“I just thought you need privacy since you seem to…” “To what?” He asked, not a single strand of emotion laced on his face. “I just thought with what happened last time that I should be more careful with coming into your office,” I explained, articulating my words so that nothing inappropriate comes out of my mouth. “You mean the time you saw me have sex?” My jaw dropped. I was trying to be professional and sensible but this man just broke it without even trying. He was so blunt that I couldn’t process what I should reply to him. ‘Um, yeah, that,” it was all I could muster to answer. I know its pathetic but I really don’t now how to recover form what he just said. Sigh, so him and Aiden do have similarities. Both just say whatever comes to their minds. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore, I’ll not be doing anything indecent as long as you’re here, so feel free to come in and out as you please,” he said making me flush. What
“Good morning,” Hayden greeted me as he sipped his coffee while skimming at a stack of papers in the dining table. “Hi,” I replied, settling into the seat on his right as the maids began serving breakfast. “How’s school with Aiden so far?” He asked casually, his eyes still on the paper. “It’s been fine,” I answered curtly, not wanting to have a lengthy conversation with him. I could feel his gaze shifting toward me, but I pretended not to notice, not wanting to feed this unhealthy feelings I have towards him. It’s not like this is anything serious. How long have I even known him? You can’t possibly get attached to someone you’ve barely scratched the surface with, right? “I heard he had an altercation with someone yesterday,” Hayden said, lowering the papers, “Do you know something about it?” "I’m not sure I should be the one to—" My words faltered when Aiden entered the room, his eyes locking onto mine almost
“Excuse me?” I said, narrowing my eyes. “The girl you just called a witch,” he replied with an infuriating smirk. “I get that,” I shot back, crossing my arms, “What I don’t get is why are you in the girl’s restroom?”. He shrugged nonchalantly. “I just happened to see you on my way to my room,” his gaze shifted to the stain on my shirt, and he chuckled softly, then he moved his eyes back to me, “I figured you might need some help,” he said and reached into his bag and held out a black hoodie. I blinked at the hoodie in his hands, torn whether to accept it or not. It’s weird for someone to be this kind, and that instantly raised my suspicions. Perhaps this guy has ulterior motives? “I’m not planning to do anything sketchy, I just want to help,” he suddenly spoke, as if reading my mind. His voice was calm, but it startled me nonetheless. I cleared my throat. I hesitated before finally taking the hoodie from him.
After a long three hour lecture the bell finally rang. The exhaustion hit me like a wave. Imagine, this was just the first day! The professor hadn’t even bothered with introductions, he immediately dived straight into teaching. I guess he is the kind of person who doesn’t like to waste time. “Before you leave,” The professor’s voice cut through the chatter. “I will give you all your first task in my subject.” The prof. said, and groans instantly erupted across the room.“Quiet!” He snapped, his weathered face etched with disappointment. “No need to make a fuss, this is an easy one, but I will require you to have a partner for this which I already made last night. I’ll send to you all the details in your school email account.” He said without waiting for further protests, shaking his head he gathers his materials and strode out.I packed out quickly, eager to escape, when an obnoxious sound came from beside me.“Psst…” I ignored him, pretending I didn’
“We weren’t doing anything. We were just playing around and suddenly that guy showed up and punched me!” The huge guy who had been harassing Asher earlier started spouting blatant lies when the headmistress Bega asking her questions, trying to investigate what happened.I glanced at Hayden to see his reaction, but as usual, his expression was unreadable. Sometimes I wonder if this guy ever experienced being frazzled. He stood there, calm and unaffected, like a towering boulder unmoved by a raging tide.“Is this true?” The headmistress asked, turning to me and Asher for answers. I noticed her hesitating slightly, her gaze flickering nervously toward Hayden before returning to us.I wonder what’s up with her. Was she... afraid of him? Then again, considering Hayden’s family practically funded this entire academy, her reaction wasn’t surprising.The bully fritted his teeth and glared at Asher with a menacing look, silently warning him of th
The day ended in a blur. I waited for Aiden in the parking lot as we had agreed, but he was still not here. I was curious what was going on with him. I remembered he had basketball practice, so I headed to the gymnasium to check. When I got there, it was already empty. Disappointed, I turned my heels around and decided to just wait for him in the car but then I heard a loud sound. Instinctively, I followed the noise, my curiosity peaking. I walked and when I was turning in a corner near the restrooms, I froze when I saw Asher talking with someone. His face was filled with fresh tears. His eyes riddled with pain. I was about to walk away, not wanting to intrude, but then I noticed a reflection in the glass wall.Aiden.What were they doing here alone? Oh my God! Aiden might be bullying him again! This idiot!I was about to intervene to put a stop to it, but Asher's broken voice resonated in the quiet room, stopping me.“You,” he said, trembling, his voice low and strained. Asher’s h
