CHRISTY: It took a few rings before Ben picked up the call. Then, his face flashed in. His once neat face already looked like a lawn with tall grass. His eyes told me he had not experienced a life full of luxury. It was tiring as if he was barely hanging. But the most important part was that he was well.Before, I was already imagining what our meeting would be like after he ran away. I imagined I would hate him for leaving me, but maybe it was only because of my emotions. Now…I felt relief that he was well and alive. Still…there was an ounce of some emotions which I could not pinpoint. “Hey,” Ben declared, hesitating. I did not know what I would say to him. Whether I would scold him for leaving me alone or scream at the top of my lungs until he realized what he had done. My hands trembled and forced my hands to steady. A long silence filled it. It was awkward and I did not know how to break it. There were a lot of things I wanted to ask, but I did not know where to start. “Hey,

CHRISTY:I thought I would be able to sleep since Everette was no longer sleeping beside me, but I was wrong. My mind kept on wondering if he was able to sleep on the couch. Shit. Was it my fault now? He was the one who thought I was a slut and that was one of the most painful things I could ever hear from someone. And I was not expecting it to hear from Everette whom I trusted so much.Still…was he comfortable on the couch? He had work to do and sleep was the best thing that he could do to regain his strength.I rolled on my back.I was always sensitive when it came to my ex-boyfriend, especially if someone thought I was a slut. They always reminded me of Mom who said I always spread my legs whenever I wanted to.I got out of bed.“I will only drink water,” I muttered to myself and sat on the bed. Then, I looked for my slippers stepped out of my room, and went downstairs while constantly saying I was only getting some water.Liar. You want to check on him. I am not. I did not care

CHRISTY:As soon as I sent the message, Everette replied faster than I expected asking the location. I was about to reply to him, but then he called as if he could no longer wait for my text. “You want to see me?” Everette asked, not bothering to hide his excitement.I sat upright as my drowsiness disappeared upon hearing his voice.“T-that’s what I want.”“Are you no longer mad at me? Did you see the food on the table? I cooked them for you. May I know what time you woke up? I wanted to send you a message, but you won’t ever reply to me. I thought you’re not the type to reply right away.”“We can talk about it when we meet.”“I will ask Levi to fetch you.”“Why would he when I already have my car. "I have a car. I want to be with Happiness." "Levi can drive.""I will be the one driving it. Don't you dare decide for me, Everett. I did not give you the power to."Silence flowed between the line that I could hear the sharp intake of breath. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath. "Tell

CHRISTYEverette's brows furrowed and sat up. The wind blew some strands of his hair blocking some of his eyes. So smoking hot.“Believe it or not, I did not cheat.”“Oh, please. What's my assurance that you're telling the truth?”“I won't force you to believe me, but that's the truth.”On the other hand, why was it an issue to me that he cheated on Eden or not? That was already out of my control.“I don’t like cheating,” I informed him. “The next time you do that, forgive me but I cannot just sit down and let you get away with it.”“What will you do?”The corner of my lips lifted. “I will cut whatever I have to cut.”Everette shivered. “You are one scary woman when you get angry.”“I sure am, and you should be wary about it.”A comfortable silence filled in as the gentle sea breeze kissed both of our skin. I wished we had the same moments like this where we would always have the time to spend with each other. And I appreciated Everette's effort in coming here even if it was not his

CHRISTY:Everette's eyes widened at first and then grinned next. “Will we stay here?” he asked in disbelief. P“Y-yes. No one is waiting for us in that house.”“Soon, someone will.”“Who? We are not having a baby.”“Who said we are having one? I'm talking about the soon-to-be maids.”Oh, great. I wanted the ground to swallow me now. “That's what I was telling you earlier,” I muttered while averting my gaze. He stood and was now in front of me while wiping the sand from his pants. “That's…good to hear. But our family would love a baby, kitten.”“I don't want to.”Sadness flashed in his eyes before he said, “No one is forcing you to do what you don't want.” He gave me a warm smile. There was no question that he would be a great father. He was already an amazing husband despite being in a business marriage. But…I don't want my baby to grow up without a father on her side. I already knew how hard it was to have absent parents. I did not want my child to encounter the same thing. “I'