Family is supposed to be our safest haven. Yet very often, it's the place where we can attain the deepest heartache. Perhaps, most of us wouldn't really understand how some people we call family could relentlessly hurt us the most more than a total stranger could ever do. "If I were you, you would tell me now. Because even if I set you free, the one behind this wouldn't let you roam the streets knowing that you could betray them any time. They must have known now that we had caught and brought you here. So, think about it properly, buddy. And, don't try to fool me."Sebastian handed his boss one of his favorite collections of revolvers. "Finish him, boss." "Let's play a game, shall we?" Dionysus' eyes glinted in a way anyone would dreadfully tremble on their knees, like a devil had suddenly taken over his body. "Do you somehow know the game 'russian roulette'?" The sniper's eyes instantaneously widened in utter shock. He palpably knew the game yet he lied right in front of Dionysus
We all know that the most painful goodbyes were the ones left unsaid and the ones that were never explained at all. "What the fuck, Sebastian? I don't like the smell of cigarettes!" Dionysus screamed as soon as he coughed at the disgusting smoke of Sebastian's minty cigarette that suddenly attacked his nose."But, there's a ventilator here, boss. Don't worry. I'll tell the smoke to fly high up to the ventilator so that you can't inhale it." Sebastian said and wiped the fresh traces of tears in his face immediately."Hang on." Dionysus crawled towards Sebastian and tried examining his face. "Did you cry as well?"Sebastian was so startled at that, that he unconsciously tossed the cancer stick he was holding to the white wall behind him. And, instantaneously, a rapid fire emerged because the white walls were embedded with leatherette and foams underneath.Sebastian cursed out loud as he immediately went outside and called all of their men. "Hurry! The torture room is burning! Bring all
They say goodbyes are not forever, are not the end; it simply means 'I will miss you and until we meet again'. "I like you so much that it's so painful if I can't see you nor touch you. You heard me? It's so painful. How can you make me hurt like this? I can't even explain how you can make me feel like this." Zoey started to cry yet it wasn't so noticeable because of the raindrops cascading down her face. Her eyeglasses became so foggy that she had no choice but to remove them.A few seconds had passed again, yet Dionysus never once responded to his wife's heartfelt confessions. Zoey was becoming more frustrated. "Dio, please. ."When Dionysus still didn't reply back, Zoey sobbed and covered her mouth. She nodded her head repeatedly afterwards before staring back at Dionysus again. "I get it. I'm not someone you will really like, right?" The pain in Zoey's voice was very evident and clear. "You realized that I'm not really deserving of you? Because I'm not pretty like those girls who
A professional would say that the denial stage is when someone is having a hard time acknowledging that the relationship is over. It was a common defense mechanism used to help numb the intensity of the pain. Zoey's mind kept asking her on how the bloody hell she fell for Dionysus' deception. Zoey criticized her heart over and over again. She can't utterly believe the amount of pain she was feeling right now. She can't understand how love could be all butterflies for one minute, then become sheer suffering the next second. Despite being hostile to each other for the past few years, Zoey embraced her older sister's body tightly. Zoey knew that, that was her hurting soul needed right now. Someone to hug her and remind her that she is worth everything in the world. And, that she is not someone who can be thrown away so easily. She wanted the kind of embrace that would soothe the pain in her heart even just a little bit. Zara was quite stunned, especially when Zoey's soaking wet clothe
Denial, the first stage in grieving where our reality has shifted completely. Most of us reflect on the experiences we have shared with the person we lost, and denial attempts to slow this painful process down for us and take us through it one step at a time.The chief butler, in charge of supervising the Chevalier Ancestral House had a hard time opening the small gate in front of him. He was holding an umbrella on his other hand but because it was raining too hard, he cursed out loud when his uniform started to get soaked and when the unknown guest outside rang the doorbell again, for the nth time. "Hang on! Who the bloody hell is going to visit at this unholy hour! It's already past midnight!" The chief butler ranted with a very annoyed tone. Seconds later, the butler successfully unbolted the gate and when he saw a man drenched in rainwater, he became more annoyed. "Who the hell are you? How did you even pass through the security of this subdivision?" The man moved his face up to
Other people might not always be comfortable with issues regarding anger. Yet, the feeling of anger itself is natural and can be destructive if kept for a long time. And, it was a feeling like any other. It needed to be expressed, not denied. "Well. I just thought you wouldn't be sleeping at the mansion tonight because you might remember your memories with Master Hermes there. So, yeah. I went here hours ago and waited for you. You know me, Dio. It was like guarding you all the time had already been engraved in my soul and eventually became my natural instinct as time went by. I can't just ignore it just because you told me so." Sebastian cleared his throat afterwards. "You went to your parents' house?" He asked carefully. "Yeah, obviously." Sebastian's eyes widened. "What happened, then?" Dionysus sighed. "What do you think? As I have already thought, I can't hurt them. I will give them a chance." "What for, Dio?" "A chance to redeem themselves. I'll be waiting for them to conf
