BEATRICE:"Nothing," I said. "Where is Heather, by the way?" I asked, changing the flow of the conversation. I had to before I could say everything that was on my mind right now. "She's coming, Beatrice. She was sleepy when she answered the phone. But we will just pay her after. She will not mind it since she’s also looking for another type of income for her children’s needs."I bit my lower lip. Was I that selfish to ask someone to babysit Grayson while I take some fresh air?"You think..." I trailed off, but seeing he was looking at me with an intense stare made my tongue roll back. “You think what? It’s fine, Beatrice. You can tell me whatever you want to say.”Heather and I were not different at all. We would do everything just to feed our children.“I’m thinking about Heather. She must have a hard time taking care of her children and providing their needs. Where is her husband?”“The last thing I know, they were divorced. She divorced him since he got addicted to illegal drugs
BEATRICE:I did know how to explain what I was feeling right now. It felt like I was being put in the furnace and was burned alive. Drake’s touches felt like fire spreading across all the parts of my body.Fuck.Five years and my body still ached for his touches. Five years had passed, yet my body still responded to him. And he knew he had the power over me. That was why he was doing this, right? I fanned myself as I continued to feel hot.My breathing ragged. And all I could do was stare at his plump lips devoid of any evidence of cigarettes."I missed your lips, too, Honey," he whispered.He was dangerously close and his voice sent shivers down my spine. “Don’t, Drake.”He bit his lower lip. “Beatrice,” he whispered erotically. He reached out and before I knew it, my feet moved on their own and backed away until I was trapped in the wall.Drake imprisoned me with his presence. My mouth went dry. Did he hear the fast pounding of my chest? Or not?He leaned in, grabbed a few stra
BEATRICE:"Christina. I understand why you are like this," I stated. "But I don't have to prove anything. Why don't you just believe what I said? Since when did I hide anything from you?""Since this day! No. Since that bastard entered your life again. You've been hiding a lot from me since then, Beatrice," she expressed in frustration. How could I tell her if she will only get mad?“I'm sorry, Christina.”“You're sorry? Will you not do this again?”I could not promise that. Especially if Grayson wanted his Dad.Only Grayson? How about you?I don't need Drake in my life. Period. But if it was Josh, I might consider it. “I don't want to promise anything if I won't be able to do it, Christina. I don't want to lie to you, Christina. I will hurt you even more,” I whispered, gripping the phone tightly on my right hand. "You are not always like this, Beatrice. You treated me like your sister. You always update me if you're not in your house. But what is happening right now? You were not
DRAKE:There. I finally said those words, even if I already know that Beatrice won’t believe me. That woman never believed in any words I said. For her, I was a liar and a bastard. “I love you, Beatrice,” I said for the second time as she continued staring at me with a blank expression on her face. Her silence was…made me lose my confidence. After the divorce, women would occasionally throw themselves at me, but right now, the woman I loved won’t even believe any words I said. I had been planning on how I would tell Beatrice of my real feelings, but I did not know how to say those words to her. I feared that she would never believe me after what I did to her. For leaving her just like that. How she looked at me with uninterested eyes after confessing my feelings was like a punch in my gut. Though I deserved it. I deserved this. I deserved her cold treatment after everything.Still…I was not used to her reacting like this. Back then, the old Beatrice would almost kiss the ground
BEATRICE:Does Drake have to ask that? I've been wanting him to do that so that we will be peaceful once again."You're the one who always doesn't want to do it," I said. "If what you claim is true, then give it to me. Disappear from our lives."That would be the most wonderful thing that he would be able to give us. Some kind of peace. If Grayson would ask about his Dad, then I would think of some alibis of where his Dad could be.Do you think it's enough? What if your son will know the truth? Will he not hate you in the end?I will try to make him understand. I will make sure of that.He heaved a long sigh and threw his gaze at the shore."That's a difficult thing to do. Ask me anything else as long as it does not involve leaving you two again, Beatrice. How would I show you that I changed? I'm sorry, Beatrice, but I could not do that. I don't want my son to hate me."Shifting my gaze at the water, I said, "What am I doing? Asking you to leave us? What's my assurance that you honor
BEATRICE:I no longer understand what I was feeling right now as my ex-husband held him in his arms. It felt strange on my part that this felt like it was the most ordinary thing to do. The kiss, I meant.My ex-husband wants to kiss me? Why? That was out of the blue and I did not understand him at first. Or maybe my mind refused to understand what was happening. Everything was becoming confusing. A certain part of me definitely wanted to be kissed and to taste a man's lips. How long has it been since I last kissed? Five years ago? And this man was the only one who managed to see my naked body and touch them.I sucked in a breath as I struggled to keep those memories at the back of my head where they should belong. Those dangerous memories will only awaken those sinful thoughts that were trying to resurface for my ex-husband. Drake was the only one whom I wanted. My body ached for a touch where only a man could satisfy. Where only Drake could satisfy. "Beatrice? May I?" he asked
BEATRICE:Why are you thinking about him? Do you think he is a child that needs his mother to follow him up? He is a freaking adult already, Beatrice. Stop thinking about him and go to sleep. I rolled to my side while looking out the window. If I just stood and looked outside, I would see him on the shore. What was he thinking right now? What else? He might be embarrassed facing you since you turned him down. If you only allowed him to kiss you, then you would not be worrying about him right now. I'm not worried at all! He could take all of his time and stare at the waves. Or maybe, he is secretly meeting Heather right now. Do you know? Have sex with him since you refused him. I gritted my teeth. I don't care if they made love in the sand under the moonlight. I don't fucking care. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to sleep, refusing to imagine what the two might be doing right now. Why don't you look out the window and see for yourself if the two are having sex? I chastised
BEATRICE:All through my life, I believed that my ex-husband's family did not care about me. I thought that they hated me for not being able to give a child to their son. I thought they hated me because I did not do my best to stop my ex-husband from divorcing me.Some people were like that. They would blame you and question your worth just because you had a failed marriage. How many instances did I witness that the victim was put into shame when something happened to her? And then I would know that I was wrong? That nothing happened between him and Heather? How could he keep me in the dark when it comes to his family? Even if we never had the best relationship to date, I was still looking forward to the bright future ahead. Your mind is already elsewhere, Beatrice. Focus.Where was I again? Ah, right. It was him not telling his family that we already got divorced. Gritting between teeth, I asked, "Explain your statement, Drake before I will think what I should do with you. Why ha
BEATRICE:I was about to tell Drake, but stopped myself from saying out loud. There was already too much that was running on his mind and I could not afford to add more problems to him. “It was nothing, babe,” I replied and leaned on his shoulders, as he continued to drive the long road. Grayson was in the backseat already knocked out. “Nothing that you should be concerned about.”“Are you sure because you seem bothered after talking to your Mom. How did your conversation go? You know what? I made sure that you and your Mom will have some time to talk.”“Really? That's the reason why you left us at the table?”How considerate of him. How could I not fall for him over again? He was worth it. He was worth everything. “Yeah. Your Mom won't talk if there's some audience around us.”And she was able to say everything she wanted when we were alone. “Tell me the company's situation.”He was silent for a moment, before saying, “No need to worry about it. Let me handle it, doll. I will make
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