DAMIENSomething happened yesterday...I had a nightmare about Dani. We were lying in the beach, kissing and she was pregnant with my second child. The first child was playing in the sand as we basked in the sun. It was a dream but the second I woke up, it became a nightmare. A bad nightmare that I can't seem to shake off. Or forget. It's stuck in my head. Dani is stuck in my head.I'm all alone in the house. Bored to death. Vanessa went on a business trip in Italy. So I'm home alone, working on my laptop.Since the nightmare, I've been thinking about Dani. Who am I lying to? It was even before the nightmare. It was way before the nightmare. I've been thinking about her desperately since I called it quits...I miss Dani. The bad kind of missing. The kind of missing that doesn't make you think about anyone else. The kind of missing that makes you want to drop everything and hop on a plane to her. The kind of missing that haunts you and taunts you. I desperately want to see her.So, I
DANIThe breaking of glass wakes me up in the morning.I jump out of bed and dash to the kitchen. Nate is crouched on the floor, picking up the broken pieces of glass. He looks up at me and forces a smile. But that forced smile doesn't fool me. His red and pale eyes tell me everything I need to know."What's wrong, Nate?""Hey, goodmorning." He says with that fake smile. "Sorry I woke you up.""Something is wrong." I move closer to him. "Tell me what it is."He throws the broken pieces in the bin and turns to the coffee machine. He makes two cups of coffee and sets them on the kitchen island. The coffee is bitter so I add some more sugar. My life is bitter enough so I have to sweeten it a little bit."Sorry I woke you." He repeats. "I didn't mean to...""I just want to know what made you break the glass." I say. "Did the glass steal your girl or what?"I can't help but smile when he chuckles at that. He has the cutest little laugh."It's my parents." He suddenly frowns. "They are movi
I've never lived alone.First, I lived with my parents for seventeen years. On the eighteenth year, I ran from home and moved in with Brandon. I stayed with Brandon for eight years before moving in with Damien. Then I lived with Damien for a couple of months before moving in with Nate.All my life, I feel like I've never gotten the chance to be alone. To live alone. That's something that I'm experiencing for the first time.Nate, Lana and Larry dropped everything to come and help me move. What would I do without these three. Well, I can do without Lana for the mean time since she's not carrying or helping with anything.She's standing in the balcony, munching on an apple as the men carry the heavy furniture into the house. "Hey, Lazy Lady!" I tease. "Mind explaining why you're standing here when your peers are busy breaking their backs?""Ma'am." She smirks. "I'm pregnant. And pregnant women have the privilege to bask in the balcony for as long as they want. Have a problem with that?
DAMIENVanessa is lying next to me.She's sleeping so peacefully. I can't help but stare, completely in awe of her beauty. This woman is beautiful. Probably one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. From her wild hair to her soft skin to her pointed nose to her full lips to her perfect curves. God clearly took his time with her. But it's not just her beauty that draws me to her. Ofcourse it's one of the reasons that I was attracted to her. But it's not the reason that I fell inlove with her.I fell for her when I realised that she is my friend. A true friend. A best friend. A friend who sticks with me through the hard and happy times. A friend who never leaves my side. A friend who always offers her shoulder for me to lean on. Even now when I'm going through this depressing divorce, she's still holding my hand. Letting me know that she's here for me. That's the kind of friend Vanessa is. And that's why I'm so inlove with her. All this time, I've been trying to run away from wh
DAMIENI sit up on the bed.I bury my face in my hands, shocked and confused. I just had a dream about Dani Fùcking Fox daring me to fùck her for the last time. Of all the people I could dream about, my mind picked Dani. I look down at the bulge in my pants and huff. I wonder if that's just morning wood or if Dani has something to do with it. The door swings open and I quickly cover myself up with the sheets. Vanessa walks in, holding a cake in her hand."Good morning, birthday boy." She sets the cake on my lap and kisses me briefly on the lips. It's Vanessa I should be dreaming about. Look at her. She's beautiful and she's sweet and she got up early to make me a cute birthday cake. I don't deserve her."What are you thinking about?" She asks softly."Nothing." I'm quick to say.She doesn't seem convinced but she wears a big smile and lights the two candles on the cake."Make a wish for you and Soph."Sophia. Just thinking about her makes my heart ache. I still can't believe that s
DANIDamien said yes.It's all over the news and it makes me sick to my stomach. We are not even done with the divorce and he's already engaged to another woman. His fùcking evil ex. I switch off the TV and toss away the remote. I storm to the kitchen to fix myself a quick sandwich. My phone starts ringing as I devour the sandwich.It's Lana."Have you seen it?" Is the first question she asks."Ofcourse I've seen it." I chew on my sandwich."He swore to you that they were just friends and now they are already engaged!" She says. "This means that they've been messing around all this time."The thought of it shatters my heart. All this time he was pretending to be friends when he knew there was more between them. It feels like a slap in the face."Let's grab coffee." She proposes. "I have a lot of stuff to whine about."****The coffee shop is almost empty.We pick our usual spot and make our orders. Lana is wearing a long floral dress. You can almost see her little bump through the dr
DAMIENIt's almost midnight.I'm still at the office, sipping on the cold cup of coffee. I have a bad habit of letting my coffee go cold because I'm too focused on the screen.My phone pings on the desk. Vanessa is calling. I ignore the call and turn my eyes to the document on the screen. I have to finish up with it before I leave the office. Unfortunately, that means Vanessa will have to wait.Look, I've been burying myself in work lately. I spend most days and nights locked up in this office. I clock in very early and clock out very late at night. So late that I find Vanessa dead asleep on the mattress every night.Yes, we still don't have a bed. The new house is mostly empty. There's only a few appliances in the kitchen and a bunch of clothes in the closet and that's about it. We're still sleeping on the floor and we don't have couches or coffee tables or carpets or paintings or a TV set.We both love the house but we haven't had the time to fully furnish it. Vanessa is busy with
DANII wake up at noon.Please don't judge me. Judge this baby growing inside me. All I do is eat and sleep and watch TV nowadays.I drag myself out of bed and go straight to the kitchen. I make a quick sandwich and gobble down two glasses of milk. I make another sandwich and make my way to the livingroom. I toss myself on the couch and switch on the TV. As I bite on the sandwich, I can't help but smile to myself. Living alone is absolute bliss. I can sit how I want on my couch. I can sleep how I want on my bed. I can eat whatever the fùck I want. I can fart and poop and scream and sing how loud I want without feeling embarrassed or like I'm disturbing someone. I mean sometimes it can get a little lonely and the bed can get cold at night but it's worth it. Sometimes I miss Damien and I wish he was cooking in my kitchen but I know that will never happen. That man hates me. And he's soon going to be someone's husband. The sooner I get him out of my head, the better!I flip through the
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