"Why did you bring me here, then?" she asked quietly. Her heart throbbed imagining that this is where his mother died. For the first time since she met Xavier, a sad smile crept to his face. He quickly looked away and averted his gaze to the calm sea.He shrugged off his shoulders. "I don't know."He actually didn't know he brought her to this place. This place was special to him because this is where his beloved mother last lived. This is where her last breath was taken away. Although this place is saddening, this was his comfort zone.He closed his eyes and let the cold wind sooth his skin. It was as if someone was caressing his check, his smile faltered.Xavier took a deep breath. "We were on our way back home from our trip in this country. Together with my family and I travelled across this place, but then an unexpected incident happened. We were ambushed. My father did his best to save us, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to save our mother. Our pregnant mother," he said bitterl
Xavier took his cigarette and smoked. He told Margarette to go back inside the car after their talk. His mind was still processing the words she had said to him and its impact on his heart. He shook his head and sighed. What the hell is wrong with him...After he finished smoking, he took a mint gum and chewed it up before getting back to the driver seat. He could see through his peripheral vision that she was looking at him, but he ignored her. He turned on the engine and drove away.All throughout their way back to the city, Xavier purposely ignores her. And she respected him for asking for space. Both of them were quiet as they drove back, no one dared to mention the incident earlier. Margarette looked out the window and let out a sigh.When they arrived at a tall building, Xavier went out and opened the door for her. She smiled at him and slowly put her hand above his. But her smile slightly faltered when he didn't even look back at her."A pleasant day to you, Mr. Ivanov," said a
His sly remark made the older man go mad. The staff went and prepared the table for them. They're a group of wealthy gamblers. Xavier managed to provoke Mr. Alejandro before the game started, and the older man was eager to defeat Xavier for making him embarrassed in front of other people. But who was he kidding? No one can defeat an Ivanov."You're still a good player, Mr. Ivanov. I am impressed," Mrs. McClellan said with a wide grin, glancing briefly at Mr. Alejandro as if teasing him. The latter could only clench his jaws and glare blatantly at Xavier.Xavier shrugged off his shoulders and smirked. He glanced at Margarette who was sitting beside him. "It's just luck.""Yeah, right. A luck," Mr. Alejandro retorted, mocking Xavier. But he was unaffected by his words."Oh, stop being such a pussy, Mr. Alejandro. Let's just admit this young man is just so smart," Mrs. McClellan giggled. "If you are confident about your cards, then just bet all your assets now.""Nice try, woman," Alejand
Everybody in the room was stunned. A terrified look was plastered on their faces. A dead body lay on the ground, soaked with his own blood. Xavier stood in the middle of the crowd with a gun in his hand."Tsk." He took the handkerchief in his pocket and wiped the blood that had splattered across his face. He had this disgusted look upon his face as he wiped off the blood of the person he killed just now. After wiping it off, he put his gun back to the back of him and put it under his coat before he turned around and started walking back towards his wife's direction.Margarette could not move. She was still frozen from what happened just now before her eyes. But when she saw that Xavier was approaching her, she flashed a smile. A relief one.In Margarette's mind, at least he wasn't harmed in any means.Xavier's brows creased in shock, but he didn't say anything."Let's get out of here," he said before extending his hand to her. With a nod, she accepted his hand; the hand he used to kil
They left the establishment after they finished their lunch. Margarette could only stare at her own food, unable to meet his eyes. Her cheeks were red from his confession earlier. She still couldn't believe she heard such things coming from his mouth. Her heartbeat could not calm down whenever their eyes meet, so she lowered her gaze instead to save the last ounce of sanity within her.She still didn't know why he said that. She also doesn't know if he was serious with it. He would kill anybody for her? Sounds so sick but it made the butterflies in her belly flutter in happiness.She sighed and looked over the window. The day is still so long. The road they were taking was a little bit rough, Margarette glanced at the surroundings and saw that Xavier had taken a different path. Her brows furrowed. Where are they going?He glanced at her and said in a cold voice, "We're going to go to one of the family's warehouses."She nodded her head in acknowledgement. They were still in the city, b
Xavier pulled her up rather harshly. He tightly took a hold of her arm and yanked her over his side."What the hell?!" he hissed, surprised. His eyes were glaring as he looked at her. She was crying, looking so terrified whilst looking down at the man bathing with his own blood. Xavier doesn't understand why she was acting like that. It's not as if it's her first time seeing him kill somebody. In fact, she even saw before her eyes how he killed Mr. Alejandro David."W-Why..." she uttered as tears kept falling from her eyes. Her heart was clenching against her chest, disabling her to breathe steadily. Her chest was rising up and down. "You..."The man raised his bloodshot eyes and met hers. His tears were mixed with his blood, his face was broken and deformed from being beaten nearly to death."S-Signora..." the man uttered under his breath, inaudible from everyone's ear, but it was as if the man had screamed right through her ears, she flinched.Her legs wobbled and if it wasn't becaus
