ONE: ROMANCE IS DEAD!

Hi, I'm Ivy Sharon James. I'm an award-winning romance writer, praised for my ability to put the perfect love stories into words. Sadly, it's all words, my reality is far from what I write in my books.

Trust me when I say my intense love stories put my marriage to Cole James to shame.

10 years and one amazing kid later, I've realized that my marriage has reached that stage. Yes, that stage. The stage where we don't even notice each other anymore, don't do things to make each other happy, a stage which would make one cuss the words "happy ever after".

The past 12 hours has been a huge eye-opener for me, to be honest, I haven't noticed how bad it was until...

12 HOURS EARLIER

"I just love my husband, so fucking much." It's nothing new to have my twin sister brag about how smoothly her life is going, making me feel uncomfortable.

"Let's catch up," Lili says, but those words just mean let's meet up to talk about how great my life is and how fucked up yours is.

"Oh, did I mention that Jason and I are renewing our vows?" Yeah, she did like 10 times.

"That's cute," I said over a huge gulp of heavy liquid.

"I know right? He asked me to marry him again during our anniversary..." I tuned her out once she started retelling the story I've heard 20 times. 

If you are eager to know what she's talking about, it involves a Yacht, roses, sex (lots of sex).

"What about you sis?" I finally paid attention as it involves me now.

"W-what?" I stuttered.

"If I can recall clearly, You and Cole got married a month before us, how did you guys celebrate your anniversary?" My heart skipped a beat. Why am I nervous? Oh, that's because the question involves me lying.

We spent our tenth anniversary doing what we do every day, nothing exciting about that.

"Uh, w- we..." I was luckily interrupted by my least favourite person.

"I'm sorry I'm late guys." She joins our table, putting her Chanel bag on the table, just to show off.

Classic.

Guys, meet Lucy she's my sister's best friend, she is way closer to my twin sister than I am.

"No worries, I'm in love with your bag." And the two vain friends connect.

"Thanks, girl, just got it." She gives a proud smile, finally putting the bag on the chair.

I just sat there, trying hard not to roll my eyes. She turned to my direction, finally noticing my presence.

"Ivy, you look..." She paused, looking at me for a while.

"Good." She sends a tight smile to my direction.

This bitch.

I just gave her a friendly nod, while I planned her murder in my mind.

"I got great news." She squealed excitedly, my sister joined.

"What?" My sister is more excited than the bearer of the news.

"I'm engaged." She brings her hands forward, showing off her diamond ring.

I guess I was wrong earlier, it wasn't the bag she wanted us to notice.

"That's amazing, I'm happy for you." Lili stands up, pulling her best friend to a hug.

Oh please.

Spoiler alert, she's been married thrice already.

Maybe the fourth time is the charm.

"Congratulations." I finally said after they reduced their high pitched voices.

"Thanks, I really feel Jake is the one." That what she said for the last three men. 

Tragic.

"Your ring is so beautiful." My sister gushed.

"I know right?" Now I can't hold myself, I just had to do the eye roll.

"So what did I miss?" Oh no! I probably should have thought of my lie before now.

"Ivy was just telling me about her anniversary with Cole."

"Oh, fill us in on the juicy details," Lucy smirked that stupid smirk. The smirk, that mocks my relationship, like nothing amazing or yacht worthy can come out of it.

Of course, I won't have them make me look like a loser so I used my imaginative abilities to put the perfect 10th anniversary to words.

Did she say a yacht? Child's play, mine is a jet, roses on the bed? How about roses everywhere and of course I had to add what they don't have to the equation, my beautiful little girl.

"Wow, I didn't know Cole had it in him." He doesn't but the face of my sister is enough joy for me.

"My husband is just amazing," I said it slowly while staring directly into my sister's eyes, I rendered my sister speechless.

Great.

But to be frank, my marriage ain't going right and I don't how it went downhill.

~~~~

I quietly walked into my little girl's room to sneak a peek of my baby before going to bed. And there my angel was still awake playing a game on her iPad.

"Why's my little Kitty not asleep yet?" She seats up, carefully placing her iPad on the bed.

"I wanted to see you." She yawned, She's the cutest human being in the world, my heart hurts so much because of the amount of love I have for her.

For the past 6 years, she has been my constant source of joy.

"Really? You miss me." I sat on her bed, tickling her as she made cute laugh sounds.

"Mommy.." She managed to say in between her laughs, I finally stopped.

Her huge smile turns to a frown, breaking my heart.

"What's wrong Kitty?"

"Are you and dad getting a divorce?" My heart skipped a beat at my baby's question.

"W-what? Why would you think that?" I whispered.

"My friend's parent is getting a divorce, she told me they don't love each anymore. You and dad don't love each other anymore." It hurts me that she thinks like this.

"Sweetheart, your dad and I love each other very much and we are not getting a divorce." It's more of assurance to myself than a statement to her.

"Really?" Her amazing smile appears on her perfect face as she draws into a hug.

"Yes, baby," I whispered.

"And most of all, your dad and I love you very very much," I said tucking her in.

"I love you too." She said with her little voice.

"Now go to sleep, it's way past your bedtime." I smiled, picking up her iPad placing on the nightstand.

"Goodnight Mommy." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight sweetheart." I placed a peck on her forehead before turning off the light, silently walking out of her room.

I closed the door behind me, I just stood there outside her door trying to understand how a once-perfect marriage went south, so bad that my little girl took notice.

Cole and I don't argue or fight, I mean there's nothing to fight about, he's an amazing father, he makes enough to provide all we need (more than enough) but I guess we don't spend time with each other anymore, none of us makes an effort anymore.

But didn't we do date night at... No wait, that was just a chapter in my recent book. Oh! How about movies at... Shit, same book.

Fuck! We actually don't do anything anymore but that's going to change.

Romance is coming back.

~~~

After an hour of realization and a glass of wine, I'm set to look all sexy for my husband but here's the problem, I don't have anything sexy.

Not thing.

No sexy lingerie, everything I wear screams out mom. You know what? I'll just appear butt naked, we don't have to waste time removing the lingerie, just get to the main thing.

Perfect.

I thought that I should start my mission with our sex life, we haven't had sex in months and I'm going to rectify that.

I rubbed my lips against each other, ensuring the red lipstick rhymes, dropping my hair down from its ponytail, messing it up a bit. I took a long look at myself before going out to my husband in the room.

I contemplated which one is sexier, removing my robe before him or walking out butt naked.

Because I can't make losing a simple robe look sexy, I chose the latter.

I dropped the robe at the door, before opening the door trying to look sexy as possible.

"Hon..." I entered the room appearing to my man who's on his laptop...

Fuck hell!

He's video chatting a client, he turns around, staring at me in awe. 

In shock and attempt to run back, I tripped and fell on my naked butt.

To my eternal shame.

"O my." The client says, immediately my husband slams the laptop shut.

"Hon, are you hurt?" He hurries to pull me up before I could say a thing his phone rings.

"I- I have to take this." With that, my husband leaves his naked wife in the room to tend to business. I stood flabbergasted and with 100% realization.

Romance is dead. 

~~~~'