“I said leave, Mr. Montenegro. I can’t face you now. I’m tired and hurt.” Pain and fear flickered in his eyes, and his earlier pallor hadn’t faded. It seems he’s been here for a while; he probably thought I’d come straight here. It’s a good thing I was called to the agency. “Are you really mad?” he asked softly. I couldn’t believe he was asking me that, and I almost laughed at his ridiculous question. Isn’t it obvious? What reaction does he want from me? To be happy because I found out something? Of course, I’m angry because I feel deceived, made to look foolish, and there’s also a woman with him whose relationship with him I don’t understand. But since my friend advised me, I’ll follow Annie’s advice. I’ll hear Xander’s side, even if it hurts me. At least I’ll let him explain; I won’t regret it in the end. “What kind of question is that, Xander?” I said coldly. My irritation and anger had intensified. “What do you think I’m feeling right now? Happy? You didn’t even text me s
**Vivien** The day went by quickly, and now Xander and I were heading to Bulacan. I had already said goodbye to Mom and my brother, and I even texted Dad, but he didn't reply at all. “Ready?”Xander asked as I came out of my room. He had been here for a while, too excited as if I were going to run away from him. I wanted to relax a bit; my work schedule for the past weeks had been hectic. I was piled up with tasks, but they said it would be more relaxed when I returned. Since the day we had a misunderstanding, Xander had become more clingy. He sent me quite a few texts each day, and he seemed to update me on everything he was doing. He was a bit excessive with the updates, but I just let him be; that’s what he wanted.“Yeah, let’s go?” He came closer to take my bag and then gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead. I smiled; he had gotten used to that routine. I walked out of the unit first, with Xander following me. We headed to the elevator together. While we waited for it to ope
After eating, I didn't dare glance at Xander. I also didn’t speak and just focused on my food. I felt so awkward because I could feel his teasing gaze on me. I was the one who did a bit of teasing, but it quickly backfired on me—karma worked fast. But that wasn’t really what I intended to happen earlier. Aling Pilar's son escorted me to my room, on Xander's orders. He said Xander was at the house under construction, checking to make sure everything was in order since it’s almost finished. We’re staying here in their hut; it's large, and Xander usually stays here. It has four rooms, and the master’s room is in the other room. When I entered the room, I was amazed as I looked around. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary hut, but once you’re inside, the ambiance is different—a mix of provincial and city vibes. The room I was brought to even had a small air conditioner and its own bathroom. The bed is double-sized, and the surroundings are very pleasant. I set my bag down by
**Vivien** The next morning, I woke up with pain in the middle of my thighs. Xander really kept his word about making the most of the night. It was already dawn when he finally got tired and gave up. After going for five rounds, how could you not be exhausted? I looked at the other side of the bed, and Xander wasn’t there. I listened for any sound coming from the bathroom, but there was none. That guy! After wearing me out and leaving my body aching, he’s not even here beside me? What was that—sex and run? Tsk, he should’ve waited for me to wake up first. What a way to start the morning. I winced as I got out of bed, hobbling over to my bag to get some clothes, and then headed straight to the bathroom. Good thing the bathroom has a heater, so I took a warm shower to ease the soreness in my body. I must’ve soaked in there for about an hour before deciding to get dressed and step out of the bathroom. As I came out, I was stunned and my eyes widened in surprise when I saw Xander
**Vivien** Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned to look at Penelope, who now had a visible expression of pity and sadness. She took my hand and held it tightly. “I'm here, okay? No matter what happens, I'm here for you. I won't leave you, Girl.” I glanced again at the stairs they had gone up. I hoped I was wrong, I hoped Dad wasn't deceiving us. Slowly, I pulled my hand away from Penelope, then, trembling, I picked up the envelope I had dropped on the table. Confused, I looked at Penelope again. “H-how did you know that Dad and Loraine would be here?” She sighed. “I had someone follow Loraine, so I know her movements. From the first time I saw that woman, I had a bad feeling. That's why I told you I'd find out more about her. And I wasn't wrong. Inside that envelope is everything, Girl—the truth and the lies they've been hiding from you for so long.”My hands trembled even more as I looked at the envelope. “That's also why I didn't reach out to you for a month. I wanted to b
I chose a simple pair of denim shorts, paired with a black shirt and black slide flip-flops. I also wore a white cap to somewhat cover my still swollen eyes. I dressed simply to avoid drawing attention. I grabbed my car keys, phone, and wallet before heading out of the room. Penelope was right, Chad's coffee shop was close to my condo. We both got out of the car, and I gave a slight smile—just seeing the outside, it already looked great. I wondered how much better it would be inside. “Let's go.” Penelope smiled as she walked up to me, linking her arm with mine before pulling me inside. The interior and ambiance of the shop were indeed beautiful. As soon as you walk in, the aroma of coffee greets you. Coffee lovers like Penelope and me would surely love this place, and I bet their coffee is great. Penelope wouldn’t have brought me here otherwise, even though Chad owned the shop. There were only a few people inside. Penelope led me to the front to sit there. She was confident si
