The clomping of feet drew Rose's consciousness. Her brown nether-eyes opened slowly, finding the skyline of the building in front of her lit up. The bias of the light made Rose blink a few times, feeling clueless in a place that was not so familiar. "I'm still alive?" Rose muttered to herself. She touched exactly where the wound on her body was lodged. Before ending up unconscious. Shouldn't she be in a room filled with figurines of women? All she saw was the innocence of the whitewashed walls, and Theo-there, walking the same straight line over and over again. His face was downcast as if he was thinking about something. Rose quickly turned away when he realized something, which made their eyes meet. The look in Theo's ashes implied guilt. Rose didn't care what it was, the pain in her heart was still the same-it was at the level of disappointment. "Are you awake, Sugar?" Rose's fingers gripped the thick blanket tightly when she heard Theo's steps approaching. The touch of that
"What do you have to gain by trapping me in marriage?" The man finally chuckled. "What's in it for me? I got you, that's all what I deserve." How proud Theo's face smiled viciously as he turned to look at Rose. "But it's okay, I won't stop you, if you want to end things. I mean, it's fine, if you want a divorce. Just be patient. After me and that damn woman are done, and I introduce you to my father. You can go ahead and file your lawsuit with the court, Lion will assist you." Is that how people with money are? For them, divorce is not a complicated matter. When something doesn't fit into the agreement, or there are other things that don't fit into the path that intersects with the harmony of marriage. They easily throw out the word 'separation', as if being one and being united, is something that has no honor value. Rose shot Theo a piercing look. "Divorced and your widow, is that it?" she asked, her anger never ending,
Strangers and not talking to each other. Ever since Rose asked Theo not to show his face in front of her. The man was never really seen. Never anywhere where Rose was. Until now, five days of their relationship was not okay. It was quiet on the dining table, with only Beatrace busy in the kitchen. Rose had offered to help the middle-aged woman, but she had received rejection after rejection. With the same excuse, of course. Rose's breathing was rough, not knowing how to properly enjoy the breakfast in front of her. Everything still felt strange, she didn't want to sink any further. Although her mind kept wondering where Magdalena was after the night's events. Everyone she met was silent when she directly expressed her curiosity, but that didn't rule out Rose, unaware of Theo's indifference regarding Magdalena's actions. Lion slipped up a little when Rose tried the man for the lies he had told. Rose doesn't try to make a big deal o
"The Witson family is not a harmonious one. Since the great mistress is no longer around. The only person who understands the master is his younger sister. But that didn't last long either, because he had to go back to feeling lost. All of us here don't really know what he is really like, Miss." For some reason this time Rose found bitterness in the smile Beatrace displayed. If Beatrace could not confirm anything about her statement. Rose felt unsure of what she had been thinking about Theo. Could she still be in the scope of deception? She wasn't. Rose's nerves dulled and blinked a few times. The air felt claustrophobic again. "Beatrace," she called, holding back the trembling tone that almost broke out. "Do you know who Dara is?" Rose hoped Beatrace would tell her the answer she wanted. Unfortunately the woman only smiled with a meaning that Rose couldn't now decipher. "You can ask the master dire
[Forgive me]. Charlotte sighed. That was Sean's last statement since the man stopped texting her. Gone. Charlotte didn't get any news, just as the longing she had was also forced to sink. She didn't want to be grandiose, just hoping Sean would fight harder to get her heart back. Unfortunately Charlotte felt Sean gave up before she managed to establish herself from a big dilemma. A man who doesn't want his son, does Charlotte deserve to forgive him so easily? No, she doesn't. Forget Sean for a while. Charlotte flopped down on the freezing cold bed. She looked up at the ceiling of the room with a sense of unease. Who would have thought that a man like Verasco would be as busy as he looked. Verasco was hardly ever at the mansion, where Charlotte was currently staying. She could liken the inside of the mansion to an uninhabited building. It was deserted. Except for the heavy surveillance outside. Enough to make Charlotte
"If I was jealous. I wouldn't have let you do it more than once." Theo's exhale hit the surface of Magdalena's face. Every time she remembered how deeply she knew Theo, Magdalena felt like she had been told a thousand lies. She simply didn't understand his way of thinking, or anything directly related to her ex-husband. "I'm sure you're jealous. Just like you deliberately showed me the kiss marks on that prostitute's body to make me hurt." Magdalena tried to convince herself. Theo was hers, always would be. "She's not a whore. She's my wife. You need to underline one thing, I like to make art on her body, not to make you jealous. But, I guess explaining all that to you is pointless. You're too ...." Theo stopped his sentence. The facial expression was deliberately thoughtful. "Too stupid-perhaps." He grinned sarcastically. Still with the Italian dialect, which sounded sexy from his lips.
