"Excuse me." I could feel my heart hammering against my chest as I lifted myself up from my seat.
How could he say that?
I have never felt more embarrassed. The heaviness I felt was too much to carry; I might even drop to the floor because of it. My mind went blank, and all these unwanted emotions overran my chest as I walked through the hallways.
Just like that, the dinner that was supposed to celebrate my success went downhill. With me leaving, it is already as good as over.
"Katalina."
My ears rang when I heard Cadmus' voice. How could he mention my name after making me feel so low? Like I have no value if I can't give him a child. Is that all I am to him? Just a woman that's supposed to give him a child and nothing more? Not a wife or a mother to his children? And when I can't give him one, I have no place in his life?
Was that all a woman is made for? To cater to a man's desires and needs?
I either stand equal to a
"Katalina," Percival slightly raised his voice to earn my attention. I do not know how many times he called me. But by the look he was giving me, I guess he did it more than twice."Hmm?""You don't seem well. What's bothering you?" he asked."I don't think I want to talk about it." My gaze dropped to the table. It was embarrassing. How can I tell anyone about it?When I noticed that he fell silent, I looked up to see why. It was evident in his face that he did not like my answer. But, his head still slowly nodded."I understand. But, don't keep it all to yourself for too long.""Why did you come? We aren't friends anymore so, why did you come?"His eyes went down, then one side of his lips slightly curved upward. "It was you who decided to cut me off. I never stopped caring for you, nor will I ever will.""I did that because I chose Cadmus.""I don't care about that. You can choose him over and over.
As I gazed at the portrait hanging on the wall, I couldn't help but remember how blissful I was when the picture was taken. It was the day of my wedding with Cadmus, the day I thought I finally had him. When tears started to form in my eyes, I knew I was at my limit and won't be able to tolerate any more. I took deep breaths before I held them to prevent the tears from falling. Crying won't get me anywhere. The hurt and disappointment that I felt earlier are starting to build up to something heavier. The unanswered questions weren't helping as well. My face probably looked like crumpled paper because of how my forehead is creased. I bit my lip, as I felt my whole face quivering. My hand reached for my phone and immediately dialed his number. But the call kept going to voicemail. He was out of reach. Did he turn his phone off? I swallowed hard when I thought of calling my parents. But I had no choice, Cadmus' parents were far harder to talk to
When I arrived at our beach house, I quickly went out of the car. My heart was beating fast as I felt like I was finally close to the answer to my questions.Using my key, I opened the door and instantly searched for Cadmus. My breathing became heavy when I saw a woman's dress near the staircase. I heard a noise from upstairs so, I slowly walked up while I prepared for what I might see.My heart dropped to the floor when I saw Cadmus. He went inside the room with someone. My feet moved on their own and stopped in front of the open door.Of course, they would leave it open because they have the place all for themselves.I have always believed that my husband, although our marriage was arranged by our parents, will never cheat on me. But now, he just proved me wrong.Cadmus stood before me without any hint of shame. He doesn't appear to be nervous at all. He didn't even bother picking up his clothes from the floor before he faced
My chin rose to push down the tears that were making their way to my eyes. Percival stood in front of me and stared at me with promise. I stared back at him as I tore my own heart out of my system. Everything that serves Cadmus no longer has a place in my being.Percival's eye suddenly widened as if realization have hit him."What made you leave him, Katalina?" I haven't answered but anger is already evident in his voice, I even saw his jaw clench."He told me that I was damaged and no one will want me because I am a woman of no value if I can't carry a child... He even cheated on me for that reason. He cheated on me with Minty," I swallowed hard as my gaze dropped to the ground. "And I saw it with my own eyes."I raised my now empty eyes back to his face. There I could see the horror in his eyes as he stared at me as if he knew what I said just killed me. When he drew his face away, I could still see his uneasy pupils that seemed like they were sha
When my secretary delivered my laptop and paperwork, I started working on all my pending load. Percival was still around and, he doesn't seem to be doing anything—is he on some kind of day off? Or does he really slack around just like how he used to when we were students? I simply ignored him and focused on my work. Evening came so, I decided to wrap things up and have dinner with him. We still had a lot to talk about. A man came into the house and cooked our dinner for us. I guess all his staff doesn't reside in his home rather, they come only when they're needed. We were in the middle of a meal when I spoke to break the silence. "Percival, about the agreement. Shall we talk about it?"He raised his gaze to meet mine. "What's there to talk about?" I don't want to make the same mistakes. That's why I want to know if we're on the same page. "What will our set-up be?
I spent five days with Percival. I was too busy trying to recover from the damage that Cadmus did to my heart that I didn't notice that Percival has been taking care of me throughout the process. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. We even argued a lot.He's been reminding me to eat, helping me with work, and we have talked about our next move.We also planned to get married as soon as my marriage with Cadmus gets annulled."I'll come with you," Percival said."Should I take my clothes as well?" I asked. "Or should I just buy new ones?""Just take what's important. Everything else can be replaced." He took his keys and faced me. "Let's go?""Let's go." Thanks to Percival I can now face Cadmus without getting too overwhelmed with emotions.I just want to talk about the annulment and gather the important documents I left in the house.It did not feel too strange to breathe the same air as Percival. Eve
My body reacted to my emotions again. I felt my knees going weak when we arrived at Percival's place. It was not just about my emotions. It might also be because of my pregnancy."Katalina?" Percival examined me as he pushed the door close.I have to tell him about my child. I told him that Cadmus left me because I'm infertile, and it seemed like it didn't bother him at all. Now, he has to decide if he can play the role of a father to my child as well.He has to know so he can decide whether to stay by my side or not. I'm sure it won't be much of a problem because there was no love between us. But, I still respect his opinion about the matter."Percival...I have to tell you something," I started."Katalina, you're turning pale. Let's go to my room." He went to my side and held my waist as he guided me toward his room.He made me sit on top of the bed. He even fixed the pillow so I can rest my back there."You really ha
I couldn't answer Percival yet. I have to know how my parents will react to my annulment first. I know that they will not be against it once I tell them my reason. What I'm more worried about is Koen. I know he's been looking for a reason to start a fight with Cadmus. He might also get cautious of Percival after what happened to my first marriage. In the end, I know they would still respect my decision. I'm just worried about how it would affect their feelings. At the same time, I'm embarrassed by how my life turned out. My parents were so happy when I married Cadmus, they're probably frustrated after the last dinner we had. The thing about my parents is that they have always respected my decisions and opinions. Even when they arranged my marriage, they made sure that it was fine with me, that I wanted it too. He chuckled and leaned back on the sofa. "The meeting with the parents will have to wait, I suppose." "I'll still h