BEATRICE:"You've been sighing a lot, Beatrice. Did Christina's statement bother you?" Drake asked as he drove me off towards the grocery store. It was only a couple of fifteen minutes away from my apartment. Sometimes, I would usually take a taxi, and sometimes, Christina would drop me off so that I could save time. Of course, everything happened behind my brother's back.I threw my gaze at the mirror and sighed again. "Did you know what she said?"He shook his head. "I did not. She whispered it to you. May I know what she whispered? It sure drags your energy away.""It does not concern you, Drake," I lied.How could I fall for this jerk again? I was not that foolish. Loving someone for the second time even knowing that he would leave me in the end? No, thank you. I would rather be alone with my son than be with a man who would only stress me out. "Sorry if I pry, Beatrice. It only bothered me that you've been affected that much."Clenching my fist, I stated, "This will be the last
BEATRICE:I chuckled. He was always like that. Always telling me that he missed me. Every time we saw each other. It had been what? A couple of years since we met. When Grayson was only a year old, I was able to have a part-time job in this grocery store for a week and then resigned after Grayson became sick."Oh, come on," I declared and engulfed him with a hug. He smelt of the burning sun, but I did not care about anything at all. Zack was the most responsible man I ever knew. We broke away and his gaze darted to the car where I came from. "You have a boyfriend?""Oh, no, no, no," I retorted automatically. "That's not my boyfriend at all. I don't have the time for that. My focus is on my child." He pulled out his hat from his head and used it as a fan. "You mean to say I still have the chance?" he said, grinning from ear to ear. This man was so open to saying he liked me, despite me having a child. He added that he accepted my child and would love him like how he loved me. I did
BEATRICE:My ex-husband heaved a long sigh, and said, "It was nothing, Beatrice. Forget it."Forget it? How could I do that? How could I forget something like that? Whatever he was acting was not something that I could just forget right now, since it made me hopeful that maybe…just maybe my ex-husband had an inkling of feelings for me. I was pathetic, right? Couldn’t I learn from my past? "You're getting annoying, you know that?" I asked. “No. Just popping into our lives after five years made you already irritated.”“I’m sorry, Beatrice.”“You should be. You’re making my life very stressful now.” Something flashed in his eyes in the mirror, which easily disappeared before I could decipher what it was. "But since we're already talking about that, let me remind you that you don't have anything to be jealous or angry about.""I'm not jealous," he muttered under his breath. "I mean why would I be jealous? I don't feel anything about that, Beatrice. You are free to do whatever you want
BEATRICE:Christina had been nudging me now and then while watching Grayson and Drake playing in the living room. The kitchen and living room were adjacent to each other and I could see what the two were up to. Baby Cassandra was still sleeping on the bed and Jamie had already told me that she would be arriving any minute from now. "What?" I asked, tasting the dish that I had cooked. It was garlic sesame chicken. Due to limited time, that was the only thing that I was able to cook, and some roasted potatoes and carrots. “You’ve been acting weird since we started cooking, Christina.”“You call me weird? If someone is acting weird like now, it would be you, Woman. How could this be okay with you?” she asked in disbelief. “How could you invite your ex-husband into your own apartment as if there is nothing wrong? As if you’re not mad at him?My brows furrowed while I wiped my hands in my apron.“Don’t think this is fine with me, because this is not.” But there was Grayson. My son was ha
BEATRICE:I cleared my throat when Drake gave me a hopeful look as if silently telling me to tell Grayson the truth.I was still thinking about that. Pulling my son into the chair, I said, “Why do you like him to be your dad?"Grayson kicked his legs under the table, the smile slowly spreading across his face. "Mister Drake is funny, Mommy. He always makes me smile. He plays with me, too. My classmates would ask if he was my dad because we have the same hair color."“Those were not enough to make him your Dad, okay?”"I play with you, too, Grayson. Am I not enough?""You're always busy, Mommy. Sometimes, you are tired and I did not want you to get tired."The smile vanished from my face. He could see that? I was trying my best to play with him and gave him a lot of time. I did not want him to feel alone. My chest tightened as my tears simmered with tears. I felt like a bad Mom."No, baby. Mommy will always have some time for you. If you want to play with me, you get to tell me, okay
BEATRICE:"We will continue this later, okay?" I didn't, trying to turn down my annoyance. I appreciated that she cared about me, but if she kept on dragging my ex-husband's name into every single conversation, which was already unacceptable. "I understand your worries and frustrations, but one thing will I assure you. I won't commit the same mistake I did five years ago," I assured her. I must guard my heart. If I didn't, I would be falling for the same wrong person all over again. Maybe it's time to divert your attention to another man. Why don't you try Zack?Zack. He was not that bad. And it seemed he was respectful. The only downside was that he was a widower. I had nothing against them, but what if he loved his wife still and was only using me to forget him? Then, is it only fair that you two would be using each other? You won't be feeling guilty, Beatrice. I had to think about that. I need someone to help me divert my mind since I like Drake's effect on my heart and my mi
