A/N-SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS:

Sabina dreamt of freedom ever since she was little but she never had the guts to do anything to achieve it. She was taught that their life was perfectly normal but as the time goes by, she started feeling like she’s been missing a lot. She felt trapped.

 Just when she thought everything’s hopeless for her, Xzavier suddenly came into her life. He taught her many things that she never thought she could do and she loved every minute of it. For a short period of time, he became the center of her world. 

She felt like everything was perfect until she learned that everything that happened between them was just a product of lies and deception.

A/N:

Hello everyone. I am 22_

MonAmour

(

Zoé

) .

This is the book 6  of THE BEAUTY & THE POSSESSIVE SERIES.

FYI, I don’t tolerate rude comments (I will spam you). Opinions and constructive criticisms are highly appreciated though.

WARNING 1 : This story is NOT edited so expect some mistakes.

WARNING 2 : This story has MATURE contents.

WARNING 3

:

Foul words/ Swearing

of the characters.

I would appreciate it so much if you leave some COMMENTS and VOTES for this story. SHARE and FOLLOW would be a plus! Thank you!

This story is mine so copying and posting to other sites is a big NO

Desiderio Ardente by 22_MonAmour

Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved.

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Prologue

A/N: Hello again, Amores! A lot of you have been asking who Xzavier was and if he’s part of the TBG. Well, you’ll know the answer soon as the story progresses. Anyway, for those of you who haven’t bought their own copy yet of my book ’ OWNING THE WILD HEIRESS ’; it’s  already available on SHOPEE, LAZADA & all bookstores nationwide in the Philippines! Thank you for all the support. :)

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PROLOGUE

2019

SABINA’s POV

My forehead crinkled when I turned to the next page of the text book just to discover that I already finished answering everything. I didn’t even notice it. I heaved a sigh, feeling kinda disappointed.

“What’s with the long face, dear? Are you done already?” I looked at my mom who just came in my room.

“I’m done with my homework, mom.”

“Then, what’s with the long face?”

I sighed again. “Nothing.” I then stood up from sitting at the coffee table and then threw myself into bed. I hugged my pillow. My mom sighed and sat on the edge of the bed while staring at me worriedly. Then, she noticed something.

“Why is this book here? Didn’t I tell you to never read this book? I don’t think, you’re ready for this one.” She said as she took the black book which was on my pillow.

“I saw it on your table while I was looking for a new book to read. I was just curious about this book. I’m already 18 and old enough to understand things like this.” I reasoned out.

“No. You’re not, period. Anyway, are you still thinking about going to university? You know that it’s impossible to get out of here let alone go to university to study. Out of all the youngsters here, you’re the only one who has knowledge about the city life because I secretly told you about it even though it’s forbidden.

“Children here aren’t as fortunate as you that’s why they don’t have any idea about the city; that after high school, colleges and universities exist. Sometimes, I can’t help but to regret teaching you about it because while growing up, your desire to see the outside world is slowly getting out of hand. I’m afraid that you might get caught having knowledge about it and get us both in trouble.”

“I don’t understand why we don’t have any right to do whatever we want to do. This is not fair.”

“I already told you the answer to that, my dear. Our life here is not the same as the life outside of here. Our freedom is limited but as long as we don’t do anything that goes against the teachings of the leaders, then we can continue living a normal life.”

I looked at her in disbelief. “But our life here is not normal at all! Even though I only hear your stories about the outside world, I learned a lot from it and I know for sure that this is not the life that we deserve! We’re like prisoners here and I want nothing but to get us out of here as soon as possible!”

“I understand what you feel but if staying here ensures our safety then it’s okay. Your safety is more important to me.”

I got up full of frustration. “But this is my life! The leaders don’t have the right to dictate what I’m supposed to do with my life!”

My mother panicked. “Tone down your voice, will you?! If someone hears you, the leaders will surely punish you!” She whisper-yelled at me.

“I don’t understand why I can’t go down to the city to study or leave this place for good. I don’t want to stay here all my life, mom. I want to strive and be successful someday. I don’t want to spend my life here doing nothing but to follow the leaders’ orders like a puppet. Why are we even here? Why can’t we leave?” My eyes watered as I felt the familiar bitter emotions that I’ve been hiding inside of me for so long.

Her eyes became somber. “I’m sorry that you’re suffering the consequences of your dad and I’s poor decision-making in the past, my dear.” That was when I suddenly felt guilty for lashing out at her like that.

I just couldn’t take it anymore. Ever since I was old enough to understand our situation, I’ve had nothing in mind but to get out of here and be free. I’ve longed to study in a normal school, meet new people, experience life in the city, finally see my dad and many more, but I couldn’t do it.

Before I was born, my parents faced a lot of problems including losing their home and they had nowhere else to go. Just when they prepared themselves to live on the streets, a group called ‘Savior From Heaven’ helped them by offering them their help in exchange for joining the group.

My parents hesitated at first but because they were desperate, they accepted their offer. But they didn’t expect that they would bring them to a separate place. The SFH promised them great things and brought my mother to Safe Haven while my father went to a separate location.

But a couple of days after that, the leaders told my mother that my father went missing and until now, no one ever found him until the leaders formally declared that he’s already dead.

Though, everyone believed that, my mother never did. She raised me full of knowledge about the outside world, especially about my father. Even though we’re not with him right now, my mother and I have been hoping to be reunited with him one day.

But looks like it’s kinda impossible for now because we’re in Safe Haven which was located in the mountainous area that boarders France, Italy and Switzerland.

It’s far away from civilization but that’s not our main concern. Leaving Safe Haven is forbidden because of the teachings of the leaders that people will be soiled upon interacting with people outside the community. Talking about the city or the outside world in general is a big taboo too.

Our way of living is very conservative and according to the ancient scripture that only leaders have the privilege to touch and read.

“I want to leave this place, mom. Even though I’ve never known what kind of life I could have outside, I know that our lives will be a lot better if we leave this place and be with dad.”

“I understand what you feel, my dear, but you know that we can’t just leave this place.”

“But why not?” I didn’t even try to hide my frustration because I felt like we’ve been having the same conversation over and over again ever since I was old enough to understand that our situation wasn’t normal at all.

“Because the people here in Safe Haven will be after us and we can never hide from them even if we managed to escape. The moment your dad and I accepted their help, we already surrendered ourselves onto them and gave them the right to us.” She smiled sadly and then caressed my cheek with her hand gently.

“The other teenagers here don’t complain about living here because for them, this is their home. But you’re different. Ever since you were young, you were always curious and asked me a lot of questions.”

“That’s because no one ever gave them knowledge about the outside world. They think that if they get out of here, there’s nothing but endless trees, mountains and dangerous animals. Unlike me, they managed to brainwashed them.

“Thankfully, you taught me everything that I needed to know. You even let me read the books that you’ve been keeping from everyone’s eyes just for me to learn a lot about this world. I was lucky enough not to have been caught learning from all of these books until now.

“But because of these things that I learned through you and from the books that I’ve been reading, it made me want to learn even more. I want to see and experience everything and I can only do that if we get out of here.” I then rested the side of my head on my mother’s shoulder. I felt her kiss the top of my head as she wrapped an arm around me.

“You’re really smart, my dear. Ever since you were young, I wanted nothing but for you to live a normal life that’s why I did whatever I could to teach you everything that I know even though it was against the Safe Haven’s rule.

“But I knew from the beginning too that my knowledge would never be enough for you. Even though you never attended a normal school, it was easy to notice how special you were. You’re a smart girl that’s why it’s just normal for you to seek for further knowledge outside of this place.” She heaved a sigh.

“I’m sorry that that I can’t give you what you want for now, my dear. Crossing the leaders will never do us any good. I just don’t want something bad to happen to you.” I pulled away from her and then stood up.

“You’ve been telling me the exact same thing over and over again and I’m tired of hearing it, mom! If you don’t have any plans of leaving, I do and I will do everything to make that happen!” I then stormed out of the room full of anger and frustration.

“Sab!” I heard her calling for me but I ran out of there, ignoring her. I wanted to shout in so much frustration. I felt like a trap little bird, unable to free myself no matter what I do.

I opened the door and was about to get out of our small house when I bumped into someone.

“Sorry…” I mumbled and looked up to see his face. It was the highest rank leader of Safe Haven, Father Nicolas. Everyone in this community is female and he’s the only male. According to the rumors I heard, the male members of the SFH are staying at a different community but no one here really knows where it is exactly.

“You look like you’re in a hurry, Sabina. Where are you going?” As usual, his voice was gentle.

“Ahm, I’m just going to pick some fresh vegetables from the garden for dinner, Father Nicolas.”

“Oh, is that so? Your mom is really lucky to have such a good daughter like you.”

I forced a smile. “No. I’m the one who’s lucky to have a mother like her. I’ll go on ahead, father Nicolas. See you around.” He nodded his head.

“See you around, Sabina.” While I was walking away, I looked back and saw him already talking to my mother at the doorway. I gritted my teeth and quickened my pace.

I don’t know what’s happening but I noticed that he’s been coming over to our house to talk to my mom ever since last week and they always look like they’re talking about something very important.

I quickened my steps but instead of going to the garden to pick some fresh vegetables, I decided to go to the river which was around 15 minutes away by foot from Safe Haven.

I was almost there when I ran into someone from Safe Haven.

“Where are you going, Sabina? It’s already 4 pm.” She was caring a big basket full of fruits and veggies.

“I’ll just go get some herbs by the river.” I made sure to sound as believable as possible.

“Okay. Just make sure to come back before 5. You know that it’s not allowed to stay out of Safe Haven after 5.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry, Ms. Patty. I know that.”

“Good.” She then went on ahead while me on the other hand continued on trekking until I reached the river. I looked around and when I saw two guards talking on the other side of the river, I crouched down, taking cover with the tall grasses by the riverside while slowly moving forward to my target destination.

I carefully followed the flow of the water without them noticing me until I reached the waterfalls.

Safe Haven is located on the highest peak of the mountain and we’re lucky to have such waterfall. The view from there is spectacular, overlooking the endless trees.

People from Safe Haven are only allowed to go to the nearest part of the river from Safe Haven and that was the part where I saw two guards a while ago. It’s forbidden to go down further but I didn’t care. 5 years ago, I came across this paradise and I fell in love at it at first sight.

Even though coming here has been difficult because of the guards around, they never caught me sneaking out. One day, I tried to go down further, wanting to see what lies ahead but around half a mile from the waterfalls, I discovered that there were a lot of guards stationing there, making sure that no one could ever walk past them.

Then, this place became my favorite spot. I always come here whenever I feel lonely and wanting to be alone. I even shared this place to my best friend before she passed away…

I heaved a sigh as I sat on top of the big flat rock and then watched the water cascading from the waterfalls. I suddenly felt melancholier than ever. I wanted to run off from this place but I couldn’t just leave my mother behind.

The leaders will surely punish her the moment they’d learn that I escaped. Besides, the possibility for me to get out of this mountainous area is very slim.

As far as the eyes could reach, it’s all nothing but mountains full of endless trees. When I was still young, the leaders including the elders in Safe Haven already warned us about escaping. They said that it would be dangerous wandering off into the woods because of all the wild animals.

But despite all the warnings, my best friend, Sammy, tried to escape and 2 days after she disappeared, they found her remains in the mountains. According to the leaders, she probably got starved to death and then got attacked by wild animals.

Because of that, most people in Safe Haven were afraid to even step foot past the river. I released a breath as I remembered about Sammy. Just like me, she wanted nothing but to escape this hell but unfortunately, she failed to do so and only went straight to her death.

Before she disappeared, she tried to convince me to go with her but I couldn’t leave my mother behind. I tried to convince her not to do it because it would be too dangerous. She didn’t respond and remain silent. I thought, she changed her mind but the next day, I learned that she went missing.

According to my mom, someone abandoned Sammy when she was still a baby at the entrance of Safe Haven. The community took her in and raised her. We were the same age and had been best friends since I could remember.

“Can I ever gather enough courage to do what you did and try to escape this place, Sam?” I muttered to myself bitterly and then sighed. Whenever I remember about Sammy, it always brings me so much pain in my heart.

I remained on my spot for I didn’t know how long while watching the beautiful scenery. Everytime I feel upset, I always come here to calm myself down. Even though I hate living here, I love this particular place.

I looked at the endless trees. The sun was already starting to set but it began to pour down and for some reason as if the weather was sympathizing with what I was feeling. The weather changed just like that. Well,it had been windy since this morning.

That’s when I knew that I had to go back before they notice my absence. I carefully stood up from sitting on the edge of the big rock and was about to get down when I lost my balance and fell.

I squealed as I fell into the river. Incomparable fear attacked my senses as the reality of me seconds to my death dawned on me. Around 50 meters was the waterfall drop. I tried to reach for something to hold onto and luckily, a got a hold of a big root, sticking out from the big tree located on the riverside.

I held onto it tightly but the current of the water was too strong. I could tell that my strength wasn’t enough to fight the strong current. It rained earlier today that’s why the current of the water was stronger than normal.

I screamed for help once again, uncaring if the guards could hear me. I just wanted to be saved. But unfortunately, no one came. Then, my eyes widened when the root that I was holding onto was starting to snap.

“Mom…” I cried and closed my eyes as I waited for my cruel fate. But just when I thought I was already finished, I heard a voice.

“Hold onto this, quick!” I opened my eyes and saw someone. It was a man! He threw the other end of the rope that he was holding to me before tying the other end around the tree. Without hesitation, I did as I was told. There was a knot at the end of the rope that’s why it was easier for me to hold onto it.

“I’m gonna pull you up so do everything you can to hold on as tight as you can!” He started pulling the rope and I groaned as I felt the pain on my palms but I persevered. I would never let myself die without even seeing the outside world!

“C’mon, don’t give up! You can do it!” He gave all his strength into pulling the rope and miraculously, I managed to hold onto it until I was finally near enough for him to grab my hand and pull me into safety onto the riverside.

We both slumped down on the ground while breathing hard. I couldn’t believe what just happened. I just came here to my favorite place to breath some fresh air and to calm myself down but this happened. I looked at the river and my body shivered of the thought of me being carried away by the strong current towards the waterfall drop.

“Are you okay?” I heard the man ask and I shifted my gaze on him. My lips parted as our gazes met. I intended to thank him, but the thought of me seeing a stranger man this close to me overwhelmed me.

“Are you okay?” I gasped when I heard his voice again and immediately got away from him by scooting over backwards.

“W-What is a man doing here? Who are you?”

His lips curved with a sensual smile as he chuckled. “Why do you suddenly look so scared of me? Don’t worry. I won’t bite.” I didn’t know why but my heart suddenly started beating weirdly. Then, I noticed his gaze going down to my chest and I caught a spark of something pass through his eyes as he swallowed hard.

My eyebrows furrowed and followed his gaze. I saw that my breasts were very visible through my top.

I was wearing a white shirt and a white bra underneath but because I got wet all over, my bra clad breasts became translucent. Not just that. My nipples were shamelessly protruding that my bra failed to conceal them.

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How’s the prologue, Amores?

Do you still remember about Sabina? 

Do you have any idea who Xzavier is? 

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chapter 1

Happy Friday, Amores! I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy. :)

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SABINA’s POV

I looked at him in wonder. This is my first time seeing another man other than Father Nicolas and it felt weird and astonishing in a way at the same time. Even though I lack knowledge about men, I could tell that this man is a sight worth to look at. Totally different from Father Nicolas.

I couldn’t help but to scrutinize him in awe. I felt like I got enchanted while staring at him.

“As much as I want to stare at your breasts all day, I think, it’s better for you to cover it.” His voice sounded weird all of a sudden. I blinked Innumerably.

“Why? What’s wrong with my breasts?” I looked at my chest area once again before looking at him again confusedly.

His jaw dropped and unable to respond right away. He then cleared his throat. “There’s nothing wrong with your breasts. They’re actually so perfect.” I caught him swallowing hard again before he took his shirt off of him.

“Use this to cover your body. You’re giving me sinful thoughts right now.”

“Sinful thoughts? How come?”

“Are you really this clueless, Miss?” He was looking at me as if I was stupid or something.

“I can’t comprehend what you’re trying to say.” I admitted and my eyes involuntarily raked his body a stare. Is this really a man’s body supposed to be like? How come Father Nicolas’ was different?

I’ve seen him topless once before at the river and I didn’t like what I saw. My mom even scolded me because I stared at him while he was swimming in the river.

But to my confusion, weird feelings that I couldn’t understand rose within me while staring at this man in front of me.

Somehow, I couldn’t take my eyes of him. Oh, God. I’ve never thought that a man’s body would be this perfect. It looked so strong and hard like a rock. I bit my lower lip and before I even realized what I was doing, instead of accepting his shirt, I gingerly touched him by the chest.

My body jerked involuntarily as different feelings flowed throughout every nerve ending of my body upon our skin touched. I was right. His body felt hard and strong but warm at the same time.

My hand slowly caressed its way down to his stomach area and touched those six bumpy things. So, this is a body of a man…

Then, I was pulled out of my reverie when I heard him grunt. I looked up and met his gaze.

“Stop teasing me or else, you’ll regret it.” His fiery gaze was full of emotion that I’ve never seen before while staring at me intently. I unknowingly gulped as I felt my cheeks redden. I suddenly remembered what my mom had told me before and that was to never be this close to a man…

“I’m not teasing you. I was just curious.”

“Curious? About what?”

“Well, this is my first time seeing a man other than our leader and it feels weird and surprising.”

His forehead crinkled. “First time seeing a man? You’re kidding me, right?”

“Why would I kid around? Besides, is it that weird that I’ve never seen any other men before?”

He nodded his head. “Totally weird. Anyway, you really need to cover up right now. I can’t concentrate talking to you if you look like that.”

“Okay.” Even though I was confused why he couldn’t concentrate on talking to me looking like this, I took the shirt that he was handing me and then began taking my wet top off.

“Fùck!” I heard him say and then turned his back on me.

“Fùck? What does it mean? Why did you turn around?” I asked curiously as I continued on taking off my top until I was already topless. Are men really weird like this?

“Are you really this innocent or you’re just making fun of me? How come you don’t know what fùck means? You’re even removing your shirt in front of me. I’m telling you, it’s not funny, Miss.”

“Sorry. I’ve never heard that word before and—” He faced me and interrupted me.

“—It’s not about the word!” His voice raised an octave that I automatically took a step backward. But that was a mistake I shouldn’t’ve done because I stepped on something that caused me to lose my balance and fell.

I was already expecting to land on the grassy hard surface of the ground but miraculously I didn’t and landed on something hard yet soft at the same time. I opened my eyes to see what just happened but gasped in shock when the first thing that I saw was those tantalizing jade green eyes.

Both of us were staring into each other’s eyes for I didn’t know how long as if we were in our own little world. Suddenly, everything around us became quiet, moving in slow motion. His lips were a centimeter away from mine and it became hard for me to breath for some reason. My heart was thumping so hard in such an odd manner that I’ve never experienced before. What’s happening?

“I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish by doing this but you’re succeeding, Miss. You’re giving me a hard time.” His voice became husky as if he was having a hard time over something. Then, his gaze went to my exposed breasts which were pressed against his chest.

“Fùck.” That word again. He looked weird while looking at my breasts. My lips parted as I was about to say something when we heard voices. My eyes widened in nervousness.

“People are coming. I guess, you know them?” I slowly nodded my head.

“Fix yourself then. I’ll inform them that you’re here.” That made me panic. The leaders will surely hurt him the moment they saw him. Not just that. I would surely get punished for interacting with an outsider and worst, they would surely involve my mother too and that’s the last thing I would want to happen.

He was about to get up when I suddenly did the unimaginable. Because our lips were so close, I pressed mine against his, intending to just silence him but that sent electric shock-like sensations all over my body.

I pulled away upon realizing that I shouldn’t’ve done that but looked like he had another idea.

“Now, you’ve done it.” Before I could even comprehend what he meant by that, he cupped my face and pulled me back closer to him until our lips met once again. I gasped but he only took that as an opportunity to seized my lips fully which took my breath away.

I heard about kissing before but it wasn’t like this. I’ve never seen nor heard about kissing like this in my life and it overwhelmed my senses. Unknown delicious sensations rushed throughout every nerve ending of my body and I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped from my lips. Oh, God. Was that my voice? Why does it sound so weird?

“C’mon, baby. Kiss me back.” He breathed as our lips parted a little bit to breath for air. I swallowed hard.

“B-But I don’t know how to.” I whispered, totally at his mercy.

“Just follow your instincts.” He then sealed my lips for another kiss and my head went hazy once again. His lips were moving against mine amazingly, tempting me to respond in a manner that he wanted and I did. Just like what he said, I let my instinct take over.

“Yes. Just like that. You’re doing great.” Looked like he was impressed by my response that he deepened the kiss even more. Then, I felt his tongue teasing mine, silently asking for a battle and I didn’t disappoint. Everything felt so sinful yet so good.

Everything was new to me but that didn’t prevent me from exploring, letting my instinct bring me to an unknown paradise.

I knew for sure that I shouldn’t be doing this with a stranger but it felt like he casted a spell on me and I couldn’t resist his advances at all. It was as if my body was moving on its own. I got so lost in what we were doing as if I was in a dreamland.

“Your lips are so sweet.” He uttered throatily when our lips finally parted because we needed to breathe for air. He then gently bit my lower lip as if he couldn’t get enough of it, sucking it playfully before claiming my lips fully once again.

My arms were already wrapped around his neck as I reciprocated his kisses with equal fervor. The thought of people from Safe Haven approaching our direction disappeared from my head as I willingly surrendered onto him.

“Ohhh…” I moaned when I felt his hands cupped my breasts and starting massaging them, tweaking my nipples with his fingers at the same time.

“You’re so enchanting and you’re making me crazy. What are you doing to me, huh?” I almost screamed when he suddenly dipped his head and claimed the peak of my left breast with his hungry mouth.

Thankfully, I managed to cover my mouth with my lips. I felt like my whole body was burning and it was making my senses reeling. I’ve never felt these kinds of sensations before and it was making me lose my mind.

“W-what are you doing? Ohhh…” His tongue circled my nipple repeatedly, teasing it, before sucking on it and my chest arched. It felt so good!

He alternately did that to my breasts until I felt like I was going crazy. The heat within me doubled, particularly in that part between my legs. The feeling was indescribable yet addicting.

I felt his hand caressing its way down south but before he could reach what he was aiming for, we suddenly heard those voices again.

“Sabina!” I felt like a bucket of cold water poured over my head that I automatically pushed him away.

“Sabina, are you here?” The voices continued. Oh, God! Looks like everyone is already looking for me! My chest was heaving and I felt so thirsty for some reason.

“Sabina? Is that your name?” He asked with a small voice. Thankfully, the tall grasses around us prevented them from spotting us and we wouldn’t be seen unless we stand up. We stayed motionless for a couple of minutes, just hearing our ragged breathing, before the voices slowly went away. Looked like they were heading back to Safe Haven.

“Y-Yes, that’s my name. They’re looking for me. I-I need to go.” I then answered. He smiled and touched my cheek.

“Your name suits you.” He then planted a soft kiss on my lips. “Will I ever see you again?”

I bit my lower lip. “I-I don’t know.”

“I’ll be around the area for the next couple of days. If you want to see me again, just come see me here at the waterfalls.” He then took his shirt that was on the ground and helped me put it on me. When I finally got dressed, I stood up. That was when I noticed that my knees were slightly wobbling but ignored it.

“I’ll go on ahead.” I mumbled and then walked away from him. I was kinda surprised that I managed to walk with my knees trembling like that. I couldn’t believe what just happened between me and that stranger!

I bit my lower lip. For some reason, I felt really weird, unable to fully understand what just happened between us.

I could feel his heated gaze on my back but I didn’t look back and continued on walking briskly away from him.

When I arrived at Safe Haven, everyone looked at my direction upon seeing me.

“Where have you been, Sab?! Everyone has been worried about you!” There was a tinge of anger in my mother’s voice but I could tell that she’s been worried sick of me too.

“I’m sorry. I just went by the river to breath some fresh air and get some herbs at the same time but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any.” I tried to sound as normal as possible.

“River? Which part? I sent people to look for you there but they couldn’t find you.” It was Father Nicolas.

“I went a little bit farther maybe that’s why they couldn’t find me.”

“What happened to your shirt, Sabina? You weren’t wearing a white shirt when we crossed paths earlier.” It was Ms. Patty. Everyone looked at my oversized shirt. I groaned inwardly. Oh, God. I hope they won’t notice that this shirt doesn’t belong to me…

I forced a smile. “I brought this extra shirt in case I get wet and I’m glad I did because I slipped and fell into the water.”

“Goodness! Thank God, nothing bad had happened to you! Next time, don’t just run off like that without someone with you!” My mother reprimanded me.

“Don’t worry, mom. I’m fine. Nothing bad happened to me.” I then faced the others. “Sorry for worrying you, everyone. I just wanted to calm myself that’s why I went there.” I then took my mother’s hand. “Let’s go home, mom. I’m cold already.” We were about to walk away when Father Nicolas spoke once again.

“I don’t recall ever seeing you wear that shirt, Sabina. Where did you get it?” My heart pounded hard nervously but I tried my best not to show it to them.

“This shirt’s one of my new clothes that arrived last week, Father Nicolas. This is my first time wearing it.” I lied.

At least once a year, we receive some clothes coming from the company that SFH runs in the city to finance some of our needs here. My mother told me that information. Whenever they give us clothes and other necessities, they tell us that it all came from the goodness of the leaders of SFH.

No one ever asks questions because it’s forbidden.

Thankfully, the last delivery was just last week so I used it as a cover up to hide where I got this shirt from.

“Oh, okay. You may go now then.” I almost sighed in relief. When we reached our house, I was about to go to my room when my mom spoke.

“Be honest with me, my dear. Where did you get that shirt?”

“You heard my answer to that a while ago when Father Nicolas asked me, mom.”

“Yes, but I knew that you were lying. I know what kind of clothes you received last week and this particular one wasn’t among them.” She was looking at me like a hawk and I gulped inaudibly. I knew that no matter what I say, my mom could tell if I was lying or not.

I sighed in defeat. “Fine. You got me, mom. Here’s the truth. I met a man a while ago and he gave me this shirt because…because I got wet when I fell into the river.”

“You fell into the river and met a man?!” She asked exasperatedly.

“Mom! Tone down your voice!” I whisper-yelled at her and then went to close the door and the windows. Our house was just small, just enough for the two of us. Of course, it was provided by the SFH. Everyone in Safe Haven has their own.

People who do not have family members in the community stay together though.

“Do you even understand the consequences if the leaders discovered that you interacted with an outsider; with a man at that?” She questioned sternly with controlled voice.

“It’s not like I knew someone was there. When I fell into the river and was about to get sweep away towards the waterfall drop, I thought, it was the end of me. But thankfully, he appeared out of nowhere and saved me.”

“Oh, God! You almost died?!”

“That’s what I said but you chose to chide at me about the man who saved me.” I couldn’t help but to sound sullen. She cupped my face full of guilt and then pulled me for a tight embrace.

“Thank God you’re safe because I would surely die if something bad had happened to you.” I felt her kiss my forehead. I could feel her fear and worry and I suddenly felt bad.

“Sorry for taking off like that, mom. I was just frustrated. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“It’s okay. The important thing right now is you’re safe. Anyway, who was that man? Did you ask his name?” I pulled away from our embrace and then shook my head.

“I didn’t have the chance to.”

“Where is he now? Did he tell you why he was there?”

“We didn’t have the chance to talk about stuff like that either because I had to go home.” I answered.

“You did the right thing. You have next to nothing experience around men and I don’t want him or any other guys out there to take advantage of you. Besides, you know very well that interacting with outsiders is forbidden. I’m going to let this pass because that man saved your life but there’s no next time, okay? Don’t endanger yourself like that ever again.”

“Okay, mom.” I wanted to ask her a lot of questions but I had a feeling that she would get mad if I told her what transpired between me and that stranger a while ago. After our talk, I went to the bathroom and took a bath.

After that, I wrapped a towel around my naked body and went back to my room. I was about to get dressed when I noticed something in the mirror.

There were reddish marks around my breasts and for some reason, my body felt like it was surrounded by a scorching fire. The scene where that man gave his intense attention to my breasts replayed in my mind and I bit my lower lip as I felt my cheeks blush.

I then touched my lips. I could still feel his lips moving against mine, dominating me as if he casted a spell on me. Every touch of his burning hand made me lose my mind, especially when he played with my breasts with his hungry mouth as if he was a hungry baby…

“What’s happening to you, Sab?” I asked as I noticed my nipples becoming stiff just by remembering about that stranger. Then, I noticed the book on my bed. The black book that my mom prohibited me to read.

I sat on the bed, reluctantly took it and read its content…

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What do you think of chapter 1, Amores?

What do you think of the characters so far?

What do you think will happen next?

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chapter 2

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SABINA’s POV

A loud gasp escaped from my lips when I woke up and realized that I was dreaming. I swallowed hard. Even in my dream, what happened between me and that stranger the other day was haunting me. It really felt real as if I was really with him but it was nothing but a dream.

It’s been two days since that day and until now, I still couldn’t forget about what happened. I tentatively touched my chest. Until now, it felt like I could still feel his burning touch and hot kisses.

Yes. I finally understood what really happened between me and that man upon reading the black book. But instead of feeling disgusted by it, the scorching ball of fire in the center of my being went ablaze even more.

“Sab, get up already! We’re about to be late!” My body jerked in surprise when I heard my mother’s voice followed by her loud knocking on my door.

I groaned inwardly and looked at the ceiling.

“Just forget about that stranger, Sab. I’m sure, he already left and you won’t be seeing him ever again.” I said to myself before getting up. I decided to take a bath first before eating my breakfast.

“What happened to you? You look like you didn’t sleep a wink last night.” Mom pointed out when I finally joined her for breakfast.

“Is it really that obvious?”

“Of course. Look at your eyebags.”

I heaved a sigh. Yes. It’s been two days that I haven’t had any decent sleep because my mind was always active, thinking about that man…

“Don’t worry about me, mom. I’m fine. Let’s just eat. It’s already 7:30.”

“And who’s fault do you think it is that we’re already almost late?”

“Me?” I even pointed at myself before beaming at her mischievously. She shook her head in disbelief. Then, we ate our breakfast before leaving the house to go to the small church here in Safe Haven. It’s Sunday today and it’s mass day.

During the mass, everything was pretty normal until the mass ended. I was about to ask my mom if we could go home already when Father Nicolas approached us and asked her if they could talk.

“Wait for me here, my dear. This will be quick.” I nodded my head and stayed sitting on the pew for a couple of minutes. Almost everyone went home already and I was hungry, waiting.

“Did you see that? Looks like Father Nicolas is going to ask Sarah about her final decision. She should make her mind already because the deadline is near.” One of the two remaining older ladies said and that made my eyebrows knit together. I looked at their direction and they quickly looked away before going out of the church.

“What the heck are those ladies talking about? What decision is that?” I mumbled as I grew impatient waiting. Then, I decided to go and look for my mother.

I went to the direction where they went to a while ago and saw them talking under the tree at the garden. I was about to call for my mom when Father Nicolas spoke. It seemed like they were discussing something important because they didn’t even notice my presence near them.

“Sarah, Sabina has finally turned 18 last month and you know what will happen next. You know that there’s no other way of doing this.” They’re talking about me?

“I don’t know, Father Nicolas. Just like what I’ve told you before. Whatever Sabina decides to do about this matter, I’ll respect her decision. I’ve been very clear about this from the moment you came to me and told me about this.” I could tell that whatever they were talking about, it was making my mom stressed out.

“You know that this is God’s will, Sarah, and we should abide onto it. I could never be mistaken. He talked to me in my dream and told me what to do. And when the first time I saw Sabina, I knew that she was the one. I understand your concern as her mother but you don’t have to worry about anything. I promise to take care of her just like I’ve been doing these past years.” My mother still looked reluctant and seemed like she wanted to oppose whatever Father Nicolas was saying but she couldn’t say it out loud.

It was obvious that she wanted to get out of that conversation but didn’t know how to so I decided to approach them.

“Mom…” They both looked at my direction.

“What are you doing here, Sab? I told you to wait for me inside the church, right?” My mom sounded a little bit angry.

“Yes, but I’m already hungry. Everyone already went home.”

Father Nicolas chuckled amusedly. “Okay. Let’s discuss about this on some other time, Sarah. Looks like Sabina can’t wait anymore. I hope the next time we talk about this; you’ll have a positive response.” He then smiled. “You may go now. See you around.”

“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation, Father Nicolas. I didn’t eat breakfast that’s why I feel like I’m going to pass out of hunger.” I lied and my mom gave me a look.

“You shouldn’t skip breakfast, Sabina. It’s not good for the body.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Father.” I then held my mother’s hand. “Let’s go, mom.” We said our goodbyes to father Nicolas before walking our way home.

“Why did you lie to Father Nicolas?! You know that it’s forbidden to lie!” My mom scolded me while we were on our way home.

“Mom, I did that in order to save you from talking with him. I could tell that you didn’t want to be there with him. Anyway, what were you discussing about? I heard him talking about God’s will that should be done. He even mentioned my name and promised to take care of me.” Her steps came to a halt and I noticed her face become pale. That’s when I realized that something was really wrong.

“Mom, are you okay?” I noticed her gulp before she cleared her throat, gathering herself together.

“You shouldn’t be eavesdropping, Sab. You know that it’s forbidden—”

“—Forbidden this, forbidden that! I’m tired of hearing that word, mom! Can you please just answer my question?! Even though I didn’t hear everything, it was pretty obvious that it was about me. Now, be honest with me and just tell me what it was about!” I grew frustrated and couldn’t hold back my tongue. I thought, she would scold me for exclaiming like that but to my surprise, she didn’t.

“Sab…” She began but looked like she didn’t know what words to use in order to convey the message.

“Mom, please. You always tell me to be honest all the time so do the same. I hate it when you’re keeping something from me. I thought we promised not to keep secrets from one another?” I began to feel sullen.

“I know but I just don’t want to hurt you.” My heart began beating hard, feeling nervous even more.

“Now, you’re really making me scared, mom. Just tell me now, please.” I answered sternly and she finally nodded her head.

“You’re right. I should’ve told you about this last month when you turned 18 but I didn’t know how to.” She drew a deep breath and released it before she continued. “You see, the leaders of Saviors of Heaven had chosen you as an offering.”

My jaw dropped. “Offering?”

She nodded her head. “Father Nicolas and the other leaders have chosen you to be Father Nicolas’ wife when you reach the ripe age of 18. You were still very young when they told me about this. They’ve been telling me that it was God’s will and that we can never do anything about it.” I was at a loss for words as chills ran down my spine.

“W-What? W-Wife? Just like you to dad?” I felt like my brain couldn’t process everything that I just heard.

“I’m sorry, my dear. I don’t know how everything become like this. I was very clear to them that I would never force you to do it if you wouldn’t want to and whatever you decision would be, I will respect it. But lately, Father Nicolas has been very pushy about it and I didn’t know what to do.” I shook my head vigorously as I began to step backwards.

“No. That’s unfair…”

“Sab…” My mother tried to told my hand but I pushed her hands away before running away from her.

“Sab!” I heard her calling for me but I didn’t stop. My tears were threatening to fall from my eyes. I couldn’t believe of what I’ve just heard. I’ve always hated living here in Safe Haven because I felt like I was a prisoner. I’ve been wanting to strive in life and achieve whatever dreams I have but I couldn’t do it because we’re living in isolation.

But now, I realized that maybe I hated this place because deep inside of me, I knew that something horrible like this would eventually happen.

Even though they’ve been strictly implementing the teachings of the Saviors of Heaven church, I’ve always been feeling uncomfortable with everything as if everything that we were doing wasn’t right.

“This can’t be happening…No!”

I didn’t have any place to go to in mind. I just kept on running until I found myself heading to the direction of the waterfalls.

I stopped running when I saw the guards on the other side of the river. Just like what I do everytime I come here, I slowly walked while crouching, hiding through the tall bushes. Thankfully, they’re always on the other side of the river that’s why it was easy to hide from them.

When I reached the waterfall, I sat on my favorite spot and finally let my tears fall. My heart felt like it was about to burst and didn’t know what do to. Then, as if the weather was sharing my sentiments, it suddenly poured down but I didn’t care. I just remained sitting there, uncaring if the rain would drench me.

Now, I finally understand why Father Nicolas kept on swinging by our house to talk to my mother and everytime he sees me, he gives me this negative vibe even though he’s been always polite and kind. It seemed to me that they’ve been pressuring my mother into agreeing to their sick demand behind my back.

I angrily wiped my tears with my hand. Now, my desire to leave this place doubled than before. But how can I leave this place when I don’t even know what lies out there? My best friend died because she tried to escape. She died a terrible kind of death alone in the wild and I don’t want the same thing to happen to me.

“Now I know why it suddenly rained.” My body went still when I heard that manly voice. I looked up and realized that I wasn’t alone.

“You?”

He chuckled and then sat beside me. “I am actually a little bit insulted. This is our second encounter yet you’re never interested enough to ask for my name. Maybe, I am that uninteresting to you?”

“Well, you didn’t ask for mine either.”

He laughed. “Well, because I already heard those people calling you by your name. Anyway, you can call me Xzavier.”

“Xzavier? You have a weird name.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard it before?” I shook my head as I response.

“You’re really something.” Then, his face became serious. “Are you okay though? Why are you here and crying?”

I forced a smile. “I’m not crying.”

“So, you think I’m blind? I can clearly see the evidence that you were crying just now.”

Just like that, I gave up. “Sorry. I just think that it’s not proper for me to involve a stranger with my problems.”

“But I’m not a stranger to you anymore. We already know each other’s name.” He was smiling boyishly as he gazed at me. His smile was contagious but I looked away. There was something in the way he was staring at me that I couldn’t pinpoint.

“Yes, but that’s all we know about one another.”

“Well, you can ask me anything and I’ll answer it. Don’t worry. I am not a bad guy. I just want to get to know you better.”

My lips fell open. “Y-You want to get to know me better? Why?”

“Because I am interested in you.”

“Why would you be interested in me? I’m just a normal girl who lives here in the mountains.”

“Hmmm. Because I want to?” I gave him a deadpan look because of his lame answer. I suddenly remembered about the black book that I’ve read. Now, I should know better and distance myself from him but for some reason, I couldn’t.

It felt like I was being magnetized by his charm and I couldn’t resist.

“That’s it?”

He laughed. “Yes. What about you? Don’t you want to be with an outsider like me?” I bit my lower lip.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I’ve never met any other men aside from you and I’m scared.” I admitted. He smiled.

“I understand. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything bad to you. Just like I’ve said a while ago. I’m not a bad guy. I am too handsome to be a bad guy or something.” I couldn’t hold back my laugh.

“Aren’t you being too conceited for referring to yourself as handsome?”

“Thank goodness, I finally made you laugh. You should always smile, Ina. You’re more beautiful whenever you smile.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Ina?”

“Yes. From now on, I’ll call you that. I’m sure, there’s no one aside from me who ever called you that.” I nodded my head.

“Yes. So far, you’re the only one.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” We continued chatting, talking about random stuff. Strangely, I feel so comfortable talking to him as if we already know each other for so long.

“Let’s swim over there.” Xzavier suggested, pointing his finger at the bottom of the waterfalls.

“I’ve never been down there.”

He looked at me in wonder. “Really? You live here yet you’ve never been down there?”

“Well, it’s forbidden for me to even be here in the first place but I always manage to escape from the guards because I love it here. This is my most favorite place here.”

He took my hand and then stood up. “Then, it’s no biggie if you come with me down there. Don’t worry. I’m make sure that we won’t get caught.”

“But—”

“—If you want to enjoy life, you should be willing to do something crazy to achieve what you like. Don’t worry because I got you. I promise that you’ll enjoy this.” I couldn’t understand why it was so hard to turn him down. One smile and I forget about the world.

Then, I found myself going on with the flow and the next thing I knew, we were already enjoying every second at the bottom of the waterfalls, swimming and exploring the area without a care in the world.

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What do you think of Xzavier? 

Is he a good or bad person?

Do you think Sabina will have no choice but to marry Father Nicolas?

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chapter 3

How’s the story so far, Amores?

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SABINA’s POV

I kept on tossing and turning on my bed, couldn’t sleep at all. Even though I’ve been trying since a while ago, I just couldn’t. My mind was still active, full of what happened earlier today; not the bad news that my mother told me but about Xzavier.

“For goodness’ sake, Sab, you should sleep now! It’s getting late already!” I reprimanded myself like silly and closed my eyes to try to sleep but it was futile. I sighed in defeat and then opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

“What’s happening to you, Sab?” I bit my lower lip as the events at the waterfalls earlier today replayed in my head once more…

“Oh, God. I think, let’s just go back. The guards might catch us. I don’t want you to get in trouble, especially that you’re not one of us.” I couldn’t hide my fear.

“Just trust me, Ina. There’s no guards here, I assure you that.”

“How come you sound so sure? I live near this place but I don’t even know if there are any guards lurking around this area.”

He chuckled. “That’s because you’ve never been there.”

“And what about you? Have you been there?”

“Of course. That’s why I know that there are no guards there.” I chewed on my bottom lip and looked at our intertwined hands. It was my first time holding a man’s hand and it felt totally different compared to a woman’s hand for some reason. He felt so strong yet his touch was full of gentleness.

We continued on trekking for a couple of minutes more before we finally arrived.

“Welcome to paradise!” I got pulled out of my trance-like state when I heard his voice. I looked around and gasped in awe. I’ve never thought that this place would be this beautiful. Well, I already knew that it was beautiful just by looking at it from up there but seeing its beauty in eye level was different.

The water cascading down from the majestic waterfalls looked magnificent and was as clear as day. There were many wild flowers around and they were breathtaking. The chirping of the birds combined with the sound of the gentle breeze of the air and the waterfalls was so relaxing.

“Wow! This is beautiful, Xzav…”

His forehead crinkled. “Xzav?”

“I mean, Xzavier.” I corrected. I didn’t know what came over me for calling him that. To my surprise, he smiled.

“I like the sound of it. You should call me that from now on.” Before I could answer, he pulled me by the hand and led me towards the water.

“Let’s swim?” He asked as he let go of my hand and started taking his shirt off.

“I don’t have any change of clothes.” Just like the first time I ever gazed at his masculine body; a sudden scorching heat surged within me, leading me to temptation.

“Hmmm…Too bad. The water temperature is just right and it feels good to the skin.” He threw his shirt to top of the big rock nearby before pulling his shorts down and did the same thing to it. I bit my lower lip as my body started feeling hot all over.

After reading the black book, I already knew that I shouldn’t stare at him right now but my traitorous eyes felt like they have a life of their own.

God! He’s really a well-built man and I couldn’t stop myself from gawking at him. Then, my cheeks instantly went red when I noticed something down there. Is that what they call erection? Oh, my. I didn’t expect it to be this big…

I couldn’t describe what I was feeling. I suddenly felt thirsty and hotter than a while ago.

“You’re doing it again, Ina.” His voice sounded husky.

I blinked innumerably. “H-Huh?”

“I said, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?” I queried innocently.

“Staring at me like that. You did the same when we first met and the effect on me is still the same. You’re giving me a hard time, Ina.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I admitted with a small voice. He closed the gap between us and then gently touched my cheek.

“You’re so innocent. Normally, I dislike innocent women but you’re different for a reason I can’t comprehend. You’re too innocent and I’m afraid that I might tarnish that innocence if I continued on being with you.” His touch on my cheek felt so gentle and nice that when he pulled his hand away, there was a sudden feeling of emptiness that grew within me.

He turned his back on me. “I’m going to swim. If you changed your mind, just come and join me.” He was about to dive into the water when I spoke.

“Until when are you going to stay here?”

“Why? Too excited for me to leave?”

I shook my head right away. “No. I just want to see you again.” I chewed on my bottom lip. I suddenly felt embarrassed. I’ve never said that to anyone until now and I didn’t expect it to be embarrassing.

He looked surprised for a second or two before he smiled. “Don’t worry, Ina. You’ll see me more often because I decided to extend my stay here. I still have something important to do.”

“Really?” I felt giddy of the thought of him extending his stay here.

“Yes. I hope, you won’t get tired of seeing my face though.”

“I don’t think, I will ever feel that way.” I admitted and that seemed to please him.

“Very good.” He then dove into the water and I just remained on my spot, watching him swimming expertly.

“The water temperature is so nice! C’mon, Ina! Come join me!” He coaxed with a loud voice so that I could hear him. I swallowed hard. There was an invisible force pulling me towards him that I couldn’t control…

Shortly after that, I found myself joining him into the water.

I don’t know what’s with Xzavier but everytime I’m with him, I forget about my worries and there’s nothing but happiness. He makes me feel these strange feelings that I’ve never felt before and I’m eager to learn more about him…

I got out of my deep thoughts when I heard a knock on my door.

“My dear, are you asleep already?” I heard my mom ask from outside my door. I bit my lower lip. I suddenly felt a little guilty.

When I came home from the waterfalls, she tried to talk to me but I impassively declined her attempt and just went straight to my room. I didn’t even eat dinner. But now, she came. Well, I kinda expected it already because knowing my mom, she couldn’t sleep kwoing that everything wasn’t okay between us, especially that it was her fault.

“My dear, can you please talk to mom?” I could hint the sadness in her voice and that’s it. I couldn’t ignore her after all. I got up and then opened the door.

“Mom, why aren’t you sleeping yet? It’s late already.” I saw that she was holding a tray full of food.

“I-I was just worried. I know that you’re already hungry so I brought you food.” She came in and then placed the tray of food on my small study table.

“Eat, okay? Don’t miss your dinner.” The sadness in her eyes got me. She was about to march her way out of my room when I sighed in defeat and spoke.

“Mom, tell me. Did you ever intend to marry me off to Father Nicolas?” She turned around and faced me.

“Of course, not! Never! Your happiness is the most important for me and I would never put you in a situation that could potentially hurt you.”

“Then, why were you so against my desire of leaving this place? Ever since I was old enough to understand about our situation, I’ve been vocal about it to you. But you did nothing but to discourage me. Now that the cat is finally out of the bag, isn’t it better for us to leave this place as soon as possible?”

Fear flooded her face. “I wish, it’s that easy, my dear.”

“I know it’s next to impossible, mom, but isn’t it better for us to at least try? I don’t want to marry Father Nicolas!” My eyes watered. I really felt trapped and didn’t know what to do in order to get out of this place.

“Maybe we can try to talk to Father Nicolas and the other leaders about this. I’m sure, they will take your feelings into consideration.” I looked at her in disbelief.

“Mom, wake up! Do you really think, they will?! Why do you still have faith in them after they’re practically forcing you to marry me off to Father Nicolas?!”

“Because I don’t have a choice! I don’t know what to do anymore! I don’t want you to end up like Sammy—” She gasped after blurting that out and that took me by surprise.

“What do you mean, mom? What does Sammy got to do with this?” She raked her fingers through her hair and I noticed that her hands were shaking.

“N-Nothing, my dear. It’s already late. Eat your dinner before it gets cold.” She then cupped my face and kissed my forehead. “Goodnight, my dear. Mom loves you.” She then whispered before going out of my room as if a ghost was after her.

I was left there on my spot, confused.

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The next few days after that was surprisingly calm and no one ever came to talk to me about the marriage or anything. My mother has been obviously avoiding the topic by pretending to be busy. I grew more frustrated with each passing day but whenever I’m with Xzavier, my problems seem to disappear.

Yes, we’ve been meeting secretly at the falls everyday this past one week and as the days go by that we’re together, we grew more closer to each other.

It felt like we’ve known each other for so long and the happiness I that I’m feeling whenever we’re together is indescribable. I’ve never felt this way before and I got addicted to this feeling.

In every minute of the day, he’s always on my mind. It’s as if my day wouldn’t be complete without seeing and being with him and that became our daily habit.

Thankfully, no one has ever caught me sneaking out of Safe Haven because I’ve been extra careful.

“Where are you going again, Sab? You’ve been going out often lately.” My mother inquired when I was about to go out of the door.

“I’ll just go get some wild berries, mom.” Well, it was partly true. She heaved a sigh before approaching me.

“Tell honestly me, my dear. Are you going to meet with that man again?” My heart raced as I averted my gaze.

“Mom…”

“I know that you’ve been sneaking out of Safe Haven to meet with him.” I bit my lower lip and then gazed back at her.

“A-Are you mad, mom?”

She sighed. “I should get mad at you for not telling me about it but at the same time, I couldn’t because I noticed how happy and lively you’ve become ever since you met that man. I’ve never seen you happy like this before and I don’t want to take your happiness away from you.

“But I can’t help but to get worried at the same time. You know that what you’re doing is against the law of SFH and if they catch you meeting with an outsider, a man at that, they’re going to punish you severely. You know that Father Nicolas has already marked you as his future wife.” I could see the fear in her eyes.

“If only your father was here with us. Nothing of this sort would happen. It would be easier for us to solve our problems.” Her voice cracked. My heart ached for her. I could tell how much she misses dad but couldn’t do anything about it.

“Don’t worry, mom. I’ll always be here for you. As long as we’re together, we will surely solve our problems for sure.”

She touched my cheek. “If your dad was here, he wouldn’t be happy knowing that you’re secretly meeting with a man.” She then heaved a sigh. “But at the same time, if he sees how happy you’ve become, he would eventually understand just like me.” That made me smile.

“Thank you for being so understanding about this, mom.” I hugged her. “One day, we’ll be able to leave this place. I promise you that.” She didn’t respond but I could tell that she was full of doubt and fear about it.

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How’s the chapter, Amores?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 4

HAPPY READING, AMORES!

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SABINA’s POV

I squealed in surprise when I suddenly felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist. Thankfully, I quickly managed to cover my mouth with my hand or else, we would risk getting caught.

“Hmmm…I’m glad, you came.”

“Xzav! You startled me!” I hissed as I unwrapped his arms around me. He laughed but I quickly covered his lips with my hand, worried that someone might hear him.

“Tone down your voice! What if the guards hear you?!”

“How many times do I have to repeat to you that they won’t. Besides, the sound of the waterfalls is loud enough to kinda muffle our voices here.” I chewed on my bottom lip worriedly.

“Don’t you trust my words?”

I released a breath. “It’s not like that, Xzav. It’s just that, I can’t help but to get paranoid. I don’t want them to harm you.” He smiled, placed a finger under my chin as our eyes locked.

“Just trust me and everything will be okay. I promise you that, Ina.” I finally smiled and nodded my head.

“Okay. I trust you, Xzav.” I didn’t know why but one look from those tantalizing eyes of his and I felt like everything would really be okay.

“That’s music to my ears. Anyway, let’s go?” My forehead crinkled.

“Let’s go? To where?”

He smiled boyishly. “It’s a surprise.” He then held out his hand for me. “C’mon, Ina. Let’s go.”

“But I can’t—”

“—Don’t worry, Ina. I got you. I’ll take you back before 5. You mentioned to me several times that you wanted to get out of here, right? Well, I’ll take you somewhere. Not totally out of the mountains but at least, out of Safe Haven. So, let’s go?” I looked at his hand and then gingerly accepted it.

The thought of me going somewhere else brought me so much excitement and desire to see another place aside from Safe Haven.

“This place has nothing but mountains though.”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “You’ll see.” I thought, we would be walking on the riverside because there was no other pathway known to the people of Safe Haven aside from that but to my surprise, we went deeper into the forest.

I’ve never been there before because I was afraid to encounter any wild animals. The leaders have been warning us about those and it got etched in my mind while growing up.

Then, after walking for about 30 minutes, my jaw dropped when I saw a rough narrow road and something caught my eyes on the side.

“Oh, my. I didn’t know that there was a road here. Is that a car?” I wasn’t sure if it was because I only saw one in old picture books that I grew up reading.

“Yes. It is.” I slowly walked up to it full of awe, totally mesmerized by it. I touched it.

“It’s feels sturdy and cold.”

“Of course, it is. It’s made of steel after all.” I nodded my head as I walked around it, inspecting every detail of it full of amazement. Then, I heard a sound.

Xzav was already inside the car. He then got out and opened the door for me.

“Shall we go, Ina?” I excitedly got in and I felt like a kid looking around merrily. I couldn’t contain my happiness of this new experience. But then, my excitement died down a little bit when I remembered about something.

“I’ve read that cars create loud sound. What if they hear it and we get caught?”

“Don’t worry, Ina. This car doesn’t emit loud sound that’s why we’re safe. Beside, we’re a little bit far from Safe Haven from here. C’mon, buckle up.” My forehead wrinkled.

“Buckle up?” I parroted confusedly. He chuckled then scooted closer and I gasped when our faces were already just a couple of centimeters away in just a second.

“You’re too adorable, you know that?” I was holding my breath and didn’t know how to answer because my heart felt like it was about to come out of my chest because of how hard it was beating.

Then, I heard a click sound before he straightened his back and sat like nothing happened. I looked down and understood what he meant by buckle up.

Then, the car started moving. I instinctively held onto my seat.

“Calm down, Ina. It’ll be okay. I’m sure, you’ll start to enjoy car rides soon.” He was right because moments later, I felt like I was having the time of my life as we go farther and farther away from Safe Haven.

“Look at those birds, Xzav! They’re so pretty!” I was even sticking my head out of the window while admiring mother nature. The brush of air on my face felt so nice and exhilarating.

“I’m glad you’re finally enjoying. You were so worried a while ago.” I pursed my lips.

“Don’t make me remember about it. For now, I just want to enjoy this moment.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He smiled at me and I smiled at him. For some reason, my chest felt so light for the first time in my life and that was when I thought that I was doing the right thing.

I’ve dreamt of getting out of Safe Haven for so long and now, it’s happening. Even though in the back of my mind, I knew that I would go back because my mother was there, at least, I could get to experience all this.

I glanced at Xzavier one more time and I smiled inwardly before I looked back outside.

“Oh, God, Xzav! We’re so high up here! We might fall!” I couldn’t help but panic as I looked at the bottom of the cliff. The road was narrow and on the right side was a cliff.

“Don’t worry, Ina. I won’t let something bad happen to you. I promised, didn’t?” I nodded my head.

“I know. I just can’t help but—”

“—Give me your hand.” He interrupted me as he held out his right hand for me without looking at me because his eyes were fixed on the road. I gingerly did as I was told. He then glanced at me and when our eyes met, my panic flew out of the window. Just like that, I knew that everything’s going to be alright.

“If you’re afraid, just close your eyes.” I nodded my head and did as I was told. We held each other’s hand until we finally came to a stop.

“We’re here.” He announced. I opened my eyes and saw his smiling face. He then got out of the car and then came to my side of the car to open the door for me.

“Welcome to my secret paradise here in the Alps.”

“Secret paradise?” I parroted as I looked around. Then, my lips parted in awe when I saw a beautiful house. I couldn’t believe that there’s actually a house in this part of the mountains. I thought, we were the only people who lives around this area.

“Yes. This is my log house. I stay here whenever I want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy the nature alone.”

“Wow. You have such a nice big house, Xzav. A lot of people can fit in there.”

He chuckled. “Really? I’ve never thought about that. I’ve never brought anyone here aside from you.” I snapped my head to his direction.

“Really? But why? This is such a beautiful place to hide from your friends and loved ones. I’m sure, they will be happy to visit it just like I feel right now.”

“You’re the only one I know who’s already happy just by seeing a house without even being inside it yet.” He answered full of amusement and I smiled.

“But we’re going to go inside it, right?”

“Of course.” He then took my hand. “Enough with that topic. I am more interested in touring you around my house.” He then pulled me by the hand and led me towards the door.

Upon opening it, I couldn’t stop admiring it. It was my first time seeing such beautiful house because all the houses in Safe Haven were relatively small and simple. Nothing special to tell the least.

“I’m really curious why you decided to have a house in this desolate place. Ever since I was young, that’s what I feel about Safe Haven. I saw nothing around us but trees, the sky and the animals living around and that’s all. I yearned to get out of the mountains and yet, you’re here, a man from the city and even have a house in this area of all places. Why’s that? I mean, if I were you, I would never stay in this place and just stay there in the city.” I couldn’t hold back my curiosity while we were at the balcony, watching the beautiful scenery outside.

“Desolate place, huh?” He chuckled. “You sound like living here is such terrible thing to do.” I shrugged my shoulders and didn’t comment as I felt sad.

“I can see that you really want to get out of here as soon as possible. Ever since we got to know each other, you’ve been talking about leaving Safe Haven. Did it ever occur to you what would happen if you ever went to the city and realized that the city life was not for you after all?”

I shook my head. “That would never happen because leaving Safe Haven is my only key to have a wonderful life and to have the chance to complete my family again.”

“Then, why don’t you accept my offer to get you out of here?” Yes, I already told Xzav about my situation and he offered to help me escape but I declined.

“Much as I want to accept your offer, I can’t because I don’t want something bad to happen to you. If you helped me, the people in Safe Haven will surely hunt you down and I’m sure, they will punish you for sticking your nose to where it doesn’t belong.

“I can see that you have a great life and I don’t want to be the reason for it to be destroyed. I consider you my friend now and I want to protect you at all cost.” Xzav remained quiet while staring into my eyes and I caught that strange emotion that passed through his eyes.

“What if I don’t want to be your friend?” My heart tightened painfully.

“Y-You don’t want to? Why?” I asked softly as my eyes watered. I felt like weeping in pain for some reason.

He faced me and then cupped my face with his hands. “What do you have that you’re stirring these strange feelings inside of me in such a short period of time? I was never into innocent women before but after spending time with you, you made changes in me that I couldn’t comprehend.

“And now, you’re referring to me as your friend? Don’t you have any idea how you’ve been making me crazy just by your innocent voice and touch? No, Ina. I don’t want to be just your friend.” My lips parted as I stared back at him full of confusion.

“I—don’t understand.” I admitted and looked down.

“Look at me, Ina.” I reluctantly did.

“I want you to be mine.”

“W-What?”

“Be mine, Ina.” He sounded gentle yet determined. I removed his hands from cupping my face and then turned my back on him, confused.

“I’m afraid, Xzav. I don’t have any knowledge about these kinds of things and I’m afraid that I might not be able to—” Before I could even finish what I was about to say, he pulled me by the hand and made me face him and before I could understand what just happened, his lips already sealed mine.

Just like a drug, my body felt like it turned into jelly that I didn’t have a choice but to tip on my tippy toes and encircled my arms around his neck for support before I fall down.

Just like the first time we kissed, my lips automatically moved as I listened to my instinct. Oh, gosh! It was really addicting and making my senses reeling.

“I know that all of these are new to you but can’t you feel the heat between us? The silent connection and spark? I’ve never believed in these kinds of bull but you made me feel all these in just a short period of time. You’re an amazing woman, you know that, my Ina? I can’t just stand here and do nothing knowing that if some other guy out there would see you, they would potentially take you from me.” He whispered hoarsely after that mind-boggling kiss.

Upon hearing that, I suddenly remembered about my situation. I untangled my arms from his neck.

“I don’t think, I’ll be able to accept a guy into my life, Xzav.” I saw the pain that passed through his eyes but it was only for a second.

“Why? Don’t you want me to?”

“Because I am destined to be the wife of our leader.” I almost tasted the bitterness in my mouth upon uttering those words. The pain of thinking about the possibility that it would happen almost killed my heart.

“Do you love him?”

“No but—” He placed his forefinger on my lips.

“—No buts, Ina. Even though you’re not saying anything, I know who’s in your heart. Me.” He looked so sure.

“Aren’t you being conceited here, Mr.?”

“Nope. I’m just telling the truth.”

“What if I tell you right now that you’re wrong?” I countered. He grinned and then drew his face closer to mine that our lips were almost touching. It suddenly became harder to breath as my heartbeat went wild.

“Then, I’m going to go back to the city with a broken heart.” I got alarmed.

“Y-You’re going to leave me?”

“Because I don’t want to be a bother. If you don’t want me to stay here and be with you, I won’t force you to.”

“But I want to be with you!”

“And why is that? I thought, I wasn’t the one in your heart?”

“I didn’t say that!” I exclaimed before I could even stop myself. My cheeks went red when I saw how he smiled.

“N-No. What I meant was—” I tried to take back what I just said.

“I dare you to tell me that it’s not me.”

I swallowed hard. “You’re not the—”

“—Liar.” And just like always, he made his point by claiming my lips for a steaming and addicting kiss. It overwhelmed my senses and got lost in the moment.

“Tell me you’re mine.” He breathed as his kisses slowly went to my neck, teasing me there while his hands became busy with their own exploration.

“Yes, my Xzav…I’m all yours.”

“Good answer, my Ina.” I realized that it was useless for me to deny my feelings because I would just make it difficult for us.

I was afraid of all the consequences of what I’ve been doing these past weeks but I threw all my fears and doubt in the air because I knew for sure that I would rather to gamble with my feelings for Xzav instead of pushing him away and live a miserable life without trying.

He came like a hurricane into my life but even so, I knew for sure that he would never cause havoc in my life.

Days went by and everything changed between the two of us. From the beginning, both of us knew that we have these special feelings for each other and Xzav never failed to express it towards me. He was very patience towards me knowing that my knowledge about things like these was next to nothing. And now, his efforts finally paid off.

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How’s the chapter, Amores?

Do you think Xzavier is serious about Sabina?

What do you think will happen next?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 5

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE SCENES for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!

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SABINA’s POV

I kept on squealing as Xzavier chased after me in the water. I swam faster, trying to get away from him but my efforts were futile because he eventually caught me from behind. He buried his face on the crook of my neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Where do you think you’re going, huh?” He asked huskily.

“Away from you.” I answered, suppressing my smile. We’re currently swimming in the lake by his house that’s why we were free to shout to our hearts content without anyone hearing us. This was my 2nd time coming here and so far, no one in Safe Haven has noticed me escaping from time to time just to be with Xzavier.

My mom has been asking me to stop sneaking out just to be with Xzavier because she’s been worried that I might get caught. But I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to be with him. It feels like my day isn’t complete without being with him.

“Away from me? And why would you want to get away from me?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Because I wanted to.” I just wanted to tease him a little bit because he’s been glued beside me since we arrived here. He picked me up at the waterfalls.

“You’re going to regret saying that, my Ina.”

I chuckled. “Really? I don’t think I would.” I then unwrapped his arms from hugging me and then quickly swam towards the lake side. Upon getting out of the water, I then laid down on the picnic blanket nearby, catching my breathe.

I looked back at him and laughed when I saw his expression as he got out of the water, heading towards my direction. He clearly wasn’t happy.

“Now, you’ve really done it.”

I grinned mischievously. “And what would you do about it, Mr.?” Instead of answering, he suddenly got on top of me and pinned me down with his body. His arms were on either side of me as he gazed down at me with a lopsided grin.

“Xzav!” I hissed with widened eyes when I felt something hard down there, intentionally making me feel it. “What’s that hard thing?!” To my surprise, he laughed heartily and then dipped his head to give me a gentle kiss.

“You’re so adorable, my Ina. Your innocence turns me on for some reason. You don’t even know how much you affect me just by touching you like this.” I couldn’t help but blush as I began to feel hot and puzzled at the same time.

“Turns you on? What does it mean?” He chuckled and I pouted. “I’m sorry for being so clueless. I just—”

“—You don’t have to say sorry. I understand. If there’s some here who has to say sorry, that’s me because I feel like I’m tainting your innocence.” He interrupted me as he drew his lips even closer to mine.

I shook my head. “No, you’re not. I’m eager to learn things that I don’t know from you.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, as long as it’s with you.”

He smiled contentedly. “I love how innocent you are but at the same time, you’re been giving me a hard time. It’s really surprising how I managed to restrain myself until now because everytime you’re near, I keep on getting these sinful thoughts about you.”

My lips parted. “Sinful thoughts?”

“Yes, my Ina. You don’t have any idea how much I’ve been wanting to claim you fully but I chose to take my time. I don’t want to rush you.”

“Claim me?”

“Yes. Even though, you’re mine, there are things that I shouldn’t do without your consent and move passed my boundary.”

My eyes widened as I finally began to catch up of what he’s saying. “A-Are you talking about m-mating?”

“Mating?” He parroted with furrowed eyebrows before his face flooded with total amusement.

I nodded my head in response and to my surprise, he suddenly laughed. I pouted and pushed him by the chest. “If you’re just going to laugh at me, then get off me.” Thinking that he’s laughing of me because of my lack of knowledge of such things kinda irritated me.

I thought he was going to do so but he didn’t. He took my hands instead and then kissed them.

“Sorry, my Ina. I wasn’t making fun of you. It’s just that I couldn’t hold back my laugh because of the word you used.”

“Why? I’ve read about mating before. Did I say it wrong or maybe misunderstood your point? What is the proper word then?”

He placed a finger under my chin and then captured my gaze with his. His face became serious but I could totally see his eyes dancing with mischief.

“It’s called ‘s*x’, Ina.” I gasped softly. Hearing that word brought me weird feelings within me, especially down there.

“S-S*x?” I swallowed hard. I’ve never thought that I would be discussing these kinds of things with a man one day. The heat in the center of my being was getting more intense as our conversation went on.

“Yes. But if people who have special feelings for each other do it, they call it ‘making love’.”

“Making love?” He nodded his head. I chewed on my bottom lip for good three seconds before speaking.

“If we do it, would you refer to it as s*x or making love?”

“You can call whatever you want to call it, Ina, but one thing’s for sure. You’re a very special woman and you deserve the best.” His voice became husky.

I gulped inaudibly. “Then, can you show me what making love is?” I caught his Adam’s apple move, indicating that he swallowed before clearing his throat and then averted his gaze.

“You don’t know what you’re asking me, Ina.” He was about to get off me but I stopped him by wrapping my arms around his neck. He groaned as if he was having a hard time.

“I know what I want and that’s to make love with you right now. Yes, I might be ignorant about this kind of thing but I know for sure that you’re special to me. Do you feel the same way towards me? Special enough to make love to me?” Even though it was embarrassing, I had to ask.

He remained silent for a couple of seconds.

“Yes, but—” I placed a finger on his lips. Happiness surged within me.

“Then, no more buts. You’ve taught me many things already and this time, I want to experience this with you. I want you to make love with me, Xzav. Show me what making love is.” I didn’t know where did I get the guts to say all those things but I did. When he heard that, the last ounce of his self-control broke.

A moan escaped my lips when he claimed my lips full of passion and scorching heat until we were almost out of breath. The way he was kissing me was different; more passionate, intense and hot and it awakened that different kind of thirst and hunger within me that I’ve never felt before.

“I’m going to take you, Ina, but not here. You’re more special than that.” He then got off me and then carried me towards the house. “I’m giving you one last chance to change your mind. Tell me now before we enter the house because the moment we get inside, there’s no going back after that.”

I smiled at him. “Take me, Xzav. Don’t hold anything back.”

“Your wish is my command, my Ina.” My heart was racing but for some reason, it wasn’t because of nervousness or having second thoughts. Instead, I was full of anticipation. A part of my brain was flashing red light of warning but I ignored it. I already made up my mind to surrender everything onto him and nothing could change my mind.

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“Xzav…” I called for his name with a slightly trembling voice as I covered my breasts and the V of my things which were exposed under his heated gaze. He chuckled amusedly.

“What happened, my Ina? You weren’t embarrassed like this when I first saw you half naked before. You were determined a while ago.” My cheeks went red.

“Back then, I didn’t know that I shouldn’t have shown you my naked self. Not just to you but to any man. I thought, it was normal to just change my clothes even in front of a man. But it’s different now. I know what’s happening but I’m still shy.”

“Have you ever undressed in front of another man before?” I shook my head.

“You know that I’ve never known any other man aside from you and Father Nicolas.”

“What about that Father Nicolas? Did he already see you naked before?”

“Of course, not. Why should I undress in front of him? My mother has always been there to protect me even from those kinds of things.” He smiled contentedly.

“Very good. From now on, your naked body is for my eyes only.” He then gently removed my hands from covering my sensitive areas, slowly as if he was waiting for me to protest.

“Do you really need to stare at my body while making love?”

He chuckled. “Of course. You wouldn’t want me to close my eyes while we’re at it, right? Besides, I love staring at your beautiful body. You’re like a goddess.”

“Am I making you happy by showing you my nakedness?”

“That sound weird. I feel like a molester molesting a child.”

“But I’m not a child. I’m already a grown-up woman.” He laughed and then kissed me once again.

“I was just messing with you.” Strangely, seeing him happy makes me happy too and now, all I wanted at this moment was to make him happy by giving him whatever he desires.

“Promise me, Ina. Promise me that your naked body is for my eyes only.” I was about to answer when he suddenly dipped his head and caught one of my already pebbled nipples with his hungry mouth.

“Oh, Xzav…” I held onto his shoulders as my body arched in pleasure. He toyed with it repeatedly using his raspy tongue and it felt so heavenly.

“Y-Yes. I promise.”

“That’s my Ina.” He alternately gave his attention to my breasts and I kept on squirming like crazy in so much ecstasy. I’ve never thought that this kind of sinful act would bring a woman an incomparable pleasure.

“W-What about you, Xzav? Do you promise to do the same?” I tried to sound normal even though all I wanted was to scream in so much euphoria. He momentarily stopped what he was doing and our gazes locked.

“Yes. I promise.”

“You mean it?”

He nodded his head. “Of course, my Ina. I mean it.”

We both smiled lovingly at each other before our lips met for a sensual kiss. That heat in my pit of my stomach that I always feel whenever we kiss was there again but this time, it was more intense than ever.

When our lips pulled away, his kisses slowly went down to my neck and ear, teasing me before he went back to his favorite spot.

He tirelessly played with my breasts and I thought, that was the end of it but I was wrong.

“Spread your legs for me, my Ina.” My heart thumped.

“W-Why?” I couldn’t help but to get embarrassed of the thought that a guy would actually see what’s down there. My mother always told me not to let anyone touch nor see it and I’ve been very protective of myself even though I couldn’t fully understand why.

But now that Xzav was doing all these enchanting and addicting things to my body, it felt like I could give him whatever he wanted to do with me with open arms.

“Because I want to see and taste it.” My eyes almost popped out of its socket.

“Taste it?!”

He chuckled and then planted a soft kiss just below my belly. “Worry not, because you will surely learn to like and enjoy this.”

I slowly parted my legs while biting my lower lip and when he finally saw my forbidden treasure, I closed my eyes in embarrassment. I’ve read about interaction between a male and a female but the details weren’t written there.

I just knew that people do it because they love each other. I knew that I shouldn’t surrender my body onto someone fully until I’m sure that he’s the one. I don’t even know what Xzavier and I’s relationship really is but one thing’s for sure; he’s earned a special spot in my heart that no one managed to reached before.

“Beautiful.” I heard him utter before his gaze me mine. My head was leaning back against the headboard that’s why I could see everything that he was doing to me. I closed my eyes as the anticipation intensifies.

“Don’t close your eyes, my Ina, and watch me worship you.” Before I had the time to comprehend what he was saying, he suddenly dipped his head and gave me a long lick down there.

“Xzav!” I was about to close my legs together but he didn’t let me. He wrapped his arms around each of my legs as he continued giving me licks, teasing me.

“I was right. You taste so sweet and delicious, my Ina.” Then, he proceeded on tasting every nook and cranny of my treasure and the attack of pleasure was unbelievably good.

“Ohhh! Xzav!” I was already screaming in ecstasy while pulling on his hair. Oh, my God! What’s this? It feels so good!

“Xzav! hmmm…” I felt like I was going crazy as ecstasy sent my senses reeling. I couldn’t understand what was happening. All I knew was, the intense pleasure was making me lose my mind. It really feels good but is it really okay for him to taste me down there? Oh, my…

“What are you doing, Xzav? Oh, God! You shouldn’t…” I couldn’t finish what I wanted to say as a moan involuntarily escaped from my lips as he continued his delicious assault. I’ve never thought that people could do this kind of stuff down there and I wasn’t prepared for it.

My eyes widened when his tongue invaded my heat as he placed his thumb on my nub and then circled it relentlessly. I could feel something big was about to happen and my breathing became ragged. I felt like going crazy as I felt it coming and then it struck me.

“Xzavier!” I screamed to the top of my lungs as my body shuddered feverishly. I couldn’t believe it.

“Did you like it?” I opened my eyes and saw that his face was already so close to mine. He was gazing at me ever so gently. My body felt deliriously weak and jelly like, still twitching as traces of that intense rapture still covering my entire being.

“It felt so sinful but it felt so good at the same time.” I honestly answered while still catching my breath. He smiled but then became serious again.

He then took a pillow and placed it underneath my butt before spreading my legs wider. He positioned himself between my legs.

“I-I thought, we’re done?”

“I need you now, Ina. I can’t take it anymore.” I bit my lower lip when I felt that hard thing touched my still quivering womanhood. It felt so hot and big…

“Are you going to put that monster inside of me?”

“Monster?” He chuckled. “Yes, my Ina. I’m going to claim you now.” While still biting my lip, I held onto his shoulders.

“Then, take me, Xzav. I’m yours to take.” That was all he needed to hear before began entering. I shut my eyes closed as I grunted when I felt that pain of his intrusion. I’ve never thought that making love would hurt like this.

“It hurts, Xzav…I…don’t think, that monster of yours will fit.” I cried. He felt so big and hard, stretching me to my limits.

“You’re wrong, my Ina. Yours was made to accommodate me. Open your eyes and look at it.” I slowly did as I was told and gasped when I saw how our sensitive areas became one. Oh, gosh. He really kept his word.

He claimed me fully and now deep seated inside of me. Oh, my. It hurts!

I wanted to push him away but I knew Xzavier would never hurt or disappoint me in anyway.

“You belong to me now in the truest sense of the word, Ina.” He then sealed my lips for another kissing duel and I didn’t disappoint him. I kissed him back with equal fervor. His hands were massaging my breasts and tweaking my nipples which added to the scorching heat inside my body.

Slowly but surely, the pain was decreasing as he continued on worshipping my body. I could feel myself getting wetter that before and that seemed to please him more. Then, I gasped when he started moving.

“Xzav…Oh, Xzav…” The pain was still there but it continued on decreasing with each thrust. He distracted me by sucking and tonguing my turgid nipples and I found myself crying in so much pleasure.

“You feel so good, my Ina. So tight and hot.” We kissed once again and his pace became faster. I didn’t know when did the pain disappear as I found myself wailing wantonly, going crazier with each passing second.

The naughty sounds of our colliding sensitive areas accompanied by our cries of ecstasy filled the four corners of the room. Instinctively, I began meeting his every thrust as the pleasure intensifies. I could feel that familiar feeling that I experienced a while ago but this time, it was more intense and made me lose my mind.

What’s happening to my body? I asked myself as I felt like something was about to explode in the center of my being and I knew, it would be enormous.

I was getting higher and higher, desperately trying to reach for something but I didn’t know what it was. It was getting more intense with each passing second.

“Xzav…More…Faster…” He didn’t disappoint me and gave me what I wanted. His manhood was hitting every sweet spot inside me and I kept on calling for his name.

“Fùck! I’m almost there, Ina!” I didn’t know what he was talking about but I could feel that something was about to hit me as well. My body moved on its own, meeting his fast and hard thrusts.

My head was turning from side to side as my cries to pleasure became louder. I wrapped my legs around him as our lips clashed once more. We couldn’t get enough of each other. Oh, God! It’s about to hit me!

The ball of fire in the center of my being was about to explode and I was right. A couple of thrusts more and I reached that peak.

Waves and waves of pleasure washed over me. My eyes rolled back in sheer pleasure; my toes curled as my whole body quaked feverishly.

“Xzav!”

“Ina!” He firmly gripped me by the butt and pounded inside of me with desperate thrusts: faster and harder. Then, one more hard slam and he held himself to the hilt as he let himself go. He released jets and jets of something hot inside me which intensified the ecstasy even more.

“Ahhh!” I bit his shoulder as I gushed around him once again. I felt like I was going to pass out. My body became jelly like while moaning like crazy. I held onto his body tightly as he buried his face on the crook of my neck.

Just like, he was also catching his breath as if he just ran a marathon.

Then, when the shaking of my body stopped, my eyes felt so droopy for some reason and I couldn’t stop myself from closing my eyes.

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Do you think everything is too fast between 

Xzavier and Sabina

?

Where would fate take them after this? 

I hope you liked this chapter, Amores! Happy weekend.

chapter 6

A/N: A lot of you have been asking a lot of questions but rest assured, each of it will be answered as the story progresses. I just wanted to remind you too that in the story, it’s still year 2019 so there’s still a lot to happen. Stay tuned. :)

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SABINA’s POV

“What have you done to me, Xzav? I feel like not myself whenever I’m with you and I suddenly become capable of doing things that I’ve never thought I could do.” I shyly admitted and he chuckled. We were now lying in bed with me pillowing my head on his chiseled chest.

Everything that’s been happening between us ever since we met were too fast but I couldn’t care less. Everything that was happening to us were new to me and I didn’t want to end. The important thing is we’re happy.

“Like what?” He playfully asked as his arms tightened around my body.

“I’ve never thought of spending time with a man like this and it feels a little surreal. I feel nothing but happiness whenever I’m with you even though making love with you was painful but great at the same time. I don’t think I would do it again though.”

