"Elaine's new apartment is not a place for lost and found people, Maureen," Ghino's voice suddenly echoed in my ears coming from behind me. "Apart from the fact that I am the first person who knows her new place, we spent the night together." Then I was taken aback when he reached out to my hand and stood beside me. "And besides, if you have trust issues with your boyfriend, ask him yourself directly." he continued, "Instead of lashing out your insecurities to someone who's living in peace." Ghino opened the door for me and assisted me in hopping in. "Just ignore him, Elaine," he said while putting on my seatbelt. "I know Dylan had drinks with his friends last night and finished very late. There's no way he would reach out to you, right?" I accidentally bit the corner of my lower lips when I was taken aback by Ghino's unexpected question. Before I could say a word, I glanced outside the window to check if Mauren remained on her spot. Lucky for me, Maureen was alrea

I was supposed to be the one who must burst out crying but after hearing the bad news, my Mom did it on my behalf. Guess what? She cries way worse than me. My parents, especially Mom know everything about the "imaginary" Dylan Spencer, starting from his complete name, position in the company, his favorite dishes, places he liked to visit, and his history. "Imaginary" simply because they believed that everything I told them was all part of my helpless imagination. They believed that I was telling them about my ideal man and that even in my 24 years of existence, they never heard and saw me bringing and introducing someone home. They were even afraid that I might end up getting old and being single for the rest of my life. But despite all the nagging, teasing, and sacrifices, my entire family still loves and cares for me. And I love them back. That was why I worked hard day and night to provide them with their daily needs, especially when my dad had his daily mainten

As I was about to head out, my phone kept ringing, not because someone was calling, but because I received non-stop messages from most of the people who knew me in New York, including Lalaine, Ghino, and Dylan. While thinking about what to do about our disrupted conversation, I scanned my inbox and read as many messages as possible. "Elaine, where are you? You disappeared in the middle of the wedding without a word to me. Are you sick? Want me to bring you some medicine?" The message was sent from Ghino an hour after Dylan and Maureen's wedding. "Please call me once you get this message. I'm on my way to my condo now. Call or text me if you need anything. Got it?" "I love you! Please, don't stress yourself out because your best friend married someone else. You deserve someone better. That's me." "So, please, give me a call once you get this." "Good night!" "Good morning, Elaine. I'll be dropping by Dylan's office this morning, in fact, I'm on my way now

Noah secretly kicked my foot underneath the table, his sign of telling me to do something before everything went out of hand. Before we get busted, considering Dad was already furious about seeing Dylan. Worst-case scenario. Dad might not just point the tip of his pistol toward Dylan but to me and Noah. I could not help but bite the lower corner of my lips while holding onto that thought. I need to do something real quick. "Because Brother Noah kept on playing online games late at night. He kept cursing and punching the walls." John Dave continued. "Sometimes, I even caught him cooking and drinking in the middle of the night. He eats a lot." "He got me, Mom, Dad," Brother Noah faked a smile before he blinked at me. "I had insomnia. Playing late at night helped me fall asleep." "Better quit that kind of habit, Noah," Dad replied, and his suspicion of us started to subside. "Eating food late at night is unhealthy for your body. And so should you, Elaine." "By

Ghino was about to put his hand on top of my shoulder, but I was taken by surprise when Noah applied what he learned from his marshal arts lessons by kicking my boyfriend's balls. Hard enough he moaned helplessly in pain on and before he crouched to the ground. "What's wrong with you, you son of a bitch? Do you have a death wish, huh?" I cannot blame Ghino for uttering such profanity even in front of me when I could feel his excruciating pain after getting kicked. I cannot blame my brother for what he did either. He was simply protecting me from harm since I forgot to mention anything that someone would pick us up from the port. Protecting me from any kind of harm, including those who wanted to take advantage of me being a woman was what he promised my parents on joining me on getting back to New York City. On the other hand, Ghino was well aware that I would be getting back to the apartment with my older brother. He knows my brother's name, however, he knows no