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We're both heartbroken. Ella lost a fiancé, and I lost a wife. Our paths crossed when I was trying to move on, and she in her denial stage. I thought we could help each other heal our broken hearts, so I tried to remove the guards I had been trying to secure around myself. And before I knew who she really was, I found myself falling in love again. However, fate always slaps me with its irony. Because I found out that all along, she was the secret enemy that had set out to destroy me. All because I was the one who caused her heartaches - the one who killed her fiancé.
"I'm sorry, Miss -"
"Ella. And you're?" Ella cuts me, and I realize we have been sitting across from each other in this coffee shop for several minutes already, but we have not introduced ourselves to each other.
"Zed. Zed Ramos."
She smiles, stares at her cutleries for a while, then looks at me. "Sir, it's too expensive if you'll get me a room in a hotel. And so are the food. If you don't mind, can I just go home with you?"
What?! I gape at her for a second, and my lips curve to a smirk. Never.
"I can explain it to your wife. I can help her with the household chores, take care of the kids, anything- "
I understand. There's no malice in her expression. This woman looks up to me as her savior, and I know she's grateful for it. But I can't.
"I'm sorry, Ella. I'm single, but I don't like to have any women in my house. Nor, in my workplace."
Her brows furrow into frown and confusion. It's perhaps the way I say it. Or, probably because I make it sound like I'm allergic to women. If I am opportunistic, this is already my moment to take advantage of her. Yen may be the most beautiful woman in my eyes, but that changed when I saw this girl at the airport. I got mesmerized.
Or, maybe, just maybe, it's already a sign that I have moved on because I'm beginning to appreciate other women's beauty.
Yet, I distance myself away from any woman. I don't want to go through the pain anymore. I even dismiss my female attendants in my coffee shops when I decide to come back, and I no longer mingle with groups that include women. I may sound weird, but it's my way of protecting myself.
However, I couldn't ignore Ella at the airport. My conscience will be killing me if I shut my eyes to her needs. Of course, I'm just avoiding women, but I can't ignore somebody who needs my help.
As I observe her reaction, which I anticipate already, my mind goes back to how I met her an hour ago.
_____
I stepped down from the airport with just a single piece of luggage in my hand. All my other things, including the fixtures I ordered for my new house, would be shipped to me in a few days. The surroundings seemed eerily quiet, and I remembered our flight was delayed for a few hours.
I raised my arm and glanced at my watch. It's past midnight already. So, I head directly to the taxi stand. But seeing that the queue was still long, I decided to sit on a bench and waited until everyone was catered. I didn't have to hurry; no one was waiting for me. But while I ran the tips of my thumbs on my phone's screen, I heard sniffs coming from the end corner of the bench.
I looked in the direction of the sound. And my brows furrowed when I saw a woman in her mid-twenties, brushing her tears away. She sat with one long leg over the other; her eyes were on her lap.
Even without knowing her yet, I could tell she comes from a prominent family. Her skin is creamy; her movements were graceful and refined – even if she's crying. Her tucked-in, off-shoulder cream top matched the color of her wedges, and her old-rose, high-waist pants matched the shade of her luggage.
I hadn't seen her right away because a huge pillar obstructed her from my view. And judging from the swelling of her eyebags and the redness of her face, it looked like she's been crying for hours already.
My heart melted. If her crying was about her love life, I could relate. I'd been there. And even if I am slowly healing now, there are still times that I cry for her. The loneliness is just too overwhelming sometimes.
A guard walked over to me and whispered in my ear.
"Sir, the lady has been sitting and crying there since morning, according to the morning shift guard. When I came here this afternoon, she was already like that. I never see her eating," whispered the guard who perhaps followed my eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes, sir. I'm already worrying about her. It's already past midnight."
"Maybe she's waiting for someone," I said, keeping my voice a little louder than a whisper.
"Maybe, boyfriend? And that he doesn't show up. Or, he showed up but took her money away." The guard chuckled, then left.
I scoffed and shook my head. What kind of a boyfriend is he that ditches a lady as beautiful as she?
I looked around. And I noticed that the taxi stand had already cleared from the queuing passengers. I rose from my seat and reached for my luggage, but my attention was drawn again by the lady's stifled sobs.
I put down my luggage again and walked towards the lady. I stepped back when I was a foot away from her. I might be intruding on her privacy.
But what I learned from the guard bothers me. She wouldn't be staying this long if she had money. If she's waiting for a boyfriend, then perhaps, she needs help in finding the address.
I cleared my throat to let her know my presence. "Miss?"
