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
"Father, mom, please calm down; I'll explain everything," I said as my eyes implored my father to listen."Give me a moment. I-I'll be right back." I turned my back against my parents. But before I could leave the room, I stopped to say something.This was all Cadmus' fault. I don't want my parents to ever feel guilty for it."I wanted this marriage, and it fell apart. None of it was your fault," I said without looking back at them. I took another deep breath before I left the room.This was the first time that I ever walked so fast. The moment I stepped outside, the bright light shone on me but, my eyes were fixated on a man's moving figure."Cadmus!" My voice thundered across the place, which caused Cadmus to halt.It took him a moment before he turned to face my direction. I was quick to close the wide distance between us, and as soon as I got near, my hand flew to his face.
My father was already standing by my mother when I entered the office. He seemed to be trying to comfort her. Their eyes immediately landed on me, and I felt my body tense up. It was a topic I never wanted to talk about with them... So, as I looked them in the eyes, I could feel the pressure and embarrassment. So many thoughts came to mind. Like, where should I start, and how will they take this? Mom stood up, and desperation was visible in her eyes—she wanted answers. I knew she had a lot of questions after the last dinner we had with Cadmus' family. Father immediately placed his arms around mom as they walked closer to me. Looking at them made me realize how lucky they were to have found each other. Who would have thought that marriages are even harder to maintain than businesses? Maybe my idea of love came from my parents. They were both successful in the business industry yet still found love. I envy them--and it was
The evening arrived rather too early. All I could think about on my way to the Salazar's place was how everything between me and that family would end today. So, as I sat with Cadmus' parents at one table, I tried to hide how much I detested their son.When I looked at them before I took my seat earlier, they all seemed relaxed yet cautious of me. Because of that, I confirmed that Cadmus had already spoken to them. My eyes glowered at him for not letting me tell my parents first.I rolled my eyes. Of course, Cadmus wanted to make me miserable as if having an affair behind my back wasn't already enough.There was a long silence between the four of us. I did not bother opening up any topics before they did. Perhaps by then, they would realize how much this family has disrespected mine. Cadmus did not only hurt me, but he also did not honor the forged bond our families had. My parents respected him and trusted him—what he did was not just
Their family let Minty into their home after their son forced me out. By the time the realization sunk in, I was already too used to the feeling of betrayal. "This place doesn't suit you, Minty." My eyes pierced through her as I sauntered forward. Minty wore an innocent smile that could deceive any fool. She was wearing a white dress that flowed down to her knees. Her brown hair was tucked behind her ears; they were shorter than before. She used to copy me a lot, my hair included--but she seemed to be way past that phase. Her eyebrow slowly rose up, and who she truly is resurfaced. "I'm here to claim my place in this household," she taunted. "It's you who's not supposed to be here." "You've never changed. You're still a thief. You never learned your place, huh?" I retorted. "And you, the mighty Katalina Deveza, haven't changed at all as well. Too overconfident, too full of herself. Look where it got you?" The mockery in her
A sharp pain struck the lower part of my body after it hit a table. The phone fell on the floor and caused a loud thud. I paused for a moment as I realized that someone pushed me. "Katalina..." I heard Cadmus' voice. After I recovered from the shock, I stood up straight and brushed my hair back. I took a deep breath before I faced them, with flames in my eyes. I immediately searched for the one who pushed me, and my glare locked upon Minty's mother. "It was you who brought so much misfortune to my daughter! They bullied her and made her transfer because of you. You stole her boyfriend and got everyone to side with you. I almost lost Minty because of you!" The veins in her neck looked like they were about to pop as she screamed at me. "Hah..." My lips parted in disbelief. I'm not sure what was more shocking to me, the part where she thinks she can push me around and get away with it or the way she blamed me for something I didn't do. "The next
I didn't want to pry, so I chose not to ask Percival even though I was curious. She could be just an employee or someone insignificant.The soothing atmosphere inside his car made my eyelids heavy. I did not have any energy left after everything that happened. So, I had let my eyelids cover my eyes as I rested my cheek on the pillow around my neck.My hand went to my womb. I caressed it while my eyes were still closed."Does it hurt?" I heard Percival ask--worry was evident in his voice.My lazy eyes opened to look at him. I wasn't sure why I was caressing it as if comforting the little human inside me. I might be a bit worried after Minty's mother pushed me--although I'm sure the push wasn't hard enough to affect my pregnancy, I still scolded myself and swore that I would be careful next time.It was time to give myself a break, but my mind wasn't done with me. It reminded me of Cadmus' child with Minty. Will they have the family I've longed for?