Vivien I stayed silent until we reached my unit. I walked weakly to the bedroom, wanting to lie down first. My headache had worsened, and I needed to rest before going to our house to confront Dad. I felt like I had exhausted all my energy talking to Loraine. I was near the bedroom door when Penelope called out to me. “Girl, wait.” I weakly looked at her. “Why, girl? I want to rest first. For sure Dad isn't home yet, so let's leave here in the afternoon. Is that okay?” I said softly. My headache was really bad. Penelope looked concerned and came closer to me. “I was actually going to ask if you were okay. You look pale, probably because of what happened earlier. Uh, while you're resting, I'll cook us lunch. I'll wake you up when I'm done. I'm making sinigang na buto-buto so you can have some broth; you need that to regain your strength. Go ahead and get inside, don’t think about anything else for now.” I nodded. I suddenly craved the sourness of Penelope's sinigang. “Alright,
**Vivien**Loraine suddenly stood up and hugged Daddy, and he hugged her back. I felt a sharp pain in my chest—it hurt. I forced a bitter smile. I could clearly see the concern in Dad’s eyes for Loraine, while I, who had been gone from this house for more than two months, never received a text from him. He never even checked on me, never worried about me.Loraine pulled away slightly from the hug and looked up at him with teary eyes. Tsk, what an actress. If she can fool Daddy with her drama, she can’t fool me or anyone else here. I could feel her faking it and trying to gain sympathy.“D-Dad, Ate Vivien slapped me. I was so shocked earlier when she suddenly sat in front of me and then slapped me. I wasn’t doing anything, Dad,” she said, crying. I let out a dry laugh, not believing a word she said, and just rolled my eyes as Dad gave me a serious look.“Is that true, Vivien Dawn? Your sister came to me earlier, crying and out of breath, saying you slapped her because you found out eve
“You are so beautiful, Ms. Vivien. I only did a simple makeup look on you, but your beauty truly stands out.” I gave a sweet smile to the makeup artist assigned to me today. She was just doing a quick touch-up on my makeup before I headed out onto the runway. Today is the fashion show where I was invited by a very famous designer. I actually just found that out now. I'm here with my supportive boyfriend. I know he's sitting in the VIP section along with the other guests. I took a deep breath before walking backstage. Once I saw that my fellow model had returned, I held my head high and strutted onto the runway. A loud cheer erupted as soon as I stepped out. All the photographers turned their attention to me, scrambling to take shots. But I paid them no mind. I focused on my walk, wanting to bring life to the outfit I was wearing. I gave it my best. My face remained serious as I walked, and when I reached the end of the runway, my eyes immediately searched for Xander. It didn’t
Mics answered the call. “Hello, Love?”I grinned at the endearment he used for Mics. So cheesy! I signaled Mics to respond. “Yes, Love?”We heard my brother sigh on the other line. “I'm sorry for earlier, for our argument. I didn’t mean it, I was just tired… and I miss you… I miss you so much, and I just want to see you.” Mics blushed at what my brother said, while I was grinning like crazy but also feeling giddy! His voice was so tender! Is this really my brother talking? “Hey. Love. Still there? Why aren’t you answering? Are you still mad at me?”I signaled Mics not to say anything. She nodded. “Love? I’m sorry, okay? Wait, it’s already lunchtime—have you eaten? Where’s Vi?” “Love, talk to me, please?” “Don't be like this, Love. It won't make me feel better. I can’t work properly when we're like this. I'm sorry, don’t be mad at me. Okay, how about this? I'll pick you up later for dinner. I’ll make it up to you. And I miss you so, so much.” The redness on Mics’
My brother is really something else. Unbelievable… Geez! How did we not notice? They’re really good at hiding things. “Oh my gosh! You’ve been together for almost a year? Why did you hide it from us?” I asked in shock. Mics just gave me an embarrassed smile. “I don’t know why your brother doesn’t want to tell all of you. It’s hard to keep it a secret, you know. I don’t get what’s up with him.”Oh, so it was my brilliant brother who decided to keep it from us, huh? “Argh! I can’t believe he hid it from us! And we didn’t even notice. I had no idea my brother had a talent for acting.”I slumped back in my chair, crossing my arms. I’m not okay—I got played by my own brother! “I’m sorry, Vivi. Honestly, I wanted to tell you, but he didn’t want me to. That’s something we argue about sometimes.” I could see in Mics' eyes that she was telling the truth. She wanted to admit it to me, but my brother ruined it. He probably didn’t want us teasing him. “It’s okay. If I hadn’t caug