“What? You’re going to kill me if you did that.” I tilted my head to see his face.

“Kill you? Why?” Confusion was evident in my voice.

“Because you’re practically telling me that you will not make love to me anymore. That’ll be the death of me for sure.”

“But if we did it again, I might die in pain.” He remained quiet for good three seconds. Then, to my surprise, he laughed before kissing my forehead. He’s really an affectionate man and I love that about him.

“You’re really adorable, my Ina.” He then kissed my lips. I moaned. It started gently until it became an intense. His tongue mated with mine hotly and it felt like the fire between us got ignited once again.

“You’re really a fast learner. Now, you’re becoming good in kissing.”

I smiled. “And that’s thanks to my teacher. You.” I caressed his cheek. “Even though I’m new to this, I love kissing you.” I then admittedly shyly and he seemed to be happy hearing it.

“I can’t get enough of kissing you too, my Ina. Those sweet lips are becoming my addiction.” We continued kissing like two thirsty people in the desert. That familiar heat was starting to ablaze once again.

I gasped when he suddenly pulled me on top of him without breaking the kiss and I moaned in heat when I felt how hard he was once again. He was deliberately grazing his hardness against my wetness and my body shivered in heat.

His naughty hands were already exploring my body once again, intensifying the fire between us.

“I want to take you again. Would you let me?” He then began toying with my nipples alternately as he continued grazing his maleness against my wet core.

“W-What if it still hurt? I don’t think I could accommodate that monster of yours once again.” I managed to ask while breathing raggedly.

“It will eventually fade away. Trust me. It will get better.” His eyes were staring at me beggingly and I couldn’t say no to him. I nodded my head and his face brightened.

“You won’t regret this. I promise.” He continued teasing me, making sure that my body would be ready to accommodate him once again. Then,

“Guide me inside you, Ina.” I looked at him, puzzled with his request.

“But…I’m not sure how to…”

He smiled. “You already know how to. Just trust your instinct.”

I bit my bottom lip as I gingerly wrapped that hard thing around my hand. A soft gasp escaped my lips when I felt how hot it was against my palm. It felt like it was about to explode.

“How come you’re hiding something this big? Is it really hard like this?” I looked at it in awe, inspecting every detail of it.

“Fùck!” I earned a grunt from him when I moved my hand in an up and down motion all the while watching his facial expression. The pleasure was written all over his face and it gave me more self-confidence to pleasure him even more.

“Ina…I need you now.” He begged gutturally. His face was red and I understood that it’s time. Just like what he asked me to, I positioned myself on top of him and slowly but surely guided him inside of me.

The pain was still there because he was so big. But I persevered because I was determined to pleasure him…

My cheeks were already hurting because I’ve been smiling like crazy since a while ago while remembering about what transpired between us yesterday. I couldn’t describe what I was feeling but it was beyond happiness. I felt like I was still floating in paradise. Just by remembering Xzav’s smile, kiss, warmth and touch were enough to complete my day.

Making love with him was one of the things that I would never regret doing. He made me feel how to be a woman in the arms of a man and the contentment inside of me was understatement.

It was my first time feeling all these pleasant emotions and it was overwhelming. I bit my lower lip., trying to suppress my smile.

“Oh, my gosh, Sab. Concentrate on cleaning the yard not day dream about Xzav!” I was about to continue cleaning our front yard when someone spoke from behind me.

“Hi, Sabina. I’m glad I finally get to see you. It’s been a while.” I looked up from what I was doing to see who it was. Father Nicolas. I stood up.

“Father Nicolas…”

He smiled. “This is for you.” I frowned as I looked at the bouquet of red roses that he was holding.

“What’s this for?” I couldn’t hide the irritation in my voice. I was aware that he’d been coming over to our house these past few days just to see me but I always manage to escape before he could see me.

But today, I didn’t have a choice but to stay home because Xzavier told me that he couldn’t come to our meeting place for the reason that he had something important that he needed to do.

Before my mother left this morning, she told me to clean our yard because she would be joining the other women here in Safe Haven to plant wheat in the field the whole day.

Normally, the leaders would be there too including Father Nicolas but he actually stayed behind.

“It’s a present for my future bride.” I felt like cold chills crawled down my spine upon hearing that. I couldn’t help but to feel disgusted. He’s already in his mid-forties but he’s been eyeing me to be his wife.

“I’m sorry, Father Nicolas, but I can’t accept that. If you’ll excuse me, I have something else to do.” I turned my back on him and was about to walk away when he was quick to stop me by the hand.

“You already know that you’re my destined wife, right? God chose you to be mine. You know that being rude like this in front of me or any leaders at that is punishable by our law.”

I met his gaze bravely. “Punishable? As far as I know, I am not doing anything. And for the record, I am not destined to be your wife. Don’t use God just to get away with all this. You should be ashamed of yourself!” It was my first time standing up for myself and I almost clapped at myself for not stuttering.

Xzav was right. I shouldn’t let other people, especially the leaders of SFH, to dictate and manipulate me anymore. I should stand my ground because this is my life.

I haven’t told him about the arranged marriage yet but I informed him about the kind of life we have here at Safe Haven. He looked so interested in everything about Safe Haven and I gladly answered his questions. Finally, I found someone who supports me and encourages me to reach my goals one day.

“It seems that you really don’t understand, Sabina. No one is using God here. God is using me for the betterment of everyone here in Safe Haven. You should be scared of what you’re saying because you’re defying what He desires. You’re becoming a sinner and that should be corrected before it’s too late.” I met his gaze bravely.

“And what are you planning to do with me? Kill me?”

“Oh, we don’t do that here, Sabina. Everyone here in Safe Haven is family and you know that. I don’t understand where are all these coming from. Where did you learn all these? Your mother will be saddened if she hears about this for sure.” He was shaking his head in disbelief.

I clenched my jaw and roughly pulled back my hand from his. “Stop it! If you really treat everyone here as your family, then you shouldn’t be doing this to me.”

“What am I doing wrong, Sabina? You were destined to be mine that’s why you’ve been chosen to be my wife. We’re a family but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together. If you read the bible, people back then marry even if they were blood-related. God will never tell me to marry you if you weren’t destined to be mine.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re sick!” I then walked away from him, going straight towards the door of our small house, wanting nothing but to get away from him this instant.

Just when I was about to open the door, I heard him speak. “Looks like going outside Save Haven have already tainted your mind, Sabina.” My body went still upon hearing that as my heartbeat became fast.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feigned innocence and thankfully, I didn’t stutter.

He scoffed. “Do you really think that I didn’t notice that you’ve been sneaking out of Safe Haven? I don’t know what you’ve been up to but now that I saw the negative effect of what you’ve been doing, you’re forbidden to leave from now on.” My hands formed into fists but I didn’t say anything and then entered our house, shutting the door behind me with such force.

I clutched my chest while breathing heavily. How come he knew about me leaving Safe haven all this time? Thankfully, looked like he didn’t have any idea yet where I’ve been going to. I swallowed hard. Just thinking that I wouldn’t be able to see Xzavier was almost robbing me off my breath.

“No! You people can’t keep me here!” I went to my room and locked the door. I tried my best to calm down so that I would be able to think properly of what my next move would be but it was difficult to do so.

I took a peek through the window of my room and when I saw that Father Nicolas was still at the yard looking at my direction, I closed it right away and sat in the corner of my room as if that place would be able to hide me from that man if he decided to force his way inside our house.

“Xzav…” I called for his name helplessly as my eyes watered.

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I only became calm and felt safe when I heard the voice of my mother outside my door. I couldn’t even recall how many hours I stayed sitting there in the corner until she finally arrived.

I quickly stood up and opened the door. “Mom!” I ran into her arms and she automatically embraced me.

“What happened to you, my dear?” I couldn’t hold back my emotions as my tears fell. I’ve been trying my best not to cry since a while ago but now, I couldn’t take it anymore. My emotions poured.

“I want to get out of this place as soon as possible, mom.” I then said when I managed to gather myself a little bit. She cupped my face.

“Are you okay? Why are you crying? C’mon, baby, tell mom because you’re making me worry.”

“Father Nicolas came here while I was cleaning the yard. He reminded me about the wedding and he even knew about me sneaking out of Safe Haven.”

“What?! He knows?!”

“Yes, and he even told me that I’m forbidden of leaving from now on. I don’t know what to do, mom. I don’t want to be wed with him!” Just imagining myself marrying Father Nicolas felt like the end of my world.

“Oh, God, Sab.” I could hint the desperation and worry in my mother’s voice. “Now that they already discovered about you sneaking out of Safe Haven, I’m sure, the leaders will do anything to tighten the security here and it would become harder for anyone to leave, especially you. Now, your plan to escape this place will be next to impossible.”

“This is so unfair mom. Who are they to do this to me?! To us?! I can’t do this anymore!” I felt like everything was becoming so hopeless and I didn’t know what to do. I felt like a caged bird.

“Your voice, my dear! Someone might hear you!” She shushed me worriedly. I let go of her and then met her gaze.

“I don’t care. All I want to do right now is to leave this place as soon as possible.” I answered full of determination. “Let’s escape this place, mom. Now.”

“What are you saying? Do you really think that Father Nicolas would let you escape just like that? Now that he already has an idea of what’s been going on, he’ll do something about it for sure.”

“I don’t care, mom! I you really love me, you’ll support me and come with me. You know that staying here will give them the impression that I accept my fate. I’d rather die than marrying someone like him!” Her lips parted, wanting to say something but not a word came out.

When she probably saw how desperate and serious I was, she finally nodded her head.

“Okay. If this is what you want, I’ll support you. I’d rather try our luck than to stay here and feed you into the lion’s mouth.” I hugged her happily.

“Thank you, mom.” I couldn’t help but to be emotional. I’ve been asking her the same thing but he never agreed to me because she was scared. But now, I could tell that she’s finally made up her mind.

After that, we hurriedly prepared for our escape tonight. We agreed to do it at night because it will be harder for the guards to spot us if we become careful enough.

Then, the night came and we quietly readied ourselves. But before we could even step out of the door, we heard footsteps coming closer to our house.

“Mom, someone’s coming!” I whisper-yelled.

“Sab, you need to go back to your room, quick!”

“But—”

“—Just do what I say and take all these stuff with you!” The look of panic and fear on her face made me do as she says. I took the two backpacks and ran towards my room. Just after I quietly closed the door of my room, I heard knocks on the door of our house.

I clutched my chest, catching my breath. Beads of sweat were already forming on my forehead. Looked like they read what was on our mind.

I then heard my mother open the door followed by voices. Since our house was relatively small, I could clearly hear what they were talking about.

“Good evening, Sarah.” The voice of Father Nicolas! Then I heard other voices greeting my mother too. The leaders are also here!

“Good evening, evening everyone. What brings you here?” Thankfully, my mom sounded calm.

“You look calm, Sarah, but your eyes are the opposite. I’m sure, you’re not up to something tonight, right?” My mother chuckled.

“What are you talking about, Father Nicolas? I was about to go to bed when you knocked on my door. Sabina is already sleeping as well. What is this about?”

“Go to bed looking like that?” My mother was wearing pants, t-shirt and a hoodie. The beating of my heart became faster. They really know!

“Well, I just came home that’s why I’m still wearing these.”

“But I thought, you were about to go to sleep?” I could hint that Father Nicolas was suspecting something and I got scared for my mom.

“Yes, but of course, I need to freshen up first before that. I don’t understand this interrogation, Father Nicolas. You and all the other leaders came over to my house just for this? For what?”

“I think, you need to come with us, Sarah. There’s a lot of things that we want to discuss with you.” My heart skipped a beat as my eyes widened.

“If you need to discuss something with me, then we can do it here. I can’t leave my daughter alone, especially at night.”

“You don’t need to worry about anything, Sarah. I appointed some guards to watch Sabina 24/7 from now on while we’re preparing for our wedding.”

My mom gasped. “Wedding?! But my daughter didn’t agree to it! You said that you would never force her to do it if she decided not to.”

“All of us leaders already made up our mind. The wedding will push through and that’s final.” My fists clenched in so much anger.

“But—”

“—C’mon, Sarah. We need to go.”

“No! I will not come with you!” My mother answered determinedly but then, looked like that didn’t sit well with them because a couple of seconds later, I heard my mother’s screams.

“No! You can’t do this to me! Let go of me!” I couldn’t take it anymore and went out of my room.

“What are you doing with my mother?! Let go of her!” I yelled angrily and was about to pull her from them when Father Nicolas blocked my way.

“I knew it. You were planning to escape tonight. Thankfully, I was wise enough.” He said before he looked at the other leaders. “Go on. Take Sarah with you.” He instructed callously and they obliged. My mother kept on struggling but to no avail.

I tried to follow them but Father Nicolas restrained me by holding me by the wrist tightly.

“Mom!”

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How’s the chapter, Amores? 

Do you think this is the end for Sabina and Sarah? 

What’s your thoughts about this story so far? 

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 7

Happy weekend, Amores! 

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SABINA’s POV

I opened my eyes and sat up right away when I heard the door open. I just fell asleep but now that this man entered this room, I should make sure not to get my guard down. If I remember it right, it’s been 3 days since they brought me here and never let me see the light of day from that day on.

I wasn’t sure where they took make because they blindfolded me to ensure that the place would remain secret. They made sure to lock every window including the door so that I wouldn’t be able to escape.

Even though I haven’t seen the outside of this room yet, I knew for sure that there were guards around.

“Good morning, Sabina.” He greeted with a smile while holding a tray full of food. My jaw flexed full loathe, giving him deathly glare.

“Where did you take my mom? Where is she?”

He chuckled. “C’mon, Sabina. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s safe. You will see him again after the wedding so be a good girl and just do as I say. Just like I told you before, just be obedient and everything will be more than okay.” My fist tightened.

I wanted nothing but to hit him in the face but I knew that I would only put my mother in further danger if I do that. Ever since they brought me here, I’ve never had any good night sleep because I was so worried about my mother.

I wanted to blame myself because if it wasn’t because of me, she wouldn’t be in this kind of danger. But then, I realized that I shouldn’t do that because Father Nicolas and the other leaders were the one at fault.

I couldn’t understand why no one in Safe Haven questions their authority over our lives. Well, I couldn’t blame them. Most of them were afraid to say anything against the SFH.

“Looks like you finally understand. That’s more like it. The real Sabina is finally slowly coming back.” I remained silent and that seemed to please him more. He placed the tray on the small coffee table and approached me.

“That’s my girl.” He then sat next to me on the edge of the bed and my body jerked when he touched my shoulder. “You’re really so beautiful, Sabina. I knew you’d be this beautiful from the moment I first laid my eyes on you.” His voice was slightly trembling while ogling at me full of lust. I felt like all the hair on my body stand up.

Every part of my being loathes this man to the core. Ever since the moment I discovered about the fixed marriage, slowly but surely, his true colors were coming out of the box.

I knew way before that that he wasn’t the kindest person but I’ve never thought that he’s such a terrible person like this.

“Get away from me.” I answered sternly, full of disgust.

He smirked as he toyed some strands of my hair with his finger. “It’s a pity that I can’t make love with you right now because of tradition but on our wedding night, you’ll finally be mine and nothing could stop me from finally having you.” I turned my head and met his gaze.

“Make love? People who make love do it out of love.”

His eyes thinned. “Who told you that? How come, you know this much about making love? You shouldn’t’ve learned all those things before our marriage. Besides, whoever told you that was lying. Making love is a normal part of union between a man and a woman.” His voice became dangerous but I didn’t let myself get intimidated.

I’m sick and tired of all their manipulations.

“I don’t have any obligation to answer any of your questions. Now, if you don’t mind, get out of here.” I then averted my gaze from his. I saw him stand up from the corner of my eyes.

“Beware of what’s coming out of your mouth, Sabina. You don’t want to spite me. Remember that your mother’s well-being is in my hands.” He warned. I scoffed.

“Now, your true colors are getting more vivid with each passing day. I can’t believe that people here in Safe Haven are so blinded by your manipulations and keep on following all your crap. Don’t they have any idea how much of a monster you are?” I looked at him upon uttering the last word full of hatred and saw how his jaw flex in anger.

He raised his hand, intending to hit me but I kept our eye contact bravely, letting him know that I wasn’t scared. His hand stopped in mid-air.

Then, to my surprise, he laughed. “Oh, how I love the look on your face right now, Sabina. Now, I’m really excited to break your spirit. One day, you’ll bow down to me and do everything I say. Mark my word.” With every word that he was spewing, the hatred and disgust that were boiling inside of me kept on intensifying. I’ve never thought that I had the ability to feel such intense negative emotion towards someone.

I thought, I wasn’t capable of it until lately.

“You make me sick!” I spat at him firmly but instead of getting angry, he smirked.

“Your actions are adding to my excitement, Sabina. Oh, I really can’t wait. No one has the authority over me. Everyone tried but failed and you’re no exception. Anyway, I brought you your breakfast. Don’t worry, there’s no poison or anything in there.” His hand patted my shoulder and I thought, that was the only thing he would do but my eyes widened when he suddenly caressed it down to my arm.

I roughly pushed his hand away. “Don’t you dare touch me!” His hand against my skin felt so dirty. I couldn’t stand it.

He laughed. “You’re really tempting me, Sabina. I really can’t wait.” I was about to yell at him when we heard a knock on the door.

“Who’s that? Didn’t I tell you not to disturb us?!” Father Nicolas’ voice held danger.

“I’m sorry, Father Nic, but the other leaders are already waiting for you.” The guy outside the door said.

“Fùck!” I heard him say in annoyance before shifting his gaze on me. “The next time we see each other will be during our wedding ceremony. We’re already preparing everything so you should prepare yourself too.” He then went out of the door.

I ran after him and tried to open the door but it was already locked.

“Let me out of here! You can’t keep me here!” I shouted as I pounded my fists on the hard surface of the door. But until my throat became sore, no one answered nor came to rescue me. My eyes watered but I tried my best to blink my tears back.

“This is not the right time for you to be weak, Sab. Your mother needs you.” I told myself and then took a deep breath to calm senses. I then slowly walked towards the door like all the life within me got dissipated out of me.

“Xzav…” For some reason, his face popped on in my mind. All of our memories together came back to me. All those laughs and sweet moments we shared made my heart ache.

I couldn’t go to our meeting place the other day to meet him there. He surely waited for me and just thinking that I wouldn’t b able to see him anymore almost made my heart stop beating. My heart felt so heavy. Thinking about my mother and Xzavier made me want to scream in so much agony and helplessness.

I couldn’t even tell to them how important they were to me before all this happened, especially my mother.

I did nothing but to chide at her for not doing anything about our situation without appreciating her efforts from the day I was born.

“I’m sorry, mom.” That was when my tears fell. “I’m sorry, Xzav.” I didn’t know how long I cried in bed before I fell asleep. My body finally gave in to sleep.

I didn’t know how long I slept like that before I woke up when I felt someone’s fingers on my face as if wiping my tears.

“My Ina…” My heart skipped a beat. That voice!

I opened my eyes, expecting to see Xzavier but there was no one there aside from me. I sat up and looked around me. But I was really alone. It was nothing but a dream. I slowly touched my cheeks. I couldn’t explain but his touch felt so real.

I still could feel the warmth of his hand on my skin and I couldn’t be wrong. I got off the bed and went to the door. I tried opening it but it was locked. I slumped down on the floor as if all my strength were sucked out of my body.

I closed my eyes and hugged myself. I’ve never felt this cold before. The desire to see him again was so strong but I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it.

Tears started to form in my eyes. “Oh, Xzav…Please, help me here.”

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I went on alert more when the door opened. But then, I almost sighed in relief when I saw that the person who came in was Mother Fernanda. She’s one of the leaders of Safe Haven and ever since I was young, she’s been nothing but nice to me.

“Here is your dinner for tonight, Sabina.”

I chuckled bitterly. “Why do you even bother to bring me food anyway? Dying is a lot sweeter right now anyway.”

“Don’t talk like that, Sabina. Your mother will be sad if she hears you talking stuff like that.” She placed the tray of food on the small coffee table before she sat on the edge of the bed. I met her gaze.

“And do you think she’s not sad and crying right now knowing about my situation? Even if I’m not with her right now, I know that she’s more worried about me than about herself.”

“Oh, Sabina.” I could see the concern in her eyes.

“How can you do all these, Sister Fernanda? Even when I was still young, I already saw how kind of a person you were. But the thing that I couldn’t understand was why you couldn’t stand up against Father Nicolas and the other leaders? Even though you see that what’s happening is wrong, you can’t raise your voice and defend the oppressed people. Was I wrong about you?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

“Sabina, you know that I’m on your side. Sarah is my best friend.”

“But you can’t do anything to help us, right? Even if you’re my mother’s best friend, you don’t have enough guts to fight against the SFH.” She averted her gaze. Guilt was written all over her face.

“I’m sorry, Sabina. All I could do right now is to make sure that they wouldn’t hurt the both of you. If I do something that’s against them, I’ll put our lives in danger.” I chuckled full of bitterness while shaking my head.

“I knew it.” My eyes watered again as helplessness almost crashed my heart but then, I knew better than to give up. “Please, just leave me alone.” I uttered softly. I heard her heave a sigh and then patted me by the shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Sabina.” She then stood up. “Please, eat. You will be able to think properly if your stomach is full. Even though I don’t know how to help you and Sarah right now, I think someone could.” I looked at her in surprise.

“Y-You mean…”

“Honestly speaking, Sabina; much as I wanted to help you myself, I am afraid and I don’t know what to do either. I hope that this person in my mind would somehow have the guts to do something.” Because of so much happiness, I stood up and hugged her.

“Thank you, Sister Fernanda.”

She heaved a sigh. “I am not promising anything, Sabina. Let’s just hope for the better.” I nodded my head full of emotion. Now, even though it was still uncertain, at least, everything wasn’t totally hopeless.

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Do you think everything is hopeless for Sabina now that she’s being held captive by Father Nicolas?

Will there be a chance for her to see Xzavier once again?

Do you think sister Fernanda will manage to help Sabina and Sarah?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 8

HAPPY READING, AMORES! 

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SABINA’s POV

The next morning after that, Father Nicolas came to the room where I was locked in together with his guards whom I couldn’t see their faces because they were wearing black masks. He told me that we needed to practice for the wedding ceremony.

According to them, the wedding would be held on the next full moon and that would be next week. Even though my blood was boiling in rage and disgust, I held back my emotions.

Just like what I’ve promised to Sister Fernanda, I just remained quiet to prevent any kinds of altercation. In short, I didn’t say anything to prevent myself nor my mother from being hurt in anyway.

They blindfolded me before they took me out of the room.

We walked for about 5 minutes before we finally came to a stop.

“You can remove her blindfold now.” Father Nicolas ordered and one of the three guards did as they were told. Upon removing the covering of my eyes, I opened my eyes and was surprised to see an unfamiliar place.

“Where are we? Are we still in Safe Haven?” I asked without any tinge of emotion, looking around.

“Of course. This is the sacred courtyard of Safe Haven and no one is permitted to step foot in this place aside from the leaders and some authorized personnel only.” Father Nicolas answered then tried to hold me by the hand but I took a step backward, avoiding his touch.

“Can we just do what we came here for quickly? I’m tired and I want to rest.” He looked displeased of my cold behavior but looked like he decided to just let it pass. To my surprise, he brought something out from the pocket of his slacks and pressed something on it before bringing it to his ear.

“You can come here now. Sabina is ready.” He then pressed something on that thing again. Shortly after that, I saw Sister Fernanda and Sister Lora came. Then, I realized something. That thing that Father Nicolas used to call the two women over was called cellphone if I wasn’t mistaken.

My mother told me about it before but I’ve never seen one in person. How come he possesses that kind of device? No one in Safe Haven has any things like that because according to them, we don’t need any unnecessary things in our lives. We only commit to one thing and that’s serving God and be a good member of SFH.

“Father Nicolas, I think it’s better for you to leave for now. Don’t worry because we will make sure that Sabina will learn everything in the ceremony so that when the wedding comes, everything will be perfect.” Sister Fernanda suggested.

“Stop being impertinent in front of Father Nicolas, Sister Fernanda! How could you shoo him away as if you have any right to?! Remember that he’s the highest among us leaders!” Sister Lora chided at her in disbelief.

“I am not. Besides, according to the tradition, the groom shouldn’t see his soon-to-be wife days before the wedding especially during the preparation time.” Sister Lora was about to respond when Father Nicolas spoke.

“Stop you two. Sister Fernanda is right. I shouldn’t be here. I just wanted to make sure that everything would be perfect even though this is just nothing but a practice. Now, you two already know what to do next so I’ll entrust everything to the both of you.”

“Of course, Father Nicolas.” They both answered in unison. After that, he finally left together with the two guards. One guard was left with us. While we were in the middle of practice for the ceremony, I made sure not to create a scene and just did whatever they told me to do while trying my best to look around, familiarizing myself in every corner of this place.

“I’m glad that you’re finally accepting your fate, Sabina. You’re so lucky, you know? Father Nicolas is a very kind man. He was the one who saved us all from what happened 18 years ago. He helped us start anew in life and didn’t ask for anything in return that’s why we support everything that he does. It’s for the betterment of the SFH anyway.” Sister Lora then said after we finally finished.

I could tell that she puts Father Nicolas on a higher pedestal. But then, my curiosity got tickled of what she just said.

“What do you mean, Sister Lora? What happened 18 years ago?”

“Three months before you and your mother arrived here, Safe Haven got attacked by unknown forces and a lot of our brothers and sisters died. We initially didn’t have any idea who those people were but the truth eventually reached our ears. If we didn’t trust the wrong people back then, that wouldn’t’ve happened. Thankfully, Father Nicolas was the one who taught us how to get up again from that tragedy.

“The other men who survived the attack chased after the enemies, wanting to avenge the ones who died but they never came back. We assumed that they also got killed. Of course, I know that you’ve been wondering why there weren’t any men here while growing up. But what happened 18 years ago became a forbidden topic here in Safe Haven.

“No one talked about it for so long because it would only bring back the pain. Because of that tragedy, the leaders decided to split the women and men of SFH so that if something bad happens, there’s a chance that the other party would help the endangered one.”

My lips parted in surprise. “There were men here in Safe Haven before?”

“Yes, and one of them was my husband. He trusted the wrong people too much but those people were the ones who betrayed us all. They never deserved the loyalty and respect that we gave them.”

“Betrayed you? Who are these people? Why did they do that to the people of Safe Haven?”

“Javier and Crystal—”

“—Sister Lora! What do you think you’re doing?! It’s forbidden to open an already closed wound, you know that! What happened 18 years ago was very sad and painful and talking about it will not do us any good! It will only remind us of the pain and sufferings that we’ve been through!” Sister Fernanda interrupted her.

“I hate them, Sister Fernanda. They were the ones who destroyed our lives!” Sister Lora’s voice was full of loathe. I wanted to ask who were Javier and Crystal but I chose to remain silent. Looked like it was a very sensitive topic because I could tell how affected they were.

Sister Fernanda sighed.

“Can we talk in private, Sister Lora?” She then looked at me. “Stay here, Sabina. We’ll be back shortly.” I nodded my head. They quietly went somewhere where I wouldn’t see nor hear them. I sat on the bench nearby. I was kinda shocked of the revelation. I’ve never thought that men lived in this place before we arrived here when I was still a baby.

If the situation back then was the same as now, there’s a big possibility that everything wouldn’t be like this. Maybe, living here wouldn’t be as bad as now. Just maybe.

Then, the face of Xzavier popped up in my head. If the men were still alive in this place, would there be a chance for me to freely invite Xzavier over without anyone saying anything and harming him?

I chuckled bitterly. I really missed him so bad. I felt like I would go crazy if I wouldn’t see him as soon as possible and knowing that I couldn’t do anything right now added to the frustration and stress that I was feeling.

Now, I finally had the broader understanding of how to miss someone you truly care about. I’ve never had someone whom I learned to cherish but suddenly couldn’t see them again. There was Sammy. I missed her so bad but knowing that she would never come back here to the world of living made the feeling different.

Knowing that Xzavier was just nearby made me so frustrated.

“Oh, Xzav…I missed you already.” I uttered softly full of longingness as I stared at the small pond where some koi fishes were swimming freely. I was about to stand up to get closer to the pond when,

“And I missed you too already, my Ina.” I gasped in shock when I heard that voice. I looked behind me and saw no one there aside from the guard. My heart thumped. Did I hear that right?

“X-Xzav?”

The guard removed his mask and when I saw his handsome face, I wanted to run towards him for a hug but I felt like I got rooted on the ground, unable to move nor utter anything.

He smiled. “Are you just going to stare at me?” I blinked innumerably. It’s really him! He’s not just a product of my imagination!

For some reason, my eyes watered. It felt like It’s been so long since the last time we saw each other and I missed him so much. The longing inside my heart was just so unbearable. When he opened his arms, coaxing me for a hug, that was my cue.

I ran towards him and threw my arms around him. “Oh, God, you’re here!” I buried my face on his hard chest and when I felt his arms wrap around me, I instantly felt safe and calm as if everything would be alright now that he’s here.

“Looks like you missed me so much, huh?” He teased. I looked up and met his gaze before pouting.

“Why? Didn’t you miss me too?”

“Of course, I’ve missed you too.” My eyes automatically closed when he slowly drew his face closer to mine until our lips met. We both groaned as that familiar pleasant feeling surged within us, sending our senses reeling. Our longing for each other was undeniable in that burning kiss and it felt so magical.

“Damn. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed this; I’ve missed you. It’s only been a couple of days but it was hell, my Ina.” He breathed as our forehead touched. I was about to answer when I remembered about something.

I let go of him and then looked around. “How come you’re here? How did you become one of the guards? Oh, God! They might do something unpleasant to you if they saw you here!” I panicked.

He pulled me by the waist until our bodies pressed together. “Don’t worry because I can take care of myself. As long as I’m one of those guards, they won’t know that I’m an outsider and harm me.”

“Won’t they get suspicious? I mean, just looking at the structure of your body is easy enough to tell that you’re a man.”

“Can’t you tell? Those guards have masks on because they’re men.”

My eyes widened. “What?! Really?! Now, I understand why they look weird. I mean, their bodies looked manly just like yours.”

His eyebrows raised. “Just like mine?”

“I mean, yours is manlier and strong.”

He grinned. “Really? Where did you learn what manly is, my Ina?” My cheeks went red.

“I learned from you, where else?” He laughed heartily and I panicked. I quickly covered his mouth with my hand. “Tone down your voice! They might catch you!”

“Don’t worry, Everything’s going to be fine. Anyway, I have good news for you.”

“What is it?”

“Your mother is okay. You don’t have anything to worry about for now.”

My eyebrows creased. “How did you know about—”

“—I’ve been spying on this place since yesterday as a guard and discovered what happened to you and your mother. I got so worried when you didn’t come to our meeting place. I thought, something bad had happened to you that’s why I decided to come here to Safe Haven.

“After learning about your situation, I decided to stay to help you. But the security is actually tight and I need to figure out first how to help you and your mother without anyone noticing it.” That touched my heart. For some reason, I suddenly became emotional. I couldn’t believe that he actually came for me. But then, I couldn’t help getting worried.

“You did all this just for me? You shouldn’t’ve done that. You’re endangering yourself and—”

“—I did this because I couldn’t let you marry that b*stard. If you loved him, then I wouldn’t do anything to stop the wedding. But I know for sure that you’re not in love with him because if there’s someone you love, that’s me. I don’t want to be conceited but in the short span of time that we’ve spent together, I am confident that we feel the same way with one another.”

“I love you?”

“Am I wrong, Ina?” There was glint of worry in his eyes while waiting for my answer.

“Honestly, I’m not so sure about that, Xzav.” I could see the pain that registered on his face. “All I know right now is I’ve never felt this way towards someone before. Whenever you’re not with me, I miss you so much and everytime I see you, my heart jumps everytime.

“It only beats faster whenever you’re near. Before I go to sleep, you’re all I think about and whenever I wake up, your face is all I see. These past few days, the thought of not seeing you ever again made me feel suffocated. Breathing became harder and I felt so heavy inside. If that’s not what love is, I don’t know what it is.” I thought, he would be disappointed of my answer but it was the opposite.

He looked contented and happy about it.

“You don’t know how happy I am hearing those from you, my Ina. You made a promise that you’re mine only and I’m holding onto that promise.” My lips parted as I was about to answer when we heard voices coming closer to our direction.

“Oh, God! They’re coming back! Put your mask on, quick!” He obliged right away and distanced himself from me. I on the other hand sat on the bench nearby, pretending to be waiting for them.

“Sorry for waiting, Sabina. We’re done here so you can go back to your room.” Sister Fernanda said while Sister Lora remained quiet for some reason. “Guard, you can take her to her room.” She then instructed the guard a.k.a Xzav. My heart jumped for joy.

I stood up and was about to walk away from there when Sister Lora spoke. The beating of my heart became fast in nervousness, afraid that she might noticed that the guard was a fake.

“Blindfold her, guard. You know that she’s forbidden to see where this place is.” Xzavier nodded his head and then did as he was told quietly.

Then, Xzavier guided me out of there. While walking, my heart felt like it was already beating in my throat.

“Don’t be too tensed, Ina. I got you.” Xzavier whispered and upon hearing his calm voice, I instantly calmed down.

“If your mother wasn’t here, this would be our chance to escape. But since we have to consider about her too, we need to carefully plan everything first. I’m sorry if this will take a little time before I can get you two out of here.”

“It’s okay, Xzav. As long as you’re here for us, I’ll wait. I trust you.”

“That’s my Ina.” We continued walking until we finally reached the room where I was locked in. I heard the door open and we entered.

“I need to go, Ina, before they question my absence in my post.” He then removed my blindfold. I threw my arms around him and was the one who initiated a kiss. He kissed me back and quickly dominated the kiss.

“I’ll come back to see you again.” He then uttered huskily after that kiss. We were both catching our breaths.

“Please, come as soon as possible.”

He smiled. “Of course.” He then kissed my forehead. “I love you.” My heart beat erratically.

“W-What did you say?” He was about to answer when someone entered.

“What are you still doing here? You need to go back to your post.” One of the guards said and Xzavier was right. It was a man!

Xzavier quietly obliged and left my room. I wanted to run after him but I held myself back. I didn’t want to blow up his cover.

Then, I slowly sat on the edge of the bed while cupping my mouth. I could almost hear the beating of my heart because of Xzavier’s confession.

“Oh, God. Xzav loves me.” I bit my lower lip. I felt s giddy that I wanted to jump for joy. Even though my knowledge of love isn’t that deep yet, I’m beginning to slowly but surely understand about it and as the days go by, the special feelings I have for Xzavier is getting deeper and deeper.

Everything between us progressed so fast and I now, I couldn’t believe how he manage to occupy my heart in such a short period of time.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores? 

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chapter 9

Bon week-end, mes Amores.  😘

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XZAVIER’s POV

I instantly became alert, got a hold of my hand which was in my holster, when I heard the door open. I hid behind the door of the kitchen as I heard steps coming closer. When that person was close enough to the kitchen door, I swiftly got out of my hiding spot and pointed my gun at the intruder.

“Stop right there or I’ll shoot you!”

“Will you put that down?!” I blinked innumerably upon seeing who it was. She looked pissed.

“Tia? What are you doing here?” I put my gun back into my holster. To my surprise, she suddenly walked up to me and smacked me by the shoulder.

“Hey, why are you hitting me?”

“Do you really think that I didn’t recognize you a while ago?! What were you doing pretending to be one of the guards?! What if Father Nicolas and the others caught you?!” She was obviously angry but I could tell that she was more on the worried side.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tia. I stayed home the whole day and—” Before I could finish saying my alibi, she hit my arm and this time, it was harder than a while ago.

“Stop lying to my face! Did you really think that I wouldn’t recognize you even with a mask on?! I know you too well!”

“Tia! Stop being violent with me!” But instead of stopping, she hit me a couple more times which forced me to concede.

“Fine! I give up! Just stop hitting me!” She scoffed and then crossed her arms across her chest while glaring at me. I sighed in relief when she finally stopped.

“I knew it. What were you thinking back there?! You know that our enemies are just waiting for you to mess up and use that opportunity to get what they want! Did you even consider that?!” I sighed once again before opening the refrigerator and fished out a bottle of water.

“I know that, Tia. You don’t have to worry about me. I know what I’m doing. Besides, what are you doing here anyway? What if they look for you?” I then opened the bottled water and was about to drink from it when she snatched it away from me and drank its content.

“Really, Tia?”

She scoffed. “It’s your fault for not even asking if I wanted to drink something or not. I got tired of walking all the way here from Safe Haven, you know.” She answered after she finished drinking. I shook my head in disbelief and opened the refrigerator once again to get myself another drink.

“To answer your question; no one will look for me because Father Nicolas asked me to go to the city to get some supplies. Anyway, don’t change the topic. Answer my question.” She was looking at me like a hawk and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to lie to her even if I wanted to. She knows me too well.

“Fine, you win. I went there because I wanted to see what happened to Sabina. I’ve been calling your number these past few days to ask some information but looked like you turned your phone off.”

She looked surprised. “You know Sabina?”

“Of course, I know her, that’s why I went there to look for her.” Her eyes turned into slits.

“And how come you know her?” I gulped inaudibly as I averted my gaze.

“We just happened to meet at the waterfalls. Anyway, are you hungry, Tia? Do you want to join me for dinner?”

“Don’t change the topic and tell me the truth!” She snapped at me impatiently. I sighed in defeat. She’s really the most impatient woman I’ve ever known.

“Fine. You win, Tia. I really can’t hide anything from you.”

“I’m glad you know. Now, start.” I decided to tell her how Sabina and I met but didn’t tell her about our intimate moments together nor the real score between us. I tried to sound like Sabina and I were just friends. When I finished telling her the answer that she wanted to hear, she didn’t react right away.

She remained staring at me as if reading what’s on my mind. Then, she sighed.

“What are you going to do with your plans now that Sabina is in the picture? You know what’s the meaning of this, right?”

“What do you mean, Tia? Sabina and I are just friends and—”

“—Stop lying to your Tia or else, I’m going to smack you’re a*s!” She threatened and was about to hit my arm again but thankfully, I managed to caught her hand.

I chuckled. “Tia, You’re forgetting that I’m already 24 years old. You can’t hit me like you use to.” I reminded her.

“I don’t care! Can you stop lying and trying to avoid the topic! Besides, I don’t care no matter how old you become as long as you remain hardheaded and careless, then I will still hit you to knock some sense into you.

“Now, be honest with me. What’s Sabina to you? How come you went to Safe Haven just for her? This is not like you.”

I looked through the open window of the kitchen and stared at the already dark sky. “Honestly, I don’t know, Tia.”

“I can see that you truly care about her.” I laughed and looked at her but when I saw how serious she was, I turned serious as well.

“You really know me too well, Tia.” I released a breath. “I’m just worried that I might hurt her so much that she will resent me. But I don’t have a choice but to push through my plans. I can’t back out now.” My lips curved with a bitter smile.

“Really? So, it’s okay with you if she would resent you and never talk to you again?”

“If that’s her decision, then I can’t do anything about that. For now, I’m determined to finish all this.” She didn’t answer but I could tell that she wasn’t happy of my answer. She turned her back on me and went to the direction of the living room. I followed her.

She sat on the couch and turned the TV on. I was about to say something when she spoke. “If that’s your decision, then let her marry Father Nicolas. Don’t go back to Safe Haven disguised as a guard. I think, it’s better off this way. It’s better for her to get hurt now that it’s still early. She might move on faster that way.” My fists automatically tightened.

Yes, it might be better that way but why does my heart felt like it was about to explode just by the thought of her marrying someone else? Fùck, X. Now, you’ve really done it.

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SABINA’s POV

I kept on tossing and turning on the bed, couldn’t sleep at all. My head was full of Xzavier. He promised to come see me as soon as possible but he didn’t come the whole day. I was expecting to see him again but he didn’t come.

“Where are you, Xzav? Please, come as soon as you can.” I muttered full of longing and closed my eyes but I opened them again immediately when I heard the door open.

I sat up right away when I saw who just came in. “F-Father Nicolas…” My heartbeat became faster in rising fear when I saw that he looked weird.

He smirked. “How’s my future wife?” He began sauntering towards me and that’s when I panicked. He was looking at me creepily and I knew that whatever he’s thinking wasn’t good at all.

“Don’t come near me!” I was about to get off the bed when he grabbed me by the wrist and pushed me back to the bed roughly. I groaned in pain when my back hit the not to soft bed.

“You really are so beautiful, Sabina.” He raked me a lecherous stare and cold chills ran down my spine. I covered my chest. Even though I was wearing an oversized shirt and shorts, the way he was staring at me felt like I was naked.

“You’re really a temptress. I’ve tried to wait for our wedding night but I can’t take it anymore.” My eyes widened when he took his shirt off and threw it across the room.

“W-What do you think you’re doing?” He smirked and then joined me in bed. I screamed.

“Get away from me!” I tried to get up but he was already on top of me while pinning my hands over my head.

“C’mon, struggle more, Sabina. That’s what I want in a woman. Feisty.” I almost barfed as his stinky breath reached my nose. I couldn’t understand what’s happening. His eyes were red and was behaving like a wild animal.

I tried to fight but he was stronger than me. To my horror, he drew his face closer to mine and attempted to kiss me but I managed to avoid it.

“Get off me! No!” I was already shouting to the top of my lungs as my eyes watered. I thought, I was already done for but a miracle happened.

The door burst opened and Sister Lora came in. “Father Nicolas! Don’t!” She pulled Father Nicolas off of me.

“What do you think you’re doing, Sister Lora?!” Father Nicolas was angry but the latter didn’t even batt an eye.

“This is against the tradition, Father Nicolas! What you’re doing is not right and you know that! The wedding is in 5 days! You can have her by then!” I sat up and leaned my back against the headboard like a trapped rat.

My tears were falling as I hugged my knees. My whole body was trembling. I couldn’t believe that he would actually force himself on me.

“I don’t care about the rules! I will do whatever I want to do!” Then, we heard some voices coming closer.

“The other leaders are here and if they discovered what you almost have done, they will surely think ill of you. They have high regard on you and we don’t want that to get strained just because of this.” Father Nicolas looked at my direction with clenched jaw before he finally turned his back and went out of the room. Looked like he went out in order to prevent the people who are coming to come inside the room and see me in this state.

I looked at Sister Lora and I caught a spark of pity and guilt in her eyes while staring at me. But it disappeared as soon as it appeared.

Without saying anything, she turned her back on me and headed towards the door. But before she could go out, I finally managed to speak.

“T-Thank you…for coming t-to my rescue.” Her steps came to a halt. She remained quiet for good three seconds before she responded.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I only did that to spare Father Nicolas from straining his reputation.” She then shut the door behind her. My sobs became louder when I was left alone. I was beyond mad and angry. What kind of people are they, especially Father Nicolas?

The rage inside me tripled. I cried my heart out until I fell asleep, hugging the pillow. Maybe, I got tired of crying that I fell asleep even if I was still scared that Father Nicolas might come back.

Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up when I felt someone touching my cheek. I opened my eyes right away as fear surged within me. Looked like Father Nicolas came back!

I sat up, on defense mode. But when I saw the face of the intruder, new batch of tears ran down my cheeks like waterfalls.

“Ina…” Upon hearing his voice, I got off the bed and ran into his embrace. I couldn’t believe that he actually now that I needed him the most. His strong arms wrapped around me as I felt him kiss me by the forehead.

“Thank God, you’re here.” I cried against his chest.

“Just cry it out, my Ina. Cry until you finally feel better.” His voice was soothing while comforting me and it helped me a lot until I finally managed to pull myself together. He then carried me towards the bed.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened why I was crying like that?” I then said after a couple of minutes. We were now lying in the bed with me resting my head on his chest while holding each other close.

“No need, my Ina. I already knew what happened before I even came here. I will never forgive that b*stard for doing this to you.” His voice wasn’t loud but it sounded so lethal that it almost gave me shivers.

“Really? How?” I queried curiously. He planted a kiss on my forehead before he answered.

“No need to ask about it, my Ina. The important thing right now is you’re okay. I’m sorry for not coming back sooner. Something important kept me occupied that I didn’t have a choice but to finish it before coming back here.

“Because of my carelessness, this happened to you. If something bad had happened to you, I would never forgive myself.” Guilt was written all over his face but there was something more that I couldn’t pinpoint.

“It’s not your fault. Even I didn’t expect that Father Nicolas would do that to me.” My voice cracked upon remembering what happened again. He didn’t answer but his jaw was flexing tightly. I could feel the tension in his body and I knew that he was beyond mad.

“You are just too kind, my Ina. Even after what that b*stard did to you, you still won’t utter any negative words towards him. But it’s a different story with me. I would never forgive for what he did to you and one day, he’s gonna get what he deserves. I promise you that.”

“What do you mean by that, Xzav?”

He smiled and caressed my cheek with his hand. “You’re my woman and you deserve the best. Just leave everything to me. I’ll fix this.” Before I could ask what he meant by that, he drew his face closer to mine and claimed my waiting lips.

“I’ll erase what that b*stard did to you earlier today.” I don’t understand why but everytime Xzavier utters a promise, my heart instantly holds onto it without a second thought.

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Do you think Xzavier will be able to keep his promise?

What will happen to these love birds? Will their love grow even more or get destroyed by fate?

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chapter 10

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE scenes for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!

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SABINA’s POV

I felt like I was floating in heaven while Xzavier was worshipping my body full of desire. I was biting my lower lip in order to prevent myself from moaning too loudly and it was so hard to do so. I didn’t think that muffling my moans would be this hard.

“Oh, God…Ohhh…” I almost screamed in pleasure when his tongue attacked my hard nub, relentlessly circled it before sucking it like a lollipop which made my body jerk up. I could hear the naughty sounds of what he was doing to me as if he was eating the most delicious food that he ever had.

“Xzav…I can’t take it anymore…It’s coming!” My chest was heaving as I felt that familiar addicting feeling that was about to struck me. And when he darted his tongue in and out of me while his thumb was attacking my button, I lost it.

“Xzav!” Thankfully, I managed to cover my mouth with my hand before I let out my scream. My whole body convulsed deliriously. But to my surprise, he positioned himself and quickly spread my legs further before invading my still quivering womanhood. My eyes rolled back as the pleasure doubled.

“Ohhh!” I held onto him tightly as my body continued on shuddering. He was now deep seated inside of me and began pounding inside of me, intensifying my org*sm.

Yes, Xzavier taught me about that word because I asked him about it after our first lovemaking.

The pleasure doubled and shortly after that, my body erupted once again and again. I couldn’t believe how good it felt that it made my mind hazy. I didn’t know what was happening anymore. All I knew was the unparalleled ecstasy that was making me crazier with each passing second.

We kissed like there’s no tomorrow as our positions changed without him pulling out of me. Now, I was on top of him, bouncing on his hardness like I was riding a horse.

“You’re a natural to this, my Ina. You’re heaven.” He praised huskily before his eyes went to my jiggling breasts. “Damn. You look so fùcking hot riding on my c*ck.” He then caught one of my nipples with his hungry mouth as his other hand toyed with the other one, massaging it while tweaking the rosy bud with his fingers.

I threw my head back while trying my best to suppress my moans. Oh, God. This is really addicting. It feels so good!

I couldn’t believe that I could accommodate him like this. I felt so full and stretched to my limits.

“You’re driving me crazy, Ina!” He grunted and began meeting my movements with upward thrusts. His hardness was hitting all the sweet spots inside my quivering wetness and it almost drove me insane.

“Oh, God! You’re so deep inside me…Yes! Just like that. More…Faster…”

“I love how wet, hot and tight you are. Fùck!” We were both sweating and breathing hard but we didn’t care. I could feel another org*sm that was about to hit me and I was right. Just a couple of fast and hard slams and I exploded like a bomb again around him.

“Xzav, oh, Xzav! It feels so good!” I didn’t know how did I prevent myself from not screaming to the top of my lungs when my intense org*sm hit me. It made my senses reeling that I lost myself for I didn’t know how long.

He waited for my body to stop shaking before he resumed tirelessly. Gosh! He could still go on even though I’ve climaxed again and again already. I wasn’t sure if my body could take another round but when I felt him starting to move inside me again, the scorching fire within me automatically got ignited again.

Shortly after that, we found ourselves in another position as Xzavier insatiably pounding inside of me like there’s no tomorrow. I was now on all-fours while he was b*nging me from behind. I didn’t have enough strength anymore but the heat inside of my body remained scorching hot, matching his.

The wet slapping sounds were echoing inside the room followed by our muffled moans and groans could be heard in the four corners of the room and for a moment, I got worried that someone might hear us.

“X-Xzav…wait. They might…here us.” I looked at him and tried to remind him but he answered by tweaking my nipples with is fingers and followed by his suave movements.

“Don’t worry, my Ina. No one will hear us because I already took care of the guard outside this room.” I wanted to ask him what he meant by that but that got erased from my head when he picked up his pace while kissing my nape wetly.

“Ohhh, yes! More! I want more, my Xzav…” I tried to match his pace but I just couldn’t keep up anymore before I lacked of strength as another intense org*sm began boiling within me.

“I’m almost there, my Ina…” He whispered to my ear hoarsely while kneading my breasts with his hands as he continued on kissing, licking and nibbling on my neck

“Me too, my Xzav…I’m almost there again…” And just like that, we both reached our climax at the same time while calling for each other’s name. He poured his hot essence inside of me and the trembling of my body became more intense. My eyes rolled back as I clutched my hands on the sheets, catching my breath.

“Hmmm….Xzav…” Was all that came out of my lips before my body gave in. I felt like my whole body turn into jelly and I didn’t have the strength anymore. I was about to slump down on the bed but Xzavier didn’t let me and held me tightly from behind.

“I love you, my Ina.” He whispered sweetly as we lay down on the bed in a spooning position. He buried his face on the crook of my neck as his arms tightened around me as if I would disappear on him any moment.

It really feels good to be in his arms like this after making love. The happiness and contentment in our hearts were undeniably there and I couldn’t ask for more. In his arms, I always feel like I’m home.

I couldn’t believe how he managed to change my life for the better for a short period of time and I couldn’t imagine my life without him anymore. He changed not just my life but me, as a whole.

Now, hearing him profess his love for me after that sweet and passionate lovemaking was a bonus.

I bit my lower lip. “Y-You really love me?”

“Why? Don’t you believe me?” I could feel his warm breath against my skin.

“Honestly, I believe you.”

“Then, why do you sound like you don’t?”

I heaved a sigh. “My mother once told me to know a man very well first before giving him my whole heart. According to her, I shouldn’t rush things because I might regret it in the end. But when you came into my life, I seemed to have forgotten those moral advices because I got enchanted by you. I chose to live in the moment with you and gave you my all. But now, to be honest, I can’t help but to feel afraid after everything.” He made me face him and our gazes met.

“About what? That I might turn out to be a douche bag and hurt you?” He asked while touching my cheeks in a feathery manner. I slowly nodded my head.

“I’m sorry for having these negative thoughts about you, Xzav. You know that I’m new to this and I can’t help but to be paranoid sometimes. I just don’t want to get hurt.” I guiltily answered.

“Look into my eyes.” He instructed and I did as I was told. “I made a promise, didn’t I? Don’t you trust me?” He was looking at me full of gentleness and awe as if I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Is this what they call love?

Even without anyone confirming it, my heart already understood. Even without much words, Xzavier taught me about it.

“I trust you, my Xzav. Even though everything is complicated right now, for some reason, my heart believes you.” His eyes sparkled with joy.

“That’s my Ina.” We shared another passionate kiss and I poured my feelings into it, making sure that he would feel it. Later on, our stifled moans and groans were the only sounds that could be heard inside the room as we made love once again.

“This is for you, Ina.” My forehead furrowed when I saw what he was holding. We just finished making love.

“What’s that? Is that what they call cellphone?”

He looked surprise and impressed at the same time. “You know what cellphone is? Very good, Ina. You’re really smart.” I pouted.

“You sound like you’re praising a kid.” He chuckled and pulled me on top of him. I bit my lower lip when our bodies pressed intimately. His manhood nestled against my throbbing wetness. We’re still in bed, still naked under the sheets.

“Of course not. I just got surprised because I really expected that you didn’t know what cellphone was.” He pecked me a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Anyway, keep this cellphone. I’ll teach you how to use it so that we could talk whenever we want to and if you need me, I’m just one call away.”

“One call away?”

He beamed. “Do you know that song?”

I shook my head. “You know that I’m not familiar with those. I mean, yes, we listen to music but only those songs that are allowed for us to hear.” For a second or two, my chest ached. Everything about us is really being controlled by the leaders of Safe Haven, especially Father Nicolas and I can’t understand why.

“They’re really depriving you and the others here in Safe Have of many things that are normally being enjoyed by every individual living in the city. You’ve been really missing out a lot of things, you know?”

I heaved a sigh. “I know. You don’t have to remind me about that. Even though I’ve never been out of Safe Haven, base from the stories of my mother, I know that life in the city is better and happier than here. I can be anything I want there.”

“It’s not always the case, Ina. Yes, you’re right. Life there is better in many ways but sometimes, for many people, they prefer to be around the nature and have some peace of mind while enjoying the calmness of everything around.”

“Just like you? You told me that, right? I mean, you said that you decided to have a house here in the mountains because you wanted to have a place where you can relax and to get away from the hustling and bustling city life even for a short period of time.”

He chuckled. “You got it right. You really pay attention to everything I say. I like that about you. You never forget everything even the small things.”

That made me smile. “We’re just the same. I notice how you pay attention to every word that comes out of my mouth.” We lovingly stared into each other’s eyes. I suddenly got emotional while looking at him. I couldn’t believe that we could get to spend time together like this even though the situation wasn’t that good.

I cupped his face.

“I love you.” That voluntarily came out of my mouth and he was evidently shocked. Gosh. It felt so right saying it.

“D-Did I hear you right?” I couldn’t help but to chuckle amusedly. This was the first time I heard him stutter like this and he actually looked adorable.

“You heard it right, my Xzav. I’ve been so confused why I feel these strange emotions whenever you’re near and whenever we’re not together, I’m missing you like crazy. When we first met, I couldn’t understand why your face keeps on popping on my mind. I thought, I was just fascinated by you. But as we continued on spending time together, those strange feelings intensified. But when you asked me what were my feelings towards you, I answered vaguely because I wasn’t sure.

“It couldn’t give you a clear answer because I was confused. But lately, was my feelings toward intensified, I began to realize things on my own. I didn’t have any knowledge about love that’s why I was afraid to tell you that I love you. I didn’t want to say things that I wasn’t sure about and hurt you in the process. I wanted to understand my feelings first before I say anything to you.

“But when you professed your love for me just now, I realized that I was wrong of thinking that I was ignorant about love because you taught me everything about it. I now know love because of you. Ever since we met, everything in my life has changed for the better. You taught me many things and gave me incomparable happiness.

“Yes, I got confused but deep inside of me, it wasn’t hard for me to realize my love for you because you make my life better. I’m happy when I’m with you and I hope, I make you feel the same.” A gentle smile appeared on his face upon hearing all that. His eyes were sparkling with real happiness.

“You don’t know how much you’ve turned my world upside down ever since I met you, my Ina. I really can’t believe that we would be in love like this in just a short period of time. But even so, you proved to me that it’s not important whether you’ve been with someone in just a short or long period of time because the heart knows what it wants.

I cupped his face. “You’re right, Xzav. That’s exactly my thoughts.” He smiled at me lovingly.

“You’re my girlfriend now, Ina. You belong to me and only me. I love you.”

“And I love you too, my Xzav.” My heart swelled with happiness and my response was automatic. Our lips met again for another sensual kiss. We really couldn’t get enough of each other.

Shortly after that, Xzavier taught me how to use the cellphone he just gave me. He patiently answered all my questions about it and when he needed to go, I couldn’t help but to feel sad. I hugged him ever so tightly.

“Don’t go.” For some reason, my eyes brimmed with tears. I already missed him so much and I felt like I couldn’t take being apart from him.

“You know that I can’t stay here, my Ina. Don’t worry. I’ll be around in case you need my help. If you need anything, text me or call me and I’ll come to you as soon as possible. And don’t forget about what I told you, okay? Until the right time, try your best not to make a move that will cause them to suspect anything. Try to behave as long as they won’t harm you in any way.” He planted a kiss on my forehead.

According to him, we would finally escape this place the night before the wedding. Apparently, he already has plans on how to execute it.

“I understand.” I took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I can do this. Just knowing that you’re just nearby is giving me the strength.

“That’s my woman.” We kissed one more time before he finally went out but instead of going through the door, I was surprised when he told me that he would use the small window in the washroom to get out of there.

Yes, there was a small window there but it would be hard to escape through it because we were on the third floor of the SFH’s headquarter. I didn’t know about this but Xzavier was the one who told me about it.

“Are you crazy?! You will surely fall down if you escape this room through that window!” I contradicted exasperatedly. He held my hands and gazed into my eyes.

“This would be my second time using that window to escape. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” My eyebrows creased.

“Second time? How come? This is just your first time coming in this room, right?” He was about to answer when we heard footsteps in the hallway.

“Don’t forget to hide the cellphone, okay? Make sure that no one would ever see it. I need to go now before someone sees me here.” He enveloped me into a tight embrace, kissed my forehead once again before finally letting go of me. He then walked towards the door of the washroom and before opening it, he looked at me one more time.

“I love you.” He mouthed and my heart swelled.

“I love you too.” I mouthed back. He left with a smile of contentment on his face. The moment he closed the door of the washroom, I quickly went back to bed. When I closed my eyes, the door of the room opened.

My heartbeat became faster in nervousness but I tried my best to appear calm while pretending to be sleeping. Then, after a couple of seconds, they closed the door again.

Looked like they were just checking on me. I released the breath that I didn’t know I was holding and waited for about a minute or so before getting up to go to the washroom.

“Xzav…” I called for his name with a sotto voce but no one answered me. I went back in the room to get a chair to use it to see outside the window. I was worried that Xzavier might’ve fell down or worst, got caught.

But when I saw that everything seemed to be normal, my heart calmed down. Looked like he already vanished in the darkness. How did he manage to go down from here without falling down?

Then, I got out of my deep thoughts when the cellphone that I was holding vibrated. I almost threw it away. I checked what it was and saw a notification. Thankfully, I remembered what Xzavier had taught me that I easily unlocked the device and read the message.

‘Go to sleep now, my Ina. I’m okay. I didn’t get hurt nor fall down. You can rest assured. I love you’ That made me smile and type a reply.

‘That’s good to hear. You made me worry. Make sure to always be careful, okay? I can finally sleep now. Goodnight, my Xzav. I love you too.’ It took me a while to type all that before I finally finished and successfully sent it to him.

After that, I finally fell asleep without worrying about anything because in my heart and mind, I knew that Xzavier would surely protect me whatever happens.

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Do you think their love for one another is enough to withstand everything that’s coming their way?

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chapter 11

Hi, Amores. How’s this story so far?

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CHAPTER 11

XZAVIER’s POV

I was about to get inside my car when my phone vibrated. Upon seeing the reply of Sabina, my lips automatically curved with a smile.

“Fùck. You really are in trouble, X.” I muttered to myself while shaking my head. I looked back where I came from and gritted my teeth when I remembered about Sabina crying. Everything that has been happening lately wasn’t included in my plans but I couldn’t care less anymore. Seeing her cry like that felt like a hand was squeezing my heart out and it hurt.

Something was telling me to stay with her the whole night and just be with her but even if I wanted to, the situation didn’t permit me.

I heaved a sigh then got inside my car and just when I was about to start the engine, my watch vibrated. Someone was calling. My forehead crinkled and checked who the caller was. I pressed the answer button.

“What?” I said without any hint of emotion and the person on the other line chuckled.

“Looks like you’re on combat mode judging by the sound of your voice.” That irritated me and was about to snap at him when an idea came up in my head. Why didn’t I think about it before?

“I am not on combat mode. Anyway, you have a great timing. I need a favor from you.”

He gasped. “You’re actually asking me for a favor?”

“You heard me the first time.” I couldn’t hide my irritation. He laughed.

“Wow! This is the first time. You always say that you can handle your problems alone whatever it is but now, looks like you encountered a wall that you couldn’t destroy on your own and because of that, looks like you’ve become moodier than ever. Anyway, what favor is that about?”

“I need your help in saving my woman. Much as I want to do this alone, I need help to save her mother too and I don’t want either of them to get hurt in any way. I want to make sure to get them out of this place no matter what happens.”

“What? Did I hear it right? Your woman?” He repeated in disbelief.

“Can you stop repeating what I’m saying?! You heard it the first time!”

“Hmm…Now I’m curious. This is the first time that I’ve heard you refer to a woman like that and it almost gave me goosebumps. I mean, knowing you. You never treated any woman special before let alone call them any endearment. Our buddies even make fun of you because you most women are afraid of you especially whenever you’re not in the mood.

“This woman must be that interesting not to mention stunning because you’re acting like you’re not yourself, exerting effort to do her a big favor. And now, you’re even referring to her as your woman. She’s something to get the attention of the great X of the TBG. Because of that, she’s got my attention. I want to meet her.”

I gritted my teeth. I didn’t know why but hearing him having the interest to meet Sabina made me want to explode in anger.

“I’m warning you now, Ez. She’s mine!” I roared dangerously and to my surprise, he laughed full of amusement.

“Fùck! This is so much fun. I wish, I’m with you right now so that I could see the look on your face. This is refreshing. I can’t believe that you would actually behave like this because of a woman. Ky was right all along. Women are really scary. They can tame even the most dangerous animal.” What am I? An animal? If he wasn’t my best friend, I would’ve broken his neck.

“Are you going to help me or not?” I impatiently asked. He finally stopped laughing but I could tell that he was trying his best to stifle his laughs so that he wouldn’t piss me of even more.

“You’re really like a moody spinster and I think, your behavior worsened because of this woman. She’s really special, huh?”

“You—” Whatever I was planning to say was interrupted by him.

“—Rest assured, bud. You know that you can always count on me. You don’t have to be so hot-headed like you usually are.” That secretly made me smile. I knew that he would help me. Ezron or Ez for short has been my best friend ever since we were young.

Our parents were close friends that’s why we grew up together. We were always together even during those times that we weren’t on our best behaviors during university days. We joined the TBG together at the same time too.

“Then, come to my rest house three days from now on.”

“What?! You’re in that God forsaken mountainous place again?! I have a date three days from now and—”

“—Just tell me if you can’t make it so that I know what to do next.” He didn’t answer for a couple of seconds as if he was having a hard time deciding what to do before I heard him heave a sigh.

“Fine, I give up. I’ll cancel my date and hope against hope that my tigress won’t scratch up my face because of that. Fùck! If you weren’t my best friend, I would never even dare to think cancelling that date.” I fought the urge to laugh.

“No, she won’t. Knowing you. You can handle her just like you always do to your women.”

“You only say that because you don’t know how violent she is. This one is different and you don’t want to see how she is when she’s pissed.” He sounded like a complaining child.

“You sound like a man who subjects to the authority of your woman. I would never allow my woman to control me like that.” I answered, making fun of him. Now, I finally found something I could tease him with.

“I am not! I am the man in the relationship and I have more control over our relationship.” He answered defensively. I was about to answer when I heard a voice of a woman on the background.

“ Moro mou , my back is painful. I think, I got this from last night. This is your fault.“ She sounded like she just woke up and now pouting.

“Which part of your back, moro mou ? Is it here or here? I hope, it’s not that painful.”

“No. Here.”

“Okay. Just stay put and I’ll massage you.” They continued talking as my best friend massages her. He sounded so worried and gentle which was far from his personality. When did this guy become like this?

“Ez.” I called for his attention but looked like he was already too busy that he’d forgotten about me. It looked like he just placed the phone somewhere near them without putting it to loud speaker that’s why even if I called for him over and over again, he wouldn’t be able to hear me. I shook my head in disbelief and ended the call.

“In control, my a*s.” I said, shaking my head. Then, I type a message, saying that I expect his presence in my rest house in three days. After sending it, I thought I could go home for a bit before coming back here when I received a message.

‘Where are you?’ I grunted when I saw who it was from. Looked like I wouldn’t be able to go home tonight. I got out of my car and hurriedly went back to Safe Haven. I didn’t enter through the main entrance so that no one would see me.

Just when I was about to knock on the door of my Tia, someone spoke behind me.

“Where have you been? You look like you’re in a hurry.” I gritted my teeth. Fùck!

How come he’s here?!

I readied a smile before turning around. “Good evening, Father Nicolas.”

“Answer my question, Pio.” He looked like he was going to pounce on me like a wild animal but I made sure to stay calm but alert at the same time. The leaders know me as Pio but that was nothing but an alias.

“I just went out for a couple of minutes to blow some smoke.”

His eyes squinted in anger. “You know very well that no one should see you here! Remember, people here in Safe Haven shouldn’t see any man other than me!”

“You don’t have to worry about anything, Father Nicolas. You know how careful I am. I’ve been doing this for three months already.”

“I don’t care if you’re careful or not! You know the rules so you should abide onto it! You know that three days from now on, my wedding will be held here and I don’t want any problem to occur because of you! If it wasn’t because of your aunt, I would never agree to take you as a guard here!” My fists tightened as my patience began to run out.

Patience was never one of my strengths and I could tell that one more word from him and I would surely do something that would ruin everything.

My lips parted as I was about to respond when the door of my aunt’s place opened.

“Pio? Father Nicolas? What’s happening here?” She asked with furrowed eyebrows while staring at us alternately.

“You should cut off your nephew’s horns! I don’t want what happened before to happen again because of him!” Father Nicolas hissed before he turned his back on us and left. My aunt looked at me quizzically before he yanked me by the hand and pulled me inside the house.

She locked the door before she finally let go of my hand and with her hands on her waist, she faced me with a serious face.

“What did you do again this time?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t do anything, Tia. That b*stard was just being paranoid.” Her eyes widened as she quickly covered my mouth with his hand.

“Be careful of what you’re saying! Someone might hear you calling him names!” I removed her hand from covering my lips and then sat on the nearby chair lazily.

“I don’t care because in three days’ time, the people here in Safe Haven will finally see his real colors. At the same time, I will finally achieve what I came here for.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “That’s it? What about Sabina?”

“In three days’ time, you’ll know, Tia. Anyway, I came back because looks like that fùcker noticed my absence.” I then stood up. “I’m going to sleep here again. Goodnight.” I kissed her by the cheek before walking past her and went straight to the small room that I occupy whenever I sleep here.

My aunt’s place is the farthest house from the center of Safe Haven. She chose this location because she was the type who doesn’t like noises. Just like me, she loves nature and peace.

Upon entering the small room, I closed the door and threw myself into bed. I grunted when I felt the hard surface of it. I forgot about the thin bed.

I huffed before rolling on my back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the things that I needed to do for the next three days. But for some reason, the beautiful face of Sabina popped up on my mind.

I released a breath. I’ve just been with Sabina for two months but she’s already in every fiber of my being. She’s like a drug and I could tell that my addiction towards her was already incurable.

“You’re hopeless, X. I can’t believe that you’re doing this to yourself right now.” I muttered while shaking my head.

Then, my eyes turned somber as I remembered how all this started. If everything was different, I could give Sabina all the happiness and freedom in the world. But for now, looked like that was out of the question…

I excitedly looked outside the window of our moving car. Even though I came from staying with my grandparents in the country side for three years, I could tell that we’re almost home.

My parents put me in my grandparents’ care when I was only two years old. They visited me every weekend during those years and I couldn’t understand why they had to do that. They’re my parents but I had to stay with my grandparents.

But now, the time has finally come that I would go back home.

“Cane, are we there yet?” I asked my bodyguard/driver full of anticipation.

“Almost there, young master.” I nodded my head with an excited smile on my face. I didn’t say anything more and patiently waited until the car finally came to a stop. Before Cane could open the door for me, I opened it and ran towards the main door.

I didn’t even greet the two guards who were quick enough to open the door for me.

“Mamma! Papà!” I called for my parents upon entering the huge mansion and my voice echoed. “Mamma! Papà! Dove sei?” But the deafening silence was the answer I got.

“Young master…” I looked at Cane who just came in.

“Where are they, Cane? I thought, they would be here for my arrival?”

“I just received a message from your father, young master. Looks like they’re still in Safe Haven and can’t come home until tonight. They instructed for us t

o ask you what you want to do while waiting so that you won’t get bored.“ My eyes squinted in anger upon hearing what Cane has said.

I couldn’t believe that they’re at it again. What’s with that place called Safe Haven that my parents’ attention has always been on it? Is that place more important than me?

“Tell them to just come home right now! I am here now, their son, so they should keep their promise and be with me!” I answered with a loud voice before getting the vase which was on top of the coffee table and threw it on the floor angrily.

The household helpers who witnessed my meltdown were surprised but I didn’t care. I was mad and sulking. I ran towards the elevator and got inside.

“Young master, wait!” Cane tried to catch up to me but I already pressed the button and the doors closed. I stayed in this house when my parents finally took me for a vacation three months ago that’s why I already knew every part of this house.

When I arrived upstairs, I went to my room and locked myself in there. Shortly after that, Cane came knocking on my door.

“Young master, it’s better for you to eat lunch for now. It’s already one o’clock. Would you prefer for your meal to be delivered to your room or you come down to the dining area?”

“I don’t want to eat! Tell mamma and papà that I will not eat anything until they come home!” I then burrowed my face on the soft pillow. I felt like crying but I blinked my tears back.

“I can’t believe that the young master did that. He’s only five years old but as he grows older, he becomes more violent and bratty.” One heard one of the maids said to Cane.

“Watch your mouth, woman! You can’t badmouth the master’s son and you know it!” Cane snapped at her angrily. “He’s just a child who needs the attention of his parents! We can’t say anything about what’s happening inside this mansion! All we can do is to serve and protect our masters not to bad mouth them!”

I gritted my teeth. “Leave me alone and don’t disturb me!” I shouted for them to hear it outside the door. Then, I heard their footsteps going away from my room.

Later on, my hunger struck. I wanted to call the kitchen staff or Cane to ask for something to eat but I already shooed them away a while ago.

Because of that, I just slept it off. I didn’t know how many hours passed by before I woke up because someone was shaking my shoulders. I excitedly opened my eyes, thinking that it was my parents.

But disappointment hit me when I saw Cane. “I’m sorry to disturb your sleep, young master. Something bad happened.”

My eyebrows creased. “What happened?” In my young mind, I thought, it was just about my parents not going to make it home for the night.

“Your parents are in the family’s private hospital.” My eyes grew wide all the sulky feeling I had in me got replaced by nothing but worry and fear.

“Mamma, papà…” Tears were quick to fall from my eyes.

“You need to be brave, young master. Let’s go see them.” I nodded my head without any question. When we arrived at my family’s private hospital, I couldn’t stop my cries. But when I remembered what my father had said before, I gathered myself together and faced the situation bravely.

Even though I was just a child, I tried my best to understand what was happening…

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How’s this chapter, Amores? 

Do you remember Ezron? I’ve mentioned about him a few times in my stories. He’s one of the members of TBG so obviously he will have his own story as well. Stay tuned!

Do you think Xzavier is connected to Safe Haven in anyway?

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chapter 12

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓐𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓼❗ 𝓔𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂❗

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SABINA’s POV

Upon opening my eyes, it was weird but I felt okay unlike these past few days that I felt hopeless and empty inside. I felt so heavy in my chest these past few days but now, I felt a lot better. Then, I smile appeared on my face as I remembered the reason why I felt lighter inside now.

Of course, I knew the reason for this change and that’s none other than Xzavier. Yes, mom and I’s situation is still dangerous but for some reason, my heart knows that everything will be okay, holding onto his promises.

I’ve never thought that love could bring this kind of special feeling. I wish after all this, Xzavier and I will finally be together whenever we want to without thinking about anything but us.

Then, I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt my phone, which was underneath my pillow, vibrate. I quickly took it out excitedly.

A smile automatically appeared on my face upon seeing Xzavier’s message.

“I knew it. It’s Xzav…”

’ Good morning, my Ina. I missed u already.’ I bit my lower lip as giddiness surged within me. I couldn’t believe that just by seeing his message was making me so happy and alive like this.

I was still typing my replay when it vibrated again. But this time, it wasn’t just a message anymore. He was calling!

I answered full of excitement. Thankfully, I listened carefully when Xzavier was teaching me how to use my cellphone.

“Xzav…”

“Hi, Ina. It’s nice hearing your voice first thing in the morning. Damn. I wish, we’re together right now so that I could greet you good morning that you will surely enjoy.”

“What are you talking about? What kind of greeting is that?” I asked full of curiosity and he laughed heartily. I pouted. Looked like I failed to get what he meant again.

“Nothing. I think it’s better for me to just show it to you someday. Anyway, how was your sleep? I hope, no one came to disturb you.”

I sighed. “Someone came to check on me right after you left but after that, no one came.” I released a breath. “I want to get out of here as soon as possible already, Xzav. I’m worried about mom. What if—”

“—Shhh. Don’t be too negative. Just like I told you before. I won’t let anything bad happen to your mother and you. Just patient, my Ina.”

“I know and I trust you but you don’t know what Father Nicolas is capable of and just thinking that he might hurt mom is giving me fear already. I don’t care what will he do to mom as long as he will not hurt mom, I’ll endure.” I couldn’t hide the worry and fear in my voice.

“Don’t worry, my Ina. Your sufferings will end soon. I promise you that.” I was about to answer when I heard something unlocking the door. Because of panic, I ended the call right away and because of that, I couldn’t say goodbye to Xzavier. I hid the phone back under my bed and pretended that I just woke up.

“Good morning, Lady Sabina. Father Nicolas instructed for you to eat your breakfast now so that you could visit your mother if you wanted to.” The lady who just came in said and my eyes widened in surprise. I could feel a combination of excitement and hesitation in my chest knowing that they would ask for something in return.

“Did I hear it right? I can see mom today?” I didn’t expect that one bit. The lady, who’s one of the people in Safe Haven, smiled.

“Yes. Father Nicolas is such a nice person, right? If I were you, you should just do whatever he wants and I’m sure that he’s going to give you everything in return. You’re so lucky that you got his attention, Sabina. Look at this. You’re getting all the favor and attention of everyone.” I wanted to puke because of what she just said about Father Nicolas but I chose to keep my mouth shut.

I just nodded my head, silently wishing for her to just leave which she thankfully did after a minute or so. After eating my breakfast, I took a shower and got dressed. I then sent a message to Xzavier, telling him that they finally allowed me to see my mom.

I didn’t have the chance to read his reply because the guards already came to take me out of the room but just like before, they blindfolded me. We walked for I didn’t know how long before we finally arrived.

“We’re here, Lady Sabina.” I heard them opening a door which seemed like it was just before me. After that, they told me to step inside before they closed the door behind me.

“Sab!” I quickly took my blindfold off upon hearing my mother’s voice and when I saw her, I suddenly became emotional. I rushed towards her for a tight embrace. Seeing her unharmed brought me so much relief.

“Mom…” I cried on her chest and I felt her kiss my forehead. I could feel how much worried she was for me judging by how tight she was hugging me.

“Stop crying, my dear. Mom is fine.”

“I thought…they hurt you…”

“Shhh…No. Mom is fine. What about you? Did they hurt you in anyway? Are you okay?” Worry was evident in her voice. I shook my head.

“I’m no okay, mom. I was so worried sick of you. I didn’t have any choice but to do whatever they say because I was afraid that they might harm you if I defied them, especially Father Nicolas.”

“Damn that man! I can’t believe that after everything that I did for SFH, this is what they’d repay me?! I regret the day that we accepted their offer for help! Look at us now! They’re the ones who’s ruining our lives! If not because of your father, I would never stay in this place.” The last sentence that she voiced out caught my attention.

I was about to ask what she meant by that when I noticed that her eyes watered but she didn’t let her tears fall. My heart sank. I could see the hopelessness in her eyes.

“That’s enough, mom. Someone will help us escape this hell so you should ready yourself because we will finally leave this place in three days.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she pulled away from our embrace and stared at me quizzically.

“What do you mean, my dear?” I looked behind me, checking if the door was closed all the way and when I saw that it was indeed closed, I whispered my answer to her.

“Xzavier, my boyfriend, will help us escape this place, mom. He promised me so you should be ready when the time comes.”

Her eyes widened. “Boyfriend?!” My eyes widened and quickly covered here mouth with my hand.

“Tone down your voice, mom! I’m sure that the guards are just outside that door!” I whisper-yelled at her. She removed my hand from covering her mouth and gave me a sharp look.

“I want you to explain what this is all about, Sabina! How come you already have a boyfriend?! I thought, you and that man were just friends?! You only met him more than two months ago, right?!” She looked mad but thankfully, she was whispering even though she obviously wanted to yell at me.

“Why, mom? Is there a certain number of months that we should’ve followed before indulging into a relationship? Two months are enough for us to know that we belong to each other.”

“Oh, Sab. You don’t know what you’re saying. What if this guy turns out to be the opposite of what he appears to be? I don’t want you to get hurt.” Worry was evident on her face. I smiled and held her hands.

