I jolted awake when I felt a gentle touch on my hair. My eyebrows furrowed as I woke up in our house. Lucas was sitting on the bed while I lay down. I smiled, relief washing over me. "Lucas," I said. I smiled wider, looking at him. "Lucas," I called to him again. I wanted to reach out to him, but I hesitated. "Stay with me," I pleaded. "Let's just argue again," I said desperately. "Aurora," he called out to me. "Wake up," he said with a smile. I sobbed as he disappeared from my sight. I cried as I searched for him around me, but he was nowhere to be found. "Aurora," he called out, but I couldn't find him anymore. "Where are you?" I sobbed. "I can't see you." "Wake up. How can you see me if you're bowing your head?" he weakly asked. I felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over me when I suddenly woke up and gasped for breath. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the engine humming in the background. I touched my cheeks, quickly wiping away the tears. I was
I blew on the food I was about to feed Lucas. He can be quite stubborn and insisted on leaving the hospital as soon as possible, so now we're in his condo unit. "I can feed myself. Just leave the food there," he ordered. He showed no reaction when I gave him a sideways glance. I sighed and ignored his comment. When the food on the spoon had cooled a bit, I brought it to his mouth. "Why don't you just leave my condo, Aurora? I have hands, and there's nothing lacking in me to feed myself or take care of myself." "I never said you didn't have hands. Just eat this," I calmly replied, cutting him off. "You need to take your medication after finishing this meal. Once you're done, you can rest again." As long as I can handle being with him without us getting into an argument, I'll do it. I understand the situation better, so I'll stay as long as I can. "Leave me alone," he firmly stated. He had been treating me this way for several days since he woke up. I let it slide because, so far,
I watched as he turned his back on me, still clearly upset by my decision. It seemed like he was on the verge of not letting me into his condo, especially after I had gone out with my father to inspect our burned house one time. What he didn't know was that I had the key to his condo. I just couldn't leave him alone, as he had wanted me to do, at least not for now—maybe after all of this had settled. "Aren't you going to take a shower? You're starting to smell bad," I complained. I wanted to laugh when I saw him reluctantly sniffing himself. He refused to acknowledge my presence. If he could teleport, he probably would have done it already. "You reek of sweat. It's even sticking to the bedsheet," I continued my rant. I fiddled with the key I held, feeling his gaze shift back to me. He gave me a stern look, but I chose to ignore it. "It's embarrassing, especially if there's a lady inside—" "Then leave!" he snapped and turned away from me again. I just sighed and stood up. "Peop
"I'm willing to help, Lucas. Why don't you want to accept help? Is it because of your pride?" I couldn't help but ask. I set down my second beer on the table and slouched in front of him. He had already downed two buckets of beer, while I had only consumed two bottles, and yet he still appeared sober. It was embarrassing, considering the low alcohol content of the drinks we were having, but here I was, feeling tipsy. "It's not that I don't want to accept your help. It's just better if you stay quiet and pretend not to know anything because it will only make things harder for me if you're involved and become part of the problem I have to think about, on top of the kids," he explained. I furrowed my brow and tilted my head slightly. "Kids?" I asked. "What kids, and what do they have to do with this?" He shook his head. "Just like I said, stay out of it. Do whatever you want, but please don't try to involve yourself in the problems I'm dealing with. As much as you can, stop being cur
Feeling weaker, I shifted my weight to Lucas and let my arms wrap around his neck. "Aurora, stop," he urged. "What? It's hot, Lucas," I complained after biting his lower lip. He let out a slow sigh and gently pushed me away. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol affecting me so strongly; this wasn't how I usually reacted to alcohol. "Get up, Aurora," he ordered, his voice strained. I groaned in pain and clutched my hip, which had taken the brunt of my fall. "Damn it, why did you roll down?!" he snapped. "I can't even stand up!" I protested. I didn't complain further as Lucas lifted me. I thought he would take me straight to bed, but instead, he sat me down on a high chair in the kitchen. "Here, drink this," he instructed, handing me a glass of water. I reached for it, but my throat refused to cooperate, and I ended up putting the glass on the table. The heat that I was feeling were unbearable, and I felt like I was sticking to my own skin. "It's so hot!" I complained. "I'm sw
I couldn't look at Lucas while we were having breakfast at his mini dining table in his condo kitchen. Even though I was drunk last night, I remembered everything. The memory of waking up in each other's arms added to the mix. I just hoped he didn't know about it because I woke up first. I tried to glance at him, but I was the first to avert my gaze when I met his eyes, which seemed to be waiting for me to look at him. "I'm full—full already," I stammered, lowering the utensils I was holding. I didn't know how to act now after what happened between us. "I'll be heading back to my condo later. Maybe I won't come here anymore—" "Is it because of what happened last night?" he interrupted. "Am I bad at sex?"I hesitated and then blurted out, "No—no," almost shouting, which surprised him. I swallowed hard and continued, "You're doing just fine. I mean, you don't need someone to take care of you anymore. I'll stop running the case like you want. I'll just be quiet—keep quiet," I adde
