Leaving only Zeke and the kids in the dining room, Ariana joined her sister in clearing the dishes and then Karina moved to the living room with her husband.While Elena and Ariana were in the kitchen, Ariana whispered to her, causing her to draw her brows together.“What did you say?”“I said they look so peaceful together. The twins… and Zeke.”Although this was a hard thing for her to say, she still would not disregard the fact that the twins loved their father by their side and she had never seen them act that way with her or their mother before.Not to come off wrong, but the twins loved Elena more than anyone in the world would ever love her, actually, but the way they bonded with Zeke was so cute that she wondered what would have gone wrong if they were not allowed to bond with him this way.“That is coming from you, really?” Elena jested and then Ariana rolled her eyes.“I would not lie, okay?”“Are you being a saint now? Lying is a piece of cake to you, is it not?”“God, you
“No, Elena, you can’t…” “We will talk to them and seek their opinion of course, but I am certain they will want you to. You can come over anytime… and then take them out or to your home anytime and any day.” “I want you too!” He snapped and shook his head. Covering the space between them, he picked up her hand and then shook his head. “How about you? I want you too. Can’t we… can’t we live together again and…” “No!” She snapped her hand away and took a step back. “I can’t.” “Elena.” “Zeke, I cannot!” She shouted and a drop of tears fell from her eyes. “You have broken me beyond repair!” His heart tore at her sharp statement and he shook his head, his lips trembling. “I will be a fool to go back to you! What will… what will people think of me?” “What?” He drew his brows together. “I will be that woman who has no self-respect and who returned despite what you did to me. Even you…! You will never respect me.” “No, no, no!” Zeke shook his head and rushed over to h
“So, is Daddy going to live with us now?” Natalie’s eyes shone in hope as their mother entered and then asked her. “Or would we need to move to his house? His house is very big, mama. Bigger than here. We can move there and start living together. Aunt Ariana can join if she wants. Including grandma and grandpa,” Nathan said. Elena exchanged glances with Ariana who stood across her, her arms folded across her chest, and then shook her head. Elena settled on the chair and the twins rushed to her in excitement, as if they were confident of her response to their questions. “Now, you both need to calm down and listen to me,” she said as she caressed the back of Nathan’s head. “Yes, go on, mama. Is it about our luggage? Natalie and I can handle our luggage. You can deal with yours.” “Or daddy can help us with packing,” Natalie suggested and Nathan giggled in agreement. “It would be so fun. You have a lot of dress. It will take a long time to pack up your things.” “Or we cou
MAYBE… Zeke entered the room fully after Ariana had left and then bent down slowly beside the three of them. After Elena had said a piece of her mind to him and had left him there, he had stayed there all through to think and rethink what else he could do and say to make the woman forgive him. After he was done thinking, he decided to look for her in her room before he heard the cries coming from the children’s room also. “What are you all doing?” He asked. Natalie laid on the floor, crying, her feet in the air. Nathan wrapped his arms around his crying mother while he cried too and Elena sat on the floor, crying without a break. Not to lie, this scene right now was literally so funny to him because he could only wonder what had happened before they all burst into tears, Elena included. “Why are you crying?” He asked again. When none of them answered him, and not even knowing who he should start consoling and where he should start from, he rested his chin on his palms a
When Ryan and Chloe entered and saw the atmosphere of the room as it was, they turned to look at each other and almost retreated from the room. When they had arrived at the living room downstairs and didn’t meet anyone, they rushed to ascend the stairs with the fear that Zeke was yet to regain consciousness but with the noise coming from the other end of the hall, they rushed over there, only to see everyone in the room. “That is not happening, Natalie, and I have…” “Mommy!” The twins cut her short. “You and Daddy will live together with us and we will live like a happy family, that is our opinion!” “Your opinion…” she swallowed. If she told them that it did not matter, they would probably never forgive her. “If you do not agree, Natalie and I will run away from home,” Nathan blurted. Natalie moved over to him, held his hand in support, and then whispered in his ear gently. “We will?” “Play along,” he whispered back. “We will run away and you will never find us agai
While Zeke sat in silence at the back of the car, his head out of the window, Chloe and Ryan sang through to the music while Ryan drove. “But I, I think I like this little lifeeee!” Chloe sang the chorus of the song so loudly that Ryan laughed. “This little life!” Ryan sang back. “Can you two just shut the fuck up for a second?” Zeke finally hissed and asked. “What exactly is fun about this life?” He asked, angered. The couple went mute for a while and then Chloe turned to look at her brother with a sneer, “Why are bittered, brother? There are a lot of things to love in this life.” Ryan nudged her gently to not say anything as the man was apparently not in a good mood, but she didn’t listen, instead, she asked again. “Or, do you not like your life?” “Shut up, Chloe, and end that song too. Enough of the noise.” Ryan stopped the music instantly and Chloe turned to look at him, “Why? I was listening to it.” “We will listen to it after we drop him at his place,” he whi