“I’m sure, you won’t say that the moment you meet him. I love him, mom, and he makes me happy. He taught me how to be happy and gave me reason to smile and laugh again. I’ve never been this happy.”

Her lips parted. “You love him? Are you sure about that? You’ve never been exposed to things like this, my dear, and I’m worried that he’s already noticed how inexperienced and naïve you are and taking this as an opportunity to get what he wants from you.”

“Mom, please. Don’t judge Xzavier without even meeting him first. It hurts me.” She looked at me in disbelief before she cupped my face.

“Oh, God. You’re really in love.”

I beamed. “Yes, mom, and I can’t wait to introduce him to you in person.” She released a breath.

“I just hope that you’re not wrong about him, my dear. The last thing I would want is to see someone break your heart. I’ve cherished and protected you for so long for someone like him to just come and ruin everything. I will never forgive him if he hurts you.”

“He won’t, mom. He promised.”

He inhaled and exhaled before answering. “You seem to trust him so much. I hope, he will not waste your trust. You said that he’s going to rescue us from here? How? This place is heavily guarded and—”

“—I don’t know how he will execute his plans but I trust him. He promised me.” She silently nodded her head and then embraced me once again. I could tell that she wanted to say something but she chose not to voice it out.

We spoke for about five more minutes before the door burst open. I thought, it was the guard who brought me inside the room but I was wrong.

“What are you doing in here?” I couldn’t hide the anger in my voice while staring at the man who just came in full of hatred. I pulled my mom behind me, shielding her from this vile man.

“Aren’t you going to greet your future husband good morning, Sabina?” I gritted my teeth but I tried my best to stay as calm as possible even though all I wanted right now was to spit at him and run out of there together with my mother.

“My mom and I are in the middle of discussing someone. We don’t want outsiders to hear what we’re talking about. This is between our family only.”

Father Nicolas chuckled. “Then, I am entitled to stay here. I’ll be a member of your family in three days anyway.”

I scoffed. “Family? You don’t even know the meaning of the word.” I couldn’t hold back my tongue. My whole body was shaking in so much rage for this man and it was so hard to control it. I saw his eyes squint in anger and to my mother and I’s surprise, he suddenly tugged me by the arm roughly which made me wince.

“Whether you like it or not, you will be my wife in three days. You and I will procreate and have our own family soon after that. If I were you, I will start getting that into my head because whatever happens, you can never avoid your destiny.”

“Father Nicolas, let go of my daughter! This is not what you promised me before! Please, not like this!” My mother said and Father Nicolas’ attention shifted to her.

“I’m giving your three days to control your daughter, Sarah. You don’t want me to discipline her myself.” He answered with a warning tone before finally letting go of me. I was about to yell at him when someone arrived.

“Father Nicolas, the other leaders are already looking for you. You shouldn’t get out of here before they realize that you came to see your bride again.”

“Bullsh*t! I have to do something about this! I hate it when someone is questioning or giving unsolicited comments about the things that I’m doing!” He then looked at the masked guard. “You! Where is Pio? Tell him to come to me as soon as he can!” He instructed angrily.

“What about the leaders, Father Nicolas? They’re already in the conference room.”

“Just do what I told you to do without asking questions!” He snapped at him.

“Of course, Father Nicolas.” The guard then went out of there as fast as he could. Father Nicolas then turned around to face us.

“I want you to get ready, Sabina. We’ll be spending the entire day together.” My heart suddenly pounded hard upon hearing that.

“W-What?”

“You heard me, Sabina. I gave you what you’ve been wanting, right? You finally saw your mother. As you can see, she’s doing good and I didn’t harm her. I deserve to get something in return, right?” My fists tightened.

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chapter 13

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SABINA’s POV

I didn’t have the time to text nor call Xzavier because Father Nicolas didn’t allow me out of his sight until we had to leave the room where my mother was held captive. Of course, they blindfolded me so that I wouldn’t see which part of Safe Haven my mother was. They finally took my blindfold off me when we reached a certain place.

“You can leave us now.” I heard Father Nicolas instructed and the guard obliged right away. I looked at the guard, hoping that it was Xzavier but I could tell that this man wasn’t him.

“Is there something wrong, Sabina? Why are you staring at that guard?” My jaw flexed as I met his gaze coldly.

“It’s none of your business.”

His nostrils flared in anger. “Stop talking to me like that, Sabina. Don’t test my patience because you wouldn’t like it when I get mad.” Instead of getting scared, I laughed sarcastically.

“What would the people here in Safe Haven say if they saw you like this? They would surely lose any admiration and respect they have for you.” I thought, he was about to really get mad because he looked taken a back for a couple of seconds. But I was surprised when he suddenly laughed.

“I know what you’re trying to do, Sabina. You’re deliberately trying to piss me off in order to ruin my mood for today so that I would just leave you alone. Am I right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I answered and took a step backward, trying to get away from him as far as I could. I furtively looked around us. You were in the sole park of Safe Haven which was located near the Safe Haven’s headquarters.

“In three days, you will finally be mine, Sabina, and I want everything to be perfect. I brought you here because I have a surprise for you.” I was about to tell him that I wasn’t interested in his surprise one bit when I noticed something behind him.

There were foods on the table nearby. Looked like two people were about to eat there judging by how it was set. Not just that. They decorated the whole place with lots of flowers. I didn’t notice it right away because my mind was occupied, thinking about lots of stuff.

“What is the meaning of this?” I asked with furrowed eyebrows and he smiled. But instead of answering, he held out his hand for me and that’s when we suddenly heard music coming from somewhere, getting closer to our direction.

Then, I saw someone playing a violin. It looked like it was one of the guards because he was wearing a mask on.

“May I have the pleasure of dancing with you, my future wife.” I felt like cold shivers ran down my spine after hearing what he just said. I looked at his hand before I shook my head. His eyes turned into slits.

“You’re really testing me, Sabina. I’ve been trying my best to be good to you but looks like you’re taking me for granted.” He then took out his cellphone from the pocket of his slacks and called for someone.

“Go to Sarah’s room and you know what to do to her.” He instructed the person on the other line and my eyes widened as panic rose within me.

“Wait! What are you saying? What are you going to do with my mom?!”

“You don’t want to hear it, Sabina.” He tsked. “You’re the one who made me do this so you only have yourself to blame.” I could tell that he was really serious this time and incomparable fear invaded my heart, knowing that my mother was in grave danger.

“No! Leave my mother alone! I’ll do whatever you want to me do! Just don’t hurt her in any way!” I didn’t care what would happen to me as long as I get to protect my mother. If being with this man would save her life, then so be it.

I could see his eyes sparkled with satisfaction upon hearing what I’ve just said. Looked like he was already expecting this to happen.

“Really, Sabina? You’ll do anything I ask you to do?”

“Yes, as long as you never lay a hand on my mother! Now, tell whoever on the other line not to touch my mom!”

He smirked triumphantly before continued talking with the person on the other line. “Did you hear that? You don’t need to do what I just told you to do for now. Everything’s finally happening according to my plan. For now, make sure to guard her properly.” He then ended the call and then looked at me.

“I didn’t know that you’re this easy to talk to, Sabina. You should’ve said so earlier so that we wouldn’t’ve reach to this point. Don’t worry because Sarah is fine. For now, that is.” The anger in my heart for this man doubled while listening to every word that he was blabbering.

“You only need to be obedient so that we won’t have any problem. Right, Sabina?” Even though I wanted to spit at his face how I hated him, I bit my tongue to prevent myself from saying anything that could tick him off.

My mother’s safety is on the line and I knew that if I made him angry, my mother would suffer for sure.

In the end, I nodded my head even though it was killing me. We sat at the table and ate what they served for us. I was surprised to learn that everything that was served there was unfamiliar to me. I’ve never had them before but for some reason, I didn’t find them appetizing to the eyes.

“What do you think about the food, Sabina!? I specifically asked for these foods to be served for us today.”

“They’re delicious.” It was a lie because I felt like I couldn’t taste every food that I was eating because I didn’t want to be here with him even just for a minute or so. Seeing this devil’s face made me sick to my stomach that I couldn’t even appreciate the food.

“Very good. These will be on the menu for our wedding day.” He answered delightfully while eating like he’s eating the best food in the world. How could he enjoy having all these things when us, the people of Safe Haven, weren’t around to?

We weren’t even allowed to leave even just for a bit but just listening to him talk, I could tell that he’s spent a lot of time in the city.

“What are these foods anyway? Did you get it from the city?” I couldn’t hold back my curiosity. He stopped eating and then smiled.

“You’ve always been curious about city life, right?”

“You can say that.” I answered dismissively without looking at him. I was staring at my food while continuously mixing it using the fork. I only ate two spoonsful of it so far.

“And that’s one of the things that I would give you after our wedding, Sabina. As my wife, you will come with me whenever I visit the city and because of that, you will get the opportunity to explore everywhere you fancy to go to. I will let you discover the real world. There’s only one condition in return and that’s for you to be obedient. Give your everything to me. If you do everything I say, you will get rewards.” My hands tightened around the fork and knife that I was holding.

Oh, how I wanted to stab him using the utensils that I was holding but I didn’t want to endanger my mother’s life by doing something crazy. Even though I couldn’t see any, his guards were surely hiding somewhere nearby, protecting him from anyone or anything that could harm him.

Besides, all I have to do was to be patient and put up with all this because in three days, Xzavier will surely come and save us. I could finally be free.

“What can you say about that? Are you excited? You can finally reach your dreams.” I wanted to tell him that I could only reach my dreams through the help of Xzavier. He was the first one who promised me the world and I hold onto his promises. But I had to hold back myself into spitting that information at him.

For now, I would just let him say whatever he wanted to say.

“Yeah.” Whatever . I wanted to add in out loud but chose not to. He then kept on talking, bragging about everything that I could achieve the moment I became his wife.

Then, after we finished eating, he asked the musician to play another song for us and for the second time, he asked me for a dance. I wanted to run away but the threatening look on his face stopped me.

“I don’t know how to dance.” I said without any emotion on my face.

“Don’t worry, Sabina. It’s easy.” He took my hand and guided them to his shoulders before his hands held me by the waist. I felt repulsed being that close to him but I didn’t have a choice but to endure. He was about to start moving his body to the tune of the sweet music when the music suddenly stopped.

“What the heck happened?!” Father Nicolas snapped at the person who was playing violin.

“Sorry, Father Nicolas. The string of the violin snapped.” My heart skipped a beat upon hearing that voice. Xzav?!

“Then replace it now!”

“I’m sorry but I don’t have extra anymore.” I almost sighed in relief when Father Nicolas let go of me and then walked up to Xzavier. To my horror, he snatched the violin from Xzavier and threw it on the ground angrily.

“You’re nothing useless, Pio! If we can’t use this thing here then it’s better for it to be thrown away!” He even kicked the violin angrily even though it was already on the ground. Pio?

I didn’t know why he called Xzavier Pio but that momentarily got erased from my mind when I saw Father Nicolas about to attack him.

“Don’t!” I screamed in horror and that seemed to stop him from hitting Xzavier. I knew that Xzavier would never let him hurt him without a fight and that would be dangerous for him. They might kill him if he hurt Father Nicolas.

“Are you really like this, hurting other people because everything didn’t go your way?!” I then chided at him. I saw his jaw flexed before he pushed Xzavier roughly.

“Why do you sound so concerned about him? You don’t even know him nor have seen his face but you sound so concerned.” He then asked me dangerously. I gulped inaudibly.

“I-I just don’t like seeing people getting hurt.” I almost hit myself because I stuttered.

“Really? Interesting.” He looked at Xzavier again, who remain quiet, before looking at me full of suspicion. I felt like I suddenly became thirsty as he scrutinizingly stared at us alternately.

“I think, I should take you back to your room, Sabina. The next time we see each other will be on our wedding day so I want you to have a beauty rest today and tomorrow for our special day.” To my surprise, he suddenly tugged me by the hand and because I wasn’t expecting him to do that, I didn’t have the time to resist.

“What are you—” Before I could even say what I wanted to say, he did the unthinkable and kissed me in front of Xzavier.

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chapter 14

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SABINA’s POV

Thankfully, I turned my head to the other side and because of that, his lips landed on my cheek. He grunted in displeasure and impatience.

“You’re really a feisty one, Sabina, and I’m loving it. I’m going to have a blast breaking you until you surrender your everything onto me.” To my horror, he held my chin, keeping my head still and attempted to kiss me again when he groaned in pain as something hit his head.

He let go of me and looked what it was. A bow of a violin.

“I’m sorry, Father Nicolas. I was playing with it, tossing it in the air when it accidentally landed on you.” Xzavier’s voice was far from being apologetic. In fact, I could tell that he was beyond mad and one more wrong move from Father Nicolas would surely make him lose it.

Father Nicolas’ eyes turned into slits. “Get out of here, Pio, before I lost my patience with you!” That added to the fear and panic in my chest. I looked at Xzavier, silently begging for him not to leave me there alone with Father Nicolas.

“I think, it’s better for us to bring back Miss Sabina to her room, Father Nicolas.”

“That’s not your decision to make, Pio! Now, do what I say and leave us alone!”

“Pardon me for saying this but I can’t.”

“What did you say?” Father Nicolas asked with a hint of danger in his voice. I could tell that he was beginning to lose his patience.

“Don’t get me wrong, Father Nicolas. I just don’t want you to do something that you would regret later. If my understanding was right, the law of Safe Haven states that the bride and groom shouldn’t see each other three days until the wedding.

“You can’t touch your bride either during those days. What if the people here in Safe Haven and the other leaders discovered what you’re about to do? I’m sure, they will forsake you and I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“No one is watching here aside from you so if they discovered what happened, no one’s to blame but you.”

“That’s a little bit unfair, right? I mean, we don’t know if there are people spying on us right now so I guess, it’s better for you to abide onto the law. It’s just a friendly advice, Father Nicolas. Let’s say that this is my way of thanking you for accepting me here. I’m just trying to warn you.” Even though I was beginning to get confused of what he was saying, I felt relieved when I saw that what he was saying was getting into Father Nicolas.

He didn’t answer for a couple of seconds as if he had second thoughts before responding with a firm voice.

“Safe Haven is mine and I don’t care about what anyone says about me. Now, I want you to get out of here and don’t bother us.” My heart pounded even more as I looked at Xzavier who remained silent for a couple of seconds.

I shook my head while staring at him beggingly not to leave me there.

“Okay. If that’s what you want. Since my service is not needed here, I think it’s better for me to go home for the day. If you need me, I’ll be at my Tia’s place.” Before I could react, he turned his back on us and walked away. Looked like he was in a hurry.

“N-No…Don’t leave…” But he was already out of sight. I took a step forward, intending to go after him when I felt Father Nicolas’ hand tightened around my wrist.

“My patience has run out, Sabina. I don’t care about the law here in Safe Haven because the most important thing for me right now is to make sure that you’re going to be mine whatever happens. I can’t wait for our wedding day for that to happen. I have to make you mine so that whatever happens, my stand here in Safe Haven will be sure.” I couldn’t understand what he was saying anymore.

Fear was eating my senses and I couldn’t think clearly in panic. I kept on shaking my head, wanting to scream but nothing came out of my mouth. I felt like I lost the capability to speak as fear overpowered my senses.

Is this the end of me? Why, Xzav, why?

The pain of him turning his back on me like that made me weak and it took away my desire to fight this evil person knowing that he’s stronger than me physically not to mention that my mother’s life is on the line. One mistake and my mom would be dead for sure.

I closed my eyes and my tears freely fell from my eyes. My body was shaking.

I felt him pull me by the hand, taking me somewhere but I didn’t care anymore. All I knew was, my heart was aching so bad not to mention the pity I felt for myself. I wanted to cry but even after everything, I tried my best not to let him see my tears and fear.

I wiped my tears and told myself not to break down and be strong.

I didn’t know how many minutes we walked before we stopped. He then pushed me and my back landed on something soft. I opened my eyes and saw that he took me to the room where they’ve been keeping me these past few days.

My eyes watered but this time, I did my best to stop them from falling as I saw him undressing. I moved toward the headboard as if doing that would help me. I wanted to run away but I was already trapped.

“Just give me what I want and I assure you that your mother will be safe. I will let go of her and she will be free. Just obey me at all times and everything will be fine.” I whimpered as I closed my eyes, realizing how hopeless my situation was.

Somehow, I saw the face of Xzavier pop up on my mind. Then, everything came back to me; from the first time we met when he saved me and how our feelings evolved into something special. Love.

I couldn’t believe that he would abandon me like this after all the promises he had made. Was everything nothing but empty promises? Oh, Xzav…Why?

My body jerked when I felt Father Nicolas’ hand touch my leg. My whole body was shaking in fear. He joined me in bed. I whimpered as the panic within me doubled. Just feeling him touching me like that was enough for me to think that dying was a sweeter escape.

“Look at me, Sabina. I want you to see the face of the man who will take your innocence.” He ordered as he continued on stroking my legs. I couldn’t take it anymore. His touch felt so dirty and nasty.

I opened my eyes, planning to push him away from me when I saw him drawing his face closer to mine, attempting to kiss me!

That’s when everything exploded. I pushed him as hard as I could and was about to kick him but he was quick to restrain me.

“Fight me all you want, Sabina, but your efforts will just be futile. You’re going to be mine!”

“Xzav!” I didn’t know why I called for his name even though I knew that he wouldn’t come to rescue me. I tried to struggle as hard as I could but he used his body to pin me down on the bed. I whimpered and just closed my eyes again, waiting for my death sentence.

“You’re so beautiful. I am so lucky to have discovered everything before anyone had the opportunity to do so. Now, Safe Haven will surely bow onto me for eternity!” He then closed the gad between our faces and I thought, it was done for. I closed my eyes.

But the kiss that I was expecting didn’t come. I felt his weight got off of me but I was afraid to open my eyes. I didn’t know how long I’ve been closing my eyes like that until I heard a familiar voice.

“Ina…” My heart pounded but this time, it was different. The kind of reaction that my heart had towards Xzavier. Why am I hearing his voice? He won’t come for you, Sab! Wake up!

For some reason, the tears that I’ve been holding back fell as I silently hoped that I wasn’t only dreaming; that he’s really here.

“Open your eyes, my Ina.” The pounding of my heart continued and then I felt his warm and gentle touch on my cheeks, wiping my tears. “I’m sorry for coming to your aid right away.” That’s when I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing that I saw was his handsome face while staring at me full of regret.

“Xzav…” My heart jumped for joy. “Y-You came back…” I got off the bed and stood up.

“Of course, I came back. Did you ever think that I would abandon you like that and let this fùcker have you? Never, Ina. You’re mine alone and no one has the right to touch you but me!” Before I could have the chance to answer, he sealed my lips with a passionate kiss.

I groaned and my response was instantaneous. I couldn’t believe of the turn of events. He really came back!

Another batch of tears fell from my eyes but this time, they were tears of joy. We kissed like it was our first time kissing and when we were almost run out of breath, we finally pulled away. He rested his forehead against mine while gently touching my face.

“Just thinking that someone is going to steal you away from me is already driving me insane, my Ina. You belong to me and only me, right?” I held his hands which were still touching my face.

“My experience in love is limited to what we have but I don’t care because you’re enough for me. There will be no other man whom I accept in my life aside from you. You’re the only one for me.” He smiled at me lovingly before kissing me once again.

“I love you.” He then uttered passionately.

“I love you too, my Xzav.” We hugged each other tightly. I looked at the

“Even though I wanted to get you out of here right now, it will be dangerous. My plan will be executed on your wedding day and my friend whom I asked to help me execute my plans isn’t here yet. Father Nicolas put additional guards around to ensure that you and your mother wouldn’t escape. But if you want to escape now, we don’t have a choice but to leave your mother.” I shook my head right away.

“No! I don’t want to leave her here, Xzav!” He cupped my face with his hands.

“I know that, Ina, that’s why you must stay strong while waiting for the right time which is on your wedding day. It will be safer for you and your mom.”

“What about you? When Father Nicolas wakes up, he will surely kill you for doing this to him.”

He smiled, assuring me. “Don’t worry. I have a plan for that.” He pulled away from me.

“Wait here. I’ll just get something. This will be quick.” He then wore his facemask before exiting the room. After about 3 minutes, he finally came back with a duct tape, scissors and a rope.

To my surprise, he opened the locked door that was located next to door of the washroom and opened it.

“Where did you get that key? What is inside this door?”

“I think this adjacent room is served as a stock room now. I snatched the key from one of the guards.” Then, my eyes went wide when he dragged Father Nicolas to the adjacent room and made him sit on the chair. I followed them.

“What are you planning to do with him?”

“Shhh. Keep your voice down, Ina. Someone might hear us.” He then started tying Father Nicolas to the chair before duct taping his mouth, ensuring that he wouldn’t escape nor make a sound. He hasn’t still come to that’s why he was unaware of what was happening around him.

“Are we going to keep him here until we manage to escape on the day of the wedding?”

“Yes, Ina. Now, all we need to do is to pretend that we don’t know where he went to.”

“But how are we going to do that?” He smiled and then fished something out of Father Nicolas’ pocket. It was his cellphone.

“By using this.” My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He chuckled and then planted a kiss on my lips. “Just leave everything to me, my Ina.” A small appeared on my face as I nodded my head.

After that, Xzavier left but just like what happened before, he exited through the window in the washroom. Even though I wanted to go with Xzavier, he was right. It would be dangerous if we rush everything knowing that the security in Safe Haven had increased.

When the night came, Sister Fernanda came to give me my dinner.

“You look calm today and I didn’t expect it. Is everything okay, Sabina?” Her voice was full of concern. I smiled.

“Yes, Sister Fernanda. Everything’s fine.” I then began eating my dinner and I saw from my peripheral vision that she was staring at me with her eyebrows creased. But I chose to remain silent and continued on eating.

“I heard that Father Nicolas took you for a date at the garden. I hope that he didn’t do anything that you didn’t like.” My hands tightened around the fork and knife that I was holding upon remembering what that man did to me.

“That man is heartless. I would never want to be his wife. If not because of mom, I would’ve done everything I could to escape this hell.”

“Oh, Sabina.” She comforted me by hugging me.

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Did you think that Xzavier ran away or did you expect him to go back and save Sabina?

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chapter 15

Bon weekend, everyone! Enjoy reading. :)

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SABINA’s POV

“Now that you’ve finally calmed down, I want to know what exactly happened. Sarah is not with you right now and as her best friend, I’ll be here for you on her stead knowing that you need a shoulder to lean on.” I pained smile appeared on my lips upon hearing what Sister Fernanda have said.

Just remembering about what happened made me emotional once again. Yes, ever since I was old enough to understand everything, I had nothing but to leave Safe Haven but even if I had that intense desire to leave, I knew that I could always come back to Safe Haven.

But now, everything changed including my perception about Safe Haven. Because of Father Nicolas, Safe Haven became a hell to me and I knew that I would never come back here the moment I had the chance to escape.

Then, I found myself telling everything that had happened earlier today to Sister Fernanda but leaving the part when Xzavier saved me from Father Nicolas until he tied him inside the adjacent room.

I suddenly got worried that Father Nicolas might succeed on creating a sound that could get the attention of Sister Fernanda. Even though Xzavier made sure that he wouldn’t be able to escape that room, I still felt anxious about the situation.

“I don’t know what to say about all this, Sabina. I feel so bad that even though I’ve been trying my best to help you and Sarah, Father Nicolas and the other leaders’ eyes are on me all the time because they know how close I am to you and your mother. I can’t even move without their meddling in some way.

“Thankfully, they agreed for me to come here at least once a day to bring you your food. I’m sorry, Sabina. I don’t really know what to do in order to get you and Sarah out of this situation without anyone getting hurt.” She sounded so guilty.

“I want to get out of here, sister Fernanda. I can’t take it anymore. But everytime I think about escaping, the thought of my mother always stops me. I don’t want to sacrifice her just for my own freedom. But I know that I would never marry that vile man. But no matter how hard I think, I know that escaping without anyone helping me is next to impossible. I don’t know what do you anymore.” My tears fell freely once more and looked like that added to her guilt.

“I understand what you feel. I’m not in your situation but I know how difficult it is just by seeing your tears. I know how you love your mom. Of course, you can’t just abandon her like that and Father Nicolas is aware of this too that’s why he’s been using it against you in order to get what he wants.”

I gritted my teeth. “I loathe that man, Sister Fernanda.”

“I can clearly see it without you voicing it out, Sabina. Even I isn’t in favor of you marrying him because your life will only become hell and I don’t want you to suffer like that. Marriage should be between two people in love not like this.” She held my hand.

“Stay strong, Sabina. I know it’s difficult but you should fight for what you want. Don’t let him manipulate and control you.”

“But he has my weakness and that’s mom. Just like what I’ve said a while ago, I can’t leave Safe Haven without her with me.” I bit my lower lip.

She was about to answer when we heard a muffled scream from inside the adjacent door. My eyes widened. Looked like Father Nicolas was trying to scream but his voice only came out as a stifled growl because he was duct taped.

“What’s that?” Sister Fernanda looked around with furrowed eyebrows. My heart raced but I tried my best to act natural.

“I don’t know. Maybe, it’s the guards in the hallway.” I answered casually even though my heart was beating fast in nervousness.

“Really? I swear I heard that voice from that door.” She pointed at the door of the adjacent room and I quickly shook my head as panic rose within me.

“That’s impossible. From what I’ve heard, that’s a stock room and ever since they brought me here, it has been locked.”

“Really? That’s odd.” She still looked intrigued and I knew that I had to do something for her to forget about it.

“When you visit my mom, can you please tell her that I’m fine and soon, we’ll be together again?”

She smiled. “Of course, Sabina. I’ll tell her that. I will go to her room later to give her her dinner.” That worried me. It was already late and my mom hasn’t eaten yet.

“Maybe, it’s better for you to go now, Sister Fernanda. Mom is surely hungry now. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine here.” She nodded her head.

“Okay. But are you okay now?”

I forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay then. I’ll be going now. See you again tomorrow.” After that, she finally went out of the room and I sighed in relief. Thankfully, we didn’t hear any sound from the adjacent room again.

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I didn’t know how but everything was peaceful for the next two days. Maybe they hadn’t discovered yet where Father Nicolas was, I thought.

But for some reason, Xzavier suddenly became quiet these past two days and I couldn’t get a hold of him which made me worry.

I was pacing back and forth in the room that I was in while trying to contact Xzavier again but just like before, he wasn’t replaying nor answering my calls. Tomorrow would be the dreaded wedding and he told me that the planned escape would be tonight. But he hadn’t called nor texted me the entire day to tell me what to do.

Maybe because he was already sure that there wouldn’t be any wedding because of what he did to Father Nicolas. But why wouldn’t he respond to me?

He specifically told me before that before we execute his plans, we would do a briefing about the details. But now, he wasn’t responding.

The worry within me intensified thinking that something bad might’ve happened to him.

“Oh, Xzav. Please, send me a message or call me so that I can rest assured that you’re fine.” I muttered while as I tried to call him again but it was the same. He wasn’t answering. Then, hours passed by so quickly and the night came without hearing anything from him.

“Please, Xzav…Answer me.” My eyes watered. I could tell that something was not right and I was already worried sick. Even though the wedding would be held tomorrow, that was the least of my concern because I was so worried about Xzavier.

But as the sun sets, the hope I had was slowly fading away. Then, around midnight, I suddenly received a message. I excitedly read it knowing that it was from Xzavier but all the excitement within me flew out of the window upon reading its content.

‘I’m sorry but I can no longer help you escape Safe Haven. I went back home here to the city. Please forget about me and I’ll do the same to you. Goodbye, Sabina.’

I felt like all my strength got sucked out of my body as a whimper escaped my lips. I couldn’t believe it. Xzavier abandoned me. He broke his promises and left me like I was nothing to him. No, Sabina! Don’t believe that message! I’m sure, there’s an explanation to all of this!

I tried to convince myself that the message didn’t come from Xzavier and that there must’ve been a mistake. I cried all the pain away and waited for him for him the whole night. I didn’t sleep a wink, afraid that I would miss Xzavier if he comes tonight.

But that little hope I was holding onto came crashing down when the morning came and he never came. Then, ladies from Safe Haven came into my room and helped me prepare for the wedding.

I was staring at nothingness as I let them do all the work. I didn’t care. In my mind, I was still hoping for Xzavier to come and save me from all of this.

“Wow! I can’t believe how beautiful your wedding gown is, Lady Sabina.” One of the ladies praised while looking at the gown full of awe. “C’mon, Lady Sabina. Stand up so that we could help you put it on.” I blinked innumerably as I got out of my deep thoughts.

“I don’t want to wear that.” I answered coldly and the three ladies looked at each other worriedly.

“But the wedding will begin in 30 minutes. I’m sure, Father Nicolas and the others are already at the church, waiting for you.” That didn’t affect me because I knew very well that Father Nicolas was still inside the adjacent room until now.

“I don’t care! I’m not going to wear that wedding gown and that’s final!” I couldn’t hold back the lone tear that escaped my eyes. My heart was aching so badly while thinking about Xzavier. Why did you do this to me, Xzav? You gave me hope but you suddenly abandoned me like this. Did I do something you didn’t like? If so, why didn’t you say so? Were you just playing around and I was a convenient past time while you were here?

The three ladies tried to convince me once again to wear the wedding gown and that’s when I lost it and yelled how I would never wear it no matter what happens.

When they realized that no matter what they do, they wouldn’t convince me, they exited my room and I felt relieved. That’s when the desire to escape came back to me. I knew that something had happened to Xzavier and I needed to know. But before that, I should do everything I could to help my mother.

I walked up to the door and tried to open it and imagine my surprise when I discovered that it wasn’t locked. I opened it a little bit and peeked outside. When I saw that no one was in the hallway, that was my cue.

I opened the door wider and ran as fast as I could. I didn’t see any guards around which was strange but I didn’t care anymore. I needed to get to the room where they’ve been keeping my mom.

Thankfully, Xzavier told me the exact location of my mom. Even though I was in a hurry, I made sure to be careful so that no one would ever catch me. When I arrived there, I opened the door which was surprisingly wasn’t locked.

“Mom!” I called as I entered the room just to be shocked upon seeing that particular person with my mother inside.

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Who do you think was the one who was with Sarah inside the room?

Do you think, Xzavier will be able to do something to help Sabina and Sarah?

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chapter 16

Hi, Amores! It’s Tuesday again which means, it’s update time. I hope you like this update though. Enjoy reading. :)

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SABINA’s POV

2022

I squealed full of excitement and joy upon reading the e-mail that I just received. I couldn’t believe that all my hard work has finally been paid off. Well, I didn’t do it alone because there were people who helped and supported me along the way. But the happiness knowing that I made it was inexplainable.

“What’s happening here? Why did you squeal like that?” I looked at the one who spoke. My dad. He came from the kitchen and was holding a ladle with matching apron one because he was busy cooking.

“I passed the CPA licensure exam, dad!”

His face brightened. “Really? Wow! Good job, sweetie! Congratulations!” I rushed to him for a hug. He hugged me back and then kissed my forehead.

“I knew you could do it. I mean, you’re a smart girl and passing the exam is just the beginning for you. Your future is bright and I can already see that you’re going to succeed in the near future. I’m so proud of you.”

That made my heart swell. When I was still younger, I was always wondering how would it feel to have a complete family; a mom and a dad that guide me in everything I do. I thought, it would be impossible for that to happen because we were practically locked up in Safe Haven but it did. Even though everyone was telling us that dad was already dead, mom never believed and so did I.

“Thank you, dad. I can’t believe that I’m a CPA now.” My mom was a CPA and I got inspired whenever she told me her stories of how she loved her work before she had me and got stuck in Safe Haven. Maybe because she’s my mom that I dreamed to be like her one day.

Even though my mom didn’t go back doing her previous work, she’s happy now in her current work.

“Yes, and you did it in just three years and a half because you totally excelled on it and graduated in advance. Not just that. You even received the highest honors when you graduated. That’s my girl.” He kissed my forehead once again. Seeing him happy for me made my happiness double. I couldn’t wait to see my mom’s reaction.

I was about to say something when the door opened and my mother came in. She just came home from the Novell’s mansion where she works as the head cook for the family. Well, there’s only Mr. Jean-Claude now but his grandchildren visit him every now and then.

“You two seem so happy.” She remarked while looking at us alternately.

“Well, we’re indeed happy and I’m sure, you’ll be happy too if you heard the very good news.” My father responded as he let go of me before approaching my mom and kissed her on the lips.

“Good news? What is it about? Don’t tell me…”

“Yes, mom. I passed the exam!” Her eyes widened in surprise and couldn’t react right away. Then, she squealed full of joy before hugging me happily.

“Oh, my dear! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!” My forehead crinkled when I noticed that her voice cracked. I pulled away from our embrace to check if she was okay. I was right. She was indeed crying.

“What happened, mom? Why the tears?” She chuckled and then wiped her tears.

“I’m sorry, my dear. Mom is just so happy for you right now. I just didn’t think everything that has been happening ever since we moved her three years and a half ago would be possible.” My father and I looked at each other before smiling. He then placed his arm over my mother’s shoulders and kissed her temple.

“This is just the beginning, honey. Our dream for our family finally came true. Look at us. We’re finally together after many years of separation. Our beautiful daughter here is beginning to finally achieve her goals and soon, she’ll become successful in life. Isn’t that what we’ve been wanting for ever since we first saw her when she saw born?”

“I know that, honey. Maybe, I’m just overwhelmed right now.” My father and I chuckled. Yes, this is our life now. Honestly, I didn’t think that everything that has been happening to me these past years would be possible either but it happened and I’m thankful to the heavens for granting me my wishes.

After finally leaving Safe Haven three and a half years ago, my mother and I received the biggest surprise of our lives when we learned that my father was alive. We got reunited and decided to start anew in life.

Someone recommended my father to the Novell family of Lyon and Mr. Jean Claude Novell, the patriarch of the Novell family, employed my parents.

My father worked as secretary of Madame Claudette Novell but after the matriarch of the Novell family passed away, he now became the manager of their farm.

The Novell family helped us a lot. Mr. Jean-Claude even granted me a scholarship so that I could pursue my studies. Now, we’re currently staying in Claudette ranch. All the employees of the family who works there were given houses to stay at and we couldn’t be more grateful and happy when we received ours.

I couldn’t believe that our family would be this happy and contented after being reunited after everything that we’ve been through. My mother and I were right all along. My father never died.

According to him, he thought he would die that night 21 years ago but someone saved him. They brought him to a place where it was called Safe Haven which surprised my father. He got confused why there were two places called Safe Haven.

When he asked why that place was called the same name as the place where my mom and I were in, he didn’t get an answer.

Thankfully, those people were kind and helped my father live again after being told that mom and I died. He stayed in that another Safe Haven for how many years before he decided to leave. Someone in that Safe Haven apparently helped him start all over again in the city.

He worked many jobs just to forget what happened to mom and I but he couldn’t move on until someone from that the Safe Haven that he stayed at called him and told him about us. They were the ones who reunited us and we were so grateful for them.

“This is a nice timing for us to celebrate. I am currently cooking delicious foods for our dinner today because I wanted to commemorate this day and surprise your mom. But now, we have another reason to celebrate.” Dad said after that.

“Why, dad? Is there a special celebration today?”

“Aw. Your still remember about it?” My mother asked with a smile.

“Of course, honey. I could never forget about the day when you finally agreed to become mine. Now, we can have a double celebration.”

“Aw. You haven’t changed. You’re still as sweet as ever.” I couldn’t hold back my smile while watching my parents embrace. Then, out of the blue, I suddenly remembered about someone. No, Sab! You should totally erase him off your memory!

“Are you okay, my dear? You suddenly look brooding.”

I forced a smile. “I’m okay, mom.” I then looked at my father. “Is dinner finally ready, dad? I’m hungry already.”

“Five more minutes, sweetie. For now, why don’t you set the table while I continue cooking?”

“Sure, dad! I’m on it!” I enthusiastically answered and did as I was told. Later on, we’re at the table, eating our delicious dinner happily.

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“Wow! Congratulations on passing. I knew you’d make it.” I beamed at Rex upon hearing what he said. We’re currently at the farm, sitting under the cherry tree while looking at the beautiful view. He came to the farm to get some fresh fruits after his work.

My father introduced Rex to me during his second day here in the ranch and from then on, we grew closer until we became friends. Even though he was the serious type, I enjoy his company.

“Thank you. I studied so hard just to pass the exam and thank God, I made it.”

“Of course, you would. You’re an intelligent girl. Even though the result didn’t come out yet, I already knew that you passed it.”

“Thank you but did you have to use ‘girl’? You talk to me as if I’m a little girl. You could’ve at least referred to me as an ‘intelligent woman’ not ‘girl’.” I pouted and he chuckled.

“But you’re still a little girl for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Excuse me. You’re only three years older than me.”

“Well, three years is three years.”

“Whatever. Anyway, look at this. I bought this when I went to the city center this morning.” Rex looked at the magazine that I was holding and looked at it.

“Ms. Ellie is really something, right? Look how stunning she is in the cover of this magazine. I really look up to her.” I caught a strange emotion that passed through his eyes for a second while staring at the picture of Ms. Ellie, one of the granddaughters of the owners of the ranch, Mr. Jean Claude and Mme. Claudette Novell.

But that emotion quickly disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

“What happened to you? You suddenly became silent.” I couldn’t hold back my curiosity. A small smile appeared on his lips before he ruffled my hair as if I was a kid.

“Hey, my hair!” I complained and he chuckled amusedly.

“You’re such a kid.” I rolled my eyes and decided not to pester him with those questions because I knew that he wouldn’t answer it anyway. Rex is a mysterious guy in a way but I could tell from the first time I met him that he’s a good person.

“You know what, you can be a supermodel too and be a front cover of a magazine just like Ms. Ellie. You have the face and body. I just don’t understand why you’re here working as a stable boy when you can pursue a career in modeling or even a Hollywood actor at that.” He laughed.

“Those aren’t for me, Sabina. I’m good working here in the ranch.” I sighed. I knew he would say that. After talking for another 15 minutes more, we parted ways. Upon arriving home, I saw Henry and Billy waiting for me at our small gate.

Henry is my cousin. When we got reunited with my dad, we were surprised when he introduced Henry to us. Mom thought that he cheated on her and had another kid with another woman but dad explained that Henry was his nephew. A son of his cousin who unfortunately passed away because of a terrible accident.

According to him, he took care of Henry after his parents passed away. Now, Henry works part time in the ranch while studying.

While Billy is our friend.

“What are you doing here?” I asked the two of them.

“Well, we dropped by because we wanted to show you something.” My forehead wrinkled.

“Which is?” The two shared a weird look, smiling at each other, before Billy answered.

“Come with us. I’m sure, you’ll love our surprise for you.” I rolled my eyes and looked at my wristwatch.

“I don’t have time for that. It’s already getting late. I’m sure, mom and dad will get worried if I—”

“—I already told Auntie and Uncle so don’t worry. C’mon, Sab. This will be quick. Billy and I have been working on this for months.” I heaved a sigh.

“Fine. But let’s be quick, okay?”

“Of course.” I went with them and my eyebrows creased when I noticed that we were heading towards the backyard of our house.

“We’re here.” Henry said with a wide smile on his face. I looked around.

“What do you want me to see? There’s nothing here.”

“Why don’t you look up?” Billy asked and I did as I was told just to gasp in surprise upon seeing what’s above us.

“A treehouse?!”

“Surprise! Yes, it’s your own treehouse, Sabina. We know how you love to read and be alone especially whenever you’re working on something that’s why we decided to build you your own treehouse near your house. You were so busy reviewing for your licensure exam these past few months that’s why whenever you’re here, you’re always inside your room. We used those times to build this and we succeeded because you didn’t notice it.”

“Now, I know why mom and dad told me not to go to the backyard.” The two laughed.

“Because they knew about this. Did you like it though?” Henry asked. I smiled and gave them two a bear hug.

“Of course, I love it. Thank you, guys. You’re the best.” The two of them are my closest friends. Ever since we arrived here in Claudette ranch and met Billy, the three of us became friends. At first, I had the difficulty dealing with guys like them but they made me feel comfortable with them. I feel safe with them.

“This is our gift for you for your birthday and our reward to you because you passed the CPA licensure exam. Congratulations!”

“Birthday?” I parroted.

“We knew it. You forgot because you’ve been so busy lately. Your birthday is in two days, Miss.” I scratched the back of my head.

“Yeah. I really forgot.” The two of them shook their heads and then laughed. After that, we went up the treehouse and I was mesmerized because the inside of it was so beautiful. They even painted the walls and put decorations including a study table, office chair and a bed.

They really did a great job building it. There was even a small terrace.

“This is such a lovely treehouse.” I praised.

“Auntie Sarah was the one who chose the paint colors and suggested for us to make it like a small home so that you could relax whenever you’re here.”

“Aw. Thank you. You guys are so sweet.” I was beyond happy because this was my first time that someone took effort to make one of my dreams come true. I once mentioned to them that I really wanted to build a treehouse one day where I could be alone and be free but they already did it for me.

“Sabina, Henry, Billy! Come down here! It’s dinner time!” The three of us looked at each other when we heard the voice of my dad.

“They knew that we’re here?” I asked.

“Of course. Billy had to tell Uncle and Auntie that we would finally show you our surprise for you when you come home so that they wouldn’t get worried. C’mon, let’s go down.” Henry answered and the three of us went down.

Thankfully, they built stairs so that it would be easier and safer to get to the treehouse.

That night, Billy ate dinner with us in our house. My parents said that we would be having a small celebration on my birthday so I should invite people I wanted to be there.

“Henry, tell Rex to come.” I told my cousin because I might not be able to see him because I would be going somewhere tomorrow.

“Sure. But can I ask you something?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Do you have a crush on Rex?” I almost choked with my own spit because of what my cousin have asked.

“Of course, not! How did you arrive with that conclusion?”

“Because you two are getting too close. Henry here is worried that you might get hurt.” Billy answered.

“What? You have a crush on Rex?” My mother asked in surprise. Even my father was the same. I huffed.

“Rex is just a friend, okay? I can’t believe that you’re giving different meaning to our friendship.”

“Well, that’s good to hear because Rex has the hots for someone.” Henry responded and all of us looked at him curiously.

“Really? For whom?” I curiously asked.

“Yeah, for whom? How come I didn’t know about it?” Billy queried.

“Really? You people don’t know?”

“Well, we don’t know either. Now, we’re suddenly curious.” Dad answered.

“It’s not my position to tell. I just noticed. If you observe him closely, you will surely see. Anyway, let’s just continue eating. I’m hungry.” Henry answered. I pursed my lips. I really wanted to know who that was but Henry was right. It’s not right to talk about someone’s life like this.

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How’s this chapter, Amores? 

Did you expect these turn events? 

What do you think happened to Xzavier?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 17

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SABINA’s POV

I was happy but sad and hurt at the same time because this wasn’t what I pictured in my mind to happen the moment we would finally be free.

I thought, mom and I would be with Xzavier leaving Safe Haven but everything didn’t happen according to our plan. All our memories together; those special moments we spent together, came back to me while looking at the solemnly beautiful yet hell mountainous area.

Before, whenever I thought about Xzavier and our moments together, it always made me giddy with total happiness. But it was different this time because it brought nothing but pain and sadness as if my heart was being stabbed a thousand times.

Then, my heart jumped when I suddenly saw that familiar house from a far. Xzavier’s house. There was a sudden urge for me to go to his house and talk to him but I knew that I couldn’t do that anymore. We’re finally on our way to freedom and safety…but without him.

I felt the need to cry my heart out because my chest felt so heavy. But strangely, not a single tear fell.

I was pulled out of my deep thoughts when I felt my mother squeeze my hand gently. I looked at her and she gave me a smile, as if telling me that everything would be alright.

I forced a smile even though it was so hard for me to appear fine.

“Are you okay, Sabina?” I was surprised when I heard a voice through the headphone that I was wearing. It was the pilot. He was one of the people who saved us.

“How did you know my name?” He looked at me.

“Someone told me.”

“Who?”

He smiled. “I’m sorry, Sabina, but I can’t tell you right now. I know that you’re tired from all the things that you’ve been through so it’s better for you to sleep and rest.” He then focused on piloting the helicopter. I didn’t answer and closed my eyes. He was right. I was physically and mentally tired.

“That’s right. Sleep so that you wouldn’t think about him even just for a moment.” I heard him mutter but it didn’t register on my mind because shortly after that, sleep finally consumed me.

When we arrived in the city of Paris, I was totally mesmerized by everything around us. It was so amazingly beautiful and I was at a loss for words.

“I can’t believe this is what a city looks like, mom.” I voiced out while looking around us. I felt like a kid at the moment.

“Yes, my dear. Your dad and I grew up in the city and it was wonderful. Even though our life back then wasn’t a bed of roses, it was still amazing.” My mom said with a smile.

My dream finally came true. I finally set my feet on the city and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything my eyes see were new to me and I was hungry to see more of it.

“For now, you will stay here until you want to. You don’t have to worry about anything. Everything has been taken care of for your arrival.” The man whom we were with said when we arrived on top of what they call a tall building which was located in the heart of the city according to him. He then opened the door and my jaw dropped when I saw what was inside.

“Wow. This is such a beautiful house. I can’t believe that a house would be located on this high building.” I uttered in awe.

“You’re right, my dear. Such a luxury. Whoever owns this is surely rich.” My mother agreed while looking around like me. The man who was with us chuckled.

“This is my best friend’s penthouse here in Paris. He specifically instructed me to take you here and let you stay as long as you want to.”

“Best friend? Can you tell me his name? I want to thank him for letting us stay here even though we’re strangers to him.”

“I’m sorry, Sabina, but I can’t tell you his name.” I got disappointed but I understood.

“What about you? May we know your name? You were one of the people who saved us but until now, you haven’t told us your name yet.” It was my mom.

He smiled. “Just call me Ez, ma’am.” After that, he showed us around. I couldn’t believe how grandiose this penthouse was. The owner must be so rich to own something like this.

“Thank you for helping us, Ez. Tell your best friend that we’re thankful for letting us stay here.” My mom said after that. We were now in the living room.

“I’ll make sure to tell him that. Anyway, two doctors will come later to checkup both of you. For now, I will leave you two hear so that you could rest. If you want something to eat, drink or need anything, just press the number 1 on the telephone. The people downstairs will cater your every need. Do you want me to show you how?”

My mother smiled. “It’s okay, Ez. I can still remember how to use a telephone so I think, we’re going to be okay.” Ez smiled.

“Okay, I’m going then. I’ll be back tomorrow.” After he left, we decided to freshen up and shortly after that, we fell asleep in one of the rooms. When I woke up, there were already food on the table at the terrace.

“C’mon, my dear. Let’s eat. I’m already starving.”

“Who gave all these foods, mom?” I asked curiously while eyeing everything on the table. Everything seemed so delicious and my tummy growled in hunger.

“Well, I ordered through the telephone just like Ez had instructed. After that, the chef personally came to deliver everything.”

“Everything looks expensive, mom. Do we have money to pay for it?”

She laughed. “According to Ez, don’t worry about anything because everything is free. Courtesy of his best friend.” Even though, I was still hesitant, that made me feel a lot better. Later on, we began eating.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here in the city, mom.” I looked at the picturesque view before us. “This is such a beautiful place. It’s my first time seeing all these and they’re very mesmerizing. Even though I already saw this view earlier, it still pleasing to the eyes no matter how long I stare at it.”

“Are you happy?” I looked at my mother and saw her looking at me weirdly.

“O-of course, mom.”

She nodded her head. “I’m glad you are. That’s all what I want to hear.” After eating, the doctors that Ez mentioned came.

According to them, they’re a psychologist and a family medicine doctor. The family medicine doctor said that we seemed to be physically fine but the psychologist said that looked like I needed a couple of sessions with her because of everything that I’ve been through.

“I think I’m fine, doctor. There’s no need to visit me again.”

“Sabina, it’s easy to say you’re fine but I know that everything you’ve been through took a toll on you. Your mental health is every important same as your physical health. You shouldn’t ignore it and pretend like everything is normal when you know that it’s not.” Doctor Blanc, the psychologist, said and I bit my lower lip.

I didn’t think that she would actually see right through me even though I’ve been trying my best to hide my pain. Then, I realize that I needed it to totally move on with my life. I shouldn’t stay like this.

“Okay, Doctor Blanc.”

She smiled. “Very good, Sabina. Don’t worry because I’ll be the one to come to your place for our sessions. For the fees, someone had already taken care of it.”

I wanted to ask who it was but just like Ez, I knew that she would never tell me any answer. Then, the night came. I stayed at the terrace, admiring the view to my heart’s content, especially that tower called Eiffel tower, as it changes its colors.

But while watching it, I hugged myself as it suddenly became chilly. Sadness was eating my insides. For some reason, the face of Xzavier suddenly popped up in my mind, silently wishing for him to be here with me, but I knew that it was impossible for that to happen.

“Why, Xzav? I can’t believe you could hurt me like this.” Before I knew it, tears ran down my cheeks. I thought, all my tears dried up already but now, looked like there were another batch of tears that were ready to fall again.

That incomparable pain attacked my chest and it hurt like hell. Even though, I didn’t want to, I just needed to release my emotions before my chest explodes.

Then, when my tears finally stopped, I promised myself not to cry over him again. I would achieve my goals in life and be the person I’ve been wanting to become. I would show him that I would make it even without him. He made a lot of promises but those promises were meant to be broken.

The next day, the biggest surprise of our lives came when Ez arrived with someone we never expected to see once again.

“Sabina…” He uttered full of emotion upon seeing me before he shifted his gaze on my mother. “Honey…”

Tears automatically fell from my mother’s eyes while staring in disbelief at my father. Even I felt like I got rooted on the floor. Even though I’ve seen his face in pictures before, he looked totally different because he already aged.

“I-Is that you, Steve?” My father nodded his head as tears fell from his eyes. That was her cue. She rushed to him for a tight embrace.

“Oh, God! I knew you would come back to us! I knew you would!” She sobbed but I could tell that she was floating in the clouds because of so much happiness. I couldn’t hold back my tears of joy from falling. Even after all the bad things that we’ve been through, something wonderful happened.

“I’ve never given up hope, honey. I knew that one day, our family would be complete again and it finally happened. I missed you so much, honey. If this was a dream, I don’t want to wake up anymore.”

“I’m the same, honey. I can’t believe you’re finally here.” My mom answered full of emotions. They continued on hugging like that, emotions were flooding, until my father finally looked at me and smiled as he held out his other hand for me.

“Come, sweetie.” I did as I was told and let myself get enveloped into his warm embrace. The three of us hugged tightly and I felt nothing but happiness. It was my first time hugging my father and I could tell right away that he’s the best dad.

Just the way he was staring at mom and I full of longingness and happiness, his warm and tight hug and his soothing voice while telling us how much he missed us. It was a perfect reunion and I couldn’t be any happier.

“I love you both. You two are my life. I’m sorry it took this long for us to be reunited again.” Dad said.

“You don’t have to say sorry, dad. The important thing is we’re finally together. Our family is finally complete.” I answered and my mother agreed.

Later on, after that emotional moment, we thanked Ez who was there the whole time, quietly watching us. According to him, he didn’t do it alone but when we asked who were the others who helped him, he told us that they didn’t want to reveal who their identities. We respected their decision and didn’t ask about it again.

“I’m sorry that we don’t have a place to stay at now that we’re finally together. I’ve saved up money and worked for years just to get a small apartment for us but we can’t stay there anymore.”

“Why? What happened?” My mother asked with furrowed eyebrows. We’re in the living room.

“Last week, a group of men forced their way inside the apartment and attempted to kidnap me. Thankfully, Ez and his colleagues came and rescued me. If it wasn’t because of them, I might not be here today.”

“Who were those people, dad? Do you have any idea?” I caught him throw a glance at Ez before he sighed.

“I think, it’s just a random attempted burglary. It’s better for us not to talk about it. I want us to start fresh in life without any negativity. A lot of time had been wasted already so we should focus on our family this time.”

“But—” My mother was about to keep on asking questions but Ez spoke.

“—Don’t worry, Mrs. Martins. We already reported what happened to the police and they’re conducting investigation as we speak. For now, it’s better for you to stay here.” She nodded her head and didn’t ask anymore questions.

Even I wanted to know the details because I could tell that something was off but decided to just keep quiet about it.

Because we couldn’t stay in my father’s place, we stayed in that penthouse for around 2 months and during those times, my mother and I underwent sessions with the psychologist. The presence of my father with us helped us a lot too.

“There’s good news. Ez called me just now and he said that he found a place where we could stay for good. Apparently, we will be safe there, plus, your mother and I got hired for a job there.” My father excitedly informed me when I woke up one morning.

My forehead crinkled. “And where is this place?”

“In Lyon, my dear.” Even though I was kinda hesitant to move to an unfamiliar place again, I just supported my parents with their decision. When we arrived in Claudette ranch in Lyon, we met Mr. Jean-Claude Novell and his wife, Mdme. Claudette Novell.

“I’m glad you made it here to Claudette ranch, Steve, Sarah, Sabina. Welcome.” Mr. Novell said with a smile. He introduced us to everyone there and we were welcomed warmly.

We were surprised when we learned that we would be having our own place that we could call our home and our family was so grateful to them.

Days passed and we quickly adjusted to our new life. We already have friends and I started reviewing for my college entrance exams. Then, the days became months. It felt like everything was a dream. I got to do everything that I thought I wouldn’t have the chance to do while we were still in Safe Haven.

During those times, my parents and I agreed to not talk about the past and just concentrate on our new life. We wanted to forget everything and move on.

Then, one day, during my freshman in college, we finally received our grades for that term and I was so happy with the result of my hard work.

My parents were so proud of me that they even mentioned about my high grades to Mr. and Mrs. Novell and because of that, they granted me a scholarship. I was so gratefully happy that I became emotional. My dreams are slowly coming true.

Then, the months became years and during those times, a new Sabina was born, totally adjusted to the city life that I’ve been dreaming for ever since I was younger.

I graduated college with flying colors not to mention finished my course in advance because of my outstanding grades and performance.

Everything seemed so perfect not but there were nights that I still felt cold and lonely for some reason while staring at the dark starry sky. After everything that I’ve achieved, I could feel that there was a missing piece in my heart but I didn’t want to think deeper what it was because I didn’t want to feel the pain again…

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores?

Do you think Xzavier and Sabina are going to get back together?

Any idea of what happened to them before Sabina and her mom left Safe Haven?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 18

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SABINA’s POV

I just got out of my dad’s car when I heard someone calling my name. I looked at the one who was happily approaching me. Nathan, one of my friends here in the ranch. His parents also work for the Novells. It has been a while since we saw each other because he went to the USA to visit his cousins there.

“Hi, Sabina. It’s been a while. I was already about to go home because your father said that you weren’t home yet.”

“I went to get some documents from my school. Anyway, I didn’t know that you finally came back home.”

He smiled. “Well, staying in the USA was fun but I quickly missed home after three months, especially you.” I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t pull my leg. Knowing you, you came home because you got bored there.”

“I’m not kidding, Sabina. I really missed you. Anyway, I have something for you.” I got surprised when he handed me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Now, I knew why his hands were behind him since a while ago.

“Thank you, Nathan. You didn’t have to buy me anything though.” I accepted it and the scent reached my nostrils. It smells nice.

“Of course, I would buy you flowers. I would never show up here without anything for the girl of my dreams.”

“Nathan—”

“—Yeah, I know that you’re not ready for a relationship yet but I also told you that I would wait for you no matter how long. That’s how much I’m serious about you. I told you that before I left for the USA, right? I hope, you didn’t forget about it because now that I came back, I will definitely continue pursuing you until you realize that I’m the right guy for you.” I heaved a sigh.

“Nathan, you know that I’m not ready for that yet. I still have a lot of plans in life and I merely starting. I don’t want to make you wait for nothi—”

“—I am serious about you, Sabina. Just like I’ve told you just now, I’m willing to wait no matter how long. That’s how much I love you.” I groaned inwardly. Nathan is a sweet and nice guy but for some reason, my heart never reacted towards him just like the way it reacted to… Stop, Sabina! Don’t you dare go there!

“Nathan, I…” I didn’t know what to say anymore. He’s really determined. I’ve already turned him down a couple of times but he was really persistent. Aside from living here in the ranch, we studied in the same college but took different courses.

At first, I thought, he was just messing around when he told me his feelings but it turned out that he was actually serious.

Ever since we moved here to Lyon, all I had in mind was to reach my dreams and make my parents proud. I didn’t want to think of anything else because I didn’t want to mess up. I felt like if I wouldn’t give my all into making my dreams come true, I would regret it.

God gave me the chance to get out of the mountains in order to change my life and I shouldn’t waste it. Because of that, I turned down those guys who attempted to court me. But Nathan was the most persistent.

“Anyway, I came here to remind you about the party tonight. You promised to go with me before I left for the USA. I hope you didn’t forget.” I almost face-palmed. Yes, it actually slipped off my mind. Maybe because I wasn’t planning to go. My parents weren’t going because my mother has been feeling unwell since this morning that’s why I decided not to attend too even though Henry and Billy kept on pestering me to go with them.

That party was an annual party for all the employees here in the ranch and farm organize by the Novell family.

“C’mon, Sabina. Please? I’ve been looking forward to this.” He was looking at me pleadingly. Well, I did promise to attend with him. I sighed in defeat.

“Fine. We’ll go.” His face brightened.

“Really?! Yes! Thank you, Sabina! I’ll be going home to get ready then. See you later!” Before I could respond, he already hurriedly went home with a wide smile on his face. I heaved another sigh before going inside our house.

I went to my parents’ home to check if my mom was feeling better now and I felt relieved when she said that she was feeling way better than this morning.

I told them that I would attend the party and after that, I went to my room and rest for a little bit before getting ready for the party.

“I thought you weren’t going?” Henry said when he saw me in the living room. He lives in our house whenever he’s here in the ranch. He goes to school at least 3 times a week. It’s a dormitory school but they allow him to come home. He didn’t take all his units this semester so that he could work at the ranch for the remaining 3 days of the week. Sunday is his only rest day.

Just like me, he’s already ready for the party. I didn’t even know that he was already home. Well, his room was downstairs.

“Nathan convinced me to go with him.”

“That guy. He just came back but he’s started pestering you once again.” He answered while shaking his head. Later on, we exited the house together. We walked towards the party venue.

Nathan called me a while ago, saying that he would pick me up but I declined and told him that we would just meet at the party.

When we arrived there, there were already many people but it hasn’t started yet. Everyone was busy chatting with each other. The children were playing, running around.

“I really admire Mr. Novell. Even though Madame Claudette already passed away, he still continues to do this tradition for all their employees.” Henry said while we were looking for a vacant table.

“Well, the Novell family knows how to appreciate their workers and that’s what I admire most about them.” We looked at the one who spoke. It was Billy. Then, Henry and I laughed when we saw what he was wearing. He was impersonating Elvis Presley from head to toe.

“What the heck are you wearing?” Henry asked while laughing.

“Well, this is a party so I decided to take my outfit to the next level.”

“Man, don’t come near us. You’re embarrassing.”

“Hey, that’s mean. I even bought this costume just for tonight. It took me 30 minutes to fix my hair so that it would look like Elvis’.” Billy answered and I couldn’t help but laugh once again.

“Great. Even Sabina is laughing at me.” I shook my head full of amusement and was about to answer when someone spoke behind me.

“Wow. You look stunning, Sabina. Your dress suits you.” The three of us looked behind us and saw Nathan wearing a smile.

“Great. This guy again.” I heard Henry mutter and I gently elbowed him. He grunted.

“Thank you, Nathan. You look great too.”

“Really? I don’t think so.” Billy butted in with an evident displeasure on his face.

“Look who’s talking. I wasn’t informed that this party is a Halloween party.” Nathan retorted and Billy didn’t take it lightly.

“What did you just say?” Nathan was about to answer when I chose to interrupt before everything heats up.

“That’s enough, guys. It’s better for us to go find a table because the party is about to start.”

“Sabina is right so you should fùck off—I mean you should find yourself a seat. Away from us.” It was Henry. I saw Nathan’s jaw clench and the atmosphere became thicker around us. Knowing these three, it would be better for them to stay in different places because there would be trouble for sure.

“I’m sorry, Nathan, but I think they’re right. I don’t want any trouble during the party. Knowing you and these two, sitting at the same table would be impossible for the three of you.” I told Nathan apologetically before we left him there to find ourselves a table.

“You two. You shouldn’t be too harsh on Nathan like that. He’s a nice guy.” I reprimanded Henry and Billy upon sitting at our table.

“I don’t like that guy. He’s so full of himself. Imagine, he’s been bragging to his friends that he would evidentially make you his girlfriend.” Billy answered and threw a displeased look at Nathan who was now sitting at the table not far from us. I sighed.

“Don’t mind him. The important thing is he’s not doing anything to hurt anyone.”

“Don’t tell me, you like that guy?” Henry asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“Oh, my God. Do you?” Billy Queried with the same expression on his face. I rolled my eyes.

“And since when did the two of you become interested in my love life?” Henry was about to answer when Billy spoke, looking at the entrance.

“Wow. Look at Ms. Ellie. She’s as gorgeous as ever.” I followed his gaze and saw Ms. Ellie together with her grandfather, Mr. Jean-Claude Novell. Looked like they just arrived. People greeted them and they greeted them back.

“You know what? You should focus your attention on another woman because Ms. Ellie here has someone already. I already told you that before.” Henry uttered.

“Well, she’s just my crush. Anyway, enough with the riddles already and just tell us who’s the boyfriend of Ms. Ellie. Is he from here or was it the guy we saw before that visited her here from Paris?”

“I can’t believe that you don’t know who it is, Billy. You’re so dense.” Henry answered, shaking his head.

“Shut up. I’m just not like you who tends to meddle with people’s lives.” I mentally shook my head. I don’t really get bored when I’m with these two.

Shortly after that, the party finally started. Everyone was having a good time and it was such a wonderful night.

“I need to go to the restroom.” I told Henry and Billy while the program was on-going. They offered to accompany me but I refused. The ranch is a safe place and everyone knows each other. Besides, the restroom wasn’t that far.

“Did you see one of the visitors of the Novell family? Gosh! He’s so handsome!” I heard one of the women in the restroom squealing giddily while I was washing my hands.

“You’re right. Do you think, he’s Ms. Ellie’s boyfriend? They’ve been together since he arrived.”

“I don’t think so. Ms. Ellie has been civil towards him the entire time.” One of the girls answered. I suddenly got curious of whom they were talking about. Ms. Ellie has been together with her grandfather since they arrived and I didn’t see any man with her.

Then, I mentally shook my head. Why did I suddenly get curious? If that guy was her boyfriend, it’s none of my business.

After I finished washing my hands and drying them off, I exited the restroom. I was about to go back to the party when I decided to go outside for a moment to breath some fresh air.

When I reached outside, I remembered about the garden nearby. I decided to go there to sit down for a bit. I was about to sit on the bench there when I saw someone standing near the entrance of the pavilion as if having second thoughts if he would enter or not.

“Rex? I thought he wouldn’t attend tonight’s party?” I asked myself and was about to approach him when he finally gathered some courage and went inside.

I looked at the sky. For some reason, I suddenly remembered about Safe Haven. The night sky there was beautiful with all the clusters of stars. Here in the city, there were only few stars that were visible in the naked eye because of all the lights around.

I huffed when a face of someone that I haven’t seen for more than three years appeared on my mind. I shook my head and stood up.

“You should go back to the party, Sab, not stay here and think about nonsense things.” I told myself and was about to walk out of there when I bumped into something hard. Then, I realized that it was a person.

“Sorry. I didn’t see you.” I uttered and was about to walk past that person without checking who it was when that familiar scent reached my nostrils. My body went still as my heart skipped a beat. I mentally shook my head. Surely, there are many people out there who use that cologne, Sab!

For some reason, I wanted to see his face but I was afraid to confirm the growing suspicion at the back of my mind. I was about to take a step away when he finally spoke.

“Ina…” The beating of my heart became harder than a while ago. That voice…

Then, as if it was a slow motion, I looked up to see his face. I felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest because of how hard it was beating and when I finally got to see his face, my knees wobbled as if it turned into jelly, ready to give out.

I blinked innumerably, thinking that he was just a figment of my imagination but he remained standing there while staring at me full of longing. He looked a little bit different. His wavy hair was a little bit longer but it suits him.

He was wearing a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket, matching with pants which made him look like a bad boy. Well, he’s always had this bad boy aura. I swallowed hard and tried my best to gather myself together.

“What are you doing here?” I finally found my voice but it was a little bit shaky. His eyes turned somber.

“I attended the party on my parents’ stead.” Even his voice was full of sadness but I refused to believe it.

“So, you still have parents.” It wasn’t a question but full of bitterness.

“My Ina…”

I gritted my teeth. “Don’t call me that.” I then finally found the strength to move my legs and walked out of there.

“Ina, wait!” I heard him say and to my horror, he followed me. I quickened my steps in order to get away from him. I couldn’t believe that he’s here of all places. I thought, our paths would never cross again but destiny played its joke on me.

I was breathing hard as my heart continued on thumping so fast. I looked past my shoulder and panicked when I saw that he was catching up to me. I was about to run when I saw Nathan coming up to me.

“Sabina. I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?” He said with a smile and I almost sighed in relief when I furtively looked behind me and saw Xzavier stopped on his tracks, standing on his spot while looking at us with his jaw clenched.

“I-I just went out to breath some fresh air.”

“Really? You should’ve told me so that I could’ve accompanied you. It’s dark out there and there are visitors who are outsiders too.”

“I’m fine, Nathan. Nothing bad had happened to me. C’mon, let’s just go back to the party.” I took his hand and pulled him away from there. I could feel the hot stares of Xzavier but I ignored it and did my best to act normal.

Instead of going back to his table, Nathan sat next to me much to the displeasure of Billy and Henry.

I couldn’t believe that Xzavier was actually here. While we were sitting at our table, I saw Xzavier arrive and sat next to Ms. Ellie at the table near us. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling. My hands were shaking and my heart was thumping like crazy.

“Are you okay, Sabina? You look tensed.” Henry remarked with furrowed eyebrows and I forced a smile.

“I’m okay, Henry. Don’t mind me.”

“Are you sure? Did something happen to you outside? Tell me if someone harassed you and I’m going to make them pay.” Billy said.

“C’mon, Sabina. Tell us so that we could teach them a lesson. No one touches my cousin and gets away with it.” I huffed. Here they go again. Henry and Billy are really overprotective sometimes. They act like my older brothers.

“You’re overreacting you two. No one harassed me or anything of that sort, okay? Just relax.” They were about to answer when Nathan butted in.

“Sabina, the music is nice. Can I dance with you?” My traitorous eyes caught Xzavier and Ms. Ellie chatting so closely and I felt like I tasted something bitter in my mouth.

“Sure.” I answered without even looking at Nathan. My whole attention was on Xzavier and Ms. Ellie.

Yes, I was mad, beyond mad actually and I didn’t want to have anything to do with Xzavier anymore. But now, he suddenly appeared and made me remember about the past. I gritted my teeth.

Nathan and I went to the dance floor while the song ‘Heaven’ was playing.

“I’m so happy right now. This is our first dance together.” Nathan said with a smile. I was about to answer when I saw Xzavier and Ms. Ellie came to the dance floor as well and danced sweetly. I couldn’t explain why but I suddenly had the urge to hit Xzavier or throw something at him at that moment.

“You’re really so beautiful, Sabina. I feel so proud because you agreed to dance with me.” I heard Nathan speak again but I didn’t understand what he just said because my whole attention was still on Xzavier and Ms. Ellie.

I didn’t know why but I couldn’t take my eye off them which made me feel those negative feelings in my heart.

Then, I felt a pang of raw pain when I saw Xzavier pull Ms. Ellie closer to his body. I bit my lower lip. That was the last straw. I needed to get out of there.

“Did you hear what I’ve said, Sabina?” Nathan asked but I couldn’t answer it anymore as I rushed towards the exit, clutching my chest. My eyes brimmed with tears even though I didn’t want to.

“Sabina, wait!” Nathan called for me and followed me but I didn’t stop. I needed to breath. When I reached outside, that’s when Nathan caught up to me.

“What happened to you back there, Sabina?” I looked at him and he was surprised when he saw the unshed tears in my eyes.

“I want to be alone for now, Nathan. Please, go back inside.” My voice was shaking while struggling not to cry.

“No. I can’t just leave you here like this. What went wrong? Did I say something you didn’t like?”

I groaned inwardly. “No. It’s not you, Nathan.” I took a deep breath. “Go back to the party. It’s better for me to go home.” He was about to respond when we heard a voice.

“Ina, please. Let’s talk.” It was Xzavier.

“Who are you?” Nathan asked confusedly while staring at me and Xzavier alternately.

“I’m not talking to you so back off.” Xzavier answered arrogantly and that angered Nathan.

“Whoever you are, it’s obvious that Sabina here doesn’t want to talk to you so you should be the one to back off.” Nathan then took my hand. “Let’s go back to the party, Sabina.”

Xzavier’s eyes turned into slits in rising anger. “I’m warning you. Let go of her hand right at this instant or you’ll be sorry.” Cold chills ran down my spine seeing that dangerous expression on Xzavier’s face and I knew right at that moment that he would do something crazy if Nathan wouldn’t let go of my hand.

Knowing Xzavier, he’s capable of hurting Nathan and that worried me.

“And who are you to tell me that? I’m sure that you’re not her boyfriend so don’t act like one. Let’s go, Sabina.” I felt like a leaf, just going with the flow as we walked back to the party. Nathan was still holding my hand.

I almost sighed I relief when I noticed that Xzavier was just standing on his spot, immobile. Maybe, he gave up, I thought. But I was wrong.

We were almost at the entrance when he did the unthinkable. He pulled me by the hand causing Nathan to involuntarily let go of my hand. I was about to shout at him in anger when he scooped me up onto his arms like a bag of potato and walked out of there.

“Put me down, you jerk!”

“And you know how to say words like that now, huh?” Xzavier answered as if he wasn’t doing something crazy.

“What do you think you’re doing to her?!” Nathan tried to stop him but Xzavier faced him with a dangerous look on his face.

“Sabina Martins is my girlfriend so back off! I’m warning you. Take another step closer and you’ll be sorry. One more word from you and I assure you that I’ll bring you to hell.” That intimidated Nathan and couldn’t do anything as Xzavier took me out of there.

I kept on trashing and hitting his back, screaming for him to put me down but all my screams fell on deaf ears.

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What can you say about this chapter, Amores?

Do you think, Sabina will forgive Xzavier?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 19

Have a nice weekend, Amores. :)

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SABINA’s POV

Everyone was in the party that no one saw Xzavier taking me somewhere against my will. I was hitting his back, hoping that he would put me down by doing that but I was wrong. Then, after I didn’t know how long, he finally put me down on my feet.

“I just want us to talk without any disturbance, Ina. You don’t have to act like I’m kidnapping you or something.” Instead of responding, I slapped him in the face because of anger. Even I was surprised of what I did. It was my first time slapping someone but I didn’t care anymore. I was mad.

“Damn you! Who do you think you are to show yourself here and act like this as if you didn’t do anything?!” I was already full of rage that my voice was loud. My whole body was shaking and I felt like I was about to explode in anger.

“Ina, please. All I’m asking from you right now is a chance to listen to me.”

I scoffed. “Listen to you? I don’t think so. You don’t have the right to demand anything from me. You lost the right three and a half years ago!” I then turned my back on him and was planning to leave him there but he spoke.

“Are you that mad that you can’t even give me at least five minutes of your time to explain my side?” I gritted my teeth and pivoted to look at him.

“For what? For you to make a fool out of me again like what you did in the past?” I shook my head. “No. I don’t think so. If you managed to play with me back then, that won’t ever happen again. I’m no longer the naïve and innocent Sabina that you met in the mountains.” I then marched my way back to the party.

I was almost at the entrance when he did the unexpected. He followed me and hugged me from behind tightly. I gasped as my body went immobile like a statue.

“I missed you so much.” He whispered full of emotion and that surprised me. I didn’t expect him to say that. My heart was beating like a drum and for some reason, I lost the capability to speak for a moment.

“I know that I don’t have the right to demand anything from you after what happened but I have to say it. After all these years, I did my best to just forget about you so that you could live in peace but I couldn’t take it anymore.

“When my parents told me to come here, I was afraid of sowing myself to you but when I finally saw you and with another man at that, I lost it. I felt like dying seeing another guy dancing and holding your hand. That’s when I realized that I couldn’t just give up on us. Not now, not ever. I just can’t.” I felt my eyes heated as it brimmed with tears but I did my best to blink them back. Now, after seeing him again and hearing him say those words, it brought back the pain in my heart again.

“Let go of me. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore.” I uttered firmly. He shook his head.

“No. You’re only saying that because you’re mad.”

“I said, let go of me!” I forcefully unwrapped his arms from hugging me and then faced him bravely. “I don’t want to see you ever again.” Raw pain registered on his face but I was too angry to notice it. After saying that, I walked away from him.

“My Ina, please.” I heard him beg and I smiled mirthlessly. It has been so long since the last time I heard him call me that endearment and if the situation was different, my heart would surely swell. But everything’s different now. I was too hurt and I didn’t know how to give the chance that he was asking for me to listen to his explanation. It’s already took late for that.

I wanted to go back to the party after that but I knew that I wouldn’t have the strength t pretend in front of everyone that I was okay so I decided to go to the garden while trying my best to calm myself down.

But I was surprised when I saw an unexpected sight. It was Rex together with Miss Ellie. My forehead scrunched. Maybe, they’re just talking about work or something. I was about to turn around to leave when I witnessed how Rex hugged Miss Ellie from behind.

He looked like he was begging her over something and Miss Ellie’s face softened as she faced him.

Since when did they become so close like this? I knew that Mr. Novell appointed Rex to become Miss Ellie’s bodyguard for the time being but I thought, that was just it. Then, my eyes widened when the two of them kissed. I gasped but I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and quickly got out of there.

I suddenly remembered about Henry had said about Rex’s crush. Looked like he noticed but little did he know, Rex and Miss Ellie were already in a relationship.

I shook the thought away. I shouldn’t think about it because it wasn’t my business. I accidentally discovered their secret but that’s just it.

I decided to just go home because I knew that if I go back to the party, I would see Xzavier there.

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That night, I couldn’t sleep at all. My mind was occupied about Xzavier. Everything that happened at the party, especially those words that he told me kept on replaying inside my head like a broke record. Whenever I close my eyes, I felt like I was still seeing the loneliness and longing in his eyes while staring at me.

I groaned I as looked at the clock. It was already 7 am. Looked like I didn’t have a choice but to get up even though I felt groggy because of lack of sleep.

I huffed and was about to crawl out of bed when I heard someone knocking on my door.

“It’s open!” I said with a loud voice so that they could hear it. The door opened and I was surprised when I saw my parents holding a cake together with Henry who was holding different kinds of balloons.

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to you.” They sang for me with smiles on their faces and that made me smile.

“Aw. Thank you, guys.”

“C’mon, sweetie. Make a wish.” I closed my eyes and was about to wish for something when the face of Xzavier popped up of my mind. I opened my eyes right away while breathing hard.

“What happened, my dear? Are you okay?” My mother asked worriedly. I swallowed hard and then forced a smile.

“I’m okay. I just didn’t have enough sleep that’s why I’m still sleepy.”

“Why? Did something happen at the party? Henry here told me that you went home without waiting for them.”

“Yes. What happened to you last night, Sabina? Billy and I looked all over for you. Thankfully, someone saw you walking home alone as if you weren’t yourself.” Henry said. I felt like a lump suddenly was in my throat.

“I was just sleepy that’s why I couldn’t finish the party. I’m sorry for not saying anything before going home.” I answered apologetically. “Anyway, I’m fine and you don’t have anything to be worried about.” I then blew the candle and then got out of bed. “Thank you for the surprise. Love you.” I then hugged my parents.

Thankfully, looked like they believed me. After that, they went downstairs while I was in the washroom for my morning rituals. When I went downstairs, everyone was busy preparing for my birthday celebration.

It would just be a simple lunch with our friends. My parents took an off from work and wanted for us to throw a small party but I declined.

“Sabina, could you go to the grocery store? I forgot to buy some ingredients.” My mother said after I ate my breakfast. They already ate their breakfast because apparently, they woke up early to start preparing for my birthday.

“Sure, mom.” I took the car key and then went out of our house. The grocery store was a in the center of the city so I had to take the car.

After I bought everything on the list, I went home right away. When I arrived at the ranch, I stopped by the work of Henry and Billy.

“Where is Rex? Did you tell him to come today at my house for my birthday?”

“We haven’t had the chance to tell him yet but don’t worry, we’ll tell him later.” Billy answered.

“Okay. See you three later then.” I said and was about to go back inside my car when I heard sounds of horses nearby.

“Look. It’s that guy from last night.” Billy uttered and I followed his gaze. My heart pounded hardly upon seeing Xzavier together with Miss Ellie. They’re riding their own horses while talking about something. Looked like they were so engrossed about what they were talking about that they didn’t even notice us. My lower lip as I felt a pang of pain in my chest.

