Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
BELLA’S POV
If dad hadn’t chosen such a dumb excuse, I wouldn’t be struggling to keep him.
by my side now.
Since dad had told everyone that lame lie, I had no choice but to go with it after I returned. I had carefully capitalized on it and told it to Mark at every chance I got. He pitied me and he had been loving and kind, always coming at my every beck and call to hold me in his arms and assure me that everything would be fine and he would always be there for me. But now…I reflected on the past few days and hissed again. Now the lie was barely effective now that Sydney was
more involved.
Or maybe my acts weren’t believable.enough? Perhaps I should meet up with a doctor and make him lie, then I would get Mark to go with me and…
I hissed and threw the ideas out the window. It was enough that Sydney knew about it. I didn’t want more ears to hear. What if the doctor later decided to be-
tray me?
I hissed again. If dad hadn’t chosen this excuse for my absence then I would have been able to come up with a firmer excuse. Now I was stuck with a nonex-
istent heart disease. I hissed as I sipped the tasteless drink in the cup.
Sandra cleared her throat noisily, “Are you even here?”
I turned to her, a brow raised, “I’m sitting right here and you’re still asking me
that?”
She shook her head. “What’s bothering you? Your b*dy’s here but your mind is-
n’t here. You don’t want to be here, do you?”
I sat up and dropped my wineglass. “I’m-”
“When you knew you weren’t interested, you know you could have just said so,
12-23
1/7
Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
right?” Her perfectly arched brow went up her hairline. “Why waste our time?”
I pouted as I peered at her, “I’m sorry.” I let out a long breath and my shoulders. fell, “I just can’t get it off my mind.”
Sandra rolled her eyes and looked away for a few seconds. When she looked my way again, her gaze was filled with concern. That was one thing about San- dra; she was always quick to get angry and at the same time, she was quick to forgive. I didn’t want to make her mad; I never want to. She is the one who has al- ways been there from all these while.
She took my hand that rested resignedly on my lap. “You’re still worried about yesterday, aren’t you?”
I felt my brows crease as I answered her, “Shouldn’t I be? I’m losing him, San- dra. My eyes are wide open and his sl*pping out of my fingers.”
She drew back and squinted her eyes, “Is this still about you wanting to be wed- ded to a billionaire or you’re falling for him?”
I frowned. “I don’t know.” I didn’t even want to think about it…love…I doubt if I
ever want to feel it again. I doubt could even ever feel it again. “I just want to be
a billionaire’s wife. And I want to be the only one. I want to make him love me so
much that he’d worship the ground I step on. He should love me so much he’d
do anything for me.”
“He would,” she said softly, her hands squeezing mine.
I snatched my hands from hers. “No, he won’t! You saw it yourself. You saw how he threw her over his shoulder yesterday.”
“He was simply angry at her announcement.”
I turned to face her, “Now why should he be? If he wants to be with me, he
wouldn’t be mad that she wants to leave the marriage. His attention is increas-
ingly being taken by her.”
Sandra sat back and sipped leisurely from her cup. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.” She ad- mitted quite maliciously, “That b**ch, I just-” she paused for a while then she
12:23
2/7
Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
shrugged abruptly, “I just really hate how she behaves, how she acts as if she’s the Alpha and Omega, like she’s everything.”
I smirked, “You don’t need to say it,” I gestured in–front of her face, “It’s all over your face.”
She giggled then suddenly sobered up. She turned to me, her eyes wide. “I have an idea.”
“Let’s hear it,” I leaned closer and she mirrored my movement.
“Get pregnant.”
My heart skipped a quick beat when some memories flooded in. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Focus on the present, Bella, I reprimanded myself.
“What do you mean I should get pregnant?”
She blinked at me. “Come on girl. You know what I mean. Sleep with Mark with- out protection and make sure he impregnates you.”
“Oh,” I murmured dismally and sat back.
“You can’t do it?” Her sharp voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“What? No, yeah, I can,” I spluttered. I sat straighter in the chair. “I will. Anything to get him to be fully mine.”
“Good,” she smiled, “because there’s no surer way to own a man than to carry his child in your belly.”
I nodded, already working a plan in my head. “Why haven’t I thought of this be- fore?” My subconscious mocked me as I asked; I ignored it.
“I’m surprised myself. You’ll see that when you get pregnant with his child, he’ll be forced to divorce Sydney.” She shrugged, “Afterall, you’re carrying his heir so why shouldn’t he devote his life to keeping you happy?”
I sprang out of the chair, my l*ps stretched in a wide “Oh Sandra. Thank you,
thank you,” I pecked her continuously on each cheek in excitement.
She playfully pushed me off her and I sat back in my chair thrumming with ex-
12:24
3/7
Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
citement. I was so sure in the that this one would work. But apart from that, I
knew he wanted me. I was confident enough that I would easily get him to sleep with me.
*Come on, what are friends for if we don’t hatch plans to destroy someone we mutually hate.”
“Yas, girl,” I chirped and raised my cup in the air. She did the same and our
cups met clumsily in the air as our hands shook from our laughter.
Later, Sandra and I ordered a ordered a meal each and ate to our fill, chatting
and cachinnating as we did.
Then we left the restaurant and we visited a mall; we giggled like school girls
as we picked a lingerie set for me. I was hatching my plan tonight. No time to
waste.
In the evening we parted ways. It was an unexpectedly fun–filled day for me. On my way home I dialed Mark.
“Bel…” his deep voice filled the speaker of my phone and I closed my eyes in
bliss, imagining him murmuring sweet nothings in my ear as he-
“Bella, are you there?”