“Hey, Bella! Wait up,” I was walking through the school grounds when I heard my name being called. Turning around, I immediately regretted it. To my dismay, it was Gab, jogging towards me with a goofy grin on his face. I sighed and quickly looked away, hastening my steps. “Hey, wait up.” He called again. His footsteps growing louder until he popped up in front of me, waving a hand in my face.I ignored him and tried to walk past despite his persistent attempt to get my attention. “Hey, are you mad at me or something?” He asked. A hint of concern creeping into his voice.I shot him a sideway glance. “What do you think?” I shot back, my tone sharp as I raised a brow at him. “What did I do?” He asked, pouting, looking like a scolded puppy. I stopped abruptly, crossing my arms as I faced him. For a moment, I questioned why I couldn’t stand him. Maybe I just don’t want to associate myself with him, but for entirely no reason. Let’s just say it’s a gut feeling, and past experiences te
“Bella, hey!” Aiden’s voice broke through my thoughts as he snapped his fingers in front of my face. I blinked, startled, and looked at him. He was staring at me like I had completely lost it.“What?”“Did you even hear a single word I said to you just now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Oh? Was he talking to me? “Sorry, I spaced out, what were you saying?”“I was asking if you could go to the mall with me. I need to buy something, and I could use your help,” he repeated patiently.It was Saturday, and my original plan involved sprawling on my bed all day, doing absolutely nothing. The thought of going out made me hesitate. There was also the chance of running into Hayden since he usually does his work I this office during weekends, and after what happened last night, I wasn’t ready to face him.I was trying to collect my thoughts especially with what he said last night. Thinking about it still makes me want to scream
The hallway outside Hayden’s room smelled faintly of disinfectant. It was quiet, except for the occasional footsteps of nurses and the distant beeping of machines. I stood just outside the door, my arms crossed in frustration. The doctor stood in front of me, his expression calm but serious. His white coat was slightly wrinkled, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Still, his voice was steady as he explained everything to me.“What happened earlier,” he began, “was likely a neurological episode triggered by a surge of memory. When the brain starts to recover certain fragments of the past, it can become overwhelmed, especially in cases like his—where trauma is involved.”I nodded slowly, processing his words.“So, it means he’s starting to remember?” I asked quietly, afraid to hope too much.“Possibly,” the doctor replied. “But it’s not always linear. The brain doesn’t return memories like pages in a book. It’s more like scattered pieces of a puzzle. Sometimes, a sight or a sou
Since I took a short leave. I figured it would be best that Hayden and I go out for some fresh air at the park. He seemed bored staying in side the house, so when I asked him if he wanted to go out, his eyes practically sparked with joy.We walked side by side along the park, with a small but noticeable distance between us. He didn’t say much. Actually, he hadn’t said anything aside from short replies since we left the house. I tried to start some conversation, but he would reply with lesser interest.“Do you want to sit for a bit?”“Okay.”Silence again.I tried not to show the sting on my face, but I felt it. I felt everything, and maybe that was the problem. I was hoping we’d been making progress. That the garden walk, the brief laughter, the almost-familiar smiles—maybe those meant something. But here we were again, back to the flat responses. I wanted to scream and cry and demand, Please, just remember me, but I swallowed it all like bitter tea.Patience Isabella, patience…We pa
Hayden needed fresh air. The four walls of our home, though familiar to me, still felt foreign to him. I thought maybe a little walk through the garden would help. It was one of the few places we both cherished, we would take a walk when we had time—at least, before the accident. The sun had just started to dip, casting a golden hue across the sky as we stepped outside. The garden was just how we left it. A little messy, maybe. The lavender bushes leaned slightly too far into the path, and some of the tulips had bowed under their own weight, but it was still beautiful in its own imperfect way. It felt alive. Unlike the silence that often wrapped around us since he came home. Hayden walked a few paces ahead of me, hands in his pockets, his eyes drifting across the flowers as he gazed at them with a smile on his face. “I planted those,” I pointed at the small bed of daisies near the bench. “You helped. You said they reminded you of summer.” He looked at them, tilting his head sl
