Valentine’s mouth turned to a big ‘O’ shape as her eyes widened. Her vision was annoyingly getting blurry but she could still make out William’s facial features. He was shocked, and she giggled at his face.
“Hi William!” she chirped, and as she mentioned his name, her pitch gotten higher.
“Don’t ‘Hi William’ me, Valentine, who is that man you’re with?”
“OH!” Valentine realized that she hadn’t introduced her date yet. She stood by William’s side, her arm attempting to reach his shoulder for her to place her elbow but he was too tall. “Uh… can you stoop down a little?”
Obediently, William bended his knees and sighed, “who is he, Valentine?”
She successfully placed her elbow on his shoulder and answered proudly, “he’s my date.” She smiled, reaching from ear to ear. Her eyes closed as she did. “Noah, mee
“Are you serious, dude?” Samuel was taken aback. He laughed nervously. “Nah, I’m just kidding… really. Don’t worry, I don’t want anything in return. It’s nice helping a man out, especially when his wife is getting all drunk and tipsy with another man.”Valentine kept silent all the time, feeling guilty. Her eyelids were becoming heavy and she wanted to sleep. Her head was resting on his side chest. She felt William move and watch him take out money from his pockets then hand it over to both of the bouncers.They refused but he insisted. Not too long, he thanked them and brought Valentine to the front seat of his car. He leaned over to her and fastened her seatbelt tightly for security.As soon as William got inside and turned on the engine of his car, she asked, “where are we going?”“Let’s just go to my house.”She didn’t reply anymore. Instead, she closed h
The day after, she woke up in his bed. She groaned distressingly as pain shot across her head, as if she was hit by Cupid’s deadly arrow. Valentine squinted her eyes open as she tried to see which room she was in. It was William’s. She whipped her head to the left and saw his face up close. He was snoring softly. Her eyes landed upon his naked torso. William’s chest heaved up and down as he breathed. His blanket only covered half of his upper body, causing Valentine’s curiosity to itch. She hooked the edge of the blanket with her index finger to pull it slightly wide and peeked. Her eyes enlarged in shock. Quickly, she withdrew her hand and tossed her body to the other direction. Still, she needed confirmation. Valentine brought her hand to her blanket and pulled it wide, exposing her breasts. Yes, they did that last night. “But… how?” She did her best to squeeze her mind into recalling what had happened last night. Went to the club, met Noah, drank
“Sorry…”“Don’t worry.” He handed over the box to her and she received it.“Can you get out of the room while I change?”Unexpectedly, he smirked. “I could watch you change.”“William!” She said through gritted teeth, trying to stifle her laugh. “You pervert! Get out, please! Or else I won’t wear it for you.”“All right.” He drew his head back and started to walk away. William closed the door from behind then shouted, “if it’ll take you too long, I swear, Valentine, I’m going to kick the door down.”She rolled her eyes in response. She knew he wouldn’t kick it down. Valentine placed the blanket back on the bed then opened the box.After minutes of debating whether she’d wear the lingerie or not, she ended up wearing it due to her curiosity of how would she look like in it. It was a two-piece set. T
She didn’t cry. Valentine’s eyes, blurred with gathering tears watch her friend walk away. The only cheerful and most enthusiastic friend she ever had was leaving her. She blamed herself for involving Missy into this; it was only supposed to be her and William. Missy was right, she made her look like a fool for believing that she could have William by herself.The tears that gathered were overflowing now; they streamed down from her eyes, then to her cheeks. Valentine closed her eyes tightly, pushing all the liquid out then inhaled deeply. This was all her fault.William placed his hand over her shoulder and grabbed her closer. He placed a kiss on her temple and whispered, “she’s left. Let’s go inside.”She expected for him to talk back to Missy, then stop her from leaving but perhaps he only showed respect for the two of them by not intruding. She moved as he began to softly pull her to the house.As they got inside, B
It was now nearing night time. Both men had been talking like they were long lost friends. Valentine smiled as she realized they had gotten so well of each other. What made her heart flutter was when she heard her father dismiss William’s address of him.“Don’t call me ‘sir’. You’re already my daughter’s husband. You could call me ‘dad’ if you’d like.”Valentine almost squealed at this. Everything was going well. There would be no more room for their lies to stay in. She and William were now genuinely in love, and her father finally knew about it.She was at the kitchen, cooking food for dinner. Valentine was making it specially for this night. The two were at the living room, talking about politics, history, business, and anything that these men were interested in.Knocking came from the door.“Dad, can you please answer it for me?” she asked sweetly, yet with a louder t