I dragged Xander along until we reached the front of the elevator. He remained silent while waiting for the elevator to open. I sighed before taking my phone out of my bag. I don’t think I’ll go to the office today. I’ll just text Mics and let her handle things for now. There aren’t any meetings scheduled anyway. Xander is tired. I want to take care of him. After texting Mics, I put my phone back in my bag and looked up. “Hey, you okay? Have you eaten?”I asked gently. He lifted his gaze and gave me a small smile. “Honestly, I haven't eaten since last night. I have no appetite. I miss you and Alexis. I can't leave because your dad doesn’t want to go home. He told me to stay and watch over Loraine. If you hadn’t come to me, I might still be there right now.” His voice was tired. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, let out a deep sigh, and spoke again. “She did it again. She tried to take her own life—just so I’d notice her and take her back. I'm tired of this, Daw
When the car stopped, I started to feel nervous. I put on my mask and blazer before entering the hospital. I went straight to the front desk to ask where Loraine's room was. They kindly told me the directions. I started walking and took the elevator. 5th floor, room 206B. It was a private room.When I got out of the elevator, I turned right and immediately saw the room. It wasn’t hard to find because the name was on the wall next to the door.Patient name: Loraine Herrera.I smiled. Herrera, huh? I stared at the door for a few seconds before deciding to turn the doorknob. Luckily, it wasn’t locked.As I entered, I kept a casual expression on my face. The people I didn’t want to see were there, and they were all looking at me. Vanessa raised an eyebrow while staring at me. Dad was just staring emotionlessly. Xander stood up in shock and greeted me. Meanwhile, Xander’s parents quietly observed.I looked at Loraine, clearly tired and sleep-deprived. She seemed okay, though? Tsk. “Baby,
The next day, I woke up again in Xander's arms, a smile forming on my lips. Last night, after a hot kiss, we returned to the room to rest. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.I hugged him until he woke up, and we had a short conversation while still holding each other. Then we both got up to start the day. He wasn’t going to work again today; he said he’d be watching over our son. Just like yesterday, we happily had our breakfast together. “Bye, Mom! See you later! I love you.” “Bye, Baby, I love you too. See you later.” I kissed him on the cheek before turning to Xander. “Bye, I’ll just text you later.” I stepped a little closer to him to give him a kiss on the lips. “Alright. I love you.” “I love you too. Be careful on your way home. Text me when you get to the condo, okay?”"Yes, ma’am!" Both Xander and Alexis said as they saluted me. I chuckled and shook my head before getting out of the car. I didn’t let them out because we’d be the center of attention again.When I e
It turns out we’re doing a sexy photoshoot today. I wasn’t informed—I thought it would just be a regular one.After getting my makeup and styling done, I went straight to the set to start the shoot.The photoshoot began, and I struck fierce poses since it was a sexy concept. I followed all the photographer’s instructions, making sure every pose was perfect so we wouldn’t have to redo anything. I didn’t want to waste time.The makeup artist met me afterward to retouch my makeup. Then, I changed into another sexy dress for the next shoot.I sent Xander a text, letting him know I had just one more shoot left and they could pick me up at the agency. Then I went back to continue the session.A wide smile spread across my face as soon as the shoot was over. I immediately headed to the dressing room to grab my things and change. I couldn’t wait to see my boys—I missed them so much.As I entered the room, I walked straight ahead, unable to wipe the smile off my face despite feeling tired. J
After an exhausting morning of playing around, we decided to leave the room. I still had to go to the office today—I couldn’t afford to skip work because of all the tasks waiting for me. Plus, I needed to stop by the agency later for a shoot.When we stepped out, breakfast was already prepared. As soon as we sat down, Xander took charge of serving food onto Alexis’ plate and mine. Alexis was absolutely thrilled that his dad was the one taking care of him today.“You’re going to work today?” Xander asked as we ate.“Yeah, I have to. I’ve got a pile of tasks at the office, and I have a shoot later at the agency.”He nodded thoughtfully.“Alright. I won’t go to Batangas today. I’ll postpone it until tomorrow. I’ll stay here to bond with our son. I’ll take care of him today, and we’ll drop you off and pick you up from work. Is that okay with you, son?”He turned to our son with a smile. Alexis eagerly nodded in agreement.“Yes, Dad! That’s a great idea! Let’s pick up Mom later. She’ll p
When I was done, I walked to the living room to call my husband and son, who were playing PS5.“Boys, stop playing now. Dinner is ready.”They both turned to me, nodded, and put down their controllers.Cute.Holding hands, they walked toward me. Xander gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead before wrapping an arm around me and guiding me to the dining area.“Wow! My favorite! Mom, did you cook this?”I nodded with a smile before serving Alexis some rice and caldereta. Then I filled Xander’s plate with rice, adding caldereta on one side and chop suey on the other.“Thank you, baby.”I simply smiled in response and served myself some rice. Manang Fe and Len watched us happily from the side.The dinner table was filled with laughter and stories. I mostly just listened as Xander and Manang Fe quickly bonded.After eating, I offered to clear the table and wash the dishes. I told Manang Fe to rest since her back suddenly started aching. Alexis went to clean herself up, leaving just Xander