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15– Adaline
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-06 19:48:27
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To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 16– Adaline
The moment we boarded the jet, Michael had leaned down, whispering apologies into my ear. And when I cupped his face, kissed him softly and told him I understood, he disappeared into one of the rooms and hasn’t come out since then.“You seem tense, Adaline,” Kate points out as she comes and sits beside me. “Do you maybe want to go and look for him, know how he’s doing?”I look at her and smile softly. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious. Maybe he just needs some time to handle business.”Kate smiles back. “But you’re worried. And you should… maybe show him that you care, or make sure everything is okay instead of sitting here and wearing a scowl on your face.”I lean back into the seat and pop my thumb between my teeth, chewing on it as I think. The pilot’s voice as he announces how high up we are from the ground jolts my mind back from the thoughts. I guess I should go and see Michael, check on him to be sure whatever is going on back home isn’t really serious. Standing, I stride into
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-07To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 17– Michael
My Adaline must really hate me now. That’s the only thought in my head as I stare at the speeding car. But she has to understand that I’m doing this for her. I’m trying to protect her. I cannot fail—she’s my responsibility… was my responsibility before she became my love. So, maybe I can endure losing her love or affection or whatever the fuck she feels for me that makes her stare at me with the softest gaze, but I cannot endure it if anything happened to her. She’s a Black now. My wife. “They’re ready, boss,” My right-hand, Ken, tells me.“Well, what are we waiting for…” I’m already climbing into the car before the words fully make it out. The car ride, as expected, is unnervingly quiet. It’s quiet, but not calm. How can it be calm when my mind is raging with very unpleasant questions? I want answers. I have questions.Actually, I have one question: Why?I want to know why they’d go after my woman, why they’d go as far as setting Jameson’s building on fire, specifically Adalin
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-08To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 18– Adaline
I’m irritated and I have my reasons. Firstly: Michael’s PA, or guard, or… whatever he is to Michael—has refused to give me my phone. His excuse? He’s acting on direct orders from his boss.Secondly: when I finally was able to get my hands on the landline, I called my father multiple times, and he didn’t answer even one call. Then I called Michael. The infuriating man didn’t answer my call either. Hours later, I’ve still not heard from both of them. No, from three of them. Kate apparently joined the ‘avoid Adaline’s call by all means’ team. Fuck them. I’m pacing the living room, my eyes moving around the space, my mind convincing me to relax and take in the beauty of Michael’s home. I don’t let it. Is it a beautiful home? Yes. But that is the least of my problems.I do what I always do when I’m nervous: chew on my nails.It’s not until late into the night that I hear the sound of cars screeching to a stop in front of the manor. I stop my pacing and stand, my wide eyes to the door
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-09To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 19– Adaline
I’m supposed to be having breakfast with Michael this morning. When he woke up, he was in a better mood than he was last night, and he had asked me to come down and wait for him so we could eat together before I had to go back home. That was hours ago.The man is giving me a whiplash. This minute, he’s warm and loving, making my heart race for him. The next, he turns cold and distant. From the moment he received that call yesterday, my emotions have fluctuated more times than I can count. It’s tiring. I blow out a hot breath as I move the cold scrambled eggs around on my plate, staring at it with a bored expression. I should be eating, but I promised Michael I’d wait for him, and I like to keep my promise no matter how tempted I am to break it at this moment. My head snaps up when I hear a commotion outside, but I brush it off, concluding that it must be some workers just fighting amongst themselves. They shouldn’t be though, but I will not be surprised. Michael’s workers are m
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-09To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 20– Michael
It’s silent. Even as a man who enjoys silence, I can’t say this one is an enjoyable kind. It’s eerie, and judging, and accusing. Whatever Adaline is accusing me of, I am guilty. However, I’d hoped this part of my life would stay hidden a little longer. I wanted to hold out a little longer, gain her trust before slowly easing her into what I am… what I do.But that stupid fucking Emilio stormed into my home and has taken that chance from me.They put a gun to her head.A gun. Her eyes are burning through my skin angrily. But beneath that anger, I can see the fear in them. The fear that shook her chin when she asked who I was. The anticipation tightening her shoulders as she waits for me to tell her whatever they said was a lie. “How long do I have to wait for answers, Michael? Or are you thinking of lies to come up with?” Her voice shakes.I don’t blame her for having doubts about me. I’m a stranger. I appeared in her life one day, pushed a ring down her finger, and later that nig
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 21– Adaline