Entering the living room fully, there was only Nathan and Natalie watching an animated show on the television, and Ramon entered fully, walking over to them. “Hi, guys!” He drawled and clasped his hands together. They both turned to look at him and then smiled gently before they returned to drop their eyes on the TV again. If he was asked, he would say that smile was nothing closer to being genuine. Regardless, he wore a larger smile and then dropped his hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “Where is your mommy? She is not picking up her calls. Is she upstairs… or out?” “In her room,” Nathan groaned as if he was forced to answer. Ramon nodded his head, moved his hand, and then turned away. “Uncle!” Nathan’s voice stopped him and he turned to look at the boy and raised his brows. “I have been trying to understand something since,” he started. Ramon’s eyes darted to Natalie who was pulling the tip of Nathan’s clothing like he was warning him to not talk. Then, he knew he ha
“Would you accept if she agrees to return to him? If you would ask me, I would say that she looked like she could,” Ariana her parents. Ramon stood still in a corner as he listened to the conversation between the family. “I have said before and I will repeat, I will support whatever decision she makes,” Karina said. Oh, how much he disliked this woman! She was a huge preacher of ‘going with the flow.’ One time in Australia, she wanted him for her because of how he was good to her and how Elena seemed to find comfort in him too. She had said to him on two or more occasions that she would wish for Elena to consider him too… but, she can’t force her daughter to do a thing. At first, it didn’t seem like a problem to him. He didn’t give it any meaning at all. But, now when she still says the same thing? Even when it was certain that Elena could return to Zeke… Could she not be different for once? “I don’t want that,” Ray shook his head. Finally, the only person in
Staring down at her kids who giggled happily since Zeke had announced to them that it was time to return home.The kids were so happy and it was so evident. They jumped excitedly, held each other's hand, and then rushed out of the house.“I hope they are not stressing you?” She asked Zeke.Zeke chuckled, shook his head, and then answered, “Stressing me? I’m enjoying every moment, Elena, trust me. It would have been perfect if you had been here too,” he said and she rolled her eyes.“I mean it.”“Whatever. And Natalie. I hope she is still taking her medication.”“Of, course, Elena.”“Thank you.”He shook his head and then clasped his hands together, “Let me know if you hear from Ramon, okay? He might call you or whatever, just let me know. We will start working on things from my end too.”“Are you not really going to wait for dinner?” Karina joined the two in the living room.“Left to me, Mother, I would have, but the twins… they think I am planning to leave them here and then return h
“What happened?”“Elena…” he sighed and clasped his hands together.“If you do like this… you are making me scared. Did he do something that I am not aware of? You gotta tell me.”He nodded his head in agreement. He didn’t plan on hiding it from her.Ryan was right to have told him to let her know. She needs to be aware and wary of that man.“Do you remember Ethan? I’ve told you about him before.”“I remember! Did you find him?!” She exclaimed.Zeke nodded his head in agreement and she clasped her hands together.“Finally! Oh my God. Did you meet him? What did he say? Did he…”“He is in Italy currently. We have not met. However, he is living by a different identity now… and even a new face.”“He underwent surgery?” Elena raised a brow and Zeke nodded his head.“That is… messed up.”“It really is.”“So, what do you plan on doing now?”“He has two sons… and Ramon…” he hesitated and breathed out again.“Talk.”“Ramon is his son.”The room suddenly became more deafening to Elena as the ma
“Wait, Daddy, wait!” Nathan shouted and stood up from his seat.“Boy, sit down back. It is dangerous standing in a moving car,” Zeke said to him.“Why are you taking us back home?!” He ignored him and asked.Zeke pulled the car gently and then turned to look at him.“Didn’t you agree that we would be spending a few days with you? This is just the second day. Why are you taking us back to our mummy?!” He cried out.Natalie jumped out of her seat too and then looked around.Apparently, Nathan had noticed that he had taken a different route from his own house and then they were on their way to theirs.They had a very fun day today. They went to the park. They went to an arcade bar. They went to see a movie. They did many things that the twins believed so deeply that the memories will forever be imprinted in their heads.Natalie shook her head vigorously and then started, “Are you tired of us already? Did we do much today? We will be more cautious next time, Daddy. Please don’t…”“Oh, sil
“At this point, I think the Internet cannot function without you if you do not get aired in the news at least once a week.”While he drove, Ryan had bombarded him with calls like crazy and he had finally pulled to a corner just to receive the call only for the man to say that first.“What is going on?”“You are everywhere on the news… again.”Zeke exhaled and closed his eyes for a second. “What happened?”“You and Elena… it is finally out.”“What?”“The reason behind your separation.”“What?!” Zeke exclaimed.“And your recent charade… I mean… apology. The one outside of the building, it is all over the news too. You should see for yourself.”Zeke swallowed hard, nodded his head as if the man was there to see the gesture, and then ended the call.He rushed to the internet, and without much stress to type out his names as he was leading the charts just like every time, he clicked on it and then twitched his lips upward.The internet said that they separated because he cheated on Elena.
