THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Michelle had been very busy helping the truck men put flowers on the truck. Jose’s 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 she’d 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 Marsha’s cheeks before she drove the car.The wedding would be held in one of the famous churches in Milan—the 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, what’s happening? The wedding isn’t over yet," Marsha asked curiously as soon as she opened the door of the car’s front seat."J—Just don’t 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 Marsha’s seatbelt on. After that, she hopped into the driver’s 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 husband’s marble gray orbs."It’s 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 couldn’t 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 couldn’t take.Michelle swallowed so hard that her throat ached. "W—What are you doing here?"Ethan smirked. "Aren’t 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. Ethan’s 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."I’ll do my best to protect you," Michelle murmured, and leaned forward to press her lips to Marsha’s forehead. "Everything will be
“I’M HERE FOR Mr. Ethan Steinfield,” 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.“May I get your full name, Miss?”She turned to the receptionist. “Michelle Finley.”“Mr. Steinfield confirmed that he will have a visitor named Michelle Steinfield, his wife.”“Yes. T—That’s me...” 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 Ethan’s 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."D—Don’t 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 I’m still open for negotiations!""I—I just want a divorce! That’s 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, it’s supposed to be that simple... until death, they’d 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.Michelle’s heart bled not just for the way the situation had become, but more because she knew that Marsha
WHEN MICHELLE stepped out of his hotel suite, Ethan seemed to have already lost his mind and threw the wine glass off the wall, and its loud cracking sound echoed in the four-corner room.Rage and disappointment were the only emotions he could feel at the time. Just when he thought his wife would confess to hiding their child and allow him to claim his rights as a father, Michelle dismayed him once again. Worse, she was planning to file for divorce!Wasn’t she even considering Marsha’s welfare? Why did she have to be selfish? Those were the questions he wished he could answer, but he only ended up cursing so loudly in frustration. If only he could read what was in her head so he would know what she had been planning all this time...Michelle’s face as she cried flashed across his mind.He couldn’t figure out why guilt washed over him afterwards. After a minute of contemplation, he wanted to follow Michelle and apologize. However, he stopped in the doorway when his phone rang.It was t