MICHELLE WOKE UP feeling light-headed. When she opened her eyes, the unfamiliar white ceiling was the first thing she saw. The air she inhaled smelled like a combination of a high-end air conditioner and medicine. She had figured out that she was lying on the hospital bed with the sound of the monitoring machine next to her.
She gathered her strength and sat upright. Her eyes looked around the room. She was alone at the moment. Sighing, she tried to recall what happened before she got into the hospital. That’s when she remembered that she was supposed to get into a cab, but she felt so dizzy that she had lost consciousness.
A nurse holding a monitoring sheet came in, and was surprised to see her awake. Walking to the bed where she was, the nurse checked the monitoring machine next to her and sighed in relief.
"I am glad you’re finally awake. How do you feel right now?" the nurse asked politely.
"Confused," Michelle replied, and suddenly felt t
EXITING out of the hospital, Michelle knew that she fucked up. She had fucked up in the worst possible way, and there was no way she could get herself out of this complete mess at this point in her life.Her eyes dropped to the paper bag that contained some vitamins and other prescriptions she had to take religiously for her pregnancy, but she couldn’t feel the happiness, despite the truth sinking in her head.A tear fell down her cheek, yet she was quick to wipe it immediately. Letting out a frustrated sigh, all she wanted was to get away. There was no way Ethan would accept this baby, and with the current issue she was facing after being involved in a scandal, she doubted if her husband would actually believe that the baby was his.The sun was just starting to dip behind the ocean when the cab she was in finally stopped at the beach in East Hampton. After paying for the cab fee, she exited it and let out a sigh as she glanced over at the crystal clear wa
IN MILAN, ITALY, SIX YEARS LATER,"You have a good taste in flowers," Michelle commented when a customer went in front of the cashier to pay for the bouquet of Camellias.The man, who looked very Italian because of his Roman nose and high cheekbones, offered her a friendly smile."It’s for my daughter. It’s her graduation today," the man answered."Wow, congratulations, Sir!" Michelle punched some buttons on the machine and said, "It’s only for ten euros."After paying for the flowers, the man said goodbye to her. Michelle’s gaze followed the man, and she couldn’t help but smile. One thing she learned as she observed the Italian locals was that they were fond of flowers. It was true that Italians were born romancers in their DNA, which was why when she came all the way here from the United States of America, she decided to open up a flower shop in a great spot where a lot of people would come and buy flowers.It
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Michelle picked up Marsha in her school.Her daughter’s teacher talked to her for a bit, and told her a lot of great things about Marsha. Despite her daughter being so into games and anything physically fun, it surprised Michelle that Marsha was still excelling in academics. Since she was still five years old, Michelle didn’t want her to feel the pressure at all and she only wanted her to enjoy her childhood, like a normal child who could play and discover a lot of things at a young age."Here’s the invitation for the family day that will be held two days from now. I hope you and her father can come with Marsha. I am pretty sure she will be so happy to spend that day with both of you," said the teacher as she handed her an invitation letter.It didn’t take a while for their conversation to be dismissed as the teacher had to speak with other parents to inform them about their children’s class standing. Exiting out
MARSHA was so disheartened by the fact that she couldn’t spend the family day with her father, despite telling her that Jose would come as a replacement.That night, Michelle’s emotion welled up inside her. Seeing her daughter wanting to meet her father was like a nightmare for she knew that even if Marsha cried a river, her request would never be granted.Michelle couldn’t help but watched her daughter sleeping on the bed. Her tears rolled down her cheeks, and as she cried in silence she mentally shook her head. Six years ago when she entered a contract marriage in order to get away from her father’s mess and since then her life had changed. Admittedly, she had a great time with Marsha’s father. However, it was just a temporary happiness. What they had could never be permanent, all because it was only one unrequited love.For sure, Marsha would only get hurt. Michelle already harboured so much pain from her past and she could not a
THE NEXT MORNING, Michelle and Marsha prepared for the family day.They both wearing pink tees. While Marsha partnered it with a cute Barbie jogging pants, Michelle paired her top with a faded denim shorts and sneakers. She was almost done preparing the food they would bring for lunch when the door bell rang.“I’ll get it!” Marsha exclaimed and ran towards the door.Michelle only chuckled, her gaze followed her daughter who seemingly had a great mood today. It didn’t take a while for her to hear the familiar voice of Jose who greeted Marsha right away. When they walked into the kitchen, Michelle smiled seeing them holding hands. Jose was wearing a pink t-shirt too and he looked dashing in it.“Are you going to family day or some kind of photoshoot?” Michelle joked.Jose clicked his tongue and winked at her. “Stop drooling, Signora. Do you feel my hotness over there?”Michelle rolled her eyes. O
"KIDS, finish brushing your teeth and then wait for me. I will go to the faculty for a few minutes. We will go to the auditorium for your presentation after that. Your parents are excited about it!" the teacher said happily."Yes, teacher!" the ten little girls replied in chorus while brushing their teeth in front of a kid friendly sink.As soon as the teacher left the comfort room, Marsha looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was almost done, spitting the bubbles from her mouth and starting to wash it when her brunette classmate pushed her sideward. She nearly fell on the ground, if not for her other classmate who caught her.Standing properly, Marsha looked at her brunette classmate in confusion."Why did you push me, Bridgette?" her little voice asked innocently.The little girl, whose name was Bridgette, folded her arms against her chest as she rolled her eyes at her. Marsha frowned at that. As far as she knew, Bridgette wanted them to be
THE MAN CARRIED Marsha as they entered an enormous coffee shop. It was one of the high-end coffee shops in Milan, a business that was made out of pleasure and owned by his client.They went straight to the counter, where Marsha immediately looked for the menu being displayed above. Her little fingers were on her mouth, gently tapping it while she was pondering which food to order."What do you want, kid? Make it fast because a client is waiting for me," the man said."Uhm... I want that one!" She pointed her fingers to the chocolate frappe."No," he scoffed at her. "That’s high in caffeine.""But I want it..." Her lips trembled as if she was going to cry.The man breathed in heavily and eyed her coldly. "Didn’t I tell you to behave?""You asked what I wanted, and I told you what I wanted. Why are you mad at me?""I am not mad at you, kid." The man massaged the bridge of his nose. "I was just saying that caffeine isn
BACK IN THE KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL,Michelle’s emotion could no longer be controlled. Her daughter was missing and no one from the teachers knew Marsha’s whereabouts. They already searched for her in every place she could possibly hide in the school, but to no avail.“Jose, what are we going to do? Where’s Marsha?” Michelle cried, palming her face in front of Jose.He put his arm around her shoulder and gently tapped her arm to soothe her. When they figured out that Marsha went out of the school premise, he instantly called the police to report what happened. A dozen of cops were deployed, some were investigating the teachers and children and some were out there in the streets and road, trying to find Marsha and obtaining CCTV footages of the area.“Don’t worry; I am sure that Marsha is fine wherever she is right now. Your daughter is a smart kid, Michelle,” Jose said to her.But nothing seemed to ever m
"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