"Koen..." I uttered when my brother opened the door."Katalina?" Koen was shocked to see me. But he immediately ushered me inside his house. "What happened?""I uhm..." I bit my bottom lip because it kept quivering. "Can I stay here tonight?"I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Love left me scarred, so I don't know if I want anything to do with it again. I can't let it turn me into someone vulnerable and fragile once more. Whenever I hear the word love, Cadmus always comes to mind. I've come to hate everything that reminded me of him.However, what I had with Percy was different from what I had before. I presumed the lack of romance allowed us to be comfortable with each other. I thought it kept us from hurting each other despite being deeply attached. But it turns out, he had always been in love with me, and I... I might've been forgetting how love ruined me.At some point, I also began to imagine 'the us' that would exist after Cadmus' downfall. I forgot that I was once too confident

I walked towards Percival until I could hear their conversation. I wasn't planning to eavesdrop. I wanted my presence to be known. "How many times do I have to ask you to leave?" Percival said with a sigh of irritation. "I'm only concerned for you, Percy," Helena insisted. "If you ever need someone to talk to about this, just let me know." "He already told you to leave," I interrupted. My hand reached for Percy's arm. Helena seemed surprised at first, but her expression quickly changed. She lifted her chin and raised an eyebrow as she stared at me. "Your ex-husband is visiting you quite often," Helena said. "I'm only concerned for Percy." I laughed as I tightened my grip on Percy's arms. "Perhaps you haven't heard that my agency has a small project with Mr. Salazar's company. Those visits were solely business." Helena grinned. Unlike Minty, she kept herself composed. It was harder to read her too. My eyes briefly scanned her body, and my eyebrows shot up. She was wearing a body

The beach house meant so much to the old me. I had some of my happiest memories there. But that one night tainted all those memories. The house lost all its meaning, yet it still stood where it always had been. Why should it?In a phone call, I told Cadmus to meet me there. The place where we spent our first night as a married couple. It wouldn't be good for the both of us to be seen having dinner in a fancy restaurant, so I suggested we have the dinner away from the public's eyes. I could hear the excitement in his voice when he agreed, so I should make it worth his while.I started arranging everything. From my schedule--so it wouldn't look suspicious to Percival or anyone who would look into it, down to what I will cook for Cadmus. Yes, I would be cooking. No, there wouldn't be poison in it.Cadmus, like the egoistic bastard that he was, seemed so confident that I would still be wrapped around his finger like I used to be. He knew I adored him since we were little, but being stupid

I held his hand steady before dragging it away from my cheek. Then I drew back and sat on the bed. I stared at the floor, trying to appear as hurt and confused as possible. Cadmus knelt in front of me carefully, trying to get a good look at my face. He looked like he was prepared to console me. Cadmus said cheating on me was a mistake, but here he was, ready to do it again. I wonder if Minty was the only girl he cheated on me with. Or perhaps Minty was the only mistress he got pregnant."I loved having you as my wife, Katalina. If only you told me all this before. That would've melted my anger and frustrations. We would've still been together." He held my elbows and caressed my skin. "Your skin is as soft as ever," he said, smiling.Minty's thoughts must be killing her right now. Why wasn't her husband answering her calls? Where was he? That's what she got for desiring my seat. "But you loved Minty more. . ." I said and pretended to be hurt. "Maybe I should leave. She's the one you

I blinked because I felt something in my eyes. But I didn't expect something warm and wet to roll down my cheeks. The moment Koen asked if I was ready to lose something. I instantly thought of Percival. I've carried the promises and decisions I made with a shattered heart. Now, they felt like burdens pulling me away from something--someone. Back then, I thought I'd never run out of anger, and I let it consume me because I was afraid I'd forget the pain. I kept my wounds open to know what to carve on their skins. But now, I felt so hollow, as if the anger I'd carried consumed every bit of me, and now it was threatening to leave too. I should be satisfied and happy that I already held the knife that was once used against me. I could bring Cadmus to ruin, like how he ruined everything I held dear. But I wasn't. I wasn't happy. Nothing changed. I still felt like the girl who lost everything. And Percival. God, I do not deserve him. I refused to admit it because I didn't want to be the