BEATRICE:“You better listen to Jamie. You two have the same situation, but the way I see it, she seems wiser than you when it comes to men, Beatrice,” Christina declared. And now she was comparing me to Jamie even if we had different experiences and pasts? Jamie was much stronger than me since she was able to take care of her daughter without anyone's help. The same Jamie worked from home so that she could take care of Cassandra. While me? For five years, I was always relying on Christina. Financially. Emotionally. Without Christina, I did not know if I would be able to survive those five years alone. “Stop it, Christina. It’s no longer funny.”She faked a surprise look. “Why? Do you think that I am joking? I am not, Beatrice. I am only trying to protect you from future pain. I’m the one who cares about you. Not your asshole ex-husband.”Jamie hastily covered Cassandra’s ears so that the baby wouldn’t be able to hear that word.“Mind your language when you’re surrounded by children
BEATRICE:When I returned, Drake and Grayson seemed like they were waiting for me. The television was still on. It was only then that I realized that Christina was also sitting beside them. But a little farther away from Drake. Whenever my son was not watching, Christina would occasionally glare at the man. “Mommy! Did they leave, Mommy?”“Yes, Grayson.”“When will Cassy be back? I miss her already, Mommy. I did not have the chance to play with her.”“You will have the chance to play with her soon. When they returned.”“They will return right?”I would be happy if they returned since I badly needed cash right now. And speaking of money, I still haven't checked my account how much Jamie had wired. “Maybe…. I don't have any idea. It's Aunt Jamie's decision. Are you going now, Christina?”She folded her arms in front of her chest. “I should be going now. My husband is waiting for me. But…” she trailed off. There was hesitation in her eyes. It was because of Drake. She did not want to
BEATRICE:Something about the board losing their trust on you? I wanted to ask, but no words would come out of my mouth.Why was it so difficult to ask him?“Hey. Are you okay?”Are you okay? Why can’t you tell me the truth? Why do you suffer in silence, Drake? Don’t you believe that I could help you, too? We are all in this together, right? Why don’t you let me join your suffering? I want to help you with it. So please…at least let me join you.“I am. How about you?”He chuckled. “I am fine. How about you?”“You’re acting weird, Beatrice. But to answer your question. Yes. I am fine. I am always fine whenever you are with me. I forgot all my problems because there is you, doll.”“Tell me how much the company meant to you.”“It’s my life,” he answered. “I worked hard for it. That was the result of working too much because of our absence, doll. I promised myself that I would make it successful so that when you returned, I could offer it to you.”"You did well, babe. I am so proud of you
BEATRICE:Seeing my reaction, Mom clicked her tongue together. "Based on your reaction, I assume that your ex-husband did not say anything to you about it.""He...He did not, Mom.""The board of directors agreed that if he did not do something to save the company, they will pull off the remaining of these stocks and what do you think will happen?""Worse case scenario, the company will continue to have losses and would eventually file for bankruptcy.""What about his people? Do you think he is fine with that? He will blame himself for what happened and he's the only one who knows what will happen."I clenched my fist. "Why are you telling me these things, Mom?" She shrugged off her shoulders. "I was surprised that you were able to have a child.""When Drake divorced me, I didn't know that I was already carrying a child during that time.""I won't question that child. He took a lot after you which is fine with me.""What do you want, Mom?""You? What can you do to save your ex-husband
BEATRICE:Mom and Dad. I wanted to rush to their side and hugged them until they found it difficult to breathe, hoping that a tight embrace would fulfill the countless years of not seeing each other. Back then, I was still debating on whether I would see them face to face, but now... I was glad that Drake had pushed me to meet them. My heart felt like it weighed a ton. Dad's eyes simmered with tears, while Mom... I did not know what she was thinking. She wore a poker face. Mom was always like that. Unreadable. My other siblings called her Ice Queen Mother, for showing rare affection towards us. I always scolded them for calling Mom that, but they would only say that it was Mom's fault for being smart like that.I was the one who fulfilled the emotions my siblings craved. I thought it was enough, but it was not. Despite Mom's personality, they still wanted to feel her affection. "Mommy. Who are they?""Your grandparents," I whispered.They finally reached our table."Beatrice,"