I felt déjà vu when I saw a man wearing a black hoodie who kept glancing at me. I vividly remembered that this had happened to me before. I put back the cabbage I was holding and waited for the group of five teenagers who were seems to be friends. When they passed by me, I joined them in walking. I was walking quickly away from there. I was starting to believe that Lucas had nothing to do with what was happening to me. I was beginning to doubt that he was behind the near-accidents I had experienced. I am now a hundred percent convinced that everything happening to me was intentional. From the time I was in the cinema, the one where I almost collided with someone. Now I realize that a series of unfortunate events had occurred in my life. Only now am I connecting all the dots. "What the hell!" I angrily shouted as I bumped into someone. I gave him a stern look. I felt a mix of fear and anger while almost running just to get away from there. But I stepped back when I saw the man in
"Have you been waiting for a while now? I'm sorry if I took too long," I greeted Haze as I saw him sitting at the entrance of the cafe. He shook his head. "I just arrived. Although, I can't stay long either. You know." He shrugged. I wrinkled my nose and nodded. There wasn't much I could do about it. We hadn't been able to hang out for a long time because he was so busy. Throughout our entire time at the cafe, he was busy with his phone. I just let him be and occupied myself with other things. He invited me for a coffee break, but it seemed like he didn't really take a break because he was still working even when he wasn't at the office. "I'm really sorry, Aurora. Let's hang out another time. I'm really busy, sorry," he apologized. I shook my head. "It's okay, I understand that you're really busy. Just call me when you're free, I'm not doing anything anyway," I replied. "I told you not to come here. I have my car, but you still followed me," I joke. "I feel bad for not talking t
I was sore down there. When I woke up, Lucas was still sound asleep. I rummaged through his clothes to find something to wear and cover my body. My outfit was ruined from the outside down to my underwear. He was a beast! Even though I could barely walk properly, I felt no regret. I wanted it, and I won't deny it. He didn't stop until I was begging him to. I only managed to rest for a bit, but I woke up to him making love to my body again. I went straight to the kitchen to get some water. I must have run out of fluids in my body because of what he did. He was trying to hold himself back earlier, but when he laid me down on his bed, it was like he was going to tear me apart. I coughed when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and Lucas burying his face in my neck. "One more?" he asked, pulling me slightly, causing me to feel his hardness against my back. "I'll cut that off," I threatened him. I hadn't even had a proper rest! He just laughed while teasing my breasts, and
"You want more?" I brought the pasta closer to her that I hadn't touched. I was busy watching her enjoy the food I made. She hesitated to look at it. "Don't you want it?" she asked. I shook my head. "I'm not hungry," I replied. "You're wasting food. You shouldn't have cooked so much," she complained, although she was smiling as she took my plate. "Take it easy on the wine. You have low alcohol tolerance," I reminded her. She just smiled at me and gave her full attention to the pasta she was eating. "Does your fiancé know that I'm the one you're visiting here? Does he even know me? Who I am in your life?" She stared at me for a long time while chewing slowly, as if she was thinking. "Of course," she eventually answered. "Do I know him?" "You do," she replied affirmatively. "I'm just going to change my clothes," I said as I left her there. How I envy her for being able to move on and heal her heart that fast while here I am, still stuck on the day when she left me. I quick
"Put me down!" she complained as I carried her like a sack of rice. "Stop squirming!" I said, starting to get annoyed. When I opened my car, I finally put her inside. She looked at me with such anger in her eyes that it felt like she wanted to kill me. "I dare you to open that damn door. It is not funny, Aurora," I said seriously. "Why are you forcing me to go with you? I already said I want to go home—" "And I insisted to take you to your hotel. Yet, we need to talk first." "We have nothing to talk about, Lucas." I turned to the driver's seat. "Yes, we do. You haven't told me why you came here. Was it so important that you flew here when you could have just called me—" She laughed, which made me turn to her. "Call you for what? So I wouldn't see your girlfriend?" "She's not my girlfriend," I corrected her. "You kissed, and now she's not your girlfriend? Damn, what? Are you going to throw your girlfriend away?" "That was an accident, Aurora! I didn't kiss her," I defended
