Shane threw himself on the couch as soon as he went back to his apartment. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips as he recalled how Audrey changed. He was starting to believe that there was no hope for the both of them. After all, he did nothing but hurt her in the past. “Ah. This isn’t as easy as I thought,” he mumbled and laughed at himself. “She wouldn’t remarry soon, would she?” Shane was desperate. When he thought he could gain Audrey’s love again by doing her good, he ultimately agreed with the divorce. Now that he realized it wasn’t that simple, he regretted signing the divorce papers. ‘I shouldn’t have done it,’ he thought. The loud ringing of the doorbell pulled him back from a trance. Shane got up lazily to check who it was. “Lucy,” he mumbled his manager’s name. “What is it?” He asked the glaring woman by the door. “You could have called me instead, you know. I want to be alone,” he said and was about to close the door again when Lucy used her foot to stop him. “Call yo
A hand grabbed and pulled Shane back. He turned to see who it was and found Lucy glaring at him. “Let go,” he told her but the latter didn’t budge. “Let’s talk about it later. Just let me go,” he insisted.Lucy shook her head. “No, Shane. I came here to supervise you. You can’t just leave unless you have a reason to. Now, before you try to leave this place, let me know why you should leave,” she replied, her voice firm. “I’m tired of keeping up with your whims. Why don’t you make your priorities straight and cause less trouble for those around you?”Shane forcibly pulled his arm away from her grasp. “Are you done? I said I’m leaving so I’m leaving. Don’t even try to stop me,” he said in a cold voice.“Fine,” Lucy said. “You can leave and maybe find someone new to handle your mess. I’m telling you Shane, I’m having enough of your bullshits.”Shane scoffed. “You’re going to quit? Fine,” he mumbled. “But you’ve got to keep your word and let me leave early when all of this is done,” he sa
Audrey clenched her fists after talking to Shane on the phone. She was calling him since last night in hopes he would pick up the call and accompany his parents to the hospital, especially his mother who was having an emotional breakdown after learning about the grave condition of his father.“He should be grateful to still have them… Really,” she mumbled, thinking about how nice it was that Shane still had his parents. Audrey sighed and went back inside the room where the elders were waiting. “He finally answered the call. He should be here any moment now,” she told them with a smile.“Thanks, Hija. I wouldn’t know what to do without you here.” Mrs. Vargas stood up and hugged her. “Thank you for staying all night but you should go back now. Asher needs you,” she told her.Nodding her head, Audrey took her bag and smiled at the couple. “I wish you a fast recovery, Dad. Always remember we’re here for you,” she told Mr. Vargas who smiled back at her.“Thank you,” the elderly man mouthed
“Shane, you’re here!” Mrs. Vargas ran to his son to hug him. “Your dad’s condition isn’t getting any better,” she said in between sobs. “I’m glad you decided to come,” she added and tightened her embrace.“Mom,” Shane mumbled as he rubbed her back. “Calm down. You don’t want the old man to worry about you too, do you?” He sighed when his mother shook her head and clutched his clothes tighter. “Is he asleep now?”That was when the elder woman let go of the hug. She shook her head in response. “We were just talking earlier before you came in,” she told her son. “Honey, Shane is here to see you.” Her eyebrows met when she turned to see his husband who pretended to be asleep.“Ah.” Shane massaged the bridge of his nose. “He seems fine to me. Should I go back instead?” He watched as his father’s eyes twitched. “It’s been a while but are you not going to talk to me, Dad?”“Hmp!” The elder man scoffed. “Who would want to talk to a son like you? Look at what you made Audrey do. Who in the rig
The next day, Audrey came back to visit the hospital. She bought fruits and homemade dishes for the elderly while leaving Asher for Flora.Upon entering the room, Audrey saw an elder man sitting in a chair with a blanket draped over his knees. His eyes glowed when they met Audrey’s.“Good morning! I’m glad to see you feeling better today, Dad.” She smiled at him and placed the food she brought on the table next to him. “Where’s Mom?”Mr. Vargas pointed at the bathroom and soon after, his wife emerged. “Hija! You’re here. Did you bring Asher with you?”Audrey shook her head. “I wish I could but he was still sleeping when I left,” she replied.“Yes, that’s fine. I don’t think he should be comfortable in this kind of place too,” Mr. Vargas commented. “You must be tired of carrying all those stuff you brought. Why don’t you take a seat?” He suggested.Audrey pulled up a chair next to him and started peeling an apple for the elders. She cut it into small pieces and the couples took them on
A couple of days later, Mr. Vargas’ condition improved and he was discharged from the hospital though he could no longer go back to his busy schedule like before. They had a small party after that and Audrey joined in with Asher. The elderly couple was glad to see their grandson and his parents who seemed to be getting along again, not knowing what exactly happened between the two. Nevertheless, the relationship between Shane and Audrey was civil. Shane didn’t try to pursue Audrey again after their conversation in the coffee shop. He could tell that she was really desperate for peace of mind and it was something he couldn’t give her. Although he didn’t plan to easily let go, he managed to conceal his feelings at some point and chose to get along with her instead. He may no longer be her husband but just like what she told him, he was still their son’s father. As for Audrey, she felt even better recently. She could sleep at night without having to worry whether Shane would barge into
It was supposedly another ordinary day for Audrey— taking care of Asher, tending to her plants, enjoying tea in the garden with her book— pretty much doing what she loved, not until she sat in the living room after tea time and turned on the TV only to see her on the trending news. “What on earth?” Audrey was taken aback for a moment when she saw the photo of her on the news, accompanied by an article about Shane Vargas, her ex-husband who happened to be a famous actor. “No way this is happening,” she mumbled in panic, fetching her phone from the pocket of her dress. “Does he know about it? Gosh! It's been on trending since yesterday. Flora!” “Yes, Miss? Oh my! What is wrong with you?” Flora rushed toward Audrey who went pale after the shocking news. “Please stay here, I'll get some water for you.” The maid hurried to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. “Ah! Thank you. Thanks,” Audrey told Flora after she drank the water. “I'm sorry. It's just that... Hold on a sec, where's Asher
“Oh!”Tristan knew he would be rejected and what he did was not a smart move at all. When he saw the news involving Audrey, he felt the need to make a move, so he thought about marriage.“I'm sorry,” he said. “I shouldn't have said that. So unromantic, isn't it?”Audrey sighed. “It wasn't about being romantic or not, Tristan. I just recently found peace and I don't want to ruin it. I'm better off living without a man in my life,” she said. “I mean... I never felt so free and relaxed. Of course, it's starting to crumble now that my picture with my ex is all over the internet,” she continued. “And marriage can't solve it, Tristan. I liked it when we can talk casually like this. Once we take another step forward, we don't know what lies ahead. I'm so tired of life filled with uncertainties.”“I get it,” Tristan said. Then he continued, “I may need to leave for now. You should get some rest too.”Audrey looked away for a moment to collect herself. Finally, after a few seconds of silence,