CHAPTER 10 TREMBLE     Ria put on a brave face, hiding her emotions behind a mask of indifference. She doesn’t want to feel that way. She was not supposed to feel that way. She smiled, acting like nothing had changed as nothing mattered. She buried her feelings deep inside, locking them away in a dark and lonely place. She hoped they would fade away, disappear, or die. But they didn’t. They made her feel like she wasn’t herself anymore. “Oh, you’re here already? I thought you’ll be here by the next day,” Patricia mentioned as they finally got near them. “Well. We will not let you take all the credit for helping,” said a guy who looks like the other one. “By the way, this is Jett and Jaye. I don’t know which one of them but they always make fools out of us,” Grant introduced the twins like two peas in a pod. One of them winked and the other one just smiled. “This is Lucas and Quinn. They’re siblings.”

CHAPTER 12 RUN “You’re not as bad as you think you are,” Ria stated as she let out a long breath, releasing the weight of what was troubling her mind. Still confused, she thought that time that what she is seeing through Grant was not the man who hurt her before. He was someone lonely and tried his best to be the kind person he was. She rose from the shore and walked towards the water. The cool breeze touches her skin, her toes touch the waves. Ria smiled. “We all hide something. And perhaps, it’s our choice to make ourselves who we are.” “That was what my doctor always told me.” Her eyes roamed around. Until she noticed a splash of color in the water, contrasting the dark color of the night. She leaned down to pick up a white lily. She wondered where that fresh flower came from. Ria suddenly brightens up her face, turning around to Grant, feeling a new light in her eyes. “She’s here, right?” she asked. Grant suddenly read what she was thinking. “Let’s go. She should be in thi

CHAPTER 14ACT Ria opened her lids, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She stretched all the parts of her body. She was yawning softly as she realized that she was asleep for many hours for she never got any sleep yesterday. She rolled over and saw the gift she was about to give Grant. She never found the courage to give it to him, even if Patricia was seriously pushing her to surprise him.It was already Grant’s birthday and it would be the perfect day to give it to him. It would also be nice to give it o him as a parting gift. She heard that Grant’s parents were inviting Madison. It would be perfect to finish her act just until this night.Besides, she needed the money before by the next week for the deposit of Lumiere’s surgery.She slid out of her bed and walked to the terrace, admiring the view of the garden. She breathed in fresh air until she spotted Grant sitting walking along the rows of roses, alone

CHAPTER 16CHILDRENJust when Ria opened the door to her room, pulling the luggage with her one hand, her eyes widened for a second upon seeing a man standing in front of her.“You’re leaving?” asked Justin as he landed his eyes on her things.“Well. I had an important thing to do.” She made an excuse.“Where’s your boyfriend? Isn’t he supposed to drive you?”“He’s drunk,” she mumbled.“And you’re not? What kind of boyfriend lets his girl travel alone at night? Give me permission and I’ll surely punch his face.”“Justin. I just want to go.” Her tone was a mixture of sadness and heaviness.Without hesitation, he grabbed her luggage and pulled it for her. “Come on. I’ll drive you out.”She never said goodbye to anyone else. They were still having fun and she don’t want to ruin it. She even could not see any sign of Grant. All she knew, was she was done there.The ride was silent. She was not saying any words, either Justin. They would only say something if it was directions they were ta

CHAPTER 18 GLANCED Ria was back to her everyday life with the wooden tables and chairs. The cups and saucers look cheerful with the sounds they produce. It was as if they were happy to have her back. The Sweet Café has always been welcoming to her. It was another busy day with her red and pink outfit and apron. The air was filled with freshly brewed coffee making it more comfortable. “You really are not going to talk about what you guys did on your vacation?” Trixie keeps on asking her every time she would take another tray of orders by the counter. “For the nth time, nothing happened. I told you; I just helped and attended the birthday party.” Trixie took a sigh. “Okay. But if there will be next time, I will not allow you to tell me nothing.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “This one is for that cute guy sitting next to the window.” Trixie pointed out that way as she put a coffee on her tray. She looked and it was kind of déjà vu to her. She looked at the name of the owner and found ou