I messaged Dominic where we’d meet.I wasn’t even sure if he’d show up.The café was quiet that morning, tucked between an old bookstore and a flower shop. The kind of place people passed without looking twice. I chose the table near the window—half for the view, half for the distance. My fingers tapped anxiously against the ceramic cup, the latte I ordered was untouched and slowly cooling.Then the door creaked open, and there he was.Dominic looked... cautious. He didn’t walk in with the usual confidence he carried like a second skin. His steps were careful, his eyes searching for mine before he approached. There was no smirk, no witty remark, just a nod and a quiet, “Hey.”I gave a small smile, the kind you force when you don’t know where to begin. “Hey.” He sat down across from me. For a few seconds, we just sat there in silence, me staring at the swirling foam of my coffee, and him watching me like I might change my mind and leave any second now.“I’m glad you came,” I said firs
The car ride home was quiet. Too quiet.Hayden sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed outside the window, watching the city blur past like it was an unfamiliar terrain. Blake had fallen asleep in the backseat, curled up with his seatbelt still hugging his little body. Aiden followed behind in his own car, giving us space. Maybe he knew I needed this time with him. Maybe Hayden needed it, too.My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. I didn’t know what I expected the ride to feel like—but this emptiness wasn’t it. I should’ve been happy. I should’ve been relieved that Hayden was alive, that he was beside me. But instead, I felt… lost.The man sitting beside me had the same face. The same heartbeat. The same soul.But he didn’t know me.And worst of all… he thought I was someone else.Cassie.The name had looped in my head ever since he first whispered it. The way his brows creased in a mix of pain and longing. The way his lips moved, hesitant, like the name itself was so importa
The doctor explained to us what had happened. Since his head was damaged by the impact, the memory loss must have been a result of that. But he said he’ll be fine, and that we didn’t need to worry much since he’ll recover everything back. As to how long that will take—that we are unsure of. Aiden stood beside me, quiet, his arms crossed as he watched Blake wander the room, his eyes flickering with concern. He hadn’t said a word since we walked in, and I knew why. We were all pretending like this wasn’t the most heartbreaking moment of our lives. “Is Uncle okay now, Mama?” Blake asked, looking up at me with those wide, innocent eyes. He was confused, worried, even. His little brows furrowed in a way that reminded me so much of Hayden when he get’s worried of me. Blake had really caught some of Hayden’s antics. I nodded, kneeling to his height. “He’s better now, baby. But he needs some time.” Without hesitation, Blake trotted toward the hospital bed. His tiny hand reached up, gen
Back at the hospital, the atmosphere felt heavier. Too sterile. Too quiet. It was the kind of silence that I hate. The only things that you you basically hear is the beeping of the monitor.Hayden still hadn’t woken up.I sat next to him in the VIP room where the nurses led me to earlier, my eyes fixed on the bandage wrapped around his head. There were scratches on his face, some bruising on his jaw. But nothing prepared me for the moment I walked in and saw him lying there, still, pale, tubes hooked to him.The nurse had said his condition was stable, but that word barely gave me comfort.Stable meant alive. Not okay.“Ms.?” A nurse peeked in. “Do you need anything?”I shook my head. “Thank you.”I asked Aiden to go home first to take care of Blake. So it was just me and Hayden right now. We have also notified their parents and Auntie almost fainted at the news and had to be taken to the hospital. Uncle said they’ll arrive tomorrow since they were o
I was expecting him to yell. To meet fire with fire, like he always did. But Dominic just stared at me, his expression unreadable.And his stillness made me even more angrier. My hands were still slightly trembling from the slap, and my heart was pounding in my chest. But then I saw something unexpected, his eyes… it wasn’t filled with rage. They looked… concerned. And tired.He took a step forward. “Why are you crying?”I blinked, feeling the heat of my tears finally streaming down. I didn’t even realize I was crying until he said it. My throat was dry, and my chest hurt, but I wasn’t about to let him touch me—much less see me like this.When his hand reached up to wipe my face, I slapped it away. Hard.“Don’t touch me,” I said through clenched teeth. My voice cracked, but I didn’t back down.To my surprise, he didn’t push it. He actually pulled his hand back and… obeyed me. That was the scariest part. The calm before whatever twisted storm he had plann
My heels echoed through the hospital loudly. I didn’t care if people were staring. My heart was racing so loud it practically drowned out the sound of my steps anyway. I followed the nurse, my eyes trained on the walls but my mind all over the place.Please be okay. Please, Hayden, be okay.“He’s in this room, ma’am,” the nurse said, stopping in front of a door. She looked at me with a bit of sympathy in her eyes. “His condition has stabilized. It was a road accident—some reckless driver at an intersection. We’re still waiting for the official report.”Road accident?My breath caught in my throat as I stepped into the room.There he was.His head was wrapped in white gauze, a few cuts lining his forehead. His lip was split on one side. He had an IV in his hand and an oxygen clip on his finger. He looked... pale…and till. Too still for someone who never stops moving.My knees buckled slightly, and I had to grip the side of the door to stop myself from fall