“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”Steve asked Ava as they drove home from Derek’s place.“No, it actually wasn’t. Derek seems to have changed a lot. He even gave us his blessing, so to speak, although he did threaten to tan your hide if you were to hurt me.” Ava said, laughing a little, but Steve did not seem to find it as funny as she did.“Yeah, he’s one to talk … as though he isn't the chief culprit when it comes to doing that.”“Hey, calm down. It was only a joke.”“I know, I know. It’s just that seeing him and Damien acting all loved up, while they treat me like an outcast or some sort of leper kind of hurts. Damien didn’t even act like he knew that my brother died. That sort of behavior sucks coming from someone who was once a very close friend.”“Oh, so you knew Damien too? You’re literally a mystery to me, or rather, your history with Derek is a mystery to me.”“Yeah, I used to know Damien as well. Derek, Damien and I used to be pretty close back then in college. Derek and I were r
“Hmm … so Steve and your ex-wife, huh? That is so unbelievable. I'll have to give it to him, that guy is got balls made out of steel.” Damien said to Derek as soon as Ava and Steve left and it was just the two of them in the house.“Yeah. She told me that they're seeing each other. He seems to make her happy though, and maybe he truly has changed as he keeps claiming. Fame, money, and adulthood may have changed him, so I’ve decided not to judge or interfere.”“So you’re just going to stand by and let Steve of all people steal the woman who was once your wife? The same woman you're still very much in love with?”“What? I’m not in love with …” Derek started to deny this allegation, but Damien cut him short.“Yeah, yeah. You can lie to yourself and everyone else all you want, but don’t forget that I know you only too well. I mean, I'm not judging you if that's what you're worried about. Far from it ... I think it's better you’re in love with Ava than with Denise in my opinion. Ava is a g
EIGHT PLUS YEARS AGO "I’m making a huge mistake. I'm making a huge mistake!” These words kept reverberating in Derek’s head as the short wedding ceremony between him and Ava took place. In fact, his expression and doubt must have been quite noticeable because Damien looked him over with concern and whispered to him. “Hey, man. What's up? Are you alright?” “Yeah, yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?” Derek managed to say. “Listen, man. You look really pale, and I’m guessing you’re beginning to regret this impulsive decision. Your soon-to-be wife seems like an okay person, but then this is marriage we’re talking about, and not just a mere fling. It is not too late to snap out of it and call the whole thing off right here, right now. In my opinion, it’s better you hurt her now rather than take a vow to protect and love her, only to break her heart in the end.” Derek considered this for a moment, but then, he happened to glance at Ava, who was beaming at him as though this was th
Derek unconsciously tried to prolong their stay at the restaurant for as long as possible. In the end, though, he couldn't delay any longer without it seeming weird, so they had to leave and go back home.Ava was already living with him since she had been the one who was taking care of him after the accident, so all her stuff was at his place. Nothing had really changed in their day-to-day life ... except for the fact that they were now man and wife.“How did you manage to convince your parents not to come to the wedding?” He asked her on the drive home.“Oh, we had a small fight because they wanted me to marry someone else. It was easy after that because we were mad at each other.”“Oh. You didn’t want to get married to this person? Why not?”“Heavens, no! I can't stand the thought of him.” Ava exclaimed, laughing a little. Derek had to smile at that.“So have you told them that you got married to someone else then?”“No, not yet. I’ll tell them when we get home.”“Cool, cool,” Derek
Somehow, they managed to make their way up to his bedroom after they were done having sex and promptly fell asleep there. They woke up in the middle of the night and had sex again after which they fell asleep in each other's arms. Derek woke up the next morning to see Ava staring at him and this startled him somewhat.“Hey … is everything okay?” He croaked out in a sleepy voice.“Yeah … everything is perfect. Good morning. I was just admiring how handsome you are … even when you sleep with your mouth open and you’re snoring.” She replied, laughing gaily.For some reason, Derek did not find this funny though. He wanted to be alone and he did not like being stared at while he slept, but he did not tell her this.“Did you sleep well?” He asked her instead.“Yes, I did. I slept like a baby. And you?”“I slept well too. Uh, not be an ass, but do you mind if I could be alone for some time?”“Derek, I understand that we’re not a match made in heaven, but we’re married now. Don’t you think w
“Yes, I indeed am pregnant. Can you believe it? To think that we weren’t even trying to get pregnant, yet here we are. I’m so so happy. I’ve always wanted a baby.” Ava gushed on and on, while Derek remained quiet and let her talk.She was quite the talkative and anytime she was extremely excited about something, she would literally talk the head off of anyone who cared to listen to her.That was what she was doing now. In fact, she had launched into a long excited speech about what gender she thought the baby might be, who she thought the baby was going to look like, and all of that.Her excitement was palpable and Derek found himself smiling indulgently at her. A baby? He could feel happiness stirring up within him at the thought of having a baby, even though they hadn't exactly planned it.“Um, wait! You haven’t said anything since I told you that I am pregnant. Are you not happy about it? I swear I didn’t know I was going to get pregnant. It must have happened the few times we had
