Noah already has had enough of his life, I assume, so I left with no other choice but to smile at him. "Of course, honey," I reached out to Noah's cheeks, cleaning the tears that wet his cute and pink cheeks. "Mom will never leave you again. So better stop crying now, okay? Big boys usually don't cry." "Promise?" he babbled, his pouting extended, "If you wanted to leave, Mom, I want to come with you. Daddy is a bad..." Noah did not get the chance to finish his sentence when Norman pulled him closer as he covered the kid's mouth. He even smiled at me defensively. That's a good thing for me though because I hate promises. Promises are made to be broken as the saying goes to say. Even if I am truly his mother, I cannot promise that I will never leave him again. Justine and I agreed for me to stay in this mansion for two weeks only. After that, I'm going back to my parents to tell them the truth about what happened to me. "Baby talks," he said, "they sometimes talk
In addition to that, I still don't know when are memories coming back. Until then, perhaps my heart and mind can accept you as my son. Not that I hate the idea of having a son, it's just that everything that unfolded before me was new and unexpected. Let alone people from my past wanted to get rid of me coming back into the mansion - into the family that I didn't want to be part of to begin with as it was full of lies and sufferings. So, from the bottom of my heart, kiddo. I can't help you with the kind of support you need from me. Until then. After five minutes of waiting, and without addressing Noah my answer to his concern, Norman hopped into the car. He looks at us and studies me from head to toe before he takes off his blazer and puts it on me. "I'm so sorry about what my sisters did to you in the past and until now, Yvanna," he said in a well-composed tone. "Why are they so mean to Mom, Dad?" Noah asked on my behalf. I also want to know the reason and how he
"What?" she throws the question back at me, this time, hesitation is engraved on her face. "Excuse me?" I blurted in confusion. "You just said that you are the reason I got into an accident but did Norman forget to tell you I lost my memories as well?" It appears that we are not in the same boat while talking to each other. She expresses her apology but I have no idea what she was referring to. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. dela Vega!" she sincerely then bent half of her body consecutively toward me. "What I did that night was unforgivable. And I deserved not to be forgiven by you. I'll submit my resignation to Mr. dela Vega's desk effective immediately." She stood up with her eyes remained on the floor. "I'm so sorry again, Mrs. dela Vega." "You can't resign unless you tell me everything about it," I utter just when she was about to slide into the doorway. "How am I going to accept your resignation when I don't have a single clue about what the hell happened that night
As soon as we reached the private seafood restaurant, Noah and I could not help but frown when we could see no other customers occupying the two-story building apart from us, and of course, the servers. "What a lovely evening, Mr. Mayor! It's an honor that the most handsome and candid mayor picked our restaurant to dine in amongst the first-class restaurants throughout the city." A middle-aged man approached us at our table with a humble smile on his face. Behind him were ten servers who bent half of their bodies toward Norman in unison. "Oh, come on, Mr. Manager, the pleasure is mine! Your dishes here are second to none. And besides, my wife and I have shared a lot of wonderful experiences in this place for the past seven years, right, honey?" Norman dragging my name into their conversation when I was silently scanning the menu made me gulp. And I hate the fact that he kept putting me in a tough spot knowing I have no remnants of my memories that could be of use to br
Justine and Norman suddenly exchanged glances, as if both of them were waiting for one another to speak up, especially when my stares were as sharp as knives. I know Norman always had his principles to cover up his ass so I poured my sharp knives toward Justine. He lied to me once about the incident but I know he will not do it again to protect our friendship. "Yvanna, the thing is...," Justine started confessing but he ended up cutting off in the middle of his sentence, his troubled expression told me two or three assumptions. "Should I tell her then? I'd be delighted to tell her about our man-to-man deal while she was profoundly sleeping the other day." Norman shrugs off, putting more weight on my shoulders when I still have Noah with me. I found his shrug hard to breathe so I removed his arms from me voluntarily, and I didn't care if he got offended by it. With the fact that we already argued before Justine appeared, I no longer need to worry if he gets mad at m
"He can stab his billions into his mouth, I don't have a single cent of them," I uttered to myself while continuously uttering profanity. "My wife and I spent our marriage for almost eight years," Norman responded to the reporter's question. "I know her better than anyone. She did not do it because she got into an accident and was kidnapped by someone who claimed to be me." Perhaps he was referring to Justine since he was the only person who took care of me for one month in the hospital. Also, it makes me wonder what happened to my case. Justine never mentioned any updates about the incident, if the driver of the other car was also admitted to the hospital with me, or if he or she died. Nothing. Not because he cared for me losing my memories, doesn't mean he had to keep it from me. I need to apologize and compensate the driver whom I bumped into because it was my fault in the first place. I wanted to apologize to his or her family, in advance, even if I still reme
