I stare at her in confusion."Didn't you hear what I just said?" Sophia snaps her fingers. "Your husband married you because of his ex. Aren't you mad or shocked?""Why would he do that?""He's trying to get over her." She says. ""She is the love of his life and he's trying so hard to forget her. That's where you come in. He's using you to help him forget her."I'm surprised that Damien has never told me about this ex he's desperately trying to get over. I wonder why he's never mentioned her. I wonder why he's kept her a secret all this time. I wonder what she looks like. What she walks and talks like. How she managed to steal the cold heart of Damien. A man who fùcks you and then ghosts you. I wonder what their relationship was like."Why are you telling me all this?""Like I said, I don't want you looking like a fool infront of everyone. I'm just trying to help you.""What should I do?""Demand for a divorce."Bingo! Now I know why she's telling me all this. Not because she cares ab
There's lots of annoying things about this wedding.This strapless lacy wedding gown that's sucking the air out of me. These stupid silver heels that I have to walk around in. Faking smiles for strangers. These are among the little things that make me want to skin myself alive.But the most annoying part is every time someone asks me where the fùck my husband is.It's been about twenty minutes since he just vanished. In those twenty minutes, I'm sure that I've gotten twenty thousand questions about his whereabouts.I wish I could tell them that my husband vanished because he doesn't want anything to do with me. Because he thinks that this marriage is a fùcking mistake. A marriage that was his idea - not mine - his! A marriage that I refused at first. But because I desperately wanted revenge, I signed the fùcking contract. Now karma has come to bite my ass.Thank God Lana is here. She's the best company and definitely the saviour of the day. I don't know how I would've survived the bor
We take a private jet to Bali.Damien's private jet. When we board on the plane, I can't imagine that this is my life. My new life. Taking private jets and people treating you like the most important person on the planet. I know I should be happy about it. But it scares me.The contract will only last for two years only. I don't want to get used to a life that's not mine. A life that's a lie. A life that will be over after two years. It's scary to enjoy something that you know you're going to lose in the end. I'll go from private jets to buses. From mansions to small apartments. I don't want to get used to a life that I know I can't sustain.And none of this feels real. Just two weeks ago, I broke up with my boyfriend and now I'm married to his boss. And now, we are on our way to our honeymoon. For some strange reason, a wave of sadness washes through me. This is not how things were supposed to go. Brandon was the love of my life. He's the man I dreamed of marrying. I've never bee
DAMIENTwo weeks ago,This is not like me.I don't bring girls back home.Dani made me break that rule. I had to bring her home with me. She looked so heartbroken and confused and devastated. And I can't pretend I don't enjoy her company.I've enjoyed her company since I met her. And that was just a couple of minutes ago. She's fun and funny and daring. Most people that I meet pretend to be people they are not just to please me. At first, it was annoying. But I got used to it with time. Money is the magnet of fake people. So I'm not used to running into real people. People who make jokes around me. Throw funny faces at me. People who propose stupid silly games. Stupid silly games that end with a stolen kiss. A stolen kiss that I enjoyed a little too much than I would like to admit. Everyone was shocked. But not as pleasantly shocked as I was.I step on the engine as Dani stares out of the window, my coat wrapped around her shoulders. She's a beautiful young woman with beautiful brown
DAMIENI feel like a shitty person for leaving Dani all alone in the house.She probably hates me right now. But that's what I want. I want her to hate me. If she hates me, she'll stay away from me. If she stays away from me, she won't get crashed by the chaos in my life. No one has ever come between me and Vanessa and left unscathed. They all left bitter and broken when they realised they can't break the bond between us. A bond so strong that it keeps pulling us back together. Fuelling our feelings.Look at me now.Driving past midnight to her hotel room.It just took one call from Vanessa to drag me out of my house and come running to her. That's the kind of effect that woman has on me.I knock on her door. Holding flowers in my hand. Yes, I'm so desperate it's pathetic.The door swings open. Vanessa is standing at the door, dressed in a pink silk nightgown. Her beautiful brown eyes are wide with surprise. Her long lustrous hair tumbles over her breast. God, this woman is beautiful
DANIBali is breathtaking.The perfect place for a honeymoon.I'm holding Damien's hand as we walk on the beach, our feet squishing in the sand. The beach is flanked by palm trees and beach resorts on one side and blue warm water on the other. The best part about this beach is that it's deserted. The only other people walking behind us are an older couple and a younger gay couple. The serenity and silent waves heals my soul. This has to be the prettiest beach with the bluest waters. We sit on the beach, Damien soiling his white shorts with the sand. Like I mentioned before, this man looks hot in everything. Even this simple white short and white shirt.The wind blows my yellow dress as I sit on the sand, staring at the blue waters. I take a sip of my coconut drink, devouring every second of this day. Damien is having a margarita, sipping slowly as he watches the waves. He's happy to be here."I thought that you would be mad, you know?" He says."About what?""Vanessa." He says. "Me