“No, no, no. You must be mistaken, he is Ramon. Elena’s friend,” he said, pointing his index finger aimlessly. Ryan sighed, nodded his head, and then swallowed. “I stayed up all night trying to wrap my head around it too. I found out last night,” he said. Still, Zeke shook his head. That was impossible, was it not? Although he hated Ramon, very much in fact and he believed that something was off about the man right from the beginning but still, he still chose to believe that was because of his own personal feelings. He knew the man liked Elena and mainly because of that, he had hated the man. But… he was his cousin too? “Investigate further,” Zeke dropped the pictures on the table, refusing to believe. “You know that my information is correct. All the time,” Ryan shook his head. Heck, he was right! He had never had a reason to cross-check whatever information that his friend gave him. “You are saying Ramon is family! That is even the least of my concerns… the fa
“What were you saying?” He asked as his eyes finally dropped on the photo book and the huge frame in Nathan’s hand.“Where did you get those?” He asked again.He had just finished cooking when the door had pushed open and Ryan had rushed in.“Hey, dude! What is going on?!” He exclaimed in pure surprise as the man had not informed him before coming.And not like he actually minded, he just knew that Ryan would not have shown up at his place unannounced very early in the morning.“Hey,” Ryan shook his hands before his eyes trailed down to the apron that was tied around his waist.“Ah… I just finished cooking,” he explained and untied it gently.“You… were cooking?” He raised a brow.“Yes. I made a very nice delicacy,” he smiled.“Since when did you start cooking?” Ryan laughed.“Well… I want to make their food by myself today.”“Who?”“My…”“Daddy!”And the screams of the children cut him short.“We found a room opened and it was there,” he answered as he handed the frame over to his fa
Zeke opened his eyes finally, closed them back, and then tugged his lips gently into a smile.The kids were still sleeping soundly beside him and the sound of their soft snores sounded like music to his ears.He did not know he could sleep well because just like they were medicines, he had slept off too while he patted their back and told stories to them.Yeah, stories.The previous night, Nathan and Natalie rushed to his bed and then told him to come to their middle, which he did without much query.After he lay in the middle, he covered their body with a duvet before they asked that he tell them a story.“You are joking,” he shook his head, chuckling.“No, we are not,” Natalie shook her head too.He exhaled and smiled, thinking of excuses to bring up but they were adamant.Finally, he settled for one. One that was only imaginary that he wondered if the children would find it fun.“So… once upon a time,” he started.They scooted closer to him and he grinned harder.Even if he truly h
“What?” Mateo laughed from the other end of the phone which made Ramon cussed inwardly.“I am coming back.”“When?”“Now. I’m at the airport.”A short silence ensued for a while before Mateo chuckled again.“Did something happen?”“Of course, and I can’t stay here any longer. At least for now.”“She rejected you again.”“It is not funny.”“Actually, I find it amusing that you are joining this fight because of a woman.”“My mistake was joining later. I will do anything as long as it would ruin Zeke.”“Ooooh, how much you have grown, brother!” He laughed.“I will be in Italy soon.”After he dropped the call, he glanced at the last-minute flight ticket in his hand and then exhaled.After Elena had gone to pick up the kids which he was certain were with Zeke, Ray had bluntly said to his face that he was disappointed in him and would not want to see him again.How could all of them turn on him in that manner?Karina who was most nicest amongst them all turned her back to him too and then h
“W… were you two watching us?!” She shouted, glancing around.Turning to look at Zeke who burst into a loud laughter, she glared at him, moved closer to him, and then hit the side of his stomach with the back of her hand.“It is not funny!”Zeke nodded his head, struggling to stop laughing. Out of everything, her facial expressions were more funny.She looked like she was caught doing something bad.“We did not exactly watch you,” Nathan defended.“We just raised the curtain for a while to check up on you and we saw you doing that,” the girl raised her brows playfully.“And it looked quite intense so we didn’t want to disrupt anything,” Nathan added.“Shut up, shut up!” She snapped and Zeke laughed out again.“I’m sorry,” he waved his hands at her when she threw him a deadly stare.“So, why did you two kiss if you have not… like reconciled?” Natalie asked.Elena scratched her forehead and shook her head, “We didn’t kiss exactly.”“Oh…” the kids’ mouths formed an O in a quite sarcastic