After their conversation during dinner, Vaughn excused himself after Lucy called. Meanwhile, William excused himself as well so he could go back to his house then pack his things for their temporary stay at his family. Thus, leaving the father and the daughter in the house. Billy volunteered to wash the dishes while she readied herself before William would arrive. She shoved everything she needed and might need. Then, she took a shower to refresh her mind and even attempt to slowly sink in that she’d be meeting William’s family. She wanted to keep a good impression. Anxiety surged through her mind, causing questions to burst out: Will his mother get along with her? Will everything go smoothly as how she wanted it to be? Valentine pushed the thoughts at the back of her mind, not wanting to make herself worry anymore. Valentine was already at the porch, back slouched, and her chin placed on top of a bag. While all her other bags were behind her. She sighed heav
She woke up as her body shook. Valentine groaned and muttered, “five more minutes.”“Say that again then I’ll push you off the cliff.”Valentine pushed her eyes open, rubbed them, then she yawned. “Have we arrived yet?”“No, not yet, but I don’t want you missing this scenery,” William spoke. She looked past his shoulders, where rays of red, pink, and orange were still yet about to stretch across the sky.They were on a cliff, just by the side of the road.“What time is it?”“It’s 5 in the morning. I saw a store that’s open for 24 hours and decided to buy ourselves snack.” He twisted his upper body to reach the bag wherein he placed the food he bought on the backseat, introducing them to her. “What about we eat breakfast together by those safety barriers?” He pointed.She nodded, agreeing. They stationed themselves comforta
They arrived. Valentine gawked as her eyes settled themselves on a massive contemporary-styled mansion. Its asymmetry and aesthetic vibe it gave out screamed at her, wanting her to feel at home. The minimalist undertones painted all over the contemporary mansion made it more welcoming and calming.The gates opened automatically when they got closer. It must have been a sensor gate, it detected their motion even they were just almost 2 meters away from it. She was speechless; their family was obviously rich. This even made her more anxious. She twisted her body as they drove past, she watched the gate close and smiled, amused.Flowers — mostly blue ones — were planted by the fences, lining up to the back of the house. William parked his car at the front, then he placed his hand on hers. “You’re going to do just fine.”“Hopefully,” Valentine mumbled.The couple got out of the car simultaneously, then they closed the
The lights inside the room were dimmed, although it was dimmed enough for them to see each other. They were standing near the bed, with William behind her. “I want to see you wearing it again,” William pleaded. His breath tickled against her neck as he moved the strands of Valentine’s hair aside to kiss her nape. “No,” Valentine replied promptly. What was he thinking? They already had a three-year old Xavier and a two-month old baby Yvonne to watch over. They just couldn’t simply hit a home run now that they had company. “Please? It’s been years since you wore my gift. I just want to see you in it one last time,” he begged. She scoffed, not believing in him with his words. “Are you certain with that ‘one last time’ of yours?” “Yes, I am.” She was convinced. Valentine sighed and wiggled out of William’s arms around her. She looked for the white lingerie he gave her the day after their wedding. It definitely had been a while since she wo
Twelve months had passed since they popped out the news of her pregnancy to Helen. And the mother-in-law herself popped the news out to the guests during her birthday celebration as well. Considering that there will always be paparazzi everywhere, it made the big announcement as a headline for the next day’s television news. Just after a few days since the announcement, Dave Henson, the manager of the restaurant where William proposed to her, apologized and introduced himself as William’s cousin. The second ‘little bird’ who did background checks on her for Helen. As Valentine didn’t want drama in her life anymore, she forgave him. After two months since Valentine gave birth to their first son, they went on a ‘little’ outing trip. Valentine, William, their baby, Billy, Helen, Vaughn, and Lucy went to Paris, France. Every time she would catch Lucy’s stare at her, she’d always receive multiple apologies at once. Yet, she forgave her too. Either once, twice, or
Just as planned, Valentine was already inside the room, she was just standing a meter away from the door, her back against the wall, and the gift she made for Helen was on her hand. William closed the door and she heard every step of his shoes click against the floor as he left.It had been minutes but Helen still hadn’t arrived. She was getting anxious; Valentine might have gotten inside the wrong room. Because of the nervousness she was earning, she’d been tightening her calves for a while now and they ached.Rather than making herself stand against the wall and wait for someone that took ages to arrive, she decided to get out of her position and pace around the room.The door opened as Helen came inside. To Valentine’s luck, it seemed that her mother-in-law hadn’t noticed her yet as she was busy talking with William. Quickly, Valentine went back to her previous position.As Helen walked in, she saw William carrying the gifts she
