After Christmas, Tristan had to go back to work. Meanwhile, Shane stayed with Audrey and Asher to ring in the New Year. Audrey bustled around the kitchen, preparing a feast for the festivities. As she worked, Shane watched over Asher, who couldn't contain his excitement about the night ahead.
Asher was asleep when the clock finally struck midnight and everyone erupted with cheers, welcoming the new year with optimism and hope. Audrey and Shane raised their glasses to join in on the festivities and toasted together.
"Cheers to a brand new year!" Audrey and Shane announced, clinking their glasses together. They had been through so much during the past year, but they continued to live on.
After the toast, they stepped out to the balcony and marveled at the breathtaking view of twinkling stars that lit up the night sky. Vibrant colors from fireworks filled the town with life. Everywhere was buzzing with excitement. Across the street, people were lighting sparklers and letting off crackers while singing songs that brought it all together. "It's beautiful," Audrey whispered.
Shane took a deep breath, gazing at Audrey with admiration. It was like he could feel the strength emanating from her as she stood there with such resolve. He thought back on how much they had grown together over the past few months despite the divorce and it filled him with joy to see her there, so sure of herself and her path. Moved by this sentiment, he turned to her with a smile and asked softly, “So, what’s your New Year’s resolution?”
Audrey looked up at Shane and whispered, "I want to be stronger. So I can take on whatever comes my way this New Year."
Shane nodded understandingly before taking a step closer to her. He looked into her eyes before confidently expressing his own resolution. "My New Year's resolution is for us to get even closer again in the coming months."
Surprise filled Audrey's face as she stared into Shane's eyes. A mischievous smile slowly spread across her lips before she gave him a pat on the shoulder as if giving him encouragement.
"Challenge accepted," she said with a smirk.
Shane leaned closer, the intensity of his gaze making Audrey's heart race. She could feel the heat emanating from his body, and it was getting harder to control her breathing.
Shane's hand cupped her face, and he leaned in. He was about to kiss her when Audrey turned her head to the side.
"Looks like our first challenge has arrived," she said, laughing awkwardly.
Shane took a step back, a little disappointed by Audrey's lack of enthusiasm. "What do you mean?" he asked her.
Audrey shrugged. "We're not in any relationship where we could kiss casually," she said. Though disappointed, Shane didn't insist on doing it. His only regret was failing to earn Audrey's heart again. He stepped back and grabbed her hands, intertwining their fingers together in a solemn agreement.
"Let's take it slow and steady this time," he said as he brought her hands up to his lips and gently kissed them. He looked into her eyes with a purposeful gaze, silently asking for one more chance despite all the obstacles they had faced before.
Audrey smiled sadly. "We're done with that phase, Shane. Let's not ruin the first day of the year because of someone's selfish desire, alright?"
Shane nodded before giving her hands a gentle squeeze. Things couldn't be the same between them, but at least they have an understanding. With that in mind, both of them kept their composure.
Audrey walked back into the room and shut the balcony door behind her. She could feel a warm sensation in her chest as she thought about Shane's resolution for them to get closer again in the coming months. A heavy sigh escaped from her lips as she took things slow and steady this time around so as not to fall victim to being hurt again. Taking off her shoes, she climbed into bed with Asher who had already been sound asleep since earlier, cuddled up against him for warmth and comfort. Despite feeling exhausted after such an intense encounter with Shane, Audrey couldn't help but let her thoughts drift towards what could have been had she chosen differently earlier that night.
“Ma! Are you ready yet?” Asher called his Mom from the door. “The airplane is going to leave us if you don’t hurry,” he urged. “Calm down, sweetie! Mommy’s almost done,” Audrey replied. She hurriedly tied up her hair in a bun and checked herself in the mirror once again. “Not bad,” she mumbled, picked up her bag, and headed to the door. “Finally!” Asher said and chuckled as he hugged his mother’s leg. “I thought you changed your mind,” he said with a worried face. Audrey smiled. “Of course not. Your grannies are waiting, so we’re going no matter what. They missed you so much,” she told the boy whose face lit up again. “I missed them, too!” Asher flashed a toothy grin. “And daddy also,” he added. Audrey’s face turned sour. Speaking of Asher’s father, Shane — he hadn’t visited his son for 3 months. At first, she thought it was fine since he was busy with work, but Asher kept asking for him. When she tried to call Shane so he could talk to his son at least, his secretary was the one
The endless chopping sound whenever the knife touched the chopping board was only getting louder while time passed by. Followed by the bristling noise from the meat thrown in the pan with oil, the open tap with flowing water and its gushing sound in the sink from time to time, turned the kitchen into stadium-like while an orchestra played a delicate, quiet war song. The conductor was no other than the head chef, Audrey, who stayed up for two nights since she came back from her honeymoon trip, did nothing but experiment with dishes in Nathan’s place.She prepared the food from breakfast to supper without taking a bite for herself. Her long hair was tied in a bun, wrapped with a hairnet, and this made her look neat yet messy at the same time. The dark circles around her swollen eyes were visible even from afar. Her lips were chapped and dry, and her face was pale. Overall, she looked distressed.