“Are you okay, Sabina? Why are you looking at them like that? If I didn’t know that you don’t know that guy, I would think that you were jealous at Miss Ellie because of the attention he’s giving her right now.” It was Henry.

“W-What are you talking about? That’s nonsense. Anyway, I need to go. Mom and dad are waiting for the ingredients.” Before they could answer, I quickly got into my car and drove off.

I couldn’t understand what I feeling. Just like when I saw them together last night dancing on the dance floor, I felt like my heart was about to explode for some reason.

“What the heck, Sabina. Are you for real? That’s Xzavier! You shouldn’t get affected! Besides, you already know that Miss Ellie is Rex’s girlfriend!” When I realized the last thing I said, I almost hit my head. I shook my head.

“Stop, Sabina! You hate him and that’s just the only feeling that’s left in your heart! Nothing else!” I chastised myself like crazy. Why is he still in the ranch anyway?

I groaned inwardly. I felt like I was going insane just thinking that he’s just nearby but I tried my best to push those thoughts off my mind and concentrate on my birthday.

When I arrived home, I momentarily forgot about Xzavier because we were busy preparing everything. When we finished everything, I took my bath and wore the sun dress that my parents gifted for me on my birthday.

“I invited the Novells too, Sab. But Mr. Jean-Claude can’t make it because he’s busy today.” My dad informed me.

“Well, you know him. Even though he’s already retired, he still works manages the ranch and farm.” My mom answered.

“It’s a pity that he can’t come. Well, I’ll just pass by their house to give him some of the food. I’m sure, he’ll be happy.” I said and my parents smiled.

“You really adore Mr. Jean-Claude like your grandpa.”

“Well, I’ve never experienced having grandparents.” According to my parents, my maternal grandparents died when mom was still young that’s why she was raised by her relatives while my dad hasn’t seen his parents ever since they disowned him.

When lunch time came, my visitors started arriving one by one. Then, Henry, Billy together with Rex arrived too. Then, the celebration started and we ate lunch together.

“Sweetie, I’ll just go out for a bit to call someone. Enjoy yourself, okay?”

“Okay, dad.” The chatting continued as Rex decided to go to the patio. He wanted to relax before he would go back to his work.

I followed him.

“You know what? I’ve been wondering why a good-looking guy like you hasn’t been scouted yet as a model or even an actor until now. You’re too handsome to be a worker here.” I said while were sitting on the wooden bench while having tea.

“Why? Are you tired of seeing my face here that’s why you want me gone now?” He asked playfully and I laughed as I hit him lightly by the shoulder.

“Silly. Of course, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that you have the body and face to be like those men in magazines. I thought, it’s such a waste for you to be here.” I answered honestly. Well, before, I couldn’t really understand why he prefers to work here in Claudette ranch but now, looked like I have an idea. It was Miss Ellie.

He was about to answer but he something caught his attention at the gate. I followed his gaze and I was surprised to see Xzavier, Miss Ellie and dad entering the gate. My heart started acting weird. What the heck is he doing here?!

My heartbeat became faster as they approached us. When they finally arrived in front of us, I thought Ellie would say something to Rex but she looked weird and didn’t even throw him a glance while Xzavier remained quiet but I could feel his hot stares even though I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Hey, you two. What are you doing here in the patio? Why don’t you go inside?” My dad asked with furrowed eyebrows. I wanted to answer but for some reason, I felt like I lost the capability to speak. I just met his gaze, silently telling him not to ask any more questions.

He heaved a sigh. “Fine. Anyway, this is Mr. Cryxus Montaño, a friend of the Novell family. Mr. Montaño, this is my daughter, Sabina, the birthday celebrant and her friend, who works here in the ranch, Rex.” I almost gasped out loud upon hearing his name. Cryxus?!

Then, a bitter smile appeared on my lips. He even lied to me about his name. His real name is actually Cryxus Montaño. Now, I realized that everything about him was nothing a lie just like his broken promises.

My fist tightened. I wanted nothing but to slap him in the face for being such a con artist. I looed at Miss Ellie, thinking that she would speak but I caught her staring daggers at Rex and I noticed that dangerous stare that Xzavier was giving him as well. I could feel the heavy atmosphere and my father seemed to notice it too.

“O, I’m glad that you came, Rex.” He voiced out with a merry voice, trying to lighten up the mood. Rex shook hands with him.

“It looks like we arrived at a wrong time and disturbed you two.” My body went still when Xzavier suddenly spoke. He was now looking at me and Rex alternately full of seriousness. Then, focused his gaze on Rex who bravely stared back at him.

They were staring at each other as if measuring each other’s strength. How dare he try to intimidate Rex?! Why is he anyway?!

“No. We’re just having a conversation while drinking tea.” Rex then answered without breaking their eye contact. The air was getting thicker as the tension began rising.

“Then, why don’t we go inside? C’mon, let’s go.” Dad said.

“We’ll follow you after we have a talk with Sabina and Rex.” Xzavier said with an unreadable expression on his face. My father’s eyebrows creased confusedly while looking at the four of us before nodding his head and shrugging his shoulders before entering the house.

Sabina. It was his first time uttering my complete name since the first time we met.

Nobody talked for a couple of seconds and I could feel the heavy atmosphere. I wanted to get out of there but I couldn’t move.

“Hi, Sabina. Happy birthday.” Then, Miss Ellie said, breaking the deafening silence.

“Thank you, Ellie.” I answered uncomfortably. Whenever I talk to her, I call her by her first name because she didn’t want me adding honorifics. I always feel shy whenever I talk to the Novell siblings before but because they were friendly, I gradually became comfortable around them.

But now, the stares of Xzavier were making me uncomfortable and I wanted to run away as far as I could.

“Can we talk?” I didn’t expect him to say that. My heart raced even more as panic rose within me. I looked at Rex, silently begging for him to do something about it.

“N-No. I am still talking to Rex.” Thankfully, I found my voice. I normally wouldn’t get tensed like this around people because I learned how to deal with every individual I met but it’s different with Xzavier. I could feel how dangerous he was just by seeing those dangerous stares that he was throwing at Rex. He didn’t even try to hide it.

I saw his jaw clench upon hearing my response. I was about to stand up and go inside the house when Xzavier suddenly took me by the hand and pulled me out of there. He wasn’t dragging me nor use any force but for some reason, my tongue stiffened and just let him take me wherever he wanted.

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Do you still remember Ellie & Rex’s story?

Have already read Ellie and Rex’s story? If you still haven’t, read it now. :)

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chapter 20

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CRYXUS’ POV

I kept on shooting my target like a madman and with each shot, I was wishing that it would lessen the heavy feeling in my chest. I scoffed. As if this would help you, moron…

“What’s with you today, 7? Thankfully, we’re here at the shooting range not in a mission. Look at the people around. They seem terrified of you for shooting like you’re going to kill everyone without a second thought.” My jaw flexed as I threw a glance at Ez.

“I don’t give a fùck about them. Why don’t you just shoot your target and leave me alone?” He laughed.

“Well, I’m getting bored with all these stationary targets. You know that I prefer the real thing. Anyway, why did you decide for us to come here when you have your own shooting range? You just ruined the moment of the people here by intimidating them.”

“I just want to blow off some steam out of my house for a change. And for your information, I am not trying to intimidate anyone. I am just here, minding my own business. If they’re threatened by my presence, that’s their problem, not mine.” I reloaded the gun that I was holding. “Why did you come with me if you don’t like these kinds stuff?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Because I am on vacation right now and I don’t have anything to do.” I looked at him sharply.

“On vacation or spying on me?” He laughed again and I zeroed my eyes on him, beginning to get irritated than I already was.

“Well, not really. Just like I’ve said, I’m really on vacation right now.” Then, he turned serious. “I’m just here because I’m worried to be honest.”

“Worried about what? You don’t have to be worried about me. I’m doing fine. Besides, it’s not like I’m a baby that needs someone to take care of me.”

“I’m not worried about you. I’m just worried about other people you might encounter. Knowing your temper these past few years…”

“What do you think of me? A murderer that will kill anyone I see just because of my temper?!”

He released a breath. “That’s not what I’m trying to say. You know what I mean. I’m here as a friend. Since I am your best friend, the guys and I decided to do this now that you finally came back from your mission in Afghanistan. Everyone has been worried about you, you know.” I huffed and then threw the gun that I was holding on the nearby table instead of continuing to shoot the targets.

I suddenly lost the interest so I decided to sit on the seat across Ez and chugged down my beer.

“Just like what I’ve said just now, I am not a child so you don’t have to look after me. Tell the guys, everything’s okay. I am here for a short break before going back to Afghanistan.” I then reached for my leather jacket and put it on before standing up and was about to walked out of there when Ez spoke once again.

“Regan just sent me a message, asking if we could make it to the club.”

“I don’t have any interest in going to the club right now and watch that guy drown himself in alcohol because his woman left him.”

“Look who’s talking.” He muttered under his breath and I gave him a glare.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. Anyway, if you don’t want to go to the club, it’s okay. We can just meet them at the mancave. I know that you don’t have anything to do the whole day today because you’re on vacation too so why don’t we just hangout with the guys?” He’s right.

Starting today, it would be my indefinite leave from the organization because it has been so long since the last time I took a vacation. I finally got tired after incessant working for the last three and half years without a single day of break.

“Okay. Whatever.” Ez stood up with a smile and tapped me by the shoulders.

“Let’s go then before you change your mind.” We exited the shooting range and hopped onto our own motorbikes. Later on, we were both on the motorway as our bikes roared like beasts.

When we arrived in the mancave, everyone was obviously surprised upon seeing me. Ez said that the guys cancelled their plan to go to the club and just decided to come here meet us in our mancave.

The mancave was built was a special place for every member of the TBG club. We just come here when we want to have a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Well, we frequently spend our time in our VIP room in the TBG club but if we wanted some peace and calm, we come here at the mancave.

Just like our VIP room in the TBG club, all the entertainment that we want are here. There are also foods, drinks and every stuff we need if we happen to spend the night here.

Of course, this place is only for us and no one else could come aside from our own family and if you say family, it’s the wife and children only.

“What the—you actually manage to bring him over.” The surprise look on Zandro’s face said it all. It has been more than three years since the last time I attended a get together like this with the guys. Well, I got to see the others these past few months but it was only during our missions which were brief because we didn’t have the same assignments.

“Well, at last, he agreed to come here. Besides, this is the only time he’s not busy ever since the last time we all met together like this. We were complete back then but now, there’s only us.” Ez answered as he thew himself on the couch and sat there as if he was at his own home.

“So, how have you been, bud? You’ve been on constant mission these past few years that we only got to see you a few times.” It was Kyrus.

“Ky is right. I can’t believe that you’ve been absent on most of our get togethers these past three years.” It was Regan. I huffed.

“Enough with the questions. I just got here and you’re already giving me headache.” I then took a can of beer and started drinking it. They shared at look.

“Where are the others anyway?” I then queried casually as I looked at them. There was only Regan, Enrique, Kyrus, Ezron and Zardius.

“Well, you know how busy they are and it’s not easy to gather everyone in the same place at the same time. We just decided to hang out together today because Zardius here is going to leave the USA for quite sometime.” Regan answered and drank his own beer. My eyebrows creased.

“You’re leaving? To where?” I asked Zardius. He shrugged his shoulders.

“I just have something to do in Greece. I don’t know when am I going to return.” I nodded my head and took another sip on my drink.

“What about you? What have you been doing? I can see that nothing has changed ever since that day. Well, it’s obvious that you’ve become for dangerous though because you seem to be mad at everything and everyone around you. T told me that you’ve accepted the most dangerous assignments these past few years as if you were planning to die.” Enrique voiced out while staring at me like a hawk.

“What? You’re still heartbroken that you’re really willing to throw away your own life?” Kyrus was shaking his head while saying that. I drank the remaining content of my beer and was about to open another one when Ezron stopped me.

“Bud, that’s enough. You drank three beers already before coming here. You know what happens when you get drunk.”

“Yeah. The last time we saw you got drunk, you almost got run over by a car.” Regan remarked with a hint of amusement. I gritted my teeth as that particular night came back to me…

I kept on drinking alcohol like there’s no tomorrow with the goal of getting drunk so that I would forget the pain that I was feeling even just for a short period of time.

I couldn’t care less if I lost consciousness or don’t wake up anymore. That might actually be better…

“Hey, that’s enough. We came here to relax and enjoy not like this.” Zandro reprimanded me and tried to snatch the bottle from me but I quickly evaded his attempt.

“Mind your own business, Z. Leave me alone.” I answered pathetically and continued on drinking. We’re currently in the VIP room of TBG club and for the first time in a while, we’re complete. But I wasn’t in the mood for any celebration or interacting with them.

I just came back from the mountains and I felt like my soul wasn’t inside my body. I was at a loss and didn’t know what to do with my life.

“X, what’s happening to you? This is not like you. Knowing you, you’ve never drink this much alcohol before. Did something happen?” It was T. I looked up and saw that everyone was already surrounding me. Great.

“Don’t mind me. I just want to get drunk and enjoy tonight.” I then stood up and marched my way towards the door.

“What happened to X, Ez? You two were together these past few days, right?” I heard Oeris ask him but I didn’t hear how he answered that because I already closed the door behind me.

Even though I was already drunk, I went downstairs. The loud noise of the music mixed with the voices of people inside the club around greeted my ears. I winced while descending the stairs.

Suddenly, I paused for a couple of seconds as I looked down at the people who were having fun. If it was before, I would’ve surely joined them but now, I felt like everything around me became grey.

Then, the lovely face of Sabina appeared on my mind as tears falling from her eyes. She was staring at me full of resentment.

“Ina…” I uttered like I wasn’t myself and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I just couldn’t forgive myself and felt desperate. My hand tightened on the bottle of alcohol that I was holding and then slowly opened my eyes.

A bitter small smile appeared on my face as the pain my chest intensified. It was so intense that I wanted to pull out my heart out of my chest. I was about to take another sip on my drink when I suddenly saw a woman exiting the club. She looked like Sabina.

“Ina…” I called for her but of course, with all the loud music, she didn’t hear me. I tried my best to descend the stairs quickly that I almost fell down because my vision was already a little blurry because of drunkenness.

But I persevered. I needed to see her and talk to her!

“My Ina, wait!” I followed her desperately, trying my best to run straight without staggering. When I reached outside the club, I saw the woman crossing the street.

“Ina! Don’t leave me! Wait for me!” I then crossed the street without thinking nor looking to my left or right. All I wanted was to catch up to her and take her into my arms. Because of that, I didn’t see the car that was heading straight towards me.

“X!” That was the last thing I heard before I found myself being thrown on the ground. I groaned as the pain of the impact reached my senses.

I blinked innumerably, trying to understand what just happened.

“Are you crazy?! Were you planning to die?!” I tried to sit up and saw the angry look on Ezron’s face. Looked like he saved me from being hit by a speeding car. Behind him were our friends, looking at me confusedly and full of concern.

But I didn’t care about them. I looked around again but I couldn’t see Sabina anymore.

“Ina…Where is Ina?” I asked like I was going insane.

“Are you talking about Sabina? Bud, you know that she’s not here!”

I shook my head. “No. I saw her just now.”

“X, Sabina is far away from here at this moment that’s why it’s impossible for her to be here. If you want to see her, you know where to find her.” I could see the pity on Ezron’s face while looking at me. His voice mellowed.

I shook my head as my eyes watered when I remembered what happened. “I…can’t see her…You know that.” Then, tears ran down my cheeks much to my friends’ surprise. That was my very first time breaking down in front of anyone but I didn’t care anymore.

My chest was so heavy and I felt like it would explode if I wouldn’t cry it out…

“Shut up. Why don’t you just focus on finding your woman whose name is Carina instead of commenting on what I’m doing?”

“What did you say? Don’t you dare utter her name just to get on my nerves, Montaño. What about you? Why don’t you just go straight to Lyon right now and see your woman whose name is Sabina?” His tone changed and held warning as he copied the way I spoke about his woman.

The same old Regan. Serious most of the time but dangerous when he gets mad.

My eyes squinted in anger as I heard Sabina’s name for the first time in so long. “Don’t you dare say her name.”

“Hey, you two, that’s enough. We know how brokenhearted the two of you right now but let’s avoid pissing each other off.” Ky butted in, obviously worried that Reg and I would get into a fight. He then looked at me.

“X, Reg is just concerned about you. We all are. Seeing you right now, it’s clear as day that you’re still in the same state you were in more than three years ago and we’re just worried what you might do to yourself.

“You’ve been on most dangerous assignments as if it were just a mere child’s play. What’s happening to you? It’s been more than three years. Just because of a girl, you’re willing to throw away your life? Where is the Cryxus Montaño that we used to know?” He then stated and that made my blood boil.

Before anyone could react, I stood up abruptly and grabbed Kyrus by the collar roughly. “She’s not just any other girl, you understand?!”

“X, that’s enough. I’m sure, Ky didn’t mean anything bad of saying that.” Enrique got in between us as he forcefully pulled me away from Kyrus.

“This is not like you, X. You look so pathetic right now.” But Ky didn’t stop running his mouth.

“What the heck, Ky! Don’t provoke him further!” Ez reprimanded and my jaw clenched. I met Kyrus’ gaze sharply and the tension risen even more.

“What did you just say?”

“You heard me, X. I have admired you for years because you knew how to handle any obstacles that came your way with ease. You never showed any mercy and was always calm and calculated not to mention wise. But just because of a girl you met in the mountains, you sank so low and you’ve become like a lost sheep finding its way in the dark.

“If you’re this mess because of her, why don’t you do anything to take her back instead of acting like this as if you’re punishing yourself, pushing yourself past your limits and waiting to just die like an idiot?” I clenched my fists tightly and was about to retaliate when Ezron came between us.

“That’s enough. We didn’t come here to fight or throw sour words at one another. Man, I hate it when X, Reg, Quen, Ky and Zar are in the same place. You have the worst tempers in the TBG.”

“How come I’m involved when I didn’t say anything? As far as I know, everyone in the TBG have the worst tempers, except me, I guess.” The same Zardius. I couldn’t even tell if he was kidding or not. Well, he never kids around.

“Except you, my a*s. You’re the quietest but when it comes to temper issues, you’re the same as us if not, worst.”

“Really? As far as I know, I am the calmest.”

“You’re the quietest but definitely not the calmest, Zar, and that’s a fact. Anyway, enough of this. Let’s just enjoy today without trying to piss each other off, can we?” Ez said and everyone finally agreed. I quietly sat on the stool at the bar counter.

I was about to have another sip of my drink when my phone rang. My forehead creased when I saw who the caller was.

“Papà.”

“Son, your mother and I can’t come home on the scheduled date. I need you to attend an important party on our stead.”

“You know that I hate attending those kinds of gathering, papà. Find someone else to go on your stead.” He sighed.

“Why? Are you busy right now? I can’t just send anyone to Lyon just like that. If it’s not because of an important matter, I prefer to attend Mr. Jean-Claude’s party.” My body went still upon hearing what he said.

“W-What did you say, papà? Are you referring to Mr. Jean-Claude Novell in Lyon France?”

“Yes, son.”

“Where is the party venue?”

“Why do you suddenly sound so interested?”

I gulped inaudibly. “Just answer my question, papà.”

“It will be in Claudette ranch in Lyon.” My grip on my phone tightened. I closed my eyes shut, knowing that I shouldn’t step foot on that place. Then, all of a sudden, my phone beeped.

“Wait, papà. Stay on the line.” I then checked the message that I received. Different emotions filled my chest as I read the text message. I wanted to fly into a fit of rage and throw my phone on the floor. Thankfully, I still managed to control myself.

“When is the party, papà? I’ll go.” I then asked my father with a hardened face.

“Really? I thought you didn’t want to?”

“I changed my mind.” My voice was full of determination. Now that I think about it, it’s been more than three years and I finally reached my limit. I needed to see her before I totally lose my mind.

Without any second thought, I went to Lyon France to finally see her but because of unforeseen events, our meeting didn’t go as planned. To be fair, I knew that it wouldn’t be easy but seeing her with the presence of another man with her made me lose my cool.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores? 

Have you read Regan and Carina’s love story already? If you haven’t yet, read it now. 

What do you think of this mini reunion of some TBG members?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 21

Who’s still reading this book? I might put this story on-hold because I am quickly losing interest in writing nowadays not to mention with the lack of response from readers which is adding to my lack of interest also. 

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SABINA’s POV

I tried to pull back my hand from his grip but he didn’t let it go. I was shouting for him to let me go but just like the first time we met at the party after more than three years, he acted like he wasn’t hearing anything that I was saying and just continued on walking.

Then, I thought of another trick for him to just let me go even if he didn’t want to.

“Help! This bad guy is kidnapping me!” He threw me glance and I caught him smirk instead of panicking.

“Scream all you want, my Ina. I don’t care. Besides, it’s not true that I’m kidnapping you. I just want us to talk.”

“Damn you! I said let me go! I don’t want to talk to you!” I struggled once again but he was too strong for me. I looked around, hoping to see someone but no one was there.

Almost all the people in the ranch were invited to my house. When we left the house, everyone was already there while the others who weren’t there were probably out of the ranch that’s why they couldn’t attend my birthday. That explains why no one was around to help me.

I could feel the anger within me intensified. I couldn’t believe that he was forcing me like this against my will.

“I hate you.” I uttered full of resentment and that seemed to finally reach him because his steps came to a halt.

“I know that very much.” His voice held bitterness and pain.

“Then, why did you show yourself to me again? How could you come here and act like you have every right to do this to me? You’re just making me hate you even more.” I answered acidly and forcefully pulled back my hand from his and I almost sighed in relief when he finally let it go.

“Aren’t you really going to listen to me?” He asked silently without turning around to look at me. I gritted my teeth.

“For what? Nothing’s going to change anyway. Besides, I am not interested in hearing your explanation one bit. What’s the use? You’re nothing but a stranger to me. I don’t even know your real name. There’s nothing to explain because I understand one thing here and that’s the fact that everything about you and what you showed me when we were together in the past were nothing but lies. Goodbye, Mr. Cryxus Montaño. I hope our paths will not cross again after this.” I turned my back on him and hurriedly walked away from there, all the while, my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest.

“Ina…” I heard him utter my name but I ignored him. I chuckled mirthlessly. He hasn’t said anything about what he did in the past but my heart felt like someone was crushing it with their bare hand already. I didn’t want to remember it ever again but his presence livened the pain again.

I groaned inwardly when I noticed that my vision seemed to turn blurry that I couldn’t see the road clearly. Because of that, I accidentally stepped on something that made me slip.

I squealed as I landed on the hard surface of the road.

“Ina!” Xzavier hurriedly approached me. “Are you okay? Fùck. You’re bleeding!” That made me panic and searched where the bleeding was coming from with my eyes. My right knee and right elbow were indeed bleeding because of some scrapes.

The bleeding was just minimal but it affected me. I closed my eyes shut. I’m afraid of blood!

I suddenly felt nauseated as the pictures of my best friend’s body full of blood when they found her in the mountains came back to me. I suddenly wanted to throw up as I felt like everything was spinning in a fast motion.

“Come. We need to clean your wounds.” I heard Xzavier say as he helped me stand up. Instead of turning him down, I cupped my head, trying my best to get it together but I just couldn’t. This was my first time having an attack like this since we moved here to Lyon.

“Are you okay, Ina? You’re look pale.” I opened my mouth, intending to answer but it only came out as a groan because I felt really dizzy. Then, my legs gave out. Thankfully, he was there to catch me.

“Fùck! What’s happening to you?” His voice was full of worry as he scooped me up onto his arms, bridal style. “Looks like you need some medical attention. I can see that you’re having some kind of attack.” His arms around me, holding me tightly, together with his warmth made me a little bit better for some reason.

I’ve never thought that we would feel each other’s warmth like this again. When I left Safe Haven more than three years ago, I promised to myself not to look back ever again. But now that he’s here again, he started stirring these weird feelings inside of me that I’ve long forgotten.

Yes, his touch still has the same effect on me but I knew that it was all lies and nothing to be happy about. He brought me the greatest heartbreak of my life and I would never allow him to do it again.

“No…Take me back…home. I’m fine. I…don’t need a doctor.” I finally managed to say.

“Are you sure? But you look like you’re about to faint.” His voice was still as worried as before. I opened my eyes and met his gaze bravely.

“I’m not. Just take me back home.” He didn’t answer for a couple of seconds. His jaw was flexing. I thought, he finally listened to me as he quietly started walking, still carrying me in his arms. Since I didn’t have the strength to struggle out of his arms, I just hoped that he would indeed take me home.

After a couple of minutes, my forehead crinkled when I felt like we were ascending some stairs. I opened my eyes and realized that we were at the treehouse at the backyard of our house. Looked like he deliberately avoided the people in the front yard. How did he know about this treehouse?

Since there were stairs up to the treehouse, it was easy for him to take me there while in his arms.

“Why did you take me here? I said, take me back to my house.” I finally started gaining some strength. He sighed.

“You’re home, Ina. This treehouse is just located in your backyard so this is basically home. I think, it’s better for us to clean your wounds first before going back to your house. We don’t want everyone especially your parents to be worried about you when they see your scrapes.” When we reached the treehouse, he put me down on the small sofa.

The tree house was bigger than a normal tree house because the tree was a big and old tree. But even so, the tree looked healthy and strong enough to love for a couple more centuries.

“Stay here. I’ll just get something.” He then entered the sole small room there and came out with the first aid kit in his hand. My jaw dropped.

“Where did you get that?” I asked full of confusion. I didn’t even know that there was a first aid kit in there.

“I didn’t know about it. I just tried my luck and luckily, I found one.” He then sat beside me and then opened the first aid kit. Shortly after that, he began tending to my scrapes.

“Ouch! It hurts! Be gentle!” I hissed at him irritably and was about to push his hands away but he prevented me from doing so by holding my hands together.

“Shhh. This will be quick. Just bear with it for now.” He then blew at my wound as if that would help reduce the pain.

“There. It isn’t that bad, right?” His voice was full of gentleness as he finished tending to my scrapes by putting bandage on it. I looked at him. For a moment, he seemed to turn back to the way he was before; like the Xzavier that I used to know.

I felt like I tasted something bitter in my mouth when I remembered how he made a fool out of me and deceived me. Xzavier didn’t even exist and I’m not surprise if everything else about him was also fake, a created persona intended to deceive to get what he wanted. Sadly, I was the only victim of his false identity.

And now, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, living his real identity as if he didn’t do anything. That thought made me enrage but I did my best to get it together. I didn’t want him to think that I still haven’t moved on from the past.

“Why are you here? I’ve been quietly living my life in the ranch these past few years but now; you’re starting to invade it. Aren’t you done with me yet? Are you planning to web another set of lies and trap me in it? Sorry to tell you this but it won’t be easy this time. I’m not the same Sabina you met in the mountains.” He shifted his gaze on me and I saw set of strange emotions that passed through his eyes.

“No, my Ina. I—”

“—Stop calling me that!” I interrupted him sternly and his eyes turned somber.

“I can see that you hate me so much and I’m not blaming you for feeling that way. Of course, you would hate me after everything you saw and discovered. But not everything you heard and saw meant what it looked.”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear your nonsense. Just answer my question already. If you won’t answer it, just get out of here.” My voice held coldness. He took a breath and that somber look disappeared on his face as it turned poker.

“I came to attend the party on my parents’ stead. Yes, I expected to see you and I was prepared to act uncaring, meant to ignore you. But when I saw you with another man, I lost it. I just couldn’t ignore it.”

I scoffed. “Why would you get affected if I was with another man? You ruined my moment with my boyfriend at the party. Not just that. You created a scene!” I didn’t know why I suddenly said that Nathan was my boyfriend. But I already said it and I wouldn’t be taking it back anytime soon. That seemed to shock him even though he was trying his best not to make it obvious.

“He’s already your boyfriend?”

“Yes, that’s why I don’t want you approaching me again.” I then stood up. “I better go back to the house. I don’t want to make my visitors wait for the birthday celebrant.” I was about to march my way towards the door when I felt a pain in my foot.

“Argh!” I grunted and was about to reach for something to hold onto but I couldn’t find any. Because of it, I fell back on the sofa just to land on the lap on Xzavier. I gasped loudly as our lips were so close that it became difficult for me to breath.

I was about to stand up but he was quick to stop me by wrapping his arm around my waist.

“What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Montaño?!”

“Call me Mr. Montaño one more time and I’m going to punish you, my Ina. You’re the last person I would want to call me that.” I was about to shout at him angrily when I noticed those emotions in his eyes.

Our eyes locked for I didn’t know how long. It felt like the time stopped and everything became silent. All I was hearing was the loud thumping of my heart.

“You haven’t changed, my Ina. You’re still as beautiful as I could remember.” I blinked innumerably as I heard his voice. He raised his hand and gently caressed my cheek while looking at me ever so lovingly full of longing.

“Stop lying.” I answered through gritted teeth. I couldn’t believe of what was happening. Just when I thought I was through with the past, he came back.

He shook his head. “I’m not lying, Ina. I’m just telling the truth.” He then smiled. “I’m glad I came because I got to spend this special day with you. Happy birthday, my Ina.” The beating of my heart became wilder. Then, I noticed his gaze went down to my lips. I knew that look.

“Don’t you dare.” I warned him.

“I missed you so much.” His thumb caressed my lower lip as desire was evident in his eyes.

“Stop sweet-talking me like that. I already know that style. It won’t on me anymore.” He took my hand and to my surprise, he placed it to his chest, on the part where his heart was located.

“I know, I did you wrong but there’s a part of me that was genuine the entire time. You can question and doubt everything about me but please, never think that my love for you was nothing but lie because it wasn’t.

“If there was a part of me which was the sincerest, that was my love for you. And now that our paths crossed again, I’ll do my best to make it up to you. You’re my light in my dark world and I’m glad, you’re still shining brightly as ever.” My lips parted, planning to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth.

Then, I suddenly felt my eyes heated as tears began forming. My fists tightened.

“Why is it so easy for you to say these words knowing that you would possibly hurt me again? What do you want from me?” My voice cracked. I didn’t want to show him any emotions but I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Please, forgive me, my Ina. For everything. I didn’t come to see you for the last three years and a half because I wanted to give you the space and time to breath away from me. I wanted you to heal.” He took another breath.

“You want to know what am I doing here? I already answered that question. I thought of just letting you be and live your life but deep inside my heart, I knew that I couldn’t just let you go. Now, that I’m here, I’ll do everything on my power to take you back.

“I want you back, my Ina. I’ve lived miserably these past few years without you and I can’t take it anymore. Now that guys are beginning to flock around you, I just can’t stand on the side while watching them take you away from me. Never.” His voice was full of possessiveness and determination.

“Mr. Montaño, you don’t know what you’re blabbering about. I’m already taken and—” Before I could tell what I wanted him to believe, his hand cupped my nape and drew my head closer to his until our lips met.

My eyes widened as I my heart skipped a beat. The nerve of this man to kiss me after what he’d done!

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Any thoughts about this chapter?

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chapter 22

ANNOUNCEMENT

: Hi, Amores. Since, you’re still reading this one, I will continue but after finishing this story, I might take a break from writing English stories and write Tagalog stories instead OR I might completely take a break from writing and not write any story for a while. It depends. I just noticed that I don’t have the same enthusiasm that I had before in writing and I just want to regain that kind of feeling. Maybe taking a break for a while will help me focus more. Anyway, happy reading. :)

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SABINA’s POV

My whole body felt like it turned into a statue, unable to move at all. I knew how Xzavier used to just do naughty things to me whenever he was the in mood to do so but it never occurred to me that he would have the guts to actually kiss me knowing how I hated him right now.

“I really missed you like crazy, my Ina. You don’t know how much.” He whispered huskily and was about to capture my lips for another kiss when I finally came back to reality. My response was automatic. I gave him a slap in his face.

“How dare you kiss me without permission and tell me those lies after?!” He was obviously shocked of what I did as he touched his sore cheek.

“And what were you saying about wanting me back?! How dare you!” I shook my head vigorously. “That would never happen, especially now that I have a boyfriend! I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve this time but I advise you to stop it!” Before he could manage to respond, I stormed out of there like a ghost was chasing after me.

When I reached the base of the tree, I stopped and looked up. Xzavier was standing at the small terrace, looking down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

“I know that coming here all of a sudden shocked you but I needed to do it. I know very much that it wouldn’t be easy but before I even came here, I already made a decision of getting you back, my Ina. I’m going to make you listen to me and when that time comes, you’ll finally understand me.” His voice held determination.

Instead of answering, I pivoted around and headed towards our house without looking back.

“Damn you, Xzavier! You can’t do this to me! Not now that I’ve already moved on from everything!” I told myself angrily as my eyes drenched with unshed tears. But just like usual, I did my best not to let it fall. I’m done of crying over him!

“What happened to you? You look like you’re being chased by the police or something.” Henry asked when I was about to enter the back door. Looked like he was about to head out.

“W-Why are you still home? Aren’t you going to be late at work?” I asked instead of answering his question.

“Don’t give me that, Sabina. Just answer my question.” He was looking at me like a hawk.

“Nothing to be worried about. Everything’s fine.”

“Really? I was about to go check the treehouse if you were there because you suddenly disappeared. Rex mentioned that you went with Mr. Montaño somewhere earlier. Is that true?”

I faked a smile. “Of course not. We just spoke for a bit and then he left. I went to Nathan’s place to invite him over.” His eyebrows creased.

“You went to Nathan’s place? Then, how come he arrived about 10 minutes earlier before you came home?” His voice was full of suspicion and I groaned inwardly.

“We came here at the same time but I went to the treehouse for a little bit. Anyway, I need to go to my room.” Before he could answer, I walked past him and marched my way towards upstairs with long strides.

Upon entering my room, I threw myself into bed and hugged my pillow. I didn’t know what to feel about what happened today.

“Why did you have to come back? I hate you.” I uttered full of bitterness. I looked at the ceiling and strangely, I saw the face of Xzavier. I bit my bottom lip as I gingerly touched my lips with my slightly trembling fingers.

I could still feel his lips moving hotly against mine. That familiar heat started boiling within me and I couldn’t accept that.

I sat up right away.

“No! You shouldn’t feel anything, Sab! That was just Xzavier, the man who deceived and took advantage of your naivete more than three years ago!” I chastised myself and covered my face with the pillow as I tried my best to erase what just happened in my mind.

I didn’t know how long I stayed like that until I heard a knock on my door.

“Sab?” It was my mother. I removed the pillow over my face, took a deep breath before answering.

“Come in, mom! It’s not locked!” She opened the door and came in.

“Are you okay, my dear? We’ve been looking for you since a while ago.” I was about to answer when she spoke again. “What happened to your elbow and knee?” Worry was evident in her voice.

“This is nothing, mom. I just tripped over a while ago because I was being careless. Don’t worry. These are just minor scrapes.”

“Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me? Your father said that he left you with Ms. Ellie, Rex and a certain Mr. Montaño who’s a visitor of the Novells in the porch but when Ms. Ellie and Rex came inside the house, you were nowhere to be found. Were you with him the entire time? Where did you two go?” I groaned inwardly.

She was looking at me intently and I knew that I couldn’t hide anything from her no matter what I do. She knows me too well.

“We just talked, mom.”

“Outside the house? Leaving without even telling us, especially in the middle of your birthday celebration?” I got up and looked at her.

“Mom, I’m sorry for leaving without telling you. But don’t worry because nothing bad had happened. C’mon, mom. Let’s just go downstairs.” She didn’t move and remained staring at me intently.

“Mom, c’mon. Let’s go.”

She sighed in defeat. “Fine. I won’t ask further questions for now because it’s your birthday. Anyway, the others are already waiting for you. It’s time to go.”

“Already? What time is it anyway?”

“It’s already 2:30 pm.” I was surprised that the time has passed so quickly. I took my backpack that I prepared last night before going downstairs together. Mom was right. Everyone was already waiting for me.

Our family and friends were going to the falls to swim. I wanted to have a small celebration at home but my parents insisted for us to go for a swim at the falls after so that I could get to enjoy during my special day.

They know how much I love going to the falls but because it was in the mountain and not many people go there, they forbid me to go there alone. We only get to swim there during special occasions.

“Where are Rex and Ms. Ellie?” I asked when noticed that there weren’t there anymore.

“Rex said that he needed to finish his work for today while Ms. Ellie said that she needed to do something.” I nodded my head.

“I see. What about you Henry, Billy? Have you finished your work for today?”

“Days before your birthday, we already ask Mr. Novell’s permission for us to take the afternoon off for today and he agreed.” Billy answered.

“That’s why we’ve been working extra hard these past two days so that we could finish everything for today.” Henry proudly said and that made me smile. Even though they’re usually playful and wasn’t serious in life sometimes, they do their job seriously.

Since most of the employees went back to work, we only used two vans, courtesy by the Novells. Most of the people who came were children and their older siblings. We had to leave the vans around 200 meters from the falls and trekked a little bit to get there.

When we arrived there, we laid the picnic blankets on top of the wide flat rock on the riverside and placed our things on it. The children already began swimming with the older teenagers with them.

Everyone knows how to swim but even so, the children were wearing floaters and even brought swim rings in order to avoid any accidents.

“What are you still waiting for, Sab? Everyone is already swimming.” My father said when he noticed that I was just lying on the picnic blanket and hasn’t changed into my swimsuit yet.

“Just go ahead, dad. It’s still too hot for me to swim. I’ll follow later. Just enjoy with the others. Don’t mind me. Look at mom. She’s already having fun with the others.” I chuckled while watching my mom playing with the kids.

“You know your mom. She loves swimming and spending time with children. Anyway, are you sure you’re not going to swim yet?”

“Dad…” I pouted and he laughed.

“Okay. I’ll leave you alone for now then. Make sure to come swim later, okay? We came here for you to enjoy not to just lay down there on the picnic blanket.”

I chuckled. “I know, dad. Don’t worry, I’ll come join you guys later. It’s my birthday today after all.” He smiled and then kissed my forehead before finally joining the others. I couldn’t help but to laugh when I saw my parents being chased by the kids, playing with them.

They really love children. They once told me that they wanted to have another child but it would be difficult for them to conceive not to mention that it would be dangerous for my mother because of her age.

I decided to read a book for about thirty minutes while lying on the picnic blanket before deciding to finally swim. I unzipped my backpack and fished my swimsuit out. I looked around, trying to find any place I could use to change into my swimsuit but there was none.

I walked a couple of meters away from there and I groaned inwardly when I couldn’t find any place nearby so I had to go away a little bit farther.

Then, I finally gave up. I didn’t want to go farther. I looked around. No one was around so I decided to just change into my swimsuit there since there was no one there but me. I just had to be quick.

“This is your fault, Sab. You should’ve worn your swimsuit underneath your clothes at home before coming here to the falls.” I reprimanded myself. Well, I was planning to wear it underneath my clothes but because of Xzavier, I forgot to do so.

“This is that guy’s fault! He forced me to go with him that’s why I forgot to wear my swimsuit beforehand!” I hissed while taking my clothes off in a jiffy, a little bit nervous that someone would suddenly show up.

Well, I could hide in the thick and tall bushes nearby but someone got bitten by a snake here before that’s why I decided to just change here in plain sight.

Then, I was about to wear my swimsuit when to my horror, somebody suddenly spoke behind me.

“Why are you blaming me? I just wanted to be with you.” I almost screamed in surprise when I heard that voice behind me. I quickly covered my breasts and the V of my thighs with my hands and turned around to see who it was.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” He raked me a stare as a naughty smirk appeared on his face. His hair was wet, only wearing his wet briefs and barefoot while holding his shoes and clothes. It was obvious that he just finished swimming.

“I was just about to head home from swimming when I suddenly came across with you here. I wanted to go farther but I heard voices from the direction of the waterfalls that’s why I didn’t go there. But looks like it was a good decision to stay here after all because I saw you here.”

“Turn around, you pervert! Stop staring at me!” I snapped at him while blushing in embarrassment. I didn’t know how to cover my nakedness in front of this man.

“Why would I do that?” He looked clueless.

“Because I’m naked!”

“So?” I suddenly wanted to hit him because he was feigning ignorance like that. Because of anger, I picked up a small rock and was about to throw at him when he quickly closed the gap between us and prevented me from doing so by holding my hands together before getting the rock from me and threw it away.

“Tsk tsk tsk. No to violence, my Ina.” His voice was laced with desire but that was more evident in his tantalizing eyes as our skins touched. I gasped. The warmth of his skin sent delicious sensations up my spine.

“Don’t touch me!” I hissed and tried to distance myself from him but he didn’t let me.

“You sound like I did this on purpose. I wouldn’t’ve done this if you weren’t about to throw stone at me. Now, you’re giving me a very hard time.” I didn’t understand what he meant by that right away but when I felt something hard poking against the V of my thighs, I almost screamed.

Heat instantly started boiling in the pit of my stomach.

“You pervert!”

“This is just a normal thing for a guy who gets this close to a sexy and beautiful woman like you, my Ina, especially that I’ve been missing you so much. Fùck! You look like a goddess. Now, you know how to be shy whenever you’re naked like this and it’s actually refreshing. Do you remember the first time we met at the falls near Safe Haven?

“Can you still recall how much innocent you were that you even stripped your clothes off in front of me and because of it, I lost my control and made out with you?” His husky and seductive voice affected me. Until now, he still manages to affect me like this and it scared me.

I swallowed hard as I felt like my heart was about to leap out of my chest.

“Yes. How can I forget about that when you used my innocence and naivete in order to play me with your little finger and deceive me after? I was nothing but a roll in the hay while you were there; a convenient way to kill your boredom in the mountains.” I uttered full of sarcasm and met his gaze.

The naughty smirk on his face disappeared as he became serious.

“That’s not true, Ina. Yes, I didn’t tell you things because they were meant to be classified. But that doesn’t mean that I was pretending the whole time. I know, I made a grave mistake but I am willing to make it up to you and do it the right way.” He drew a deep breath before continuing.

“I didn’t lie when I told you that my name was Xzavier Russo because technically, that’s my name.” I scoffed.

“Technically?”

He nodded his head. “Yes, because my complete name is Cryxus Xzavier Russo Montaño. Most of the people who know me calls me Cryxus. My parents were the only ones who call me by my second name including you.” He took another deep breath and then cupped my face with his hands while gazing at me full of gentleness.

“Please, give me another chance to be with you again, my Ina. I can’t go on with my life without you. Ever since we got separated more than three years ago, I felt like I’ve been living an empty life. Yes, I was alive but wasn’t living. It’s been tough without you.” I could feel his pain and suffering by just hearing his voice and staring into his eyes and because of that, I got confused.

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What do you think? Is Xzavier being honest this time?

Do you think Sabina will give him another chance?

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chapter 23

A/N: Thank you for your continuous support until now, Amores. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Enjoy & happy weekend. 

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SABINA’s POV

Those words were music to the ears and I almost got convinced. But I knew to myself that those words weren’t enough to ease the pain that he inflicted on me. The scars were still fresh on the inside and I knew that it wouldn’t be so easy for me to even listen to him right now.

“Enough.” I answered through gritted teeth and then took a step backward away from him. With trembling hands and legs, I picked up my clothes and then ran away from there, uncaring if I was still naked. All I wanted was to get away from him as soon as possible.

Deep inside of me, I was afraid to be near him because I knew how much my body surrenders onto him just like that and I wouldn’t want that to happen.

Hearing his lies was the last thing I wanted. But looked like he wasn’t ready to give up and ran after me.

“Ina, wait! Let’s talk, please!”

“No! Get away from me!” I glanced at him over my shoulder and when I saw him catching up to me, I picked up my pace. Because of that, I failed to see what’s ahead of me and tripped over a sticking root of a nearby tree.

I squealed as I knew that I would face plant on the hard surface of the ground but it seemed like a miracle happened because that didn’t happen at all as a pair of strong arms caught me. But looked like he also lost his balance but he managed to cushion me as we both fell, with me on top of him.

“Fùck! That hurts.” Judging by his voice, looked like he got hurt.

I slowly opened my eyes and met with Xzavier’s tantalizing eyes. Then, my cheeks went red when I realized that we were in a salacious position. He was only wearing his briefs while me on the other hand was naked; our sensitive areas were pressed together and I gasped loudly.

“Yeah, it really hurts but I’m glad that you didn’t get hurt.” Xzavier uttered, obviously trying his best not to show me that he was indeed hurt. He then smiled. “Isn’t this position familiar to you, my Ina?” My mind wandered to where we first me; that time when he saved me from getting swept by the river. “Even if I would get hurt multiple times, I would do it in a heartbeat so that you would never get hurt.” He gently caressed my cheek while gazing at me ever so lovingly.

My heart reacted as usual but when I realized that, I quickly pushed the thought away.

“So that I would never get hurt? Really? You’re all talk, Mr. Montaño. I would’ve believed you just now if I hadn’t recall how much you hurt me in the past. After what you did, do you really think that I would believe everything you say? Not for a moment.” I was about to get off him but to my horror, he wrapped his arms around my waist, preventing me from getting away from him.

“Let me go!” I hissed and began struggling out of his arms.

“Please forgive me for hurting you like that, Ina. God knows how much I wanted to spare you from that kind of pain but everything went out of my control and the only thing I could do for you that time was to make sure you were safe until now.” My forehead wrinkled and stopped struggling.

“What do you mean by that?”

A sad smile appeared on his face. Then, he was about to answer when we heard voices from afar.

“Sabina! Where are you?!” My eyes widened. It sounded like my parents. I quickly got off him and picked up my swimsuit from the ground. Even though I felt like I didn’t have enough strength, I tried putting it on but because of Xzavier’s heated gaze, I had the hard time putting it on.

“Stop staring at me, you pervert!”

“I’m not doing anything, Ina.” His somber eyes watched me while I struggled to put it on. I grunted, having a hard time tying my bikini top. I wanted to scream in frustration especially when I realized that I actually wore it incorrectly as it was inside out.

I took it off again and was about to wear it when to my surprise, he suddenly took the small garment from me. I was about to snap at him for doing that but he already spoke.

“Let me help you. You’re obviously having a hard time wearing it.” I gaped at him. I wanted to yell at him that it was his fault but when I saw how he was staring at me, I felt like I swallowed my tongue.

He was raking me a stare full of desire and he didn’t even try to hide it. I was naked before him and it was already late for me to act like a virgin and cover up, knowing that he knows every detail of my body.

I couldn’t help but to blush in embarrassment when he began putting my swimsuit on me. Even though he was obviously affected of my nakedness in front of him, I thought he could handle it because he looked like he has control over himself but when I stared at him intently, I noticed how his jaw was flexing tightly while beads of sweat were already appearing on his forehead.

“Fùck! You’re going to be the death of me, my Ina. You’re giving me a very hard time right now.” My cheeks went even redder. The situation was awkward and embarrassing and I didn’t know how to respond. I became like a statue, just watching him do what he pleases.

I wanted to say no and just do it by myself but I felt like I lost the capability to speak. I’m still angry at him but my body wasn’t acting the way I wanted to.

I looked at him. I knew that kind of look on his face and when I looked down at his front, I confirmed it. He’s got a hard on! He never changed!

My heartbeat became wilder.

“Finally, it’s done. Fùck!” I was pulled out of my reverie when I heard his voice. I looked at myself and saw that I was already wearing the swimsuit. He then turned his back on me, breathing raggedly for some reason.

“You should go now.” I cocked up an eyebrow. Now, he sounded like he wanted me out of his sight as quickly as I could.

“Really now? Now the truth came out. You don’t want—”

“—Whatever you’re thinking right now; that’s not true. I want you to go back to the falls right now while I still have my self-control. You know me when it comes to you, Ina. You’ve always been weakness, my addiction, and seeing you looking so damn hot right now is making me darn crazy.” My heart thumped even harder.

What the heck is he saying? I didn’t know how to respond to that.

Then, after a couple of seconds, my lips parted as I was about to answer when someone spoke behind me.

“Finally, I found you. Your mom and I got worried when you suddenly disappeared like that. Don’t do that again. You should tell us wherever you’re going so that we wouldn’t get worried like that.” Dad said as he walked up to us. I could see the relief in his face. Then, he shifted his gaze on Xzavier.

“Mr. Montaño? I didn’t know you came.”

“I actually arrived about 30 minutes ago, Mr. Martins, just planning to hike up here and see the sunset but when I saw the crystal-clear water, I couldn’t resist the temptation and took a dip.” Xzavier answered casually.

“How did you know about this place? No one knows about this place aside from the people in the ranch and the farm.”

“Ellie actually told me about this when I asked her where’s the best place for me to watch the sunset this afternoon. We were planning to come here together but something happened that’s why she asked one of the guys in the ranch to take me here. I told my guide that I could find my way home so he went back to the ranch to continue his work. I was about to head to the waterfalls when I heard voices that’s why I decided to just go back to the ranch. But while I was walking, I came across Ina here.” My father’s eyebrows arched.

“Ina?” He parroted confusedly and then looked at me.

“Yes. I used to call your—”

“—Dad, Mr. Montaño is in a hurry. You should just chat with him next time.” I interrupted him, worried that Xzavier might spill something he shouldn’t.

“Really? Don’t you have any spare time to join us perhaps? Our family and friends came here to the waterfalls as part of Sabina’s birthday celebration. She loves it here. Since you originally planned to see the sunset, I suggest for you to stay. What can you say?” My eyes widened upon hearing what my father had said. I groaned inwardly.

“Dad!”

“What? Is there any problem, sweetie? You look so against the idea of him staying.” Just when I was about to answer, Xzavier spoke.

“You’re right, Mr. Martins. I originally planned to see the sunset and it would just be a waste if I’d go back without seeing it from here. Yes, I’d love to stay.” I gave him a sharp stare, silently telling him to just go but he just winked at me playfully when he was sure that dad wasn’t looking at him. O, how I wanted to smack the hell out of him but held myself back.

“That’s good to hear. Let’s go join the others then.” That’s what we did and when my mother saw him, she was kinda surprised. My father introduced him to her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Montaño. Have we met somewhere before? You look kinda familiar.” The beating of my heart became faster.

“Maybe you saw me at the Novell’s mansion, Mrs. Martins. I’m currently staying there while I’m here. Anyway, it’s nice meeting you too. Now I know where Sabina took her beauty from.” Xzavier answered with a smile as he shook my mother’s hand. He sounded so friendly and I almost rolled my eyes.

“Oh, you! You’re making me blush, young man.” Mom answered and even lightly smacked Xzavier’s arm. The latter chuckled.

“Mom! Dad is watching!” I reprimanded her and she laughed.

“Oh, my. Mom was just messing around, my dear. Look at your dad. He understands.” I looked at my father and he was beaming at me.

“Don’t be too uptight, sweetie.” I huffed.

“Anyway, are you here in Lyon for vacation, Mr. Montaño?”

“Yes, Mrs. Martins. But aside from that, I came here on a mission; a mission to take back my woman whatever happens.” I could feel his gaze on me while saying that but I quickly averted my gaze. Hearing him say that sent weird feelings inside of me.

“Your woman? What do you mean, Mr. Montaño?” My father asked curiously as he looked at Xzavier and I alternately. I gulped inaudibly. If they only knew…

“You heard it right, Mr. Martins. At first, I’ve been having second thoughts about coming here to see her but something happened that changed my mind. I thought, she was better off without me that’s why I decided a couple of years ago not to show myself to her so that she could move on with her life but I realized that that would be a suicide for me.

“I can’t live life happy without her and these past few years made me suicidal. I almost got killed a lot of times but because I didn’t care about living anymore, I never felt scared of being erased from the face of the earth. Now, I’m trying my luck again, hoping against hope that she would forgive me and accept me again.” I knew that he was staring at me while saying those words but I never dared met his gaze. My fists tightened.

“Isn’t that being selfish? That woman has been living her life without you by her side these couple of years and now, you suddenly appeared out of nowhere and bother her? That’s not fair for her, right?” I couldn’t hide the bitterness and resentment in my voice.

“I know I’m being selfish but I know, there’s still hope for the two of us. If she only hears me out, I’m sure, that would make a huge difference.” I raised my chin defiantly and met his gaze.

“What if she doesn’t want to have anything to do with you anymore?” I caught a weird emotion that passed through his eyes but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. He was about to respond to my question when my mother decided to break the thickening atmosphere.

“Aren’t you being too vindictive and judgmental, Sab? Mr. Montaño mentioned that if only his woman could listen to him, it would make a lot of difference. What if he was right? If you were that woman, would you rather choose to stay mad without knowing his side of the story and remain wondering what went wrong until everything’s too late?

“Whoever this woman is; she’s lucky. Look at Mr. Montaño. Even without me knowing about his background, just the fact that he’s one of the Novell’s friends tells a lot about him. He’s handsome and seemed polite. There’s a lot of women out there who will surely do anything to get his attention.

“Sometimes, us women should listen to the story first before jumping into conclusions. Yes, that’s definitely a hard thing to do especially when you’re hurt and angry but even if you get hurt further hearing the missing pieces of the story, you should still listen than to regret not doing so later.”

“Your mother is right, Sabina. Sometimes, even if it will hurt us even more, it’s better for us to listen in order to know the complete detail. Look at your mother, everyone around her believed that I already died but she refused to believe it and chose to hold onto my promises even without enough proof that I was indeed alive.” It was my father. The way he was looking at me while saying that made me furrow. He seemed trying his best to make me understand their point even though they didn’t know anything about me and Xzavier’s past.

I remained quiet for a couple of seconds, unable to utter any respond. Then, I finally gathered myself together and forced a chuckle.

“Why are you telling me that as if I was the woman he’s referring to, mom, dad? I think, this conversation is getting too serious. Anyway, I’m going to take a dip now.” Before anyone among them answer, I quickly ran toward the water and dove in, hoping that the cool water would wash away those weird feelings inside my chest.

Xzavier’s words repeatedly echoed in my head and I could feel my eyes brimming with tears. Why am I such a weak person when it comes to him? I know I shouldn’t let myself get affected by his words earlier but no matter how many times I tell myself to just ignore it like the air around me, I just couldn’t.

I hate you, Xzav…

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Do you think Sabina really hates Xzavier now?

Will there be another chance for the both of them to be together again?

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chapter 24

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SABINA’s POV

I couldn’t help but to cock up an eyebrow while watching Xzavier playing with the kids in the water. He was acting like a big fish, chasing after them, pretending to attempt to eat them and the children’s laughs and squeals echoed in the surrounding.

This was the kids’ first time meeting Xzavier but looked like they already like him that much. I didn’t expect him to be avuncular. Even a while ago, he even helped the younger children on putting on their swim floaties.

“I thought you were going to swim? What are you doing here sitting by yourself?” It was Henry. He just came out of the water.

“Don’t mind me. I just lost the interest to swim.” I answered while still watching Xzavier and the kids. Henry’s eyebrows arched and followed my gaze.

“Why? Because of Mr. Montaño? Don’t you like his presence here?”

I heaved a sigh. “No. It’s not like that.”

“Then, why? This is not like you. I know how you love swimming in this place. One time, last year, you even sneaked out and came here alone but thankfully, I saw you heading towards here that’s why Billy and I managed to follow you. I still remember how mad Uncle Steve and Aunt Sarah were towards you back then.” I pouted.

“They got mad because you decided to be a snitch and told them about what I did. I just wanted to have a break and relax. You knew how stressed I was because of studying hard for our exams.”

“Yes, I understand but that time, it wasn’t safe. You know what happened to Natalie during that time. She almost got raped by that masked man who was wandering here in the ranch. Until now, that intruder hasn’t been caught yet.” Yes, everyone was terrified back then because that was the first time that someone committed a crime like that.

Thankfully, that man didn’t succeed on harming that young lady. But unfortunately, Natalie got traumatized of what happened.

This place has always been safe because it’s a small community. Everyone knows each other that’s why it’s common for children to just play around the area without parents’ supervision. Even the women felt safe to just walk outside during the night because they’re confident that no one would harm them.

But ever since that attack last year, everyone was advised to be careful. Well, the Novells added security guards patrolling around the area 24/7 so nothing of that sort happened again ever since.

“Well, I think everything turned back to normal after that incident. Even though something that awful happened, I was kinda brave enough to wander around alone like that time because the security tightened by the Novell family to prevent some incidents like that to happen again.”

“Yeah, but look what happened to Natalie. The poor girl had to undergo some kind of rehabilitation to overcome her trauma. We don’t want that to happen to you that’s why we’re trying our best to protect you. Anyway, enough with just sitting here and let’s just swim.”

I released a deep breath and then looked at Xzavier who was still playing with the kids. I wanted to swim but for some reason, I was afraid to be near him.

“Maybe later, Henry.”

“Why do I have the feeling that this is really about Mr. Montaño? Are you avoiding him?” I feigned a chuckle.

“What are you talking about? Of course not.”

“Then, what’s the matter? You’re worrying me. Today’s your birthday that’s why we’re here but you’re not participating. This is not like you.” I looked at him and he indeed looked worried. I sighed in defeat.

“Fine. Stop looking at me like that and let’s go.” His face brightened.

“Really? Finally!” He gave me his hand in order to help me stand up. Shortly after that, we joined everyone.

“You finally decided to join us.” Xzavier voiced out upon seeing me and stopped playing with the kids for a moment. I noticed how he discreetly raked me a stare full of awe and desire and my body reacted. To hide that, I sneered at him and ignored him.

I swam towards my parents and Henry followed me.

“I’m glad your cousin here managed to persuade you to finally swim, my dear. Your dad and I were beginning to be worried because you’ve been moping around, sitting on the picnic blanket alone.” Mom said when she saw me.

“I wasn’t moping around, mom. It was just too sunny for me a while ago.” I alibied.

“Really? I don’t think that’s the real reason. I mean, you’ve got no problem with the sun before even if you spend the whole day swimming.” Henry butted in.

“Henry is right. You’ve been acting weird since this morning. It’s your birthday today but you look unhappy.” Dad said with a hint of worry. I smiled.

“That’s not true, dad. I’m happy. Sorry for acting weird. Maybe, I’m just tired because I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“You didn’t have enough sleep? But why? Did something happen at the party last night?” Dad asked full of concern and I groaned inwardly for slipping like that.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, dad. Anyway, let’s just enjoy the moment before having some snack. We brought a lot of food and drinks and it’s a waste if we won’t eat and drink it. Tomorrow, everyone will be busy again so we should make the most of it.” Before anyone could answer, I swam towards one of the big float bed and got onto it.

The flow of the water in this area wasn’t that strong because of the rocks around the area that’s why it’s a perfect place for swimming even for kids. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed floating in the water when a jerk came and decided to sprinkle water on my face. I opened my eyes and looked who it was, annoyed.

Of course, it was none other than Xzavier. The kids whom he was with were snickering.

“Sorry. My bad.” He said that with a grin on his face and leered at him.

“Don’t say sorry lightly when you know that you’re not sincere.” I said coldly and paddled on the water using my hands to get away from him but the jerk decided to be a nuisance and prevented me from getting away from him by holding the float bed still.

“Why don’t you play with us, Ina? I’m sure, the kids will be delighted to play with you.” He suggested and I glared at him. He was obviously enjoying this. I was about to snap at him when Lucas, one of the kids, spoke.

“That’s a good idea. C’mon, Sabina. Say yes. The more the merrier.”

“Yeah, Sabina. It will be more fun if you joined us.” Katie, another kid with us, said. I was ready to decline but when I saw the look on the kids’ faces softened my heart.

“I am not a good swimmer.” I tried to alibi, thinking that they would buy it and wouldn’t prester after that.

“That’s a lie. You’re a good swimmer and everyone knows that, right, everyone?” Katie asked the other children and everyone nodded their heads. I groaned inwardly.

“You always say not to lie during our bible study at the church.” George, who was the youngest kid there, said. Yes, I always say that to them. Every Sunday, there are children’s activities at the church and I’m the one who serves as their teacher that’s why all the children in the ranch are close to me.

We do some activities such as learning about the stories in the bible, games and many more and I always make sure for them to enjoy that’s why they love participating.

“That’s not a lie because it’s been so long since the last time I swam. But anyway, forget about that and let’s just play.”

“Really, Sabina? You’ll join us?” Lucas asked excitedly.

“Yes, because I don’t want to be a party pooper on my own birthday.”

“Yehey! Sabina is joining too!” The children cheered in unison and I couldn’t help but to smile.

“I’m glad, you decided to join the fun.” Xzavier said, smiling.

“I just didn’t want to disappoint the children.” I answered casually and then got off the float bed. Shortly after that, the game started. It was just a simple game. We were divided into two teams which consisted of Xzavier’s team versus my own team.

This time, we played dodgeball in the water. While playing, the others gathered around us, watching cheerfully and supporting their preferred team.

“I think, this will be more exciting if we have a bet. Whose team do you guys think will win?” Each one shouted which team they wanted to win. “The loosing team will treat the winning team. How’s that?” Xzavier then suggested.

“But we don’t have money.” One of the kids that was on his team complained. He chuckled.

“Don’t worry. It will be on me if we happened to lose and if the opposing team loses, Sabina will be the one to treat us because she’s the leader.”

“Really? Yes! We should do our best!” The children looked happy about that.

“Fine. But make sure that we won’t go down without a fight, okay?” I told my team.

“Okay!” And they answered in unison. Soon after that, the game began. I didn’t think much about it but as it progresses, I noticed that I was already enjoying it. Just like I’ve expected, Xzavier’s team gave us a hard time. He looked so relaxed while playing, but his eyes were focused on me.

Of course, I tried to ignore his stares and just focus on the game. When the match was close to its end, the cheering around us became louder.

“Go, team Sabina! You can do it!” I heard Billy, followed by Henry and my parent’s voice. It was a close match and we did everything we could to win and to my surprise, we actually won by 1 point.

Everyone went out of the water.

“Yehey! Mr. Montaño will treat us!” The kids in my team happily said.

“Congratulations, Team Sabina. You all did a great job.” He praised and then looked at his team, who were sad. “Hey, what’s with the sad face?”

“Because we got lost.”

He chuckled. “Enough with the long face. Don’t worry because I will treat everyone including you guys.” Their faces brightened.

“Really?”

“Yes, so smile now.”

“Yehey!” The children joyfully cheered. That voluntarily made me smile. Seeing them happy was all that matters.

“You did great too, my Ina. I’m glad, I saw you smile and hear your laughs again after felt like an eternity.” He whispered to me when he approached me. Yes, during the game, the game was so fun that I let myself loosen a bit.

“I just joined the game for the children. Anyway, just treat the kids. They’re already expecting it so make sure to keep your promise.” I said the last sentence with a hint of bitterness and I caught a strange emotion that passed through his eyes.

“What about you? You’re part of the winning team.”

“I’m good, thanks.” I was about to walk away from him but he stopped me by the hand and made me face him. Our gazes locked.

“No, I insist. That’s what we agreed upon before the game started so I should do it.” No one dared to look away. I could tell that he was determined to make me say yes.

“Anyway, I have something for you.” I furrowed at him when I felt something in my hand. I gingerly looked at the thing that he gave me and saw a beautiful necklace.

I took a closer look at it and was surprised when I saw its pendant. It was a small heart-shaped pendant and our initials were engraved on it. My hand tightened around it. Just one look at it and I already knew that it was expensive.

“What is this for?”

“That’s my gift for you. This is a special necklace, made by one of my friends. It’s a custom-made made specially for you.” My heart skipped a beat. For some reason, everything came back to me; all the happy and painful memories that we shared together, and it brought bitterness and heartache in my heart.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores? 

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chapter 25

Bon weekend, Amores. :)

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SABINA’s POV

All the newfound strength I had dissipated just like that when the first thing I saw upon opening the room where my mother was in was the person standing next to her. It seemed to me that they were talking before I came and my mother was in rage. But that was quickly changed when I entered the room as fear was registered on my mother’s face upon seeing me.

“Sab…” Her voice was trembling and I wanted to approach her but Father Nicolas pulled her behind him. I couldn’t believe that he’s here. How did he get here? He got bounded to a chair by Xzav in the room where they put me in, right?

I blinked innumerably, hoping that I was just imagining things, but I wasn’t. He was really there, staring at me with a smug smirk on his face.

“Sab, run! Don’t think about me and just run!” That pulled me out of my reverie. I shook my head vigorously.

“No, mom. I won’t leave this place without you.”

“Sab, this is not the time for you to be stubborn!” I kept on shaking my head, torn between listening to what she’s telling me; to leave her there and run as fast as I could or stay and try to save her.

Just imagining me abandoning my own mother in the hands of the devil was already killing me. I could never do that no matter what happens. Deep inside of me, I was still hoping that Xzavier would come and get us out of there just like he promised.

Father Nicolas laughed. “I’m glad to hear that, Sabina. Well, whether you like it or not, you will stay in this place anyway.” I gritted my teeth.

“You’re an evil! Let my mother go! We didn’t do anything wrong to anyone here so why are you doing this to us?!” He tsked a couple of times.

“We wouldn’t’ve arrived to this kind of situation if you just obliged to what I wanted right away. All I wanted from you was to be my wife but you had to disobey me and not just that. You even teamed up with someone who will eventually betray your trust in the end.”

“What do you mean by that?”

He chuckled. “Don’t act like you don’t know whom I’m talking about. Do you really think that he will come to rescue you from all this just like he promised? Of course, he won’t. That man only cares about himself and his goals and nothing else.”

My jaw flexed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“C’mon, Sabina. Stop with the pretense. I’m sure he told you that he would come and get you out of here, am I right?” My fists tightened. Even without him saying Xzavier’s name, I knew that he was referring about him and I didn’t how he manage to get information about him.

As far as I know, they haven’t met yet. When Xzavier was here, he pretended to be one of the guards with his mask on. As far as I know, everything was going according to our plan but Xzavier was suddenly nowhere to be found and Father Nicolas escaped from where we left him. Oh, God! Don’t tell me he has Xzav?

“How come you know this much? What have you done to him?”

“And now, you finally know whom I’m talking about. You’ve really broken a lot of our laws here in Safe Haven just because of him and yet, he just left you hanging without knowing what hit you. I pity you, Sabina.” My fists tightened, couldn’t accept what he was talking about.

I wanted to say something, anything to defend Xzavier but I couldn’t find any words to say.

“Cat got your tongue?” He laughed once again. “Poor you, Sabina. You don’t know what kind of person you chose to accept into your life. You hate me but I’m sure you will loathe that man the moment you discover who he really is. Yes, I’m kinda disappointed and mad because you chose that man over me but I’m not that bad. I’ll enlighten you so that you would never choose the path again.”

“Stop. You don’t know anything about him so stop comparing yourself to him because you are nothing compared to him.” His face hardened.

“You’re really trying to my patience, Sabina. I’m trying to help you here.” I could tell that he didn’t like what I’ve just said but I couldn’t care less. Then, to my surprise, he suddenly smiled. “You know what, I think, you’re misinterpreting me here. I get that you’re mad at me for forcing you to marry me and because of that, you looked for someone to cling onto and gave him your full trust after hearing his promise that he would save you from all of this.

“But you’re misreading everything that I’ve been doing until now. Yes, I admit that I used force in order to get what I wanted but that’s nothing compared to that guy. I was just frustrated because you couldn’t accept your destiny.

“But at least, I’ve been upfront of what my intentions were from the start while that man is different. He’s nothing but a con artist and he’s very good at it. Look how you’re defending him against me even until now that he’s abandoned you.

“Isn’t this enough, Sabina? That man is good for nothing. The only one who truly cares about you is me. I’ll accept you with open arms if you only accept me into your life. I promise to keep my word, unlike that coward.” I looked at him in disbelief. He’s speaking as if he didn’t do anything to us; as if he’s the good one and Xzavier is the bad one.

“Stop bad-mouthing him because I will never believe you. You don’t know him so don’t act like you have the right to talk about him like that.” I answered through gritted teeth. He heaved a sigh, looking at me pityingly.

“Oh, sorry but I know him, Sabina. I know him enough to say that he’s just using you to get what he wants. Did it ever occur to you why he’s here in the mountains?” My lips parted as I was about to answer but just like a while ago, nothing came out of my mouth.

Now that I think about it, Xzavier never told me anything about what he’s been doing here in the mountains and why he was here in the first place. He always talks about his life in the city but he never mentioned anything about what his purpose why he came here aside from wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life.

When he told me that, I believed him because there wasn’t any reason for me not to. But even so, I couldn’t accept the possibility that he had hidden agenda why he came here.

“He’s here for vacation. What’s the matter with that?” I asked, raising my chin defiantly.

He laughed. “Vacation? Of course not. Do you even know who he really is?” He got me. Even after those special and happy moments I spent with him, I still don’t know him that much yet. When I couldn’t answer, he tsked while shaking his head, looking at me as if he felt sorry for me.

“I don’t want to say this but you have to hear the truth, Sabina. He used your ignorance and naivete in order to accomplish his goals. You’re the chosen one to be my wife and seeing you being used like this by other people makes me mad. I know that it will be hard for me to make you believe me after everything that happened but I have to try.”

“What is this about, Father Nicolas? Why do you talk like you’re suddenly concerned of Sabina’s welfare all of a sudden?” My mother finally spoke. She was staring at Father Nicolas full of suspicion.

“This is also your fault, Sarah. You let your daughter fell into the trap of someone who’s had nothing in mind but to use her. Thankfully, I discovered about this earlier before he could execute his plans.”

“Stop, Father Nicolas. Don’t pretend that you’re suddenly concerned about me because we both know that you’re the one who’s like that. You’re using your position here to get what you want that you even went as far as kidnapping me and my mother, treated us like prisoners and blackmailed me.

“You did everything you could in order to make me agree to marry you against my will. And now, you’re trying to change tactics and make me believe that my boyfriend is bad and you’re the one who’s good? Don’t make me laugh.” I voiced out sarcastically full of loathe.

I couldn’t believe that he’s acting like this, spewing nonsense against Xzavier when he’s the one who did nothing but to harass and blackmail us. He’s just describing himself.

I thought, he would finally lose it after I said those things, especially that I mentioned that Xzavier was boyfriend, but to my surprise, he remained looking at me as if he was really concerned.

My mother on the other hand gasped in shock as she looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. I’ve been planning to tell her about Xzavier and I’s relationship but I couldn’t tell her because we got kidnapped and got separated by Father Nicolas.

“I guess, this is really hard for you. Don’t worry, you’re going to change your mind the moment you see his real color. Let me help you. I have all the evidences here.” He then turned his back on me and was about to crouch down to open the drawer of the cabinet when I saw that as an opportunity to act.

I silently closed the distance between us and kicked him between his legs as hard as I could. He screamed in so much pain as he slumped down on the floor, cupping his front.

“Mom, let’s go!” I held my mother’s hand and we quickly went out of there as fast as we could. Thankfully, there wasn’t any guards in that area that’s why we managed to get away from Father Nicolas who was still screaming in pain.

Since we didn’t have any other way out of there aside from entering the headquarters and find the exit to the other side, we had to slow down, careful enough not to create any noise that could give away our location.

“What’s happening? It’s almost a miracle that there’s no guards coming after us. Normally, this place is full of guards all the time.”

“Forget about that, mom, and just concentrate on our current situation right now. We need to escape as soon as possible.”

“What about your friend, Sab? Where’s he? You told me that he would come to help us, right?” My chest tightened. Did he really abandon me and left?

I mentally shook my head. No! Xzav will come for you, Sab! Just trust him!

“I’m sure, something happened, mom. But he will eventually come for sure. For now, we should do our best not to get caught.” She nodded her head and didn’t ask any more question. We thought, no one was there but we were shocked when we saw someone. We were about to hide but she already saw us.

“Sarah? Sabina?” It was Sister Fernanda. She was looking at us in disbelief before glancing behind us, probably checking if someone was following us.

“Please, Fer. Just pretend that you didn’t see us here. Don’t tell on us.” My mother begged her best friend. Yes, they’re best friends but my mother knows that Sister Fernanda is one of the leaders of the SFH also and she’s been very loyal to the organization ever since.

She looked hesitant at first and that made me nervous.

“Sister Fernanda, please. You promised me that you would do something in order to help us escape. I hope, you’re not withdrawing from that promise of yours.” She released a breath and then looked around.

“There are many guards ahead so it’s better for you to take that way. Be careful, you two. I’m sorry that I can’t help you further than this. I’ll just do everything I could in order to direct their attention somewhere else while you’re escaping. Be careful, okay?”

My mother and I’s faces brightened. “Thank you, Fer! We owe you one!” My mother happily hugged her best friend and I did the same.

“Thank you, Sister Fernanda.”

“Go before someone comes and see you here!” Mom and I quickly obliged and took the left wing of that vicinity. She was right. There weren’t guards in that part that’s why it became easier for us to find our way out of the headquarters.

When we finally saw the exit, we quickly but furtively ran towards it. But as we were approaching, we heard voices from one of the rooms that was near the exit door. We quickly stopped one our tracks, breathing hard in s much nervousness.

We hid behind one of the big statues there, as we observed the surroundings. It would be too risky for us to pass by that door because there was a big possibility for the people inside to notice us because the door was ajar.

“Mom, stay here. I’m just going to check who are those people inside.” I whispered to her.

’What?! What if they saw you?! They will surely catch you for sure and worst, harm you for hurting Father Nicolas!“ She whispered back in so much worry. I held her hands.

“Mom, trust me. I need to do this so that we could make sure that it would be safe for us to take this way. If I saw that it’s dangerous, at least, we could withdraw and find another way out of here.”

“But—”

“—Mom, please. Just wait for me here.” I said determinedly and that finally convinced her.

“Fine. Just promise me to be careful, okay?”

“I promise.” I then carefully went out of our hiding spot and slowly sauntered towards that door where voices could be heard. I stealthily peeked through the door to see who those people were but I wasn’t prepared of whom I saw.

It was Xzavier. He was talking to an older woman. I couldn’t see her face clearly because her back was on my direction. I was about to push the door open and get their attention when the woman spoke. Her voice was familiar but I didn’t give any attention to it because of the thing that she voiced out.

“I think, he’s already desperate now that you finally told him who you really are. Poor Sabina. She’s trapped in all this. And I’m sure that she will surely get hurt even more the moment she learns the truth about you.”

“I know that she will get hurt but I don’t have a choice. I had to do what I had to do. I have to take back all of Safe Haven and that’s the most important thing.” My body went still upon hearing that. Take back Safe Haven? What is he talking about?

“I understand that this is important to you but I am just guilty that you had to pretend. I mean, you practically used Sabina to get what you want. Poor her. She’s such a nice young lady; too innocent for all of these. She didn’t know that you planned your first encounter way before she first saw you. What is your next move now? You got what you wanted. You got the favor of the Vicaire.” I felt like I got slapped in the face upon hearing that that I couldn’t react right away.

My heart felt like it was getting stabbed over and over again. Did I hear it right? Xzavier planned our first encounter? But why would he do that? So, he was pretending all this time and just used and deceived me?

There were many questions but I couldn’t seem to find the answer to any of it. I could feel my eyes water but I managed to blink my tears back.

I had to talk to Xzavier and hear his explanation. Even after hearing all those, I still refused to believe it without hearing everything from him.

I was about to push the door open when someone covered my mouth with their hand and restrained my hands before dragging me away from there. I tried to scream and wiggle out from his arms but the person was too strong for me.

Then, my eyes widened when I saw my mom being taken away by someone too. They brought us to a room and I didn’t even get surprise when I saw who was waiting for us inside. Father Nicolas.

“Do you really think that you two could escape? Tsk, tsk, tsk. You obviously don’t know me that much yet.” He then dialed on his cellphone.

“Come in here now.” After about a minute or so, I saw people coming. The other leaders of SFH

and some people from Safe Haven.

“Let’s begin the ceremony now.” My eyes widened as my heartbeat quickened upon hearing that.

“No! I don’t want to be wed to the likes of you!” I tried kick him but the two guards who were holding me by the arms prevented me from hitting him.

“I’m done of being nice, Sabina. If I were you, I will just go with the flow because one wrong move from you and your mother will suffer.” I looked at my mother and I felt like someone kicked me in the gut when I saw that they were pointing a gun at her.

“Why are you so desperate to marry me that you’re willing to do anything just to make it happen?”

“I told you, Sabina. You’re my destined bride—”

“—Cut to the chase, Father Nicolas. We both know that you’re up to something and that’s what I want to know.” He was taken a back for a couple of seconds, obviously wasn’t expecting that from me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sabina. Now, enough with all the talking and let’s begin the ceremony.” Even though I wanted to run away after hearing that, I couldn’t do it. They’re using my mom to blackmail me and I helplessly couldn’t do anything about it…

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chapter 26

A/N: Salut, Amores! I hope you will still with me until I finish this story. Thanks for reading.  Anyway, just wanted you to know that something good happened and it might be my reason to continue writing on this platform. When I made that announcement the last time, saying that I would stop writing, I already made up my mind to stop writing for at least a year. But then, unexpectedly, I received good news. Not sure yet but after we finalized everything, I’ll let you know my final decision. Have a nice day. Enjoy. :)

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SABINA’s POV

All the resentment inside of me came back like a vengeance and my emotions turned haywire. All the resentment, anger and pain were potent combination, enough for me to lose myself.

Even though my mother and I managed to get out of Safe Haven safely, the experience would surely stay with us for the rest of our lives.