Eight years ago. "Chop! Chop, Justine! My knight in shining armor has been waiting for me in that seafood restaurant. We were already thirty minutes later. Don't want to let him wait for another half an hour. He might lose his interest in me." The eagerness to see and meet this man I got from an online dating app for the first time was engraved all over my face. We had our final exams that's why we were already thirty minutes later from our agreed schedule. Lucky for me, he replied he could wait and that I should take my time since passing our final exams is more important than dating someone. For that one single message coming from Norman Paul dela Vega, I started to fall in love with him. I am not the type of woman who fell in love right away, needless to say, I haven't met him, not even once, but he was the future of a large and well-known corporation. In other words, he will become a billionaire soon. And I dreamed of marrying someone wealthy as I promised
"I'm happy and proud to say that's a yes, grandfather! She's two weeks pregnant with my child. And I ask nothing but your blessing to let us get married soon before the news reaches the public." Norman mustered the courage to speak up on my behalf. Norman and I already talked and considered about this. The reason he wanted to marry me as soon as possible was because he was afraid that I might be rejected by his family and questioned by the public knowing my entire family has nothing to brag about apart from those fresh fruits and vegetables we harvested from the farm. "You got to be kidding me, Norman!" His Mom debated for the sake of their noble name. "No, I'm against this marriage. You will never get our blessings. I'm too ashamed to introduce a street beggar to my friends." Norman's parents felt disgusted while holding onto that thought. The feeling was pretty evident in their contorted faces. But I cannot blame them for that. Apart from that we are not in our twen
The tick-tock of the clock in our world has seemed to stop, accompanied by the heavy weight of the sensation rested on our helpless shoulders. His back rested on my chest, arms lying on both sides, and his smiling face pointing at me. "Why, Norman? You could have run away and saved your life. Why did you catch the bullet for me, huh? I'm not worth it. Have you forgotten I still hate you?" "Because I love you, Yvanna," he spoke out. "Remember those flowers, chocolates, and food containers?" I nodded as my tears kept pouring down my cheeks like an open faucet, especially when he started ejecting a bulk of blood from his nose and mouth. "Someone gave me that kind of idea eight years ago," he added. "I don't know how to make it up to you so I copied what you did when we were in college. When you confessed your feelings to me and wanted to be my girlfriend. Do you still remember? Because I do remember everything, Yvanna. That was also the day when I started to get annoye
Mr. Emilio attempted to snatch the phone from me but I swiftly dodged his grasp and held onto the phone tightly. Then I slid to the corner to make sure no one could interrupt our conversation. "This is how it is, Yvanna," he continued. "Finally, I can seek my revenge on the person who ruined my life in the past sixteen years. You should join me." "But you kidnapped him, Tanner. The police officers are also looking for you." I responded softly as if my lips hadn't moved a bit, still hesitant about his proposal even if it tempted me. Tanner's continuous laughter roared like thunder from the other line of the phone. "Police officers?" he asked with conviction. "Are you kidding me? How do you think I managed to get him out of prison without being noticed, Yvanna? Police officers are nothing but frugal. With the right amount of money, they will help you no matter how hard and impossible the jobs are." After giving it much thought, I agreed to Tanner's proposal which was
In the middle of the profound conversation, Elaine approached and showed us something we did not expect. Something I never expected to get leaked. "Mr. Emilio, are you aware of this?" One of the company's lawyers blurted in disbelief. The utter disappointment was written in everyone's faces apart from me. The news Elaine showed us was the footage of Norman having sex with another woman. "No, I'm not even aware Norman had an affair with another woman. And I barely recognize her." Mr. Emilio defensively replied. "Her name is Kristine Kate. And I am well aware of the existence of that footage because someone sent me a copy of it a few days ago." I confessed. Everyone's sharp eyes were pointing at me as if they were suspecting me. Can someone assist me to my office? I am going to check the flash drive in my drawer. And for the record, I didn't leak the footage." "I'll come with you, Mrs. dela Vega. I have to get something on my desk too." Elaine proposed. Without asking further ques
