THEY HAD the first family lunch. Marsha was very happy and she couldn’t stop telling her daddy so many stories, like she wanted him to get to know her more and to catch up on all the happenings in her life.Michelle’s lips formed a small smile as she looked over at them—a father and daughter who were having a good time and not minding the rest of the world. They were so close, as if Ethan had never been away for so long.At some point, the thorns inside her chest were removed. Michelle thought Marsha would hate them, especially Ethan, but no... she accepted the truth wholeheartedly and was happy that her savior "big man" and her daddy were just the same man.She gazed at Ethan, who laughed heartily at Marsha’s joke. Ever since they got married back in the United States, she had never seen him so happy until today. She must admit that she assumed a lot of things about him. Part of it was not accepting Marsha as his daughter or throwing them away. But right now, what she saw was a man r
HOURS before they left Milan for good, Michelle visited the flower shop for the last time.There was no doubt that Milan had become her second home. It was the place where she had to pick herself up from the depths of pain that consumed her and became her safest haven, where she didn’t have to pretend; to do something she didn’t like. To summarize it all, it was one blissful phase of life with Marsha.But now, everything would change. Ethan Steinfield, her contract husband, wanted to be part of her daughter’s life. Despite the conflict between them and the man’s threatening words, she’d give him a chance to become a father to Marsha. It was the right thing to do. After all, her daughter deserved to be happy."Are you really sure you want to do this, Signora?" Jose asked her as she visited him in the restaurant.Her Italian friend, who had become her shoulder for the past few years, stared at her with the utmost concern. They were on the balcony of the restaurant, with their coffees, a
MICHELLE leaned against the wall. Her fingers were slowly sliding inside her underwear, and she bit her lower lip as she touched her wet folds.It was the first time she had tried to touch herself. The feeling was unfamiliar, yet for every gentle stroke of her fingers, her body tensed up more. She swallowed hard and, at the same time, spread her legs wider.Her fingers gently rubbed her folds, tracing circles on them in a sensual way. Shutting her eyes, her mouth formed an ‘O’. Michelle didn’t know that touching herself in that manner could feel so good. She’d be hypocritical if she said she didn’t miss being touched. Thankfully, she didn’t need a man to do that.But her mind started to betray her as Ethan’s face flashed in her imagination right away. She remembered those nights when she was blown away by Ethan's performance on the bed; how he touched her, kissed every part of her body, and thrust inside her like their fleshes were a perfect match."Ahhh..." she moaned softly, her fin
ASHAMED, Michelle went out of the restroom with her face reddening. A flight attendant walked past her with a smile, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the woman heard them doing something inside the restroom.She was aware that she made loud moans. It had been a long while since the last time she had sex, and so she had gone wild for a brief moment.Going back to her seat, her eyes landed in Ethan’s direction, who went back to reading the newspaper as if nothing had happened between them. The way he acted like it didn’t bother him made her feel like a total slut.She shifted her gaze when he glanced over in her direction. Looking at the window next to her, she winced at the sting of pain inside her chest.Hell, I should’ve never done that, she thought, regretting the fact that she gave in to her lust that led them to have sex on the plane. Now, the air between them had just gotten more awkward, and she didn’t know if she could still stare at him without being ashamed.After a long f
She was awakened by the movement on the bed. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Marsha who was jumping and dancing on the bed playfully.A smile curled into her lips, realizing that no amount of jetlag could actually stop Marsha from being so energetic."Come on, Mommy! Get up, get up! Daddy prepared our dinner!" her daughter exclaimed."Seriously?" she asked as she sat upright.Marsha sat in front of her with a wide smile. "I told Daddy that I wanted pancakes, and he made some!""That’s cool. Tell me, what else did he cook?"Marsha looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "He fried some chicken too, and there are other food but I don’t know their names, Mommy."Michelle chuckled. Having such conversations with Marsha was one of the things she loved the most about being a mother. Her daughter knew how to converse very well, even at her young age. Marsha could voice her thoughts in her own words. Michelle thought it was amazing. Unlike her, who grew up restraining herself from speaking up, he
ASHLEY was so stunned that she could not move for a moment. Her mouth was half-opened and her eyes were giving Ethan a disbelief look.Her reaction gave Michelle a satisfying feeling. A pleasant surprise for a mistress, she thought. Sure, years had already passed, but she could not find a way to forgive the woman for all of her dirty tactics. Now that she was back with her little Marsha, she would never back down against Ashley."That’s a lie," Ashley said in her faint voice before she looked at Michelle. "How dare you use that child to fool Ethan?"Ashley was enraged. Michelle could see how she tensed up, balling her hands and only trying to control herself from attacking her.Michelle gasped in a mock surprise and put a hand on her chest. "That’s quite an accusation. Shouldn’t we start with pleasantries? You know, it’s been a while since the last time we saw each other.""You, liar." Ashley gritted her teeth. "Why did you come back, anyway? You got no money anymore?"She raised an e