“Why are you giving me this?” I asked Xzavier coldly as I met his gaze. Yes, the necklace was beautiful and obviously expensive but I didn’t want to keep something from him with these negative emotions still lurking inside of me.

“Because that’s rightfully yours, my Ina. That’s my heart and I hope, you will cherish it.” The corner of my lips lifted as I chuckled full of bitterness.

“I don’t have any reason to accept this. We’re nothing but strangers to each other anyway. Well, aside from knowing each other’s names and that’s all.” I took his hand and returned the necklace to him. I was about to pull back my hand when he stopped me by holding me by the hand as he shook his head.

“You’re wrong, Ina, and you know it. Everything that we shared in the past was very special and I will treasure those memories for the rest of my life. Even though it was short, those special moments with you were the best days of my life.” He then placed the necklace back to my palm.

“Please, accept it, my Ina.” He then closed my palm and then let go of my hand. “I know, it will be difficult for you to forgive me but I will do everything in my power for my feelings to reach your heart once again.” He then smiled.

“Damn. I can’t believe I’m saying these cheesy words. Before I met you, I was confident that I would never fall into a woman and let her control my feelings until I go crazy over her. But now, I don’t care if I’m being corny as long as I tell you what’s really inside of me. Even if people would hear it, I couldn’t care less because I’m just being true to myself.” My foolish heart skipped a beat.

“You’re just wasting your time.” I uttered and a sad but determined smile appeared on his face.

“Maybe but I will never give up. That’s how much I love you.” I gritted my teeth.

“Don’t ever spew lies!” I snapped at him before turning my back on him and walked away. How could he say those words without even blinking an eye? I wanted to get away from him because I didn’t want to hear another lie from him but I didn’t expect what he did next which made my heart pound like a drum.

“I love you, my Ina, and that’s not a lie. I’m not ashamed to shout that to the world because you’re that special to me. I want everyone to know that no matter what happens, you’re still mine and I’m yours.” Everyone around us were busy chatting but when they heard what he said out loud, they stopped talking and looked at the two of us in shock.

Even I was shocked, didn’t expect him to say that out loud that even my parents clearly heard it.

I didn’t know what to do. Everyone was looking at us confusedly and I was at a loss for words but Xzavier looked like he didn’t care as he walked up to me, gently held me by the shoulders and made me face him.

Our gazes locked and I clearly saw how he was looking at me ever so livingly. Just like he did before…

“Ina…” He was about to say something but I pushed him away before hurriedly picked up my sarong from the picnic blanket and used to cover myself up before walking out of there with long strides.

“Ina, wait!” Xzavier called for me and probably was about to follow me but I heard my father talked to him.

“Mr. Montaño, I think it’s better for you to not follow her for now. Give her time.” That was all I heard because I quickened my pace without any destination in my mind. Then, after about three minutes, I stopped and sat under the big tree.

My chest felt so heavy and I felt like it would explode. Then, I felt something drenching my cheeks. I touched it with my finger tips and realized that they were tears. I chuckled full of bitterness. Yes, I’m crying again because of Xzavier.

Years ago, I promised myself not to cry over him no matter what happens, but now, it arrived to a point that I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to cry it out. Then, after a couple of minutes of silently crying alone, I sensed a presence before me.

“Sweetie…” I looked up and saw my parents looking at me worriedly. Another batch of tears fell from my eyes as I stood up and threw my arms around my parents. They didn’t ask any question and just hugged me until my tears finally stopped…

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I sighed for the nth time while staring at the necklace I was holding that Xzavier gave me on my birthday. I just finished getting dressed after taking my bath and was about to blow-dry my hair when I saw the necklace.

I didn’t have the chance to give it back to Xzavier because of everything that happened that day that’s why I didn’t have a choice but to keep it for now.

It’s been three days since then and I heard from someone in the ranch that he left the ranch the other day and went home.

After the stunt he pulled at the falls in front of everyone, he didn’t show himself to me again until he finally left. I chuckled mirthlessly. He probably got intimidated by my father who was always with me these past few days.

“Sab?” I was pulled out of my deep thoughts when someone knocked and called me from the outside of my room.

“Yes, mom?”

“Lucas and the others are here. They want to talk to you.” My eyebrows creased. Why are they here?

I quickly returned the necklace inside the small box and then put it back inside the drawer before going out of my room.

“They’re at the patio.” My mom informed me and I nodded my head. We both went down and she went to what she was doing while I on the other hand went to the patio. It’s Sunday today that’s why we’re preparing to go to the church later.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked the children upon reaching there.

“We just want to ask if you would come to the church later, Sabina.” Lucas answered which made my forehead crinkle.

“Of course. What kind of question is that?” The kids shared a look.

“Okay, then. We just came here to tell you that we would like to claim our reward today so wanted to ask if you could come with us to have some ice cream at the park. You’re part of the winning team anyway.” It was Katie.

“I already told you that I—”

“—Yes, you told us that you wouldn’t come with us but now that Mr. Montaño’s not here, we don’t have an adult who could accompany us to the park because everyone’s going to be busy later. You’re our last hope, Sabina. My mom said that I could go as long as you would be with us.” Lucas said.

“I’m the same, Sabina. My parents would only allow me if you’d be with us.” Another one of the children said and everyone said the same thing.

“C’mon, Sabina. Say yes, please.” George said with puppy dog eyes and everyone did the same thing.

“I thought, you preferred to just go to the playground near the church after the mass?”

“Yes, but today’s different. We just want to go somewhere and enjoy our prize. Our parents are going to stay behind after the mass because there’s a meeting. C’mon, Sabina. Come with us.” Looking at their begging faces, my heart melted. I heaved a sigh.

“Fine. I’ll go with you but on one condition. Everyone will behave, okay?” Their faces brightened in so much joy.

“Okay, Sabina.” They then happily answered. After that, they decided to wait for us and when my parents were finally ready, we went to the church together with the kids. Apparently, their parents knew that they would be going to the church with us so they went on ahead.

As usual, we had our Sunday activities after church and after that, me and the children went to the nearby park where there was an ice cream, burger and pizza stand. But instead of going to the stand right away to order, the children were looking around as if looking for someone.

“What are you still waiting for? I thought you wanted to come here to eat?” I asked them.

“That’s weird. He told us that he would be here.” Lucas uttered.

“Who are you talking about?” I asked curiously and they were about to answer when I saw their faces brightened up when they saw someone behind me.

“You’re finally here!” They merrily chanted.

“Of course. I promised, right?” My body went frozen upon hearing that voice. I thought, he already left the ranch? How come he’s here?!

The children happily went up to him. I slowly turned around, hoping that I was only hearing things; that he wasn’t the one who arrived but that was just a wishful thinking because it was indeed him.

“You…I thought…” It was the only thing I could utter while staring at him. He smiled.

“Yes, it’s me, Ina. I’m sorry, I’m late. It was traffic.” My jaw slacked open. I couldn’t believe that the children tricked me!

“Lucas, can we talk?” I asked him since he was the eldest among the children. His eyebrows furrowed.

“Why, Sabina? What’s wrong?”

“Just come here.” I insisted and he obliged. We went away from them so that no one could hear us.

“Why did you guys lie to me?” I then asked him.

“Lie about what? We never lied.”

“But you said that Mr. Montaño isn’t here that’s why you asked me to accompany you, right?”

“Yes. He said that he wouldn’t be able to pick us up from our houses that’s why he asked us to come here to the park. Of course, our parents didn’t allow us walking by ourselves to the park. But when we asked them if we could go with you, they agreed, so we asked you to come with us. Besides, you’re part of the winning team anyway, so it’s just right that you come with us.” I face-palmed.

“Are you mad, Sabina?” I could hint the worry in his voice. I sighed and then smiled at him.

“No. I was just surprised that he’s here. I thought, he already left the ranch.”

“Yes, he already left the ranch but he came back just to treat us just like he promised.” I could see the joy and excitement on his face.

“Okay, since he’s already here with you, I think, I’m going. I have something to do at home. Tell him to drop you home after, okay?”

“You’re going to leave us? Why? Don’t you want to be with us?”

“Of course, not.”

“Then, why are you leaving?”

“Because—”

“—You’re leaving, Sabina?” I turned around and saw Katie and the others, looking at me full of disappointment and sadness. I didn’t notice them approaching us.

“If you’re going to leave, then we don’t have a choice but to go too. Our parents specifically told us to be with you.” Lucas said. Everyone of them were evidently sad. I squeezed my eyes shut and then released a breath.

I felt like I was being killjoy. Even though I wanted to be away from Xzavier as far as I could, I didn’t want to be selfish and make the children sad and disappointed.

“Fine. I’ll stay, so smile now. I don’t want to be the reason of your sadness.” Just like that, their faces brightened.

“Yehey!” I shook my head at them and unintentionally looked at Xzavier’s direction. He was smiling at me.

“Let’s go?” He said and I thought, we were going to order at the food stand but to my surprise, we headed to a shuttle bus which parked nearby.

“What is the meaning of this? I thought, we were going to eat at the food stand?” I couldn’t hold back asking that question. Xzavier beamed.

“Yes, we are going to eat but not here. Don’t worry, I already asked permission from their parents to take them out to play.”

“Yes, Sabina. He already did. C’mon, let’s get inside.” Katie said and pulled me by the hand. I couldn’t do anything but to go on with the flow. When everyone got inside the shuttle bus, the driver closed the door and drove us out of there.

While we were on our way to only God knows where, I could feel Xzavier’s hot stares who was sitting in the front but I tried my best to ignore him. After about 20 minutes, we arrived at the city center and headed to the mall. 

The children happily got out of the shuttle bus after the driver parked it at the parking space.

“Guys, remember your promise to behave, okay?” I reminded them.

“Don’t worry. I got everything covered.” Xzavier was the one who answered and called up someone on his phone. After a couple of minutes, 10 men in black arrived. The children were amazed seeing them.

“They will make sure that the kids are safe so don’t think about anything else and just enjoy, my Ina.” I gaped at him in disbelief.

I was about to say something but before I could say anything, he said the go signal and the kids excitedly headed towards the entrance door. But even if they’re excited, the 10 of them entered the vicinity in line as the 10 men in black surrounded them.

I couldn’t believe what’s happening but I didn’t have a choice but to just go on with the flow.

“Let’s go, Ina?” My gaze shifted at Xzavier as he held out his hand for me with a smile on his face. My heart throbbed wildly.

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chapter 27

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SABINA’s POV

I couldn’t hold back the smile that appeared on my face while watching the children play at the indoor playground in the mall. The place was big enough to accommodate people with all the different equipment for children and adults.

They kept on squealing and laughing while enjoying playing with each other while me on the other hand was just sitting at the waiting area together with the parents who didn’t want to go in there and prefer to just wait for their children.

“I’m glad I brought them here. Look how happy they are. They told me that their parents seldomly take them out on weekends because they’re busy that’s why when I told them that we would come here, they were so excited.”

“Yeah, they all look happy. I’m just glad that you kept your promise. At least, this one.” I couldn’t help to sound a little sarcastic.

“Ina…” I met his gaze and I saw that sadness in his eyes again. I averted my gaze.

“I’m glad you came even though you can’t probably stand being with me.”

“I came for the children. I didn’t want them to get disappointed. They’ve been looking forward to this.”

“And I won’t deny that I’ve been looking forward to this too because I wanted to be with you. Well, I wanted to make the children happy at the same time.” Then to my surprise, he suddenly held my hand.

“Mr. Montaño—”

“—Xzav, Ina. I want to hear you call me by my name again.” He uttered huskily while gazing into my eyes. My heartbeat became faster.

“I don’t know if I could ever bring myself calling you that after everything that happened.” I admitted and looked at the other way. Then, he gently cupped my face and made me face him before resting his forehead against mine.

“Mr. Montaño—”

“—Do you remember what I told you before; the thing that I would do the moment you call me Mr. Montaño once again?” My breathing went hitch as my heartbeat went even wilder.

“Don’t you dare.”

He smiled boyishly. “Say my name then.”

“Mr. Montaño, I’m not in the mood to play games with you. I—” My sentence was cut short when his lips sealed mine. My eyes widened as my body went still. It was just a gentle kiss yet it brought so much sensations within me.

“Mr. Montaño, can you please show us how to properly play that one?” I instinctively pushed Xzavier away upon hearing Lucas’ voice. He grunted because he almost fell down from his seat. I bit my lower lip.

“Which one?”

“That one. We tried but we couldn’t do it.” Lucas pointed at the wall climbing. Xzavier kissed my forehead and then whispered to my ear.

“I’ll be back, my Ina.” He then stood up and went with Lucas to the wall climbing area.

That place wasn’t only for kids because there was many equipment for adults also. It was intended for family activities.

I watched Xzavier give instructions to the boys before properly putting the gear on them. After that, they finally managed to at least get the basics.

Then, Xzavier looked like he told them that he would go back to the waiting area but the children didn’t let him. The girls pulled him by the hand somewhere else.

He looked at my direction, silently asking for rescue. I averted my gaze and pretended that I was looking at something else.

Then, after about three minutes or so, I looked at them again and couldn’t hold back my laugh when I saw him already playing with the kids at the bouncy castle this time. For some reason, he looked kinda cute being with the kids like that. I didn’t expect him to be this patient in dealing with kids.

“Your husband knows how to have fun with kids. Seems like he’s a great dad.” The woman said as she sat on the seat next to me with a smile on her face. My cheeks went red right away.

“Husband?”

“Yes. Aside from being handsome, kids love him. That’s enviable. A lot of men nowadays don’t really like playing with kids. I wish I could find a man like him.” I chuckled shyly. The woman looked the same age as me and obviously has an Asian and white descent. What a pretty woman, I thought.

“He’s not my husband.”

“Oh, my gosh! I’m sorry. I really thought, you two were married because you two were so sweet.” She looked genuinely embarrassed. My cheeks became redder than a while ago. It seemed like she saw Xzavier kiss me a while ago.

“It’s okay. What about you? Are you perhaps waiting for your siblings or something?”

She smiled back. “No, I’m alone. I just came by this mall to relax a bit and when I got tired of walking, I saw this place and decided to sit here. Anyway, I’m Akira. What about you?”

“My name is Sabina. It’s nice meeting you, Akira. You have such a cute name.” She chuckled.

“Really? Your name is cute too. It actually suits you.”

“What do you mean?” I curiously asked.

“Well, you’re a beautiful girl and your name suits you.” We both laughed. We chatted for about 15 minutes more minutes before Xzavier and the kids came up to us.

“Are you done already?” I asked the kids.

“Yes, Sabina. It was so fun.” One of them answered full of energy.

“Shall we go?” Xzavier said with a smile and I stood up.

“We’re going on ahead, Akira. It’s been nice talking to you.” I said to Akira with a smile and she stood up with a friendly smile.

“I feel the same. I’m gonna head out now. I still have something to do.” She then shifted her gaze to the kids. “Have fun, everyone.” The children smiled at her and nodded their heads. She then went on ahead but before she went out of the door, she turned around and waved at us before heading out.

“Who’s that beautiful girl?” Xzavier asked while still looking at the exit. For some reason, that didn’t sit well with me. Why did he have to say beautiful? Well, Akira is very beautiful indeed and I can’t blame him for saying that.

“Let’s just go.” I then walked ahead of them. I didn’t know why but hearing him say that about Akira made my chest tighten.

“Hey, wait for us, Sabina.” The children said and caught up to me.

“Are you mad?” Xzavier asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“No, I’m not. Why would I?”

“But you look like you’re about to slap the heck out of me glaring at me like that.” I stopped and gave him a sharp glare.

“Yes, I am about to so would you just shut up and let’s go and get this over with so that we could go home now?”

“Are you mad, Sabina? Are you two fighting?” The kids asked and when I looked at them, they looked sad while looking at the two of us. I groaned inwardly. What am I doing here with Xzavier anyway? I released a breath before answering.

“No, I’m not. I’m just feeling a little bit unwell but everything’s okay.”

“Really?” It was Lucas.

“Yes, I’m positive so let’s just go to our next destination.”

“Are you sure, you’re okay, Ina?” Xzavier queried.

“I said, I’m fine. Where are we going next anyway?” I answered casually without looking at him.

“I think, we better eat now. It’s already past lunch time. I’m sure everyone is already hungry.” He then asked the children where they wanted to eat but they couldn’t decide where so Xzavier was the one who chose the place.

Surprisingly, the place was a family restaurant and the food was fantastic. The children ordered everything that they wanted and just like he promised to them, he also ordered ice cream for dessert.

Of course, they were happy and Xzavier seemed to be enjoying every moment with the kids. After eating, I thought we were going to head home already but the kids requested for us to go play in the arcade and Xzavier looked at me, silently asking for my decision.

“It’s up to you.” I said and he smiled.

“Let’s go then.”

“Yehey!” Everyone merrily jumped for joy. Just as expected, the kids enjoyed every second they spent in the arcade and this time, I joined the fun.

“I beat you again, Sabina. I didn’t expect that you’re not good at playing video games.” Lucas said after our match. I laughed.

“Well, I’ve never tried this before. C’mon, let’s play one more time. I’m sure, I’m going to beat you this time.”

“Let’s see about that.” We then had a rematch. I tried my best to even though I didn’t know what I was pushing among the different buttons there and just like a while ago, I lost in the first round. When the second round started, it was the same. I couldn’t keep up.

Then, just a couple of hit and my character was about to die when I heard Xzavier’s voice next to my ear.

“I’ll show you how to play this properly, my Ina.” He was behind me, leaving over past my shoulder that his face was next to mine. His arms were on either side of me and my breath got caught in my throat as I felt his warmth on my back.

He his hands were on mine, showing me the right buttons to press but because of how close he was, I lost my concentration and just remained still like a frozen statue that’s why he was the one who continued playing.

“I won.” I blinked innumerably when I heard his husky voice and realized that he’d actually beaten Lucas in that round.

“There’s still one last round left.” Lucas answered and when round three began, I just did nothing but to remain still just like a while ago while watching Xzavier play. He’s actually good.

“I won again.”

“No fair. You’re too good at this, Mr. Montaño.” Xzavier laughed and finally stood straight. That’s when I finally managed to breath normally.

“You should train harder to beat me, kid.” He then looked at me. “You too, my Ina. You should practice how to play games like this. Even a kid could beat you with that puny skill of yours.” I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever.” I stood up and went to the claw machine.

“Oh, gosh. These are so cute.” I quickly forgot my irritation with Xzavier upon seeing all the cute stuffed toys inside the claw machines. There were several machines and each contains different kinds and sizes of stuffed toys.

I played, trying my best to get the panda plushie stuffed toy. It has different colors but I wanted the pink one. But then, after trying three consecutive times, I still couldn’t get one and I began to feel frustrated.

“One more time and I’m sure, I’m going to get one.” I was about to insert another token but I realized that I already used all of my token. I was about to open my bag to get some money when I heard a voice next me.

“I’m sure, you want the pink panda, right? I’m gonna get it for you.” Xzavier then inserted a token in the machine next to where I was playing and began trying his luck.

“It’s not easy to get one, you know. They say, these machines are modified to only allow players to get stuffed toys at a certain number of tries at a time. For example, after every 100 tries, that’s the time that the machine would actually allow someone to win.”

“Really? In that case, I’ll continuously play so that I would get one for you after 100 times.” He answered without looking at me because he was busy operating the machine. My heart skipped a beat but then, I sneered.

“You don’t have to do that. I can just buy one somewhere else.”

“Damn! That was close!” I shook my head. He almost got one but the claw of the machine let the stuffed toy go way early. “One more time.” He then inserted another token.

“That’s enough. I already told you about the mechanics of such machines. You’re just going to waste your money for nothing.” I then turned my back and was about to go back to the kids who were busy playing when I heard Xzavier’s voice again and this time, he sounded so happy.

“Gotcha! Look, Ina! I got one!”

“Yeah, right.” I answered uncaringly without looking back at him, expecting that he was just messing around. But then, he quickly caught up to me and blocked my way.

“You really don’t believe anything I say?” I didn’t know why but I swore, I hinted bitterness and sadness in his voice. He then handed me the stuffed toy. My lips parted. He really managed to get one.

“You really successfully got one.” I muttered.

“Of course, I did. I told you that I would do it, right, no matter how many times I would do it.” I was at a loss for words. Then, I was about to respond when someone spoke.

“No, fair. I want one too.” It was Katie. She was staring at the stuffed toy that I was holding.

“Me too.” The others copied her and Xzavier scratched the back of his head.

“Are you sure? We might spend the night here before I could manage to get one for each one of you.” He jokingly said and was about to go back to the claw machine when I spoke.

“It’s okay. There’s a store here that sells stuffed toys. I’ll just buy them theirs. We don’t want to be stuck here for the night.”

“Really, Sabina? You’ll buy us stuffed toys?” George asked.

“Well, I already said it so yeah. Anyway, let’s go.” We exited the arcade and went to the store that I was talking about. The kids chose the stuffed toys that they wanted and my eyes almost came out of its socket when I saw the total price. Damn. Now, I really need to get a job so that I would have money to spend whenever I go out.

“Does everyone already have their own?”

“Yes, Sabina.” They answered in unison while holding their own stuffed toy.

“Okay, then. Let’s go pay for it.” Xzavier was just quiet the whole time, just watching us. Then, we fell in line.

“It’s a total of 250 euros.” The cashier said. Oh, man. How can such things so expensive?

I unzipped my bag and took out my card. Then, just when I was about to pay for it, Xzavier approached.

“I’ll pay with card.” He said and then cashier’s lips parted as she gawked at him.

“Miss, I said, I’ll pay it with my card.” The woman blinked innumerably as she finally realized that she was at work. I rolled my eyes. What’s with Xzavier that a lot of woman stares at him dreamily like that? Ever since a while ago, I noticed women around openly gawking at him like that and for some reason, it made me irritated

“Okay. Pay with card then.” Xzavier then tapped his card to the small machine and paid everything in contactless way.

“Let’s go?” He then said and we exited the store.

“Why did you pay for everything? I said that I would buy it for the kids, right?” I castigated him while we were on our way to the parking lot.

“Ina, I was the one who planned this day out with everyone so I should be the one to pay for everything.”

“But—” Whatever I wanted to say was cut short because she silenced me by placing his finger on my lips.

“—No, buts, Ina.” He then smiled and winked at me. For some reason, my heart reacted again and I groaned inwardly. I suddenly wanted to hit my head because whenever he smiles at me like that, I momentarily forget everything; the pain, resentment, bitterness and anger…

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Sabina is such a tough nut to crack, I guess. Lol.

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chapter 28

A/N: Hi, Amores! Sorry, I totally forgot to update. I was so busy the whole day that’s why it slipped off my mind. Thankfully, it’s still 7 pm here. Enjoy reading. :)

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SABINA’s POV

I smiled contentedly as I checked the picture that I managed to snap on my camera. The picturesque view here in the ranch is really one of a kind. I’ve been living here for more than three years now but the scenic view still takes my breath away.

It’s peaceful, quiet and safe not to mention the wonderful people and I couldn’t ask for more.

Today, I woke up early just for the purpose of taking beautiful pictures of nature. I’m currently in the wheat field and from this place, I could see the magnificent waterfalls from afar. It rained this early in the morning and the rainbow was still up there, adding more beauty to the view.

“You really love taking pictures now, huh?” I was about to take another shot when someone spoke behind me. I almost jumped out of my skin. I turned my head to look at the person who just arrived in obvious irritation.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have anything to do other than coming here to bother me?” It’s been three days since we went out with the kids and he’s been coming over everyday. But I didn’t face him and pretended to be busy inside my room.

Because of that, he left the bouquet of flowers he had to my parents.

“I told you before, right? I said that I would never give up on you that’s why I decided to court you.”

“Court me? Do you even know how to court? And what do you mean by your question just now? Why do you sounded like you’ve know for quiet sometime that I loved taking pictures?” He averted his gaze right away and that made me furrow at him.

“What? Aren’t you going to answer my questions? If you don’t have any plans of answering, then leave.” I then focused my attention on my camera and the view as if he wasn’t there.

Ever since the day I discovered about cameras, my interest in them never faded as the time went by. In fact, I’ve been planning to study photography but I didn’t have time until.

“I just happen to know. Damn, I’ve never dreamed that I would get intimidated by a woman until now. Now, I understand how scary it is when the woman you love is mad at you. Your feistiness is making my knees tremble.” I pretended that I didn’t hear what he just said but my heat started thumping. Damn it! Why does my heart need to react to everything that he says?!

“Anyway, this is for you, Ina.” My forehead crinkled and looked back at him. He was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Now I understand why he had his hands behind him since he arrived.

“Why are you giving me that?” I feigned ignorance.

“Didn’t you hear what I’ve said just now? I want to court you, Ina.” I could see the determination in his eyes. I gritted my teeth.

“I don’t have any plans for your lies and games.” I was about to walk past him when he stopped me by the hand.

“I love you. Is that so hard to believe?”

“Stop with the lies. I don’t buy it.” For some reason, my eyes watered and my voice cracked as a rush of different emotions attacked my chest.

“I love you. I love you. I love you. No matter how many times I need to repeat and shout it to the world, I will do it. I will not repeat what I’ve done in the past that I let you slip through my fingers like that. This time, it’s different. I’m offering my everything to you, my Ina, and all I’m asking from you is another chance. Please?” I wanted to flat out decline but I felt like there was a sudden lump in my throat.

“You’re the only woman for me, Ina. Even if I’d make myself look like a fool in the eyes of all the people around us, I don’t care. That’s how much I love you.” I could feel the sincerity in his voice but my stubborn heart was afraid to believe him.

It took me a couple of seconds to gather myself together. I was about to respond when someone arrived.

“Sabina?” I looked at the one who spoke. Nathan. I furtively wiped my unshed tears and then distanced myself away from Xzavier.

“I didn’t know that you’re already back.” I responded, trying to appear fine. He went to Paris for a few job interviews that’s why he wasn’t around these past few days.

“I just came back actually. Anyway, are you okay?” He then looked at Xzavier with a scowl. I smiled and then snaked my arm around his arm.

“Of course, I’m okay. Let’s go, babe?” I said and pulled him out of there. While we were walking away, I could feel the stares of Xzavier on my back but I ignored it.

“Babe, huh? I like the sound of it.” I looked at Nathan and he has a wide smile on his face. I heaved a sigh.

“Sorry about that, Nathan. I just wanted him to stop courting me.” I answered, almost whispering so that Xzavier wouldn’t hear me.

“He’s courting you?” He sounded surprised. I bit my lower lip and then nodded my head.

“In that case, I’ll help you shoo him away.” Before I could ask him what he meant by that, he placed his arm over my shoulders which surprised me.

“What are—”

“—I thought, you wanted to make him stop courting you? I’m sure, he’ll get the message after this.” He was about to pull me even closer to his body when the unexpected happened.

“I’m giving you three seconds to get away from her. Now.” Nathan and I’s steps came to a halt upon hearing Xzavier’s dangerous voice.

“Nathan, just pretend that you didn’t hear him and let’s just go.” I said sternly but he already turned his head to look at Xzavier.

“You don’t have the right to tell me that, man. You told me before that Sabina was your woman but that was nothing but a lie. She already accepted me as her boyfriend yesterday so you should back off. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with you.” Upon saying that, we continued walking with Nathan’s arm still over my shoulders.

I thought, Xzavier has already given up because he didn’t react right away. But after a couple of seconds, the unthinkable happened. The next thing I knew, Nathan was already on the ground and the corner of his lips was bleeding.

“Oh, God, Nathan! Are you okay?!” I then looked at Xzavier who looked like a wild beast that was about to pounce on its prey, too angry to distinguish what was right or wrong.

“Damn you! Who do you think you are to punch Nathan like that?!” I thought, he was going to match my anger judging by that dangerous look on his face but to my surprise, he took my hand and placed it on his chest, right next to his heart as his face softened a little bit.

“Can you feel that, Ina? My heart feels like it’s about to explode because you’re with someone else! I know you’re mad at me right now and I’d accept any punishment from you but not like this! You can slap me, punch me or even beat the heck out of me but please, don’t do this to me…” His voice cracked at the end and it served like a knife that penetrated my heart.

I felt like I got rooted on the ground when I saw the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. I was at a loss for words and didn’t know what to do. He looked so hurt and my heart reached out for him.

During those times that we spent together in the mountains, I noticed that Xzavier was a strong, confident and proud man. He would never let himself stoop so low nor lose to anyone. But now, he looked like all the live within his dissipated from his body and became vulnerable and weak.

I couldn’t believe that he would be willing to do this, uncaring if he would look like a weak person in front of me and Nathan.

“Xza—” He couldn’t hear whatever I wanted to say because Nathan suddenly stood up and pulled me by the hand behind him, as if protecting me from Xzavier.

“Sabina already made up her mind so you should accept her decision like a man. If I were you, I would just go back home and wouldn’t bother to come back.” Xzavier’s jaw flexed as his eyes suddenly became void of any emotions as he met Nathan’s gaze.

“You don’t have the right to tell me what to do. This doesn’t concern you at all.” To my horror, he took a step forward and grabbed Nathan’s shirt tightly. “Don’t try to pick a fight with me because you don’t have any tiny chance to win against me. Now, if you love yourself, get away from my woman or you’ll be sorry.” His voice sounded so menacing and I knew that he was really mad this time that he would surely harm Nathan if he wouldn’t do as he says.

“S-Sabina doesn’t love you so you should accept that.” Even though Nathan was obviously got intimidated by Xzavier, he still managed to say that. Xzavier’s face contorted in anger. His grip on Nathan’s shirt tightened that he was beginning to get choked. That’s when I decided to get in between.

“Let go of him! Can’t you see that you’re already choking him?!” But Xzavier seemed like he didn’t hear that. He balled his free hand into a tight fist and was about to hit Nathan once again when I made him stop.

“Xzavier, I said stop! If you hit him again, I swear, you will never see me again!” His fist stopped in midair as his body went still. Then, after a couple of seconds, he let go of Nathan and then looked at me, bewildered.

“Y-You said my name…” He uttered in disbelief. I glared at him.

“So, what if I called you by your name?! Have you lost your mind that you even hit someone who did nothing to you?! And now, you’re planning to choke him to death! You’ve gone insane!” I then faced Nathan. “I’m sorry about this, Nathan. Maybe, you should go home for now before this crazy person hits you again.”

“What about you, Sabina? I can’t leave you here with this dangerous guy. Who knows what he would do to you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m going to head home anyway.” I then gazed at Xzavier. “You should go home too. Your presence is not welcome here.” After saying that, Nathan and I marched our way out of there.

“That guy is dangerous, Sabina. I don’t trust him one bit. You shouldn’t associate yourself with the likes of him. I’m sure, he’s up to no good.” I felt like my chest tighten hearing him say that about Xzavier. I heaved a sigh.

“Yeah, he’s dangerous…”

“See? You shouldn’t—”

“—But he’s not entirely a bad person, Nathan. Just like everyone of us, he also has a dark side of him and he just happened to lose his control.” I found myself defending him which surprised me. Are you crazy, Sab?! Why are you defending him?!

“You sound like you know him too well.” Nathan sounded confused while staring at me with a scowl. I forced a smile.

“When you get home, put some ice on your lips, okay? I’m sorry that this happened to you.” I deliberately changed the topic. He released a breath.

“Don’t worry about me, Sabina. I’m a guy. This is nothing. Anyway, be careful, okay? You should go straight home.”

“My house is just a couple of meters from here. You should be the one to be careful.” He nodded his head and reluctantly turned his back on me. Then, we parted ways. I was about to enter the gate when I couldn’t help myself but to stare at the direction where we left Xzavier at. I then released a breath.

“What are you looking for, sweetie? Is everything okay?”

“Dad! You scared me!” I whined. Looked like he came from our small garden at the backyard because he was holding some freshly picked vegetables.

“I wasn’t trying to. You looked like you were in deep thoughts while looking that way.” He even pointed at the direction that I was looking at just now. “Are you okay?” There was tinge of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine, dad. I’m just tired. I’ll just go to my room.” I was about to take a step when he spoke.

“Mr. Montaño was here, looking for you.” I bit my lower lip, wasn’t sure if I would tell him that I talked to Xzavier just a while ago.

“Oh, I see.” It was all that came out of my lips, couldn’t meet his gaze. Then, he remained quiet so I looked at him. He was staring at me like he wanted to say something but couldn’t say it out loud.

“Aren’t you going to ask me about Xzavier?” A small smile appeared on his face. It has been a couple of days since my birthday but my parents never asked me about Xzavier and remained quiet about it.

“Well, your mother and I wanted to ask you a lot of questions but we decided to wait for you to open up to us.” I chewed on my lower lip guiltily.

“I’m sorry for not saying anything about him. It’s just that…everything’s complicated right now.” I admitted.

“Do you love him?” That took me by surprise.

“Dad!”

“What? That’s just a simple question, right? Do you love him or not? Be honest with me and with yourself.” I sighed and smiled bitterly as my eyes turned somber.

“He hurt me so bad, dad, and I’m afraid that he might do it again.”

“And yet, that doesn’t change the fact that you still love him.” I wanted to falsify that but I would just be lying to myself. I slowly nodded my head.

“I won’t ask you when and how did you meet him if you’re not ready to tell us your side of the story yet. You know, when he came here a while ago, he answered every question your mom and I threw at him. He told us everything. But even so, I’m in no position to tell you what to do.

“If you really can’t forgive him anymore, then make up your mind and tell him once and for all to stop bothering you. But if you can’t do that, I suggest for the two of you to talk. You should listen to him, sweetie. After that, you can decide what to do next.” He then lightly tapped me by the shoulder and then entered the house ahead of me.

I heaved a sigh and looked up the sky. I’m so confused of what to do next. Yes, I’m still mad at Xzavier but…I released another breath and decided to go to the tree house to think. Maybe after this, I would know what to do.

But before that, I remember about the bottle of alcohol that Billy gifted me on my birthday. Maybe, it’s better for me to have a drink even just for a couple of shots instead.

I entered the house went to my room. I took the bottle of alcohol and read the label.

“Sweet Caress, TBG special?” I didn’t have any idea of what TBG was so I just shrugged my shoulders and opened it. Then, I found myself drinking alone while remembering about what happened a while ago.

Why does Xzavier keep on coming back? Is he really serious about loving me? I chuckled bitterly.

“Love, huh? If you really loved me, then why did you hurt me s bad?” I then took another shot. I’ve been asking myself that question but I couldn’t find the answer until now. Maybe, I should try to listen to Xzavier in order to get the answer that I’ve been looking for for so long.

After drinking alone and started to feel the effect of the alcohol, I stopped. It began to feel hot around even though I opened the windows.

Because of that, I decided to go to the tree house to breath some fresh air. I took my camera and laptop to review the photos I took earlier today. I left a note for my parents, informing them that I would just be there in the tree house and that they didn’t need to look for me during lunch.

But then, I didn’t expect whom I saw upon entering the tree house. The camera and laptop that I was holding fell from my hand but thankfully, he caught them before they fell on the floor. He then placed them on top of the coffee table.

“W-What are you doing here?” I stammered as my heart pounded like crazy. I thought, I could have the chance to think but that was impossible now. The mere presence of him was already making my heartbeat like a drum.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores?

Is it already hopeless for them to get back together?

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chapter 29

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE scenes for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!!!

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SABINA’s POV

He didn’t say anything and just kept on staring at me full of seriousness. I couldn’t read what was on his mind but the way he was staring at me made my body feel hot for some reason. Maybe it’s because of the alcohol I consumed, the other part of my brain contradicted.

Even though the amount of alcohol I consumed wasn’t enough for me to get drunk, I still felt hot all over and became braver for some reason as if could do whatever I wanted to do.

“Answer my question and stop staring at me like that, will you?!” I hissed. But then, he remained quiet which made me more annoyed.

“Fine. If you don’t want to answer, suit yourself.” I was about to turn my back on him and just leave when he suddenly closed the gap between us and snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me to his body in not so gentle way. I gasped in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“After we talked a while ago, it crossed my mind to stop pestering you because I didn’t want to serve as a hindrance to your happiness. I came here to get one final glance at you before I leave for good but imagine my surprise when I overheard your conversation with your father. Because of that, I changed my mind especially now that I’m certain that I still have a place in your heart.” He sounded happy and my heart skipped a beat.

“W-What are you talking about? Aren’t you being too conceited? I’ve never said anything about that.” I feigned ignorance and tried to distance myself from him but his arms tightened around me as he buried his face on the crook of my neck.

His warm breath tickled me and it gave me unexplainable feelings that I haven’t felt in such a long time. Those familiar pleasant feelings that only he managed to make me feel…

“You still love me, right, Ina? Please tell me that you still do.” He begged and my eyes widened when I felt his hands began roaming around my back, leaving a trail of heat on my skin. He sounded so desperate yet and hopeful at the same time.

“I don’t know what you’re saying! Now, let go of me before I scream!” I threatened him as I started to feel scared not because I was afraid of him but because of the possibility that my feelings would betray me because even though I didn’t want to acknowledge it, deep inside of me, I knew for sure that I would lose myself into his seductions once again if I wouldn’t be careful. I already fell into his charm one and I wouldn’t want that to happen again.

“Scream if you really think that I would do something bad to you. I am not forbidding you to do whatever you think is right. But I made up my mind. I’m going to make you admit to me that I’m still the one in your heart. All I need is to reach for it myself.” Before I could understand what did he mean by that, he began kissing my neck, gently nipping on it, tonguing it teasingly before sucking as if he had a plan to leave his mark on me.

Just like that, the heat in the center of my being got awakened. It went ablaze like a volcano that was on the verge of erupting.

“Mr. Montaño—ohhh!” Whatever I wanted to say became a seductive moan when I felt his naughty hand slid inside my shirt, caressed its way to my breasts.

“I missed you, so much that I feel like going insane. You don’t know how hard it was for me not to come here and be with you again.” I covered my mouth with my palm to prevent myself from moaning loudly when he pinched my already turgid nipples through my bra.

I didn’t know what happened for him to act this way but when our eyes met, I saw the love, adoration and unfathomable desire he has for me.

“I love you, my Ina. I’m the happiest man right now because you still love me. I know that I still have a lot of things that I need to explain to you regarding the past but that can wait. I just want to be with you right now. Will you let me?” I heard what he said but I felt like my brain wasn’t working properly. I was in daze.

He then withdrew his hands from underneath my top and began unbuttoning it whilst gazing at me pleadingly, waiting for me to utter any protest. I swallowed hard, unable to utter a word.

I didn’t know if it was because of the alcohol or what but I just couldn’t push him away and deny his advances. Just staring into his eyes was enough for me to lose my sense of right or wrong. Just one touch and my wall of defense collapsed and it didn’t help that he kept on telling me how much he loves me.

“I love you, Ina. Tell me you love me too.” He already managed to unbutton my top and now his hands went to my back, intending to unhook my bra. His eyes were making my knees tremble and I could feel myself slowly submerging into the sea of seduction.

But even so, I knew I had to try and get out before it was too late.

“No…This is wrong…I—” I was about to get away from him using the last ounce of sanity and self-control I had but his answer was to capture my lips for a soul-searching kiss. It was a burning kiss that was full of longing, lust, desire and possessiveness. And just like that, I totally lost it.

I didn’t know what happened next. Everything was so fast that I didn’t even have time to digest everything. I found myself in bed, completely naked under him who was equally naked.

This was my first using the bed in here and I couldn’t believe that it would be in this kind of thing.

“Xzavier, I—” I wanted to tell him at least one last time that it was better for us to stop what we were doing but just like a while ago, he didn’t let me finish because he already began worshiping my body with his hungry mouth and hands.

“Ohhh, Xzavier…” That automatically escaped my lips as he began raining butterfly kisses on my neck, taking his time going down. The heat that was engulfing my whole body became more intense as the need doubled too.

“No, Ina. Call me Xzav, just like you used to.” He ordered huskily and continued teasingly raining kisses on my chest area, intentionally avoiding my pebbled buds. My chest arched as his tongue circled my breast alternately, but leaving my nipples aching for any attention.

“Hmmm…”

“Moan my name, Ina.”

“No…” I tried to fight the temptation but I was already too deep in the pool of desire to resurface.

He smiled. “I’ll make you scream my name like that way you used to do in the past.” He then opened his mouth and took my nipple.

“Oh, God!” His raspy tongue began toying with my left nipple, circling repeatedly before sucking it as if he was a hungry baby. He gave the same attention to my right one and it made me feel dizzy with pleasure.

I bit my lower lip, suppressing my moans but his movements became more intense, determined to make me scream for his name.

“Look at me, my Ina. You know how much I love it when you watch me pleasure you.” He uttered and then continued what he was doing to my breasts. I bit back a gasp when his hand started exploring my sensitive area as if he was searching for something.

I kept on squirming under him, couldn’t bear the teasing anymore. I felt like my body was burning and I needed more…

Before I noticed it, I spread my legs automatically as my hips moved, meeting every stroke of his fingers on my already sopping womanhood.

“No…” I moaned, wanting to at least save a shred of my pride but it was so hard to do so. “Hmmm…” I purred as the tip of his tongue trailed his way down south, stopped to tease my navel before continuing to his target.

“Oh, my…” I thought he was going straight to it upon reaching the V of my thighs but he just slowly planted small kisses around my p*ssy. He was taking his time and began to feel frustrated. I opened my eyes and met his gaze.

“What’s the glaring about, my Ina? Just say the word and I’ll give what you want to you.” He said and I gulped inaudibly.

“No…This—Oh, my!” I couldn’t say what I wanted to say as he blew air on my turgid cl*t. My womanhood clenched in so much anticipation and need and it was making me crazy. My body has been yearning for that unfathomable pleasure but my pride was the only thin line of me surrendering wantonly onto him completely.

“Hmmm…Ohhh!” He gave my quivering core a long lick and I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him closer to my womanhood, urging him to continue but he didn’t let me.

“I know you want it now, Ina. Tell me and I’ll gladly give you.” He then licked me once again and that was all I could take.

“P-Please, I can’t take it anymore.”

“What do you want me to do? Tell me.”

“Give it to me already.” My cheeks turned red like tomatoes upon uttering those words.

“Give you what?” He feigned ignorance. I sat up.

“Fine, if you don’t want to then don’t.” I was about to get off the bed and leave but he pushed me back to bed. I was about to snap at him when I saw him smile triumphantly.

“You’re really hot headed when you’re being denied like this.” Before I could ready myself, he wrapped his arms around my hips and dug in.

“Ohhh, God! Ahhh! Yes!” I screamed in ecstasy as he began eating me like there was no tomorrow. His tongue tasted every nook and cranny of my womanhood and my eyes rolled back in so much pleasure. But to my disappointment, he suddenly stopped. Gosh! What a tease!

“What did you stop?” I couldn’t hold back my loud voice. He playfully smiled.

“Your taste hasn’t changed.” I blushed. Did he really have to say that out loud?

“S-So?”

He shrugged his shoulders as his smile widened. I could see the happiness in his eyes and it my heart swell in undeniable joy.

“I just wanted you to know. I love you, my Ina.” Just like whenever he says those three magical words, my heart pounded like crazy. I didn’t know how to react but didn’t have time to think about it because he already resumed his addicting ministrations.

His hands caressed their way up my breasts and kneaded them like dough whilst giving me pleasure down there which sent my senses reeling. All the inhibitions left in my body flew out of the window. I was moaning like crazy as the rapture was fast approaching.

My toes curled and my breathing became heavier. I knew that I couldn’t hold myself back from exploding any moment now and I was right. Waves and waves of pleasure washed over me as my intense climax hit me hard.

“Ohhh, God! Xzav!” I called for his name over and over again and that seemed to please him. He didn’t stop until I couldn’t take it anymore and made him stop. My whole body was shaking feverishly and my head became hazy.

“Did you like it?” I opened my eyes and saw his face right before mine as he was already on top of me. I could feel his arousal teasing my opening and I knew right at that moment that there’s no turning back.

Instead of answering his question, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him for a hot kiss. He was surprised for a second but quicky recovered and dominated the kiss.

Our tongues clashed as our breathes mixed deliciously. That kiss was fervently addicting and I realized how much longing I’ve been feeling for him. Maybe, I didn’t realize before because I pushed myself to forget about him and not to think about our memories together whatever happens. I only allowed my anger to grow inside of me and the hate I had for him only intensifies as the time went by.

But now that he’s here, he melted that hatred in just a brief period of time. Now, I’m here again, swimming on dangerous waters but that was the least of my concern for now. I just wanted to be with him like this again. Even for just one last time before reality checks me…

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Sorry. It has to be on the next chapter.  😂

Anyway, do you think this is the start of something new for these love birds?

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chapter 30

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE scenes for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!

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SABINA’s POV

“Sabina?! Are you up there?!” I groaned in irritation when that voice woke me up. But instead of opening my eyes, I tried to sleep again. But he didn’t stop and repeatedly called for my name. Who’s that? Am I dreaming? I wanted to sleep more but he was so persistent. I’m going to skin you alive for disturbing my sleep, Henry!

“Sabina!” When I heard it again, that’s when I finally opened my eyes and realized that someone was indeed calling for me. I looked around and looked around with furrowed eyebrows, momentarily forgot where I was. But when I saw the familiar place, I remembered that I was in the tree house.

“This is the first time I fell asleep in here.” I muttered to myself. I was about to sit up when I felt someone move beside me, breathing steadily against the crook of my neck. I was about to panic when everything came back to me like a scene in a movie.

The beating of my heart went wild as what transpired between me and Xzavier earlier today replayed inside my head. I gasped against my palm, couldn’t believe what just happened. Maybe this is just a dream…

I slowly craned my head to look at his face and blinked innumerably, hoping that he was just a figment of my imagination.

Gosh! He’s really here with me! We were in a spooning position and the way he was hugging me was full of possessiveness. He hasn’t changed. Even in his sleep, he still holds me like I would disappear on him any moment.

“Oh, my God. What have you done, Sabina? How could you let yourself be used by him like this again?” I chastised myself. I didn’t know how to feel about what happened between us. I wanted to hit myself for being so weak. But then, no matter what I do, it already happened.

I slowly unwrapped his arms from hugging me, almost stopped breathing in fear that I might wake him up with just a slight movement. The, I was about to sit up when he wrapped his arms around my waist again and then buried his face on the crook of my face.

“Where do you think you’re going, my Ina?” I almost jumped when I heard him speak. Oh, God! He’s awake!

I swallowed hard and didn’t know how what to say. I felt like my heart was about to come out because of how fast it was beating. I bit my lower lip.

“Sabina?! I’m coming up there!” Then, my eyes widened when I heard Henry’s voice again and when I realized what he just said, I abruptly sat up.

“No! I-I mean, I’m coming! You don’t have to come up here!” I answered with a loud slightly trembling voice, panicking that he might see me together with Xzavier in bed. I looked at myself and Xzavier and realized that we were still naked together in bed.

“Ah, okay. Were you sleeping?” I groaned inwardly. Henry is really persistent sometimes!

“Yes! I just need to do something first before going down! You can go home without me!”

“What are you still up to at this hour? You’ve been up there since this morning! Thankfully, we saw your note because your parents got worried of you when you didn’t come down during lunch. Your mother cooked something for afternoon snack so make it quick and come home! I’m sure, you’re already hungry!”

“I’m still working on something! I’ll be there in a jiffy!”

“Okay then! Make it quick, okay?! I’ll be going back home then.” I sighed in relief when he final left. I was about to get off the bed when my body went still as Xzavier suddenly spoke.

“Where do you think you’re going, my Ina?” It suddenly became awkward as the silence was kinda deafening. I could tell that he was staring at my face but I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“You heard my cousin. I need to go home.” I answered after a couple of seconds and attempted to get off the bed one more time but he didn’t let me.

“Mr. Montaño!”

“Mr. Montaño, my a*s, Ina! You know how much I hate it when you call me that! You screamed my name over and over again while we were—” I quickly covered my ear; didn’t want to hear what he was about to say.

“Enough! Don’t you ever say it!”

“Why? Is it that bad that you don’t even want to hear it?” I could hint the bitterness in his voice.

“Yes, I don’t ever want to hear about it because…because…” For some reason, my eyes watered as the gravity of situation started sinking into me. My mind couldn’t accept that I gave into his seductions just like that but my heart was the opposite. I couldn’t understand what I was feeling anymore.

All I wanted to do was to run away from him this instant because I was afraid.

“Look at me.” He uttered gently as he cupped my face and made me look at him. Our gazes locked. He was gazing at me with a gentle smile on his face while looking at me ever so lovingly.

“Because what? Tell me, Ina.” He egged on and caressed my cheeks with his thumbs gently.

“Because I hate you. Why did you have to show yourself to me now that I thought I have finally moved on from you? You’re so unfair.” I couldn’t hide the bitterness, resentment and pain in my voice.

“No, Ina. You don’t hate me. Just by staring at you right now, I know very well that you haven’t moved on from me yet and you know that. Call me conceited or whatever you want to call me but just like I’ve said before, I know that I’m still the one inside your heart. I felt it while we were making love. I couldn’t be wrong.”

“That was nothing but s*x and you know that.” He shook his head.

“I’ve never had s*x with you, my Ina.” My eyes turned into slits upon hearing his answer.

“Hmp! So, your real color is finally resurfacing. Really, huh? You’ve never had s*x with me? So, what do you call what just happened between us not to mention about the past?” I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re really something! I hate—”

“—I’ve never had sx with you because all those times that we did it, I made love with you. There’s a thin line between making love and sx because they’re two different acts. For me, s*x is nothing but a roll in the hay. You do it to whomever you want with without any feelings involved while making love is different. You do it with the one you love. I’ve made love with you because I love you. I hope that’s clear to you.” I averted my eyes as I scoffed.

“You’re really a sweet-tongued guy. You know what to say in order to get what you want. You’re really good in this, huh? I wonder how many women fell into you just by hearing these things from you?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sweet-talking you because I’m just telling what’s in my heart. What do you want me to do for you to forgive me, my Ina? Tell me and I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

“Tell me, why are you doing this? I want to hear the truth and don’t ever lie.” I answered through gritted teeth. Even though he already answered that a multiple times already, my mind refuses to believe him. But your heart does…

I groaned inwardly. I wanted to hit myself for being confused like this.

“Because I love you and I want to be with you. I’ll repeat that no matter how many times until I manage to penetrate your heart and make you believe.” He chuckled and that made me look at him with furrowed eyebrows. I thought, he was making fun of me but he wasn’t. “I’m really crazy for you, Ina, that I even came to a point where I had to come here numerous times these past few years just to get a glimpse of you. I couldn’t stop myself because you were my light during those times that I was in a total darkness.” I gaped at him.

“W-What?” He smiled as he scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

“You heard it right, Ina. You haven’t seen me for more than three years but that’s because I made sure that you wouldn’t see me even though I was just near you the whole time. I turned into a stalker just to see you and know what’s been happening to you.”

“W-Why would you do all that?” I asked like silly. He smiled as he cupped my face once again and then rested his forehead against mine, all the while staring into my eyes full of love.

“You already know the answer to that but if you still have a doubt, I’m going to voice it out. I’ve done everything I could to be with you these past few years because I was madly in love with you, until now.” My heart beat turned erratic.

Then, I gasped when he suddenly laid down and pulled me on top of him that our bodies pressed intimately.

“Xzav!”

His eyes sparkled with happiness. “You finally called me Xzav again. I mean, you moaned my name over and over again while we were making love but it’s different when you call me that in your normal state.” His uttered huskily as his hands caressed my back.

“So, what if I called you that?” I questioned with a cocked-up eyebrow, trying to ignore the effect of what he was doing to me. He smiled and then planted a soft kiss on my lips again. I glared at him.

“And you’re getting cocky touching and kissing me as if you have the right to—”

“—I have the right because you’re mine and I’m yours, my Ina. Remember that.” His hands went to my buttocks and teasingly massaged it as grazed his hardness against my already boiling hot core. Goodness! How come my body is responding hotly like this even though my mind doesn’t want to?!

“Ohhh…” I was beginning to get burned as my breathing became heavy. He was as hard as rock and I couldn’t take it anymore. But then, I knew that I had to gather myself together because he had a lot of explaining to do.

“X-Xzav…You have some explain—Ahhh!” I couldn’t finish my sentence because his hungry mouth started toying with my hardened pebbles like a hungry child.

“You have some…explaining to do—Oh, Xzav!” Thankfully, Henry already left because he surely would’ve heard my loud scream when Xzavier suddenly held me by the waist and lowered me on his raging c*ck, accommodating him fully. Because I was already so wet, he invaded my quivering insides with one fluid thrust.

He fitted snugly in my cave and I was stretched to my limits. I didn’t know if it was because of his sudden intrusion or what but to my horror, my body quaked uncontrollably as my org*sm hit me. I couldn’t believe that I actually came just by being penetrated to!

“Oh, God! Ahhh!” He didn’t move and just watched my orgasmic state while tonguing and sucking my breasts alternately.

“Fùck! Your insides feel so good and addicting. It’s tight and hot!” The pleasure was so intense that I instantly lost it. Just like that, I succumbed onto his seduction once again. I couldn’t believe how easily he made me respond onto his seductions like this. Maybe, my body had been missing this that’s why it reacts so easily and uncontrollably on Xzav’s favor.

When my body finally stopped shaking, he began pounding inside me with long and slow thrusts. Then, our lips met and we kissed like there’s no tomorrow.

My body moved, meeting his every thrust. Our rhythms synchronized. Every thrust drove me insane. The fire engulfed my whole body fully it was already too late to subside it.

“Ohhh, Xazv! Faster!” I begged wantonly like a cat in heat.

“Yes, my Ina. Just like that. Moan my name.” He picked up his pace and I couldn’t keep up anymore. I could hear the naughty sounds of our colliding sensitive areas accompanied by our moans and groans of pleasure.

That familiar delicious feeling was about to struck me and I was right. One more hard slam and I reached my intense peak while calling for his name to the top of my lungs.

“Ina!” He roared as he reached his climax too. I could feel every jet of his hot juices flowing inside my core and that intensified my org*sm. I gyrated my hips as I threw my head back, savoring the unparalleled rapture.

Then, after that earth-shattering climax, I draped over him as our lips met once again for a hot and wild kiss. We were both sweating profusely but no one seemed to care.

I felt him wrap his arms around me and that familiar feeling of contentment came back to me. Everything felt the same. The pleasure, the heat, desire and most especially, that feeling of fulfillment and contentment after every love-making. Nothing has changed.

“I love you, my Ina. I hope, you won’t get tired of hearing me say that.” He whispered after that searingly hot kiss. We were both still catching our breaths. Our eyes locked as he caressed my cheek, gazing at me like I was the most beautiful and precious woman for him.

Somehow, I was left speechless and didn’t have a choice but to burrow my face on his hard chest. I’m such a hopeless woman…

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What do you think? Will they get back in each other’s arms after what transpired between them?

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chapter 31

Happy weekend, Amores! Enjoy.  ❤️

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SABINA’s POV

I reluctantly smiled when the door opened and my mother came into view. She was looking at me seriously, wasn’t sure if she was mad at me or not with that serious face.

“I’m sorry for not coming home right away when Henry came to call me. S-Something just came up.” I said guiltily.

“You know that I hate it when you don’t eat on time. I made a snack, expecting that you’d come home but it’s the same. You didn’t come right away. What were you doing in the three house anyway?” She was staring at me like a hawk and for some reason, I got uncomfortable that she might see telltales of what just happened between me and Xzavier a while ago.

Well, I fixed myself before coming home but for some reason, I felt like she would discover about it even without me saying anything about it. I bit my lip and was about to answer when I noticed her look past me as if she saw someone behind.

“Mr. Montaño? You’re still here? I thought, you already went home?” My body went still. Why the heck did he follow me home?! This guy!

“I was about to, Mrs. Martins, but something happened that changed my mind. I’m here for—”

“—He’s here to get the book that he lent me before he left the ranch.” I interrupted like an idiot and when I realized how lame I sounded, I almost hit my own head. I mean, why would he come all the way here just for a book, right?

“Book?” My mom parroted confusedly.

“She’s just messing around, Mrs. Martins. To be honest, Sabina didn’t want me coming to your house but I just wanted to make sure that she would be safe until she gets home.” I bit my lower lip and had the urge to tell him not to say anything about what happened in the tree house but I knew that I couldn’t do that.

I turned around and faced him.

“Are you crazy?! The tree house is just a couple of meters away from our house!” I hissed; a little bit embarrassed. Everyone who was present when we were at the waterfalls heard his confession including my parents and I knew that mom already knew that he didn’t come for any book.

Xzavier didn’t even blink an eye of my loud voice and seemed so serious about what he just said.

“That’s so thoughtful of you, Mr. Montaño. Thank you for making sure that Sabina would be safe.”

“I love your daughter, Mrs. Martins, that’s why I’ll do everything to protect her from any harm.” My cheeks went red like tomatoes. I didn’t expect that he would actually say that to my mother. Well, he even declared his love for me in front of everyone during my birthday.

I gave him a look, silently telling him to just go home but he just smiled at me. I sneered at him. He’s so persistent! Before I came home, I already told him to go home but he said that he wouldn’t go home because we had to talk but I refused. Not because I didn’t want to but because I had to go home because I knew that my mother was already pissed at me for not going home right away.

I left him there but didn’t expect that he would actually follow me home.

“Do what you want!” I snapped at him and then went inside the house.

“She seems to be in a bad mood again.” I overheard my mom say and my steps came to a halt. I thought, she would tell Xzavier to go home now since it was already getting late but the next thing she said surprised me.

“Why don’t you come in? I made a snack. You should have some.”

“Mom!”

“What, my dear? Why do you seem so upset? Anyway, you should go to the dining room. I already prepared your snack.” She then looked at Xzavier. “Come on in, Mr. Montaño.” Instead of declining, Xzavier came inside with a smile on his face while thanking my mom. When he looked past my mom and our gazes met, I leered at him and then went to the dining room.

When I got there, my mood lifted up when I saw the tacos in the plate. I suddenly got hungry. I sat and immediately took one and was about to start digging in when I saw Xzavier and my mom entering the dining room.

“Sit down, Mr. Montaño. I’ll just get yours.”

“You don’t have to, Mrs. Martins. Just a glass of water will do.”

“Oh, that’s nonsense. I’m sure, you’ll regret it if you won’t eat the snack I made. It’s actually Sabina’s favorite.”

He smiled. “Is that so? Wow, these tacos are indeed look good. I think, I’ll have some.” He answered and then sat on the chair next to me. My mother left us there to get more tacos and probably drinks.

“I didn’t know that you love tacos. I’m happy that I learned something new about you today.” Then to my surprise, he held my hand that was still holding the taco and guided it to his mouth.

“Xzav!” I hissed in disbelief when he took a bite.

“Wow. This is indeed delicious. Just like you.” He said playfully and I felt like blood rush to my face as I remembered what just transpired between us earlier.

“Don’t make me remember about it!” I whisper-yelled at him.

“Why not?” He then took another bite from my taco.

“Hey! That’s mine!” I then quickly took a bite before he would finish it all. He laughed because of what I did.

“You seem to be hungry. I’m sorry that I tired you out and forgot about food.”

“Stop saying about that, will you?!”

“Why not?” He was feigning ignorance and that ticked me off. I pinched him on the side of his abdomen.

“Ouch! You’re really violent when it comes to me.” He even pouted and I rolled my eyes. I was about to respond when he took one taco from my plate and took a bite.

“Hmmm. This is really delicious. I’m out of energy because of you so I have to recharge.” He took another bite but before he could eat it all, I was the one who ate it from his hand.

“That’s mine so you should wait for yours.” He laughed.

“You seem to be having fun.” I almost jumped when I heard my mom’s voice. She just came back and now, holding a tray with a plate full of tacos and a pitcher of pineapple juice on it.

“We’re not.” I answered and continued eating, trying my best to act normal. My mom then placed the tray in front of Xzavier and I. I groaned inwardly when I noticed how she was staring at the two of us like a hawk.

“Thank you, Mrs. Martins.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Montaño. C’mon, dig in.” Xzavier did as he was told and judging by the way he was eating with gusto; I could tell that he really liked it.

“Where are dad and Henry, mom?” I then asked to divert her attention.

“They went to the Novell’s mansion.” I glanced at the wall clock with furrowed eyebrows.

“Why, mom? Did something happen? It’s already getting late so why did they have to go there?”

“I don’t know about the exact details either, my dear. Mr. Novell called up your dad a while ago so they went to the mansion. Anyway, do you like the tacos, Mr. Montaño?” Xzavier smiled.

“It’s very delicious. You make the best tacos, Mrs. Martins. I’m sure, whatever you cook, it will be delicious. Thankfully, I came over. I was actually hungry because I didn’t eat lunch that’s why I was planning to go home after I get the book from Sabina.” Well, Xzavier was right. My mother’s cooking is the best.

“Aw, thank you for the compliment. Anyway, why didn’t you eat lunch? You and Sab are the same. She didn’t eat lunch either that’s why I scolded her a while ago. It’s not good for the health if you don’t eat on time that’s why I always get mad everything she forgets to eat on time.”

“Ina is so lucky to have a loving and caring mother like you, Mrs. Martins, not to mention that you’re a good cook.” That made my mother smile.

“Oh, my. Thank you, Mr. Montaño. You’re not only handsome. You’re also sweet.”

“Mom!” I said in disbelief and she laughed.

“Oh, dear. Looks like my daughter is jealous. Okay, I’ll leave you two here. I have to fold clothes upstairs before I cook our dinner. Enjoy your snack.” I looked at my mom in the eyes, silently begging her not to leave us two alone but she looked like she didn’t get it.

“Anyway, why don’t you stay for dinner, Mr. Montaño? We will be eating an the patio tonight because it’s a barbecue night tonight.” I almost spit the food that I was chewing in my mouth upon hearing my mom said that.

“Sure, Mrs. Martins. I’d love to.”

“Good.” She then left us alone.

“Why did you say yes?!” I hissed at Xzavier after that and he smirked naughtily at me.

“Do you still need to ask me that question? Of course, I said yes because I wanted to be with you more. Besides, I want to get to know your parents more.”

“And why would you do that?”

He turned serious. “Because they’re the parents of the love of my life.” My heart thumped and I didn’t know how to react.

“J-Just eat your snack a-already. Looks like you’re too h-hungry that you start blabbering nonsense.” I almost hit my own head because I stuttered. To my surprise, he kissed me on the cheek.

“You know that I’m serious, my Ina. Honestly, I’m so happy right now. You don’t know how much I’ve been dreaming about this. Being with you is really the best.” The beating of my heart was like a drum. Argh! Traitor heart! Why do you only beat like this for him?!

After we ate our snack, he insisted to wash the dishes and I could control the smile that appeared on my face while watching him.

“Fùck!” I was pulled out of my reverie when I heard him swear.

“Your tongue, mister! I’m going to cut that out!” I hissed with a matching glare while my arms were crossed across my chest. He scratched the back of his head and turned around to look at me. Then, my eyes widened when he suddenly started taking off his shirt.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” I asked in disbelief as I looked around, getting paranoid that someone might come in and see what he was doing.

“Sorry, Ina. My shirt got wet because I accidentally turned the faucet open all the way.”

“But it doesn’t mean you can just take your short off like that in here!” But he didn’t listen to me and removed his shirt anyway. My eyes automatically raked his muscled body a stare and I swallowed hard because I suddenly felt thirsty. Sabina, your eyes! Stop it!

I mentally shook my head and averted my gaze from him so that I wouldn’t get distracted.

“You’re really unbelievable.” My voice mellowed.

“I don’t want to catch a cold. Look at my shirt. It’s soaking wet.” He answered and I huffed.

“Fine. Wait here.” I then exited the kitchen and went upstairs, to my parents’ room. The door was open so I entered without knocking.

“Mom, can I borrow one of dad’s shirt?” She looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. She’s currently putting the newly folded clothes in their closet.

“Huh? Why? What happened?”

“That guy was being klutz that’s why he got his shirt wet.” I answered and even rolled my eyes.

“That guy? You mean, Mr. Montaño?”

I sighed and nodded my head. She shook her head and then took one of dad’s shirt and then handed it to me.

“Here. Your dad hasn’t used this one yet because he didn’t like the color.” It was a pink sleeveless shirt. That almost made me laugh. Dad never wears pink and I’m guessing that Xzavier would be the same. Well, men always say that pink is too girly.

“Thanks, mom.” I was about to walk out of there when she spoke.

“Your mood is different today, my dear. Is this about him?”

“What do you mean, mom?”

She sighed. “Don’t feign ignorance, Sab. I’m talking about Mr. Montaño.”

“Mom! What are you saying?”

“Don’t give me that reaction. You’re forgetting that I’m your mom so you can never lie to me even if you wanted to.” I bit my lower lip and couldn’t answer right away.

“Mom…” I tried to say something but that was the only word that came out of my mouth. She sighed.

“You still love him. It’s written all over your face clearly.” I looked down as I suddenly felt my eyes water. It’s really useless to deny now.

“I’m scared, mom.” I admitted with a small voice.

“You’re afraid because you don’t know what exactly happened in the past. You have a lot of questions and yet, you don’t have any answers because you never tried to listen. Even if you’re afraid, isn’t it better to know the truth rather than to stay hurting over something that you don’t understand?

“I don’t know if your dad already informed you about it but we already talked with Mr. Montaño this morning and he explained his side. Yes, we were furious when we learned about the truth but at least, we finally became at ease of his presence here.

“If you’re not ready to listen to him, then when? I think, you would even help yourself if you finally give him the chance to tell you his side of the story. After knowing the truth, you could finally make your decision whether you will totally remove him out of your life or make him stay.” She then placed a finger under my chin and made me look at her.

I thought, she was mad but no. All I saw from her face was understanding. I threw my arms around her for comfort.

Maybe, my mother was right. How would I totally move on from all of this when deep inside of me, my heart kept on asking for explanation? My anger and fear were the things that has been keeping me from listening all this time because I was afraid to hurt even more than I already had.

“Where is the brave, strong-willed and loving Sabina that I know? When we escaped Safe Haven, I felt like I left my daughter in those mountains. Now, I understand why. Your heart hasn’t come back yet. I hope, you find the missing pieces of your heart because I can see that they’re still shattered until now.”

“You’re right, mom. I don’t want to run away any longer. Whether I get hurt of his revelation or not, I have to hear it once and for all.”

She smiled. “That’s my girl.” She then kissed my forehead.

After about five more minutes, I went back downstairs but then, my forehead crinkled when I didn’t see Xzavier in the kitchen. I looked for him everywhere until I finally saw him at the patio, sitting on the chair as if waiting for someone.

When he saw me, he stood up with a serious face as our gazes locked. I gulped inaudibly. Looked like the proper time for us to talk about our past has finally come.

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The next chapters will be about the past so brace yourselves, Amores! 

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chapter 32

“You cannot love if you cannot forgive.” - Kemi Sogunle

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SABINA’s POV

He slowly walked up to me; his eyes never left mine. As he approaches, my heart pounded even more loudly. Then, he stopped at least a foot away from me. For some reason, I didn’t like him being serious like this because I knew what would happen next.

I’ve been avoiding it ’til now but after hearing my mother’s advice, I realized that I’ve been trying to run away from the truth. Enough is enough…

“Wear this. It’s chilly out here. You might catch a cold.” I then handed him the shirt that I was holding.

“Pink?”

I huffed. “So, what if it’s pink? The color won’t damage your manliness or something.”

“I didn’t say that I didn’t want to wear it.” He then put it on but I looked at the other way while he was doing it because I didn’t want to get distracted.

“Can we talk?” I then muttered when he finished.

“So, you finally want to listen, huh?” I stared daggers at him and he raised his hands as if he was surrendering.

“Okay, let’s talk. Don’t glare at me like that, my Ina. You’re scaring me.” I sneered at him and then sat on the sofa. He followed me and sat next to me. There was a deafening silence after that and I thought, no one would ever dare start talking when he finally did.

“What do you want to hear first?” I met his gaze. He seemed to finally ready to take this seriously.

“Everything.” He nodded his head and then looked up the sky before a chuckle escaped his lips.

“Fùck. I’ve been wanting for this chance to happen but now that you’re letting me explain, I don’t know where to start. I suddenly feel kinda scared.” He then released a breath and raked his fingers through his hair.

“This is the only chance that I’m going to listen to your explanation so you should use this chance wisely.” I caught his Adam’s apple move, indicating that he swallowed hard.

“I know.” His lips stretched with a small smile while gazing into my eyes before taking a deep breath and finally began. “I can still remember more than three years ago. That fateful day, the sky was a little sunny but gloomy at the same time. While I was looking around Safe Haven for the first time since I arrived there, I saw the most beautiful woman I’ve ever set my eyes on, crying.

“I didn’t know why but when I saw her tears fall, I felt like my heart was being chopped into pieces. I got confused instantly. Those feelings were foreign to me because I’ve never felt it before. No other woman had ever caught my attention before until that time and it surprised me because it was someone I’ve never met before.” His eyes bored into mine.

“That woman was you, my Ina.” My lips parted as my heart reacted wildly. He took my hand and kissed it.

“I went there for a personal mission that I needed to do for the sake of my family. Before I even stepped foot in Safe Haven, I already knew the place and the people there because that information was sent to me by one of the people I trust the most.

“Before our first encounter, I really thought that everything would just be a piece of cake but that all changed when our paths final crossed…” While listening to him, all those negative feelings that I’ve felt began to resurface…

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XZAVIER’s POV

Upon reading all the information, I placed the papers that I was holding on top of my table and then took two sticks of cigarette and lit one of it before standing up and walked towards the balcony. I looked up the sky.

It was gloomy and looked like it was about to pour down.

“Is it going to rain today?”

“According to the weather update, yes. Tomorrow too.” I tsked and pulled smoke into my mouth, held it in a little longer before releasing it.

“So, what is your plan now, X? Now that you finally have all these information, I think your mission will be easier.” Jaguar said as he stood next to me. I lit the other cigarette that I was holding and gave it to him.

The corner of this lips lifted as he took the cigarette and muttered thanks before bringing it to his mouth.

“Let’s see about that when I get there.”

“What about bringing me with you? I mean, you could use some help.” He suggested and then pulled a mouthful of smoke before blowing it gradually with a technique he usually does, creating three consecutive ring smokes.

“You know that I can’t do that. I have to do this on my own.” He nodded his head and didn’t speak for a couple of seconds before he broke the silence.

“What about the Vicaire’s granddaughter? I couldn’t take a clear picture of her face. Even your aunt couldn’t send us some useful image.”

I scoffed. “Don’t worry, Jaguar. You collected enough information and I already have a plan. I must get her attention as soon as I get there.” The corner of his lips twitched. Knowing women, discovering her weakness would surely be just a piece of cake.

“Good luck to that, bud. I hope you accomplish your goals. You’ve been wanting that for so long.”

“I will. Who do you think you’re talking to? This is what I’ve been waiting for for so long. I will finally regain the honor of my family that they destroyed.” I answered through gritted teeth. Just remembering about it was giving me the urge to erase them all from the face of the earth.

“I know you will, bud. Just contact me if you need back-up. The guys will surely be willing to help.” That brought a small smile on my lips.

“I know and I appreciate that.” The morning after our conversation, I left my place and flew to the target area on a chopper. Jaguar was the one who piloted the chopper for me. We landed on the foot of the mountains and saw the person that I was expecting to see there, waiting for me.

After dropping me off, Jaguar left.

“You’re finally here. I thought, you already changed your mind. I’m glad, you have a word of honor.” She said a little tauntingly with her arms crossed across her chest while leaning her back against the big tree. The corner of my lips twitched.

“Is that how you’re going to greet me after not seeing me for a couple of months, Tia?” I walked up to her and gave her a bear hug.

“Well, what do you want me to say? At least be thankful that I am not giving you a tongue-lashing as a greeting, young man. I heard that you got hospitalized last month because of being careless.” I let go of her and looked at her with a scowl.

“Where did you hear that?”

“I have eyes and ears around you and you know that.”

I chuckled. “That’s kinda creepy, tia. I’m your nephew and—Ouch! What was that for?!” I couldn’t finish my sentence because she already hit me by the head.

“Because I already knew what you’re about to say and I don’t want to hear it. Your lame jokes haven’t changed.” She then turned her back on me and started walking. “C’mon. We need to get going before they notice my absence in Safe Haven.” I followed her and was surprised when I saw a red sports car nearby.

“Here.” She threw a key at me and I caught it without a hitch. “Welcome to hell. That’s my gift to you.” My jaw dropped. I’ve never expected this. Knowing her, she’s stingy sometimes and buying stuff like this is never in her vocabulary.

“A-Are you sure, y-you’re my tia?”

Her eyebrows creased. “What the heck are you saying?” I approached her and felt up her forehead, with my palm.

“Do you have a fever or something? Maybe, you ate something bad—Fùck! Why did you hit me again?!” I even touched the part of my shoulder that she hit because it hurt. She’s really violent.

“Because you’re getting on my nerves with your lame jokes! Now, do you want it or not because if you don’t want to, I’m going to give it to someone else!” She was about to take back the car key but I quickly got away from her.

“No way. This is mine now, tia, and you can’t take it back anymore.”

“Good. Anyway, I already readied everything that you would surely need in this mission. Everything’s in the trunk. I left some in your house. Now, let’s get going.” I nodded my head and then pressed the open button on the car key. She opened the door and was about to get in when I hugged her from behind.

“Thank you for helping me, tia. You’re the best.” Even though I didn’t see her reaction, I knew that she smiled. She then ruffled my hair like she used to do when I was still a little.

“Of course, I’m the best, so you should be thankful.”

“Of course, I am.” Shortly after that, we’re already driving into the woods. I was surprise that the car wasn’t emitting sound that could catch any attention which made me feel at ease while we were passing through the uncemented road in these mountains. The last time I came here, I had to land on my property in the mountains. But now, I couldn’t do that because I might attract unwanted attention from my enemies.

“We’re here.”

“Wow. Nothing has changed. It’s been five years since this house got built but it stills looks new.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you don’t come here often.” We then entered the house and I was surprised to see that everything was clean and ready. There’s no need for me to ask. I already knew who readied the house for my arrival.

“Thank you for cleaning the house, tia. I thought, I would spend the remaining time of today to clean but no and that’s because of you.” I said gratefully as I hugged her from the side.

“Well, I already expected that you might not have time to clean everything because of your mission so I did it for you. Thankfully, I had time to drop by twice this week. Anyway, what are you planning to do now?” I threw myself into the couch and lied down, staring at the ceiling.

“It’s surreal. I can’t believe that I’m finally beginning my plan. It’s been long overdue. Tomorrow, I’ll begin my mission right away. I need to iron everything out so that everything will turn out the way I wanted it to be.”

“Well—” She was about to answer when her phone rang. She motioned for me to stay quiet before she pressed the answer button.

“Yes, Father Nicolas.” My body went still as I quietly listen to what she was about to say. “Okay, Father Nicolas. Don’t worry. I’m on my way home now. Bye.” I sat up.

“I need to go now, X. It’s all up to you now.”

“Is everything okay, tia?” I asked with concern.

“Just the usual. That guy always makes sure that no one would stay in the city longer than necessary. I’m gonna go on ahead. Remember to call me before you begin so that I could ready everything.” I nodded my head.

“Sure. Be vigilant, tia. We don’t know what they’re cooking so make sure that they wouldn’t notice anything.”

“I know. You should too.” Then, she left my house. If it was only up for me, I would just pull her out of this God forsaken place and take her home to the city but she insisted on staying to be my spy inside Safe Haven.

I watched from the balcony as her black car drove past my gates. Then, I was about to go back inside when my eyes caught something lurking near my house as if waiting for someone to come out of the house. It was a man on a motorbike and he followed the car of my aunt.

“Fùck!” I cursed as I hurriedly ran to the elevator and pushed the underground parking button. When I arrived there, I quickly opened the trunk of my car and took a loaded gun before hopping onto my motorbike.

Just like the car that my aunt gifted me earlier, this motorbike doesn’t produce any loud sound that’s why it’s my favorite to use during some missions.

“Wait for me, tia.” I told myself as I tried my best to catch up to them. Then, after a couple of minutes, I finally got a glimpse of them and the guy on a motorbike was discretely tailing her. I pressed something on my watch without taking my eyes off them.

“X…” The calm voice of my aunt when she answered. There was a built-in mic and speaker in my helmet that’s why it’s easier for me to talk while driving.

“Someone is following you, tia. Be careful.”

“I already noticed. Don’t worry, I can handle this.”

“No. You don’t have to do anything. I’ll deal with him myself. We can’t afford to lose this guy because he will surely tell everything to his boss.” Before she could answer, I ended the call. I then picked up my pace and when I was about to 15 feet from the guy, he began noticing my presence behind him.

He was too occupied on tailing my aunt that he failed to notice the danger behind him.

He took a gun and was about to shoot me but I already pulled the trigger of my gun and bullseye. He got shot in the head. Because of that, he lost control of his motorbike and dove directly into the cliff.

I stopped my bike and walked to the edge of the cliff, checking if the guy was surely dead. Then, my watch vibrated because there was an incoming call.

“Yes, tia.”

