Chapter 9 – Zara's Pov

• I had fallen asleep lost in my thoughts and would have continued to sleep if it weren't for the knocking on my door. Quickly, I got up and went to the door.
• “Enrique, it's you.”
• “Are you sick?” he asked.
• “No, I'm not. Why do you ask?” I responded, fixing my hair.
• “Daddy told me to ask if you're okay.” I had to suppress a laugh at Enrique's statement.
• “I see, so where is he now?”
• “Cooking breakfast.”
• “I see.”
• “But I think he needs your help!” Enrique said, sounding worried.
• “Really?” I replied, trying to make myself look presentable.
• “Yes, Mom.”
• “Alright, let's go and see your dad,” I said, and we both headed downstairs to the kitchen.
• What the hell? I couldn't help but curse silently when I saw the mess in my kitchen.
• “Enrique, I'll help your dad with cooking. Just go to your room,” I ordered.
• As soon as Enrique left, I confronted Lucas. “You knew you can't cook a proper meal, so why?”
• I mean, I'm asking why he dared to intervene in my kitchen when all he's capable of was making toasted bread. Yes, he's a frustrated chef, but he shouldn't be practicing in my kitchen. It's just unacceptable!
• “I'm hungry, and Ken was hungry too! Did you plan to starve us?”
• And now I'm the one to be blamed?!
• “You should have woke me up!” My anger subsided a bit, but then I wondered what time he got home. Anyway, it didn’t matter anymore.
• “But you said I wasn't allowed to go to your room...” He peeked at me and seemed amused.
• I took offense when he smirked. “Is there something funny?”
• “No, none at all. I just remembered how you look when you just woke up.” Without warning, I lightly punched his arm.
• “Is being a gentleman just fake for you, Mr. Blackwood?”
• “Mr. Blackwood? Have you forgotten who I am, Zara? I am still your husband!”
• “Oh, Lucas, just stop it, okay? I have never forgotten about who you are. How could I when you always blame me for being one?”
• But then, I realized that a woman like me could easily fall in love. It only took a little bit of sweet-talking, and my heart would give in. Maybe if I had been involved with other men before, I wouldn't be so susceptible to Lucas's charms. I knew I needed to find a way to distance myself from him!
• “Why are you here, Lucas? You are supposed to be with Giselle,” I reminded him of the things he told me after our intimate encounter.
• “Later, Zara,” he replied before walking out of the kitchen without looking back.
• I shrugged my shoulders and started cleaning up. I cook better when my kitchen was clean. A cluttered kitchen always ruined my mood, especially when it's Lucas who made the mess.
• Once I finished cooking and setting the table, I called them to eat, even though it was quite late. Enrique seemed to enjoy the food I prepared, but Lucas was the only one not enjoying the meal. He was busy with his phone until the food got cold.
• After breakfast, Lucas was gone, and I didn’t give a damn where he went. For sure, he went to meet with Giselle. He would only come home whenever he felt like doing it. Fortunately, Enrique and I were used to his absence.
• So, since Lucas was away, I took my soon to a shopping mall. I let him choose where he wanted to eat inside the mall, and after a few minutes of discussion, we decided to eat in a chicken restaurant.
• After eating lunch, we went to the theater to watch a movie. Just like earlier, I let him choose the movie title we had to watch. As expected, he chose a cartoon movie, but I couldn’t complain though. It was a good movie.
• After the movie, we went to the department store, and looked around. I bought some lingerie even if I wouldn’t be able to use them. Whereas Enrique asked me to buy a huge stuff toy. It was a human size teddy bear, and he was so glad to carry it around the mall.
• Before heading home, we had our dinner steakhouse. I ordered their steak while Enrique had their fish and fries. Then, we had watermelon salad afterward, but when he requested if he could have an ice cream, I obliged to his request because it wasn’t every day that he would ask for it.
• When we got home, we were both tired after spending the entire day at the mall. I just helped Enrique in cleaning himself, then he went to sleep. I was dragging my feet toward my room. The house was big but it’s just the two of us. I couldn’t even hire a maid to help me with the cleaning.
• But before I was able to fall asleep, Lucas sent me a message that he would take ma and Enrique to the mall in the morning. I rolled my eyes because at the moment I couldn’t imagine myself walking around the mall again. But still, I set my alarm clock.
• As soon as I woke up, I showed Enrique the message I got from his Dad and he was overjoyed. He was too excited as he went to the bathroom to take a shower, and after thirty minutes, he was ready to go, and I was too proud of him. At a young age, he already know how to choose an outfit.
• The next morning, around four o'clock, I woke up, and Enrique was already awake too. Only Lucas was missing, and we were about to leave. I wondered what was taking him so long! It was unusual for him to take us to the mall, but he promised Enrique he would do it with us this morning.
• “Where’s Dad?” he asked as soon as he found me waiting in the living room. Just like him, I was also ready to leave.
• “Enrique, please tell your father to hurry up,” I asked.
• After a few minutes, Enrique was back, but Lucas was still nowhere to be found.
• “How about your father?”
• “I think he's sick, Mom,” Enrique answered.
• “W-what?!”
• Was he getting sick now when we're about to leave? No, I didn’t think it was the case. I believed Lucas had second thoughts about going to the mall with us. Before Enrique could be disappointed, I went to see Lucas.
• As expected, he was fine but decided not to go. So, I ended up begging him not to disappoint our son once again. He only agreed when I chose a not so famous mall in the city. I waited for him while he was getting ready so that he wouldn’t have another chance to make an excuse.
• While we were heading to the mall, I only spoke when Enrique would ask me some questions. My hand was sweating from holding my mobile phone for so long but I was really uncomfortable around Lucas.
• “Are you waiting for someone to call you?” he asked and there was a hint of anger in his voice.
• I didn’t respond to his inquiry; instead, I put my phone inside my sling bag and held Enrique’s hand. When we arrived at the mall, he kept a safe distance from us. I felt bad for my son when Lucas refused to hold his hand, and then he pretended to be busy calling someone. In my mind, I wondered if he was calling Giselle at the moment.
• “Don’t let go of my hand, Ken,” I said to my son. Sometimes I would call him by his nickname.
• “But I am a big boy now, Mom. I am sure I can manage,” he replied while trying to get away from my hold.
• “Don’t use that tone with me, little boy!” I scolded him in a way I knew wouldn’t hurt him too much.
• “I'm sorry, Mom,” he quickly apologized.
• “It's okay. I understand that you're a big boy now, but there could be bad guys in the mall. So, do you want to eat first before shopping for toys?”
• “I will look for a good restaurant,” Lucas said from a distance.
• We followed him as he looked for a nice place to eat, but then I saw someone who shouldn't be at the mall. I suddenly stopped walking and bumped into Lucas' back.
• “What's wrong?” Lucas asked.
• I was speechless, staring at Giselle. She was so beautiful even in a simple dress, and I felt a pang of insecurity. Before Lucas could say anything, I dragged Enrique in another direction. I wasn't far when Giselle squealed in delight upon seeing Lucas!