I step out of the car with a sigh, slow steps leading me into my father’s manor. Apart from the staff that opened the door for me, I haven’t seen anyone else as I walk inside. It’s quiet in here—it’s usually quiet, but the silence has never bothered me as it is now.I stop at the stairs, deciding against going up to my room. I turn into the hallway on the west wing, having one place in mind—my mother’s office. When I reach the door, I flatten my palm over the wood, pressing my forehead into it and shutting my eyes. My chin trembles, eyes watering. I sniffle with a shaky exhale, wrapping my hand around the knob and gently pushing it open.The wood creaks as the door opens. It’s all white in here—white walls that dad renews every year because he wants his wife’s space spotless, white sheets covering everything. I haven’t been in here since my mother passed. I haven’t had the courage to enter her office.But today, I feel like I need her. I stare at her desk and scoff. She’d always s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 22– Adaline
The muffled echo of my name in my head wakes my mind up. But my eyes are still closed, limbs a little sore as I shift on the bed. But this doesn’t feel like my bed at all. It’s too restrictive… a little softer than my bed.“Adaline,” I hear again and feel a hand roaming my body. I jerk up with a gasp, blinking rapidly to adjust my eyes to the bright sunlight filing in through an open window. I plant my face inside my palms and scrub aggressively, groaning. I really need more sleep. When I look up again, I realize I’m still in my mother’s office. Kate is staring at me with a mocking smile, a brow curled up. “Your limbs are sore, aren’t they?” She clicks her tongue. “That’s why someone like you shouldn’t be sleeping on a couch.”“Someone like me?” my voice is groggy.She nods. “You’re a rough sleeper, Adaline. You need a really big space to survive the night without breaking yourself in half.”I snort out a laugh. “Shut your mouth.”“Come on,” she chuckles. “You need to freshen up a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 23– Adaline
One… two… three… Seconds tick by, and yet, dad is yet to say anything. All he’s managed to do is steady his breathing, lick his lips, and blink. I don’t know why he’d react so oddly to this. Kate has been more like a daughter of this family. He always has been responsible for her even though they rarely see each other. This shouldn’t be difficult. “You have to say something, dad,” I say, calling back his mind to present. “Or… are you having a heart attack?”A small smile dents the corners of his mouth, his head shaking. “Why?”I inhale a deep breath. “Well… for one, she’s already like a sister. And I want her to take up our last name, so life will be a little easier for her.”“Life is already very easy for her,” he tells me matter-of-factly.“Because I’m here.” I counter. “You don’t even know the girl exists. You don’t ask about her except it’s necessary, you don’t—”“Why would I ask about her when it’s unnecessary? I provide for her, that’s all that matters.”I shake my head. “So
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11
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To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 37– Michael
I crack my knuckles before gripping my steering wheel with one hand and turning the key in the ignition with the other. The car hums to life. I strap the phone to the holder, watching the beeping red dot on the map as I adjust my hoodie before driving out of the parking lot. I follow Adaline’s trail slowly, keeping my car a few blocks behind her as I watch her stroll the street casually, her head lolling from side to side as though she’s humming to a song. She curls the leash tighter around her wrist, and Joy surprisingly falls into step beside her, behaving well like a perfectly trained show dog.Joy is everything but a show dog. She’s a beast—fucking ruthless in all forms of ruthless. But I made sure she learned to be soft around Adaline, except of course she senses danger. The dog is doing me proud, I can’t even lie. I retrieve a burner phone from the middle console, dialing the only number stored in it. It rings once and Caleb answers immediately. “You have eyes?” I ask him.
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 36– Michael
Months before now, I would’ve sworn on anything that I am a man of my words. Turns out, I’m not. Not really.Turns out, I have a soft spot for every member of the Daniels family. After I did what a man should do and told Jameson about my feelings towards his daughter and he turned me down, telling me I wasn’t good enough to love her, just good enough to keep her safe from harm, I had promised myself to make him regret the day we crossed paths. I swore I’d take the remaining piece of him and break it into irrecoverable pieces. My plan was simple: Stay away from Adaline for as long as I deemed necessary, appear in her life once more and deposit a stronger seed of hatred and resentment towards her father in her heart. She sees him like her enemy, and embraces me like her only safe option. His hell, my heaven. But I couldn’t even keep that promise. Jameson, apart from being a good friend, my boss’s husband, and business partner, has been a man I’ve looked up to.And when he reached
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 35– Adaline
When my eyes open, the room is pitch black, but I know it’s morning already. And I don’t remember drawing my curtains close. I slide a hand underneath my pillow and take out my phone. It’s ten in the morning. Groaning, I sit up and drag a hand through my hair as I slowly, lazily climb out of bed and head into the bathroom.After minutes, I come out of the shower, a towel wrapped around my head, another around my chest. I’m walking towards my closet when I hear a soft bark. Wait… a bark…Oh shit! I own a dog.And a kitten!God help me!I run out of the room, guilt already clawing up my chest for starving my new babies barely twenty four hours of living with her. “Joy!” I shout, my voice halfway to panic, heart thumping loudly. “I’m sorry, baby! I didn’t mean to forget you!”I swear, I’ll gut Michael for putting me in this position. Her barks are awfully steady and happy for a dog that should be growling for food. I follow the sound down the hall leading into my living room. Then I
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 34– Adaline