I gasped a breath before facing her. She was silently looking at me while I faced her. A mix of anxiety and fear consumed my system, but I didn't let it show. "Aurora," I said her name. "Lucas," she called me. I could see the surprise in her eyes as if she didn't expect to see me in front of her now. Her eyes pierced through me and looked behind. Even without looking, I knew she was looking at Justine. "You left your girlfriend," she said, now unable to look directly into my eyes. "What are you doing here?" I asked her. After four years, here she is... in front of me. I don't know how to act because I was too shocked by the situation and the fact that she saw me in such a bad state. If... If I could just hug her tight, I would. My attention shifted to her lips as she bit them, something she does whenever she is holding back from saying something. I tried to follow her eyes, but it seemed she was avoiding our eyes meeting. "I got a job offer somewhere here. The driver dropped m
I had been staring at her face for a long time. I was controlling myself not to make a move just to avoid scaring her. She was crying in front of me, and God knows how hard I was trying to hold back the urge to pull her into my arms. Seeing her cry made me want to cry too. As much as I didn't want to see her in tears, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't blame her because I knew she was carrying a heavy burden in her heart. She left the Pines without clarity about what happened before. She planted anger, and it seemed that it hadn't gone away until now. I am not asking her to forgive me anytime soon. I just want to apologize for what I did. I know that forgiveness isn't easy. I never planned to say goodbye to her. It was never on my list to talk to her before I leave, but I had no choice; it seemed this was meant to happen. "Goodbye," I love you. I could no longer hold back the tears streaming down my cheeks, so I hurried back to my car. I cried quietly as I watched her in front
"Aurora left her kids here. I can't leave them," Chris began as he answered my call. "Where did she go?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in concern. She still hadn't gotten over what happened before. She still leaves our kids anywhere. "I told you I can't leave the kids. How will I know? I am in front of Aurora's parents' house. The kids are playing outside," he reported. "I'm heading there now," I replied and ended the call. I turned the steering wheel to go back. Christian had said he was going somewhere, and I couldn't leave my children unattended. I wouldn't forgive myself if something bad happened to them. This is the only way I can ensure their safety. I had been away for a long time, though not literally since there were times I visited Sitel even when they weren't aware. "Thanks," I thanked Chris as he said he was leaving. "Superman!" shouted a familiar child's voice that made me turn. I looked back to see who was calling. Liam had a big smile on his face. Looking at his
"What are you doing here?" Noah asked. He was in front of me. If looks could kill, I would have been lying dead a long time ago. There were just some police around us, and I know how it feels like. The difference is that I was imprisoned because of Aurora's wish for me to be locked up, while this guy in front of me was here because he tried to kill someone. "Did Aurora visit you?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. I was hearing updates about what was happening with Aurora. Chris was helping me keep an eye on her. It's not that I wanted to invade her privacy, but I needed to. The last time I decided to stop checking on her, in just a span of a fucking second, her life was in danger again. "She has already been discharged from the hospital, for your information. It seems your mother didn't tell you or give any updates about Aurora yet," I added. I smirked when I saw that he seemed to be interested in what I was saying. I felt pity for this friend of Aurora's. He had
I was left sitting here outside the house. Several hours have passed, and until now, Lucas and my children have not returned yet. I have peeked multiple times at the passing vehicles, hoping that one of them carries Luna and Liam. I wanted so much to rest, but I can't. I will wait for them to come back here. I can't bear it if my children were to disappear from me as well. They are my only family. Lucas cannot just steal my kids away and hide them from me. I have more rights than he does if we are going to talk about the kids, but what can I do if he has completely kept them away from me? I wiped the tears that flowed from my eyes. I am getting tired of crying. If I had known this would happen, I would have just stayed inside the house. If I knew that leaving my children just to talk to their father would lead to being separated from them, I wouldn't have left them. I messed up my hair again. Thoughts keep racing through my mind. I swear to God. I could spend all my money just to
I was almost ready to fly my car. The problem was that due to rush hour, I was having a hard time weaving in and out. I had been honked at by the cars I was overtaking, but my desire to catch up with Lucas prevailed. I couldn't explain why I felt anxious. I had just said earlier that I would keep my kids away from him, yet here I was, nearly crashing my vehicle just to reach his condo building. Why didn't he tell me he was leaving? If Noah hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known at all. After everything, he was going to leave? He would just abandon everything and bury it all? Did he want to start a new life and live more quietly? I exhaled forcefully through my nose. I grabbed my hair in frustration while staring at the car in front of me. Those few seconds felt like several minutes. "Damn you, Lucas," I muttered angrily. I kept glancing at my cellphone. I couldn't sit still as time kept ticking away. I didn't even know if I would still catch Lucas at his condo. My eyes we