The second stage in grieving where there is so much to process that anger may feel like it allows us an emotional outlet. The realization that our loved one is not returning feels real, and we can have a difficult time understanding or finding hope in our future."So, where is he?" Dr. Sprouse asked in between breaths as soon as he set foot inside Dionysus' penthouse. It was already past one in the morning when he received Sebastian's call for help to aid Dionysus as soon as possible. Sebastian chose not to bring Dionysus to the hospital instead, merely because he doesn't know who to trust anymore."Thank you for coming." Sebastian whispered but instead of ushering the handsome doctor towards the master's bedroom, he strutted towards the shelf to get something. "Don't mention it. Dionysus is a very good friend of mine." Dr. Sprouse answered but his forehead creased when he noticed what Sebastian had picked up and started to wipe with a cloth. "Is that. . a gun?" As soon as Sebastian
In the bargaining stage of grief, in those moments of intense emotion, we may find ourselves creating a lot of “what if'' and “if only” statements in our minds. We try to foolishly imagine a different outcome, if we only did much better to strengthen the relationship."Hmm. I miss taking the subway. I miss my friends and my boy friends. I miss my old school and the library. I miss having toasted bagels with cream cheese at lunch break." Zamantha had voiced out loud with a deep sigh. She was having dinner with her mother and Zara that evening, five days after they moved to Illinois.So far, she is still waiting for Zara to finish taking care of her transfer papers to her new school. That was why she had spent all of her time whining about life like that. She looked down at Azlan eating his own bowl of dog food on the floor and caressed the golden retriever's soft fur with her own feet. Zamantha only shifted back her attention to Mrs. Zenaida and Zara when her mother tapped her arm. "B
All's well that ends well. A knock on the door made Zoey and Dionysus move away from embracing each other. Dionysus wiped Zoey's cheeks gently and smiled. "I love you." Zoey beamed widely. "I love you, too." Zoey hit her husband's shoulders. "But, I hate you, too." Dionysus' forehead creased. "Why, baby? Did I do something wrong?" Shawn and Sebastian materialized beside Dionysus. "I have the results of her tests, Dionysus. And, I want to. ." Dionysus held his hand up in the air to stop Dr. Sprouse for the time being. "What is it, baby? Come on. Tell me." Zoey frowned and looked at the two gentlemen standing on the side. "I. . I forgot, Dio. Just don't mind me." Dionysus smirked. "Then, no one's moving and going away until you tell me why the bloody hell you hate me?" Dr. Sprouse looked down at his wristwatch. "I don't think I can play along with your lover's quarrel, Dionysus. I have surgery to perform fifteen minutes from now." "Did you hear that, baby? So, come on. Tel
Against all odds and against all obstacles, when two people are meant to be together, they will unequivocally make it to the end. "Mr. Chevalier. Should I order something for dinner?" Zoey asked because it was already past seven in the evening and they were still at the office, working. It has been over a week ever since Zoey had known the truth, that she was indeed Dionysus Zephyr Chevalier's wife. But, she hasn't confronted nor asked anyone about it.She wanted to recollect all of her memories first before anything else. So far, some memories had resurfaced to her like the one from the elevators but not all of it. Zoey wanted to remember everything, detail by detail. So, Zoey continued pretending for a whole week that she still doesn't know what her real relationship with her boss is. So, does Dionysus. Her boss continued treating her as a mere secretary as well."Ohh, damn. I didn't realize it was so late already. I have so much work to do." Dionysus closed his eyes, massaged his
There are three things that cannot be hidden for so long. The sun, the moon and the truth. Zoey kept glancing back at Dionysus. She had been sitting on her new desk but her new boss won't give her anything to do. It was her first day so she expected some things to be a little hectic.Dionysus could utterly feel his wife's lingering gaze over him. But, he tried to ignore it all because he might do something shocking to Zoey. He had missed Zoey so much and all he fancied to do right now was to hug her, snuggle close to her body and shower her kisses.Yet, he can't do all those things because Zoey might have another panic attack. And, that was the last thing he wanted to happen. Dionysus was just pretending to type something on his laptops because he didn't really program himself to work on that particular Saturday."Mr. Chevalier?" Dionysus felt his heartbeat had gone much louder inside his chest after hearing Zoey's soft voice. He didn't realize that his wife was already standing in f
