BEATRICE:My ex-husband pulled my hand and kissed it. “Beatrice. Take a chance on me. I beg you.” Then, my eyes widened seeing how he knelt in front of me. A gasp escaped my lips. “What are you doing? Will you stand? What if your son will see you? Have you no sense of shame? You are a CEO of a well-known company and you just kneel like that? What is wrong with you?” I slapped his arms in an attempt to make him stand, but he did not move.“You’re embarrassing me, Drake.”Lifting his head, he smiled at me. “If my son sees me right now, he will see a man who manned up to his mistakes and is willing to bear the consequences of his actions. My son will think that it’s fine to lower yourself down and admit that sometimes, it is our fault, too. That’s the values that I want him to learn from me, Beatrice.”He looked at me with pure agony and humility while kneeling.He looked so sincere.“Please, Beatrice?”I pulled my hand away. “Groveling will not change anything at all, Drake. In the en
BEATRICE:What was happening? Was there something wrong with my eyes right now? "Watch your step, Beatrice. I don't want something to happen to you.""You should kiss each other, Mommy and Daddy," Grayson announced while he was sandwiched between me and Drake. "That's what my friends' Dads and Mommy's do. They kiss before they say goodbye to my friend when they send him to school."My heartbeat went wild.Damn it.It felt like I was in an oven at the warm feeling I felt inside. What was happening again? I asked myself for the nth time.Take a grip on yourself, okay? You did not come here to admire your ex-husband. You came here to visit Christina. Who would likely snapped at you again or worse? She might even drive you away. It was better to expect the worst, especially now.clearing my throat, I said, "We are both shy, Grayson. Maybe later?" I asked while hoping he would forget about this."Later? When is that?" Drake inquired, leaning forward, his face merely centimeters away from
BEATRICE:The woman that she was referring to was me, right? There was no way it was another else. I was the only one whom he hated so much to the point that she was willing to throw all the flowers and basket of fruits that my son had chosen.I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. Glancing at my shoulder, I saw it was none other than Drake. His eyes were on my hands on the doorknob. "Why haven't you entered?" he asked. I heaved a long sigh and forced a smile. "I'm only waiting for the two of you," I lied. Because it was easier to tell a lie than to tell the truth, right? it was too painful right now."Let me open the door for you," he said, and was about to twist the handle when it opened and saw the bodyguard who had picked the flower and basket earlier. His eyes widened upon seeing me, but said nothing at all."Why did he bring the flowers again, Mommy? Aunt Christina doesn't like the flowers I picked for her?""I don't think she does not like it, Grayson. Maybe she's not feeling
BEATRICE:"It's okay to cry in front of me, Beatrice," Drake whispered. Suddenly, his hands wrapped around my shoulders. My first instinct was to slap his hand away, but I was too tired to do that. Emotionally tired. And drained. He patted the top of my shoulders as he continued saying words to calm me. "When the world seems so difficult, when you don't understand it anymore, you can rest in my arms and rest for a while until you're back to fight."Rest. He wanted me to rest with him. Could I do that to someone who left me in the past? How long will you keep on recording his past? It's time to let go of them and start fresh? And give the two suitors a fair chance? Still…it was baffling for me hearing him say comforting words.When did my ex-husband become inspirational? I never heard such reassurance from him when we were married. Still...his words felt comforting, lifting some of the burdens in my heart.He had grown so much over the years…This way it felt like having someone
BEATRICE:Clicking my tongue together, I said, "Will you please stop this childishness? All I wanted was to eat peacefully. You don't have to fight in front of the food. Drake. Don't make everything an issue. I eat whatever I like. And Everette, don't mind him. Focus on Christina's recovery."I wished they would stop this childish fight because this is not helping Christina’s condition. Scooping a spoonful of buttered shrimp, which was my favorite, I added, "What did the doctor say about her condition?"Worry flashed over his face. "Christina said he wanted to recover at our house and that the doctor will just go there if there are some tests that need to be run. The doctor had given us a go signal. But he has to make sure that she's already stable right now."Finishing all the foods on his plate, which Drake clearly disapproved of until now, I said, "How about you? What do you think? Is her condition getting ready?"He put both hands on top of his chin. "Her body might heal, but it
BEATRICE:Back then, I usually said mean things towards Drake, but right now, I could not think of anything. How could I when he looked so pure looking at me like that as if he did not want anything to happen to me.I could no longer laugh at him. Was he showing the truth? Was he showing the real condition of his heart? Or was he only playing with me?Playing with you? Don’t you think the poor man had no longer enough rest? He had to work and manage the company, but at home, he had to take care of my son even if he was too tired. Until I found myself saying, “Nothing will happen.”“Do you know my insides are shaking right now? I am that worried for you.”“You are worrying a lot, Drake,” I stated and found myself brushing the side of his cheeks. If he keeps on doing what his heart wants to show, then there is no way that I would disregard his efforts for everything.“Can you blame me, Beatrice?”“You can stop your mind from worrying. It will not solve anything right now.”My heart wa
BEATRICE:Just what I was expecting, anger crossed Drake's eyes. "You're mine only, Beatrice," he growled. I laughed inside my head. So possessive and acting as if he owned me when in fact he did not. Still, it warmed my heart whenever he was acting like this. I felt…wanted.Pretending that it had no effect on me, I raised my eyebrows, I asked, "What if I will not choose you? I might choose Josh right now. Who knows?"I shrugged and waited for his reaction, but was silently enjoying how his face darkened even more. Drake…could be cute sometimes. "If there comes a time that you will choose another one, I will accept it as long as it is not that man. Anyone as long as it was not that man, Beatrice."He seemed really intent on me not choosing Josh. Maybe there were some truths in his allegations?You won't know for sure if you will not face Josh now. So why don't you move your butt, Beatrice and enter the restaurant right now? The man might be waiting for you there."Alright. Let's no
BEATRICE:Josh heaved a long sigh. “I don’t think I need to be scared, Little One. Especially if I did not do anything wrong. So no. I don't need to be scared. I have only been honest since the time we met for the second time because I don't want you to be mad at me. I am always careful that I will not hurt you, Little One.”My eyes searched for something. Anything that would tell me that he was telling the truth, but when I was on the verge of believing him, Drake's words flashed inside my mind. “How would I know if you're telling me the truth? Telling a lie without remorse is so easy nowadays, Josh,” I snapped. I felt sorry towards him that I was acting like a bitch, but then again, if he could not handle this side of me, he did not deserve the rest of me. “What do you want to know about me?” he inquired. “Anything that you wanted to know, Little One. I am sorry too for hiding something from you…I thought…this is no longer important since we are both single right now.”That shoul