TO SAY that she was mad would be an understatement. She was furious because Ethan secretly performed a DNA paternity test without her consent.She felt fooled.Ethan tried to talk to her all day, but she did not give him a chance. She did not want to hear his explanation. She just focused on unpacking the remaining luggage bags and made herself busy taking care of her daughter.The next morning, negative energy was still radiating off of her. The only person that made her mood lighten up a bit was Marsha, who thankfully didn’t hear about the argument she had with Ashley yesterday."Is Daddy’s office just near our house, Mommy?" Marsha asked curiously while they were in the kitchen, baking a cake.Ethan went to the office early in the morning. Marsha wanted to come with him, but she didn’t let her daughter think that Ethan would have a busy day. The headline about him carrying Marsha in the airport had just come out that morning, and so she expected that the next few coming days would
WHEN MICHELLE and Ethan walked inside the bedroom, her lips formed a thin line as she looked at him straight in the eyes."I don’t like that expression on your face," Ethan said dryly."Do you want me to feel excited since your parents will come here?"Ethan’s forehead creased. "I don’t understand why you are acting this way. They want to meet Marsha. She is their grandchild, for Heaven’s sake, Michelle.""Yes, unfortunately!" Michelle said, annoyed."What the hell is your problem? Make me understand!""The real problem here is that you didn’t consult me before you invited them, the same way you did when you stole a sample from Marsha so you could perform a freaking DNA test. You’re acting like I don’t have fucking rights to know everything you want to do related to my daughter!"Ethan fell silent for a brief moment. His jaw was clenching as they glared at each other. Seeing how Michelle was reacting angrily, he could not help but feel a slight guilt inside his chest. Sure, performing
"THE VICTIMS were sent to the hospital for proper treatment," the cops told her the moment she arrived in the area where the accident happened. Michelle could not stop crying and asked the policeman which hospital her husband had been brought to, driving immediately as soon as she got the answer she needed. She dialed Megan’s phone number and informed her best friend about the name of the hospital so she could follow because she knew that Andrew also needed her. When she arrived in the hospital, she felt nothing but the dreadful feeling coursing through her. She wanted to compose herself, but her mind was already haywire because of all the worry she had for her husband. It felt like the rest of the world stopped revolving, and all she did was run and run... "Two victims of a car accident were sent to this hospital. Where are they?" she managed to ask the front desk officer. "How are you related to the victims, Ma’am?" "I am the wife of one of them," she answered, taking a deep bre
MICHELLE walked down the stairs with Marcus in her arms. She just finished breastfeeding him and now wanted to hang out with the people in the garden.The Steinfields, her father, and Megan were all out there, preparing for the New Year’s Eve that they would celebrate that night. They all came together to welcome another New Year, and she could not be more thankful that these people came to their house to join them for another chapter of their lives."Look at that little pumpkin. He has gotten bigger, Mich," Gregory commented and immediately took his grandson from her arms.Michelle giggled. "That baby loves to sleep and eat every single time.""He looks definitely like you when you were a baby.""I believe he definitely looks like Ethan. See those marble gray eyes, Dad?"Gregory chuckled. "Well, eyes won’t lie, I guess.""Of course, Dad."She could not help but smile seeing her father try to make Marcus giggle by making faces. It was such an adorable sight, and she felt honored to wi
SHE glanced around the men's boutique, her curious eyes efficiently trying to find good clothes or anything she could give Ethan as a gift for their year-end party. Ethan already had anything; name it and anyone would find it in his vast walk-in closet. That being said, Michelle was having difficulty deciding on the best gift she could give him—that one thing that would make him smile and surprise him."There are so many designer shoes at that corner. But I don’t know which one is good for Andrew," Megan stated, and it was followed with a sigh of defeat. "God, why is it so hard to find gifts for men?"Michelle laughed a bit. She could relate, as she was having difficulty choosing too. It just so happened that they both married men who had everything, so every year they’d end up cracking their heads trying to get them nice gifts."Are you able to choose anything?" Megan curiously asked her.She shook her head, pouting her lips. "Not yet. I don’t think work suits would be a good gift. H
