WINTER:"You're going to avenge him for me? Cali. You're not even getting the word right and you're talking about revenge?"He laughed and it was pleasant to my ears. His laughter made me forget my worries about Hawk. "My bad, Pumpkin. I don't have perfect English.""It should be, do I want you to avenge me?"He laughed on the other side of the line. "Okay. I am sorry. I know. I know. I'm only trying to make you laugh, Pumpkin. You ended the call earlier. It made me worried. The reason why I called you. I was about to ask my secretary to bring flowers to your home.”My brows furrowed. “Mother's Day celebration is already gone.”“I just want to give you flowers, Pumpkin.”“Why?”“Ahm…is there a need to give a reason”“Yes, because I don't want to feel indebted to you, Cali.”“Pumpkin, what made you think about that?”I bit the inside of my cheeks. “Nothing.”A long silence passed between us until he asked, “Really? Is there something I need to know?"“You have work.”“I'm resting for

CALCIFER:“How was it? Did Miss Winter say "I love you two?” Nathalia asked as she sat in front of my table. She was the happiest when she heard I said my love for Winter.I ordered her to go while I talked to Winter over the phone, but she came back instantly. I heaved a sigh.The smile disappeared from her face. “Oh. She turned you down. Our great CEO of the company. My half-sibling was turned down by his ex-wife? I’m so disappointed in you, Mr. Calcifer. You’ve been with two divorces already and you still haven’t learned how to court someone? Eh. Like what the…”“Winter is not ready,” I grumbled, cutting off her words. She gave me a front-teeth smile. “Not ready? Or maybe you haven’t shown your feelings more than enough. Maybe you haven’t shown her how you feel. Courting a woman should be sincere and consistent. Your good deeds should remain for as long as forever.”“Forever does not exist. Our time in this world is limited. People die. There is no forever.”She rolled her eyes a

WINTER:It was Family Day already. After being postponed because of some unforeseen circumstances, it was already continued. And here we were, already inside Liam's nursery school.“Aren't you coming with us?” I asked Hawk for the nth time when he pulled over in the parking lot. There were a lot of parents pouring inside. We still have an hour left to start. We were too early, but Cali did not want us to be late. “I am fine, Miss Winter,” he said and stepped out of the car. The next thing I knew, the door beside me opened. I stepped outside while Cali and Liam did the same. “Are you sure, Hawk? It will take us a long time before we finish the program. I don't want you to get bored waiting here.”His expression remained emotionless. “Don't worry about me, Miss Winter.”I hated how cold he was still cold around me. He had not totally forgiven me. Not yet.“She's not worrying about you,” Cali muttered. “Stop your delusions. Let's go, Pumpkin.”Hawk glared at Cali and the two were back

WINTER: I smacked Cali’s head. It was not that hard, but it was enough to address my annoyance towards him. The child, witnessing what I did towards my ex-husband, saw it, got scared, and ran away crying for his Mommy and Daddy. I felt bad for him. “Look what you did to the poor child, Pumpkin,” Cali declared, his eyes following the child’s direction. He stopped at the two couples and pointed in our direction. Not wanting to scare them, I waved my hands at them, but they glared at me. My eyes went back to Calcifer. “Imagine our second child would do the same, Pumpkin. Isn’t it lovely? I never knew how it felt to hold a newborn’s body. But I am willing to experience it again with you this time, Pumpkin. This time, you will no longer be feeling alone. I will be with you from the beginning until the end, Pumpkin. Liam and I will be there for you,” he declared softly. The image of him and Liam while they took care of me in the hospital resurfaced. My heart tightened. What

WINTER:Maybe it was my anger that made me open my mouth. The kind of anger that I rarely felt. “You want to know the answer?”“That’s why I am asking, Miss Winter.”“Does it matter so much?”“Yes, because I want you to be happy with Liam even if it means I won't be. Your happiness will be mine, too, Miss Winter.”My eyes teared up. Dammit. Why was I getting emotional? Was it because this man did not deserve to be in pain? “I hate it when you are like this, Hawk. Do you know that? I hate why you want my happiness to be on top.”“All I wanted is for you to free yourself from any burden.”“You're not a burden!” I chastised. “Liam is happy to be with you. Do not think of such evil thoughts.”Why would he be a burden when he was there when I needed to rush Liam to the hospital? Why would he be a burden when he saved me from dying of exhaustion because Liam wouldn't be crying nonstop the whole evening? Not only was he my personal bodyguard, but he volunteered to be Liam's babysitter whe