europe it is then.” “Lovely,” he says, leaning in to kiss me. When he pulls back, I blurt out, “Liam, do you really love me?” “I do,” he says, his voice firm and sincere. “Why?” I ask. “Why would you love me?” He frowns. “So, you still don’t believe me even until now
I watch as Alinn triple-checks her bags. She seems excited about the trip to Milan’s National Museum of Science and Technology. She mentioned that she hasn’t been outside the country, but she isn’t afraid because her older cousin named Chad will go with her. However, contrary to her excitement to explore and visit the museum, Lukas is having the opposite emotions. “Alinn, do you realize that you are way too excited about this trip?” Chad comments, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement as he watches his younger cousin. Alinn pauses and winces. “Am I too obvious?” Chad, the twenty-two-year-old boy who has just graduated and is currently looking for a job, nods and responds with a “Very.” Lukas shifts his head to them. He is definitely not happy about the setup. He moves closer to me and whispers, “Why did you allow a third wheel to come between Alinn and me?!” I grin at him. He is anxious. “Chad is the ‘condition’ that her parents set so she could join us. Would you rather go to I
As our lips part, Liam looks at me with a newfound intensity. He traces my lips with his thumb before leaning in and kissing me again. This time, the kiss is deeper, more passionate, as if a dam has burst between us. I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me. He tastes like wine and warmth, and I can feel the tension between us build with each passing moment. Even before I feel his hands roam my body, I can already feel him hardening against me, and it’s only making my desire ignite in response. So, I moan softly into his mouth, especially when his hands slip under my shirt and caress my skin. He lifts me up and carries me to the bed, never breaking the kiss. He lays me down, his fingers deftly unbuttoning my shirt. I look at him, impatient. He is being very careful, unlike the previous times we made love. “Liam, what’s wrong?” I finally ask. “What do you mean by ‘what’s wrong’?” he asks, placing a kiss on my cheeks. “You are acting weird.” “How so?” “You...”
Liam and I lay in bed, our bodies intertwined and our chests rising and falling in harmony. My eyes flutter open, and my gaze meets his. He smiles, tracing a finger along the curve of my jaw. “Como te sientes?” he whispers softly. I take a deep breath, reveling in the weight of his arm draped across my back. I feel content–blissfully content. “Me siento bien,” I respond, grinning at him. “Well, seems like I am not the only one that Chiara has been teaching Spanish.” “There’s a lot of books here,” I say. “It’s also easy to get a bit from their language.” He cradles my face in his hands, and I close my eyes, allowing myself to melt into his embrace. “Es nuestro ultimo dia aqui,” he murmurs. My eyes flutter open once more. This time, I understand the sadness in his words, even without fully understanding the language. I take a deep breath and snuggle closer to him. “It’s been over a week. We need to return. Even if Lukas, Alinn, and Chad left four days ago, you and I still have t