My eyes flew open. “Yes!” The pitch of my voice was too high so I took a deep
breath. “Of course I’m not fine. I’ve missed you.”
I heard him sigh. “I’ve missed you too, babe. It’s just w-”
“Yeah, work. I know,” I interrupted him, feeling slightly irritated that I had planned.
“I might be dying and you’d still choose work. It’s fine. Go back to work. I just called to ask if you’d like to come over for dinner but apparently you’re busy. Bye, have a good working night,” I bit out and hung up.
I bit my l*p as I stared at my phone. I really hope he would call back. Because if
he doesn’t, I wo-
My phone vibrated in my palm. A mischievous grin spread across my face as I looked at the caller’s ID. I did a hasty countdown from ten before I picked up.
12:24
4/7
Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
He let out a relieved breath. “I was scared you weren’t going to pick up.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to use work as excuse. I’ll come for dinner if you want
me to. What time?”
“A couple hours from now,” I grinned.
I washed myself with my best scented b*dy wash and donned myself in the heavenly smell of my b*dy spray then I put on the lingerie and let my hair fall around my shoulders.
“You know,” I started, few minutes into the second course of our meal. Mark was already digging in after complimenting my cooking skills nonstop. “Not hav–1
ing you around always reminds me of my days overseas.”
Mark’s fork froze in the air then he dropped it and picked up the bottle of alco-
hol and poured some into his wineglass. He took a big gulp. “I’m sorry.”
My eyes lowered as I poked the food on my plate. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault that I got diagnosed with a heart disease few days before my wedding.”
I heard him sigh deeply then he exhausted the content in his glass and I
smirked inwardly. Just a few more acts.
“Mom and dad couldn’t come and I was all alone throughout the whole process.
There was no one to turn to whenever I was haunted by those…nightmares.”
I looked up at him; my eyes felt wet with tears. “It was hell, Mark. I wished you.
were there then. I wished you were there to hold me in your arms like you do now and tell me that they were just meaningless dreams…” I trailed off and a tear rolled down my cheeks.
“Come on, Bel,” Mark roughly pushed his chair back and quickly got on his feet. He came around the table and held me by my shoulder. He wiped the lone tear
with his thumb, the feel of his arms around me and thumb on my cheek sent
shivers down my back. “It’s in the past now,” he gave me a peck on my fore-
12:24 1
5/7
Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
head. “Don’t think about it.”
I sniffed and nodded, my grip on the sides of his shirt.
“Now let’s not let this sumptuous meal go to waste,” he smiled softly and play- fully pulled at my cheeks.
He fed me as we ate and I in–turn, poured more alcohol for him as I told him an-
other made–up story about my sick and sad days abroad.
After eating, we cleared the dishes together. All the while, Mark took short inter- mittent breaks by taking a quick swig from the bottle of alcohol he clung to. Then he’d mutter, smiling drunkenly, “It’s just so good. You should try it.” He’d stretch his arm toward me and I’d push it back. “It’s all yours, Mark,” I’d whisper
back and accompany it with a sloppy k*ss.
Few more k*sses and we couldn’t get our hands off each other, Mark especially.
I took us upstairs and took off the robe I had over the lingerie. Mark’s eyes lit up as he took it in. His l*ps ever so slowly curled into a lopsided smile. He pulled me to him and murmured huskily, “I love what you have on.”
“You do, don’t you?” I giggled and connected our l*ps in a searing k*ss.
I unbuttoned his shirt and pressed my b*dy to his. His groan filled the room and he roughly pushed me to the bed. I had barely caught my breath before he climbed on top of me and straddled me.
His l*ps brushed against mine teasingly before he pulled my l*ps in his. The k*ss quickly became rough. Mark’s l*ps left mine and traveled downwards. He took his time as he k*ssed my n*eck; his l*ps slightly hovering above my collar-
bone before his teeth grazed it.
I squirmed beneath him, my fingers tangling in his hair and my legs tangled
with his as his big hands palmed my breast then he was sliding the light materi- al over my breast, his hot breath made my nipples get even harder.
un-
I tipped my head up when he suddenly stopped. The look on his face was u
fathomable as he stared at my boobs.
12:24
6/7
Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen
“Mark,” I called softly and with my hands in his hair, I tipped his head back so he could look at me. “What’s wrong, babe?”
“I can’t do this,” he muttered, his eyes filled with confusion.
“What?” I frowned.
“I have to go home,” I flinched as he suddenly pulled away, taking the warmth of his b*dy with him. “Sydney is waiting for me.
I sprang up from the bed at his last sentence. My eyes pricked with tears. “Mark , what are you saying. I’m the one waiting. Look at me,” I reached for him but he
scrambled off the bed.
“She’ll leave. She’ll go to the bar guy. I have to go.”
He looked like he was in a trance. “What bar guy?!” I erupted and my loud voice only seemed to knock him to his senses more. I quickly softened my voice, I reached for him and he didn’t move away. “You can’t go like this, Mark.” I brushed my l*ps against his ear, “You’ve been drinking. You can’t drive in this
state. Just stay here for the night.”
He jerkily shrugged me off his shoulders and got on his feet. “I can. I can dri-
ve…I just have to go home…” he trailed off and staggered out the door.
And just like that, he was gone.
I collapsed on the bed, tears brimming in my eyes as loneliness cocooned me into its depressing embrace. My ch*st rose and fell as I breathed heavily, my ha- tred for Sydney intensifying.
12:24