HE brushed his fingertips over the soft angles of his wife’s face and could not help but adore every feature she had. It was his morning routine whenever he got to wake up first in the morning, and he would find his wife still sleeping soundly next to him.Needless to say, he’d become easily addicted to her and to this kind of morning with her. Her strawberry scent that kept him enticed every single day, her soft skin that kept him warm at nights, her laughter and soft touches that kept him sated and content, and her presence that made his world colorfulHe had no idea that a man like him, who had amnesia, could be in love so hard; madly and deeply. However, he wanted to treasure that moment at all costs. This kind of beauty in his life needed to be protected and kept.Michelle’s forehead formed a knot as she lifted her head. A soft moan escaped her closed mouth, which made him smile. Seconds later, she slowly opened her eyes and met his intent gaze."Good morning," he murmured under
"YOU’RE making me crave for sex," Ethan said, kissing her neck and sucking her skin sensually.Michelle’s lips parted. She was in deep pleasure, and whenever Ethan would say things like that, a big lustful part of her was getting more aroused.Her hands traveled around his firm back. She touched the muscles he had there. A moan escaped her lips when Ethan bit her neck firmly, making her dig her nails over her bare skin. She bit her lower lip and shut her eyes, but when Ethan claimed her lips again, everything went so fuzzy.It didn’t take long before the man was able to strip her naked. The cold air brushed against her skin, making her shiver. But when Ethan pulled up to stare at—admire—her naked body, she felt the scorching heat go to her. He looked at her as if she were a piece of beautiful art. The gleaming desire to take her was evident in his marble gray eyes, and the smile of contentment that curled in his lips gave her more confidence."You’re beautiful, Mich..." Ethan said bre
The ring of her cell phone jolted her awake. With a forehead crease, Michelle rose up and quickly turned off the alarm on her cell phone. It was already 6 o’clock in the morning. She hadn’t been able to sleep for at least six hours, but she had to get up and follow the "mom on call" schedule to better take care of her little sunshine—none other than Eionn Marcus.It had been what? A month had passed when she gave birth to their second child, and Michelle could still feel the excitement getting through her whenever she would walk into the nursery room, open the curtained windows to let the sunlight lighten up the entire solemn place, and wake up her little one by planting kisses on his fluffy cheeks.It had been her morning routine. She was strictly following the "mom on call" schedule because it wasn’t only giving her much time to bond with her baby but also making sure that Marcus’ health was always a top priority."Good morning, my little sunshine..." she greeted her baby with a hea
THE CAR was filled with her whimpers, cries and screams. Her nails dug over the leather seat in the passenger seat. She was lying down there, making a few deep breaths to relax herself but the great amount of pain consuming her entire body was making her ballistic and a mess.Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. Her legs and belly were both getting numb as the minutes passed by. Ethan was driving the car so fast, completely alarmed by her situation. He was panicking so much, and so even she was in great pain, she reminded him to drive carefully as she didn’t want them to get into some road accident.“Oh, my God...” she murmured, crying. “I think I’m going to die. He’s coming out. Faster, Ethan!”“Uhm, you just told me to slow down a bit,” Ethan said nervously.“Fuck. I swear this will be the last time you’d be able to impregnate me!” she screamed on the top of her lungs and made a push before she took a few deep breaths again. “I really swear to God—““Calm down, Mich! We’re on
AFTER A MONTH, "WILL you be fine without us?" Michelle looked at her father. At first, she thought that the old man was teasing her, seeing how he curled his lips downward, but she realized that he was actually worried, seeing the worry in his eyes. Still smiling, she took a deep breath and softened her expression as she looked at her father, who she hadn't realized had become more frail as time passed. She was so busy with her life that she wasn’t able to watch out for her father. Distracted by what life had thrown her way, she didn’t notice that her father was really getting older. "I’m going to be fine." She checked over her shoulder and found Ethan, who was fixing a chandelier’s light bulb in the living room. "Ethan will be here, so you shouldn’t worry that much. I hope you and Marsha would enjoy hanging out." Her old man laughed heartily, shaking his head. He and Marsha would go to the school where they enrolled the little girl. It was going to be Marsha’s first day in her ne
"GOSH, you have to calm down, Mich!" Megan said.Michelle shook her head, pacing back and forth in the living room. Her mother-in-law called an hour ago, saying that they would send Ethan back home. Selene did not mention whether the result of the surgery turned out well or not, so she could not calm down a bit even though the people around her were telling her to do so.Megan and Andrew came to visit as they were excited to find out how the surgery went. All of them were in the living room, waiting for her husband to arrive. Holding her pregnant belly, she didn’t stop walking around, getting very impatient as she wanted to know how the surgery turned out for Ethan."I don’t understand why Mom didn’t tell me how it went," she said and stopped in front of them, biting her fingernails. "Do you think it went bad and that’s why she couldn’t tell me?""We can’t assume, Mich," her father said, sipping on his coffee."Your Dad is right. We can’t assume unless we see it personally," Andrew ad