The day was long and eventful. Eventually, the couple decided to go back to their villa where they're supposed to celebrate their honeymoon. Margarette slept all through their way back to the villa, which allows Xavier to think about some things, especially about the unwanted feelings in his chest.He doesn't know when he felt this way. There was no exact time, place, or event when Xavier started to care for her sake. It just happens...And he wants to get rid of it.After arriving at the villa, he carried his wife back to their bedroom and put her down gently on the bed. He then sat on the side of the bed and stared at her face. One reason why he brought her outside to his favourite casino was to expose her to his world and highlight her to his enemies. That was the plan. He didn't mean to cause a scene or such, but the way he got angry when someone disrespects her in that place, he just wanted to burn down the whole establishment into ashes.It still confuses him.One time when he me
For the next few days, their relationship gradually changed. From being all cold and strict, they were now more casual to each other. People suddenly wonder what actually happened during their honeymoon that changed their boss' personality and mood all of a sudden. He doesn't smile or show any sort of emotions, even to his own family, but they often see him now getting more and more expressive—though, only to her.As if she cast a spell on him.Xavier began to loosen up a bit around her. The once thick and suffocating atmosphere around him has lessened and he was more comfortable around her than before. Margarette was also getting accustomed to his world. Right now, the two people just spend another night making love. Both of them couldn't get used to the feeling of each other. The pleasure is always intense. It makes them reach heaven through their bed.Upon remembering their incredible night, a small, lazy smile appeared on her lips. She stretched out her arms and legs before rollin
Emma left the room to give us some space and privacy. I clenched my fist as the tension between us thicken. I didn’t expect him to be back all of a sudden. Perhaps, it is a good thing as well."I don't want to stay here anymore," I declared with a steely gaze, my determination to leave this house firm in my mind. The sense of betrayal had eroded my trust in everyone around me, leaving me with a deep-seated desire to escape. "I will leave this house," I added, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within.His eyes sharpened, and the tension in the room heightened as he gritted his teeth. My heart raced, but I maintained a composed exterior, unwilling to let him perceive any vulnerability. "Leave, you say? Ophelia, this is our house," he retorted after a brief pause, his voice laced with controlled intensity as if he were suppressing an inner turmoil. "You cannot leave."“Why not?” I hissed, my gaze narrowing into slits as I gritted my teeth. “Why can’t I leave?”“Because I don’
Emma left the room to give us some space and privacy. I clenched my fist as the tension between us thicken. I didn’t expect him to be back all of a sudden. Perhaps, it is a good thing as well."I don't want to stay here anymore," I declared with a steely gaze, my determination to leave this house firm in my mind. The sense of betrayal had eroded my trust in everyone around me, leaving me with a deep-seated desire to escape. "I will leave this house," I added, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within.His eyes sharpened, and the tension in the room heightened as he gritted his teeth. My heart raced, but I maintained a composed exterior, unwilling to let him perceive any vulnerability. "Leave, you say? Ophelia, this is our house," he retorted after a brief pause, his voice laced with controlled intensity as if he were suppressing an inner turmoil. "You cannot leave."“Why not?” I hissed, my gaze narrowing into slits as I gritted my teeth. “Why can’t I leave?”“Because I don’
I've already made up my mind. I'll leave this place. I don't think there was a reason to stay. They were all lying to me, blatantly telling me lies that were obvious. They were deceiving me.Staying became increasingly challenging, especially since my husband, the supposed anchor for my presence here, was consistently absent. Despite their claims of my marriage, their inability to provide any evidence, not even a picture from my own wedding, added to my growing sense of disillusionment.I hung around for a while, hopeful that they'd eventually come clean. Unfortunately, that never happened – not even a bit.It became disheartening and hard to trust anyone.Disappointment settled in, directed at every individual under this roof.Leaving now feels not just necessary but also freeing. Staying doesn't do anything for me anymore. The lies have unraveled, showing a truth that lines up with what I've been feeling.I waited until everyone in the mansion was sound asleep before putting my esca
