*Stuart’s POV – the flashback*
I went early to work the next day to avoid Patricia. Living with an irresistible temptress is truly difficult. I must stare at Sandra’s picture to remind myself that I should stay composed. Things will be complicated if I will give in to Patricia’s temptations. I do not want us to have any emotional or sexual connection when we divorce. Patricia does not deserve me, and I do not deserve her. Reminding myself of my love for Sandra keeps me sane, and it is the only reason why I gladly welcome each morning.
“Sir?” I heard my secretary from the intercom, “Your father is here to visit you, and he is with, uhm, your wife?”
I sensed uncertainty in the voice of my secretary. I have not informed the whole company about my wedding to Patricia. To them, I am still a bachelor, so I decided not to confirm nor deny the question of my secretary. I asked her to let my father in.
*Stuart’s POV – the flashback*I headed to my office to get the divorce papers which I prepared last year. I am supposed to file the divorce after I spent a night with Sandra. Still, since she wanted me to stay married to Patricia for a year, I obliged and hid the papers in my office. When I got the papers, I immediately rushed home to ask Patricia to sign the documents.I know Patricia did not expect this, but now is not the time for me to worry about how she will feel about it. I have already sacrificed so much just because Sandra cared too much about how her cousin would feel, but this is now the time for us to think of ourselves. I will never allow anything to stop me from marrying Sandra, not now that Sandra has finally agreed to give me the rest of her life.The house was dark and quiet when I arrived, but I immediately saw Patricia in the middle of the living room.“H-hi,” Patricia nervously smiled at me.
*Patricia's POV – the flashback*Everything was set when we heard of the arrival of Stuart. Just as planned, the whole house was dark while I stood in the middle of the living room for Stuart to first see me when he entered the house. I was very excited to surprise him, but I was wrong. It was he who surprised me more. He handed me the envelope that contained his verdict to our one year of marriage – our divorce papers.I was dumbfounded by his surprise that I totally ignored the presence of our friends, especially when they shouted "surprise" to Stuart."No! You can't do this to me!" I exclaimed."I just did!" he coldly answered."Why?" I panicked, "We were okay yesterday. You even messaged me that you missed me."I really needed clarification about how things turned out to be. We were fine before he left for Paris. He was sweet when he told me he'll be back soon. I could feel his sincerity whenever he called me
*Patricia's POV – the flashback*I let out an exasperated sigh after hearing what my father wanted me to do."No!" I refused."Patricia, we need this," my father pleaded."I can't believe you were asking me to divorce my husband," I said angrily, "you were the one who wanted this, but now you are trying to convince me to agree with the separation! Do you think this is a joke?" I massaged my temples and let out another frustrated sigh before facing my father again, "why are you doing this, Dad? What made you agree to the divorce?"With dropped shoulders, my father confessed, "You're mom is sick, and our company is facing a big financial challenge.""What?" I could not believe what I just heard."You heard it right, my dear. Your mother has stage four lung cancer. I have used all our savings for her treatment," my father admitted."We have millions, Dad. How did we lose all that money for just a short time?
*Patricia's POV – the flashback*It took me some time to prepare dinner. I planned to begin our night with a romantic candlelight dinner. As soon as I was done, I proceeded to prepare myself. I scrubbed and shaved during the shower, and then I wore a white knee-length dress. I did not want to overdo my look, so I wore light makeup and fixed my hair into a messy bun.Everything was already set when he finally arrived.“Let’s have dinner first,” I invited him.“No need,” he answered coldly, “let’s just do what you want and get this over with.”It pains me to know that he wanted to hasten things so he could get rid of me soon. I pressed my lips to keep my tears from falling and heaved a sigh. Tonight will be my first. I didn’t want to have a traumatic experience, so I decided to offer him a drink to calm him down.“How about a drink to calm you down,” I sai
*Patricia’s POV – the flashback*His body fell on me as we both grappled to catch our breaths. I got used to the warmth of his body, which is why I panicked when he moved to the side and eventually stood to go to the bathroom. I curled my body and hugged my knees. I thought I’d be happier now that I finally felt him, but I was wrong. I lost something but never gained anything.I allowed myself to cry, knowing that this was the last, but I did not expect to feel his hands. Quietly, he carried me towards the bathroom. There were no words between us, but it was enough for me to feel him on my back as I leaned on him while we sat quietly in the tub. For a while, he played with my fingers, but later, I felt him caressing my arms while his lips kissed the skin between my neck and my shoulders.I let out a soft moan as I felt his hands cupped my breasts. He touched my chin and tilted my head for a passionate, longing kiss. We did it a
*Stuart’s POV*The people at the party continued to have fun singing. While Angelo stood to go to the mini-stage because he was the next to sing, Kaz and Patricia returned to their respective seats. This happened while Mago handed me a glass of wine. I took the glass and drank its contents while I used it as an opportunity to get a glimpse of Patricia.“Don’t stop yourself, Bro,” Kaz tapped my shoulders, “stop secretly watching her. Why don’t you just go and talk to her.”I squinted at him as I placed my glass on the table.“Hey, be honest to me,” he placed elbows on the table and clasped his hands, “who is Patricia to you?”“She’s my ex-wife,” I immediately answered.“Really?” he smirked, “Because as I see it, you are into her. I mean, don’t make a fool of yourself, man. You love her, but your brain doesn’t want
*Stuart's POV*I have been staring at her bag since I arrived at the office this morning. I do not know what got into me and why I volunteered to keep the bag so I could return it to her today. I should not have bothered because I had no intention of seeing her."Ugh!" I massaged my temples in frustration. Why did I ever bother to take this bag with me? Aist! Why was she too dumb to leave her purse at the night party? I do not know why, but something pushed me to check on her bag. I smiled when I saw what was inside of it. What do you expect from a lady's bag? Of course, it will contain face powder, lip balm, and a wallet, but I creased my forehead when I couldn't see her favorite perfume. She can't go anywhere without it.I closed her bag and returned it to the table. She is nothing to me, so it should not bother her if she changes her preference for scents.But I like that smell.I shut my eyes and called for my secretary. This bag has been bothering me all morning. I must ask my se
*Patricia’s POV*I sighed before leaving the bank. I had to sign a promissory note because I failed to pay what was due this month. I did not get enough earnings this month, so I had to ask the bank to give me an extension. I do not know how to raise the money I need to pay the bank monthly. I guess I will have to accept Delailah’s offer. Delilah was the manager of the club where I worked as a dancer. I only danced on stage, but the club offered a special treat to its principal sponsors by giving them the privilege of having a private show with their favorite club dancer.I refused to do private shows because there are other things that a dancer needs to do besides just giving a private show. I was lucky that a principal sponsor volunteered to pay for my reservation. With that, I became an exclusive dancer, and no one was allowed to book me for a private show. I have never met that principal sponsor, and because of his reservation, I get ex