"I didn't need you there," I said, a little doubtful of my own words.Percival chuckled—bitterly, as if he expected my response but still hoped to be wrong. He kept quiet for a minute before he heaved a sigh."What are you doing?" I asked when he pulled my hand toward him and began to examine my arm."I can't trust your words about not getting hurt. I heard a crash earlier. Did you drop your phone?" He asked, his eyes still busy with my arm. "They even yelled at you.""Stop that." I tried to pull away, but he was determined to check if I had any scratch on me.I sighed in defeat."They just threw words at me, and that's nothing. The crash you heard was because of Minty's mother. She pushed me once. That was it." I did not have the energy to engage in another argument, so I was willing to give him what he wanted."She pushed you? Was it hard?" His eyes immediately went up to mine."A little." I looked away. "But, I'm fine.
Percival's hand held my chin. Then, he made me face him. In an instance, I felt like I was trapped in a trance, for all I could see was him.I wasn't the sort to be intimidated by anyone, but the way he gazed at me with such intensity made me want to look away—If only I could, but it seemed impossible to do so."If you want to, you can," he huskily said.His voice sent shivers down my spine, but I kept my composure. His eyes kept growing darker every passing second.My eyes busied themselves by memorizing his features. I couldn't help but admire how great they were together.It's been so long since I admitted to myself that I found him attractive. But that was it. I just find him attractive—I wouldn't be married to Cadmus if there's more than that.I did forget all about that for the past four years because my eyes were solely for Cadmus. Now, I'm perfectly reminded of just how good-looking this man is."Okay..." I trailed
Seven months later. I swore to protect Katalina and Marcus from any harm. It was a promise I'd honor until my last breath, so I kept everyone who tried under tight surveillance. Helena was still rotting in jail. I didn't need to keep an eye on Cadmus because the media had it covered for me. His divorce from Minty completely diverted the public's eyes away from Marcus. Everyone was in check. Except I didn't feel completely at ease yet. Helena's insistence that someone else wanted my wife dead, that whoever it was hated Tali more than she did, stayed in my mind for months. But I didn't want to let it linger, so I had Andrew look into it.It could've been empty threats, but I knew how Helena worked. She kept pawns. She'd poison people's minds and use them against her enemies. Everyone told me that Helena probably meant Natalie and that the last stunt Natalie pulled was the end of it. But it wouldn't hurt to be safe, especially when I think I knew who Helena meant. "I can see the gears
Percival held my hand, his stance protective and impatient to get us out. If the bodyguards wouldn't scare Natalie away, Percival's hardened expression would. The way the veins popped out told me he was frustrated he couldn't deal with Natalie himself."Don't let her get away," Percival said. A few guards left to help search for Natalie, while enough stayed to keep us surrounded. "We'll catch her this time," I said, hoping to ease some of the tension radiating from him. But even as he nodded, I knew it didn't help much. "Of course, we will. Your cousin isn't very bright," he said, his jaw clenching. The crowd was contained at some part of the venue, so the hallways weren't littered with the media. We reached the parking lot. They checked the car before Percival opened the backseat for me. "Get in," he said, his voice authoritative. I quickly hopped in, scooting over to give space for him. Our actions were fast and efficient, and we were on the road in a heartbeat. Percival didn'
Percival's hand pressed against the small of my back, his head tilted towards me, studying me as I read the article."It's from an anonymous account. Chester is working on taking it down," he said. "What do you want to do? Aside from destroying whoever posted this because I'm already on it.""It's time," I said, giving his phone back to him. "There's no need to fuss. I'll schedule an interview tomorrow."Percival pocketed the phone. He turned me towards him, thumbs caressing my forearms."So soon?" he asked, voice laced with concern. He craned his neck, discerning my expression."I've been doing this my whole life, Percy," I said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I just... there were just things in my life that I didn't want people to touch. But I kept the most human parts of me hidden, and I shouldn't have to. I'm no longer afraid of how they'll perceive me after. This has to end now."****Percival and I made arrangements for tomorrow when we returned to our hotel room. I read the ar
Dad almost died. He was in a cardiac arrest while we were away. The doctors said he was stable for now, but they didn't know how long. I stood motionless in Percival's arm, his hand stroking my back, the other cradling my head. We had done everything, and I was running out of ideas. Maybe the only option left was to grieve, even if it didn't sit right with me. Percival offered his quiet support, knowing nothing could be said to make this better, but allowing me to know he was there for me. But our little bubble of silence broke when Andrew appeared with a look of urgency."Your brother's awake."My lips parted, and Percival's grip around me loosened. Without wasting any more time, we strode to my brother's room. I held my breath until I finally saw Koen. . . awake and smiling at me.There he was. The only person who would carry this grief with me. I gave him a faint smile as I walked to his bed, settling on the seat beside it."How are you?" I asked gently."Alive," he huffed out. "
