"Dyson!" I called out to him. "Why are you making so much noise?" Dyson asked as he approached. "Where did Mom go?" I asked him, getting no direct answer. "Just grocery shopping," he replied simply. "Make sure you eat everything he cooks. Don't be too picky; not everything you like is unhealthy," he added. "I don't like it," I grumbled. "It's healthy. Get used to it. He's been cooking for you for two months now; you should be accustomed to the taste. Don't complain," Dyson said, flicking my forehead lightly. We've been living here in Korea for five months now, in a quiet countryside where we're relatively unknown. We live a simple but happy life. The "Mom" I mentioned is Miguel's mom. Three months after learning that Miguel wasn't actually ill, we discovered that Miguel's father had orchestrated everything. Mr. Martin values pride, wealth, and power above all else. Due to his influence, Mom had no choice but to give up her only child and the life she had built. We witnessed M
"Mom!" I cried out softly. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked, surprised. "Ken and Dyson called me ugly," I reported. "Let them think whatever they want. You're beautiful, don't believe them," she said, gently stroking my hair. I nodded in agreement and released the hug, heading upstairs to rest. I often feel drained, easily tired even when doing nothing. "Raven!" I called out to him. Unable to sleep, I lay there scrolling through my phone. "Why are you shouting?" he asked. "Dyson and Ken said I'm ugly," I said tearfully. "Hahahaha, they said that?" he chuckled. "Yes. Am I really ugly?" I grumbled. "Hahaha, they're just joking. Let me talk to them. You're beautiful," Raven reassured me. "Your husband called!" I informed him. "Yeah, hahaha, we're together. He wants to see how you handle things," he chuckled again. I frowned even more hearing them laugh at me. Am I truly so unattractive? Alone, I stood before the full-length mirror. My body had grown larger, my cheeks a
"What the hell, Ice? How long are you going to stay drunk like this?" Meriam sermonized to Miguel. Since their engagement was announced, they've been living in the same house. Whether they like it or not, there's nothing they can do. They canceled the wedding because Meriam didn't like the man she didn't know well, so the solution was to live together as husband and wife. Since Miguel doesn't see Aira, he gets drunk, spends four hours in the office finishing all his work, then heads to his ex-boyfriend's bar. There, he drinks excessively and sleeps with multiple women. If he has three in one night, he forgets about it the next day. As soon as he approaches one and touches her, he immediately takes her to the VIP room. He returns home to their house and ignores his housemate. "Can you see yourself? You have bruises and mixed lipstick on your lips," Meriam whispered. "Why you? Do you want it too?" Miguel offered to the interlocutor. Meriam slapped him. "Your face is thick. You hur
**Warning: SPG content** "I'm too drunk now. Can we go home?" Miguel asked the woman he was with. "Your place or mine?" the woman asked. "My place. Can you drive for me?" Miguel asked his girlfriend. "Where is your place, babe?" the woman asked again. "Use my car; there's a GPS," Miguel answered simply. Miguel staggered to his feet but managed to walk. The woman couldn't support him as she was holding his ruined clothes. He covered himself. "Can I have a towel?" he asked, but no one noticed him, so he left. She drove Miguel to his mansion. They entered the guardhouse and parked in front of the mansion. Supporting him, she kissed him on the neck. The kiss was passionate, but not on the lips, down to the broken clothes of the woman in his future. They cried, walking into the mansion. Miguel picked up the girl. If Miguel moved, it seemed he wasn't drunk. Before they entered the mansion, falling flower vases caught their attention. "Aaaah!" "What's your problem?!!" Miguel shout
I continued with my daily routine, distracting myself by reconnecting with friends. Mom and I discussed returning to the Philippines whenever I felt ready; they never pressured me, especially Dyson and Ken, who were accustomed to life in Korea. Mom and Dad understood Ken's decision to work abroad, away from the family business he couldn't handle. I avoided discussing topics with him that I knew he wasn't comfortable with, especially concerning our parents. "Mom!" I called out from outside the door. "Why are you shouting? What's the matter?" Ken asked, approaching with a spoon in hand. "Nothing, just hungry!" I replied with a smirk. "I thought you were on a diet. Where do you get all this energy to eat?" he teased, but stopped short when Mom shot him a look, and I frowned. "I'm not interested—" "Oh, come on! Mom cooked something special," Ken interrupted, nudging me towards the kitchen. "Really!? I'm in!" Dyson exclaimed, rushing ahead into the dining area. "Hurry up! We're runn
"Are you sure about this?" Raven asked as we walked towards her car. Raven had picked me up from the airport upon my return from the Philippines. Mom and Dyson had left first to avoid being seen with me; Dyson, being a secret agent, couldn't afford to have ties to someone like me, whose life was a tale that spanned across continents. As expected, there were numerous cameras and people posing as regular passengers. That's how the media operates. They thrive on sensational stories, and the return of Villanueva was a major headline. Speculation about the pregnancy of an heir to a major corporation swirled, and the man in question had disappeared. The pregnant man was the son of their business rival. Thus, the rumor mill churned, with many asserting that I was the pregnant woman who had left the country to give birth. It had been seven months since I left without a trace, leaving them to speculate. The plane ticket Miguel's father had provided wasn't used by me; I returned via a differe
"Let him through! We need to talk!" a woman shouted from outside our gate. She was yelling at our guard to let her in, causing a scene in our exclusive subdivision. After five minutes of commotion, I decided to intervene. "What's going on here?" I asked as I approached them. "This lady says she needs to talk to Sir because ma'am has disappeared. Is there anything you know about this?" our guard explained. "What do you want with my husband?" I asked the woman. "Husband—" "Yes, my husband! Wait, aren't you the woman Miguel brought here last week?" I cut her off. "What's your problem? You've been losing it for a while now! Aren't you ashamed? You're the side chick making a scene?" I added, frustration evident in my voice. My head was spinning. "Why? Are you married?" she retorted. "We're not married, but we live together under the same—" "I'll steal him from—" "If you can, go ahead," I shot back sternly. My thoughts turned to Miguel. Despite living under the same roof, our re
"Moooom!" I called out excitedly as we arrived at Mama's farm. Miguel had sent everything he thought might be useful, though I wasn't really ill. At the time, I didn't want to believe it and I offered to make tea, but he declined. "What a morning to arrive!" Mom greeted us warmly as she watered her plants in this remote province of the Philippines. "He's been looking forward to seeing you. Thought you were a boy who wouldn't give up," Dyson teased, earning a playful smack from me. I hugged Mama tightly as she approached. Raven, Ken, Dyson, and Angela were chatting animatedly nearby. "Have you eaten yet?" Mom asked us. "Not yet! We've been missing your cooking. Aira hasn't eaten because she knew we were coming home. Come on, Aira, what's with that?" Dyson exclaimed, dodging a few pebbles I tossed his way. Mom, Raven, and Ken burst into laughter at our antics. Angela, meanwhile, was admiring the flowers as if seeing them for the first time. "You really are like siblings!" Mom rem