“Why didn’t you tell me?” Marcus Ellish confronted his wife of seventeen years when everything gelled in his head. The tension in his arms told Alicia that he was trying hard to control his anger. Marcus may appear reserved most of the time, a workaholic even but it does not mean he wants to be kept in the dark, unaware of what is going on behind his back, especially if this concerns his children and wife. He was a person who rarely gets angry, but when he does, the world around him shakes and trembles. Marcus values honesty so much. It was what kept their marriage going for seventeen years. He and Alicia had never kept secrets between them. They started out as strangers in this marriage, which progressed into friendship, to later became the foundation of a beautiful relationship. To learn that she was keeping a secret this big - anger simmered inside him. Alicia bit her lip. She felt ashamed. She kept silent, not knowing what to say, looking helplessly at Noah. "I told h
Wyoming stirred in her sleep when she felt someone gently brush a wisp of hair that escaped her ponytail and fell into the side of her face, distracting her from her deep slumber. She groaned, annoyed at the disturbance. She heard a chuckle and her closed eyelids opened reluctantly to see Cayden’s dark orbs greet her hazel brown ones. “Good morning.” He uttered sweetly, putting an unconscious smile on her face. Wyoming jumped up from bending at the waist, her head resting on her father’s bed. “What time is it?” She yawned uncontrollably, unmindful of Cayden’s undivided attention. “It’s nearly dawn. The doctor came by while you were asleep and told me John would be awake anytime soon. I do not want him to wake up seeing me here, so I will just go to the nearest cafe for breakfast.”Wyoming looked at him in protest. If it were up to her, she would have preferred Cayden to stay here so they three could talk about her father’s problems. Cayden saw the conflict in her eyes, but
Cayden brought Wyoming to the cafe across the street from the hospital’s building. All this time, he never let her go, his arms wrapped around her waist protectively, baffling her. Wyoming felt self-conscious at the proprietary way Cayden held her. This felt different from his previous hold on her. Whereas before there was detachment - looking at his profile now, she only saw a gentle expression on his face. It felt to Wyoming like Cayden treats her with kid gloves, ready to break any moment. His expression baffled her as well. It seemed as if he was afraid to let her go because the moment he did so, she would flit away from him and never come back. She realized it may have something to do with her father’s orders to divorce him. She assumed that like her, Cayden did not want to separate. Hope spreads through her, assured of his growing feelings toward her. A surge of tenderness welled inside her. A tingly feeling coursed through her spine at the thought that as much as she
The following days were blissful for both Wyoming and Cayden. Every look and every touch has a different meaning for both of them. Everyone around them would hide an amused look seeing their lovesick expressions, doting even, the overcast hanging above their heads notwithstanding. John had been discharged from the hospital. Still, he and Wyoming were not on speaking terms, insisting that Wyoming divorced Cayden outright, which the latter refused. Not when she and Cayden had already reached an understanding. “We are going to start anew, this time as real husband and wife,” Cayden promised when he walked up to her after tearing up the contract they signed for their fake marriage. Tears welled up in her eyes, remembering the tender expression on his face. She was so happy. She did not think that she could be this happy in loving someone. It was liberating to finally be free from trying so hard to hide her feelings. A sigh was released from her lungs. She does not have to hide a
When Alicia left, Wyoming had this sudden urge to run and follow her, but she restrained herself. She did not know why she suddenly felt shy now that she knew that the mother-in-law she looked up to is her mother. “You look unhappy,” Maggie commented when she sat down on the couch to rest her throbbing head on its back. She sighed at the momentary respite, except the throbbing returned when Maggie asked her the question she did not have an answer for. Wyoming bit her lip. Her bloodshot eyes peered at Maggie.She looked uncertain, almost regretful, as she looked at the older woman to whom she had gone quite close these few months. “Was I too harsh on her?” Wyoming said in a little girl’s voice, uncertainty shrouding her voice. There was also something in her tone that Maggie seemed to understand fully, but she did not point it out. Better for Wyoming to discover it for herself. “You were surprised. It was understandable.” Maggie patted her hand, offering comfort. But it
When he turned his head to look at her, Cayden appeared like a one-eyed patch pirate, devilishly handsome with a few strands of his hair falling to his forehead and covering his one eye as he made the announcement.Wyoming locked gazes with Cayden but shifted her gaze elsewhere when the look he gave her became heated. She could not stand the tension that suddenly grew between them at that moment.It was like she was on fire with something she did not understand.She rolled her eyes to the insides of the church where they took their first vow as husband and wife, noticing that the feeling this place evoked in her this time was quite different from the first. Not only did the place look ethereal and solemn. It also lacked the glitter of came
“What’s the rush?” Wyoming commented when her head almost hit the dashboard.Cayden pressed his foot down the accelerator, gaining more than the usual speed limit.He looked at her sideways. The look he gave her was a heated look, full of meaning.“I want to be alone with you.” He said hoarsely.That shut her up.Wyoming could not explain the sudden tensing of her stomach muscle, more intense than the one she felt while they were inside the church. Imaginary butterflies were swirling around her belly, making her unconsciously grab the overhead grip handle, hoping to find her body’s balance.Silence pervaded the car’s interior, except for the engine’s hum and the occasional traffic sounds outside, both the passenger and the driver were silent, absorbed in their own thoughts.They stopped outside the entrance of Ellish Towers, to Wyomin
Wyoming woke up to a full bladder and got out of bed, carefully peeling the arm Cayden wrapped on her waist before she trudged the carpeted floor on the way to the bathroom.She took a leak feeling uncomfortable around her pelvic area and a tenderness in her breast. Before she went back to bed, she thought of something and went to the bedside table where she put her phone last night.Wyoming picked up the phone, powered it, and started swiping until she found what she was looking for - her period tracker. Upon seeing the date, she realized that it was almost that time of the month which explains the cramps around her lower abdomen and her cravings. Before she took the phone down, she also checked the time, noting that it was still too early she got back into bed and snuggled close to Cayden, who in turn instinctively opened his arms to make room for her.She laid her head on his chest, circling an arm to his waist to find a