“Thank you for saving me, X. Looks like that guy is one of the guards in Safe Haven. It seems like he sent him to keep an eye on me. Even though he’s just a pawn, he actually knows how to use his brain, sending someone to spy on me” I tsked.

“Next time, be careful, tia. If I didn’t see him, everything that we worked on these past few years would’ve been washed down the drain.”

“I know. Anyway, I already arrived safe here in the secret parking of Safe Haven. You should go back now.”

“Okay, tia. Call me if you need some help. Be careful.” I then ended the call. Safe Haven is just nearby and just knowing how near it was to me right now made me want to just charge in and finish all this at once. But I knew that I couldn’t be careless like that.

I shook my head and decided to just go back. I should follow the plan so that I won’t mess everything. I was about to drive out of there when I received a message from my aunt.

‘I saw her going that way, to the direction of the waterfalls to be exact. You know the shortcut, right? Be careful.’ That caught my attention. I looked at the direction of the north and before I could think clearly, my feet moved on their own.

I looked up while walking as the rain started pouring.

“Fùck. Why do you need to rain right now?” I muttered in annoyance. After about 15 minutes, I finally reached that place. I looked down at the falls but didn’t see anyone down there so I decided to go a little bit closer to the water. Then, I saw her, sitting on the edge of the big rock.

For some reason, my heart skipped a beat upon seeing that innocent beauty, looking up the trees as the drizzle of the rain began to hit her loveliness.

This was the first time I saw her in person and I was awed with her beauty. Then, my eyebrows creased when I noticed how melancholy she was. Tears were about to fall from her eyes.

“What caused those tears, lovely Ina?” I watched her for a minute or so before she stood up, probably was about to leave when she slipped and fell directly into the vehement water.

My eyes widened because of what I’ve witnessed. Her scream echoed and panic surged within me. I looked ahead and saw the waterfall drop ahead of us. If I wouldn’t save her, she would surely die!

Thankfully, she got a hold of the sticking root of a tree on the riverside and just like that, my body move automatically and went to her rescue.

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Sorry, Amores. I’m trying my best to write updates, but my mind has been occupied by something lately that’s why I can’t really concentrate. ;(

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chapter 33

Bon weekend, Amores! Enjoy reading. :)

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XZAVIER’s POV

Even though I was only starting, I could already see the pain that was written all over her lovely face while listening to me and my heart sank. I wanted to hit myself for hurting her this way but I didn’t have a choice. If I really wanted to have a future with her, I should tell her everything now.

“Why did your aunt tell you that I was heading towards the waterfalls that time? Why did you come? You even saved me. I don’t understand my connection with your mission in Safe Haven.” Her voice was faint but determined at the same time to hear my explanation.

“I went to Safe Haven with the sole purpose of taking my revenge on the people who ruined my family’s name and attempted to assassinate my parents. At the same time, take Safe Haven back from them. Before I even stepped foot three years ago in Safe Haven, I already gathered a lot of information that I could use during my mission there and that’s including all the details about the people in that tiny village. One of the people there stood out and that was you.” Her lips parted as her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“M-Me? Why? How come? I was just a nobody who didn’t have a choice but to live in Safe Haven all my life.” I smiled faintly at her and caressed her cheek.

“You’re wrong, my Ina. You’re far from being a nobody.” That obviously confused her even more but she didn’t say anything and waited for me to continue.

“You know why Father Nicolas had been forcing you to marry him that he even resorted in blackmailing and kidnapping you and your mother after he couldn’t convince you to marry him?” She shook her head no.

“Because he knew how valuable you were that the moment he successfully marries you, he would get the power that he’d been dreaming of. More than enough power to control everything in SFH and Safe Haven.”

“Power? What are you talking about? You’re confusing me.” She stood up. “I wanted to hear the truth, Xzav, but looks like you don’t have any plans to be honest with me. I don’t want to hear this made-up story of yours!” She was about to march her way out of there but I stopped her by the hand and pulled her back. Because of that, her luscious butt landed on my lap.

“Xzav!” She hissed and was about to stand up but of course, I didn’t let her get away by wrapping my arms around her waist.

Fùck! Just feeling the softness of her body like this awakened every nerve ending of my body. Her smell was driving me crazy but I knew that I had to reign in my horse and concentrate on telling her everything. I shouldn’t get distracted even if it was so hard to ignore her.

“Damn. It really feels nice hearing you saying my name.” I couldn’t stop myself and utter that in a husky voice. Then, I cleared my throat and tried my best to continue my story.

“Listen to me, Ina. I’m telling the truth. Just hear me out because I’m trying my best to explain everything in order so that you would understand clearly.” She stopped wiggling out of my embrace as our gazes locked.

“Honestly, before I planned on telling you about this, I already talked to your parents this morning and asked for their permission for me to discuss this with you. Of course, I told them everything and they were so mad at me for hurting you.

“But thankfully, they calmed down after I finished telling them everything. After that, they admitted to me that they never disclosed anything about the truth of the past to you because they wanted you to have a normal and peaceful life here.

“According to them, they both decided to just forget about whatever connection they have with ‘Saviors From Heaven’ and ‘Safe Haven’ because their priority was your welfare. Initially, they were actually against my decision to tell you everything but when I explained to them that I didn’t want to keep a secret from you anymore and that it would be better for you to know about the truth because you would eventually discover about it for sure.

“Thankfully, they understood where I’m coming from. Even though I was kinda reluctant to approach them at first, I didn’t have a choice because I was desperate to be with you again. I knew that you would never give me the chance if I wouldn’t be honest with you.” I took a deep breath. “You see, Ina. You’re the granddaughter of the Vicaire, the man who founded SFH or Saviors From Heaven.” Her eyes widened as she gasped in shock.

“W-What?”

“You heard it right, Ina. According to my father, months before you were born, the Vicaire made an announcement that he would be retiring the moment a man marries his only granddaughter. Apparently, he would give everything including his wealth to you, his sole heiress, but his position was for your husband-to-be.

“Your parents weren’t aware about this announcement of his that time because your father, the son of the Vicaire, didn’t have a good relationship with his father that’s why he ran away from home after he finished his degree in college. That was when he met your mother and more than a year after that, they had you.” She shook her head, looking so confused.

“But dad and mom never mentioned anything about my grandparents to me before. I grew up without my dad and neither my grandparents in my life. I only had mom and I was okay with it. When she told me that my grandparents already passed away even before I was born, I accepted that and never asked about them again that’s why after that, we never talked about it again.” She then looked me in the eyes.

“Aren’t you mistaken here, Xzav? My parents didn’t have a reason not to tell me about this. I’m sure, there must be a mistake here.” I cupped her face with my hands.

“Believe me, my Ina. Your parents have every reason to hide about the Vicaire from you.”

“And what was that reason? This revelation is confusing me.”

“I know but you have to stay calm because I still have a lot to tell you.”

“I don’t know anymore, Xzav. If you’re really telling the truth, then—” She couldn’t finish what she wanted to say because we suddenly heard someone speak.

“Everything that Mr. Montaño had said was right, sweetie.” Ina and I looked at the person who just arrived and saw her father together with her mother. Both had a serious look on their faces. Looked like they’ve been listening to us for quite some time.

“Dad? Mom?” She stood up from sitting on my lap and faced her parents.

“What is this all about? How come I’m the granddaughter of some Vicaire out there? Is this some kind of a joke? I thought, my grandparents were already dead?” Mr. and Mrs. Martins shared a look before her father answered Sabina’s question.

“Yes, sweetie. You’re the only grandchild of the Vicaire and because of that, you have such a great responsibility. I already realized this the moment your mom and I discovered that she was pregnant with you.

“Even though your grandfather never showed himself to me ever since I left his care, the fear within me never left me. I didn’t want you to assume any responsibility just because you’re his granddaughter. Your mom and I tried our best to stay out of the radar as long as we could but many unfortunate events came including us losing our home in a fire. We lost our jobs just a day before the fire that’s why we didn’t know what to do.

“We didn’t fear for ourselves but for your welfare. You were just a baby back then. We didn’t want you to grow up in such kind of environment. We were so desperate for help but none of our friends helped us. Just when we were about to live on the streets, the representatives from SFH suddenly came and offered us help in exchange for us to join them. At first, I declined flatly and tried my best to find a job and a home that could accommodate us the soonest possible but my efforts were futile for some reason.

“Then, you suddenly fell ill and that’s when we made the decision to finally accept the offer of SFH. Deep inside of me, I knew that they would never hurt you because you’re the only grandchild of their Vicaire. We went with them to the mountains but your mom and I didn’t expect that they would separate me from the both of you.” Mr. Martins paused and took a deep breath. He looked sad while recalling all the unfortunate events in their lives.

“From then on, we never saw your father. Everyone in Safe Haven was telling that he already died but I didn’t believe it even just for a moment. Then, years went by so quickly and as you grew up, Father Nicolas started showing his interest in you and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I confronted him about it. That’s when he told me that you’ve been chosen to be his wife someday.

“I was so angry but I couldn’t do anything because I was scared that he would harm us if I did something that he didn’t like. As far as I was concerned, no one in Safe Haven knew about you being the Vicaire’s granddaughter aside from those people who took your father away and one of them was Father Nicolas’ father.

“Father Nicolas never once mentioned if he had any knowledge about you being the Vicaire’s granddaughter that’s why I kept my mouth shut. I knew that if he discovers about that, he would do everything he could to get you. Every night, I couldn’t sleep properly because I was scared that they might harm you.

“I tried my best for him to lose interest in you and hoped that he would eventually get tired of hoping that you would agree to be his wife because of the behavior that you’ve been showing him but I was wrong. That only fueled his desire to get you.” Mrs. Martins explained and Sabina was standing there full of confusion while listening.

“But we already managed to escape their claws, right? We’ve been living here for more than three years and we haven’t heard anything about them until now, so what’s the point of bringing this all up? What responsibility are you talking about just because I’m the granddaughter of the Vicaire?” She then looked at me. “What about you, Xzav? Did you know about this from the beginning? When you saved me, you already knew that I was the granddaughter of the Vicaire?”

I slowly nodded my head and saw the pain that crossed her eyes and that hurt me too. I stood up and was about to approach her when she motioned for me not to.

“Tell me everything that you know. What do you really want from me?” Her voice was stern and full of determination to understand everything. I swallowed hard as I glanced at Mr. & Mrs. Martins and they nodded their heads, giving me their go signal.

“Just like I’ve said a while ago, I went to Safe Haven to take my revenge on those people who wronged my family. I didn’t care back then if there were people who would get hurt or get involved with my plans because all I cared about was to achieve my goal. When I saved you in the waterfalls and saw you for the first time, I noticed how naïve and innocent you were and I knew instantly that I could use you to get what I went there for.

“I knew that you were the granddaughter of the Vicaire but I couldn’t care less about that. All I knew was that my mission would be easier because of you. I wasn’t sure back then if the Vicaire has got something to do to what happened to my family but I didn’t care either. I just wanted to make everyone pay, especially the leaders of Safe Haven and destroy what power they had established over these innocent people that they managed to brainwashed.” Upon saying that, I almost stopped because I knew that I was hurting Sabina with each word that I was saying. But I had to go on.

“You see, my parents had been active in helping people who were victims of terrorists even before I was born. They had a foundation for these victims but as the time went by, their mission became more dangerous.

“Then one day, they rescued people who escaped one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world and they knew that the foundation wouldn’t be enough to protect them. Because their lives were constantly at risk as these terrorists were relentlessly after them, my parents decided to establish a private institution that would help these unfortunate people.

“Then, Safe Haven was born. They built it in the mountains to hide these victims and give them opportunity to live a peaceful life away from the terrorists’ grasps even just for the meantime while different private groups chase after these criminals.” I paused and the silence was deafening. Finally, I had the chance to get it all out of my chest and after this, I hope that Sabina would still have the heart to accept me into her life again.

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What exactly do you think happened? 

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chapter 34

“Always forgive, but never forget, else you will be a prisoner of your own hatred, and doomed to repeat your mistakes forever.” ― Wil Zeus, Sun Beyond the Clouds

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XZAVIER’s POV

“If Safe Haven was established by your parents, then how come it became like that? While growing up, I hated that place because it was nothing but a prison cell, denying us our freedom.” Sabina voiced out quietly.

“Because Safe Haven got infested by pests who wanted nothing but to achieve their personal gain. Just like I’ve said just now, the start of Safe Haven was so different compared to now. My parents and their friends did everything to help these victims of terrorists by providing them a place that they could call their home.

“The agents who were assigned to destroy these terrorists tried their best to catch them but since these terrorists were good at what they do, they had difficulty catching them. During those times, the population in Safe Haven slowly increased as my parents continued on helping people in need. These people got rescued by them or escaped luckily on their own.

“During those times, everyone in Safe Haven loved my parents and they were thankful for their help. They received a lot of help from different private individuals to finance what they do. The government even recognized their efforts but since they were walking on thin ice, nobody was allowed to talk about it publicly. It was a top-secret project.

“Back then, the leaders in Safe Haven consisted of my parents’ very own friends. They were the ones who took care of everything there on everyday basis because my parents couldn’t stay there because of me. To name a few, these friends of theirs were Father Nicolas, Sister Fernanda and Sister Lora.” Sabina looked shock of the revelation.

“Sister Fernanda was one of your parents’ friends? Even Father Nicolas?”

“Yes, Ina. The others got killed during that tragic day that changed everything in Safe Haven.”

“What tragic day?”

I smiled sadly. “More than 21 years ago, an unknown group infiltrated Safe Haven and killed many people. Among the victims were some of the leaders. But more than two weeks before they attacked Safe Haven, a group of men attempted to kill me and my parents but thankfully, my parents’ men saved us.

“But sadly, my parents almost died. My father fell into a coma while the doctors managed to revive my mother after going flat-line. Because of that happened to us, they couldn’t visit Safe Haven. When my mother finally recovered after two weeks, she called Father Nicolas and informed him about what happened.

“She then entrusted Safe Haven to him. The two days after that, the attack in Safe Haven happened, and no one informed my parents about it. My mother was busy caring for my father even though the doctors advised her to rest because he was still in a come back then. Two months later, my father finally woke up from coma and thankfully, recovered quicker than expected.

“I was still young back then but I remembered how my parents wanted to go back to Safe Haven to check what has been happening there during their absence because no one from Safe Haven had contacted them.

“Because I was just a kid back then, I was always craving for their attention but when they chose to go to Safe Haven without even spending much time with me, I’ve grown to hate that place. I felt like it was always the reason why my parents were always occupied and didn’t have much time for me. I couldn’t understand what was in that place that they needed to visit it.

“That day, when they went to Safe Haven for the first time after my father recovered, I was left alone with the bodyguards and household helpers at home so I was feeling sulky and full of resentment, unaware what would happen next.

“The day after that, my parents unexpectedly came home. I was expecting for them to return after a couple of days because Safe Haven was far away. That was the first time I saw my parents so sad as if someone took their strength out of their body.

“Apparently, the people in Safe Haven drove them out and hated them to the core that some even tried to attack them because of rage. They blamed them for the attack that happened which my parents didn’t have any idea about until they went back to Safe Haven.

“Apparently, one of the people who attacked Safe Haven got caught and he was the one who confessed that my parents were the ones who sent them to eliminate everyone. That man apparently said too that my parents were planning on selling the land to the government that’s why they needed everyone out of there and since those people didn’t have anywhere to go to not to mention that their lives were in danger, leaving Safe Haven would be a suicide so of course, they would never want to leave.

“Because of this, the people who survived the attack loathe them and because of their rage, they never gave my parents a chance to explain themselves and just pushed them away. They didn’t want to listen to their explanation why they couldn’t come for a long period of time and why they weren’t able to help them during the attack.

“They didn’t even have the chance to tell them that they weren’t the ones who sent those killers to erase all of them because they wouldn’t listen. Of course, my parents were heartbroken and hurt because of what happened.

“After that, Father Nicolas called my parents and said that they shouldn’t go back to Safe Haven for the time being wait because it would be better for the people to calm down first before my parents try to talk to them again. My parents asked him how come the people in Safe Haven looked like they didn’t know what happened to them before the attack and Father Nicolas said that he told everyone about it but it seemed like everyone had forgotten about that when the man they caught confessed that they were the ones who paid them to attack Safe Haven.

“Father Nicolas assured my parents that he believed that they were innocent and that he would do anything to clear their name. My parents followed his advice and didn’t step foot in Safe Haven for a couple of months. Then, one day, someone tried to assassinate my parents again but fortunately, they were prepared that’s why it was a failed attack.

“That’s when they started doubting people in Safe Haven because it looked like someone from there wanted to erase them. Because of that, my parents faked their death in that failed assassination in order to let the enemy know that they were finally erased so that they could have time to investigate about what really happened.

“They hid from everyone and to the public eye, I was already an orphan at such a young age. Even so, my life was still privilege because of my parents’ wealth. Of course, I was their only heir. But while I was growing up, I felt like I lost my parents even though they were always there for me.

“Back when I was younger, I really thought that if Safe Haven would disappear, my parents would finally have the time for me. But I was wrong. Yes, they tried their best to fulfill their role as my parents as I grew up but there were times that they were still lonely while remembering about Safe Haven. It was like, they got stuck in time until everything that they worked for collapsed in front of their eyes.

“One of the most important businesses of my parents went bankrupt and my father tried his best to save it but failed. Because of working nonstop, my father had a heart attack and got hospitalized. Half of his body became paralyzed and it was his last straw. He lost the will to live.

“My mother and I tried our best to be there for him but he shut himself in his own little world. Of course, my mother was heart broken but she couldn’t do anything. When I was old enough to start managing our remaining business, which was on the verge of bankruptcy also, I managed to save it and a few years later, it became more successful that it was.

“Our lives became quiet for many years and I thought, everything would remain the way it was until four years ago, we finally got the answers that we’ve been looking for. We finally discovered who ruined everything and attempted to kill my parents.” I couldn’t hide the rage in my voice while saying the last sentence.

“Who?” Sabina inquired, obviously holding her breath.

“Father Nicolas and his minions.” She gasped.

“You mean—”

“—Yes, Ina. Because of Father Nicolas, I went to Safe Haven more than three years ago. Because of my aunt, I managed to infiltrate Safe Haven without anyone noticing it.”

“Is that the reason why you became one of the guards there?” I smiled.

“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “My plan back then was to find any solid evidence about Father Nicolas and his accomplices’ wrong doings. We knew that he was the one who set my parents up back then because he wanted to have the sole control over Safe Haven.”

“Sole control? How would he do that when the Vicaire is still alive? Wasn’t he familiar about the power of Vicaire?” Mr. Martins inquired with his eyebrows creased.

“He’s very much aware about that, Mr. Martins that’s why he’d been doing his best to get Sabina.”

“Yes. He wanted to marry Sabina in order to get assume the position of the Vicaire. He’s just not targeting Safe Haven, he also wanted to be the leader of the whole SFH by assuming the position of the Vicaire the moment he retires after the wedding.” It was Mrs. Martins. No one spoke for a couple of seconds before Sabina broke the silence.

“While mom and I were about to escape Safe Haven, we passed by a certain room and I saw you inside with a woman. You two were talking about me and I could still remember what you saying about someone who’s desperate that time because you told them who you really are.

“That woman even said ‘poor Sabina. She’s trapped in all this. And I’m sure that she will surely get hurt even more the moment she learns the truth about you.’ Those were her exact words. She even proceeded on saying that she pities me because I was a young lady, too innocent for all of that what happening back then. Apparently, you’ve got the favor of the Vicaire. What did that woman mean by that?” Sabina asked and my heart raced.

I could see the sadness, bitterness and resentment in her eyes and for a moment, I panicked. But then, I gathered myself together. I swallowed hard. This is it, Xzav! You have to tell her the truth!

“During our first encounter, I already noticed how innocent you were, untouched of the city life that’s why it was so easy for me to make you fall under my spell. And I succeeded because we became lovers. Deep inside of me, I felt guilty for using you but my desire for revenge was stronger.

“I couldn’t forgive those people for what they’ve done to my family. After we became intimate, I contacted the Vicaire and told him about our relationship. He accepted me and I gained his favor. I knew back then that gaining the favor of the Vicaire would make everything easier for me.

“When the Vicaire announced to the leaders of Safe Haven that he already has chosen his successor, Father Nicolas went berserk and that’s when he decided not to play games anymore and forced you to marry him.” I stopped when I noticed that her eyes were already full of unshed tears.

“You won the favor of the Vicaire because you got me but when I needed you most, why didn’t you come to my rescue? Was that part of your plan too?”

“I came to your rescue. I just didn’t show myself to you.” She scoffed and then wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

“You came to my rescue?” She shook her head full of resentment. “If you came to my rescue, everything that had happened didn’t happen!”

“Ina…” I tried holding her hand but she swatted my hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” She wasn’t yelling but my body went still seeing the pain in her eyes. “I need to be alone.” She sounded like all the life within her was dissipated from her body. Our gazes locked for a second before she turned her back on me and left.

“Ina, wait.” I tried to follow her but Mrs. Martins blocked my way.

“I think, you should give Sabina time to process about all this. I’m sorry but I think, we won’t be having a barbecue night tonight. It’s better for you to go home. You two need a break away from each other.” I slowly nodded my head.

“I understand, Mrs. Martins. Thank you for giving me the chance to tell everything to Sabina. I’m sorry that I hurt your daughter. Even though I’ve been trying my best to make it up to her, I know all my efforts were still not enough to erase the pain that I’ve caused her. I’m really sorry. Please, tell Sabina that I love her so much and I hope that someday, she will forgive me.” I then walked out of the door, feeling like the world was on my shoulder but at the same time, I felt relieved as well. At least, I’ve told Sabina everything.

Upon exiting the Martins residence, I walked towards my car which was parked near the gate and opened the door. I was about to get in when I heard a voice.

“What are your plans now? Are you going to give up on her?” I tilted my head to look at the man who spoke. Mr. Martins.

“You already know my answer to that, Mr. Martins.” He nodded his head. I then got in my car. But before driving out of there, I glanced at the window of Sabina’s room and caught a glimpse of her looking at my direction before hiding from my sight.

I heaved a sigh.

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Do you think Xzavier deserves Sabina’s forgiveness?

Is this the end of their love?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 35

A/N: Hi, Amores! I just wanted to say that now that I am a Wattpad Creator, I will do my very best to write this story to the end even though I’m really struggling right now because of my schedule. After that, I will start another story. I mentioned on my post the other day that Red’s story would be the next story after this, but I made changes for the sake of the plot of Red’s official story. I won’t explain everything here yet, but you will see the moment the next story begins, so stay tuned! Bon weekend and happy reading!

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SABINA’s POV

I bit my lower lip as I tried my best to prevent myself from crying while watching the car of Xzavier driving away. I couldn’t understand what I was feeling. Yes, he already confessed everything to me and through that, I learned something about my family that I didn’t know about.

A part of me wanted nothing but to go after him but the other part of me was preventing me from doing so.

“Xzav…”

When his car was out of my sight, I slowly walked towards the bed and sat there while staring into space. If everything that had happened didn’t happen, I’m sure, I would easily forgive Xzavier. My heart already did but my mind was contradicting the decision of my heart.

I slowly laid down on my back as my feet remained touching the floor, and then slowly closed my eyes.

‘You’re finally mine now, Sabina, and from now on, you will do everything that I want whatever it is.’ I opened my eyes as those words echoed in my head as if it just happened yesterday. I touched my chest as I realized that I was already breathing hard.

I swallowed as I raked my fingers through my hair.

“Liar. You came to my rescue, huh? Then, how come that scene keeps on coming back to me, haunting me like I was in a nightmare? I waited for you, Xzav. I trusted your words and believed that you would eventually come and save me from that hell hole that I was in but you never come.” I chuckled full of bitterness that I could almost taste it.

“Xzavier is not perfect, sweetie. Just like everyone of us, he’s got his own share of mistakes and shortcomings.” I gasped upon hearing that and sat up right away upon seeing who it was.

“Dad! You startled me!” He chuckled and sat next to me.

“I’m sorry for startling you. I knocked but looked like you were too busy staring at the ceiling that you didn’t even hear it. The door was half-way closed that’s why I decided to come in to check on you and I was right. You’re sad.” Upon hearing that, my tears fell like a dam. I threw my arms around him and cried on his shoulder.

“Cry everything out and you’ll surely feel a lot better after.” He consoled me while gently rubbing my back, calming me. I felt like I suddenly became a little girl, crying in my father’s arms.

Sometimes, I missed being a child because everything is about butterflies and unicorns. You only recognize what heartbreak and pain are when you’re already old enough to understand life; sometimes you’re too hurt that you find yourself wishing to go back being a child again to escape the pain. If only that was possible.

I didn’t know how long I cried like that until my tears finally dried up.

“Are you feeling okay now?” My father then asked tenderly. I slowly nodded my head as I remained leaning the side of my head on his shoulder. He heaved a sigh.

“I know that hearing the man you love admitting of using you to achieve his plans is painful but at least for me, I appreciate that he became honest and is willing to do everything the right way. He even faced your mother and I’s wrath but he didn’t back down. Such a brave man. Now that you heard his side of the story, what will you do now? Forgive him or totally erase him out of your life?” Erase him out of my life and would never see him again? Can I even do that? Just imagining the possibility of it almost made my heart stop beating.

He sighed again. “I’m your father and I’ll support you no matter what you choose. But I will be honest with you too. I’ve been quiet about this these past few years because that was what he asked me to do.” I looked at him with my eyebrows creased.

“What are you trying to say, dad? Quiet about what?”

“You asked Xzavier a while ago why he didn’t come to your rescue and he said, he came, but you didn’t believe him, right?” I nodded my head, confused.

“Well, he was telling the truth, sweetie. I don’t know the detail about it because I wasn’t there but he was the one who made sure that you and your mother would escape Safe Haven unscathed.”

“W-What? But he wasn’t there. Ez and the others were the ones who rescued us.”

He smiled. “Yes, because Xzavier sent them to save the two of you. He kept his promise. Not only that. He looked for me because he wanted to make you happy by reuniting our family. He was the one who saved me from those men who tried to kidnap me before we got reunited more than three years ago.” I gaped at him in disbelief, unable to utter any word.

“Yes, sweetie. Remember about the penthouse in Paris where we stayed at for three months before coming here to Lyon?”

“Y-Yes. What about it?”

“That was Xzavier’s penthouse. He was also the one who recommended your mother and I to the Novell family that’s why we got accepted here in the ranch. Every good thing that happened back then was all Xzavier’s doing.

“Without his help, it wouldn’t be that easy for us to start fresh again. He chose to send us here to Claudette ranch because he knew that we would be safe here. He did all that because of you.

“He made sure that you would achieve your dreams and live a normal and happy life just like what you’ve been dreaming of ever since you were still a child. Your mother and I have been wanting to tell you about this but we respected Xzavier’s decision not to inform you about it because he knew that you were mad at him. He wanted nothing but your happiness and success in life.

“Honestly, when he confessed that he used you to achieve his goals back then, I was so furious that I even punched him. Even though I knew how much he loves you, as a father, I couldn’t hold back my anger.

“He accepted my negative reaction and asked for my forgiveness. Even though I got mad at him, he gained my respect. He’s willing to correct his mistake and no matter how you see it, he’s doing all this because of his love for you. Since you stepped out of Safe Haven, he’s been taking care of you without your knowledge. You have a fine man loving you, sweetie, and I hope that whatever decision you make, you will not regret anything.” I didn’t even notice that tears began falling from my eyes once again but this time, the cause of these tears were different.

I stood up and headed towards the door.

“I-I need to see him.” I uttered as my tears continued on pouring. My heart felt so heavy for some reason and I knew that only Xzavier could lighten it.

“But he already left. Do you know where to find him? Besides, it’s already late.” My steps came to a halt.

“I need to see him, dad. When I saw him driving away from here a while ago, I felt like my heart was being torn into pieces. Even though I wanted to stop him from leaving, I chose not to because I was so confused. Yes, I’m still mad at him but after hearing everything that he’d done for my sake, it felt like a door finally opened inside my heart and I suddenly know what to do. I should’ve stopped him from leaving a while ago. I chose my pride and looked what it got me.” I was so full of regret. Before he could answer, I opened the door, determined to see Xzavier.

When I reached downstairs and was about to open the door, I saw my mom and Henry at the living room. They stood up upon seeing me.

“Where are you going at this hour, Sab?” My mom asked full of concern.

“She wants to go find Mr. Montaño.” It was dad as he descends the stairs.

“What?! It’s already late, Sab!”

“Mom, dad, please. I need to see him.” I cried and they looked at each other with a glint of worry in their eyes.

“Oh, Sab…You really love him, do you?” I nodded my head without a second thought. My mom sighed.

“But you don’t even know where he lives right now.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie Sarah. I’ll accompany Sabina there.” Everyone looked at Henry.

“You know where he lives?” Dad asked in wonder.

“Yes, Uncle. I know where he stays whenever he’s here in Lyon.”

“Then, bring me there, Henry.”

“Okay. Just please stop crying. It doesn’t suit you.” I could hint the sadness in his voice. “Auntie, Uncle, don’t worry about Sabina. She’ll be fine.”

“Please take care of your cousin, Henry.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie Sarah. Everything’s going to be fine.” Shortly after that, we went out of the house and got in my dad’s car.

“Thank you for doing this for me, Henry. I’m sorry. I know that you’re tired.” He just came home from school.

“No need to thank me, Sabina. I’ve been doing this for years anyway.” My forehead crinkled.

“What do you mean?” He glanced at me and smiled.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about this. I just didn’t want you to get mad at me.” He inhaled. “You see, I’ve been serving as Mr. Montaño’s eye around you ever since we started living here at the ranch.” My jaw dropped.

“W-What?”

“Yes, Sabina. At first, I was hesitant because I didn’t even know him. But then, he told me what happened between you two and how much he loved you but I was still reluctant to say yes. Then, one day, I saw you sleeping on the couch and imagine my surprise when I heard you calling for his name as a lone tear fell from your eye. Because of that, I said yes. While working for him, I saw that he’s a good man. He just wanted you to be safe and happy all the time.” He took a deep breath. “I hope you won’t get mad at me. I just did what I thought was right back then.” I bit my lower lip.

“He’s been updated about what’s been happening with me these past three years.” I uttered in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that he’s been so near all this time yet I didn’t even notice his presence because I was too busy resenting him while achieving my dreams without him.

“Yes, Sabina. Everytime something bad happens, he would do something to help you. You know why we decided to build you a tree house?”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. It was his idea. He knew that you’ve been wanting to have a place where you could study and relax quietly that’s why he thought of surprising you with a tree house. He even came to help us out.”

“What?! He came to the ranch?!” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. That’s how much dedicated he was to you. He came here from the USA just to help us complete the tree house. I can’t believe his efforts when it comes to you.” While listening to what Henry was saying, my heart swelled. I couldn’t believe it. Wait for me, Xzav. I’m coming. Your Ina is coming…

“We’re here.” Henry announced after about twenty minutes.

“Thanks, Henry.” I then got out of the car, ran towards the gate of that big house and pressed the doorbell button. But no one opened it. I pressed it again but it was the same.

“Oh, Xzav. Open the gate please.” I was already desperate.

“Wait here, Sabina. I’ll try calling him.” Henry said and dialed on his phone. After a couple of attempts, he finally got a hold of him.

“I’m here in front of your gate.” I heard him say before he ended the call.

“He’s coming, Sabina. I’ll just wait for you inside the car so that you two could talk properly.”

“Thank you for doing this, Henry.”

He smiled. “Don’t mention it. You’re my favorite cousin after all.” That made me smile.

“Crazy. I’m your only cousin.” He laughed. After that, he got in the car. Then, after about two minutes or so, the gate opened.

“What do you wa—Ina?” He looked shock upon seeing me that he even blinked innumerably as if trying to distinguish if I was just a figment of his imagination or not. He was topless and wearing only his shorts. His hair was messy and it was easy to tell that he’s stressed out just like me.

“Y-You’re really here…” He then uttered. Instead of answering, I thew my arms around him for a tight embrace. I felt his body go still but it was just for a second before his arms snaked around my waist.

“I’m sorry for pushing you away.” I emotionally whispered as my eyes began watering again. Oh, God. I really become a crybaby when it comes to Xzavier. “I’m sorry because I held resentment towards you.”

“You don’t have anything to say sorry about, my Ina. I’m the one who should say sorry for hurting you so much. I’m sorry too because even though I planned not to show myself to you again so that you could forget about me and the pain that I’ve brought upon you but I couldn’t stop myself from loving you even from afar.

“I felt like going crazy just thinking that you would eventually forget about me someday and maybe find someone else. I just couldn’t give you up. I’m sorry for being selfish.”

“No, Xzav. You’re far from being selfish. You’re a good man. I’m sorry for being so vague and stubborn. I was just hurt very badly that’s why it was so hard for me to give you the chance to explain. But now, I regret not listening to you earlier. If I only listened to you, I could’ve spared us both from hurting any further.” He cupped my face and our gazes met.

“Just like I’ve said, you don’t have anything to say sorry about. Everything was my fault and I paid for that mistake for more than three years. Even after we met again, I continued on paying for my sins because of your hatred towards me.

“When you pushed me away again a while ago, I didn’t know what to do. I thought, our chance to be together again was no longer possible. I thought, you wanted me out of your life for good. I admit, I felt so hurt that when I came home, I started drinking. I wanted to forget the pain.”

“Oh, Xzav.” Our eyes spoke silently before our lips slowly drew closer to each other until it finally touched. I gasped as the first brush of his lips against mine. Gosh. His lips really feel good.

The kiss was initially gentle before it gradually became passionate, hot and full of hunger and yearning. Our tongues danced, trying to gain dominance.

My brain went hazy. I tipped my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck while kissing him with all the love I have in my heart for him.

Then, I felt him his hands held me by the waist and hoisted me up without breaking that addicting kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our kiss became wilder. I knew what would happen next as I felt him walk towards the main door of the house and the anticipation of what would happen next ignited the fire of desire within me.

I forgot everything and the only thing that was on my mind was Xzavier and what we were doing at the moment.

“I want you, Xzav. Let’s make up for the lost times.”

“Yes, my Ina. I’ll erase all the bad memories and pain in the past. I’ll make sure of that.” When we finally reached his room, he put me down on the bed while gazing at me full of lust and desire. At last, nothing was holding us back.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores?

Did you expect that Xzavier was the one who helped Sabina and her parents in the past?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 36

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE scenes for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!

PS: I included a certain scene here that might not everyone’s cup of tea so if you’re sensitive to some intense bed scenes like this, just skip this chapter and wait for the next one on Friday. Thank you.

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XZAVIER’s POV

I grunted as the ecstasy surged within me while watching Sabina giving me pleasure. Fùck! She looked so innocent but a temptress at that. Even though it has been more than three years since she did this to me, she still knows the right button to push to drive me to the edge.

“Do you like what I’m doing?” She then asked sexily, momentarily stopped playing with my c*ck with her mouth but her hand didn’t stop giving me pleasure. I swallowed hard.

“Damn, Ina. You don’t have to ask me that because you know that you’re making me lose my mind right now.” I couldn’t even recognize my voice anymore.

She smiled seductively before taking me into her sexy mouth once again. I cursed under my breath. Damn it! It fùcking feels so good and she’s driving me nuts!

“Fùck!” I grabbed a handful of her hair but making sure that I wasn’t hurting her in the process. I threw my head back when her tongue worked wonders before sucking me off while her hands continued on toying with my balls.

I could feel myself exploding any second now but before that happens, I stopped her.

“I don’t want to come yet, Ina, because I want to fill you up when that happens.” Before she could answer, I withdrew myself from her mouth, cupped her nape with my hand and pulled her for a blazing kiss. She kissed me back with equal intensity and need.

My hands explored every sensitive area of her body, worshipped her like I’ve never did before and I earned loud moans from her.

“I can’t take it anymore, Xzav. Give it to me already.” She cried while I was eating her hungrily.“ Her face was red and her need for me was written all over her face. I knew that I couldn’t hold back myself any longer either so I positioned myself between her parted legs.

“Ahhh, Xzav—”

“—Ina!” We both moaned each other’s name as I penetrated her hot cave. Fùck! Even though she was so tight, I slid into her with ease because of how wet she was.

“Oh, God! You’re so big and hard…” Her lips were formed in an ‘o’ as I was finally deep seated inside her. We both looked between us and the sinful view only made our bodies scorch even more in heat. Then, I started moving with slow but deep strokes.

“Xzav…Yes! It feels so good! More!” Just watching her losing herself in bliss made my desire and lust for her grow out of control. I picked up my pace and her perfect breasts jiggled deliciously.

I caught one of her rosy buds into my mouth and she arched her body in pleasure, calling my name over and over again. She was already moving her hips, meeting every thrust I was giving her. Then,

“Ohhh, Xzav!” She screamed in ecstasy as she erupted around me. Her body shook uncontrollably while holding onto me tightly. I stopped moving but my raging manhood was still balls-deep inside her.

“You really look enchanting whenever you’re climaxing, my Ina.” I praised and licked her nipples alternately.

“Oh, God. That felt so good.” She mewled when her org*sm finally ebbed but I knew that she still needs me. I began moving again as an answer and another seductive moan escaped her lips. Damn. She really looked so enchanting that even though I’d stare at her the whole day, I would never get tired of it.

“Hold onto me.” I instructed her and she did as she was told. I got off the bed with her holding onto me without pulling out of her. Her legs were wrapped around me while holding onto my shoulders tightly.

“Get ready, my Ina. I will make you scream in pleasure.” I stormed her with fast and hard thrusts while standing like that and just like I was expecting, she screamed in euphoria.

“Oh, God! It feels so good! More!”

“My pleasure, my Ina.” I gave my all into pounding into her, making sure to hit every sweet spot inside her and because of that, she reached another peak. She bit me by the shoulder while trembling in so much pleasure.

When she finally recovered from her intense climax, I walked towards the couch and sat there. She was now straddling me.

“Show me how much you want me.” I ordered and latched on her left breast. She looked so drunk in ecstasy that she obliged right away and started moving.

“Xzav…Oh, Xzav…Why does this feel so good? Give me more.” I grunted when she momentarily stopped and gyrated her hips. Because of that, my hardness stirred her insides which made her purr like a cat in heat.

“You’re really heaven, my Ina.” Our lips met once again for another torrid and sensual kiss. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back from exploding soon but I had to hold it further because I wanted to give her the best org*sm on her third climax.

We changed position again and this time, she was bending over, holding onto the couch while I was pounding her from behind.

“Hmmm… Yes! Faster!” Her wetness was gripping my c*ck tightly and I knew that I was getting near. Then, an idea came into my mind.

While still ramming inside her, I opened the drawer of the bachelor’s chest which was just within my reach and took that thing that I’ve been keeping in there for quite sometime. I haven’t had the chance to use it yet because Ina and I hadn’t seen each other for so long.

“W-What are you doing?” She asked as I applied that gel on her behind.

“Just wait for it, Ina. You will surely love this. I’m going to make you experience a different kind of pleasure.” I then picked up my pace and when she was so drowned in pleasure once again, that was my cue.

I gently inserted that mini vibrator into her. It was so small intending for first timers. Her body went still.

“What is that?!” Without answering her, I switched it on.

“Ohhh! Xzav! What are you doing to me?!” I began ramming inside her and her cries of pleasure became louder. I looked at the mirror and saw the look of unparalleled ecstasy that was written all over her face. That made me even h*rnier.

I picked up my pace and the wet slapping sounds echoed in the four corners of the room accompanied by our cries of pleasure.

“I’m almost there! Oh, God! I can’t take it anymore!”

“Me too, Ina! Come with me!” I gave my all into pounding inside her before letting myself go. We came at the same time. Every jet of my juices drenched her quivering insides and that intensified her climax.

“Xzav, Oh, Xzav!” Her body shuddered feverishly as she gushed around me before losing all her strength and was about to slump down the floor but I caught her before her knees give out.

The shuddering of her body went on and it was such a beautiful sight to see.

I gently pulled the mini vibrator and my c*ck out of her at the same time before I carried her to the bed. We were both catching our breaths and sweaty because of what we just did. Her eyes were closed as her body still twitching a little bit.

I put her in the bed and cuddled with her.

“Oh, God. I don’t have strength left.” She then uttered when she finally caught her breath. “I thought, I was going to die in pleasure. What was that anyway? My butt feels funny.” I chuckled and kissed her cheek. We were in a spooning position.

“That was a mini vibrator. Did you like it?” She turned around and looked at me in disbelief.

“You’ve been keeping something like that?! Why?!” I laughed heartily.

“Well, someone actually gave that to me.”

“And who’s this person? Don’t tell me, a woman gave it to you?”

“Of course not. It was Kyrus. He’s one of my friends. One day, you’ll meet that friend of mine including the others. That guy loves making fun of everyone in our circle of friends. When he gave me that mini vibrator, we held a mini party at one of our friends’ house and he suggested for us to play a game. The winner would receive a price. Everyone was already tipsy back then and surprisingly, everyone joined.

“We played several games. I won one game and when we finished playing everything, he gave the winners their respective prices and imagine my surprise when I got a mini vibrator. The other winners got kinkier stuff.” I couldn’t help but to laugh upon remembering that time.

We almost drowned Kyrus in the pool because of what he did. We really thought that the prices he was talking about were worth it that’s why we agreed to join his games.

“That friend of yours is something. I mean, who gives sex toys as prices? He’s probably as naughty as you.”

“Well, us TBG members are naughty in our own way.” I answered and pecked her lips with a gentle kiss.

“TBG? What’s that? Don’t tell me, it stands for ‘The Big Guys’?”

“The Big Guys?” I parroted; a little bit confused. Her cheeks went red.

“Well, yours is big and…Oh, gosh! You know what I mean! You don’t have to make me say it!” I laughed full of amusement when I finally got what she meant.

“Well, I’m not sure about the others. But I think, you got a point.”

“It really does stand for ‘The Big Guys’?” My laugh became louder. Oh, God. She looked so cute.

“It stands for ‘The Billionaire’s Guild’, my Ina.” Her lips fell open.

“You’re a billionaire?” I smiled and then touched her cheek lovingly.

“You’ll know everything about me soon. I promise you that. For now, I want to savor this moment with you. I love you, my Ina. I hope, this is not a dream because I wouldn’t know what to do if it was.” A smile broke across her face.

“You almost killed me with pleasure and yet, you’re still doubting if everything’s real?” I chuckled and rested my forehead against hers.

“That’s just the first round, my Ina. Brace yourself because I’m going to make up for the lost times.” Her eyes widened.

“You still have the strength for another round?!”

I smirked. “You know me when it comes to making love with you.” She rolled her eyes.

“Why am I not even surprised anymore?” Another laugh erupted from my lips.

“Because you know my appetite.” I winked at her and her cheeks became even redder. She really looked so cute.

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SABINA’s POV

I traced my forefinger along the bridge of Xzavier’s nose and I chuckled when he groaned as if he was about to wake up but then, his face softened and his breathing became even again.

I’ve been watching him sleep since a while ago but until now, everything still felt surreal. I couldn’t believe that we finally got back together again. The situation now was kinda different though.

Now, we don’t have anything to worry about and just be in each other’s arms as long as we want to unlike in Safe Haven where our times together were limited and we used to worry that someone might catch us. We were always in hiding whenever we met.

I threw a glance at the wall clock and saw that it was already 2 am but sleep was still far away from me. I decided to stay and told Henry to go home without me because I wanted to be with Xzavier the whole night.

I hugged Xzavier tighter and pillowed my head on his chest. I felt so happy and contented. I couldn’t believe that I could be this happy again. 

For some reason, I was afraid that everything was only a dream but when he moved and wrapped his arms around me, I knew that everything was real.

“Why are you still awake, huh, my Ina?” I tilted my head to look at his face.

“Oh, my. Did I make you up? Sorry for disturbing your sleep.” I answered with a hint of guilt and bit my lower lip. I thought, I was being careful enough not to wake him up but I was wrong.

He smiled tenderly. “It’s okay because when I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was you, everything felt like magic. As corny as may sounds but everything becomes colorful whenever you’re with me.” I couldn’t hold back the smile that appeared on my lips.

“You still haven’t changed. You’re still as sweet-tongued as ever.”

“Only to you, my Ina. Only to you.” We stared into each other’s eyes full of love before our lips met for a gentle yet sensual kiss.

“Don’t tell me, you haven’t slept yet?” He then inquired when our lips pulled away.

“I couldn’t sleep. I don’t know why.”

He beamed. “Maybe, you’re not tired enough yet. Want me to do something about it?” He even wiggled his eyebrows naughtily. I pinched his tummy a couple of times.

“You’re really so insatiable! You just had your way! I am even a little bit sore right now because you over did it!” I even sneered at him and he kept on laughing as he caught my hand to stop me from pinching him.

“I just thought that you needed some help. You know that I am always be here, willing to help you in anyway I could.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, I know.” I then turned serious as our eyes met. I raised my hand and caressed his cheek while gazing at him lovingly.

“Thank you for being always there to help me even though I wasn’t aware of your presence. Thank you because you made sure that my life here in the city would be easy. Even though I did nothing but to resent you, you still went your way to make my life comfortable.” For some reason, I suddenly became emotional as I looked back at everything that he had done for me and my parents.

I wasn’t physically with me during those times but he did everything to help me in anyway he could.

“What are you talking about?” He asked confusedly.

“Don’t give me that. I know that you know what I’m talking about right now. My parents already confessed everything to me. Even Henry spilled the beans too.” He scratched his head as if he was suddenly embarrassed about it.

“I told them not to tell you about it because I didn’t want you to be obligated to thank me nor come to me because of debt of gratitude or something. You don’t have to thank me because I did all that because I love you too much.” He suddenly looked worried. “D-Don’t tell me, you forgave me because—” Before he could say the words, I silenced him by placing my forefinger on his lips.

“I must admit, that played a major role to help me realize things. But before they even told me everything, I already knew deep inside my heart that I still love you. I was just afraid to get hurt again. When you left our house, I really wanted to follow you and tell you that I still love you but my pride and fear stopped me from doing so.

“I was so confused of what to do. But when I heard how much you helped my family, my decision was automatic. I knew that I had to see you and talk to you no matter what. I threw away all the negative feelings that I’ve been harboring about the past and knew from then on that no matter what happens, you’re still the one for me.

“I’m sorry that it took me so long to finally accept to myself that you’re still the one for me. Please don’t think that I only forgave you because of everything that you’ve done to us because that’s not true. I came because I finally realized what I needed the most and that’s you.” His eyes brightened with total happiness.

“I love you so much, Ina, that I am willing to do anything to make you happy. When I left your house earlier, I felt so miserable. It crossed my mind to just stop pestering you because maybe, I would make you happier by doing that.

“But just by thinking about it, I felt like I was already dying. Jus picturing you living your life with someone else was breaking my heart already. I can’t believe how much you mean to me that I knew that I wouldn’t be able to live life if you’re not here by my side.”

“I feel the same. I can’t imagine myself being with another man other than you. You’re the only one I love that if you leave me again, I know for sure that I wouldn’t be able to continue living. These past few years, I was alive but I wasn’t living. I love you so much, my Xzav.” I professed full of emotions.

“I was the same. I was like an empty shell without you by my side. My pain doubled knowing how you resented me. But now, we’re here and together again and those painful and bitter memories were only thing of the past now. And I love you too, my Ina. You don’t know how much.” I could see the sincerity in his tantalizing eyes while saying that and it made my heart skip a beat.

Then, our lips met again for another kiss.

It was just gentle and full of love. Then, it gradually became hotter, full of need and desire. His hand caressed its way towards my already aching breasts and kneaded it alternately.

“I want you again, my Ina. Will you let me?” He uttered huskily and tweaked my left nipple with his fingers which made my body arch in pleasure.

“Hmmm. Yes. Take me.” I moaned and shortly after that, the sounds of our love-making were the only thing that could be heard in the room.

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I think, this story is nearing its end. So, stay tuned for the remaining chapters. :)

What do you think of this kind of bed scene? I was having second thought on uploading this one actually but I guess, it’s okay.  🤣

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chapter 37

“The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” -  Friedrich Nietzsche

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SABINA’s POV

I was busy looking at the perfume in the perfume section when I felt like someone was watching me for some reason. I looked around the shop but everyone was busy in their own little world.

Then, I caught a figure outside, standing there like a crow, observing my every more. I blinked innumerably and my body went rigid when I saw that familiar face. He looked like someone from the early 20th century with his black top hat and black suit.

I couldn’t move my body as my heart throbbed in total panic.

“Are you looking for a specific perfume, Miss?” The sales assistant suddenly came over and asked me so my attention shifted to her. I could feel my body slightly trembling.

“N-No. I’m just looking at them because they look nice.” I then looked outside again but no one was there anymore. Was it just a pigment of my imagination?

I swore, I saw him standing there! I swallowed hard and tried my best to calm down.

“Are you okay, Miss?” There was a hint of concern in her voice. I forced a smile.

“I’m okay. Thank you for asking.”

She nodded her head. “If you need something, you can call me. I’ll be just over there.” I nodded my head.

“Okay. Thank you.” She then left. I touched my chest. My heart was still racing and I felt like it was about to come out of my chest. Oh, God.

I hope that that was just my imagination. But I need to confirm it!

I quickly went out of the shop and looked around, making sure that I wasn’t just imagining things just now but I saw no one there except for some passersby.

“Maybe, I’m just hungry that’s why I’m seeing things that I don’t want to see.” I convinced myself and took another breath before releasing it to calm myself down. After that, I then went back inside with my head full of what just happened.

“Hey. Where have you been? Is everything okay?” I blinked innumerably upon hearing Xzavier’s voice.

“Huh?”

His eyebrows creased. “Are you okay? You’re spacing out. Why did you go out?” I forced a smile.

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. I thought I saw someone I know but I was only mistaken.” Then, I noticed what he was holding. “Whom are you buying that for?” I asked, referring to the dresses, bag and something else that he was holding but obviously trying to keep in hidden from me.

“For you, who else?”

“For me? Why?” We’re currently in Sophialina Lyon branch. He asked me for a date and I gladly said yes. I was full of happiness since a while ago but now, I was seeing things that dreaded to see and it ruined my mood in a way.

I mentally shook my head. Concentrate, Sab! You’re on a date with your boyfriend for Christ’s sake! This is your first time having a proper date so you should enjoy it!

“Do I need a reason to buy my girlfriend stuff I think that will look good on her?” I chuckled and tipped on my toes to give him a peck on the lips because he was now frowning.

“Hey, don’t be too serious. You already look Shrek.” I teased him and pressed my thumbs over his eyebrows to straighten them and it worked because his face softened.

“Shrek?” He looked lost for a second. I laughed.

“Yes. Don’t tell me, you don’t know Shrek?” I was suppressing my laugh. He suddenly touched his face with his hand as if making sure that he hasn’t turned into something different.

“Don’t scare me like that, Ina. I’m too handsome for that. I thought, I suddenly became green or something.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Aren’t you being to conceited, Mister?”

“Well, I’m just telling the truth. And stop teasing me because I know that in your eyes, I’m the most handsome.” He then drew his face closer to mine until our lips were only an inch away. “Am I right? You even love watching me sleep, right, my Ina?”

My cheeks went red in embarrassment but I tried it by rolling my eyes. I didn’t know that he was aware of that!

“Whatever.” I walked past him and went back to the perfume section. I heard him laugh before following me.

“Your temper is really one of a kind especially whenever you’re embarrass and blushing like a highschooler.” He even placed his arms over my shoulders and then pulled me closer to his body before kissing me on the temple.

“Anyway, do you want a perfume? If you’re going to get one, I suggest for you to get this one.” He took the black and red square shaped perfume and handed it to me. I cocked up an eyebrow.

“Why are you choosing for me? I’m the one who’s going to wear it so I’ll be the one to choose.” I even leered at him and he chuckled.

“Well, I think this one really suits you. Besides, it will be on my benefit anyway if you wear this perfume.” I furrowed at him.

“What are you talking about?”

He smirked and then whispered to me. “I would love that smell on you specially whenever we’re in a hot necking and petting session or maybe making love. Just imaging you only wearing this perfume while naked before me was already making my body burn.” My eyes widened.

“Xzav! You’re really so…” I didn’t voice out the word out because I saw the people in the store already looking at our direction curiously.

“What, my Ina? Tell me.” He urged naughtily and because of that, I pinched him on the abdomen which made him grunt. I couldn’t believe that he would tell me scandalous things like that in the middle of all these customers.

I distanced myself from him.

“You’re really a lioness sometimes.”

“Serves you right.” He suppressed a chuckle and then approached me anyway before snaking his arm around my waist possessively.

“Let’s pay for these so that we could eat now. I’ already hungry. And of course, we’ll take this perfume.” He then winked at me before calling for a sales assistant and asked for the biggest bottle of that perfume.

“Oh, my. Make sure that this perfume smells good or else… “

He beamed. “You’ll love it for sure.”

We were about to go to the cashier when I couldn’t hold back my curiosity over something.

“What is that anyway?” I asked while looking at that particular thing that he was holding. It was already in a box that’s why I couldn’t see what it was exactly.

He hid it behind him. “You’ll see tonight.” He even winked at me naughtily.

“Why do I have this feeling that you’re thinking about something naughty again?” He grinned flirtatiously.

“You really know me, my Ina. Don’t worry, this is for the both of us.”

I shook my head. “You’re really hopeless when it comes to naughty things.” He laughed.

“Just for you, my Ina.”

He paid for everything and shortly after that, we went out of Sophialina and ate our lunch at a cozy restaurant.

While we were eating, what I saw outside Sophialina crossed my mind again but I told myself that it was nothing but a figment of my imagination. Maybe I was seeing things because of lack of sleep.

It’s been two weeks since Xzavier and I were back together in each other’s arms and it felt like I’ve been floating in paradise since then.

I’ve been staying at Xzavier’s house and we were like husband and wife who were in their honeymoon period. We’ve been so insatiable, making up for the lost times. Every night, we would make love until we couldn’t lift a finger and exhaustion finally hits us.

Last night was no exception that’s why we didn’t have enough sleep.

“You’ve been wearing that necklace for almost two weeks now but I still love looking at you wearing it especially whenever that’s the only thing that you’re wearing, moaning and writhing underneath me.” I was pulled out of my reverie when I heard his teasing voice.

“Xzav! People might hear you!” I whisper-yelled at him and looked around us, getting paranoid that someone might’ve heard what he said. He chuckled.

“You’re blushing, my Ina, and you look even more beautiful whenever.” I sneered at him and he chuckled once more before reaching for my hand and brought it to his lips.

“I love you.” That made my heart jump and I tried to suppress a smile. He’s really the sweetest guy I’ve ever known. Well, I didn’t want to know any other guy as a lover aside from him.

“My boyfriend is really a flatterer.”

“I don’t just flatter or sweet-talk, my Ina. I am merely saying what’s in my heart. Anyway, where is my ‘I love you too’? You didn’t even bother saying it.” He even pouted and I laughed. He looked so adorable.

“You know my answer to that.”

“Yes, but I still want to hear it from your lips.” I turned serious as I captured his gaze with mine.

“I love you too. So much that I can’t explain.” He smiled contentedly. Seeing him happy made me happy too. Later on, we finished eating and decided to watch a movie but then, it was crowded and for some reason, he didn’t like it.

“Let’s just watch it at home. I can’t do anything I want in here.”

“What did you say? What did you want to do anyway?”

“Don’t think about it, Ina. Let’s just go.”

“But you already bought tickers. That will be a waste.”

“I’ll just give it to random people outside.” He took my hand and I couldn’t do anything other than to go on with the flow. He indeed gave the tickets to random strangers outside the cinema and those two people were so happy.

When we arrived at his place, we freshened up first before starting to watch the movie.

“I’m actually kinda surprise that you like this kind of movie. I mean, it’s a romantic movie and most guys prefer to watch action movies or probably horror movies.” He smiled.

“Well, I don’t care what movie are we watching as long as I’m with you.” My heart swelled.

“Really?”

“Of course.” He then chose the movie that we wanted to watch on the movie list but to my disappointment, something went wrong and it wasn’t playing properly.

“Aw. Looks like we need to choose another movie to watch.”

I pouted. “I really wanted to watch that one.” I even crossed my arms over my chest. He laughed amusedly.

“Sorry, my Ina. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it later. For now, let’s just watch this one.”

“But that’s an erotic movie.” I complained. I’ve never tried watching something like that before.

“There’s always a first time. Don’t worry. You’ll like it for sure.” He even winked at me before playing it ad then sat beside me.

“Come closer.” He said sweetly and pulled me closer to him.

“Make sure that I will like this movie.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make you like it.” There was a naughty grin on his face which made me think that he was planning something again.

“You’re up to something again.” I said full of suspicion and he chuckled.

“Who knows? Let’s see about that. Anyway, come closer more. The movie is about to start.” I leaned the side of my head against his chest as his arms were wrapped around me. As the movie played, he was kissing my head from to time and I felt so giddy of how sweet he was being.

Then, after about twenty minutes, the scenes on the movie were beginning to get hot and it was affecting me. That’s when I noticed his hand start caressing my arm erotically. I tilted my head to look at him but he looked absorbed in the movie so I decided to ignore what he was doing.

But then, his other hand stroked my exposed legs. I was only wearing panties underneath his oversized shirt. I bit my lower lip as I started feeling hot.

“X-Xzav…What do you think you’re doing?” I asked with a slightly trembling voice. Damn! Just one touch and I felt like my body was burning.

“I’m not doing anything.” He didn’t even throw me a glance, feigning nonchalance. Then, a seductive moan escaped my lips when his naughty hand caressed its way between my legs and targeted my already heated core.

I clutched his shirt tightly with my hand as I tried to close my legs but his hand was already inside my panties, directly teasing my already wet core.

“Oh, my. I…thought we were going to…watch this movie?”

“Yes, but it will be more exciting if we do something too.” My body arched when his fingers targeted my hardened nub and circled it relentlessly. A delicious electric-like sensation crawled throughout my whole body and my toe curled in pleasure.

I couldn’t understand what we were watching anymore because my attention was on what he was doing to me. My cheeks went red like tomatoes when I saw that the protagonists of the move we were watching were beginning to be on fire.

I gasped when he suddenly lifted me by the waist and made me straddle him.

“What the—” He muffled my words in my mouth by sealing my lips with his for a hot kiss. His hands kneaded my butt as if he was kneading a dough while grazing his hardness against my still panty-clad treasure.

“I want you, Ina.” He uttered huskily, full of need, after that kiss.

“You planned this. You didn’t want us to watch a movie at the cinema because you were aiming to do naughty things again.” He grinned mischievously and then rolled up my shirt, exposing my breasts under his heated gaze.

“Beautiful.” He praised and caught one turgid nipple in his mouth.

“Oh, Xzav…” My lips parted while watching him tonguing my nipples alternately in a teasing manner before sucking on it like a hungry baby.

“Y-You really love them, huh?”

“Of course. These are mine.” He latched on them like a thirsty man looking for an oasis in the middle of the desert.

“I can’t take it anymore, Ina. I want you now.” His voice was desperate and needy and my p*ssy clenched in anticipation.

“Take me now, Xzav. I want you.” He quickly pulled out his rock-hard cock from his shorts, pushed my panties to the side and then slowly eased himself inside me.

“Oh, God! You’re so big!”

“Yes, but look how you accommodate me, my Ina. Your sweet pssy was specially made for my cck.” I followed his gaze. He’s right. Our sensitive areas were made for each other. We really fit for each other.

“Fùck! You really feel so good! I can’t get enough of you.” He grunted when I started moving, slowly at first, just teasing him.

Seeing him losing himself while making love with me gave me the desire to pleasure him more. I picked up my pace then slowed down before gyrating my hips while making sure that he was deeply impaled inside me in the process.

“Yes, Ina. Faster!” I did because I couldn’t take it anymore either. The pleasure was blinding and it made my senses reeling. I planned to make him lose himself in rapture but so was myself. It felt too good.

I could feel that familiar delicious feeling coming like an unstoppable tsunami, aiming for my weakness.

“I can’t hold it in any longer, my Ina.”

“Me too, Xzav. It’s coming!” He clutched his hands on my butt and stormed me with fast and hard upper thrusts which intensified the pleasure even more. I tried to keep up with his pace and because of that, the inevitable came.

“Xzav!”

“Ina!” We screamed each other’s names as we reached out peak at the same time. He exploded deep inside of me and my eyes rolled back in sheer pleasure. My body shook as if I was struck by a lightning; an erotic and pleasurable lightning.

Waves and waves of pleasure washed over me and I felt like I was going to pass out. I buried my face on the crook of his neck and bit his skin while savoring that rapture.

We were both breathless, sweaty as our bodies continued to burn, knowing full well that one round wasn’t enough.

“I still need you, my Ina.” He started moving again which made me purr wantonly.

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Do you think Sabina was just seeing things? 

Do you think, they will have a happy ever after?

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chapter 38

A/N: Hi, Amores. Thankfully, I managed to fix my laptop. I couldn’t write yesterday and I was contemplating not to update today because of what happened but I decided to update anyway because I’m rushing to finish this story. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy reading. :)

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SABINA’s POV

The wide smile on my face has been there since a while ago and my cheeks were already hurting a little but I was too happy that I couldn’t stop smiling like crazy.

“Have a nice day, Miss.” The guy at the information desk told me as I passed by.

“Thank you.” When I exited the building, I dialed my mom’s number and told her the good news.

“Mom, I got the job! I can’t believe it!”

“Oh, my God! Congratulations, my dear! I knew you would get it. I’ve never doubted you.” That made me smile. She really sounded so proud and that made me happier.

“Congratulations, sweetie! Of course, they would hire you because you’re brilliant.” It was my dad. Just like my mom, he sounded so proud and happy for me.

“Thank you, dad. Can Xzavier and I come over tonight so that we could celebrate together?”

“Why are you asking? You know that this is your home, Sab. You don’t have to ask for permission to come over. If it were up to me, I’m against you staying at Xzavier’s house without being married first but since it was your desire to do so, then so be it. You’re not a child anymore and I know that you know what you’re doing. He makes you happy and that’s the most important thing.”

“Aw. Thank you for being so understanding, dad. I’m sorry if I disappointed you in anyway because of this decision of mine. Xzavier and I haven’t been together for more than three years and now that we’re back together, we don’t want to waste time being apart again.” I heard him sigh.

“I understand where you’re coming from, sweetie. I just hope that Xzavier will stay true to his words and would never hurt you again. Because if he would, I would surely skin him alive and make sure that he would never see you again.” Even though he was half-joking, I knew that he was serious about it as well.

“Dad, you know that Xzavier will never do that. You saw how he cared and loved me even though we were separated for so long. He did everything so that he would be still involved with my life even though I wasn’t aware of it one bit. No man would ever exert that kind of effort if they weren’t serious.” I bit my lower.

I knew that they were still reluctant and worried about all of this but Xzavier had been trying his best to show them that they didn’t make a mistake letting me be with him again.

“Don’t listen to your dad, my dear. You know how worrywart he could be when it comes to you.” My mom interrupted. Well, she’s been always fond of Xzavier.

“She’s our only child, honey. I just want to make sure that the man she chose to be with her is worthy of her love. I don’t want to see her get hurt again.” Dad answered with a hint of worry.

“And Xzavier is obviously worthy, honey, so stop worrying so much because if not, you would become bald because of so much stress.” My mom teased and I chuckled upon hearing that.

“Anyway, we’ll see you both tonight, my dear. Be careful when driving.”

“Thank you, mom. See you tonight then.” I then ended the call with a smile on my face. My parents were really only thinking about nothing but my happiness.

I walked towards the outdoor parking and while I was getting nearer Xzavier’s car, which I’ve been using ever since we moved in together, I was searching for the car key inside my bag and that’s when I collided into someone.

“Oh, sorry! I wasn’t looking.” I apologized and looked at the person just to be surprised when I recognized her familiar face.

“Akira?”

“Oh, Sabina, it’s you.” She had that enthusiastic smile on her face upon recognizing me.

“Yes, it’s me! We met again and in front of CXM at that.”

“Well, I have an appointment for a job interview here that’s why I was in a hurry. What about you? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you’re planning on working here? What a small world! I just came from a job interview and luckily, I got the job. I really thought, they would tell to call me back after sometime but they hired me right away. I hope, you would get hired too so that we would be working together in the same company.” I said excitedly.

This was only our second time meeting each other but I could feel that we would get along.

“I just hope so. If you wouldn’t see me when you start your work, I didn’t get it. Well, working here is one of my dreams and I hope, I could get the job.”

“I’m sure, you will.” Before we parted ways, we took each other’s cellphone numbers so that we could keep in contact.

When I arrived at Xzavier’s house, I saw his other car that he used this morning so I was sure that he was already home. I merrily entered the house, excited to tell him the good news because I intentionally didn’t call him to inform him about it for the purpose of seeing his reaction.

I was about to go straight to the living room when I heard voices coming from there. I walked towards the door and I saw Xzavier with an older gentleman standing at the center of the living room.

I could tell that the atmosphere was thick and it wasn’t the right timing for me to walk in so I just stayed there, wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to appear like an eavesdropper.

“How long are you going to stay here in Lyon for God’s sake, Cryxus?! C.V. Montaño needs you! Have you forgotten that you’re the CEO?! It’s been more than three years that you’ve done nothing but to treat our company as your second priority!

“When I asked you to come here to attend the party of Mr. Novell, you did your part and managed to make him hear you out about the business proposal. I thought, you finally decided to concentrate on your job but I was wrong!” Whoever that person was, he sounded so angry.

“Dad, I already told you that I would be staying here in Lyon for sometime that’s why I asked for your help about the company. I need to supervise CXM anyway that’s why I need to stay here even just for a couple of months more.” CXM?

“Is this really solely about CXM or because of that woman?!” My body went still. It seemed like his dad was referring to me.

“Dad, please. Don’t talk about my girlfriend as if she’s just some easy and convenient lay while I’m here. You don’t even know her personally and yet; I can tell that you’re already judging her character. Basing from what? I’m not even sure where you got all these nonsense.”

His father scoffed. “If your girlfriend really is a decent woman then she knows better than to prevent you from returning home! I can’t believe that you’re playing house here in Lyon as if you don’t have responsibility at home!”

“Dad! I’m still doing my work as a CEO of C.V.M. even if I’m here! CXM just needs my close attention right now. You know that CXM is equally important to me. I’ve worked my ass off into building my own empire while working in our family business so I can’t just let it go. Besides, Sabina doesn’t know about my work nor our businesses so don’t blame her for my decisions.” He sounded a little annoyed now and his dad sighed, still displeased.

“You didn’t tell her about who you really are? Why? Would she take advantage of it and trap you into marriage?”

“Dad! I said, don’t talk about Sabina that way! She’s nothing of that sort! If you came here to badmouth her then I suggest for you to leave for now. Don’t worry because I’ll be coming back home but not soon.” He was about to escort his father towards the door when he saw me, rooted on my spot.

“Ina…”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Montaño.” I greeted his father, a little bit uneasy. His face was void of any emotions upon seeing me and it made me shiver a little. I didn’t expect to meet Xzavier’s father today.

“Good afternoon to you too. Did you perhaps hear my son and I’s argument?” The old Montaño asked as he carefully scrutinized me. I grew even more tensed under his cold stare.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Then, there you have it. If you overheard it then I suggest for you to shake some sense into my son’s hard head. He can’t remain here in Lyon like this because he has a lot of responsibility waiting for him at home.”

“Dad, please. Don’t involve my girlfriend in this. Whatever I’m doing right now is the result of my own decision. It’s not as if he she was the one who made me do it.” Xzavier uttered through gritted teeth and his father shook his head, face filled with near resignation.

“I’ll be coming back next week and I hope, you finally made your decision about the thing that I told you.” He suddenly looked tired as he took his black hat from the coffee table and put it on him before exiting the house.

“I’m sorry about that, Ina. I—”

“—Why didn’t you tell me that you own CXM?” I chided at him with a stoic face.

He sighed. “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from you.”

“Really? Tell me, was I hired today because you told them to hire me?” His eyebrows knitted together.

“You got the job?”

“Yes, and now, every bit of the happiness I was feeling a while ago was gone because I didn’t get in there because of my own efforts and credibility.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t tell them to hire you nor inform them that my girlfriend would be applying for a job there. I didn’t need to do any of that sort because I already knew that you could get in without any help from me.” He inhaled and then exhaled loudly. “Forgive me for not telling you that I own CXM. I should’ve told you that the first time you mentioned that you wanted to apply there.

“I didn’t want you to think that I had to raise a finger to give you a spot in my company. Knowing you, you would surely feel uncomfortable the moment I told you that I own CXM. You told me that it’s been your dream to work for a big company such as CXM and I would never ruin your confidence in yourself just because of this.”

“But that’s what you made me feel right now, Xzav. I just hope that you really didn’t do anything for me to get accepted there because I would never forgive you.” He shut his eyes close for a moment before staring at me again.

“Are you doubting me? We promised to be honest with each other all the time and yet, I can see that you’re doubting me.” My face softened.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. It’s just that, I got frustrated that you had to keep this a secret from me. I just realized that there are still many things that I don’t know about you.” He reached for my hands and brought it to his lips, kissing them gently while gazing into my eyes.

“Forgive me. I should’ve told you earlier.”

I chawed on my lower lip. “I’ve always known that you’re rich but discovering that you own big companies made me a little nervous. I didn’t love you for your money. Your father can rest assured that I won’t ever take any interest of what’s belong to you and your family. You’re all I need.”

“Fùck! Don’t ever say something like that! The moment we get married, what I own will be yours too and no one can question that.” Even though I wanted to reprimand him for cursing like that, the last sentence felt like it was the only thing that was left in my head, echoing repeatedly.

“Y-You want to marry me?”

He looked at me in disbelief. “Why do you seem like you’re surprised? Do you really think that I would discard you after living together like this?”

“Well, you’ve always been vocal about our future together but you never mentioned about marriage. I mean…Oh, God. I just didn’t want to expect something and get disappointed after.”

“Then, marry me.” My jaw dropped.

“W-What?”

He groaned, momentarily closing his eyes before capturing my gaze again. “I didn’t want my proposal to be like this but you’re making me feel the need to.” I cupped his face with my hands.

“You shouldn’t just blurt it our because you feel the need to. Marriage is a serious thing and I don’t want us to rush things. I’m sorry for overreacting like that. I just got mad because you kept a secret from me. I hope, you won’t do that ever again.”

“I’m sorry, my Ina. It won’t ever happen again.” His honesty put a smile on my face. When he drew his face closer to mine, I tipped on my toes to meet his lips.

We both groaned as the magical kiss deepened. Our feelings and affections towards one another overwhelmed us and everything turned like a fairytale.

He swooped me up onto his arms, bridal style, without breaking the kiss.

“Where do you think you’re taking me, Mr. Montaño?” I teased as he ascended the stairs, carrying me like a precious crystal in his arms.

“I want us to celebrate.” My eyebrows arched.

“Celebrate? Then, we should eat out today for a change.”

“Why? Do you want everyone in the restaurant to see you naked while I’m worshipping your alluring body?”

My eyes went wide. “Xzav!”

He laughed heartily. “As if I would let anyone see your naked body. You’re exclusively mine, body and soul just like you owning me solely.”

“I love you.” It was all that I could say as my heart filled so much joy.

“I love you too, my Ina. Forever.” When we reached our room, he kept his word by worshipping my body the way I deserved to be loved. Of course, I did the same to him.

Then, when the night came, Xzavier and I went to my parents’ house and we celebrated together. They were happy that my career has finally began and they were very supportive.

“Why are Rex, Henry and Billy not here? They said that they would join us when I called them.” I asked while we were in the middle of eating. My mom and looked at my dad who suddenly looked sad.

“Something happened at the mansion, my dear. They needed to stay at the mansion to supervise everything while Mr. Novell is in the hospital.”

“Mr. Novell is in the hospital? Why? What happened?”

My dad heaved a sigh. “Someone shot him.”

“What? And who’s the perpetrator?”

“Rex.” That shocked me.

“N-No. That’s impossible.” Tears welled my eyes.

“I know and we don’t believe it either. We wanted to go to the hospital but the police forbid any visitor until the case is over. Everyone who approaches to Mr. Novell right now is considered dangerous.” Now, I realized why my dad seemed like he was forcing himself not to ruin the celebration since we arrived.

Mr. Novell had been like a father to him and even though he was stern sometimes, he was nothing but a good person.

After eating, I tried contacting Rex’s number but it looked like his phone was off. According to my father, the police arrested him because apparently, all the evidences they gathered so far were pointing at him. But even so, I would never believe that he would do that.

Rex was nothing but a good guy and even though he’s been quiet and kept to himself most of the time, our friendship was special. He treated me like a younger sister and I considered him my brother.

While we were in the car going back home, I couldn’t control my tears from falling. Xzavier held my hand with his free hand while he was driving.

“Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “The police got it all wrong for sure. Rex would never commit such heinous crime. He’s such a great guy and I know how kind and gentle he is.”

“I tried calling Ellie a while ago but she wasn’t answering her phone. I can’t believe that someone would do this to her grandpa. If it was really Mr. Frias, then he should rot in jail.” He answered quietly.

“Don’t say that, Xzav! I know Rex and I believe that he would never do that.”

“We just hope so, Ina.”

Because of what happened, I’ve been sad the next few days. We attempted to visit Rex in prison but apparently, he was not allowed to receive any visitors.

Mr. Novell was in a coma and everyone in the ranch and farm was quiet and sad about what happened to the patriarch of the Novell family.

It was such a tragic event that it resulted in Rex to be sentenced to jail because of what happened. I wanted to be there for him to show my support but I didn’t have the chance to do so because he became one of the victims of a big fire that burned down the prison that he was in.

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Do you still remember this part in ‘Owning the Wild Heiress’?

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chapter 39

Bon weekend, Amores! Enjoy reading.  🧡

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2 months later

SABINA’s POV

I looked at the building in front of me and chewed on my lower lip tensely. Today’s my first day at work and I was nervous for some reason.

“You can do this, Sab. You’ve been looking forward to this for so long so you should do your best.” I told myself before taking a deep breath.

When they accepted me two months ago, I thought I was going to start right away but according to them, I had to wait for some time before I could finally start.

Well, it worked on my favor because I was so sad because of what happened to Rex and then Novell family. Until now, I still couldn’t believe what happened. Just like us, everyone in Claudette ranch was in shock too.

Some believed that Rex was the one who attacked Mr. Jean-Claude Novell but some never believed it.

The police said that Rex was one of the prisoners who died during the fire but Ellie refused to believed it. For some reason, I too.

Thankfully, Xzavier remained on my side during those moments and he helped me a lot to recover from what happened. Rex was my friend but Ellie was his lover. My heart ached knowing how devastated and hurt she was.

Xzavier’s dad came back a week after he came over and he talked to his son inside the study. I didn’t know what happened but after their private conversation, his dad calmly exited the house without saying anything harsh towards me.

“Good morning.” I greeted the man at the front desk upon walking into the lobby and he greeted me back with a friendly smile.

“You need to log in here before going to your respective department. I’m guessing, it’s your first day today at work?” I pressed my finger on the biometric time clock and my picture on the screen popped up, indicating that it was done recording my arrival time.

“Yeah, it’s my first day today. Thank you for your help.” I was about to walk towards the elevator when he spoke once more.

“You’re welcome, Sabina.”

My forehead crinkled. “How did you know my name?”

“Because of that.” He pointed at the biometric time clock. I chuckled.

“Ah, yes. I forgot. Anyway, I need to go. See around.”

“You can call me Mark. Mark Evans.”

I smiled. “My name is Sabina Martins.” I then turned my back on him and quickly strode my way towards the elevator to go to the 5th floor which was the accounting department.

When I reached my floor, I met my co-workers-to-be and they seemed to be nice. Later on, my nervousness disappeared as someone oriented me about my work.

I didn’t even notice that the time went by so quickly because of the load of work that I had to finish. When the lunch break came, I went to the cafeteria to eat together with two of my co-workers.

“Here we go again. Another beauty has caught the attention of all the gentlemen here in CXM and the beauty of the ordinary women like me are being ignored like a stale fish.” Sandra, one of my co-workers complained, sounding a little bit sad.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” I inquired curiously.

“Isn’t it obvious that she’s talking about you? Look at the guys around. Their attentions are focused on you.” Vivian answered. My eyebrows furrowed and looked around. I could feel my cheeks blush shyly upon seeing that they were indeed staring at me.

“They’re just curious because I’m a new face here.”

“Well, maybe. But I’m sure that most of the guys here are drawn by your beauty.” Everyone of us turned our heads to look at the one who spoke. Mark. He was holding a tray full of food.

“Mark? You eat here too?”

He smiled. “Sometimes. I usually eat at the cafeteria on the ground floor but I decided to come up here today to be with my sister, Sandra.”

“To be with me or to be with Sabina? Looks like you two are already acquainted. You’re like the other guys here. Just happened to spot a beautiful woman and you’re already beginning to execute your moves.” Sandra pointed out and Mark chuckled as he sat on the vacant chair.

“Hey, I came here to give you something but you’re right. Half of the reason why I came up here is because of Sabina. Luckily, I didn’t need to search for her because she’s with the two of you.”

