ETHAN slowly jerked his head to the side; his dark gaze could not leave the drunken face of his wife. She was so drunk that it made his palms twitch. She was drunk as fuck, and he wanted to yell at her for drinking so much, but whenever he looked at her dreamy cat eyes, he got caught off guard.
His eyes dropped to the table where there were many empty bottles of beer. His jaw instantly clenched at the sight of it.
Megan giggled and said, "I apologize. We just had a lot of things to catch up on and downed everything like water. Go ahead and take her. She’s been waiting for you."
"I—I’m not waiting for him," Michelle snorted. Her voice could hardly be understood. "I know he’s enjoying spending time with Ashley, so I didn’t expect it, OK?"
A ghost of an amused smile escaped his lips. Seeing his wife acting this way after a stressful day at work made him feel relieved for some unknown reason. He couldn’t stop looking at her
MICHELLE blinked awake at the throbbing pain in her head. When she opened her eyes, the familiar ceiling welcomed her sight. As she sat upright, her hand massaged the side of her head that was hurting."Shit, I will never drink a beer again..." she murmured as she winced.Her eyes surveyed the four corners of her bedroom. She could not recall how she got home in one piece. As she tried to remember what happened last night, the door opened, and then Ethan entered the room holding a cup of something.Michelle could not help but check him out. He was a walking temptation, dressed in a gray bathrobe that flowed down the floor, with a smell of aftershave and a cool body wash, and a drooling charisma that she could hardly ignore. She sucked in a breath as his pair of marble gray eyes locked onto her, making her feel a morning shiver down her spine."Drink this," Ethan ordered and handed her the cup.She then realized it was ginger lemon tea. Taking the c
LIKEABLE... Michelle could hardly erase that word from her head. Even after hours had already passed since she had had a conversation with Ethan, his words completely puzzled her.Needless to say, she wanted to know if he found her likeable somehow. She knew it was ridiculous of her, to know and hope that somehow he had that kind of impression of her, and she felt crazed that a simple word made her think deeply."Scrap that, Mich," she said to herself as she lay down on her bed.In the middle of pondering, her phone chimed, signaling a new text message she had received. She rolled over the bed to pick up her phone on the side table and figured out it was a bank notification stating that Megan had just wired five hundred dollars to her bank account. The side of her lips curled into a smirk. That amount just added to her savings.Another text message came in. This time, it was from Megan.Megan:I sent you the money, naughty girl. You won! I t
ETHAN’S STUDY room was big enough for a large group, yet Michelle found it small for the three of them—she, Ethan, and his ex-girlfriend. With Ashley around, she felt like she was being suffocated, and did not have much space to move.Still, she remained seated on the couch as she watched them work on their project. While Ethan was talking casually to the woman and seemingly handling the situation as pure business, Ashley could not seem to behave properly. The way she tapped Ethan in the arm as she showered him praise for his bright ideas and chuckled seductively to get his attention made Michelle burn inside."The nerve of this woman..." she mumbled, massaging the side of her head while leaning her back on the couch, with pouted lips and eyes like a surveillance camera.Although Ethan gave Michelle a look that was telling her to take a chill pill, she only rolled her eyes and continued gawking at them from the corner. Just in case Ashley does someth
DAYS PASSED like blinks of an eye. Michelle got so occupied that before she even realized it, the annual party of the Steinfield Company had finally come.The said party would be held in the enormous event hall of the hotel owned by Ethan’s family. Over the past couple of days, she and Ethan had been so busy dealing with the preparation for the party.It was a tradition of the Steinfields, and since the event only happened every year, Ethan’s family made sure that it would be grand, elegant, and the talk of the town in the States. Needless to say, Michelle thought that Ethan’s family did not fail to throw such a grand party. With all the business tycoons, shareholders, investors, influencers, and media reporters invited to the party, she already knew that the said party would be featured in the biggest magazines, articles, and even on television.Ethan’s grandparents and relatives would be there too. Although Michelle had already mastered
WITH HER HEART pounding wildly, Michelle turned to the door as soon as Megan opened it. Despite how her body tensed up, her lips managed to form a smile. Ethan might have come to pick them up, and she wanted to be her best self when he saw her.But when the door widely opened, her eyes glanced over at the familiar face of a man who was absolutely good-looking in his all-dark blue formal attire, wearing a sexy smirk that made her best friend gasp in surprise—a man who was not Ethan, but none other than Andrew, his best friend, who turned out to be Megan’s boyfriend."Andrew!" Megan exclaimed.The next thing Michelle witnessed was the two hugging each other, like they hadn't been able to see each other for a long time. Seconds later, they kissed, and that was Michelle’s cue to turn her gaze away, feeling totally awkward."I thought I was imagining and saw the mother of my future children for a brief seconds. God, you look amazing, Meg!"
HER BODY was rattling, her heart was racing too fast inside her chest, and a familiar tension was building against her skin.The moment she laid her eyes on the man who was wearing an all-black suit and pure temptation, she struggled to take her eyes off of him. Ethan was definitely the man of every woman’s dream, and he, out of millions of men around the world, was the one who became her husband.I don’t fucking like this feeling at all, she thought.Her chest was clouded with those emotions that made her feel giddy. Her stomach was twisting as if there were bats dancing inside of it, and no matter how hard she tried to calm her heart, it wouldn’t listen to her and only pounded of its own accord.She only came back to her senses when they reached the staircase. Her mouth fell open as she glanced down at the party that screamed nothing but elegance and classiness. Crowds were dressed in expensive gowns and suits, conversing with each oth
ETHAN GAZED at his older brother like he wanted to punch him in the face, and a flash of panic went through Michelle as she noticed it in his eyes."This is just a casual conversation," Jacob told Ethan as he sipped from his champagne glass.Ethan gave him a questioning, hard look. "You seem to like having a casual conversation with my wife when there are other women available here.""Ethan," Michelle called for him through her gritted teeth. She tapped his chest, trying to get his attention and wanted him to stop. "We’re not doing anything wrong. Please, calm down."He gazed at her as a devilish chuckle escaped his mouth. "I am still fucking calm, my wife."Michelle shook her head and looked at him in disbelief. She then turned to face Jacob, who never seemed bothered by his brother’s behavior. She could not help but feel ashamed. A minute ago, she was defending Ethan and even told Jacob that he was likeable. Now, Ethan came and acted
IN A FLASH, she felt conflicted about her feelings toward the man who was extending his hand, waiting for her to hold it.Michelle swallowed the lump in her throat. In her mind, she kept asking herself whether she was attracted to him or not.Was it because Ethan was so damn charming right now that she felt like her heart was going to explode?Or was it his sincere words that made her feel such things?Blinking those thoughts away, Michelle inhaled sharply. It was suck to think that somehow, she’d come to like Ethan. It was impossible for her to like him. They have signed a contract that prohibits them from feeling such things toward each other.She just couldn’t...She lifted her hand and accepted Ethan’s invitation to dance with him. Although her heart was frantically a mess already, she had to do what she had to do, and that included joining her husband on the dance floor as many eyes were looking at them. One hunch of a
"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