I wake up to find all the suitcases packed.Damien was mad at me when we went to bed. He slept on the couch. Seems like he's still mad at me this morning. He's all dressed up in a dashing black suit, his eyes glued on his laptop."Eat your breakfast." He glances at his watch. "We'll be leaving in the next twenty minutes.""We were supposed to stay here for a week.""Change of plans." He still doesn't look at me. "We've wasted enough time.""You didn't even bother to ask if I was ready to leave.""You can still stay if you want." He says. "The choice is all yours. Just know that work starts the day after we get home."Fùck. I almost forgot that I'm now his secretary. And I'm also a student taking online classes in The New York Fashion School. On top of that, I'm also pregnant. And the hardest task of all, I am Damien Hunt's wife. A man who just throws tantrums because you told him he's still inlove with his ex. Which he clearly is. Why would he be getting mad if he wasn't?"Oh." He cle
The sweet aroma of sandwiches snatches me from the bed.Damien is in the kitchen, making himself some coffee. He's all dressed up for work. He doesn't look like someone who suffered seventeen hours on a plane yesterday.When I fall on the kitchen island, Damien pours me some milk and serves me some sandwiches."Why didn't you wake me?" I ask. "I should be in the office in the next thirty minutes. I'm your secretary, remember?""You're starting work on Monday." He says."It's Thursday." I glare at him. "What will I be doing till then?""Resting." He replies. "Schooling.""My online classes start on Monday.""You can catch up with friends." He suggests. "Unwrap the wedding gifts. Read books. Keep yourself busy with happy hobbies.""Why don't you want me to start work today?" "Because you need rest." "But you also need rest. We were in Bali together, remember?""I'm not pregnant."Damien takes the last sip of coffee and straightens his collar. He takes his briefcase and waves at me."H
DAMIENtwenty years laterIt's our twentieth anniversary.For every anniversary, we celebrate it in Bali. In the same hotel we went for our first, second and third honeymoon. There's been a lot of changes and renovations in the hotel over the years but it still gives me a feeling of nostalgia every time I come here.I step out of the shower and start drying myself with the towel.Dani is busy typing on her laptop. I apply some lotion and slide into a pair of white shorts. My wife doesn't bother to look up."George filed for divorce." I huff. "Gina cheated on him again. This time, with a younger man.""Not surprised." I sigh. "Why can't he just leave her?""He's addicted to the toxicity."Dani doesn't respond. She's still busy on her laptop. Plus, she's so over George and Gina. And honestly, so am I. For years, I wanted to save George from that abusive marriage but he clearly doesn't want to be saved. He made the bed. I'll just let him lie in it. Even if it's a bed of thorns that makes
DANII stare at Nate in shock.But he's not staring at me. He's staring at Damien."When Dani's dad shot me, I was paralysed." Nate says. "I could see everything. I could hear everything. But I couldn't move. I couldn't even feel blood oozing from my body."Okay, where's this going?"Dani was in shock after her father shot himself infront of her." He continues. "She just sat there, staring at his lifeless body. She was in shock and despair. She had lost all hope for life. That's until you came out of nowhere and wrapped your arms around her, crying. She was relieved. She was hopeful again. I was relieved too. And I was hopeful. That's when I allowed myself to pass out. All that time, I'd been forcing myself to hold on a little longer for Dani. I didn't want to leave her all alone and scared. But when you showed up, I knew she was in safe hands. So l let myself pass out."Nate finally turns to look at me, a small smile forming on his face."Remember that double date with Richard and yo
DAMIENI ring the doorbell.Dani swings the door open, dressed in her pajamas. She stares at me in complete shock and confusion."What are you doing here?" She asks in concern. "Are you okay?"I don't reply to that. I just pull her in my arms and cling to her body. I know she's pregnant and I'm probably hurting her baby but the baby will have to forgive me. I need his mother now. He can wait.Dani escorts me to the livingroom. She sneaks to the kitchen and brings me coffee. Yes, I definitely need coffee this time. I'm shaking due to the cold. Or maybe I'm shaking due to the shock. It's been a night of horror and I can't wait for it to end."What's going on, Damien?" Dani asks softly. "Where's Vanessa?"Just hearing her name sends chills all over my body. I look up at the ticking clock.The images of the last three hours play vividly in my head.Vanessa screaming in terror. Vanessa's head being chopped off. Vanessa's head being tossed in a black plastic bag like garbage. The "bad guys