“Whatever.” Sandra even rolled her eyes.

“So, how’s your work as an accountant analyst, Sabina? I guess, it’s pretty hard, huh?” Mark asked as he began eating.

“So far so good, I guess.”

“That’s good to hear. If you need anything, you can approach me.”

“And what can you help Sabina with, brother? You’re a front desk officer and she’s an analyst of the accounting department.” Mark laughed because of what his sister had said.

“I’m talking about something else.”

“Hey, last week, you were this friendly with Ms. Smith because during her first day at work. And now that you saw Sabina, you’re doing the same thing. You guys are the same. As long as the woman is beautiful, you’ll swarm around them like bees.” Vivian commented while shaking her head.

“Ms. Smith?” I parroted.

“Well, she’s a newbie here too but she started last week. Just like you, she’s beautiful. It didn’t even take long for her to wrap all the guys here around her little finger. Even the married ones are obviously smitten by her. I can’t believe it.”

“Hey, it’s not like that. We’re just being friendly. She’s new here and—” Mark defended the other guys.

“—Yeah, right.” Vivian interested him; seemed to be unpleased.

“Look. She’s here.” Sandra informed us with a small voice and I followed her gaze just to be surprised when I saw whom she was referring to. She was holding her tray of food, looking for an available table. The other guys were asking her to join their tables.

“Akira?” It was as if she heard me because her gaze flew to my direction. Her face brightened upon recognizing me and excitedly approached us.

“Hey, Sabina. I didn’t know you already started. I’ve been looking for you ever since I started last week.” She enthusiastically said.

“I just started today. Anyway, join us.”

“Thank you.” She then sat on the vacant chair next to me. To my amusement, Mark, Vivian and Sandra were staring at us with furrowed eyebrows as if they were surprised that we were actually acquainted.

“Akira, these are Mark, Vivian and Sandra. Guys, it’s Akira.” I introduced them to one another.

“Well, in her short period of time here, everyone already knows who she is.” Mark chirped.

“Really?”

“Yes. She’s the one we were talking about just now.” Vivian whispered to me and my eyebrows arched. Well, it wasn’t that surprising that everyone already knew Akira because of her beauty. She wasn’t even trying but she’s still stunning.

“What was that?” Akira inquired and Vivian smiled.

“Nothing. Let’s just eat.” Everyone agreed and while we were in the middle of eating, Mark dominated the conversation, talking mostly to Akira and I and Vivian and Sandra seemed to be unhappy about it.

“I can’t believe that we actually got accepted here together. What is your work here in DXM anyway?” I curiously asked Akira while we were on our way to the elevator together.

“I’m a software engineer here.” That surprised me.

“Really? Wow. That’s cool. How’s the job?”

Akira smiled. “It’s hard but I really enjoy it because I love what I do.” She then pressed the open button of the elevator.

“I feel that way too. It’s really a good feeling when you love what you do. Even though it’s hard, you really can’t feel it.”

She chuckled. “I’m with you with that.”

We entered when the doors opened and continued chatting. Mark already went back to his job around 5 minutes ago while Vivian and Sandra went to the restroom to retouch.

“You know what? Why don’t we go out sometimes? I’ve been wanting to experience the nigh life here in Lyon ever since I arrived here but I didn’t have anyone to be with.”

“Why? Don’t you have friends here?” I asked curiously. She seemed like the person who has a lot of friends. Even though, she wasn’t that outright talkative like Sandra and Vivian, she was friendly enough.

“I don’t. I’m just a new comer here by the way. When we met at the mall around three months ago, I just arrived here in Lyon that time and was looking for a job.”

“Where are you from then?”

“I’m from the Western part of France. I don’t have anyone back at home so I decided to start a new life in another place. My first choice was Paris but when I got there, I didn’t like how crowded it was so I decided to come here. What about you? Where are you from?”

“Here in Lyon.” That automatically came out of my mouth. Ever since we moved here more than three years ago, I already considered this place my home.

“Cool. You should tour me around town then. I still don’t know my way here yet. I tend to get lost whenever.” She answered laughingly.

“Sure. One day, we’ll do just that.” Shortly after that, we parted ways and I resumed my work. It was 5 pm when I finished my work. When I reached the lobby, I passed by the front desk intending to say goodbye to Mark but someone else was on duty. Maybe, he already went home, I said to myself and was about to head out when I noticed that familiar figure standing outside.

I exited the building and when I saw his face up close, happiness surged within me.

“Xzav?!” He looked at me and he smiled boyishly.

“Hi, my Ina.” He walked closer towards me. “For you.” He then said as he handed me that beautiful bouquet of flowers.“ Instead of accepting, I threw my arms around him full of longing.

“Oh, God. You’re finally home. I’ve missed you so much, you know.” I then tilted up my head to look at him before tipping on my toes and initiated a kiss. He groaned and kissed me back full of passion, heat and love.

“Wow. I should go on a business meeting every now and then so that I could get a delicious kiss like that from you.” He naughtily said as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

I pouted. “I thought you would stay in the USA for another two days more? You could’ve informed me that you would come home today. I haven’t had any decent sleep since you left because I’ve been missing you so much. At least, I could’ve slept in peace last night if you informed me knowing that I would finally see you today.” He laughed heartily and planted another soft kiss on my lips.

“Because I wanted to surprise you and I got the reacted I expected. Can you please kiss me one more time?” He even puckered his lips teasingly.

I sneered at him. “We already kissed. Besides, people are already looking at us. Can you see? Thankfully, no one from my department saw us. I don’t want to get the unwanted attention and hear rumors about me just because my boyfriend is the CEO of CXM.”

“I don’t care about them. Don’t worry. The only one who saw us was the guard. I can easily talk to him. The others were just passersby. Anyway, aren’t you interested in accepting this? I even bought this specially for you.” I chuckled and pulled away from him to accept the bouquet.

“Thank you, my Xzav. Hmmm. It smells heavenly.”

“Just like you.” He whispered to my ear naughtily.

“Xzav!”

He laughed heartily before cupping my face with his hands and kissed me one more time.

“Fùck. I missed you so much. Let’s get out of here.” His voice was husky and full of yearning. I was about to answer when I noticed someone staring at us as she came out of the door.

“Akira?” I mumbled.

“Huh? Akira? Who’s that?” Xzavier asked curiously and followed my gaze. Akira smiled and walked up to us.

“Hi. I see that everything went well with you two.” She teased.

“I know you. We met you at the mall before, right?” Xzavier said, staring at Akira with knitted eyebrows.

“Yes. That was me.”

“Xzav, she is Akira Smith and she works here as a software engineer. Akira, meet my boyfriend, Cryxus Xzavier Montaño.” Akira’s jaw dropped.

“Cryxus Xzavier Montaño? You mean, the very owner of CXM?”

“Yes, that’s me. It’s nice meeting you again, Ms. Smith.” Akira smiled.

“I feel the same. Anyway, I have to go. I need to run to the grocery store before going home.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow, Akira.” I answered and she smiled. Upon taking off, Xzavier took my hand and led me to his car.

“What about the car I used to come here?”

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I already asked someone to drive it home.” He was even the one who buckled me up to my seat.

To my surprise, we went straight home.

“I thought, we were going to go somewhere? I should’ve just driven the car.”

“I told you, someone will take it home. C’mon, let’s go.” Even though I was getting weirded a little bit, I just went on with the flow. I thought, we would head directly to our room but to my surprise, we went to the rooftop and my jaw dropped when I saw a chopper on the helipad.

A guy wearing black suit opened the door for us.

“Don’t tell me, we’re going to ride this one?” I asked in awe and he beamed.

“Yes, my Ina.” He extended his hand for me and I reluctantly gave him my hand.

“Wow. This is my first time getting inside a chopper.” I admitted while we were inside, getting buckled. Again, he was the one who did it for me.

“Good. I’m glad, I thought of doing this then.” He winked at me and began operating it.

“Are you sure, you’re going to drive this? Oh, gosh.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me?”

I chewed on my lower lip tensely. “I trust you. I’m just uncomfortable, probably because of my ignorance in this kind of ride.” He chuckled and brought my hand to his lips, kissing it.

“Just enjoy the ride, my Ina.” I smiled and nodded my head. Later on, the chopper was already up in the sky, floating freely like a big mosquito, bringing us to our destination.

“Welcome to Geneva, my Ina.” I snapped my head to his direction in shock.

“Geneva?!”

He smirked. “Yes. We just entered Geneva. We’ll land shortly. By the way, we’ll spend the night here.”

“What about my work? Oh, God. I know that you own the company where I work but I can’t just miss my work like this. Today’s only my first day.”

“Oh, my. And you forgot that tomorrow’s a holiday?” I closed my eyes shut in embarrassment.

“Did you miss me that much that you even forgot about that it’s a holiday tomorrow?” He teased. My cheeks turned scarlet knowing that he hit the nail on the head.

“Stop. Don’t tease me. Those nights without you made me miserable.”

He turned serious. “I was the same, my Ina. You have no idea.” His eyes bored into mine as we smiled at each other. Moments after that, we landed at an airport.

A black car was already waiting for us at the tarmac.

“Where are you taking me, Mr. Montaño?” He threw me a glance and smiled.

“Let’s have dinner; I’m already famished.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You brought me here to Geneva just to have dinner? Wow, fancy.”

He chuckled. “Because you’re this special to me, Ms. Martins. I’ll do anything just to see you smile.” He kissed the back of my hand and my heart reacted crazily.

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What do you think of Akira so far?

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chapter 40

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE scenes for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!

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SABINA’s POV

While we were on the road, going to I didn’t know where, our hands were intertwined together and Xzavier was kissing the back of my hand from time to time which secretly made me smile full of giddiness.

“Oh, my! It’s beautiful here.” I exclaimed while watching the view outside.

“Of course, it’s beautiful here. But if you want to see more, we can go to Zurich tomorrow. We don’t have enough time to explore the area but at least, we could do sight-seeing before we go home. What do you say, my Ina?”

“Hmmm…I would like that. I haven’t been here to Switzerland before so I’d like to explore even for just a short while.”

His eyes bored into mine. “Then…we could stay here for at least a week. Switzerland is one of my favorite countries and—” Before he could finish what he was about to say, I silenced him by placing my finger on his lips.

“Thank you for the offer, but I think, this is not the good time. I just started my work at CXM and I don’t want to appear like I’m using you to escape work and do what I want to do while my co-workers are busy working their asses off. I mean, it would be unfair to the other employees, Mr. CEO. I’m your girlfriend but I’m also your employee now.”

He sighed. “Fùck. Why did I even agree for you to apply there in the first place? Now, we can’t even do whatever we want to do because of your schedule.”

“Cryxus Xzavier Montaño! You know how much I hate those kinds of words!” I snapped at him and was about to untangle my fingers from his but he didn’t let me.

“Shi—I mean, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to curse like that in front of you. It’s just that, I can’t help but to feel frustrated right now. I wanted to take you somewhere where we could explore and tour around but I think, the timing is not right.” He released a breath before letting go of my hand, placed his arm over my shoulders and pulled me to his chest.

“You don’t have to feel frustrated. We can always come back here and stay a little bit longer so that we could explore the places we want to visit.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Thankfully, we could stay here tonight. I would like to do something very interesting later.” I tilted my head to look at his face with an eyebrow cocked up.

“Why do I suddenly sense that you’re thinking about something naughty again?”

He grinned from ear to ear. “You really know me, my Ina.”

“You’re always thinking about those kinds of things! I can’t believe you!” He drew his face closer to mine until his lips deliberately touched my ear teasingly.

“Everytime I’m with you, I always think of thousand ways to make you come.” He whispered and my eyes almost came out of its socket as my heartbeat paced up. I looked at the driver, getting paranoid that he might’ve heard him, but he appeared to not hear what Xzavier had whispered to me.

I was about to reprimand him but to my further surprise, his hand began stroking my leg in a teasing manner.

“X-Xzav…” I tried my best to stay calm and gathered myself together. “What do you think you’re doing? We’re inside the car, for God’s sake!” I whisper-yelled at him in not so obvious way so that the driver wouldn’t look at our direction through the rearview mirror.

But it seemed like he didn’t have any plan of stopping anytime soon so I quickly grabbed my Birkin bag which he gifted to me the other day and placed it on my lap, trying to hide what he was doing to me.

I glared at him but he seemed to be enjoying it and continued with his advances.

“I’m not doing anything.” He answered nonchalantly, obviously suppressing a grin. I sneered at him and looked outside, trying to ignore what he was doing, hoping against hope that he would stop if I did that. But the madman escalated his teasing and slipped his hand inside my skirt.

“Xzav!” I looked at him in disbelief as my cheeks began burning. He smirked at me and continued his mission until he found its target.

“Don’t you dare.” I warned him, struggling not to get drowned into the sea of seduction. His hand stopped and I sighed in relief, thinking that he finally listened but my eyes widened when he proceeded to his target inside my panties and directly touched my sensitive bud.

I covered my lips with my hand and bit my tongue, preventing myself to cry in pleasure. Damn it! It felt good but I was nervous that we might get caught.

But my body was betraying me. Looked like whatever I do, my whole body including my soul were really at his mercy.

His fingers continued their onslaught vigorously and I couldn’t take it anymore. I clutched the hem of his dress shirt tightly as a moan escaped my lips. Thankfully, Xzavier hurriedly pressed a button and the partition of the car quickly served as our barrier from the driver’s eyes.

I saw Xzavier pressing whatever button once again and loud music began playing in the car. Careless whisper.

“Fùck it! I heard him grunt before pulling my panties down without any ceremony and gently pushed me by the shoulder to make lean back against the car window, my legs were already on his lap.

“What do—” I didn’t have the chance to finish what I wanted to say because he already has my legs spread before him. Lust and desire were evident in his eyes while gazing down on that treasure between my legs.

I felt so exposed under his gaze and I felt shy. Even if we already did this countless times already, I still tend to get embarrassed, especially whenever we do it outside like this.

I glared at him. “Don’t you dare…” I tried to be stern about it but he just naughtily smirked at me before positioning himself between my legs and now, I could feel his breath against my core.

“Sorry, my Ina, but I am hungry. I think, I have to eat my entrée before we arrived at our destination.” I knew that my cheeks were already as red as tomatoes. He was really so naughty for his own good.

“Entrée, my a*s! What am I, a dish at a restaurant?”

“Yes. A restaurant exclusively made for me.”

“You’re crazy.” He chuckled before drawing his lips to my sn*tch and planted a teasing light kiss. I groaned in protest when he stopped.

“I thought, you didn’t want to?” He teased.

“Just do it already before we arrived at our destination!” He laughed upon hearing my annoyed voice.

“My pleasure, Ina.”

“Oh, Xzav…” I tried my best to suppress my moans and cries of pleasure as he finally began to dig in. I tugged a fistful of his hair as the bliss intensified like a scorching flame. He was a man on a mission with nothing else on his mind but to give me the ultimate pleasure.

My breathing became ragged while panting and writhing in pleasure as his tongue devoured every nook and cranny of my burning womanhood.

His hands slipped underneath my top, expertly unhooked my bra and toyed with my breasts as he continued pleasuring me without faltering. The music continued, covering my wails and cry of pleasure.

“Xzav, I can’t take it anymore. I’m coming!” My hips were moving provocatively, meeting his raspy tongue and after exploring my sweet crevices hungry for I didn’t know how long, I erupted like a volcano in heat.

Thankfully, I managed to cover my mouth when my peak struck me so hard that it almost robbed me off my breath.

He drank everything that I’ve given him and licked me dry before kissing his way upwards until our faces were leveled.

“Delicious. I can’t wait for the main course and my dessert.” He planted a soft kiss on my lips contentedly. I was catching my breath and body was still twitching a little, leaving me limp sitting upwards against the car door.

“You’re so naughty and horny. I can’t believe we actually did this here.”

He smirked. “Just wait for later, my Ina. I’m far away from being done with you yet.”

“I thought we came here for dinner?”

“Yes, but of course, I prepared other activities for the both of us after eating.” His tantalizing eyes shone with desire and my body burned for him.

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the effect of what he was saying to me. “Why am I not even surprised anymore?” He laughed.

“Because you know how your lover is. Whenever and wherever we go, I always burn for you.” I bit my lower lip. “I love you, my Ina. Only you.” My heart felt so full. Then, he slowly captured my lips for a kiss and I gladly kissed him back with equal fervor. Gosh. He just made me come but my body wanted more.

The kiss quickly escalated and got even hotter and wilder. His hand was now cupping my wetness with his hand and I knew that if we wouldn’t stop, we wouldn’t be able to stop ourselves and stay in the car and make love instead of going to the restaurant and eat.

The music finally stopped and that’s when we heard Dan’s voice.

“Young master, we’re about to arrive at our destination.” We stopped kissing.

I grinned. “Sorry, young master. Looks like we need to stop.” To be honest, I kinda felt relieved that we were almost there because making love inside the car wouldn’t be the most comfortable idea.

“Fùck! Already?!” He looked unhappy about it. I glared at him as I sat up and fixed my myself.

“Language, Mr. Montaño.” My voice held warning and he gulped inaudibly.

“Why do you hate hearing me swear but during our love making, you seem not to mind at all.” I looked at him in disbelief.

“Really? You’re asking me that question now?” I combed my fingers through my hair and fished out my compact mirror from my bag.

“Well, I’m just curious.” His voice mellowed as he pressed a button and the partition lifted up.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Then, we felt the car come to a halt.

“We have arrived, young master, miss Martins.” The driver announced and got out of the car to open the door for me.

“Thank you.” I said as I got out. Xzavier was quick to be at my side and snaked his arm around my waist full of possessiveness. I rolled my eyes.

“Are you mad, Ina?”

“Not really.” I answered dismissively as we entered that cozy restaurant.

“Really? You’re not mad?” I fought the urge to laugh upon noticing the expression on his face while gazing at me.

“C’mon, Ina. Answer me. You’re scaring me.”

I laughed. “I’m obviously not mad.” He finally smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

“I’m glad. Anyway, where is my I love you too?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I said I loved you when I made you come a while ago but you didn’t answer.”

I quickly covered his lips with my hand. “Xzav! People might hear you! I love you too, okay?” He removed my hand from covering his lips and now smiling contentedly.

“One more time. You sound like you’re just forced to say it.”

I huffed. “I love you, Xzav. You know that.”

“That’s more like it.” The smile on his lips widened. Shortly after that, we were seated at our designated table, eating our dinner.

“Wow. The food is fantastic.”

“Of course. That’s why I brought you’re here. I knew you would definitely like their food and I was right. Besides that, I wanted to be with you after being separated for a week. I know that your first day was stressful so I wanted you to relax for a bit.”

My lips curved with a smile. “Thank you, my Xzav. Yes, my first day was kinda stressful but I think, everything will be alright in the next days.” I reached for his hand. “I’m glad, we’re finally together again. I’ve missed you.”

It was his turn to smile. “I’ve missed you too. You don’t know how much.” My heart jump in joy. We continued eating and while we were at it, he was the perfect gentleman. He was very attentive to my needs and I couldn’t ask for more.

After we finished eating, we went out of the restaurant. We were on our way to the hotel when something unexpected happened.

We heard squeaking sounds and before we knew it, the car went out of lane and almost collided with another car from the opposite side. Thankfully, Dan was alert enough, barely managed to avoid the collision.

“Are you okay, Ina?” Xzavier asked me full of worry as he checked me from head to toe, making sure that I was not hurt.

“I-I’m okay.”

He looked at Dan with squinted eyes. “What happened, Dan?!”

“I’m sorry, young master. I lost control of the car. I don’t know what happened but I think, we ran into something and the one of the tires exploded.”

“What?!”

“I’ll check the damage.” Dan went out of the car.

“Are you sure, you’re not hurt anywhere?” Xzavier’s voice mellowed as he looked at me full of worry. I gave him a reassuring smile.

“Everything’s fine. What about you? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m okay.” He sighed in relief. “Thankfully, you’re okay. I got scared that you might’ve gotten hurt.”

That made me smile. I kissed his cheek. “Thank you for worrying about me, but I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”

He was about to answer when Dan opened the car door at Xzavier’s side. “Young master, you need to see this.”

“Stay here.” He kissed my forehead before going out of the car. They stayed there, inspecting the extent of the damage before he opened the car door on my side of the car.

“Ina, we need to get out of here.” I didn’t know why but he looked odd.

“Why? What about the car and Dan?” I inquired as I got out of the car.

“Don’t worry about the car. Everything’s okay aside from the left front wheel. Dan will be staying here and wait for the tow service.”

“Okay.” I thought, we would be hailing a taxi going to our hotel but to my surprise, a sleek black car came stopped in front of us after about 10 minutes. Just like Dan, the driver was wearing a black suit too.

“Whose car is this?”

“It’s mine, Ina.” I was about to answer when I noticed another two black cars tailing us.

“Do you know those people behind us?” I asked Xzavier nervously.

“Yes. They’re my men.” I almost sighed in relief.

“What’s happening, Xzav? Do you have something you’re not telling me?” He’d been silent since a while ago.

“Nothing to worry about, my Ina.” He then gathered me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. Even though he said that, I could feel that something was wrong.

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Do you think that was just an accident?

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chapter 41

It’s weekend again, Amores. Hope you’ll have a wonderful one. Enjoy reading. ❤️

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SABINA’s POV

When we arrived at our hotel suite, Xzavier went to the balcony and talked to someone on the phone. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on but I could tell that what happened to us a while ago wasn’t a simple accident.

The rage in Xzavier’s eyes told me so. Because he’d been on the phone for I didn’t know how long, I decided to freshen up first.

While I was relaxing in the bathtub, I heard the door of the bathroom open and Xzavier came in. He was naked as the day he was born.

My cheeks went red as I gawked at him appreciatively. Gosh. He looked like a Greek God. No matter how many times I see him like this, his effect on me never changed one bit.

“Why didn’t you wait for me? And I was even planning to take a bath with you.” His lips were curved with a half naughty smile.

“Well, you were so busy talking with someone on the phone.” The smile on his face disappeared. Then, he joined me in the bathtub in silence and that ticked me off. I could tell that he was keeping something from me but looked like he didn’t have any plans of telling me about it.

“I think, I’m done bathing.” I stood up and was about to step out of the tub when he suddenly pulled me by the hand which caused me to lose my balance. I shrieked, thinking that I might fall. Thankfully, he quickly caught me.

“Stay.” He made me sit back with my back pressed against his front, his arms wrapped around my waist while resting his chin on my shoulder.

I craned my head to glare at him. “Why did you do that?! You scared me! I thought, I was going to fall!” He laughed.

“Sorry. It wasn’t my intention to scare you like that. I know you’re not done yet so don’t leave me here. Taking a bath alone is lonely.” For some reason, his voice was weird. It wasn’t the usual playful Xzavier.

I chewed on my lower lip, wanting to voice out the questions on my mind but I didn’t know where to start. Just thinking that we were on danger was giving me incomparable fear already.

No one spoke for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other’s warmth. His hard chest against my back felt so good but I just couldn’t shake the feeling of being left out about something and I knew, I had to ask.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what’s been bothering you since a while ago? Remember that there shouldn’t be any secrets between us.” He rained butterfly kisses on my shoulder as his hands cupped my breasts, gently massaging them.

My body instantly went ablaze, eaten by scorching flame of desire but I knew better than to let him seduce me without us talking first.

“Mr. Montaño, quit it. I won’t let you seduce me right now. I’m not that weak that I wouldn’t be able to say no to your seductions.” My voice was stern and his body went still.

He sighed in resignation. “I’m sorry, my Ina. It wasn’t my intention to make this a secret from you. My men are still verifying it. For now, all we have to do is to be careful.”

My forehead creased. “Verifying what? Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. What happened a while ago was not just a simple accident. Someone tried to harm us by shooting the tire of the car that’s why it exploded like that. They shoot it twice actually. The other bullet struck the wheel and the other one pierced the tire.” I gasped in shock.

“Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

“I didn’t want to scare you. One of my men confirmed just a while ago that what happened to us was a deliberate attack. It didn’t intend to kill us in the process. I guess, it was just a warning.” My heartbeat raced in panic.

“W-Warning? About what?”

He heaved another sighed. “I’m not sure yet, Ina. My men are already investigating who could’ve done this and what their purpose was. Whoever it was, I’ll make sure that they would pay for what they’ve done. Thankfully, you weren’t hurt.” The acerbity in his voice almost made me shiver coldly. He sounded calm but I knew him enough to tell that he was beyond angry.

“Xzav, are we in danger?” He gently placed a finger under my chin and made me crane my head to his direction to look at him.

“You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll deal with this accordingly. They’ll get what they deserve.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’m hoping that we’re not. But if we were, I will do anything to protect you. Whatever happens, no one could ever lay a finger on you. For now, let’s enjoy our time together here in Switzerland. I don’t want this to affect our short stay here. My men are already scattered around this area so no one could ever do us any harm while we’re here.”

A small smile curved my lips. “As long as you’re with me, I know that I’m going to be safe. But promise me that you’re not just going to protect me. You’ll protect yourself too because I will never forgive you if something bad happens to you.” Suddenly, my throat constricted of that ominous thought.

“Mark my work, Ina. I will never let anyone take me away from you because I know that you’re going to get hurt and sad. Just thinking that you will get hurt because of me is already killing me. Besides, I won’t go anywhere because I haven’t accomplished my biggest dream yet.”

I turned around and faced him. “What dream is that?”

He smiled, his eyes twinkling. “To be your husband and the father of your future children.” My lips parted in surprise.

“W-What?”

“You heard me, Ina. I want to be that man; the only man who would be there by your side until our hairs turn grey. In short, your forever.” He caressed my cheek while gazing into my eyes lovingly. For some reason, my eyes suddenly watered.

“I would love that too, Xzav. You’re the only one for me.”

He smiled contentedly. “We would see all the beautiful and ugliness of this world together, hand in hand, as we grow old. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I can already picture our family in the future. Our kids will surely be beautiful and handsome just like their mommy and daddy.” While he was saying that, I couldn’t help but to get overwhelmed with happiness.

“Hey. Did you hear me?” He teased as he gently flicked the tip of my nose with his finger. I smiled full of emotions and furtively wiped the lone tear that fell from my right eye. I felt so emotional yet happy.

“I’m sorry. I’m just beyond surprised right now. I mean, I’ve never expected that you’re already thinking about all these, marrying me and having children with me in the future.”

“Why, Ina? Is it really that surprising? I don’t want anyone else. You’re my present and future. What about you? Don’t tell me you’ve never contemplated about those things even just for once?”

I bit my lower lip. “Of course, it crossed my mind. It’s just that…I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and then—”

“—Get disappointed after if we ever broke up?” He interrupted me but I shook my head.

“You know what I mean, Xzav. To be honest, I want nothing but to spend the rest of my life with you too. But what about my situation? That was one of the reasons why I struggled to accept you again in my life when we got reunited again. Everytime I think about it, it makes me sick. You know that—” He silenced me by sealing my lips with his for a sensual kiss. I moaned as my lips automatically moved to kiss him back with equal intensity and desire.

“Everything will be fine. I promise you that.”

“What do you mean? How come you sound so sure about it? I want to think that I belong to you and yet the truth still kicks me in the butt, reminding me of that dreadful event.”

“I know what you’re feeling right now but I promise you that I will give you the happiness that you deserve. Whatever happened in the past will stay in the past and won’t haunt us here in the present nor in the future.” He smiled at me full of love before resting his forehead against mine.

“Just trust me, my Ina. For now, I think it’s still premature for us to think about all this but sooner or later, I want us to revisit this topic again and by then on, I’m sure, everything already fell into place.”

“Why is it that everytime you open your mouth and say these soothing words, I instantly feel secured and calm?” His fingers caressed my cheeks delicately.

“Do you trust me?” Without a second thought, I nodded my head right away.

“That’s the answer to your question.”

“Yes, I trust you, Xzav.” I whispered, gazing back into his tantalizing eyes.

“That’s my Ina.” I closed my eyes when he began raining kisses all over my face while whispering words of love. My heart felt so full and I knew that whatever problem we would encounter because of the happenings in the past, we would get through it together.

“I love you, my dear Ina. You’re my life and the joy of my soul. I can’t wait to make you completely mine.”

“I love you too, Xzav. No words can describe how much you mean to me. I’m yours always and forever.” His eyes sparkled with total contentment. When our lips met once again, everything became blurry as we celebrated our love until exhaustion finally caught up to us.

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The next morning, we travelled to Zurich as planned and had the opportunity to explore the city. Xzavier told me that we shouldn’t think about what happened yesterday so that we could enjoy our time there.

He was right. It was futile to get worried over it knowing that his men were already doing everything they could to protect us and investigate who was behind it.

We spent the whole day exploring the tourist spots there and I was impressed by its unique beauty. Even the foods were appetizing.

“Are you having fun?” Xzavier inquired while we were eating our lunch.

“Yes. Thank you for bringing me here.”

He beamed. “I’m glad, you’re enjoying our time here.” I was about to answer when my phone suddenly rang. I checked who it was and answered it.

“Hi, Sabina! I’m glad I finally got a hold of you. I’ve been trying to contact you since last night but your phone seems to be out of coverage area.”

“Sorry, Akira. I forgot to charge my phone last night. I just remembered to charge it this morning. Anyway, did something happen?”

She chuckled. “No, nothing bad happened. I just wanted to ask if you could come with me somewhere today. Today’s a holiday so I thought, we could go somewhere together if you’re not busy.”

I bit my lower lip. “I’m sorry, Akira. I’m in Zurich right now.”

“Zurich? Wow, how nice! I visited that place once and I really loved the experience. You should visit the chocolate museum there, I mean if you love chocolates.”

I laughed. “We’re actually going to Lindt home of chocolate museum later.”

“I’m glad you will. Anyway, it sucks that I have to spend the entire day alone today. I was expecting to be with you since I don’t have any other friends aside from you.”

“Sorry. Maybe next time.” I answered guiltily.

“No. You don’t have to say sorry. It’s my fault. I didn’t tell you about it beforehand. Anyway, enjoy your time there in Zurich. Stay safe.”

“Thank you, Akira. See tomorrow.” When we ended the call, Xzavier already had his eyebrows furrowed.

“Who’s that Akira? I didn’t know that you have a guy friend of that name.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why do you look affected? So, what if I have a friend named Akira?” I fought the urge to laugh when his face turned hard as his lips pressed together.

“I was just kidding. Akira is a girl so you can relax now. I hate it when you’re like this.” I couldn’t hide the rising irritation within me.

“What do you mean? I’m not doing anything. I didn’t even say anything.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. You didn’t say or do anything but just one look at your face and I knew that you were already thinking of hundred ways to kill Akira.”

“Me thinking of killing someone? Of course not. I’m as innocent as a child.” I gave him a deadpan look.

“Whatever.”

He laughed heartily. “Come on, let’s finish our meal so that we could explore this city more.” Now, he looked like a happy child full of energy. I mentally shook my head.

“For your information, Akira is a girl. She was the one me met at the mall a few months ago. She’s also working in CXM now.”

“Really? What a small world. Who would’ve thought that you two would end up working at the same company?”

“You’re right. Both of us didn’t expect it but I’m glad, I met her. She’s a nice person.”

He nodded his head. “Yes. Indeed.”

Later on, we went to our next destination before going to our last destination which was the chocolate museum and I really loved everything that I saw. It was mesmerizing to see all their different creations and varieties of chocolates. Not just that. They looked mouth-watering too.

“Did you like our brief Zurich experience?” Xzavier asked while we were walking towards the car. Just like usual, we were walking hand in hand.

I beamed. “I loved it.”

“I’m glad I made you happy. But it’s a pity that we don’t have enough time to go to other places here. There are still a lot more to see but we need to go home.”

I kissed his cheek. “That’s more than enough for me, Xzav. It was a great experience and being with you only made it more exciting and enjoyable.” That seemed to please him. He stopped walking and faced me.

I thought he was going to kiss me but to my surprise, he suddenly wrapped his arms around my legs and hoisted me up and turned around.

“Xzav!” I squealed and clutched my hands in his shoulders hardly.

“You’re so beautiful and you’re mine.” He uttered when he stopped turning around but didn’t put me down yet. He was gazing up at me lovingly and my heart rejoiced.

“Yes, my Xzav. I’m yours. Only yours.” He smiled back contentedly and slowly put me down on my feet until our lips met. It was gentle yet teasing before it became steamy and wild. We both groaned as our tongues danced erotically, breaths mingled intimately, seeking for dominance.

“Fùck! I want you.” He breathed against my lips. We were both heaving.

I chuckled. “Sorry, Mr. Montaño. We can’t right now.” He groaned in disappointment. “But I’ll think about it when we arrive home. If I weren’t tired enough to sleep right away.”

He smirked. “I won’t let you sleep tonight.” I was about to respond when we heard squeaking sounds of a car, coming to our direction. I felt like my head grew doubled in size.

Before I could have the chance to move my feet, Xzavier already tackled me with his body and we both fell to the ground as the car past by with a terrifying speed.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores?

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chapter 42

It’s weekend again, Amores. Days go by so quickly indeed. Anyway, bon weekend tout le monde. :)

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SABINA’s POV

I woke up with a start and automatically reached out my arm for Xzavier next to me but his side of the bed was cold and empty. I groaned in disappointment, opened my eyes and looked around the room, looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. I heaved a sigh and slowly sat up.

I stretched my arms above my head to ease that discomfort feeling in my back and to awaken my senses because I still felt so sleepy. I was about to get off the bed when I saw the time on the wall clock and my eyes almost popped out of its socket.

“Jesus! I’m so late!” I couldn’t believe that it was already 9:30 am! Why didn’t my alarm go off?! I took my phone from the bedside table to check what happened and saw that it was off. Did I turn if off last night?

“I’m so dead!” I swung my legs to the floor and was about to head to the bathroom when I heard a voice coming from the balcony of the room. It was Xzavier, no doubt.

I marched my way towards the door that leads to the balcony and poked my head through the slightly ajar door. It was indeed Xzavier, talking with someone on the phone.

“Make sure that you get the right person. I don’t want other people to get involved in this unnecessarily…Okay, call me again when you confirmed about all these.” The rage in his voice was very evident while holding onto the balustrade firmly that his knuckles were already turning pale.

He was about to come back inside the room when he got surprised upon seeing me. Then, his face softened before coming up to me and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

“Good morning, Ina. How was your sleep?”

“Miraculously, I managed to sleep. Maybe, I was just too tired even though I was still shaken up of what happened.” He nodded his head and didn’t comment any further.

“Who were you talking to just now?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “One of my men.”

“About what happened in Zurich yesterday?”

“Yes.” I slowly nodded my head and no one spoke for a couple of seconds until I decided to break the silence.

“Aren’t you going to tell me about it?”

“Unfortunately, my men are still chasing after that person. Whoever it was, seems like they’re good in what they do that they managed hide until now. My men already have an intel who could’ve possibly done this but still in the process of verifying the information. For now, all we need to do is wait for the result.” He then cupped my face and our gazes locked.

“Are you sure, you’re feeling better now?”

I bit my lower lip. “Honestly, I’m still shaken but I think I’m feeling better compared yesterday.”

“I’ll do everything to protect you. I promise you that.” I noticed that his jaw clench tightly. Multitude of emotions passed through his eyes and yet, rage was the very apparent.

“I know, you will. Thank you for thinking about my safety but make sure to be careful too, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise.” He then enveloped me into a tight embrace before kissing my forehead as his hand gently touched the band aid on my arm which was concealing the biggest scrape I got from yesterday. Thankfully, nothing bad happened. I suffered some scrapes in my arms but that was just it.

“I will never forgive them for what they’ve done.” My eyes searched for his and caught the ire in his eyes. I took his hands and brought it to my cheeks.

“I’m fine, Xzav. You saved me. Thank you because you kept your promise to always protect me. If you weren’t there, who knows what would’ve happened to me.” His face softened before leaning his forehead against mine.

“I got so scared. Thankfully, I managed to save you before they could…I thought…” He stopped in midsentence as his voice cracked.

“Nothing bad had happened because you were attentive and brave enough to save me. You’re my hero.” I kissed him tenderly before wrapping my arms around his waist, burrowing my face in his chest.

“I will gladly give my life for you, my Ina. You’re my life.” His strong arms tightened around me even more as if he was afraid that I might disappeared on him.

“Don’t say that because life without you is not life at all. You’re the air that I breath and the strength I need to keep living so please don’t say that. I need you with me.” I tilted my head to look him in the eyes and cupped his face. “Say that you’ll keep your other promise; that we’ll spend the rest of our lives together.” Just thinking that he would die because of me was already tearing my heart in thousand pieces.

“I will do everything to make that happen because I love you too much to just leave you alone. That will surely break my heart and I would never forgive myself knowing that you’re crying and sad because of me.” Just like that, my heart filled with so much joy.

“I love you too, so much that my heart feels so full.” His eyes sparkled in happiness and smiled. Finally, I saw that genuine smile of his. Since yesterday, he’d been so quiet and angry even though he was trying his best to camouflage it by smiling whenever I stare at him.

I could still picture the panic on Xzavier’s face as he frantically checked if I was alright after that car attempted to run us over. That was my first time seeing him like that. He got terrified not because of that person who attempted to hurt us but because of me.

He thought, I was gravely hurt upon spotting some blood in the minor scrapes on my arms. Even though I told him that I was fine, he still brought me to the nearby hospital.

He planted another kiss on my forehead before whispering how much he loved me one more time which made me smile. We stayed like that for how many minutes before I remembered about something.

“Oh, shoot! I need to hurry. I am super late already. Why didn’t you wake me up anyway? I think, I accidentally turned off my phone last night that’s why my alarm didn’t go off.” I pulled away from our embrace and was about to go back inside the room when he answered.

“I was the one who turned if off.”

I scowled at him. “And why did you do that? Because of what you’ve done, I’m late.”

“I did it on purpose so that you could rest. It’s okay. I already called your boss. You can go back to work tomorrow. For now, I think you should stay home.”

“Xzav, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. This is too much. I’m just a newcomer in CXM and yet, I’m already getting special treatment. What would they think of me in the office?”

“Well, your lover is the CEO of CXM so it can’t be helped.” His tone became playful and I gave him a sharp glare.

“I thought we agreed for you to not give me any special treatment?” His face became earnest.

“I’m not giving you special treatment. I am doing this because I am your boyfriend. I am worried about you. Even though you’re trying your best to appear okay in front of me, I know that you’re still shaken about what happened yesterday. I don’t care about what everyone thinks in the office right now. The important thing for me right now is your welfare.”

“But—”

“—Ina, please. Don’t argue with me. Can you listen to me just this once?” Our gazes locked and I saw that strange emotion that passed through his eyes. It was just brief but I swore, I saw it. I pressed my lips together.

“Are we still in danger, Xzav? I know that the person in that car hasn’t been caught yet but we’re already back here in France. I’m sure, they wouldn’t come all the way here just to finish what they’ve started.” His body obviously went still.

“Xzav, I’m asking you.” I queried sternly when he didn’t respond. He sighed in defeat.

“I’m not sure yet, but I hope I’m wrong. For now, please, just listen to me and stay home. I’ll be staying home today as well and do my work here.” I released a breath. I didn’t have the heart to argue with him knowing that he was just trying his best to protect me by not informing everything that was happening.

“Okay. I’ll stay home today but I’ll be going back to work tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Ina.” After that talk, I took my shower and stayed in bed for the rest of the morning. Even after showering, I still felt so sleepy so I napped for about two more hours before Xzavier woke me up for lunch.

“I heard from Fey that you didn’t come down to eat breakfast after your shower.” Xzavier said while staring at me intently. We were in the garden, eating lunch. He’d been working in his study all morning.

“I was so sleepy. Maybe because we slept late last night.” We arrived home at past 1 am already and I couldn’t sleep right away because Xzavier went to his study and stayed there for some reason. Until I finally fell asleep, he still didn’t come to bed.

“You know that it’s not good for the body if you miss a meal. You could’ve at least eaten something.” I chuckled.

“You sound like mom.”

“I’m being serious here, Ina.”

I sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry, okay? I was just too sleepy that I forgot about breakfast.” He reached for my hand.

“I’m just worried about you. I want you to be healthy and not to get sick. I’m sure, your parents will kill me if you get sick. Your father almost skinned me alive when we decided to move in together.”

I arched a brow. “Oh, so you’re just worried about my health because you’re scared of my father?” He swallowed the food in his mouth before answering.

“That’s not what I meant. I love you and I don’t want you to get sick, that’s all.” I suppressed a smile.

“Really?”

“C’mon, my Ina. Don’t look at me like that. You know that I mean well.” He kissed the back of my hand thrice while gazing at me with puppy dog eyes. I rolled my eyes and his response was those three magic words which were music to my ears.

My heart swelled as my lips curved with a contented smile. He was such a sweet guy. After that, he decided to feed me as if I was a kid. Of course, I protested but he insisted, saying that he wanted to spoil me and take care of me the best way he could.

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We just finished eating when my phone beeped. I checked who messaged me and it was Akira.

‘Good afternoon, Sabina. How are you? I heard that you’re sick. I hope you’re feeling better now. I wanted to call but I didn’t want to disturb your rest. Get well soon.’

I typed a reply with a smile on my face.

‘Thank you, Akira. I’m doing fine, don’t worry about me. See you tomorrow.’ I then pressed send.

“Who’s that? Why are you smiling?” I looked at Xzavier and his eyebrows were already knitted together.

“It’s Akira. You don’t have to be jealous.”

“Ah, so it’s Akira.” He even nodded his head.

“What if it was a guy? Would you be okay with it?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“It depends.”

“You won’t get jealous?”

“Why would I get jealous? I’m sure, I’m not the jealous type.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, right. Let’s see about that tomorrow.”

He stood up. “Hmmm. Looks like my Ina is planning something naughty, huh?” His voice was low and with a hint of playfulness. I knew that look.

“I was just messing with you.”

“And now, I’m going to punish you.” I hurriedly stood up and was about to run away from him but he caught me by the waist and tickled me. I shrieked as my laughs echoed loudly.

“Xzav, stop! I can’t take it anymore!” I uncontrollably laughed as he targeted my sides which were my most ticklish part.

“Okay, okay. I give up. I’m sorry for messing with you. Stop!” Finally, he stopped and sat back on his chair.

“That’s what your punishment for being naughty.” He then said triumphantly. I sneered at him and he laughed before gently pulling me by the hand and made me sit on his lap.

“Now, kiss me.”

“Demanding, huh?”

He smirked. “Kiss me or…”

“Fine. Just don’t tickle me again.” I gently gave him a peck before pulling away immediately. His eyebrows arched.

“That’s it?”

“What? That was a kiss, right?”

“C’mon, my Ina. You know what kind of kiss I want.” His eyes darkened in desire.

“You’re so demanding.” He chuckled. I then angled my head to kiss him again and the moment our lips touched, he cupped the back of my neck and deepened the kiss right away. I groaned as the intensity of that kiss increase like a wild fire.

Just like that. I got enchanted and kissed him back with equal fervor. Our hands were already roaming around each other’s body, didn’t care where we were.

“I really can’t get enough of kissing you.” He breathed hoarsely when we stopped to breath for air. His forefinger traced the outline of my lips as he gazed at me full of longing and need.

“Because of that person, I couldn’t make love with you last night. I will never forgive him for ruining our evening. Now, I’m burning for you. I want to take you right here, right now.” I got confused of whom he was referring to until I finally comprehended it.

“We’re here in the garden, Mr. The household helpers might see us.” I reminded him while chuckling and he huffed. After what happened yesterday, being with him like this felt so much better and sweeter.

I just hoped that there wouldn’t be any more danger that be coming our way because there was nothing I wanted but to spend my days with Xzavier full of happiness and love.

“But maybe, we could…tonight.” I winked up him. His face brightened.

“Really? You mean it?

I laughed while shaking my head. “You never changed. If you overdo it, I’m sure, you will eventually get tired of me.” He turned serious right away.

“Never, my Ina. You should know by now that you’re my addiction and I will never ever get tired of making love with you. I can’t believe you’re actually saying that.” I touched his cheek with the back of my hand as my eyes bored into his.

“I know. I was just messing with you.” When I kissed the tip of his nose, he finally smiled. Then, our eye-contact broke when my phone beeped again. I curiously checked who the message from this time. Mark. Just like Akira, he was worried and asking if I was okay.

“Another officemate of yours?”

“Nope. It’s from Mark, the front desk representative. I’m sure, you know him.”

“That fùcker.” He muttered irritably and I glared at him.

“Mark is a nice guy. You shouldn’t curse him like that.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I thought, you weren’t the jealous type?”

“I’m not.” He averted his gaze. I cocked my head to the side.

“Good.” I then pretended to pressed the call button and pressed the phone against my ear.

“What are you doing?” He asked with a scowl.

“Calling Mark. I’m too lazy to reply through text.” I suppressed the urge to laugh when the creased on his forehead deepened. Then, without warning, he stood up, carrying me bridal style in his arms. I squealed in surprise.

“Where are you taking me, you jealous ogre?” His eyebrows shot up.

“And now, I’m an ogre, huh?”

I shrugged my shoulders but didn’t answer, still holding my laugh.

“Well, get ready because this ogre will keep you occupied the entire afternoon so that you wouldn’t have the time to entertain some dog out there, wagging its tail to get your attention.”

I chuckled. “Hey. I thought, I was supposed to be resting?”

“Hmmm. Yes. But after your punishment. Get ready because I’m going to make you scream until you can’t take it anymore.” I swallowed in anticipation and when we reached our room, he kept his word which I enjoyed thoroughly.

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The ending is getting nearer so stay tuned ’til the end, Amores. :)

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chapter 43

“When I look at you, I can feel it. I look at you and I’m home.” 

• Finding Nemo

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SABINA’s POV

The next day, I went back to work and Xzavier did the same. Even though I wanted to use the other car that I’ve been using since we moved in together, he insisted for us to use one car because he wanted to be with me as much as he could which honestly made me giddy.

“Xzav, we already talked about this. It’s better for us to hide our relationship for now. After a couple of months, we’ll eventually tell everyone but for now, we should wait until I settle down. I mean, I’m just a newbie in CXM.”

He huffed. “That’s ridiculous. Why do we need to do that? I don’t give a damn about what other people say. You’re mine and I want everyone to know that.”

“Xzav, I feel the same but I don’t want everyone to say that I managed to get the job because of you.”

“We know that that’s not true. You got the job because you deserved it.”

“Yes, but—”

“—Are you ashamed of me?” My jaw slacked open upon hearing his question.

“Where the heck did you get that idea?”

“Because you seem like you’re not proud that we’re together.” I reached for his muscled arm and patiently answer his question.

“Of course not. You know how much I love you.”

“Then, why do you sound like you’re not? Don’t tell me, you mind if people judged us unfairly because they don’t know our story?” I chewed on my lower lip and then sighed.

“Okay. I’ll be honest with you. It’s true that I don’t want to be judged by the other employees but at the same time, I don’t want to strain your reputation also.”

His eyebrows scrunched and then stopped the car on the shoulder of the road before facing me unsmilingly. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. You’re rich. You own a lot of business including CXM which is one of the biggest companies in the world while me on the other hand has nothing. I’m just a normal person without anything that I could be proud of. I’m—”

“—That’s enough. Don’t ever say that again.” His tone was stern and slightly angry. He placed a finger under my chin and made me look at him.

“Don’t ever say that about yourself again. I don’t want to hear you underestimating yourself like that ever again. Yes, you’re not rich but so what? I’ve never cared about that anyway. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on and in a sea of women, I will still find and choose you over and over again no matter how many times I need to decide. You’re the only woman for me and no matter where I am, I want you to be there, standing by my side.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I kissed his cheek and looked into his eyes with puppy dog eyes, feeling guilty.

“You should be.” He even folded his arms across his chest which made me chuckle. “I’m more than proud that your mine and yet, you seem to be the opposite when it comes to me.”

“You know that it’s not like that.” I sighed in defeat. “Okay, I agree but let’s wait for at least a month. And that’s final.”

“But—”

“—One month or never?”

“C’mon, Ina. You’re not being fair. I hate that I can’t be with you whenever I want to in CXM just because you want to avoid any gossip.”

“Xzav, we go to CXM because we need to work. We should concentrate on our daily tasks in the company. You’re the CEO. You should know better.” I reprimanded him and he looked frustrated.

“Ina, we have break times and—”

“—My decision is final, Mr. Montaño. C’mon, let’s just go. We’re already running late.” Even though he looked displeased, he couldn’t do anything but to oblige.

When we arrived at CXM, we parked in the underground VIP parking. He held my hand while we were walking towards the elevator and since no one was there, I let him do what he pleases.

We stepped into the elevator and when the doors closed, he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

“I thought, we agreed to wait for a month?” I reminded him with an arched eyebrow.

“As far as I remember, we’re lovers. We’re alone here so this is not counted.” I shook my head. He really has answers to everything.

“You look great in your corporate uniform by the way.” He complimented and then pressed which floor we were going.

“I thought, you would never notice.” It was my first time wearing my uniform. A maroon pantsuit that I paired with the same color of stilettos.

“Of course, I noticed. You’re so sexy wearing it. It actually shows your perfect curves.” My eyes widened when his hand caressed its way to my derrière and shamelessly squeezed it.

“Xzav—” I was about to reprimand him when his lips sealed mine fervently. I groaned in protest but he quickly deepened the kiss and just like that, my senses went reeling. My legs turned into jelly that I had to hold onto him so that I wouldn’t fall on my knees.

My lips moved automatically, mimicking his movements. Our hands were already busy doing their own exploration and the temperature in the elevator increased considerably. The kiss was so hot and overwhelming and it almost made me forget where we were until the door suddenly opened and we abruptly pulled away from each other.

I combed my trembling fingers through my hair as several people entered the elevator. I looked at Xzavier from the corner of my eyes and he was smirking merrily.

“Good morning, sir.” Everyone greeted him and he greeted them back. When the elevator doors closed, everyone was quiet when a gasp escaped my lips as I felt his naughty hand gently kneading my butt. Everyone looked at me with a scowl and I smiled artificially.

“I’m fine. No worries.” I pinched Xzavier’s back as revenge for what he’d done and he cleared his throat, acting like he wasn’t feeling anything.

When everyone’s eyes were no longer fixed on me, I glared at Xzavier who looked so happy of what he had accomplished.

When I reached my floor, I discreetly gave him a sneer before stepping out of the elevator. He looked like he wanted to say something before I went out but because of my sharp glare, he stopped. I shook my head in disbelief. He’s such a horny man!

Upon arriving in the office, Sandra and Vivian greeted me.

“What happened to you? We thought, you already quit or something.” It was Vivian.

I laughed. “Of course not. I needed to take a day off because I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Hmm. Be careful, girl. There were employees here before who got sacked because they didn’t come to work for several days for reasons like that.”

“Bianca is right, Sabina. You’re just a newbie here so avoid doing this again.” Vivian added and nodded my head.

“I’ll remember that. Thank you.” They joined me as I walked towards my own table.

“Anyway, someone is waiting for you. She’s been here for 10 minutes already.” My eyebrows furrowed. I wasn’t expecting someone.

“Who is it?” That was when I saw Akira talking to one of my co-workers in the accounting department.

“Akira?” Upon hearing me, she came up to me with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re already okay, Sabina. You had me worried, you know.” I chuckled.

“I’m feeling better now, Akira. Anyway, why are you here?”

“I’m here because I wanted to see you. I was worried, you know. I thought, you already quit or something.” I smiled and held her hand.

“There’s nothing to be worried about and I’m not going to quit. I just started this job and quitting never occurred to me. Now, go to your floor before you get late.” She smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that. See you later then.” She then exited the office.

“Is she lesbian or something?” Bianca remarked and I scowled at her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, she looks like she’s into you.” I couldn’t hold back my laugh.

“Akira is not a lesbian for sure. She’s just worried about me. We’re getting along well and I can say that she’s a good person.”

“Well, if she’s not a lesbian, then she must be very friendly then. I mean, you two just met recently and she acts like this already.” Vivian commented.

“Oh, c’mon, you guys. Don’t give any meaning to her actions. I’m sure, she means well.” They shrugged their shoulders and shortly after that, we were busy with our own works.

It was almost lunch break when I received a text from Xzavier.

‘Let’s eat lunch together. -Your Xzav’

I looked at the mountain of work on my desk and sighed before replying.

‘Sorry, Xzav, but looks like I’m not going to eat lunch. I’ll just have some snack here in the office. I have to finish a lot of piled up work today. -Your Ina’

He didn’t reply so I continued my work.

“Hey, Sabina. What are you still doing? It’s already lunch break.” Vivian said. They were ready to go to the cafeteria.

“Sorry but I can’t join you guys for lunch today. I’ll just eat here because I need to finish all these.” I answered, referring to my loads of work.

“Okay, then. See you later.” It was Bianca. After they exited the office, I was left alone. I sighed and continued what I was doing. Thankfully, I made sandwich. I’ll just eat it later, I thought.

I was so engrossed on what I was doing when I heard the opened door being closed.

I looked at it with scrunched eyebrows just to gape in surprise upon seeing Xzavier, holding some takeaway.

“What are you doing here?” He smirked boyishly while sauntering towards me.

“Well, you didn’t want to join me for lunch so I decided to join you here instead. C’mon, I brought our lunch.” He then brought out everything from the takeaway bags and placed it on top of my desk.

I suddenly felt my hunger kick in when I saw that he actually ordered Indian foods and they looked mouth-watering.

“You didn’t have to do this. I know that you always prefer to go to the restaurant to eat your lunch.”

“Yes, but it’s different now because you’re here with me.”

“Aw. My Xzav is such a sweet-tongued guy.”

His lips curved with a seductive smile. “Only to you, my Ina.” I fought the urge to smile.

“Thank you but I think, I’m not hungry yet. You—” Whatever I wanted to say was cut off when my stomach grumbled. He laughed heartily.

“You’re such a bad liar, you know that?” He gently poked the tip of my nose with the tip of his forefinger. “Just thank your boyfriend, will you?” He then winked at me. I blushed. My body was a traitor.

I looked at the door worriedly.

“What if everyone comes back? We need to finish eating before they see you here.”

“So what if they saw me here?”

“Xzav! We already talked about this!” I couldn’t help but to get irritated. He sighed, surrendering.

“Don’t worry, okay? I locked the door. C’mon, eat up. I’m so hungry already.” He said that but he didn’t eat anything until I began eating first.

“So, how’s your day? Looks like you’ve been so busy.” He asked while we were in the middle of eating.

“Well, I was absent yesterday so it’s just understandable that my work has been piled up.”

“You can bring it home if you can’t finish it today.” He suggested.

“And Mr. Liang will get mad at me.” I responded, referring to my superior.

“And I’ll get mad at Mr. Liang if he scolds you.”

“Which is not going to happen because we agreed to wait for at least a month before showing that we’re together.” His lips pressed together, clearly unhappy about it. I heaved a sigh, feeling guilty.

“Xzav, please. Don’t get mad at me. This is only temporary, okay?” He gazed at me and when he noticed my sad expression, his face softened.

“Fine. I didn’t say anything.”

My face brightened and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you. You’re the best.” He finally smiled and gave me a peck on the lips.

“You should be thankful that I love you so much. You’re the only woman I allow to change my decision like this.” I beamed at him sweetly.

“I love you.”

“And I love you.” We shared another passionate kiss before we continued eating. Days went by so quickly and my situation at CXM became better with each passing day. My friendship with Akira quickly blossomed beautifully.

I didn’t expect to have a friend like her that I could connect to. After Sammy’s tragic passing, I’ve never had any girl friends until now and it actually made me remember about my times with Sammy. The feeling was almost similar in a way.

“Hey. Good morning, my Ina. Are you going somewhere?” Xzavier asked one morning when he woke up and found me in front of the vanity mirror, doing my make up. He kissed my exposed nape and then my cheek. I couldn’t help but to ogle at him seeing his reflection in the mirror, still topless with a messy hair.

“I told you last night that Akira and I had plans today.”

“No, you didn’t.” I rolled my eyes, quickly finished applying the last touch of my make up before facing him.

“I told you while we were making love.” He groaned, smoothing his messy hair with his hand.

“I forgot because all I could think about was worshiping you. In fact, I didn’t understand a word of what you said. It’s Saturday today and I was hoping that we could go somewhere together.” I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

“Sorry, Xzav. I already gave my word to Akira. Don’t worry, tomorrow after mass, I’ll be yours.” I looked at my wristwatch. “Oops, I’m already late. I need to go. See you tonight.”

“Tonight? And you’re planning on making me wait until tonight?” He asked in disbelief. I smiled, cupped his face and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. I love you.” I snatched my bag from the top of the bed and exited our room. I couldn’t help but to chuckle. Looked like Xzavier didn’t like Akira that much. Well because of the fact that he needed to share my attention with her. That was according to him.

I shook my head full of amusement.

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chapter 44

Hi, Amores! This update was supposed to be uploaded tomorrow but I decided to upload it now because I will be going to Italy tomorrow. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!

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SABINA’s POV

The next Monday after that, I was surprised when I learned that Akira was absent because she was sick. She looked okay last Saturday when we were together and I didn’t notice any indication that she wasn’t feeling well.

I tried contacting her number but it was unattended. I sent her a message, asking is she was okay, before beginning my work for the day.

“Hey, Sabina. You’re friends with Ms. Smith, right?” One of the colleagues of Akira approached me when I just stepped out of the elevator, heading toward the exit. It was already past 4 pm. I finished my worked earlier than expected so I had the privilege to go home a little bit earlier than usual.

“Yes. Why?”

“Hmm, she actually forgot her phone on her desk. Can you please give it to her? She mentioned something about resigning and not coming back to CXM any longer. Her phone has been ringing nonstop the whole day and I’m worried that it might be important. I tried to answer it but the line went dead.” I confusedly gazed at the device. As far as I could recall, Akira had her phone with her last Saturday and the shocking part was, she was planning on resigning.

“What? I thought she was sick that’s why she’s absent?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure about it either. She called me this morning and that was what she told me. I was about to drop by her place to give her her phone but an unforeseen emergency happened at home.”

I reluctantly took the device but deep inside, I was already worried. I felt like something bad had happened. During my time with her last Saturday, we had a serious talk about life and other stuff and for a short while, she showed me another side of her; vulnerable and weak as if she was lost.

“Thank you for doing this. You’re a lifesaver. I need to go.” I smiled as I watched her exiting the building in a hurry. I released a breath.

“You’re early today.” I heard a voice and when I looked who it was, the smiling face of Mark met my eyes. I smiled back.

“Yeah, but looks like I have to drop by Akira’s place because of this.” I showed him the device in my hand. His eyebrows creased.

“Akira’s phone?”

“Yes. Apparently, she forgot on her table. She’s absent today because she’s sick. There’s a lot of missed calls already. These calls might be important.”

“How nice of you. I knew you’re a kind person when I first laid my eyes on you.” I chuckled.

“You’re pulling my leg. Anyway, I need to go. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Sabina. Take care.” While I was outside, I called Xzavier to inform about me dropping by Akira’s place. He said that he would be having a meeting so we wouldn’t be able to go home together.

“Hi, my Ina. Are you done for today?”

“Yes. What about you? What time are you going to finish?”

“In an hour, I think. You can wait for me if you want to.”

“It’s okay. I need to drop by somewhere anyway.”

“Where? I already instructed Dan to take you home for today. He’s already in front of the building, waiting for you.” Upon saying that, a black car suddenly pulled up in front of me and then the driver came out to open the door for me. It was indeed Dan.

“Yes. He’s already here. Anyway, I’ll be dripping by Akira’s place before heading home. I have to give her her phone. It’s not far from your place anyway.”

“Why do you have her phone?”

“I’ll explain everything later. Anyway, see you at home. Take care, okay?”

“Okay, my Ina. See you later. Anyway, your bodyguards will be tailing you for protection.” I huffed.

“Dan is already with me. I think, that’s enough.”

“Ina, please. Don’t argue with me because I won’t let you go there without your bodyguards with you.”

“Okay. Whatever you say.”

“Thank you for understanding. I love you.”

“I love you too.” After I ended the call, I got into the car and we drove to Akira’s place. I saw my bodyguards’ car tailing us from a safe distance. Upon arriving there, I rang the doorbell of that two-story house.

“Sabina? Is that you?” I almost jumped when I heard Akira’s voice from the intercom. She sounded surprised and worried for some reason.

“Ahm, yeah. Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I have your phone, by the way. I just wanted to give it you. Your colleague gave it to me. Apparently, you forgot it on your table.” She went silent for a moment before she responded.

“Come on in.” Then, the gates opened. The front yard was plain without any flowering plants. It was as if the person living there wasn’t interested on adorning the place any kind of beauty.

Even the ornamental grass seemed to be dying because of lack of care. There were dry leaves scattered everywhere too.

When I reached the front door, Akira opened it and I was shocked of what I saw.

“What happened to you?!” She looked down, avoiding my gaze. There were bruises all over her body but what made me horrified the most was the obvious bruise around her neck as if someone strangled her or something with their bare hands.

She looked nothing like the Akira I know. Her long hair was messy, lips were chapped and bloodshot eyes. I could tell that she hadn’t sleep that much.

She cleared her throat. “Thank you for bringing my phone all the way here, Sabina.” Her voice was faint and broken and I could tell that she could barely stand up as she held tightly onto the door handle as if it were her lifeline.

“Forget about the phone. Who did this to you? My God, Akira! Look at you! You’re full of bruises!” She lifted her eyes and our gazes met. The raw sadness in her bloodshot eyes almost gave me cold chills down my spine. My eyes watered.

“I think it’s best for you to go home, Sabina. You can’t be seen here.” She winced as if she felt pain somewhere her body.

“Be seen by whom?” She stayed quiet for a couple of seconds as if she was weighing what to utter in front of me. Then, her eyes watered.

“Sabina, I-I’m sorry.” Her apology made me confused.

“Sorry for what?”

She took a deep breath and then exhaled. “For everything. I think, this will be our last time seeing each other. I’ll be leaving this place first thing in the morning tomorrow and won’t be coming back here ever again.” A pained and sad smiled curved her roughened lips. “Even though we’ve only known each other for a couple of months, I honestly enjoyed being with you. You don’t deserve to get hurt because you’re a good person.”

“What are you talking about? Anyway, we can talk about this some other time. I think, it’s better if I’d take you to the hospital first. You can barely stand on your own.” Tears welled my eyes seeing her like that. Whoever did this to her was a monster.

She was wearing a white over size t-shirt and printed cotton shorts that was why, the bruises on her arms and legs were visible.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me, Sabina. I deserve this anyway.” I gaped at her, confused.

“What are you talking about? No one deserves this kind of treatment! Whoever did this to you should be held accountable! Did you already report this to the police?” She shook her head in response.

“Then, call them now. Do you want me to do it for you?”

“I don’t have any plans on reporting about this to the police.”

“But—”

“—Go home, Sabina. You shouldn’t be here.” Her tremulous voice held unspeakable loneliness and pain and my heart tightened even more.

“What’s happening with you, Akira? I’m your friend. You can tell me so that I know what to do in order to help you.”

“I said, go home! Now!” I was surprised when her voice came out loud and harsh as her eyes turned into slits. But surprisingly, I didn’t get scared nor get intimidated because there was no indication of a tiny bit of anger in her eyes. In fact, they were telling me a different story.

My face hardened and was about to answer when I felt a dreading presence behind me.

“Good job, Akira. You really brought her to me.” I felt like my whole body turn arctic frozen upon hearing that atrocious voice. I slowly turned around and when I saw his face, the first thing that came to my mind was to run away but he was quick to catch me by the arm, gripping me tightly, uncaring if he was hurting me.

“Let me go!” I tried to pull back my arm roughly from his tight grip but to no avail. I was beyond stunned seeing him again after all this time.

I thought, I was just imagining things when I caught a glimpse of him standing outside Sophialina but it appeared that he was indeed here, probably long enough to watch everything that I’ve been doing these past few months.

“Shut up!” He snapped at me and shoved me towards Akira. The latter caught me and helped me regain my balance. Thankfully, she didn’t fall down considering that she could barely stand on her own.

“What is the meaning of this? Why are you here?” I asked with a quivery voice and he sniggered.

“Isn’t it obvious? Why don’t you ask Akira?” He responded and then laughed like the devil itself. I shifted my gaze to Akira and she was beggingly asking for my forgiveness with her eyes.

Fear was written all over her face and her body was slightly shaking. She couldn’t even move nor speak. But the anger that surged within me dominated my senses.

I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this. You’re working for him…” It wasn’t a question. My chest clenched; throat constricted as the pain of her betrayal dawned on me.

“Why?” Was all I could utter full of resentment. During one of our serious conversations, I told Akira about my past and so did she. But now, it seemed like everything that came out of her mouth was nothing but lies. I was the only one who was honest and true to our friendship.

She’d been pretending to get what she wanted. Everything crashing down on me. Looked like they were the ones responsible for those ‘incidents’ that happened to Xzavier and I lately. They wanted to harm us.

“Forgive me, Sabina. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I thought…”

“That’s enough drama, Akira. You were the one who voluntarily came here to do the job so don’t act so innocent now. You knew what would happen the moment you arrive here in Lyon so cut the crap and fix yourself. You know that I hate seeing any weakness in you.

“Your whole being is already sickening enough so the least thing you could do is to fix yourself and be presentable enough. I want everything to be perfect when I present the two of you to dad.” He looked at me. “Sabina as my wife.” Before shifting his gaze to Akira. “And you as my daughter.” I felt like someone hit me in the gut upon hearing what he said.

“You’re his daughter?”

Father Nicolas scoffed. “Unfortunately, yes. I accidentally knocked up her whore of a mother when I was just 18 years old. I told that wench to get rid of it and yet, she went into hiding and gave birth to Akira. When dad learned about her existence, he was only too glad and eager to accept her as his granddaughter.

“Now that I’ve finally found you, Sabina, dad will be surely pleased because our family is finally complete. You’re the only one we’ve been waiting for, my wife.” I instantly felt sick upon hearing him pronounce that word for the second time.

“I’m not your wife.” I said through gritted teeth. I couldn’t believe that after everything, the ghost of my past would come after me like this.

He laughed sardonically. “We both know that we’re married, Sabina. Yes, they succeeded on taking you away from me but that didn’t change the fact that you’re married to me. I’ve waited long enough. Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your duty as my wife.” Before I could say anything, he began dragging me somewhere.

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Did you expect this turn of events?

Did you expect Akira to be a villain in this story let alone daughter of Father Nicolas?

What do you think of Father Nicolas’ come back?

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chapter 45

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SABINA’s POV

I tried wiggling out of his tight grasp but to no avail as he was physically stronger than me.

“Don’t touch me! Let me go!” Even though it was almost futile, I did my best to fight for my freedom. Just seeing his face was enough for my stomach to lurch. Feeling his mucky hands on me was worst.

“Stop struggling, Sabina, before I lose my patience with you!” His menacing voice held warning as he continued on dragging me toward the gate.

“Let go of her! You don’t have the right to force someone to be with you against their will even if she’s your wife!” Father Nicolas’ steps came to a halt and looked back at Akira who was still standing at the doorway while staring back at Father Nicolas bravely.

“What did you just say?” Akira tottered toward us, almost limping in pain, but with determined look on her face.

“You heard what I’ve said. Sabina obviously doesn’t want to have anything to do with you so man up and let her go.” Father Nicolas’ eyes flashed in anger and I thought, he would attack Akira but a condescending laugh erupted from his mouth.

“Look who’s talking. Didn’t you do the same thing? I didn’t want to have anything to do with you and yet, you were the one who came to me, saying that you would do everything that I wanted for me to accept you. This only shows that we got cut from the same cloth, Akira.

“Even after dad welcomed you with opened arms, that didn’t stop you from craving for my attention. Isn’t it ironic that you’re saying that now? Do you want me to remind you where you stand in all this? Aren’t those bruises enough or do you want another reminder?”

“You were the one who did this to her.” I uttered while looking at him full of disgust.

He smirked. “Yes, because I needed to teach her a lesson. But you know what? You were the reason why this happened to her in the first place.”

“What do you mean?” I questioned with a stoic face. My wrist was turning red because of his tight grip.

“Well, she was drawn by your kindness and had almost forgotten about her mission. Even after all the training she’s been through, that wasn’t enough to change her personality completely. Her promises to do her mission efficiently were nothing but pie in the sky. She’s nothing but a big disappointment, from birth until now.” His voice held abhorrence and hostility and I caught the pain that passed through Akira’s eyes.

Even though those were nothing but words, the effect on Akira was grave. It seemed that Father Nicolas knew how to target Akira’s weakness, enough to crash her even without putting a hand on her.

“Enough with the talking. Fix yourself, Akira. If you still want your reward then come with us. I knew you were planning something when you weren’t answering my calls and texts. I just didn’t expect that you would actually lure her here for me. For that, I will forget the fact that you were plotting something behind my back.” He then continued on dragging me until we reached outside the gate.

I saw my car and tried to call Dan’s attention. There weren’t any neighbors nearby and the only help I could expect was his and my bodyguards but no one came to m rescue.

“Dan, help!” But strangely, he wasn’t moving in the driver’s seat. When we walked past the car, my eyes widened when I saw the blood on his shirt. It appears that Dan was unconscious or worst, already dead. I screamed in horror.

I spotted my bodyguards’ car nearby but it seemed that they got them too.

“What have you done to Dan and my bodyguards?!” Father Nicolas laughed.

“Your boyfriend is stupid, hiring incompetent driver/bodyguards for you. My men didn’t even break a sweat taking them down. There were always bodyguards around you that’s why we had a hard time getting you. Thankfully, Akira accomplished the job for us this time.” That was when I noticed the van behind my car. Father Nicolas held up his hand as if signaling someone from the inside of the car to come out.

The passenger door and driver’s door opened and two men wearing black suits came out. One of them slid open the sliding door while the driver strode his way towards us.

“Are we going to leave now, Father Nicolas?”

“Why are you asking the obvious, idiot?” The guy looked past us, to the gate.

“Because Ms. Akira isn’t here yet.”

“Damn it! Go and get her!” The guy obliged and entered the premises. Later on, he was already with Akira who was quiet and couldn’t meet my eyes. When they forced me to get inside the van, I did my best to fight them and scream for help but my efforts were in fruitless.

While we were on our way to only God knows where, I couldn’t help but to cry hopelessly as I thought about Xzavier.

Ever since the incident in Switzerland, he’d been extra careful especially when it comes to my welfare. Whenever I went out, he never let me go out without bodyguards discreetly following me behind. I thought, he was being too paranoid and told him that I even told him that I didn’t need any bodyguard earlier. But even after his efforts to protect me, they still got me.

“It’s hopeless now, Sabina. You should reserve your strength and energy and think of any way to escape. This is entirely my fault but don’t worry, I’ll do everything to help you out of this. Everything will be alright.” I was surprised when I heard Akira’s voice. We were the only ones sitting in the back passenger seat of the van while Father Nicolas was in the middle passenger seat.

“I can’t believe you’re this monster’s daughter.” I couldn’t hide the bitterness and resentment in my voice.

“Not by choice, Sabina.”

“What are you two discussing about?” I almost jump out of my seat upon hearing Father Nicolas’ sharp voice.

“Nothing. Can we stop by the filling station? I really need to use the toilet.” Father Nicolas turned his head to our direction, his face held suspicion.

“Don’t worry. You can accompany me inside if you want to. I really need to use the toilet.” Akira squeezed my hand, silently conveying a message.

“If you do something that I don’t like, Akira, you know what will happen to you so don’t you dare.” Father Nicolas threatened and Akira nodded her head.

I chose to remain quiet the whole time and after about 15 minutes, we finally stopped by the filling station.

“Carlo, accompany Akira to the toilet and don’t get your eyes off her even for a second, you hear me? Tell the others to be alert.”

“Others?” I parroted and he smirked.

“Yes. Do you think, I only have two men with me? I came here prepared so you should think twice before doing something crazy because I will not hesitate to harm anyone who would try to get on my way.” The vileness of his words crept within me and it sent cold chills down my spine. I knew that he wasn’t kidding one bit and I got worried of what Akira was planning.

As per Father Nicolas’ instruction, the guy named Carlo accompanied her to the toilet.

“This is actually a surprise, Sabina. I didn’t expect that you would be this quiet.” Father Nicolas said when we were the only ones left inside the vehicle. The other guy was filling up the car with fuel.

“You’re an evil. I can’t believe that a guy like you is one of the leaders of Safe Haven.” Instead of getting angry of my remark, he laughed.

“Say whatever you want to say, Sabina, because whether you like it or not, you belong to me now. I finally managed to take you back from that Montaño. Until now, I still can’t believe that that punk managed to trick me like that.”

I gritted my teeth. “I only belong to Xzavier so don’t you dare say that! Yes, you have the advantage right now but sooner or later, he will surely take you down.” His laughed became louder.

“Sorry, Sabina. I regret to mention that your dear boyfriend is already dead by now for sure. Did you really think that I would attack without prior plans? You really don’t know me. He had you for three years but that’s it. The coming years will be my turn.” Just imagining myself being with him repulsed me that it made me sick.

“You call me evil but what about him? Do you even know what lies behind that mask of his? You know nothing about him and I pity you for that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I certainly don’t need your pity. I know Xzavier enough to know that he’s a good person.” He clucked his tongue a couple of times while shaking his head.

“It seems like you’re still the naïve and innocent Sabina that I used to know. Montaño is far from being a saint, my dear wife.”

“Don’t talk about him as if you know him well! He’s nothing like you! And don’t ever address me as your wife because I never was and never will!” Instead of getting pissed, he chuckled. It seemed that he was enjoying every minute of our conversation.

“Poor you, Sabina. You failed to see the real him even though you’ve been living together. Don’t worry because I will enlighten you. Soon, you will finally open your eyes and see the real him.” I shook my head vigorously.

“I will never believe anything that comes from your dirty mouth!” His eyes turned into slits and was about to retaliate when Akira and Carlo finally came back.

“Are you sure she didn’t do anything there?” Father Nicolas asked Carlo with squinted eyes.

“Don’t worry, boss. I kept an eye on her. Well, I couldn’t get in the cubicle with her but I assure you that everything went well.”

“Good. Now, let’s go.” With every second that I spent with these people, I grew hopeless and scared knowing that I was going farther away from Xzavier and my family.

“You should relax, Sabina, so that your mind would be clear when we arrive. We have a lot of things to do so ready yourself.”

“Do those things by yourself because I will never do it.”

“Oh, yes, you will. I’ll make sure of that.” I could see the delight of triumph on his face and it only added to my rage.

“What do you really want from me? We haven’t seen each other for years so why try to destroy my life now? I’ve never done anything to you. In fact, we both know that you were the one who committed an unforgiveable crime towards me.”

“You were the one who made me do those things, Sabina. If you weren’t so stubborn, I wouldn’t’ve done those things.” I looked at him incredulously. The nerve of this vile man…

But even though I wanted nothing but to shout at him in anger, I bit my tongue.

“Where are you taking me?” My voice was cold.

He smirked. “Don’t worry. You’ll like it there. Let’s just say that I’m going to take you to where you belong.” My fists tightened, thinking that I should do something now before they succeeded on taking me away.

It was a life and death situation and I would gladly welcome death rather than to be this monster’s wife. Better to fight until the end…

I was about to begin my plan of a surprise attack when I felt Akira’s hand on my wrist, obviously stopping me. I looked at her and I was right. She was looking at me reprovingly, silently telling me not to do whatever I was planning in mind.

I gave her a challenging look but she shook her head as her hand tightened around my wrist. I winced and fiercely tried to pull back my hand but she didn’t let go, determined to stop me.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I noticed that we exited the freeway, heading towards the direction of the nearest pier in town. I could already see the ocean from afar and later on, the car indeed entered the pier where a ship was waiting at the dock.

“Why are we here?” Father Nicolas just laughed but didn’t answer. My eyes widened when I noticed that the van was entering inside the roro ship through a passage way. I panicked even more.

“No! I refuse to come with you! Let me go!” I desperately tried opening the door but it was locked.

“Open the door! Let me out of here! Let me out!”

“Quiet!” I jumped when Father Nicolas snapped in anger while glaring at me. “One more word from you and I’ll make sure to knock you out until we arrived at our destination. You don’t want me to resort into that, Sabina, so don’t test my patience!”

“You—”

“—That’s enough, Sabina. Listen to him.” Akira spoke while squeezing my hand and Father Nicolas scoffed.

“Yes, calm her down, Akira. Make yourself useful even for once.” When the car stopped and everything was into place, we finally got out of the car.

“Carlo, call Captain Simons and ask him if everything has already been settled. If so, tell him to set sail. We need to be there as soon as we can.” Carlo did as he was told. After about a minute, he disconnected and faced Father Nicolas.

“Everything’s settled, Father Nicolas. We’ll set sail any moment now.” While listening to that, I wanted to take off and find my way out of there but his men were around us and even if I tried, I wouldn’t be able to fight them off.

Akira was right. I needed to calm down while trying my best to think of any away to escape before everything was too late. But panic was eating my concentration away.

“Let’s go then. I need to talk to the others on the top deck.” As if we were on a parade, we headed to the top deck.