The next morning, everyone in the mansion was swamped but excited apart from me as it would also be the same day Norman and I would have our second wedding. What I discovered in front of Justine's apartment remained a huge mystery to me. Norman did not come home last night because it was in our tradition that the couple must be separated on the day of the wedding and will meet at the church. But since I have nowhere else to go, my parent's house is on the other side of the world, I used the mansion while Norman used the dela Vega Group and Companies building. "Smile, Mrs. dela Vega," says the makeup artist who has been preparing me for almost an hour. "You are about to get married but you looked like the entire weight of the world fell onto your shoulders." "Why? Do you have any regrets about remarrying the mayor, Mrs. dela Vega?" her assistant asked. Regrets? A lot. If and only my family was born as rich and powerful as the dela Vegas, only a fool would remarr
"Wait, do you, by chance, are you the one who...?" I couldn't bring up the question when we have someone with us in the car. So I decided to wait until we reached the office. Last night. It took Norman almost an hour to get back to the rehearsal dinner after sending Veronica and Malia out of the hotel. But I have no idea what he and his security guards did to them outside, and why he took almost an hour to get back. Not that I don't want the two dead, the news was just too sudden. As soon as we arrived, I quickly headed to my desk to start working. Norman followed me, lost in his thoughts, I can tell. He dropped his butt on the couch next to my desk and fixed his eyes in one direction - toward his uncertainty. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. dela Vega!" Elaine greeted us with a smile after the successful rehearsal dinner last night. Based on my abrupt observation, she hasn't heard of the news yet. "Here's your cup of coffee and tea, Mr. and Mrs. dela Vega! Enjo
"So you mean that one of those cops could have killed the man on our way to his house?" I continued his statement when that was what I believed. He nodded. "Or more. And that's what we need to know. And I highly suggest you work on it behind Tanner's knowledge." "You want me to stab Tanner behind his back? Have you forgotten he's my lawyer?" I asked, debated to be precise. "Tanner was pretty convinced earlier that you agreed to the result of the cops' investigation regarding the case. Better keep it that way. I'll recommend a loyal police officer who can work on the case with confidentiality." Then he asked me to get his phone from his left pocket to search for the contact person. I believed Norman had nothing to do with the attempt of killing me so I agreed to his proposal. And, of course, for our conversation to be put to an end. After getting the man's contact information, a deafening silence dominated the rest of the travel toward the hotel. Fifteen minut
After the call ended, we continued the photo shoot, buying enough time to better think about what to do in this kind of situation. Putting my situation into words, I was having second thoughts about whether I should tell Norman about my deal with Tanner or have to face and tell Tanner myself about remarrying Norman. Either way, I don't know the answer once I picked one when both of them were not to my advantage. There are no choices that won't hurt anyone in the middle of the process. "Do you mind if I ask what time will the rehearsal dinner be?" I asked Norman as soon as Noah and I were settled in his car. "Why? Do you have any other appointment that I am not aware of?" He asked back. "Tanner and I will have a meeting at three. He said that he had something to tell me. Perhaps it has something to do with the case he's working on. Would you like to come with me?" I proposed, with the hope that he would say no. "Why can you just reschedule that meeting?" Lik
"Let go of us, Yvanna!" Veronica cried out as she attempted to remove my hand from their hair. "We didn't do anything wrong." Malia debated. "In fact, we are someone else's escorts." A few security guards attempted to break us apart from after catching a glimpse that it was me, they backed out. Instead, they followed us outside the building. The moment we stepped foot outside, I pushed the two harder. Hard enough they both stumble to the rough and muddy surface of the ground. Their once glimmering expensive evening gowns are now stained with dirt and mud. And I have no regrets dragging them away from the event. "Do you think I am that fool enough not to notice what you two are doing to my husband?" I growled at them. "Even if you were someone else's escort, doesn't mean you cannot flirt with him." Veronica and Malia burst into tears as they looked around. Hundreds of flashing cameras surrounded us, catching every angle of the commotion. Malia tried to cover her face with her bar
"Come on, Mom, Dad! Can you just hear me out, please?" I insisted as I tailed them heading out of the mansion. "Get back, Yvanna!" Dad exclaimed. He and Mom doubled their pace toward the main road. "We don't have a daughter now. Go back to that hell of a place." I was about to stop them from hopping into the cab but they took off at the speed of light, leaving me alone in the road. "Please, get back inside, Mrs. dela Vega." One of the security guards followed me and helped me up as I dropped my knees to the rough surface of the ground. "Let me follow them on your behalf instead." The man next to him proposed. "We'll keep you posted once we can talk to them." They then hailed a cab and took off. I attempted to hail a new cab but two new security guards appeared and begged me to get back to the mansion as it was a strict order from Norman. Leaving with no other choice, I went straight to Noah's room. "Mom, are you alright? Are you crying? Did those evil hurt