She looked up right away, her face smeared by her tears.
"The guard told me you were here since morning. Do you need any help?"
She answered me with a cry escaping from her lips. She covered her mouth right away but continued sobbing silently.
"I'm sorry," she said, forcing out her apology in between sobs.
I guessed she needed more time, so I sat down beside her. "It's okay."
"I don't know where to go," she finally opened her mouth to speak after a few minutes of battling against her urge to cry louder.
I pulled my brows. "I don't get it."
"I made a call this morning, leaving my things on this bench. I was not far away. I just need a little distance from the crowd. But when I came back, my bags weren't there anymore."
"You didn't ask help?" If it's her bag, it means her important things were in there. It could be money, cards, passport, or important documents.
"I did, but I knew It's useless."
"But there are CCTVs all around."
"It won't be easy to track them down. I'm not new to this incident."
I nodded. She's right. It will take forever to solve this case. Pickpocketers, snatchers, and thieves are common in this country.
"I can give you money so that you can go home."
"I don't have a home."
"What?"
"It's a long story, sir. But it wouldn't have been an issue if I didn't lose my bag."
I sighed. She indeed had a reason to cry her heart out. "I'll book you a hotel until you can figure out what to do."
"Thank you so much," she said, flashing a beautiful but sad smile.
I blinked and stared at her for a few seconds. She has the most beautiful smile I have seen ever since I started refusing to set my eyes on other women aside from Yen.
"Let's go," I said, picking up her luggage.
She stood to her full height, and I was stunned at how tall and beautiful she was. Although I'm already taller than most of the men I come across with, but she's still at my shoulder's level.
"Hungry?" I shouldn't have asked. I knew she was.
She pursed a smile and nodded.
"Let's get you food on the way."
Left with no choice, I gave in to the enemy's demand. I agreed to dance with the alpha's daughter from Midwinter's pack on the night of my mating ceremony. I swayed with her. Spin her gracefully around the dance floor. The horrified eyes of my entire pack burn on me, demanding an explanation. I didn't just break the sacred rule we held on to for generations. I also ripped my mate's heart apart. Not giving her the honor of that last dance could mean one thing – it's over between us. .
Yen found out that she had been into a traumatic incident five years ago that caused her to forget a huge part of her past. And that past included her marriage to Kim, the CEO of the company she was working for. She may not have recognized him right away, but there was something about Kim that drew her emotionally to him. But having already married Zed, an almost perfect husband to her except for his sexual flaw, Yen found it hard to let him go. She tried to convince her boss to move on and let her live in peace with Zed, but Kim wasn't the kind to concede. What would happen then? Who would win the fight? And who would she choose in the end?
Indebted to Jim who accepted and loved her unconditionally despite her dark past, Jia vowed to forever give her life to him. She had no reason not to; Jim loved her and her son like his own. She thought she was over with Anthon, the man who caused her so much pain. Yet one day, their paths crossed again, and her heart began beating for him again. Torn between the sense of indebtedness and her own heart's desire, choosing then became so complicated. As both men were fighting for her love, who would she choose? Would she listen to her heart's desire, or would she keep her gratitude?
I stepped out of the prison doors towards the road of freedom. I should be happy because I had been here for five wretched years. All the pieces of evidence that my fiancee's lover set up to drive me out of her life pointed to me as the murderer. Little did I know that behind those bars inside the cell, my heart remained trapped. I stopped and turned to take a final glimpse of the building that had been my home for a long time. My lips twisted into a bitter smile, mocking at life's irony. All because of the truth that I no longer wanted to be free.
After marrying Zed, Yen soon realized that her perfect life was not what she expected. Zed harbored a dark flaw, a disorder that impacted their lives, creating insecurities and emotional turmoil. Committed to her marriage, Yen set about trying to solve their issues but this was soon challenged when she found herself having recurring dreams about another man. This man in her dreams was her boss but to Yen, they seemed more like memories than actual dreams, causing her to question her life and her very marriage to Zed. Did Yen have a forgotten past with her boss? If she were to search for answers, could they cause conflict or could it lead to happiness?
I learned about his secret, and my revenge began. I didn't care anymore about the consequences of my decision; I was too blinded by all the lies. I thought I'd laugh hard to see him crawling on the ground, but to my surprise, I didn't. Perhaps because the truth prevailed that this stubborn heart of mine still loved this man that I now despised. I lied to myself, denying this feeling for him. All because of my stupid revenge. Just when I thought I couldn't fool myself anymore, I realized I was too late. And I just couldn't cry hard enough.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"