I’m waiting outside the company building, beside my father’s car as I wait for him to round up his brief meeting with his secretary and drive me home. My apartment isn’t very far from the family’s estate. Dad initially refused my request of moving in on my own, but when I threatened him with going to my grandmother from my mother’s side and giving up the career path he chose for me, he finally agreed with the condition that he drives me to and from work. I’m scrolling endlessly on my phone when I hear his approaching footsteps and the click of the car as the driver unlocks it. I stare up from my phone, my eyes meeting Dad’s for a brief moment. He simply eyes me as he rounds the car, climbing in—that’s all the acknowledgement I get from him.Someone is in a mood. I climb in and settle at the edge of the seat, still scrolling on my phone. The energy isn’t really helping my already frayed mind. I steal a glance at Dad, rolling my bottom lip between my teeth and nobbling for a moment
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 33– Adaline
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”Then I walk out. And it’s not because I’m over him. But because I need to get away from him before the tears brimming my eyes start streaming down my face and he sees the effect he has on me. I run into the rest room, and lock myself inside one of the toilets, unbuttoning my shirt as I gasp, chasing my breath. I tell myself that Michael is not here. That was just a brief moment of mental relapse. But who am I kidding. He was there. He is here. Tears wet my cheeks and I wipe them off, sniffing while I gently slam my head into a wall until I’m able to calm my racing mind. And by the time that happens, my thirty minute lunch break is already over. Frustration is a little word to describe how I feel as I rush to the company cafeteria and get a coffee before rushing back to my office. I bring the cup between my lips, taking a slow sip as I open my office door and step in. My brows knit. My eyes narrow. And I stop dead in my tracks.What the…Mich
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 32– Adaline
Three months later.It’s been exactly three months since Michael left. Three months without a message, or call, or visit, since he disappeared like he doesn’t exist.And somewhere between heartbreak and healing, I made peace with it. Even if it felt like my insides were ripping apart, even when my pride was crushed, I accepted the burn and moved on.There’s no use dwelling on the silence, on dwelling on someone who means nothing to me.I think of him sometimes. More than I’d like to admit. In the mornings, when I’m brushing my teeth and I glance up at my reflection. At night, when the world goes quiet and there’s nothing but the hum of my laptop, I remember the way he used to look at me with those creepy eyes that someone found a way to make me feel giddy.But it doesn’t matter now.Michael made his choice, and I’ve made mine.I buried myself in work, picked up the pieces of my pride, and continued my studies—online. I’m studying to become an accountant. Dad thinks it’s a good career
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 31– Michael
I rise, adjusting the cuffs of my shirt as I crush the end of my cigar into the ashtray. Without another word, I step out of the office, Caleb following behind me, and head down the hall toward the underground VIP lounge—the place where real conversations happen. Where the masks come off and the deals get bloody.The underground lounge is a little quieter than the main club, but there’s still music here, although more tame so we can hear each other speak when talking business rather than screaming at the top of our lungs. I push open the door and step inside. It’s a haze of smoke, perfume, and poor decisions.Three men—Jorge, Luis, and Santino—are lounging on the dark velvet couches like kings on thrones. Shirt buttons open. Cigars burning. Their suits wrinkled from how tenaciously the dancers are grinding on them.They’re laughing so loud and throwing cash into the air like they’ve never received a lap-dance from a naked woman before. Luis slaps a dancer’s thigh while Jorge pops ope
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 30– Michael
Today’s been nothing short of chaos—going from one meeting to the next, shaking new hands while cutting ties with old ones. And in all of these, the only person I’ve thought about is Adaline.I want to know what she’s doing, how she’s doing..It’s maddening not knowing.I thought about dropping everything and going to her. I thought about showing up at her door, giving her the clarity I know she needs. She craves communication, she always has because it makes her feel in control of situations even when she’s not. So I’m certain that the silence I’ve left behind is slowly driving her out of her mind.But I didn’t go.Because I need more time.Just a little more time.Maybe it’s cowardice. Or maybe it’s protection. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Not yet.Maybe this is for the best.I flick my lighter, watching the flame curl out like a tongue, licking the end of my cigar until it chars and glows red. I take a long drag, the smoke filling my lungs. I pull the cigar away, exhaling slowly,
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 29– Adaline
It’s almost noon, and I can’t say my day has gotten better.From the moment I woke up—after just a few hours of sleep that can be considered “adequate,” yet somehow still exhausted—with a splitting headache, to now, sitting in my mother’s art room, pretending to work on a piece… nothing has changed, everything has just been going downhill.I haven’t made a single decent brushstroke. My eyes aren’t even on the canvas—they’re fixed outside the window, watching the rain pelt the ground aggressively. Of all the days, it chose to rain today.The rain had better wash away this worry of mine before I completely crash out.My fingers shake around the brush, making it slip from my hand for the millionth time today, falling straight onto my shorts and staining them red. A low groan rumbles in my throat and I collapse back into the seat, slouching and pushing my lips out into a pout. My jaw clenches hard. My teeth feel like they’re grinding to dust.This isn’t how I envisioned my day.But it’s