The sound of his alarm jolted Derek out of his reverie. If only he hadn't gone on that trip, maybe somehow, things would have been different from the way they were now. Yet how was he supposed to have known what he would find when he came back, or how it would change him into the uncaring and unfeeling husband that Ava didn’t deserve after that? “Earth to Derek. You seemed to have zoned out there. What are you setting an alarm for in the middle of the day?” Damien asked him, looking amused. “Oh, I set it so I won't be late to pick up Barry from school.” “Aren’t you supposed to be resting instead of going around driving?” “I won't be driving. One of my drivers would take me. Barry specifically requested that I pick him up from school today. He didn’t even want to go in the first place and I'm sure that if not for the fact that he wanted to see his best friend, he would have thrown a tantrum and refused to go. I think he’s scared that I'm going to disappear again. Besides, I need to
Somehow, Ava was not surprised to find herself in this situation. In fact, it felt like on a subconscious level, she had been hoping that Derek would find out that he had a daughter from her this way.He had not yet pieced the puzzle together, but was instead, smiling and looking at her uncertainly, probably wondering why she was acting strangely.Ava willed herself to smile … do something … say something, but all she could manage was to open her mouth and close it several times like a fish out of the water, totally at a loss as to what to say.“Well, fancy meeting you here, Ava. What are you doing here, if I may ask?” Derek asked.“Hello,” Harper said to Derek before her mother could answer the question, choosing that moment to greet him, and he smiled warmly down at her and told her hello in return.“Um, well … I …” Ava stammered, her face flushing. Harper came to the rescue in the next second.“This is my mom. Mom, this is Barry’s Dad. He has many nice cars.” She introduced Derek t
The day was bright, sunny, and cheerful, as were the people who were present at Derek's house to celebrate with him and Ava as they got married for the second time.The large garden at their house had been decorated beautifully and had served as their wedding venue. The two were the stars of the show, and they had eyes for no one but each other.They had just exchanged their vows again, to the thunderous cheers of their friends, family, and well-wishers.To put it more precisely Derek was the one with the friends, while Ava was the one with her family members present.Derek didn’t have any extended family members left, and neither did he want any. The family that he had built and was still building was more than enough for him.He had Ava, who was the best and most supportive partner that anyone could have, and with whom he was madly in love, and vice versa.He also had his beautiful daughter, Harper, who was growing up so fast and was so smart and well-behaved that she melted hearts
He led her back to his room, walked over to a drawer by the side of his bed, opened it, and brought out something from inside it.When he turned towards her and she saw what it was that he brought out of it, Ava gasped out loud.It looked like the black box in which her engagement ring had come several years ago.Derek had always had a taste for good things, and he had the money to support his taste.Thus back then, even when he wasn’t really into her, and was only marrying her out of pity, he had gotten her a beautifully crafted and expensive engagement ring.As he opened the box in his hands now and got down on one knee, she could see that it was the same ring that was inside it.He had kept it even after all these years! Tears sprung to her eyes, filling them as he professed his love to her and asked her to marry him again, promising to treat her right this time around and make up for all the lost years.“Yes, yes, Derek. Of course, I’ll marry you! There’s nothing I want more.” She
Ava wasn’t about to take any chances though. After hugging the living daylights out of Derek, while he hugged her back just as tightly, she insisted that they had to visit the hospital right then.“But it’s already late. Besides, I don’t think there's anything they can do or will have to do. We can wait until tomorrow to go there and celebrate this night instead.” Derek suggested, his voice rife with meaning as he threw a suggestive wink Ava’s way, but she didn't allow herself to be swayed.“No way in hell. We’ve waited too long for you to regain your memory to just take it so lightly now that it has finally happened. We’re going now, and that’s that!”“As Her Royal Highness wishes.” Derek joked, making a small, formal bow that made Ava smile.Yes, he was back. She could see in his eyes that he truly recognized her, but even better, he had the same look in his eyes that he used to have before he went to the conference and everything changed.The look that told her that he was in love
