AFTER THE EMOTIONAL breakdown he had, Ethan composed himself. Every second was important to him, and so he wouldnât just sit there and cry in his daughterâs arms. He wanted them to bond, even if his daughter had no idea that he was her father.He hadnât decided if heâd tell her the truth yet. He had to do it at the right time. As much as possible, he wanted to handle the situation more carefully because he didnât want to hurt Marsha.Ethan ordered food so he could join her as she ate, and he treated her with ice cream. During his conversation with his daughter, he realized that Marsha had a similarity to her mother. The kid had a smart mouth at a young age and was very opinionated towards every situation she had in school. That made Ethan enthralled. He could foresee Marsha growing up as a fine, wise lady who would make men swoon, turn their heads, and even kneel in front of her, but he hoped his daughter would not grow up that fast.After their lunch, he called a waiter to pay the bi
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Michelle had been very busy helping the truck men put flowers on the truck. Joseâs cousin was about to get married and she was the one who was in-charged of the flowers as decors in the wedding event.Wearing a white coat with a black tube partnered with a white skirt, Michelle put another basket of flowers at the back of the truck, and then went to close her shop before she got inside the car. On the front seat, Marsha was seated, looking so adorable in her white dress, as sheâd be one of the flower girls for the entourage."Mommy, you look lovely!" Marsha praised her as she started the engine.Michelle smiled at her. "Really?"Her daughter nodded in response. "Yes, you are lovely. I like you in white clothes. You look like an angel. Only wings are needed.""Well, you look lovelier, my love!" Michelle pinched Marshaâs cheeks before she drove the car.The wedding would be held in one of the famous churches in Milanâthe Duomo di Milano. It was an hour's drive from t
WHILE THE WEDDING was on-going, Michelle carried Marsha and then ran away discreetly. It was a good thing that they were seated on the long chair that did not have many people on it. It became easier for them to go out of the church.Proceeding to the parking lot, Michelle could feel the adrenaline rushing into her skin."Mommy, whatâs happening? The wedding isnât over yet," Marsha asked curiously as soon as she opened the door of the carâs front seat."JâJust donât ask, baby. We will go home," she said, her voice stuttering because of the fear that engulfed her.Even her daughter noticed how nervous she was. Her hands trembled when she put Marshaâs seatbelt on. After that, she hopped into the driverâs seat, unable to move.She seemed lost for a brief moment. Fear struck her chest that she had to take a few deep breaths. Her eyes started to wet because of the hot tears that wanted to come out, yet she sucked in a breath and blinked them away.It was her husband... the ever so heartles
MICHELLE COULD HARDLY BREATHE. It was as if the air became stiff and started to be too much to handle. Her throat began to run dry, making her unable to speak any words. She was just frozen in her stance; her eyes could not even look away from her husbandâs marble gray orbs."Itâs been a while, wife..." Ethan said. The coldness and contempt in his voice were evident.Waves of shivers ran down her spine, and all she could do was gasp in disbelief. Many questions whirled around her head, but the terror took over her senses so she couldnât voice out any of them. Ethan stepped forward. His eyes surveyed the flower shop and met her gaze once again. He gave her a dangerous stare that her heart couldnât take.Michelle swallowed so hard that her throat ached. "WâWhat are you doing here?"Ethan smirked. "Arenât you going to greet your husband first?" he asked. His voice was dangerous this time.She took a deep breath and mustered the courage to turn away from his gaze, her hands shaking as she
MICHELLE HAD A HARD TIME processing what happened in the flower shop and could not sleep all night. Ethanâs words remained in her head, continuously piercing her chest and hurting her internally.Fuck. This was the part that she had been trying to avoid. That confrontation was like her biggest nightmare, yet she knew it was uncontrollable. The world may be big, but when fate wants your fears to happen, it could make the world too small. That was what happened when their paths crossed again, at that unexpected time.Michelle shifted positions, facing her daughter, who was sleeping next to her. Crying in silence, she looked at Marsha with a heavy heart. She could never blame Ethan for acting so harshly towards her. If the roles were reversed, she would surely want to hear some answers too. She could demand an explanation; perhaps try to argue with him too."Iâll do my best to protect you," Michelle murmured, and leaned forward to press her lips to Marshaâs forehead. "Everything will be