I didn’t have any choice but to just walk behind Father Nicolas alongside Akira while Father Nicolas’s men were behind us, making sure that we wouldn’t dare do something that they didn’t like. What made me terrified were the guns that each of those men were carrying, ready for any surprise attack.

I saw some armed men on our way to the top deck and it frightened me even more, slowly growing hopeless knowing that there were many of them.

“Father Nicolas. It’s good to see you.” I looked at the middle-aged man who came met us on the top deck. It wasn’t difficult to guess that he was the captain just by seeing his uniform.

“I feel the same, Captain Simons. I’m glad that you agreed to take us to our destination.” They shook hands.

“Of course. I can’t say no to your father after everything that he’d done for me.” The corner of Father Nicolas’ lips twitched as he smirked.

“That’s a true supporter and friend there. Anyway, I’d like you to meet my wife.” To my surprise he suddenly wrapped his arm around my waist and I instinctively pushed him away. His touch felt so dirty and it made me shiver in disgust.

“Don’t touch me!”

Captain Simons laughed. “It seems like this pussycat right here is giving you a hard time.” I could see Father Nicolas’ jaw clenching in anger while looking at me. But I lifted my chin defiantly, meeting his sharp gaze courageously.

“I’ll make sure that you will regret that.” He uttered in my ear with a low voice before he faced Captain Simons. “That’s what I like about her. I never get bored whenever I’m with her.”

Captain Simons laughed. “Well, that’s interesting, I suppose. Anyway, I need to talk to you about something else, if you have time.”

“Of course.” Father Nicolas summoned Carlo and whispered something in his ear before exiting the top deck with Captain Simons. I sighed in relief and held tightly on the taffrail.

“You should bite your tongue, Sabina. You don’t want to anger him.” I looked at Akira and saw the concern in her eyes.

“Why are telling me this now when you were the one who practically handed me to him?” My voice was full of resentment. “I treated you like a friend and yet, you turned to be a traitor and stabbed me in the back.”

Pain and guilt registered on her face. “I’m sorry, Sabina. I didn’t mean to harm you. I thought…I really thought differently about you because he planted false information about you in my mind. He used my weakness and used me to get what he’d been wanting for. That’s you.

“When you came to my place earlier, I was shocked, because I didn’t expect you to come. My phone was missing and I didn’t know where could it be. Now, everything became clear. He was the one who stole it. He planned all this to lure you to my place. I should’ve known.” She chuckled mirthlessly.

“When you saw me earlier, you asked me what happened to me, right? Well, this happened to me because he caught me trying to flee because I couldn’t take what I was doing anymore. Before getting to know you, I had the worst image of you not to mention that I was full of hope that after this mission, I could finally gain his affection as a father.

“He promised me that after this one ‘favor’, he would finally accept me as his daughter.” She laughed humorlessly once again while shaking my head. “What a gullible and naïve girl I was and when I realized that, it was already too late. The first thing that came to my mind was to abandon everything and just go home but he saw through me and taught me a lesson.

“With every hit, I came to realize that no matter what I do to prove myself to him, I would never be enough for him. I shouldn’t’ve been surprised about that because he never wanted me from the moment I was still in my mother’s womb.” My throat constricted as my heart reached out to her.

“It still hurt though, immensely.” She looked up, trying her hardest to stop her tears from falling. I remained quiet, waiting for her to gather herself together.

She cleared her throat after about a minute or so. “I tried sending you away when you came over but he already arrived. Forgive me, Sabina. You didn’t deserve any of this. Don’t worry because everything will be alright.” Her lips curved with a sad smile. Seeing her like that, I finally saw the real Akira without any pretentions at all.

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Do you think Sabina could escape? 

Is this the end for Sabina and Xzavier?

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chapter 46

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! I posted before that the next story would be Red’s but I decided to postpone it for the meantime. The plot is not yet solid and I need to revise it. So, after this story, I will start a new story which is more ready to be published here on Wattpad. Anyway, I hope you like this update. Just one chapter more before the Epilogue. Bon weekend, Amores!

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SABINA’s POV

I was about to respond when I felt like the ship has started moving. Then, I unintentionally looked outside and realized that the ship had indeed started sailing away from the dock.

“Oh, God, Akira! The ship is sailing away from the dock! What do we do now?!” Panic was already invading my whole senses and didn’t know what to do.

“I told you, Sabina. Everything’s going to be okay.” She seemed to be calm as she stared at the endless expanse of water ahead of us, leaning against the taffrail.

“How can you say that when they’re taking us away from this place against our will?!” I asked her incredulously and she shrugged her shoulders almost uncaringly; didn’t even bother to look at me. She looked brooding.

I huffed and was about to storm out of there to look for a way to escape this situation when Carlo, who was surveying us nearby, spoke.

“Father Nicolas instructed for you to stay here and you can’t wander off the ship without his permission.”

I gave him a cold stare. “Fùck his permission! I don’t need it to go wherever I please. He took me here against my will!” I snapped at him, couldn’t take it anymore that I didn’t even realize that I was already cursing.

“He’s your husband—”

“—He’s not my husband! Never! I don’t have any relationship with him or whatever so stop telling me that!”

“What’s going on here?” Everyone looked at the direction of Father Nicolas who just came back. My jaw flexed. Seeing the man I loathed the most was sending my blood into a boil. But instead of shouting at him, I decided to deal with him as calm as I could.

“What do you want me to do for you to let me go?” His eyebrows arched.

“Let you go?” He shook his head. “Absolutely nothing, Sabina. From now on, there’s only me and you and no one can separate us no matter what. You belong to me.”

I cringed so hard. “You, sick b*stard! I don’t want to be with you! And please, stop talking as if there’s something going on between us because that will never ever happen! You repulse me! I belong to no one other than Cryxus Xzavier Montaño! Keep that in mind!” I saw how his face turn red in rage but I couldn’t care less anymore. He needed to hear the truth for once and for all.

I knew why he was doing all this and it made me sick to my stomach that a person like him who should be the one to demonstrate kindness to others was the one who terrorizes and causing pain onto others because of his selfish ambitions.

“What did you just say?”

I raised my chin defiantly and met his gaze. “I know why you’re doing this to me and I’ll make sure that you will never achieve your goals. I’m the key to your success, right? Then, I will do everything I can to stop whatever you’re plotting to do.

“I’m thankful that I managed to escape Safe Haven but I pity those who are still there until now, suffering and living like a robot under your leadership not knowing that you’re nothing but a money and power-hungry b*stard who only uses them for your own good.

“But just like what happened to me; the people of Safe Haven will eventually see right through you. Your dark soul will eventually show its atrocious form to everyone. I’ll make sure of that.” His eyes squinted in anger.

“You b*tch!” He raised his hand and was about to back hand me when we heard a familiar voice that sounded like the calm before a storm.

“Try harming even a strand of her hair and you’re dead.” Father Nicolas’ hand stopped in mid-air before turning his head to look at him.

“Xzav…” My eyes brimmed with tears upon seeing Xzavier. I didn’t expect him to show up here like this. I really thought, I wouldn’t be able to see him again knowing that a powerful guy like Father Nicolas kidnapped me.

“Montaño.” Father Nicolas uttered full of displeasure and obvious loathe.

“Yes, Nicolas. The one and only.” He smugly responded, too relaxed as if he wasn’t in the territory of the enemies.

“You’re still as cocky as before coming here alone like this. I’m sure, you know that just one lift of my finger and you’re dead. You came here spontaneously just to save Sabina but I didn’t know that you’re this stupid, coming here unarmed and alone. Well, I should thank you for coming here though because I don’t need to hunt you down in order to erase you for good.” Even though Father Nicolas was just saying it, fear already crept within me, realizing that he was right.

I saw earlier that Father Nicolas’ men were everywhere in this ship and one wrong move of Xzavier and he would surely get killed.

“Xzav—”

“—Stay right there, Sabina, if you don’t want me to take him down right at this instant.” Father Nicolas warned when I attempted to walk toward him. He then lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. Just like a cue, his men gathered around us, each one holding guns.

But instead of getting intimidated, Xzavier’s facial expression didn’t change one bit. In fact, he even scoffed as he crossed his arms across his chest.

“You’re really a coward, hiding behind your men like a sissy. Well, what else could I expect from the likes of you?”

“Well, we’re not the same, Montaño. I know how to utilize the things I have for my own advantage without even breaking a sweat. That’s what you call power.”

“And yet, you still want more? Indeed, we’re not the same. I’m not like you who’s only after money and power. I already have those since the day I was born. I don’t need to force a woman to marry me just to achieve those petty goals.” Father Nicolas’ face reddened of pique.

“You, motherfù—”

“—Give me back my woman and I’ll spare your life.” He interrupted Father Nicolas with a bored tone and yet, his eyes were telling the opposite. I knew that a storm was coming and it would be cruel and unforgiving.

This was my first time seeing him like this and shocked was understatement. He hadn’t done anything yet but I could already sense the catastrophe that was about to strike.

Father Nicolas laughed as if he just heard the funniest joke ever.

“You’re the second Montaño who dared going against me and yet, just like him, you’re nothing. In fact, I can see a lot of him in you. Loves talking big and yet, stupid enough to cross me. Look what happened to him. Six feet under the ground.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. If there’s someone stupid here, that’s you. You just keep on striking blindly without making sure you’re hitting its root. I tricked you under your nose before and I can do it again without breaking a sweat.” Father Nicolas’ nose flared in anger.

“B*stard!” He then looked at his men. “What are you still waiting for?! Kill him!” My eyes widened and I felt like my heart stop beating as I looked at Xzavier who remained standing on his spot like he was merely in the park as if his life wasn’t in danger at all.

“No! Xzav!” The men around cocked their guns and was about to pull the trigger when I saw Xzavier held up his hand like signaling someone before a series of gunshots echoed followed by Father Nicolas’ men falling on the ground almost at the same time like bowling pins.

I screamed as the gunshots continued, crouching down with my arms covering my head as if that gesture could protect myself. I searched Xzavier with my eyes but he disappeared.

“Sh*t! We’re being surrounded, Father Nicolas! We need to get out of here, quick!” Carlos shouted while trying his best to retaliate but the enemies shooting at them were nowhere to be seen.

“Sabina, let’s go! This is our chance!” Akira pulled me by the hand but someone grabbed my other hand, stopping me from leaving.

“You’re not going anywhere until I say so!” It was Father Nicolas.

“Let go of me!” I tried my best to pull back my hand from his grip but to no avail. Then, Akira suddenly collapsed and Carlo caught her before she fell on the floor.

“Take her and get her out of here!” Father Nicolas instructed. It seemed that they hit the sensitive spot behind Akira’s neck that caused her to lose consciousness.

“What have you done to Akira?! Put her down!” I tried going after them but Father Nicolas’ hand tightened around my hand which made me wince in pain before dragging me somewhere. I kept on screaming while struggling out of his grip when Xzavier reappeared and gave him a solid punch in the face.

“Dare touching what’s mine one more time and you’re dead!” He spat at him before pinning him down with his knees on the floor as he kept on punching him solidly in rage. It seemed like he didn’t have any intention of stopping until he killed him and that scared me.

Father Nicolas tried to fight back but he was easily overpowered by Xzavier.

“Xzav, stop! He’s already unconscious!” I hugged him from behind, forgot about the gunshots around. Somehow, I felt relieved to be rescued by him from Father Nicolas but I didn’t want him to be a murderer.

Father Nicolas’ blood was too dirty to stain his precious hands and I would never let him commit a mistake that he would surely regret in the end. There were many ways to punish him without letting him have it easily by dying.

“He hurt you and that’s enough reason for me to kill him!”

“No! I don’t want you to be a criminal! Don’t be like him! You’re far too good compared to the likes of him. Please, stop. This is not like you.” I cried and burrowed my face in his hair while hugging him tightly.

“I love you. Please, enough.”

I thought, he was already too mad to listen to reasons but upon hearing what I’ve whispered, his body went still as if he just woke up from a deep slumber.

“Be thankful that my woman still has a compassion for you even though you don’t deserve even a tiny bit of it. She’s right. I won’t let you die because I’ll make sure that you’ll suffer.” He said stone-heartedly before grabbing Father Nicolas’ collars and whispered something in his ear before shoving him back to the floor.

He untangled my arms from hugging him and then slowly faced me.

“I’m sorry for showing you that side of me. I was just enraged to the point that I wanted to kill him.” He then wiped my tears. “Stop crying because it breaks my heart whenever I see you cry.”

When he held out his hand, I gave him mine and we stood up. “You’re safe now, my Ina. I’m sorry for coming late. I just wanted to make sure that we would trap him in a place where he wouldn’t escape.” I threw my arms around him as I sobbed. This time, I felt relieved that everything was finally over.

“Thank you for keeping your word, Xzav. Thank you for coming to my rescue. Again.”

“You don’t have to thank me, my Ina, because even if he hid you in hell, I would rescue you. Wherever you are, I’ll be there no matter what happens. I’m sorry for all the tears I’ve made you shed, especially that time when you thought that I didn’t come for you. This time, I made sure to come because I didn’t want to repeat what happened in the past.”

I shook my head. “I’ve forgiven you long time ago, Xzav. Even though you didn’t come for me personally back then, you made sure you sent someone on your stead and that’s enough for me. Thank you because you came to my rescue once again.” I looked up at him and cupped his face.

“I love you so much. The thought of losing you forever almost broke my heart and soul. I want to be with you forever. You’re my one and only.” His eyes shone with joy.

“I love you too, my Ina.” He kissed my forehead tenderly. “The thought of losing you forever almost made me insane. Thankfully, I was prepared for this day and everything happened just like how I predicted it to be. Akira contributed to the success of this mission too.” He lifted my chin with one finger and was about to kiss me when I remembered something.

“Oh, God! Akira! They took Akira!” I was about to go look for her when he pulled me by the hand and sealed my lips with his. I groaned. Much as I wanted to kiss him, Akira needed our help. He grunted when I pinched his abdomen.

“What was that for?!”

“Didn’t you hear what I’ve said?! Akira needs our help! They took her away!” He was about to answer when someone spoke.

“X, everything’s under control now.” X?

“Good. What about Ms. Smith?”

“She’s safe now.” Xzavier nodded his head.

“You know what to do next.”

“Of course, young master.” When the man left, he faced me.

“You heard it. Akira’s in safe hands now.” I chewed on my bottom lip and turned around, wanting to see the aftermath of the gunshots but before I could see anything behind me, Xzavier covered my eyes with his hands.

“What are you doing?”

“Close your eyes, Ina.” He instructed and I was about to protest when he spoke again. “Please. Just do what I say.” His tone was earnest and I understood that it wasn’t the time for me to be stubborn.

After that, he carried me on his arms and took me somewhere, realizing that he didn’t want me to see the scenes of gore. I tightened my arms around him, feeling safe and relieved.

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What do you think of this chapter, Amores?

COMMENT, VOTE, SHARE & FOLLOW

chapter 47

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SABINA’s POV

3 months later

The smile on my face disappeared when I read the message of Xzavier. I groaned in disappointment and threw myself into bed.

‘I’m sorry, my Ina. Looks like I’ll be staying for another month here in the USA. The work keeps on piling up and I can’t just leave without attending to them first. I missed you terribly.’ -Your Xzav

I’ve been missing him terribly too and the thought of not seeing him for another month was already driving me mad in longingness.

Well, it was understandable that he needed to stay there long enough to attend to everything that he needed to do because he’d been absent for quite some time. Even though he’d been working online, there were things that he needed to do in person.

I shoved my phone on the empty space of the bed, too upset to even formulate a reply, and was about to close my eyes to just doze off when I heard my message alert tone.

I quickly checked my phone, thinking that the message came from Xzavier again but it actually came from Akira.

‘Hi, Sabina. I just wanted to thank you for listening to me even after what happened. I know, I hurt you in a way but I’m happy that you still forgave me. I’m on my way back home now and don’t know if I would ever come back here again. I’m glad that we saw each other before I departed Lyon. I wish you and Xzavier the best and take care always. I’ve never mentioned this to you but you were my one and only friend overseas. Thank you for being a great friend. I’ll treasure our friendship forever.’

A smile appeared on my lips. When Akira came back from dealing with her family issues on her father side, she and I met yesterday and everything ended well between us. She asked for my forgiveness and I saw the sincerity in her eyes.

She told me her story and I felt really bad for her. Even though she let her father used her to achieve his goals, she still did the right thing in the end.

Xzavier told me that the night before Father Nicolas kidnapped me, Akira sent him an anonymous message, informing him about Father Nicolas’ plans.

According to Xzavier, prior to that, his men already found the one who was responsible for the two attacks on them previously and that guy spilled the beans that it was Father Nicolas who sent him to do it, intending to scare and intimidate them.

After they discovered about it, they’ve been devising a plan to catch Father Nicolas. When he received that anonymous text, that helped them to trap Father Nicolas.

When Akira told Father Nicolas that she needed to use the toilet while we were in the car, going to the port, Akira sent Xzavier a signal so that he could track our location on time.

Because of her effort to correct her mistakes, she helped Xzavier and his men save our lives and defeat Father Nicolas. I gave her my forgiveness and wished her well which made her tear up.

After opening my heart for forgiveness, all the remnants of pain and bitterness that the past left in my heart vanished like a mist.

Finally, everything was peaceful these past few months and I couldn’t ask for more. The only thing missing was Xzavier’s presence beside me and it was getting difficult with each passing day.

After I replied to Akira’s message, I heard a knock on my door.

“Sab, Billy and Henry are waiting for you downstairs!” It was my mother. My mood lifted up and I got up right away, almost flying towards the door excitedly.

“Thanks, mom!” Without waiting for her, I headed toward the stairs in a hurry.

“Hey, slow down, missy!” She reproached worriedly and quickly followed me. I slowed down.

“Sorry, mom. I forgot.” She shook her head.

“You need to be careful all the time. You should know better.” I grinned at her.

“This is the perks of having the best mom; always reminding me of what’s important.” I then hugged her.

“Thank God. My daughter Sabina finally came back.” I couldn’t hold back my laugh, knowing that they’ve been worried sick about me these past two months and at the same time, they had the hard time dealing with me.

“Mom, the Sabina from more than two months ago and now are the same.”

“No. That Sabina was scary and a headache.” I laughed heartily. When we reached downstairs, my mom went to the kitchen to start making lunch while me on the other hand went to the porch.

“I thought, they were here? Where are those two?” I asked myself as I looked around, looking for Henry and Billy. I sat on the couch, pursing my lips irritably, and that was when Billy came out of the door.

“Here comes the mango for our lovely lady!” He chirped as he placed the plate full of sliced green mangoes on the coffee table. He even prepared a dipping sauce. My face brightened and eyes lit up in so much happiness as I eyed the mouth-watering fruit in front of me.

“Thank you, Billy!” I then began digging in right away. “Hmm! It’s sour but it is so delicious!” Billy grimaced while watching me eating with gusto.

“Oh, God. You look like you’re eating the most delicious food on earth.”

I beamed. “Yes, I am. Why don’t you have some?”

“Oh, no thanks.” He answered right away and that made me laugh full of amusement.

“You thanked Billy but what about me? I was the one who had to drive and searched all the Asian stores here just to find this specific mango that you’ve been craving for. I can’t believe that I had to check 5 Asian stores just for this. Xzavier should be the one to experience this, not me.” I couldn’t help but to laugh again of Henry’s statement. He looked tired and stressed out.

“Thank you, my dear cousin. I knew I could count on you especially now that Xzavier is not here.” I even beamed at him and he shook his head.

“How long are you going to keep on eating mangoes anyway? I heard that there was a strong typhoon that affected the production of mangoes in Asia that’s why the imported mangoes here are limited for now.”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask the cute little monster in there?” I then looked at my tummy. His face softened.

“Don’t worry, Henry. If I have time, I’ll help you look for mangoes no matter how far we need to drive. I mean, look at Sab. How can you say no with that smile on her face while eating her favorite mango? We’re all she has right now.” It was Billy.

“Aw. That’s so sweet of you, Billy.” I chirped.

“Well, what else can we do other than to do our best? I mean, this is better compared to the last two months. Her mood had been like the hurricane that almost drove us away. Even Auntie and Uncle were so worried, thinking that she had a problem or something. They almost took her to a psychologist.” I laughed as I remembered what Henry was talking about.

I was always moody, hot-headed and sensitive that everyone started to get nervous whenever I was around. I couldn’t understand myself back then and I thought, I was just missing Xzavier so much. But when I started having morning sickness and went to the doctor for a check-up, I was surprised when I learned that I was pregnant.

During Xzavier and I’s last night together before he went to the USA, I realized that I’ve forgotten to take my pills for a whole month and because Xzavier wasn’t with me, I continued on not taking my pills until I discovered that I was pregnant.

Since Xzavier left, I’ve been staying at my parents’ house because I couldn’t take the loneliness of being alone at home.

“Hey, I’m sure, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Believe me, it was. Xzavier was lucky because he wasn’t here to experience the hell. Until now, I still can’t believe how hard it was to deal with you back then.” Henry answered which made me chuckle.

“I don’t know about that. I think, he had his own fair share of struggle.” I fought the urge to giggle while remembering what I made Xzavier do during those times even though we were apart.

“What do you mean by that? Don’t tell me, you managed to make his life hell even though the poor guy was in the USA?” I grinned at Henry and merrily continued on eating as my mind wandered somewhere else.

“What did you say?”

“I said, I want to see you wearing pink briefs or boxers. I bet you’ll look hot in it.” Xzavier’s jaw slacked open while staring at me in disbelief. We were in the middle of face-timing and he was only wearing his black boxers while sitting upright against the headboard.

He just finished showering, getting ready to go to work when I called him.

“Why, pink? You know I don’t like that color, Ina.” I could hint the slight irritation in his voice. I bit my lower lip and looked down.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I suddenly had the urge to see you wearing pink underwear.” He remained silent for a couple of seconds before he sighed in defeat.

“That’s unfair, my Ina. Seeing you sad like that is my weakness.” I lifted my face, suppressing the urge to grin from ear to ear.

“So…”

“Fine. I’ll do it.” My face brightened.

“Really?!”

“Yes. How can I say no to you?” I smiled sweetly at him.

“Thank you, Xzav! You’re the best!” He shook his head full of amusement.

“You’re really weird, Ina. I heard countless times that pregnant women have these weird food cravings but you on the other hand is different. You’ve been making me do some weird stuff lately which you normally wouldn’t do.”

“And one more thing. About the food; I’ve been actually craving to eat cotton fruit lately.” His eyebrows knitted together.

“Cotton fruit? I don’t think there’s something like that in France, my Ina.”

“I’ve seen one at a local Asian store before.”

“Really? Okay, tell Henry to buy some for you.”

“I already told him and he went out to find some for me.”

“That’s good then. But please, Ina. Eat it in moderation. I don’t want you to have an upset stomach.” His voice held concern.

“Don’t worry, my Xzav. I will.”

“That’s good. Anyway, much as I love to talk to you more, I need to go. I’m already late.”

“Wait. I have another request, Xzav.”

“Sure. What is it?” His voice was gentle and sweet while staring at me lovingly.

“I want to eat cotton fruit with you.”

“Huh? But we’re thousand miles apart right now, my love.”

“Yes, but we can face time again later.” The crease on his forehead deepened.

“You mean…”

“Yes, my Xzav. You can buy cotton fruit there and let’s face time again later while eating cotton fruit together.”

He slapped his hand to his forehead. “Oh, God! You want me to eat something like that too?”

“Yes. I mean, you’ll do it for me and our baby, right, my Xzav?” He groaned, obviously didn’t want to do it but eventually agreed.

It was already 5 pm in France when Xzavier finally called me again and while he was wearing his pink boxers, we both enjoyed our own cotton fruit. I kept on laughing at him as he let out a series of curse while watching him try his best to eat the sour fruit…

“What do you think?” I answered with a wide grin. Henry shook his head in disbelief.

“Even though I don’t have any slight idea what you made him do, I already feel sorry for him.”

“Me too.” Billy added and I chortled. They both shook their heads in disbelief. I beamed at them.

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Did you crave for mangoes or any sour fruit during pregnancy? (For those who experienced getting pregnant)

What do you think of this chapter?

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chapter 48

A/N: Hi, Amores! I miscalculated. One or two chapters more before the Epilogue. It depends. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy reading and have a nice weekend!

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SABINA’s POV

The next few days, I felt so down because I’ve been missing Xzavier so much. Every move I made, I always thought about him and whenever I woke up in the morning and felt the empty space beside me, it was bringing me unexplainable emptiness, sadness and longing.

I used to sleep alone in my room but when Xzavier and I moved in together, everything changed. I couldn’t sleep properly without him by my side and it was driving me crazy.

Then, I couldn’t take it anymore and made a decision that even my parents couldn’t do anything to change my mind. To go and see the love of my life.

I knew that Xzavier wouldn’t be happy of my decision because of my current condition but I discussed about it to my doctor before carrying out my plan of flying to the USA and she gave me her go signal.

Thankfully, my flight was smooth and didn’t have any problem until I arrived at the hotel. I freshened up a bit, took a good 2 hours nap before going to MGC to see Xzavier.

“Good afternoon, Miss. How may I help you?” The woman at the front desk asked me. I smiled back at her.

“I’m here to see Mr. Cryxus Xzavier Montaño.”

“Do you have an appointment with the CEO, Miss?”

“No, I don’t have.” Of course, they wouldn’t let me in just like that.

“Sorry, Miss. But the CEO is busy right now. If you want, we can book you an appointment with him but it depends on the reason if we could give you one.” I huffed, beginning to feel frustrated. I flew all the way here to the USA just to see Xzavier and surprise him and I wouldn’t let my plan to get ruined.

“Just tell him that Sabina Martins is here. I’m sure, he won’t mind seeing me.” I answered with a formal face and that surprised her a little. A tremulous smile then appeared on her face and was about to dial on the telephone when someone spoke behind me.

“Sabina? Is that you?” I turned around upon hearing that familiar voice.

“Ezron? Is that you?”

He grinned. “The one and only.”

“Oh, my! I didn’t expect to see you here after all these years. How have you been?” I happily questioned.

“Doing better than before. Anyway, what are you doing here? Why don’t you go up to X’s office?”

“Well, I don’t have an appointment that’s why I can’t—”

“—That’s nonsense! You’re his girlfriend, for fùck’s sake! Don’t tell me, he doesn’t want you to come here that’s why he’s pulling this nonsense?”

I chuckled. “No, silly. He doesn’t know that I’m here, actually. I wanted to surprise him that’s why I flew here to the USA without informing him beforehand.”

“Ah, okay. I thought, he’s lost his mind.” He then looked at the lady at the front desk with a suave smile. “Janine, this is Sabina Martins and he’s Cryxus’ girlfriend.” The woman smiled and nodded her head.

“Noted, Sir Ezron.”

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to his office.” We then walked towards the elevator.

“Do you have an appointment with him?” I inquired curiously while we were inside the elevator, going up.

“Not exactly an appointment. I just needed to get something from him.” I nodded my head. We continued on chatting until we arrived at our destination.

When the elevator door opened, Ezron and I went straight to Xzavier’s office. The excitement in my chest was almost overwhelming. I couldn’t wait to see him. It has been three months which felt like three years and it was hell.

When he told me that he needed to go to the USA to fix a problem in their company, I agreed right away, thinking that it would just be for a short period of time. But I was wrong. It took him a couple of months and until now, he still didn’t know when to return to France.

His EA escorted us to the door and was about to inform Xzavier of our arrival but Ezron told her that I wanted to surprise him so she went back to her office and continued doing her stuff.

It seemed that the employees knew Ezron. Thankfully, we met by accident because if we didn’t, they wouldn’t let me in for sure and I wouldn’t’ve nay choice but to call Xzavier. My surprise would be ruined for sure.

Ezron then opened the door and took a step inside just to step out right away as if he got burned.

“Are you perhaps hungry, Sabina? Maybe, we should go grab a bite somewhere first.” I furrowed at him.

“Why? What happened?” I was about to enter the slightly ajar door but he blocked my way with a weird expression on his face.

“He’s kinda busy and—” Before he could finish what he wanted to say, I side-stepped him and entered inside just to gasp in shock upon witnessing what was happening.

Xzavier was talking to a beautiful woman who looked like 18 or 19 years old and out of the blue, she suddenly sat on his lap and was about to kiss him when I marched my way toward them with long strides while breathing heavily furiously, jealousy quickly began eating my ability to think rationally.

“Get your hands off my man if you don’t want me to throw you out of the window!” I threatened the woman who had her arms wrapped around Xzavier’s neck like a serpent.

Xzavier’s eyes went wide as saucers upon seeing me and pushed the woman away as if she had a contagious disease which caused her to fall on the floor.

“Ouch! My butt!” The woman cried but Xzavier ignored her and stood up abruptly from his seat. He even took two steps away from her as if he was afraid to even touch her. His attention was solely on me, panic was written all over his face.

“Ina…”

“Is this what you’ve been doing these past few months while you’re here?!” I castigated him while giving him deathly glares.

He shook his head vigorously. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard nervously.

“It’s not what you think, my Ina. Please, let me explain.” I crossed my arms across my chest as my eyes squinted in anger.

“Fine. Explain but make sure that your explanation is valid or else…” My voice trailed off threateningly.

“I allowed Lia to visit me here in my office today because she told me she needed my advice. I didn’t expect her to do this.”

My eyes squinted in anger, wasn’t contented with his explanation. “So, you needed to stay here for another month because of her? Just because she needed advice, you allowed her to sit on your lap too. Is that it?”

“Of course, not! I’ve been faithful to you!” He came up to me and held my hand while staring at me full of longingness. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.” He was about to kiss me but I turned my head to the other side and his lips landed on my cheek.

“Who’s this woman, Cryxus? Is she your flavor of the month?” The woman asked when she finally managed to stand up and gathered herself together. Her bitchy stares annoyed me. I was about to retaliate and make sure to put her to her place but Xzavier spoke first.

“Get out of here, Lia, and don’t ever try to pull this trick on me again. I love my girlfriend so much and I don’t want to stress her out because of your antics. You should know better than to act like this. I’m sure, your brother will not be happy if I told him about it.”

“Girlfriend?! This woman?!” She looked stunned.

“Yes, and she’s the only one for me. Now, go home and leave us alone.” His voice was firm. The woman called Lia went silent but her fists were clenched tightly while looking at me full of distaste and obvious envy.

“C’mon, Lia. You should know when to give up. Don’t make yourself look cheaper than you already are.” Ezron said before grabbing the woman by the hand and practically drag her out of there.

“What did you say?! I’m cheap?!” Lia pulled back her hand roughly from Ezron’s grip and slapped the sh*t out of him.

“Fùck! What’s wrong with you?! Why did you hit me?!”

“That’s for calling me cheap, you as*hole!” She then marched her way out of there but not before stepping on Ezron’s foot which made him grunt in pain.

“Damn that spoiled brat!” He hissed before following her. If the situation was different, I would’ve laughed of what she did to Ezron. But what she was about to do to Xzavier was far from being funny. What if we didn’t arrive?

Thinking about the possibility of what might’ve happened if we didn’t interrupt them brought acid to my heart.

“I’m sorry about that, my Ina. Lia is my friend’s younger sister and had been infatuated with me. But believe me, nothing is going on between us. She’s like a little sister to me even though she’s nothing but a problem most of the time. But even though she acts like that, she’s a nice girl. I know she doesn’t have special feelings towards me. This is just one of her antics.”

I glared at him. “How could you say that when she even sat on your lap and tried to kiss you?” He chuckled and pulled me by the waist until our bodies pressed together.

“I know because I’ve known that cheeky girl ever since she was a kid. Now, mind answering me why you’re here? I mean, I’m glad that you’re here but I can’t help getting worried.” He then gazed down at my tummy and then knelt on his knee.

“Are you okay in there, baby? Daddy missed you and mommy so much. I’m sorry for upsetting your mommy. Don’t worry because daddy has only his eyes for her.” He then kissed my tummy tenderly and I couldn’t hold back the smile that appeared on my lips.

How could she stay mad when he was being this sweet?

“Why would you get worried of me coming here? Worried that I might catch you doing something you shouldn’t be doing?” I tried to sound stern and angry. He groaned, stood up and then cupped my cheeks while looking into my eyes earnestly.

“I love you so much, my Ina, and I would never ever cheat on you. Don’t you trust me?” I cocked up an eyebrow at him.

“I trust you but I don’t trust any woman around you, especially when I caught her making a pass at my boyfriend.” He laughed and planted a sweet kiss on my lips.

“I really missed you. I missed this, being with you and all.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for what you’ve witnessed. I didn’t expect Lia to actually have the guts to do that. She was crying when she called me and asked if she could come over because she needed some advice about something.

“She’s problematic right now but Lia’s the kind of person that would never admit that. She’s too proud to accept her weakness. I don’t know if you actually noticed but she was tipsy.” He shook his head and let out another sigh. “I’m glad, Ez came. He’s the only one who could handle her.”

“What if we didn’t interrupt you guys?” I gave him a challenging look.

“Simple. I would’ve rejected her advances and tell her that I have the most beautiful, sexy and wonderful girlfriend in the world. C’mon, my Ina. Don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me.”

“You should be because I would never forgive you if you ever cheated on me.” This time, I was serious. He wrapped his arms around my waist while gazing into my eyes full of love.

“I know and I would never ever try of doing that. You’re the mother of my child and the love of my life. Just imagining you leaving me is already breaking my heart. I will surely die without you by my side. Sorry for what happened. I was shocked of what she did that I couldn’t react right away. I should’ve acted sooner. Forgive me. It will never happen again. I swear. Please, believe me.” He looked nervous while waiting for my response.

A contented smile curved my lips as I touched his cheek with my hand.

“I believe you, my Xzav. I know how much you love me and I trust you.” He sighed in relief.

“Thank God. I got scared, you know. I thought…” He leaned his forehead against mine. The obvious tension in his body was still there but slowly dissipating.

“I’m sorry too. I couldn’t control my anger and jealousy. Seeing you in that position with another woman made my heart ache.” A small smile appeared on his lips while gazing into my eyes lovingly.

“I’m sorry for making you feel that kind of pain. Even though it wasn’t my intention, I still hurt you in a way.”

“Let’s forget about what happened. I came here because I wanted to see you and be with you. Being away from you was hell.”

“I missed you so much, my Ina. You don’t know how much. I’m happy because you came to see me. It was hell not being with you these past few months too.” His voice sounded miserable.

“I missed you too. So much that I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to come. One more day without you will surely make me insane and I’m not exaggerating.” He chuckled and angled his head before capturing my lips with a sweet gentle kiss.

Gosh, I missed him so much. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with all the love I had in my heart for him.

We were both catching our breaths after that kiss and all the negative feelings inside me disappeared.

“So, am I forgiven?” I nodded my head but before I could even voice out my answer, he already sealed my lips with another kiss. This time, it was more passionate and hotter. I could feel how much he had missed me in that kiss and it made my heart swell.

“Fùck. I want you now, Ina.” He breathed the moment our lips parted.

“What? Here?” I looked around and saw the slightly opened door. He gave me a lopsided grin.

“Don’t worry. They won’t hear us. My office is sound proof.” He then walked up to the door and locked it. “Now. Where were we?” His voice became seductive as he began untying his tie while sauntering towards me.

My jaw dropped. “Y-You’re really serious.”

“Of course, I am. It’s been more than two months, Ina, and I can’t take it anymore. My hand and imagination aren’t enough anymore. It was so lonely, you know? Having just my hand as a company these past two months felt so miserable.” My cheeks went red because of how vulgar he was.

“And you’re not even embarrassed admitting about it to me?” He laughed.

“Why would I? It’s just normal. Besides, I know you did the same thing while I was gone.” My eyes widened and my cheeks became even redder, scandalized of how vocal he was.

“Xzav!” He laughed once again before planting a soft kiss on my lips.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. Just like I’ve said. It’s just normal. But now, we don’t have to endure it anymore.” He divested himself of his suit and dress shirt and now standing in front of me, topless.

I swallowed hard as the scorching desire seized my entire being while my eyes devouring his masculine body from his hard chest, six pack abs and Apollo’s belt. Oh, God. He was a sight worth to behold.

“You’re really so naughty. I just got here and you’re thinking about that right away.” His eyes darkened with so much desire.

“I can’t help it, my Ina. You’re my addiction and being away from you for so long was the hardest thing I’ve ever endured. If it wasn’t because of these problems that I had to address, I would’ve flown back to France to see you just a few days after I left France. It was a torture.” Indeed, he sounded tortured over it.

I smiled inwardly. I thought, I was the only one feeling like that. But it turned out that we were actually in the same boat.

“I want you so much. You’ll let me, right?” I bit back a moan as he held me by the waist, caressing me in a seductive up and down manner while gazing at me full of need and expectation and I didn’t have the heart to say no.

Well, I missed making love with him too and I would be a hypocrite if I would deny that I wanted him to take me right there and then too.

“O-Okay.” Upon uttering that word, I found my clothes being tossed in the air by him until I was left stark naked before him. He raked me an appreciative gaze.

“You look so fùcking beautiful and sexy, my Ina. I can’t believe that you’re mine.” That made me smile. “Now, I want to take you here and make you scream in pleasure until you can’t take it anymore.” I gulped inaudibly in anticipation.

“But what about your work?” I eyed the papers on his table.

“I don’t give a damn. Making love with you is more important to me.” His husky voice sounded so sexy. I could see his need and desire for me and the scorching flame throughout my whole body went ablaze even more.

I thought, he would begin right away but he walked over his swivel chair and sat down.

“Come over here.” He beckoned hotly and as if I got enchanted, I obliged. Then, my eyes widened when he held me by the waist and hoisted up, making me perched on his office table.

“Spread your legs for me, my Ina.” The thought of him sitting on his swivel chair while I was sitting on the edge of his table with my legs spread before him doubled the intensity of my need for him which made my core wetter in so much heat.

I felt like I was being offered to him like a delicious meal but instead of getting embarrassed, it made me burn for him even more.

“Ohhh…” A seductive moan escaped my lips as he drew an invisible line from my chest, slowly down to the V of my thighs with his fore finger. But intentionally avoiding my already aching core.

My back arched as his finger slowly and teasingly went back up, tracing the outline of my sensitive breasts. I felt my nipples tighten as the anticipation heightened. My breathing was already hard.

“I can already smell your sweet arousal, my Ina. Just a little stimulation and you’re already wet for me.” My cheeks flushed. Of course, I was. I’ve been extra sensitive after getting pregnant not to mention, needy too.

“T-That’s not true.”

He chuckled and looked down between my legs. “You can’t lie to me. I know your body like the back of my hand.” My hips involuntarily raised as he dipped his finger on my quivering entrance. He smirked triumphantly upon feeling how soaked wet I was.

“I knew it.” The way he was staring at my womanhood made me blush.

“Oh, Xzav. Do you really have to stare at it intently like that?” I was about to close my legs as I suddenly felt embarrassed but he didn’t let me. Instead, he drew his face closer to my c*nt and his breath made my body ache even more.

“Oh, fùck. You really have the prettiest c*nt.” He complimented before wrapping his arms around each of my legs and nuzzled on my core. “So delicious and addicting. I missed this.”

“Oh, God, Xzav…” His eyes met mine and smirked naughtily.

“Don’t close your eyes. I want you to watch me pleasure you.” I bit my lower lip and nodded my head, holding my breath full of anticipation. That was his cue.

“Oh, Xzav!” I couldn’t control my loud moans of bliss as he began worshipping my weakness.

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How’s this chapter, Amores? 

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chapter 49

WARNING!!! This chapter contains MATURE scenes for ADULTS & OPEN-MINDED readers only! Read at your own risk!

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SABINA’s POV

With every flick of his tongue, I sank in deeper into the sea of pleasure. He was driving me wild and I was losing my mind.

My fingers raked into his hair, pulling it from time to time while moaning his name feverishly. He already did this to me countless times but the effect on me never changed. It was still as pleasurable as I could remember.

“Oh, Xzav…Yes! Just like that! More…” I wanted to close my eyes and savor that incomparable ecstasy but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I felt so open and wild while letting him feast on my treasure.

I’ve never thought that I would do this with a man before. During my days in Safe Haven, I’ve had a black book which opened my innocent mind into the world of adults.

Even though that book described erotic things, it would be difficult to understand if you were as innocent as I was back then because it discussed s*x in a rather wholesome way. It wasn’t deep and detail but the idea was still there.

But reading and experiencing were totally different things. Xzavier was the one who made me experience everything beyond my wild imaginations in bed, letting me bloom into a beautiful flower which watered with nothing but love.

My lips formed into an ‘o’ as I pulled his head against my sn*tch even closer if that was even possible, urging him to go on, to take me to that paradise that only him had the right and ability to take me there. And true enough, he didn’t disappoint me.

I screamed his name as the intense euphoria hit me hard like an unstoppable hurricane. My body writhed heatedly. Gosh. I almost forgot how talented that mouth of his.

“That was quick, my Ina. You’ve become more sensitive than I could remember.” I gazed at him through my thick lashes with a contended smile on my face.

“I think that’s normal because I’m pregnant.” He gave me one last long lick, which made my body shake once again, before standing up and began unbuckling his belt. I swallowed hard in anticipation.

His face was red and jaw tightened. I knew that look.

“Oh, God. You look like a horny teenager.” I teased him and he smirked.

“Well, I’m more than horny, my Ina, and I can’t take it anymore. It’s been so long and I don’t think I can withstand another minute without being inside of you. I want you now.” His arousal was straining against his dress pants and I chewed on my bottom lip.

“Do you need help?” I asked and got off the table. His eyes darkened even more in desire and lust. I slowly reached for his belt and continued on unbuckling it for him. Then, I unbuttoned his dress pants, unzipped it before pulling it down.

I swallowed hard upon seeing the big bulge that was straining his boxers. Gosh. He was so hard and it looked like it would rip off his boxers.

It looked like it needed to be free so I pulled his boxers down and his hugeness sprang free. Wild and primal. My core clenched. It felt like the first time seeing his c*ck again and it brought me erotic sensations that invaded my senses, divesting me from any inhibition that was still left within me.

“Oh, fùck.” He cursed as I reached for his burning rod and began stroking it with my hand. Seeing the pleasure on his face fed my desire to please him even more until he couldn’t take it anymore and lose himself in ecstasy.

I stopped stroking his hardness. “Why did you stop? Plea—” Before he could finish what he was about to say, I gently pushed him by the chest, motioning for him to sit back on his swivel chair behind him.

“Ina…”

“Shhh.” I silenced him and leaned over to kiss him hotly; deep and seeking. He groaned as his right hand held me by the nape, pulling me even closer to deepen the kiss even more. Our tongues mated naughtily while our hands began their own exploration on each other’s body.

His left hand was now busy toying with my breasts alternately and as if he couldn’t take it anymore, he caressed his way down south and was about to touch his target but I stopped him by holding his hand and dropped it at his side.

“I want to pleasure you too.” I declared my intention and his eyes lit up full of excitement.

“I’m at your mercy, my Ina. Do what you want.” I gathered his dress pants and boxers that were on the floor and threw them across the room.

He grinned. “You’re so hot when you’re in control like this.” I smiled seductively, leaned over to kiss his lips again briefly before kneeling on my knees before him. I didn’t know what was happening to me. My body felt like it was on fire, more than it did whenever we made love previously.

“Oh, Ina…” He groaned as I took a hold of his rock-like cck and began pleasuring him. Primal and hedonistic. The pleasure that registered on his face drove me wilder. I took him deeper in my mouth while my hand continued its onslaught at the base of his cck, giving him delicious friction.

“Ahhh, fùck!” I sucked him harder as my tongue toyed its helmet mercilessly. His hips began moving as he grabbed a handful of my hair. I could tell that he was about to explode so I doubled my effort but he had another idea.

“Enough, my Ina. I don’t want to c*m in your mouth. Maybe next time, but not now. I want to feel you around me, squeezing me tightly when I reach my peak.” His voice was sensual and commanding. Then, I found myself straddling him.

“Guide me inside you.” I did as I was told; our gazes remained locked together and I saw the pleasure that was written all over his face as his huge length sank inch by inch inside me. My lips parted as I moaned seductively, feeling every detail of his hardness.

The friction was sending my senses reeling. It was only beginning but I was already losing it. This was Xzavier’s effect on me. He had the ability to take over every nerve ending of my body, filling it with nothing but pleasure which drove me crazy everytime.

“Oh, my…You’re so hard and deep.” I uttered breathlessly as our bodies finally became one. I felt deliciously stretched to my limits and my walls clenched around him. His hugeness fitted snugly against my quivering walls and felt so amazing.

“Fùck! You’re so hot and tight! You’re driving me insane!” As if he couldn’t hold back himself anymore, his hands held me by the waist as if measuring my vital statistics and guided me to move.

“Xzav…Ohhh!” With every thrust, wanton moans of pleasure were erupting from my lips. My movement gradually increased and the pleasure heightened too.

“Oh, just like that. Faster, my Ina.” I was only too glad to obliged. The sex sounds accompanied by our cries of pleasure were echoing in the four corners of his office and that served as a fuel to our need for each other, igniting a scorching fire of desire.

“Oh, God! It feels so good!” I chanted wantonly as I gyrated my hips, feeling his steely length stirring up my insides, reaching every sweet spot which made my moans even louder. Then, without warning, waves and waves of pleasure washed over me, leaving my entire body shuddering in so much pleasure.

My toes curled as I buried my face into the crook of his neck, spent and breathless.

“Did you like it?” He naughtily asked after a minute or two.

“You don’t have to ask me. You always drive me wild whenever we’re making love.”

He chuckled. “Of course. No one could ever give you that kind of pleasure except me.” I straightened up my back and stared into his eyes.

“I can’t imagine making love with someone else. You’re the only one for me, Xzav. Forever.” His lips curved with a contented smile.

“I’m the same, Ina. You’re the only one for me until my last breath.” That made my heart beat like a drum and our lips met with another sensual and passionate kiss. Gosh. I really love this man.

Emotions flooded my chest and tears fell from my eyes. I’ve never thought that I could love and be loved like this. It felt surreal. They said, true love was rarely found but, in my case, true love found me. Even though, Xzavier and I’s story started on the wrong foot, our love for each other won.

“Hey, what’s with the tears?” He cupped my cheeks full of concern. I chuckled and wiped my tears with the back of my hands.

“Nothing. I’m just so happy being with you again. It felt terrible not being by your side.”

“Happy yet crying?”

I pouted. “Haven’t you heard about tears of joy before?” His smile became naughty as his hands went to my breasts, kneading them like a dough. I bit my lower lip when I remember about something.

“Y-You haven’t…” I couldn’t utter the words because of embarrassment. C’mon, Sabina! Why are you still feeling shy asking him these kinds of questions? You’ve been lovers for months already!

“Turn around.” He ordered like a king. I slowly turned around without him pulling out of me and I wailed in incomparable ecstasy the friction it brought to my senses. Shortly after that, I found myself bending over his office table as he pounded inside of me from behind.

“You’re heaven, my Ina! I can’t get enough of you!” He picked up his pace, driving me wilder like a feral cat in heat. I could feel it coming like a merciless tsunami.

“More…” He held me by the waist as he pounded inside me faster and harder. A dissolute scream erupted from my throat as my head turned from side to side.

All the papers that were on his table a while ago were already scattered on the floor but he didn’t care as he continued on bringing me to my peak until my control broke off and exploded around him.

“Xzav—”

“—Ina!” We both called each other’s name as we reached the apex of rapture. My legs turned jelly like as my body shuddered violently with every jet of his essence, intensifying my org*sm. My eyes rolled back as another wave of incomparable bliss washed over me and it almost made me lose consciousness.

“That was so hot as always. Damn. I can’t believe how good you feel everytime that I always lose myself into ecstasy.” He said against the crook of my neck before scooping me up onto his arms and took me the couch. Shortly after that, we were in a spooning position, lying on the couch together savoring the post-coital bliss full of contentment and happiness.

“Which do you prefer to be the gender of our baby? Would you rather prefer a boy or a girl?” I then asked out of the blue and he chuckled.

“What kind of question is that? No matter what the gender is, I will love him or her. This baby is the fruit of our love so I will cherish and love him or her until my last breath.” That made me smile. Knowing, Xzavier, I kinda already expected his answer.

“I’m sure, you will be a good father and our baby is very lucky because you’re his or her daddy.”

“And our baby is the luckiest because you’re his or her mommy. You’re will surely be an amazing mother. I can already picture it.” He made me face him and gently caressed my cheek while lovingly staring into my eyes.

My heart swelled. Ever since we first met until now, he was the only man who could make my heart beat faster and slower at the same time.

“I love you.” I uttered with all the love in my heart. The happiness and adoration that was written on his face said it all.

“And I love you too, my Ina. Until now, I still can’t believe that you’re mine. I went to Safe Haven for the purpose of getting my revenge on everyone who wronged my family but never in my wildest dreams that I would find the woman who was destined to be mine there.

“When I first laid my eyes on you, I already knew that you would turn my world upside down and could be the death of me and I was right. All my plans changed because of you. Until now, I’m still guilty because I hurt you back then. I will forever carry this guilt knowing that I made you cry.” I cupped his face and gently panted a soft kiss on his lips.

“I told you that I’ve already forgiven you, my Xzav. Stop dwelling with what happened in the past anymore because it’s nothing but the past. We’re here in the present together so we should treasure every moment we have and be happy.”

“I hate seeing you cry or sad especially because of me. Just imagining how badly hurt you were back then is already breaking my heart.”

I smiled. “I’m sure, there would be time in the future that I would feel sad or cry because of you. Life is not a bed of roses, Xzav. Of course, there will be fights—”

“—I will do my best to prevent that from happening because I know for sure that if I saw you cry, the pain that I would feel will be double. I love you too much to make you cry intentionally.”

The smile on my face widened. “I know and I’ll do my best to do the same.” We kissed one more time and just like usual, it was full of love, passion and devotion. I felt his friend down there poking against my belly and the fire in the pit of my stomach ignited once again.

The kiss became hotter and deeper as our hands roamed around each other’s body.

“I want to take you again.” He groaned and I nodded my head. Our need for each other hadn’t been subsided yet with just one round. He pulled my leg over his hips and his burning rod rubbed against my wetness.

“Please. I want you now.” I mewled and he pushed into my wet folds with one hard thrust. I bit back a scream as he began drilling faster and harder into me. We stayed into that position until he carried me towards the door and continued on making love with me against it.

The full-length mirror near his table caught my attention and its position was perfect for me to see our reflection.

Gosh! Seeing him pounding inside me while my legs were wrapped around his waist as my arms were circled around his neck made me burn for him even more. It was such a beautiful erotic sight.

“Xzav, oh, Xzav! I can’t take it anymore!” I couldn’t even recognize my voice.

“Me too, my Ina. I want you to come with me!” I nodded my head, bracing myself. And when his pace became faster and harder, a wild scream escaped my lips. I tried to match his movements but it was too much for me. I could feel it coming!

Then, my body went still when we heard a knock on the door. I felt him press a button on the right side of the door.

“Yes, Sharon.”

“Sir, Mr. Cho has arrived. He’s already in the conference room.” It was his EA.

“Fùck! I forgot about my meeting!” Xzavier whispered in frustration in my ear.

“T-Then, we should stop and—Argh!” I couldn’t finish what I wanted to say as he resumed his addictive attacks. Thankfully, I managed to cover my mouth with my hand, afraid that his EA might hear his us. This time, he was determined to bring us both to the finish line.

“Give me five minutes, Sharon.”

“Okay, sir.” Xzavier removed my hand from covering my mouth and kissed me as he bombarded me with desperate thrusts. My eyes rolled back as my legs began quivering. The wet and erotic slaps coming from our colliding sensitive areas echoed in the four corners of the room accompanied by our cries of pleasure.

“Ahhh! I’m coming!”

“Yes! C*m with me!” He grunted as he gave me three more hard thrusts before pushing himself to the hilt, held it there and let himself go. His hot stuff flooded my quivering walls and I bit his shoulder while trembling in his hands.

“God! That was amazing. It gets better and better everytime we make love.” That made me smile.

“Yes. I can’t get enough of making love with you.” He beamed.

“We’re the same, my Ina. We are really made for each other.” We kissed one more time before he finally pulled out of me and put me down on my feet.

“Wait for me here. I’ll just meet with Mr. Cho and after that, we’ll go. I want to spend the rest of the day with you. This will be quick.”

“Okay.” He pecked me one more time before gathering my clothes from the floor and helped me put them back on.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my Ina.” He then began putting back his clothes on. Before he went out of the door, he whispered how much he loved me which made my heart swell with so much happiness.

After about 20 minutes, he finally came back. We exited the building hand and hand with smile on our faces. Finally, we’re together again.

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Epilogue is next! 

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Epilogue

A/N: Bonjour, Amores! This story has finally come to an end. I had to rush it because as a Wattpad creator, I need to start uploading a new story this month. I don’t have the time to write two stories at the same time, so I had to finish this story sooner than expected. I know that there are things that haven’t been addressed like the real job of Xzavier but I could probably try to insert a scene about it in another story. I don’t know yet. Let’s see in the future. Anyway, thank you for always finding time to read my stories. Thank you for the comments, votes and the unending support. See you in my next story.  😘

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SABINA’s POV

Disappointment surged within me upon opening my eyes and saw that the space next to me was empty. I groaned as I stretched my arms above my head, purring like a cat before sitting up sleepily.

“Xzav?” I called for my husband but there was nothing but silence. I sighed and decided to go to the restroom to do my morning rituals. After that, I went downstairs.

“Good morning, my dear. Sorry, we already had breakfast because we needed to go to the mansion early today to help for the preparation.” My mother said while putting the dirty dishes in the dishwashing machine.

“Your breakfast is served, sweetie. Eat it while it’s still warm.” And my father said while still drinking his coffee. We’re currently in my parents’ house in Claudette ranch. We just arrived from the USA yesterday and my parents insisted for us to at least stay with them for a week so that they could be with us.

I’ve missed them so much too and the idea made me happy. Of course, Xzavier agreed right away.

When Xzavier and I got married, we’ve been going back and forth to the USA and France every now and then because of work. When I gave birth five years ago, I knew for sure that I wanted to there for our baby instead of having a nanny so Xzavier and I both decided for me to be a full-time mom for the time being.

But this year, I would be returning to work at CXM. It would surely be hard for me to leave my baby at home while working but at least, she’s a little bit older now. My work would be convenient too because I just needed to go to the office at least twice a week and work at home for the remaining three days.

At least, I still could spend time with my baby with this kind of set-up. Xzavier on the other hand had been trying his best to always be there for our daughter even though he was so busy. We always made sure to be there in every important occasion so that she wouldn’t feel left out and lonely. For us, our first priority was her.

“Where are Xzavier and Xzana? Did they eat already?” I asked my parents as I started eating. My father chuckled.

“Outside. You know Xzavier. He loves taking Xzana for a morning walk. Don’t worry. They already ate. We ate breakfast together.”

I pouted. “Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”

“Your husband said that you were tired that’s why we didn’t wake you up. Besides, we’re aware that you need more sleep nowadays than usual. Just like you were during your first. In fairness, your husband is such a caring and loving husband.” My mom answered. I couldn’t help but smile upon hearing the work husband.

Until now, I still couldn’t believe that Xzavier and I were married now. It had been five years but it was still fresh in my memory as if it just happened yesterday.

“You’re right, mom. He’s such a wonderful husband and father.” My mind suddenly drifted to that time five years ago when Xzavier surprised me. That was the day that I heard a very good news that made me cry in so much relief and happiness too…

5 years ago

“Take a rest because we’ll be going to your parents’ place tonight.” My forehead crinkled upon hearing what Xzavier had said. Even though he was evidently tired, I could see the happy glow in his aura.

“Why? I mean, is there any occasion that I’m not aware of?” We just arrived here in Xzavier’s place here in Lyon, France after a long flight from the USA. When I went there to see him, we stayed for a week and he toured me to different tourist spots there before we decided to go back here to France.

Thankfully, Xzavier finished everything that he needed to do in two days that was why, we had enough time to visit the places that we wanted to visit together.

“Why? Don’t you miss your parents?” I was pulled out of my reverie upon hearing his response.

“Of course, I missed them. I’m just curious why we need to go there tonight right away. Can we just go there tomorrow?” He leaned over and kissed me by the forehead.

“No can do. Tonight is the perfect night. Now, go freshen up and take a good rest so that you’ll have energy for tonight.” He kissed my forehead before crouching down to kiss my tummy which made me smile.

“Okay. Whatever you say.” He chuckled and kissed my tummy one more time before he straightened his back and stood up. I went to the washroom to take a shower and when I was done, I dressed up, dried my hair and then slept like a log.

When I woke up, Xzavier was nowhere to be found and just noticed a note on the bedside table, saying that Dan, his driver, would be coming to pick me up at 6:30 pm. He even mentioned that he left something for me to wear in the walk-in closet.

After freshening up, I went to the walk-in closet to find the dress that he was referring to and gasped softly in awe upon seeing the yellow off shoulder floral dress. It was simple yet elegant at the same time. He really knows my style; I said to myself and wore it with a smile on my face.

“Where is Xzavier, Dan? Is he already at my parents’ house?” I asked Dan when he arrived. He smiled.

“I’m not sure, Ms. Sabina. He just instructed me to come pick you up.” Thankfully, Dan survived after being shot by Father Nicolas. I really thought, he was dead when I saw him drench with his own blood inside the car. But thankfully, he made it. Unfortunately, two of my bodyguards weren’t as lucky as him. They didn’t survive.

Apparently, a jogger noticed them in their respective cars outside Akira’s place and called for help. If it was a little bit late, everyone would’ve been dead for sure.

“What’s up with your boss anyway. He told me that we would be going to my parents’ place together but he was nowhere to be found when I woke up.” I pursed my lips.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Sabina. I’m sure, he’s already there.” I nodded my head and got inside the car. Shortly after that, we were already en route. When we arrived at our destination, I suddenly felt worried when I noticed that the house was dark as if no one was there.

“I thought, everyone would be here? Why is it dark inside?” I was about to knock but I saw a note sticking on the door. ‘Please walk down the cobble stone pathway, my Ina, and come to the backyard garden. -Your Xzav’

I chuckled. “What’s with all this?” Dan smiled but didn’t say anything. I looked at the cobble stone pathway leading to the backyard and as if on cue, the pathway lights on either side turned on, illuminating the pathway.

I gingerly took a step on the cobble stone pathway and was surprised that the spot where my feet were lit up and when I took another step, the same thing happened. I suddenly remembered about the same scene in a fantasy movie that I’ve seen once before.

As I was approaching the backyard, every decoration that I passed by lit up as one by one as if I was their source of life, giving me the impression that I was in a magical garden.

It seemed that the place was decorated meticulously so that it would capture the heart of the person who would see it. With every light that was turning on, revealing a portion of the paradise. When I arrived at the center of the garden, the rest of the light it lit up and I gasped upon seeing how beautiful the surrounding was.

I’ve never thought that our backyard garden could be as beautiful as this with proper decoration and care.

I heard a sound of a flowing water and when I looked at the right, I saw the mini pond with water beautifully cascading from the mini waterfalls. Its sound added to the feeling that I was in a paradise.

I felt like I was in a paradise in a Disney movie with all the different flowers were neatly arranged everywhere including balloons and other decorations like the fake butterflies, dragonflies and many more which made of led lights. Different kinds of petals were scattered on the ground too.

Everything was so perfect and even the treehouse was decorated as well. There were led butterflies and dragonflies that were tied in every part of the tree and the tree house, dangling beautifully.

But I noticed that they weren’t the only things that were tied and hanging to the tree and tree house because there were pictures too. Then, I gasped against my hands when I saw that those were Xzavier and I’s pictures.

“Oh, God. It’s so beautiful.” I uttered in astonishment as I began to feel emotional while checking out every picture of us. From our very first photo together until to the latest one.

Then, my attention went to the stairs of the treehouse upon hearing footfalls as if someone was coming down. I gasped softly upon seeing Xzavier wearing a white shirt with folded sleeves up to his elbows. He paired it with a grey skinny dress pants which was rolled up just a little bit higher than his ankles, and leather shoes with laces.

My lips fell open as my gaze went to his chest. Two buttons were undone which gave me a glimpse of his chiseled chest. His hair was neatly gelled and he looked so damn dashing while holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

My heart fluttered. Until now, he still had this kind of effect on me.

“Hi, my Ina.”

“Hello there, handsome.” He chuckled and walked up to me.

“For you.” I accepted the bouquet with a sweet smile.

“Thank you. It’s so beautiful and smells heavenly too.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” He then raked me an approved stare. “I was right. This dress suits you. You became more beautiful wearing it.” My cheeks went hot as happiness surged within me.

“Thank you. You look good too.” A smile curved his lips. I looked around appreciatively. “This is so beautiful, Xzav, but what’s this for?”

“This is the reason why I needed to come here early and left you at home. I wanted to surprise you. I’ve been planning this since a week ago.” He held out his hand for me.

“Let’s go?” My eyebrows shot up.

“Where to?” He looked up the treehouse. “I wanted to wait for you up there but I couldn’t let you go up there alone, especially in your condition right now.” He gazed at my tummy full of tenderness.

I chuckled. “You’re so overprotective.”

“I’m just trying to be careful. I don’t want something bad to happen to you and our baby.” My heart soared.

“Aw. Thank you. You’re so sweet.” I gave him my hand and we walked hand and hand towards the foot of the tree house. He made sure to assist me until we reached upstairs. I bit my lower lip as happiness surged within me upon seeing that even the inside of the treehouse was decorated accordingly too.

Just like in the backyard garden, flowers and balloons were carefully arranged in every corner as different colored petals were scattered on the floor. Their pictures were hanging everywhere too. Then, I noticed the table. It was set for a romantic dinner for two on the balcony.

What a romantic set-up that my heart swooned.

I placed the bouquet that I was holding onto the edge of the table all the while my heart was racing giddily.

“Did you prepare all these?”

“Well, everyone helped me with the cooking and decorating.” My forehead crinkled.

“Everyone?”

He smiled. “Yes. Everyone.” He then pulled a chair for me. I thanked him and sat down. He did the same on the chair across me.

“What’s with you today? I mean, I didn’t expect this surprise at all. What’s this for and why here?”

“You’ll know soon.” He took the wine which was in the champagne cooler bucket and expertly opened it before filling our flutes.

“To us and our future.”

“To us.” I parroted as we clinked our flutes together. While drinking the champagne and eating our aperitifs, I noticed that he was staring at me intently with a small smile on his face. But there was something behind that smile that I couldn’t pinpoint.

Shortly after that, he stood up and was the one who served our main course and I was impressed by the food. It was delicious and perfect but what made it more perfect was Xzavier.

He was so attentive and sweet but I could tell that he was planning something. We talked about random stuff while eating but mostly, it was about our baby. I could tell how excited he was.

Then, our dessert was served which was black forest cannoli parfaits. It looked pleasing to the eyes and upon tasting it, I was right.

“This is so delicious. I like it.” I praised and he smiled contentedly.

“I’m glad you like it. I was the one who made it.” He was blushing a little bit, a little bit embarrassed, and he looked so adorable.

“Wow. I didn’t know that you make delicious desserts.”

“Your mom helped me.”

“Oh…” Thinking that he exerted this much effort was made me so giddy.

“You’re really acting weird right now. I mean, you’re serious and kinda tensed even though you’re smiling and being sweet.” The corner of his lips lifted. We just finished our meal and currently standing against the railing of the balcony, watching all the twinkling led decorations down the backyard garden.

“Am I that obvious?”

“You are and you’re making me nervous.” He laughed and extended his hand for me.

“I don’t think we ever had any chance to dance before. Can you give me the pleasure of dancing with you, my Ina?”

I chuckled. “But there’s no music.” He raised his hand and finger-snapped and a sweet music filled our ears. Even though it was instrumental, I recognized that song. That’s how strong my love is by Alicia Keys (slowed version).

“I didn’t know that you could be sweet like this, Mr. Montaño. You prepared dinner and even decorated here.” I teased as I gave him my hand. His hand felt warm yet seemed to be tensed.

“This is all for you, my Ina.” We then began dancing slowly and sweetly.

“Thank you for the effort, Xzav. You made me feel so special.”

“You are special, every special. You deserve the best.” He whispered and kissed me by the forehead. I leaned the side of my head against his hard chest, listening to his heartbeat as we continued on dancing sweetly.

“You know why I chose this place for this surprise?” He then asked after a minute or so.

“No. Why?”

“Because this was the place where you finally accepted me into your life again. We made love here for the first time after being reunited. I really thought, you wouldn’t really forgive me and would never take me back again but thankfully, I didn’t give up and exerted more effort until I managed to melt the barrier you put between us.” I couldn’t help but smile remembering that moment.

“You were very persistent.”

“Because I knew that you still loved me.” I playfully sneered at him.

“You’re so full of yourself.” He laughed heartily as he placed his hand under my chin and made me look up at him.

“But I was right, weren’t I?” I fought the urge to smile.

“Whatever.” He laughed once again before planting another soft kiss on my forehead.

“Laughing like that made me feel better.” He then turned serious as our gazes never broke. “Just like what you’ve said a while ago, I’ve been very tensed and nervous since a while ago but now, I finally managed to relaxed.” He took a breath.

“We’ve been through a lot already, Ina, and now that everything’s finally fell into place, I want us to start another chapter of our lives.”

I stopped moving and my eyebrows creased quizzically. “W-What do you mean?”

“I know that you know what I’m talking about.” He then pulled away from me and I gasped when he suddenly knelt on his knee without breaking our eye contact. Emotion began flooding my senses.

“Mind looking at the direction of the house, my Ina?” I did as I was told and my eyes watered in overwhelming happiness upon seeing the big led lights on the roof of our house. ‘Will u marry me?’

Behind that big letter led lights was a big screen and different pictures of Xzavier and I were being shown. All those happy and precious moments we spent together.

There was even a video where we were in Switzerland and kissing sweetly. I wasn’t aware that he took a video of us kissing.

I covered my mouth with my trembling hands and then looked at him. A soft gasped escaped my lips upon seeing him opening the small red velvet box and a beautiful diamond ring came into view.

“I know that I’m not a perfect man. There will surely be times that we will fight but I know that no matter what kind of misunderstanding we will encounter in the future, our love for each other will always keep us together. My heart is and will always be yours until my last breath.

“Even though we met at the wrong time, meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never regretted going to Safe Haven because I found the love of my life there. You.” He took a deep breath. “Miss, Sabina Martins, please, give me the honor to be your husband. Will you marry this guy who’s hopelessly and madly in love with you?”

I wanted to cry and jump for joy but there was something that was stopping me from totally being happy.

“Oh, Xzav…I’d love to but—”

“—He was never your husband. I tore off that piece of paper into pieces and made sure that your marriage would never be registered in any country including France. You were never tied with him.” I was speechless for a couple of seconds.

I couldn’t believe it. My marriage with that man never got registered! Oh, God! Is this real?

When I arrived here a while ago and saw the surprise of Xzavier, one side of my brain already had a slight idea that he might propose but I didn’t entertain that thought because in my mind, I was still bounded even though I’ve never accepted it.

“H-He was never my husband? How is that possible?”

He smiled. “Yes, my Ina. Even he didn’t know about it. He was so confident that everything went smoothly according to his plans but that was his grave mistake. Besides, the priest who officiated your wedding wasn’t even a real priest.” Because of overwhelming joy, I cupped his face and kissed him on the lips, silently thanking him for all the things that he’d done for me from the beginning until now.

“Much as I loved that kiss, I still want to hear your answer.” He said breathlessly when our lips parted. I laughed, still tearing up, and nodded my head.

“You don’t have to ask me, Xzav, because I will marry you no matter when and where. You’re the only man for me.”

“You mean…”

“It’s a yes.” To my surprise, a set of tears fell from his eyes. We were both emotionally happy. Upon putting the ring on my finger, he stood up and kissed me full of passion and love. I heard sounds of fireworks and when I opened my eyes, I was right.

Lots of fireworks colored the sky. Even the stars and full moon shone so brightly as if they were celebrating with us.

“She said yes!” I was surprised when Xzavier shouted and heard claps coming from the garden. When I looked down, I saw our families, friends and relatives there, happily cheering for the both of us.

“You gathered everyone here just for this? How come I didn’t see them earlier?”

He beamed. “Yes, my Ina. Everyone helped me prepare all of this. You didn’t see them before they hid, of course. Our plan was for them to show up when you already said yes.”

“Your parents are here too?”

“Yes. Dad and I talked the other day and we finally fixed our differences. He wanted to apologize to you actually but didn’t get the chance. When I told him and mom about my plan of proposing, they were so happy for me. I felt their full support.” I couldn’t believe it. I really thought, this wouldn’t be possible at all but it did happen. It felt surreal.

“Oh, Xzav. I ca even explain how happy I am right now.”

“Me too, Ina. At last, you will finally become Mrs. Montaño. Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me? There’s no going back.”

“Hmmm. What if I suddenly changed my mind while we’re waiting for our wedding day?” The expression on his face changed. I thought, he would get mad but he suddenly smirked.

“Then, I will do what I initially planned to do during the time when you wouldn’t listen to me and kept on pushing me away.” That was the time when we got reunited after three years.

“And that was?”

“To kidnap you and take you somewhere secluded where there will only me and you so that I could make you fall in love with me again.” My eyes widened.

“Are you serious? You planned to do that to me?”

He laughed. “Well, it crossed my mind. Thankfully, you realized that you still had the hots for me that’s why we didn’t get to that point. And I was even looking forward to making love with you at the beach in this secluded place that I had in mind.”

“Xzav!” His laugh became louder.

“So, you know what will happen if you changed your mind.” He even winked naughtily at me and my cheeks flushed.

“You’re really something.”

“Well, that’s how much I love you.” That put a smile on my face. I tipped on my toes, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips.

“And I love you too. Maybe, we could go to a private island on our honeymoon?” Excitement surged within him. I could already see the desire in his tantalizing eyes. I smiled.

“Whatever you want. As long as we’re together.” After that, our lips met for another passionate kiss.

Shortly after that, we went down and joined everyone. My parents were so emotional but happy for the both of us and so were Xzavier’s parents. It seemed that our parents get along pretty well too.

“Our baby will grow up full of love with all these lovely people around us, my Ina.”

“I agree. Oh, I can’t wait to see our baby.”

“I feel the same way. I can already picture a mini version of you running around this very place during every occasion.”

I smiled as I envisioned what he said. Happiness and incomparable love filled my heart.

“See you in 7 months, baby. Mommy and daddy are here, waiting for you.” Xzavier said as he lovingly stroked my tummy which made me smile.

After two weeks, we had our church wedding. Even though it was kinda rush, we didn’t feel like it was because everything was perfect. Our loved ones were all present, supported and celebrated with us…

PRESENT

When my parents left, I just sat on the couch to watch TV when I heard that cute voice.

“Good morning, mommy! We’re back!” I looked at the one who just entered the door. Our four-year-old daughter Xzana and behind her was my loving handsome husband.

She ran up to me and hugged me, kissing my cheek in the process.

“Good morning, sweetie.” I kissed her forehead as I hugged her. Her hair was tied in twin tails, wearing her pink unicorn t-shirt, pink shorts and pink slippers. “You’re so cute. Mommy can hug you all day.” Xzana squealed as I rain small kisses on her neck.

“Enough, mommy! It’s ticklish!” She kept on laughing and squealing uncontrollably until I finally stopped.

“That’s for not waking mommy up. You even left me.” I faked a pout.

“I’m sorry, mommy. Daddy said you were tired that’s why we didn’t wake you up.” She answered as she climbed on my lap.

“What about your handsome husband, my Ina? Looks like you forgot about me.” I chuckled when I heard what my husband had said.

“Oh, you’re here. I didn’t see you.” I fought the urge to laugh when I saw his expression change.

“You’ll pay for that tonight, my sweet wife.”

“I was only kidding.” He smirked and was about to answer when Xzana spoke.

“Why, daddy? Does mommy owe you money? She can just pay it now. Why tonight?” She looked so puzzled while looking at the both of us alternately.

“Yes, sweetie. Mommy owes daddy something but not money.”

“What is it then?”

“Why don’t you ask mommy?” He was grinning from ear to ear. My cheeks heated up and glared at Xzavier. How could he say those things in front of our daughter?

“What is it, mommy? Can I see it when you give it back to daddy?”

“Sweetie, your daddy is just kidding. Why don’t we go upstairs and take a bath instead?” Her face brightened.

“We’ll bathe together?”

“Yes.”

“Yehey! Let’s go, mommy!” She then ran towards the stairs.

“Slow down, baby. Don’t run on the stairs.” I reminded her worriedly and was about to follow her when Xzav stopped me by the hand.

“Don’t worry, mommy! I’ll be careful!” Xzana answered.

“What about me? We always take a shower together.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes, except when your daughter asks me to bathe with her. Anyway, you’re going to sleep in the guest room tonight.”

“What?! But why?!”

“It’s your punishment for saying those stuff in front of your daughter.”

“C’mon, Ina. I was just messing around. Besides, she didn’t even have any idea of what I was talking about.” He sounded like he was having a hard time.

I smiled sweetly and kissed his cheek. “I know.”

“Then…”

“But you’re still sleeping in the guest room tonight. Anyway, good morning, my husband.” I winked at him teasingly before turning my back on him.

“Ina, please. Have mercy on your husband.” I almost laughed upon hearing that.

Later that day, we attended the wedding of Rex and Ellie. They sent us an invitation while we were in the USA. Imagine my surprise when I learned that they got back together after all these years and now, tying the knot.

Their twins, Rexus and, Avellie, were surely over the moon. Xzana and the twins were of the same age and whenever we were in the ranch, they would play with each other.

The ceremony was held at the waterfalls and it was breathtaking. I couldn’t hold back my tears while watching them recite their vows to one another. I felt so happy for them.

I smiled when Xzavier made me rest the side of my head on his shoulder and then kissed my forehead.

“You’ve been awfully sensitive and emotional lately.”

I chuckled. “Well, this is just normal in my condition right now.”

“I know that’s why I’m worried about you tonight. Are you sure—”

“—100% sure.”

“Okay. It’s up to you.” He was smiling as if he was thinking about something funny. Then, the evening came and it was time for us to sleep. Since we were in my parents’ house, Xzana slept with me in our room and Xzavier was in the guest room as a punishment.

But after two hours of sleep, I found myself waking up. My entire body felt like it was on fire. I tried to sleep it off but my need prevented me from doing so. Then, I gave up and went to the guest room.

To my surprise, it wasn’t locked. I entered and got surprised even more upon seeing Xzavier wide awake, staring at my direction as if he was already expecting for me to come.

“I knew it.” He said smugly and I bit my lower lip. “So, what’s bring you here, wifey?” I knew that my cheeks were already as red as tomatoes.

“You already know what it is about.” I sat on the edge of the bed.

“No, I don’t. You need to spell it out.” He was feigning ignorance. My cheeks burned even more.

“Xzav…Please.”

“Please, what?” Irritation filled me and wanted to wipe that grin off his face.

“Fine! If you don’t want to, then don’t!” I bristled and was about to storm out of there but he was quick to stop me by pulling my hand. Because of what he did, I fell on top of him but he made sure that my land would be gentle and smooth.

“Xzav!”

“I was just teasing you. I knew that you would do this but you still kicked me out of our room.”

“It’s not my fault that I’ve been so needy lately. This is your fault so take responsibility for making me pregnant once again.” He laughed heartily. Yes, my appetite in bed doubled again and as always, Xzavier had been loving it.

“You know that I’m always ready and able.” He even wriggled his eyebrows.

“You’re really insatiable.”

“We’re just the same, my Ina. Our desire for each other never diminished over the years. In fact, it keeps on growing.” That made me smile.

“Well, I won’t deny that.”

“Get ready because I won’t let you sleep tonight. That’s your punishment for punishing me.”

I laughed. “Crazy. You’re—” Whatever I wanted to say was cut off when he sealed my lips with a hot, deep and needy kiss. I moaned and automatically reciprocated in equal heat and intensity. Later on, the sounds of sex were the only things that could be heard in the room.

When we reached the peak of our hot lovemaking, we called each other’s name.

“I love you so much, my Ina. Always and forever.” My heart swelled. He always says that to me everyday but the effect on me never changed. It still makes my heart pound like a drum.

“I love you too, my Xzav. Only you.” We enjoyed the post-coital bliss while in a spooning position while talking about random stuff. Then, he his hands began caressing my naked body once again.

“Oh, God. Haven’t you had enough yet? It’s already late. Xzana might wake up so I need to go back to our room.” I moaned when he cupped my breasts and kneaded them erotically.

“Later. I still want another round. Who knows? We might still make it and give our little one here his twin.” He said, referring to our unborn child. I laughed.

“You’re really crazy. Is that even possible?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? Why don’t we try it and see what happens next?” My laugh became louder. My husband was really one of a kind and I was lucky to have him as a husband.

Loving could potentially hurt you but if you love the right person, all the tears and pain will always be worth it in the end.

➳➳➳❤

Ⓒ

❤

Ⓢ

❤➳➳➳

The end

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