Rose fell silent. Her brain and body seemed to be disconnected. She was still motionless, frozen before the man, who looked different from the last time they met. It was like being trapped in a sensory distortion. The air around Rose was filled with painful tension. She just wanted to burn the 15 roses, which were received from hand to hand for five consecutive days. However, her readiness had to be hindered when Theo walked in with wobbly steps. Not even looking at Rose, when he had the chance to look away. "Here's the lighter, Miss-" Just like Rose. Beatrace stopped when she realized Theo was there-standing with an unreadable ripple on his face. Having barely seen each other, the slight change was obvious. "Good afternoon, sir." Beatrace ventured a greeting. The nod she received was followed by Theo's departure with a decisive step. Beatrace also looked at where her master had gone. Then turned to Rose. "There is a mas
"I said get out!" "No way!" argued Rose. Approaching with explosive curiosity. Theo's appearance in her eyes had always been perfect. Different from the one Rose currently noticed. That stain... really invites curiosity. "Why are your clothes dirty?" Getting closer. Rose tried to touch the button of the shirt Theo was wearing. "None of your business. Go away!" The reality was that Rose failed when Theo chose to avoid. Every action the man made, pulling off the dirty shirt, did not escape Rose's sight. Half of Theo's shoulders and arms were covered in abstract tattoos. Rose couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the ink that blended with Theo's skin pigment. The tattoos she saw were already there, she didn't feel the need to meddle with them unnecessarily. Except, when the man approached the figurine on the bed. Theo seemed to be holding a small object, or Rose could call it a camer
Zever's sudden departure made quite an impression on Rose. At that moment she and Travis silently watched the backs of two people who were moving away. Rose didn't dare say anything as she herself realized Travis was leaving her behind—Travis looked down and Rose hoped he was okay, then followed with careful steps carrying her triplet into the mansion building. Two hours after the incident in the back garden, and after putting the children to bed, Rose soon caught up with Zever's whereabouts. Through the messages given to Lion, Rose certainly monitored whatever was happening outside. This included asking how Travis was doing. The man was behaving as before, but there was one problem. Zever in the living room with a ripple face so cold and gray eyes that stared half-empty arranged miniature joints on the table. Rose repeatedly took a breath just to steady herself sitting next to her husband. "Zever," Rose called out, wanting to make sure he would respond or not. Z
"I'm done, Theo. Now it's your turn—" Rose thought, after stepping out of the bathroom and changing there. She would find Theo keeping all three of their babies in their proper positions, but that big body—in his sideways sleep—seemed to be deeper than the three babies who were snoozing peacefully. Exhausted. That's how Rose interpreted it, because these days Theo was often busy in the middle of the night—looking after their babies, while Rose was forced to rest. Rose smiled slightly as she rubbed the top of Theo's head. It was only for a moment that she turned to her triplets to transfer them to the trolley. Rose would take them for a walk in the back garden. Finished with the transfer she returned to Theo simply covering her husband's body with a thick blanket. "We're leaving first." Rose briefly kissed the corner of Theo's face. She pushed the trolley carefully towards the elevator. Rose already knew where the elevator was, it was quite hidden—and Theo had no
"I got a lot of grandchildren." O'Douglas laughed like a pirate captain who had just discovered a historic treasure. Each of the middle-aged man's arms flanked two tiny babies, while the other was in the arms of Verasco, who continued to hold them, occasionally bringing them closer with a lighthearted joke. There was no telling what Rose would say as she watched her children being swarmed as soon as Verasco and O'Douglas walked into the ward. She had just finished breastfeeding, so the satiated babies would just sleep through the day, and not trouble their two grandfathers. "You never stopped looking at me," Rose said quietly. Most of the time Theo had a glare on his face, but right now the gray bead was shining something different. It was so loving and some of it Rose couldn't interpret correctly. How could Rose stand being shot at so closely. Theo had to, just once, look away from her. "Thank you, Sugar." A gentle touch on the skin of Rose's face made her
Rose didn't expect Theo to take her to the island of Ortogia, the historical center of the Sicilian city of Sirakusa, to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean sea. The scents by the sea were soothingly beautiful. Rose had not forgotten that Theo had not once let go of her body on the man's broad shoulders after walking along the old buildings on the islands of Ortogia. "Whose house is this?" asked Rose looking at a sturdy building that looked like it was meant for two people to live in. "Our house." There wasn't much Rose could say, except to bury her face deep in the hollow of Theo's neck. The masculine scent was still very much present, even after they had spent the whole day entertaining the guests, as if the perfume was very much at home on Theo's clay skin. "Want to go straight to bed or shower first, Sugar?" In front of a door Theo stopped and let Rose get on the floor. Between hesitation and the need for something fresh she finally looked up at Theo.