BEATRICE:Guilt washed over my chest, knowing the tragedy that fell on Zereka's life. Poor child. I should have known that she had suffered. If I did, I should have been patient with her."Oh, my goodness, Drake. Are you telling the truth?""I'm the only one who knows about it, and I hope you will not tell a single soul, doll. She will kill me for sure. The tough exterior was only a facade, because she did not want others to treat her weakly. Deep inside, she was still thirteen years old I saw crying for her Mom's name. Please be patient with her, doll. I know it's unfair to you...""It's fine." Now that I know that child's background, how could I be a bitch? "I called her a bitch. She might be hating me for that.""You also cannot be blamed.""I want to meet Zereka again and who knows? Maybe we will be friends in the end. How about children? Does she want children? Do you think she will like Grayson?""I saw her staking your social media account and stare at Grayson. So, maybe she li
BEATRICE:“I told him I was going,” I explained. "He invited me at first, saying he will have a better chance than him being alone.""Oh, great. Does Everette know about that?"I shook my head. "He did not know anything. If you tell him right now, that's the only time he will know about the plan.""There's only a slim chance that they will invest in his company and do you know the percentage? Only one percent, Beatrice. After what he did to you, for divorcing you, do you think they will forgive you easily? You two became the talk among your relatives. They keep on asking questions about you and your ex-husband. However, when your Mom snarled and scolded them, they became silent. However, the rumors of your separation did not stop, angering Clara even more. Everette and I were witnesses to that. When you disappear from the family, the rumors become even worse.""More than five years had passed, Maybe she had forgiven what happened?" I hoped she did. And if she did not? I no longer
BEATRICE:“Beatrice? Are you still there?”What a bastard.He knows that Christina had her miscarriage, yet he called her?“Yes, I am here. What is it again?”“Is there no chance that the two will reconcile?”Exhaling, I inquired, “Did you call because he asked you?”“I was about to call you even if he did not call. But he got the right timing. He called me first before I was able to call you.”“Christina, the next time he calls you, don’t answer it.”“Why?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity. "Did something happen between you two that I was not aware of?"I bit the inside of my cheeks, debating if I should tell her or not.She's still not fully recovered, Beatrice. what if she will be sent to the hospital again, because of stress?There was a point, there. "N-No. Nothing happened.""So why are you evading him as if he is bringing the plague?""I-It's because of Drake. I have decided that I will give him a chance."I heard her mutter a few curses in the background. With a faint v
BEATRICE:Relax. Don’t fret. Control yourself, Beatrice. You will not lose your control because of that woman.“Did you hear me? She pulled my hair!”“Why would Beatrice do that, Zereka? She’s not the type to—”She sniffed. “You never listened to me, Drakey. You always believed that I was making a scene. That I am lying to you. How could I do that? I love you so much that I will never ever lie to you,” she declared, cutting off his words before he could even finish it. Rude. Every time she said that she loved her brother, the hair on my arms would always stand. It always felt like it had a double meaning. “Do you know what she called me? A bitch, Drake. I’m only eighteen years old and someone already called me a bitch!”“Beatrice. Is that true?”“What do you want to hear, Drake?” I asked. “Tell me so that I will tell you right away. Don’t waste my time anymore.”“Doll… I’m not saying anything wrong. All I wanted is you to tell me your side. I don't want to take sides as much as pos
BEATRICE:If Drake was here, I would never know why Zereka was here. If Drake was here, she would keep on pretending to be the sweet little sister of his. She could fool anyone with that sweet face of hers. "I'm sorry, but you don't have a say on that, too. We have chosen ourselves to love each other and even if a million people would be against our path, our love will remain strong. That includes you, by the way."It was a cheesy statement. I never thought the time would come when I would say those words, but here it was.She threw back her head and laughed. "Love? Are you freaking kidding me? Don't tell me that kind of bullshit. Love does not exist. Only lust." I was taken aback at her curse. My forehead knotted seeing how she bawled her palms into a fist. "Are you perhaps..." Did she perhaps not experience how to be in love? That she did not know how it felt? That she believed it was all lies? Right. I remembered. This woman was Drake's half-sister. And Drake's family had n
BEATRICE:DADDY?I admit that this woman could pass as Drake's daughter. They looked so much alike. Their nose. Their eyes. The shape of their faces. Maybe she was the one whom he was talking to in the past? About having a child but then his partner never let him see them?She looked so young. She looked after Drake. The resemblance between them was undeniable. My eyes shifted back to Drake and the newcomer. "Zereka. Will you stop playing pranks? Beatrice might believe that you are my child. You always fool a lot of people already. Quit doing that right now. This is a company and not your playing ground. What are you? A child?” Drake scolded. The child did not say anything at all. Instead, she laughed out loud while holding her tummy. "Drakey! You should have seen the look on her eyes. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Oh, my goodness. Your woman is so gullible. I don’t like her anymore."I faltered. A child who did not know how to filter her words was the best of all. "St