VANESSABe calm.Whatever happens in life, be calm. That's one of the greatest tricks to tackle every situation in life. Be calm. Take a deep breath. Don't lose it. You might be losing it inside, but don't show them. Act calm. Act confident.I turn to look at Damien.Ofcourse I'm shocked. And confused. He just jumped out of the kitchen. He was listening to the conversation this entire time. I should have listened to my gut when I entered the house.I got a whiff of his cologne when I entered the living room. Then I got a glance of his shoes at the door. But somehow, I convinced myself that they didn't belong to Damien. A bunch of shoes look the same. And there's no way they belonged to Damien. I mean, I left him home looking hungry and exhausted. There's no way he could drive back to the city for two hours instead of taking a rest. God, I was in for a shock!But I'm still calm. "Babe." I smile. "You know I hate surprises.""Don't babe me!" He snaps. "I heard everything you just said,
DAMIENI dash into the kitchen and pour all the coffee in the sink.I don't want coffee. I want something stronger. Something like scotch. Something that will make me forget about my dad. And Vanessa. And the pregnancy scam. And the whole drug dealing thing. And the way I just talked to Dani. And the way she looked at me. All I do is hurt her with my words and actions. And all she does is be kind and nice to me. After everything I did, she's letting me spend the night at her house. God, I don't deserve her...It's pouring heavily outside.I look outside, the rain beating down on the roof and sliding down the window. For a moment there, I wish that the rain could wash away all the pain. I wish that the rain could slide down my soul and wash away all the sadness and sorrow. The doorbell rings, pulling me away from the sea of sad thoughts."Good evening, Dani." I grit my teeth when I hear that familiar voice. Vanessa. What the fùck is she doing here? How the fùck did she know that I wa
DANIDamien is standing at my door when I get home from the hospital.The second he sees me, he runs to me and our bodies clash in a tight embrace. He starts crying in my arms. And I start crying in his arms. And now we're crying in each other's arms. I don't even know why I'm crying. But I definitely know why he's crying.He lost his father. A father that he deeply loved. And today he lay his father to rest. That's hard on anyone.The sky rumbles. We break apart and silently walk into the house before it starts raining. Damien takes off his shoes and sits on the couch. I take off my black coat and sneak to the kitchen. There, I make coffee and grab some cookies from the pantry. Damien looks like he needs something stronger than coffee but it's the best choice for now. "Thankyou." He smiles when I set the tray of coffee and cookies on the table.I sit across from him, creating some distance between us. I'm just from seeing Nate in the hospital and we even kissed when I left. I wou
DAMIENThe ride home was silent.Two hours on the road with Vanessa sulking and seething and staring at me, her eyes filled with fury.The second I stop the engine, she flies out of the car and storms into the house. I follow her quickly but I can't keep up with her pace. When I walk into the house, she's already flying up the stairs.Maria steps out of the kitchen with a bunch of sandwiches on the tray."Spill the tea." She giggles. "Why is she so mad this time? What happened at the funeral?""Nothing interesting." I shrug.That's my way of brushing Maria off. Although I like her, she can be a little nosy in a way that's annoying and steps on boundaries. Vanessa is still the mother of my child. She's just a surrogate. Sometimes I think that Maria forgets that. Vanessa can be a pain in the àss but she still deserves respect as the biological mother of my child."Want a sandwich?" She offers."Sure." I grab it. "I'm starving!"I run up the stairs, chewing on the sandwich as I head to o
DANICamille's mansion was the perfect pick for the reception after the funeral.The guests are waltzing around the large livingroom, cups of coffee clutched in their hands. A bunch of bowls are sitting at the dining table with cookies and biscuits and even chocolates.I'm sitting on the couch next to Camille, munching on the crunchy cookies. Her face is blank and void of emotion but I know that deep down, she's having an emotional crisis. A few hours ago, she broke down as her husband was put to the ground. I can't imagine what that felt like for her. Spending half of your life with someone and then having to watch their lifeless bodies being lowered to the ground. Tragic."Look at them!" Camille points to Damien and Vanessa. "She's always complaining about something. They should break up already."They seem like they are fighting. Vanessa is nagging about something. And Damien is glaring at her. They are obviously the unhappiest couple in the room. I get a little thrill watching the
DAMIENVanessa slides into her black heels and walks towards me.She stands so close, looking up at me. There's a blank look on her face and it's kinda creepy. She straightens my collar and starts fixing my black tie."I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me."The cold tone in her voice sends shivers down my spine. She's not been speaking to me the entire morning. I thought it was odd but chose not to overthink it. I thought it's because we were both busy getting ready for the funeral. I thought maybe she's giving me some space and silence because this is the day that I lay my dad to the ground. From the tone of her voice, that's clearly not the case. She's mad at me. And from the way she's playing with this tie, I might end up getting strangled if I don't provide the answer that she wants. And that makes my heart start racing."Have you been fùcking Dani?"I can't help but laugh. I thought it was something serious. Something that was going to be