“Welcome back, Miss Audrey.”The housekeeper and the housemaids greeted in unison when Audrey stepped out of the car. She drove herself home alone after what happened. Audrey said nothing in response and straightly trod the way to her room, not the master’s bedroom, leaving the others inside the house clueless on what she was behaving about.She slumped her chest on the bed and there, she burst into tears. She felt sick and anguished. It was never in her wildest dream that Shane would actually say something scrupulous right after they went back to the city from their honeymoon.At first, she thought the man was only going to drop by on the company or maybe meet up with his manager after a month of leave he took to spend their honeymoon. Shane told her to call the house and ask someone to fetch her at the airport, but she refused and insisted on coming with him. It was the first time after they got married that Shane yelled at her sa
Audrey hastily sat up when she heard a series of knocks on the door. Her hand automatically grabbed something around to wipe her tears. She stared at the wet part of the pillowcase and sighed.*knock* *knock*“Coming!” she yelled to let anyone know outside that she’s on her way to open the door. She swallowed a lump in her throat before pulling the door inside to see who was disturbing her sentimental moments. As much as possible, Audrey didn’t want to face anyone but in the back of her mind, she was hoping that the person behind the door was Shane who was ready to apologize and tell her that it was all an act. She would forgive him of course, and everything should go back to the way they used to be during their honeymoon trip.Her anticipation dropped from 101 to 0 when she found the housekeeper standing outside the room, holding a phone in her hand with a worried expression painted on her face.
“Auddie? Someone’s looking for you outside. Should I let him in?”Audrey woke up to Nathan’s gentle pat on her cheeks. She could also hear him calling her and mentioning someone who was looking for her. She opened her eyes slowly as they seemed to protest her idea of waking up already. Her head was feeling fuzzy with a few memories from a few days ago haunting her in sleep. Audrey felt restless when she realized she couldn’t settle her mind at ease even while sleeping.The thick blanket fell on the floor when she pulled herself up while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. “Nathan? Were you calling me?” Audrey asked softly. She sounded sleepy though she didn’t yell at the blond after waking her up.Nathan nodded his head while looking at her wearily. Audrey could tell something was the matter, but she only heaved a sigh. What else could be the problem other than any
Audrey subconsciously raised a brow upon hearing what her husband called her. She couldn’t help but pull a sneer at him when their eyes met. ‘Baby?’ she thought.“How many babies you have?” Audrey blurted out. “I heard you’re expecting a newborn baby seven months from now,” she added.Shane looked tired and devastated, for whatever reason why he was like that, Audrey had a very tiny interest. “Baby, I can explain…” he muttered with his begging eyes. He was dressed so well like he always did but still looking like a mess. “Can… Can we go somewhere else?” He suggested as he peeked behind her. Audrey moved her head slightly to the side and noticed Nathan and Francesca through her peripheral vision. She sighed and nodded to Shane before leading the way.She used to walk behind him as she enjoyed looking up at his back. It didn’t
“Stephanie is indeed pregnant,” Shane confirmed after Audrey asked him about the singer’s pregnancy scandal. They just finished having a sumptuous dinner when her husband led the way to the other side of the garden where the city lights could be seen, like glittering mountains of treasures in the night. The view was breathtaking but the atmosphere in them was only getting more intense.Audrey didn’t waste any time and started a conversation about the actor’s involvement in Stephanie’s pregnancy. She started shooting him questions she badly needed to be answered. “She just started her acting career, and we’re under the same company. Her pregnancy would ruin her whole career, and I was tasked to help her out. It was the company’s request, Audrey,” Shane added.“I never thought you’d be so dedicated to the company to the extent that you’ll neglect your wife’s feelings over the said ‘problem’ you need to handle. But it's okay. I guess it’s fine as long
“Damn!” Shane kicked the stone from where he stood when he could no longer see the lights from his car which Audrey drove to get away from him. He was so mad that he intended to throw anything that caught his attention. The flowers and other ornamental plants in the pots ended up scattered on the ground as he kept breaking them. He was close to losing his mind when his phone started ringing. Shane checked who’s calling and was relieved it his manager and not Stephanie. Ever since he agreed to play along with the company, the latter would always call him to check his whereabouts like a demanding wife.“Lucy,” he muttered when he answered the call.The person on the other line didn’t respond which confused him. Lucy would always start with her award-winning yells whenever he did something without informing him. And having a press conference a few days ago after he came back from his honeymoon was one of those things he did without letting her manager