“Ma’am, your husband has already left,” Emma said, her tone cautious as she addressed me. These days, I wasn't in the best of moods, not because of any lingering sickness, but due to the nagging feeling that something was being kept from me. “He has left for work, and he’ll probably be back a week from now or so.” I nodded silently, then took a sip of the tea she had prepared for me. The revelation that my husband had left bothered me, but I chose not to show it. Why should I care or worry? After all, he didn’t even come to bid farewell himself, so why should I react as if I were genuinely disappointed. “Tell me, Emma,” I uttered, my tone seeking answers. “What were we like as a married couple before I lost my memories?” Caught off guard, Emma hesitated, her usually composed demeanor faltering for a moment. I closed my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to steady myself before opening them again to face her. “I-I really didn’t know much, ma’am," she admitted, her words coming out
I was back to square one. My husband appeared to be keeping something from me, and I couldn't shake that feeling.When I inquired if he was worried, he didn't respond. Instead, he abruptly left the room, seemingly ignoring my question completely. I felt bewildered and offended. Is he truly my husband? Why isn't he behaving like one?Following that incident, he didn't visit or contact me to check on my well-being. I felt disappointed.But then again, it couldn't be helped.Days passed, and the absence of my husband weighed on me. The unanswered questions and the growing void in our interactions left me grappling with a sense of isolation. I yearned for some connection, for reassurance, but he remained elusive."He hasn't visited or even checked on me. Is this how a husband should act?" I questioned, my voice tinged with a mixture of frustration and sadness.Emma, always composed, offered a reassuring smile. "People cope with difficult situations in different ways, Miss Ophelia. Perhaps
I took a deep breath as I followed him into his office. The man, who claimed to be my husband, seated himself at the desk with casual ease. I stood there, feeling like a fool, waiting for his next command. His expression soured when he saw me hesitating. "What are you doing?" he demanded, his jaws clenching in annoyance. I blinked, my mind still trying to process the overwhelming information he had just laid upon me. I was shocked and utterly disoriented, unable to pull myself together and act with a rational mind. I felt like a leaf, caught in the unpredictable currents of this surreal situation. "What?" he snapped. "Come here." I slowly and reluctantly walked over to his side, my thoughts still swirling with the revelations. When I was close enough, my husband extended his arms towards me. I hesitated, glancing at his outstretched arm. "I won't hurt you, okay? So come here now," he said, annoyance evident in his voice. Biting my lower lip, cheeks burning with embarrassment, I g
Staring into his stunning blue eyes, which revealed no emotion, I couldn't help but notice his tall, masculine figure—undeniably handsome and attractive. Despite his physical perfection, I hesitated to accept him as my husband. In my dreams, the man who claimed that role held me with warmth and tenderness, his gaze filled with affection. The contrast between those dreams and the current reality was stark.The man in front of me felt distant, his demeanor cold and uninviting. An invisible barrier seemed to separate us, making it hard for me to connect the dream figure with the person standing before me. The discrepancy between the dream's warmth and the real-world chill heightened my confusion and left me questioning the authenticity of this man's claim to be my husband.I must have stood there like an idiot for what felt like an eternity. My gaze was fixed on him, my lips parting and closing like a gaping fish. Describing my state as surprised would be a severe understatement—I was ut
It felt as though the world had turned upside down, my head throbbing painfully as I attempted to recall the events that transpired during my time in a coma. The last tangible memory I could grasp was being in... a dark room.And beyond that point, my recollections became an impenetrable fog, leaving me grappling with the disorienting void that stretched between the past and my current state of consciousness.I gazed at the coffee cradled in my hands, its warmth and the sweet aroma wafting up, stirring a nostalgic feeling within me. Yet, my mind struggled to unravel the threads of memory, unable to pinpoint when or where I had last experienced this sensation. Was this scenario familiar, or was it a moment my consciousness had yet to encounter?“It’s time for your medicine now, ma’am,” Emma said as she handed me the pills that I have been taking for a month. Yes, it has been a month, and up until now I was still pondering what really happened, who am I, and where the hell I am. The onl
I jolted awake, gasping for breath, my eyes fluttering open to the harsh reality of my bedroom. Sweat trickled down from my forehead, soaking through the sheets as I grappled with the remnants of a haunting dream—a nightmare that lingered in my waking mind. As I lay there, heart racing and senses on high alert, I couldn't shake off the lingering unease that the dream left in its wake. The echo of a distant scream, the shadows that danced malevolently in the corners of my mind—everything felt vivid and disconcerting. I took a deep breath, attempting to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. Yet, the tendrils of fear still clung stubbornly, leaving me with an unsettling awareness that the boundary between dreams and reality was thinner than I had ever imagined. "Good morning," a voice suddenly exclaimed, prompting me to turn my gaze towards its source. There stood a woman in her mid-twenties, adorned in what appeared to be a maid's uniform. A tray laden with breakfast delicacies res