She picked up the papers with the slowness of a very old woman and scanned through them, her hands shaking.She was not surprised to see her name, as well as Derek’s name on the papers because she had recognized the papers the minute they fell out of the book.It was the same ones that Derek had handed to her on that night several years ago, which she had had no choice but to reluctantly sign, while crying her eyes out and swearing never to forgive him for everything that he had done to her.Except that he hadn't really done anything in the sense of the word ... at least, not in the way that she thought.Why on earth were these papers still with him? She had signed them and left that day without giving any thought to what he was going to do with them.Her signature was there on the paper, right where she had signed it haphazardly. In fact, she thought that she could still see a tear mark or two on the papers since she was crying when she signed them, but she couldn’t be sure since th
They walked in companionable silence to Derek’s room. Once they were inside the room, he led her to his walk-in closet where he had stored the journals, making sure to keep a respectable distance between them.Ava knew that it was because she had complained about the scent of his cologne, and now, she wished that she had kept her wide mouth shut.“It’s all in there. Here, let me look for the specific one you asked about.” Derek said, picking it out and handing it to her.“Oh, thank you. Are you sure that you don’t mind me reading it?”“Not in the least bit. I feel like I’d be doing the guy who wrote all that stuff a huge solid by letting you see for yourself all the things that he wanted to say to you for so long but was too chicken to say. He might want to kill me for doing it, but I think he’ll be better for it in the long run.” Derek replied, shrugging.“Okay then,” Ava said happily.Derek, for his part, suddenly became self-conscious. What if she thought that he was a sappy fool a
Several seconds passed, and then Derek rushed in the direction that she had gone.He found her in the restroom adjoining the living room. She was throwing up violently into the toilet bowl.Derek went over to her and moved her hair away from her face, providing support until there was nothing for her to throw up anymore.Once she was done, she slowly turned to face him. It was clear that she was reluctant to turn, andDerek remained immobile for a few more seconds before rushing after Ava.He found her in the restroom adjoining the living room, throwing up violently into the toilet bowl, and rushed towards her.He held her and moved her hair away from her face until there was nothing for her to throw up anymore.Then she slowly and reluctantly turned to face him, a fact that wasn't lost on him. In fact, she seemed to be inching awayfrom him so that there was a little space between them.He figured that it was because she had just finished throwing up the contents of her bowel and did
The next day, Derek arrived home from work with a huge bouquet of flowers for Ava and a smaller one for Harper. The two of them were in the living room, watching Harper’s favorite cartoon and looking all comfy and cozy. Their eyes lit up the moment Derek stepped into the living room, and this filled him with warmth. Harper in her usual fashion, bounded up to run over to him to give him a big hug. Her hugs were one of his favorite things nowadays, and he could never get tired of receiving them for as long as he lived. Ava, on the other hand, was more reserved in her welcome towards him, but she did smile at him in welcome. Her eyes were always cautious around him, which kind of made him sad because that emotion was definitely different from the one he wrote about in his journals after she warmed up to him. “Welcome home. Derek. What have you got there behind you?” Ava asked him. “Thank you. I got you both some flowers.” He replied, and brought forward the hand that was holding th
As the days passed and Derek's memory didn't return, he got more and more frustrated because it felt like things were at a standstill due to the memory loss.On the bright side, catching up with work wasn't difficult for him at all. In fact, it was one of the easiest things he had to deal with and he spent several hours a day at it while Harper was at school and Ava was trying to get back to work.Catching up with the rest of his life was what was difficult though. Nothing made sense, and so he had to go through all of his stuff, trying to find out more about his current than he already knew.He managed to find out a lot just by doing this. He had always been very organized and used to keep journals that documented his daily life.Apparently, he still kept these journals and they were all arranged neatly on a shelf in his library.He went through each and every one of them, trying to catch a glimpse of the man he now was. Going through them made him realize just how different he was f
She smiled at him and slowly came out from behind the chair. Derek had no idea for how long she had been hiding there, but it seemed that it had been quite a while.“Daddy…” She said and without warning, rushed at him and embraced him tightly with more strength than he would have expected a child to have.Derek awkwardly patted her back and embraced her too, not sure if he should pick her up, kiss her cheek, ruffle her hair, or anything like that.“How are you?” He asked her, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth. He sounded like he was having a formal meeting with some board of directors or something like that, not talking to a child.However, Harper didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she made his decision for him by raising her arms, indicating that he should pick her up.“I’m fine, daddy. The bad woman told me that you died, but I didn’t believe her.” Harper told him.Derek immediately did as she wanted and she rested her head on his shoulder in the sweetest gesture ever. To his