Oh, Owen, you have to help her heal first.
Weeks passed, and Regina was surprised at Owen’s change in attitude. He was still under home confinement due to his head injury, and though he was functioning normally, his doctors wanted him to stay home to prevent him from exerting himself. Regina surmised Owen was just bored because he had minimal control over the ongoing projects. They were nearing the last phase of the island project, and though he wanted to be there, Gerry stayed in his place. Owen joined his mother more frequently during breaks, discussing multiple topics with her, some from the news, but mostly from his business. Mrs. Bennet appreciated the company but did not fully cooperate. Her mind wandered elsewhere most of the time. But Owen stayed anyway. Sometimes they would include Regina in their conversations, and she would answer based on what she knew, but most of the time, like Mrs. Bennet, she just listened. It was Owen’s way of letting Regina know more about him and his life, to warm her up. He wanted her
Three months to the day of her abduction, Regina began feeling comfortable to go out and run errands like usual. To assuage her family’s fears, she never went without the driver wherever she went, and there were even days when Raffy would come to accompany her. Raffy volunteered since he lived near Regina and was closer to her than anyone else. Every Thursday, they would shop for items she needed for her place and to prepare him a meal. Having been stuck at home, she became obsessed with watching the home network channel and preparing her meals. With her brother’s help, they experimented on dishes from around the world that Regina had tasted from a restaurant or ordered for takeout. “Sis, you look pale these days. Are you sure you’re okay?” Raffy touched Regina’s hair. “I’m okay. I haven’t been sleeping well. I hear so many sounds around the house that I was never aware of.” She leaned back on the seat as the driver navigated through the city traffic. “I’ll bring you one of those
When Regina did not report for work the next day, Owen came to visit her place with his mother. He knew something was wrong when Raffy called him the night before to let him know his sister needed a day off. It was wrong to use his mother, but Owen knew Regina would not let him into her apartment if he came alone. Jeffrey, the doorman, had announced that Mrs. Bennet and her son came to visit, so Regina tried to tidy up her place and fix her appearance as much as she could, without exerting too much effort. The hospital gave her an IV bag to take home, and it kept her up the entire night because she was afraid her blood would flow back into the bag when the IV drip was completed. Without makeup and any color on her cheeks, she looked sickly, and Mrs. Bennet immediately took action when she saw Regina standing by the door, looking like she was about to pass out. “Owen, carry the poor girl and bring her back to bed. It was a good thing we came. It’s our turn to take care of you.” “N
During the past week, the Bennets helped themselves by visiting and taking over her kitchen whenever they wanted. So Raffy was surprised that people who were not his family were in Regina’s house when he came on the day he and Regina got together to get her groceries.He called her every day, but she never mentioned a new family had taken over her house.“Regina, what is Yvan doing lying on the carpet in front of our TV while his mother and her maids are cooking in your kitchen?”Regina sighed. “You told them I was sick, and they’ve taken control of my kitchen and house. They won’t leave until Owen arrives at night, so I just let them be. I have no energy to fight with anyone, and having people here passes the time.”“What? Are you sleeping with Owen? I thought you didn’t want to get back together?”“Of course, we’re not together. He’s staying in the guest room. I can’t get rid of him, so he comes every night to watch over me.”“That sounds a lot like being together.”“We’re roommates
After all the guests left, Owen invited Regina to come out of the bedroom, so she wouldn’t think that sending them all home was a ploy to get her alone and restart their relationship. He wanted them to leave her alone because he could see that Regina was getting overwhelmed by the amount of people in her house. “So now that I got rid of all those noisy people, you can do whatever you want.” Owen left Regina standing in the middle of the living room. He brought their dishes to the sink and began loading them into the dishwasher. The maids informed him earlier that there was enough space for the added items, and all he needed to do was start the machine. “Everything in the kitchen is clean. I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Regina.” Owen was heading to his designated bedroom when Regina called to him. Now that everyone was gone, the house was too silent. It made her lonely. “You want to play video games?” “Video games?” “Yeah, I got the new game called
“Regina, are you using protection?” “Mother!” Regina yelled as her cheeks bloomed red out of embarrassment. “You do not want to get pregnant out of wedlock. Who knows if this boy will marry you?” “Relax! We are not sleeping together.” “Oh, is he gay?” Samantha asked as she inspected Owen from head to toe. “I’m not. I‘m extremely attracted to your daughter.” “Don’t worry, if you are. I understand you younger generation is more gender forward than we were in our day.” “Mother! Can you please tell me what you are doing here?” “I heard from your brothers that his mother had been here all week. Why was I not invited to the party yesterday?” “There was no party. You know that Mrs. Bennet just comes to see me whenever she wants, anyway.” “Still, I feel slighted. I heard all your siblings and their wives were here.” “Who feeds you all these stories, anyway?” Regina sat down on the stool, exhausted by the conversation. “You want breakfast?” she asked, diverting the conversation from
Owen looked at his watch after Regina left the office. He had several hours before dinner, so he went to work and called his brother, Myles, to come to him as soon as he got home.Myles had just passed through the front doors when he got the message, so he went straight to Owen’s office.“Brandy, so early in the day?” Owen was pouring himself a glass when Myles walked in. “This must be something big,” he added when Owen did not offer him any.“Regina wants to leave.”“Leave, Mom?”“She wants to go on a vacation on her own.”“And this bothers you.”“I am afraid she is pulling away, and she’d never come back.”“Afraid… that’s a word I’ve never heard from you before.”Owen just sighed. He’d been using big relationship words he’d never uttered in his life, just to convince Regina to stay, but all his efforts were fruitless.“Do you think if I let her go, she’d come back willingly?” He downed the glass in one gulp. “What do I have to offer her, anyway? Nothing… I’m such a disappointment to
Owen “Have dinner with me before you leave,” I asked Regina the other day and was glad that she agreed, because I didn’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t. I’ll be following her to France already, and even though I know she would be mad about that, I did not care. I had to make sure she was safe, and there was no way I’d sit at home while she started a new life without me. I take a deep breath to stop the heavy beating of my heart. I did not want Regina to go, but her mind had been made up, and there was no stopping her decision. “I brought food from that Thai restaurant you loved. I know you’d be eating a lot of pasta and bread when you get there, so I thought maybe we should eat something that would remind you of home.” I grinned at her to take the edge off my nervousness. “Come on in,” Regina greeted like she was welcoming a friend. “I wasn’t hungry, but now that you mentioned food, it made my tummy grumble. Let’s see what you have.” She said as she took one of the bags