"Is that so?" I asked. "You have no idea how deep you are in the mud right now, do you? Your parents begged us to spare your company--not you, just your company. Your people were so easily bought because their loyalty came with a price."I wasn't sure if she was bluffing or trying to salvage what little pride she had left. But anything she says wouldn't change her fate. There was no life for her outside the bars anymore--not that I'd ever let her out. The amusement on Helena's face slowly died. Her lips formed a thin line as she glared at me. I raised my eyebrows at the change in her demeanor. I guess what I said was new information to her."I never needed them anyway," she mumbled. I didn't think she intended for me to hear that. "But you... how will you survive now that your parents are gone?""My parents are always with me, even when I lose my way or when we're apart. They actually raised me with love and warmth, and I'd say it's a pity you don't have those. But you had plenty of
The officer sat uncomfortably behind his desk, seeming uneasy and intimidated. It was probably due to the office being quite small for five people. There were only two available seats in the room, and my husband and I occupied them. Our lawyer and Andrew were standing behind Percy. They told us that they found Helena while she was trying to board a ship bound for an island far from the capital. Natalie wasn't with her. But we already had a list of places where she could be hiding. Someone knocked on the door, and the officer immediately got up. I smiled as a familiar face came into the room. It was my father's friend and the chief."Katalina, it's nice to see you again. Although, I much prefer to meet you for a different reason," he said with a look of pity. It had been a while since I last saw him, but he had been my father's friend even before my brother and I were born. He and his wife didn't have children, so they often visited us when we were younger. "Vincent, thank you for yo
It took two days before the doctors said that my brother's condition had improved and he would wake up anytime soon. I wanted to stay by their side, but we had to head home each night for Marcus. After three days, we decided to discuss the situation with Helena. My family was my top priority, but it was time they filled me in with everything that happened while I was occupied at the hospital and at home.We were at the house, in Percival's office, along with Andrew and Rocco. They laid out pictures of where Helena was spotted after the incident.She might've gotten away, but she'd have no place to hide or people to rely on. Even her trusted assistant had agreed to help us in exchange for a clean slate. Helena might have had the upper hand when we didn't know who was pulling the strings. But even her people knew she'd lose the battle the moment she was discovered. Because in the world we live in, for most people, facing the Marquez head-on was just not possible.All of Helena's crimes
We decided to transfer Aisha here since we couldn't send her back to the hospital where she was originally admitted. She was determined to be by Koen's side, so we let her. I was sure my brother would want her to be at ease. So, we arranged her room to be next to his.While Percy was busy, I brought Aisha to Koen's room. I knew she wanted to run to his side the moment we entered, but she stood with glazed eyes by the door until I told her it was okay to come close. She greeted him with the softest voice I had ever heard and continued to be so careful as she touched him. My brother was still strapped to machines, and I hoped whatever Aisha was saying to him would be enough to bring him back.After she finished talking to him, we both sat quietly in his room. The nurses kept tending to her, asking her to return to her room, but she would beg them to let her stay by his side a little longer.I didn't say anything for the first hour that we sat there. Aisha was clearly worried, and I knew
This was a private hospital with a floor dedicated to their VIP patients. The lounge near the ICU and the corridor to my brother's room were exclusive to us. The other areas and rooms on this floor were also exclusive to the patients occupying them. It was impossible to loiter around without permission.We weren't accepting visitors. That was why this girl here was being driven away by the security and staff. But she seemed panicked, and her voice was begging."Who are you?" I asked as I walked toward them. My eyebrows were knitted as I scanned her appearance. She was wearing a jacket over her hospital gown. Her face looked pale, and she was wearing a beanie. Another patient?She looked at me in shock. I could sense the hesitation, but we both knew the only way to my brother was through me. And she seemed desperate. "I... I'm Aisha. I just want to see Koen. I want to know if he's alright.""Why? Why do you need to know? Who are you?" I asked again. Firmly this time. I had never met th