âIâM HERE FOR Mr. Ethan Steinfield,â Michelle informed the receptionist of the five star hotel where she at.It was the place indicated on the piece paper he gave. While waiting for the receptionist to confirm her visit, Michelle could already feel the wild beating of her heart. The lump inside her throat was getting bigger at each second passing, and so to distract herself her eyes roamed around the lobby of the hotel.The hotel was enormous, silver and gold-colored interior designs could be seen anywhere, complementing the expensive furniture and porcelain floor. Michelle could not help but wonder how long Ethan had been staying here.Why was he in Milan, anyway? She thought.âMay I get your full name, Miss?âShe turned to the receptionist. âMichelle Finley.ââMr. Steinfield confirmed that he will have a visitor named Michelle Steinfield, his wife.ââYes. TâThatâs me...â She took a deep breath. It was foreign to hear his surname next to her name. It hadbeen six years since the last
MICHELLE FROZE in her stance, her eyes widened but never leaving Ethanâs gray eyes that were full of hatred. The way he looked at her was intense, as if he had been loathing her for ever; as if he had been waiting for their confrontation to happen so he could eat her whole. Every second passed, his breathing became sharper, and that totally weakened her."DâDonât touch me!" She tried to pull her arm off his grip, but to no avail.Ethan held his arm even tighter. Their faces were only a few inches away. Michelle fought the urge to melt into his cool mint breath. He was damn enraged, yet his attractive features never failed to make her swoon, even in the worst situation."Come on, Michelle." Ethan tilted his head, staring down at her as if she was his long-lost nemesis. "What else would you like to say? Confess everything now while Iâm still open for negotiations!""IâI just want a divorce! Thatâs it!" Michelle yelled at him."You want a divorce so you can allure other men freely, huh?
SHE WAS QUICK to storm out of the hotel like it was the most disgusting place she had ever stepped foot in.Michelle immediately went inside her car. The moment she felt alone, the faster her tears rolled down like a rapid river. She cried her heart out, one hand clutching her chest while the other one held the steering wheel so tightly as if it was her only anchor at the time.For normal married couples, itâs supposed to be that simple... until death, theyâd do their part. Marriage happened because of the dream of two people who were madly in love. That was for their relationship to last forever.It was too late for Michelle to realize that she made the wrong decision to marry Ethan, even if it was just for a show. Their marriage was a sham to begin with until the situation got worse... as there was unrequited love involved.And now, here they were, hurting each other so deeply.Michelleâs heart bled not just for the way the situation had become, but more because she knew that Marsha
"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 Meganâs 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, Maâam?" "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 Yearâs 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 wonât 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 himâthat one thing that would make him smile and surprise him."There are so many designer shoes at that corner. But I donât 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 theyâd 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 donât think work suits would be a good gift. H
HE brushed his fingertips over the soft angles of his wifeâs 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, heâd 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.Michelleâs 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
"YOUâRE making me crave for sex," Ethan said, kissing her neck and sucking her skin sensually.Michelleâs 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 didnât 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 atâadmireâher 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."Youâre 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 oâclock in the morning. She hadnât 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 sunshineânone 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 wasnât only giving her much time to bond with her baby but also making sure that Marcusâ 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 didnât want them to get into some road accident.âOh, my God...â she murmured, crying. âI think Iâm going to die. Heâs coming out. Faster, Ethan!ââUhm, you just told me to slow down a bit,â Ethan said nervously.âFuck. I swear this will be the last time youâd be able to impregnate me!â she screamed on the top of her lungs and made a push before she took a few deep breaths again. âI really swear to GodâââCalm down, Mich! Weâre 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 wasnât able to watch out for her father. Distracted by what life had thrown her way, she didnât notice that her father was really getting older. "Iâm going to be fine." She checked over her shoulder and found Ethan, who was fixing a chandelierâs light bulb in the living room. "Ethan will be here, so you shouldnât 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 Marshaâs 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 didnât stop walking around, getting very impatient as she wanted to know how the surgery turned out for Ethan."I donât understand why Mom didnât tell me how it went," she said and stopped in front of them, biting her fingernails. "Do you think it went bad and thatâs why she couldnât tell me?""We canât assume, Mich," her father said, sipping on his coffee."Your Dad is right. We canât assume unless we see it personally," Andrew ad