"Ready?" Rose nodded as Theo spoke over the top of her head. She was indeed standing with her back to Theo, holding the handle of a long cookie-cutter knife, while Theo's large fingers grasped each of her knuckles warmly. The multi-tiered cake, or not much different from a fragile tower, was being split open. The blade slowly descended downward to symbolize sharpness. Rose smiled almost melting into laughter when Theo whispered something funny to her, funny but Rose wouldn't tell anyone. Let her keep it to herself and make it an important fun moment. After the first slice of cake Rose and Theo should have been feeding each other. Instead Theo scooped out the cream and immediately applied it to Rose's lower lip. Rose's face was a mess, but that was exactly what Theo wanted. He took Rose's lips like he was taking a delicious cake. The sweetness of the sugar and butter mixture seemed to make Theo insatiable. He licks Rose so intimately—there's no end to it—that Rose
"It's enough. I'm full." Again Rose had to restrain herself as Theo's big fingers tried to push away the bowl of white porridge in her hand. "Just a little more, Theo. You have to finish your porridge." "Come on." Rose brought another spoonful of porridge closer, but that face refused. "Don't make me eat bad porridge, Sugar. It's tasteless." "That's why if you eat while looking at me, you'll get some flavor." "One more bite. I promise after this is over." "I don't believe it. You said that earlier, don't you remember?" Rose's wide grin completely fooled Theo. The man was exactly a child who had lost his appetite. It was very difficult to persuade him to open his mouth. "This time I'm serious about the last one. Ahk... open wide." Rose thought Theo would immediately accept her bribe. Instead, the man moved the elbow of Rose's hand, moving the bow of the spoon to Rose's own lips. "You should eat too." "I ate earlier," Ro
One day after Theo regained consciousness, Rose finally decided to return to her home, the place where she once lived alone next to her small restaurant. At the moment there wasn't much for Rose to do other than prepare to meet Theo at the hospital. Rose immediately drove her father's borrowed car. On the back passenger seat she placed a medium-sized box with several holes in it that was wrapped very beautifully. While beside her sat a cute little dog with curly hair and white color like cotton. Yesterday Rose had just bought the poodle breed at the pet shop. Intrigued. That was all that drew Rose's desire to bring home the poodle named Cocomelo. "We've arrived." Rose prepared a special backpack to carry Cocomelo on her shoulders, so that when she first entered the infirmary Theo would not immediately meet her Cocomelo but Rose would show him. And in her hand, she carried the medium-sized box and walked into the hospital. Not just daring, but Rose had already ob
Coming back from the bathroom, Rose thought she would be faced with the same situation. She had warned against it by waiting longer in the humid room until some of the noises from outside faded away. But everything Rose had expected was not true. The blood seepage on the floor when she opened the door was gone. Verasco's subordinates... even Verasco himself was nowhere to be seen, in his husband's infirmary. All that was left was Lion waiting very quietly, arms folded across his chest as he watched Theo silently. "Are you still here, Lion? Where are the others?" asked Rose as her steps brushed the side of the blanket. "Mr. Verasco asked me to wait here, Miss." Lion's attention was finally diverted. Rose suspected that he had just returned from the police station and helped Verasco and Elijah to execute George. As for George's betrayal, perhaps it was a wake-up call for Verasco to be more intolerant of hidden intentions and whatever else might happen. "Where is my
"On the way home. Their story has a happy ending. Finished." Rose closed the 400 pages book and placed it on the nightstand. Reading sweet stories had become her routine in the past few days. Rose smiled slightly at her husband's face who was lying so quietly. This morning the breathing apparatus had just been removed indicating Theo's condition was getting better after the bloody spear incident. Luckily, they immediately brought Theo to get the right treatment. Theo had to undergo surgery three times. He had lost a lot of blood and needed transfusions as soon as possible. Rose remembered that some arguments happened between them regarding Theo who had very step blood, even Verasco was helpless about it. Just a Wench .... That's what Verasco said at that time with a trembling tone of voice. Like he was so regretful. Really regretful, until finally Travis suggested the few people who were still left in Italy to bring some bags of Theo's blood that were taken two