Valentine returned upstairs right after her conversation with Helen ended. Her husband was on his laptop. Based on the way he almost had his face plant itself to the monitor of his device, it showed that he typing away as if his life depended on it. Well, of course. William’s life did depend on it. She smiled at her silliness. “Hey.” “Why did you want to talk with her?” William asked as his eyes were still focused on the screen. “I wanted to tell her about this.” She circled her hand around her tummy as a gesture for him to understand why. His face softened and he closed his laptop. “How did it go?” the way his voice sounded smooth and cozy made Valentine want to jump on him, cuddle and scoop with him until this evening. “Well…” She plopped herself down on the bed, sitting with her back slouched and continued with a tone of disappointment, “I didn’t get the chance to tell her.” “And that’s because?” “I think your mothe
A maid knocked on their doors, as she said loudly that Helen requested for their presence as she wished to eat breakfast together with them. Valentine figured out that this could be the opportunity she’d take to tell her mother-in-law about the great news — which, she thought could be the reason if Helen would change her perspective of William and her.They got out of the room. Valentine thanked the maid for informing them and they followed her towards the dining room. Helen was already sitting on her seat with her food untouched.“Happy birthday,” Valentine greeted.She didn’t receive a verbal response. Instead, she received a stare. They ate their breakfast. All she could hear was the clink every time their spoons and forks knocked lightly against the plates. Just when they finished, Helen started a conversation about the company with William, making Valentine left out.She had to keep herself quiet just like what she did l
For every trip to almost all of the jewelry shops in the city the couple did to find the perfect gift for Helen, it took them half an hour until they switched to another shop. The both knew Helen Fajardo was a woman with the highest standards and expectations, considering that she was a wealthy widowed woman, of course she deserved something that would amuse her the most.Afterwards, they headed off to the arcade and spent the entire afternoon playing. They never once thought of eating for lunch. Valentine’s constant cheering, giggling, and laughing and William’s chuckling added fun to their little date.Not until William received a call from his mother, asking where he was and why it took the two of them to return back to the residence. They sped off back to the mansion not a minute later and had dinner together.It was a quiet one. They exchanged a few words every now and then, to be exact, it was only William and Helen who conversed, as Valentine
As they arrived to the dress shop, Valentine immediately pulled Delilah in. She dragged her friend towards the part of the shop where there were many dresses lined up, where they could discuss about Adam privately and to make sure that they were far enough as possible.When they reached the part of the shop, they halted.“What are you doing?” Delilah wanted to know the reason behind her abrupt action.“There is something you need to know,” she said.“Valentine?” William’s voice entered her ears and that’s where she realized that her husband followed them. Valentine’s eyes widened as she saw Adam with him.“You can go stay there at the bench. You know us, girls, we usually take an hour to pick our own clothes,” she laughed nervously.“Okay. We’ll wait there. But take note that I’ll pay for your dress and Delilah’s if ever she wants one.”&ld
“Hey guys!” Delilah’s voice boomed across the floor. “I thought you left! It’s hard to look for you since this place is pretty much packed.” There were three employees behind her, carrying a tray on their hands. Valentine felt relieved as she didn’t want to take care of Adam anymore. She watched as Delilah rocked her hips sideways, walking towards their table. She sat down beside Adam and placed her tray. She and Delilah said their ‘thank yous’ to the employees as they placed the rest of the trays on the table then left. “Where’s your husband?” her friend’s question caused Adam to flinch visibly. “He’s on a call,” Valentine answered, with her eyes sticking suspiciously at him. And as she faced her left, William came into view. “Oh, there he is.” “Hey.” William sat down beside her and apologized, “sorry it took me that long.” “Where were you?” Delilah unwrapped her rice from the paper, looking curious. “Work.” “Ah, very
A ringing sound of William’s phone took over the silence. Valentine looked at him, worried if he’d pick it up or not. He glanced at Adam and Valentine then said, “sorry, I’ll just have to take this.” He fished for his phone from his pocket then answered, “Hello, yes?” Valentine wanted to eavesdrop but the voice from the other end of the line was quite inaudible. She stayed silent but still wanted to know what it was about. Instead, her eyes focused on Adam — who was showing difficulty in avoiding her stare. “What?” he spat promptly, yet in hushed tones. His sudden manner of speaking made her to look back at him and mouth, “what’s wrong?” “Work,” he mouthed back then returned his attention to the caller, “tell them to contact me.” He stood up as he pulled the phone away from his face. “I’ll be back. I need to take care of this.” Valentine nodded, understanding that he’d be busy all the time. Nevertheless, she decided to take this opport