And, at the end, she still found her way back to him. "Breaking news: Cronus Chevalier and Gaia Chevalier were found kneeling in front of the New York Police Department early this morning. The Chevalier couple whose chain of businesses went bankrupt more than a year ago confessed to a horrendous crime involving the murder of one of the richest tycoon in New York, Hermes Chevalier. Cronus and Gaia Chevalier told the police that it was them who ordered someone to kill the old Chevalier and frame their own son for their own crimes. Several evidences about their confession to the murder were also sent to all the computers of every police of the N.Y.P.D. When asked about who was the assassin they had ordered to kill Hermes Chevalier, the couple only said that they had already killed him."Dionysus was watching the news in the comfort of his own bed, still wanting to sleep some more but the news had him all awakened. Sebastian and his men had already done their job. Flashback, more than t
We all know that God's plan is always the best even though sometimes, the whole process was very painful and hard to endure. A painful tear fell from Dionysus' eyes. He tried moving an inch towards Zoey but Zoey's screams intensified more. "No! No! Don't come near me! No!" Dionysus' voice broke. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Zoey would look at him the very same way she was looking at him at that jiffy. "Baby. . it's me. Please. I missed you so much." "No! No! Mommy! He's going to hurt me!" Zoey was uncontrollable."Why won't I hurt you, Zoey? I'm your husband. I love you so much." "Argh!" Zoey screamed at the top of her lungs, Zara and Zamantha were too shocked to react on the corner. Mrs. Zenaida Lavigne cannot even hold her own daughter in place anymore. Zoey kept trashing the pillows behind her and even throwing one to Dionysus' direction. Dionysus looked so hurt even though the pillow thrown was just soft and actually weighs nothing. "Go away!" Zamantha star
Our brain is the body's most complex organ. Because even if we do own it, it still has the absolute power to control what will happen next in our lives. Dionysus and some of Apollo's men had helped each other to uplift the stretcher containing the unconscious body of Zoey into the humongous military helicopter. Afterwards, Apollo faced Zamantha and Mrs. Zenaida Lavigne. "You can both come with us here. The helicopter is large enough for all of us." Zamantha and Mrs. Zenaida Lavigne nodded without hesitation even though both of them weren't actually sure who the bloody hell was Apollo. No one was still introducing him to them. Apollo even offered his hands to Zamantha and Mrs. Zenaida Lavigne to help them climb the stairs of the military helicopter.Afterwards, Apollo turned to Dionysus and smirked at him. "You owe me for this one, little brother." "Then, Zoey has to live first." Dionysus clenched his jaw and climbed the helicopter next. While Apollo hopped inside the seat beside th
They say that everything happens for a reason. Because without these small tests, we won't be much stronger than ever before. Something was wrong that bright morning, Zoey thought. She was back in Illinois after spending the whole day with Dionysus yesterday. They had so much fun exploring islands after islands that were surprisingly owned by her husband himself. Before the night came, her mother called and told her to come home already.And, now that she was back, she was slightly expecting some kind of surprise from her little sister, Zamantha, and from her mother, who always does that for that particular day of the year, her birthday. "Hera?" Even her little puppy wasn't sleeping beside her on the bed.Zoey looked around and thought that Zamantha might have come inside her room while she was sleeping to get Hera and make her baby girl play with Azlan. With that thought, Zoey jumped down from the bed and decided to get ready for the day. "Who knows? Mom and Zam must be waiting for
When two people are meant for each other, no time is too long, no distance is too far and nothing can keep them apart.One blink, and Zoey was back to present time. She was no longer inside her own bubble of her flashback dated twenty three years ago. She found herself still imprisoned inside Dionysus' arms. She couldn't believe it. She looked at Dionysus with her wide, shocked eyes. "Hey. Do you remember it now, baby?" "How. ." Was all Zoey could utter back. She couldn't grasp the reality that something like that happened to her back then. How on earth did she forget about it? "Remember when I told you that the first time we met again after all these years, when you bumped into me that day on your final interview for my secretarial position? I instantly recognized you back then. That's why I told you I immediately knew right there and then that you were the one for me. Because I had wished to see you again. I wished so hard, baby. I didn't marry anyone because I was waiting for you
We don’t get over or move on from our trauma. We are forced to make space for it. We carry it. We learn to live with it. And, sometimes, we thrive in spite of it."She shamelessly did that in front of me and the little girl, without thinking of the consequences. I felt like the whole world stopped at that moment. I was fucking traumatized. If I was feeling that way, how much more for the little girl?" Zoey moved away from her husband to see his face. Zoey saw the undeniable misery radiating through Dionysus' eyes. It was like what he was telling her was long buried deep down his heart, wanting for so long to be heard by someone, so it can be finally free from him. Dionysus painfully closed his eyes, not desiring for Zoey to see the lurking darkness in his eyes. It could also literally ruin Zoey's bright and positive outlook in life. In the end, Dionysus doesn't want that to happen. But, Zoey cupped his face and made him look at her, determined for him to continue. "Go on, Dio. You c