Chapter 1 Prologue

• I stood up when I saw Lucas enter the door. It was already late at night and I patiently waited for him here at the sala.
• He looked at me when I helped him take off the coat that he was wearing. My nose wrinkled after inhaling the smell of alcohol.
• "Have you eaten?' I asked. 'I'm waiting for you so we can eat together,' I added when he didn't even bother to answer me.
• I puffed out my cheeks and then bit my lower lip. I cooked your favorite dish. I know that when—'
• "Can you shut the fuck your mouth?" he said. His eyes are screaming annoyance.
• I swallowed and just bowed. When I saw that he had taken off his shoes, I picked them up and put them aside on the shoe rack.
• I'm used to him being like that. I understand why he doesn't want to be nice to me, but what I will never understand is why he can't even treat me as his wife or even a normal person.
• My eyes sparkled when he went straight to the kitchen. Thinking that he would eat because he was there in the chair and seemed to be waiting for food, I prepared the food but after I prepared it after I served it on the dining table, he just looked at it with his disgusted eyes before leaving me here alone. The glass almost broke when he aggressively put it on the table.
• I just sat down and massaged my forehead. I looked at the clock on my wristwatch just to laugh. It's almost half past midnight.
• I couldn't help but to looked at the food that I prepared. For sure, that will be my breakfast again. I mean, this is not something new to me. I just took a bite when my stomach rumbled. I've had an ulcer attack several times but I keep repeating it for the same reason. Why can't I just learn from it?
• I just shook my head and finished eating so I could rest. I'm still early for my work tomorrow. I wanted to relax as soon as I entered my room, but I couldn't do it. Sleepiness has passed me and I am sure that no matter how I try, this sleepiness will not visit me.
• I went out to the veranda and sat there. I looked up and looked at the shining stars.
• "How many more years?" I talked to myself. "It's been seven years since we got married, but why does it seem like time is just moving forward–changing, and not the situation we're in? This is draining me too much. I'm exhausted."
• I didn't want to marry Lucas either in the first place. I just woke up and y parents suddenly tell me that I'm... going to get married to someone that I didn't have a chance to know first.
• It's been years and I still wonder why he didn't reject this marriage if he didn't want it. He has more power between the two of us and if I ever knew about it beforehand, I would have objected too. I don't like this marriage in the way that I only saw him once before the wedding happened between us and what's worse is that I wasn't even given time to socialize with him and get to know him well first.
• I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes and then laughed. "But why is it possible for us to fall in love with someone who has never shown you any kindness since then?"
• I let out a breath and went inside. I don't know what time I fell asleep because I was too lazy to get out of bed when I woke up. I was still feeling tired. I have no choice but to stand up and take care of myself if I don't want to be late.
• I didn't even bother to look where Lucas was because I knew he had already left. In our seven years together, I can only count on my fingers the mornings that I saw him here at home before I went to work.
• "Noah!" I greeted him when I arrived.
• From rummaging through his things he turned to me. "Have you had your coffee?" he asked. "Let's have coffee. I think, I am having a morning headache because of that woman," he complained.
• I just put down my things and went with him. I didn't even eat before leaving.
• "If I were just the CEO, I would fire Miss Bernadette first. Does she think that she is the owner of the company to have her rights to make this workplace hell? I don't even know what wrongdoing I did for her to act like this. As far as I am aware, she is the one who kept dragging me!" I just shook my head. I can already figure out the reason why he was having a headache.
• "But the things is, you are not the CEO nor the owner of our company," I jokingly replied to ease him.
• He just snorted and continued ranting. He didn't stop until we were able to buy our coffee and return to the office.
• We all noticed how Miss Bernadette treated Noah but no brave employee talked about it because, first of all, he might turn his anger toward us.
• "Do you want me to give you a lift?" he asked after rolling down his car window.
• I shook my head. "It's okay, I'll just grab a taxi. You can go now. It's getting late," I replied.
• He didn't insist anymore and drove away. I was left there in front of the Trion Building. I don't want to go home yet and go back to that hellish house.
• For how many years of enduring his ruthless attidtude towards me, I am used to it but... I'm also human. I have feelings and I also feel tired. Anyone who would be in my place would rather die or just vanished like a bubble and never come back. Yet, I don't have a choice.
• The light was still unopened when I arrived, a sign that none of us had gone home yet.
• I puffed my cheeks and cleaned myself before going down, heading to the kitchen. I just heated the kare-kare, the dish that I cooked last night, to serve as my dinner.
• The ingredients were too pricey and I couldn't afford to waste money. After all, Lucas wasn't giving house money.
• I was currently eating when Lucas entered the kitchen. I even stopped chewing when he passed behind me. I heard the refrigerator open behind me and the clinking of glasses. I didn't even bother to ask if he had eaten. It looks like he has already eaten his dinner.
• I looked at the cell phone that he placed on the table. I was about to take a bite when it rang and the screen opened. I bit my bottom lip when I saw the look on Iris's face there.
• Martyr.
• I wanted to laugh when Lucas took it immediately.
• "Kare-kare again?" he asked after placing his cell phone back on the table.
• The corner of my lips rose and slightly twitched. "Do you see adobo?" I sarcastically asked. He was looking at it. What is the sense of asking when you are already looking at it? Nonsense.
• "Well... Thankfully, I'm done with dinner. I won't gonna eat that fucking leftover," he said.
• I blew out air. "That's great then," I agreed with him. "That's better so that I don't have to spend money on food and get tired of cooking just to feed someone like you," I added.
• Rolling my eyes, I ate the last spoonful of rice on my plate and went straight to the sink to wash it.
• "Wash that," I ordered when he put the glass next to the plate that I was washing.
• He laughed a little. "Come on, it's your job as a wife," he stated.
• I laughed at him. "Oh," I said, nodding. "And now you are suddenly considering me as your wife, huh? Very comic, Martin."
• He just raised an eyebrow at me. "And you're answering now," he commented and pointed at my mouth, causing me to pat his hand away. It got a little stronger because his hand flew sideways.
• "Why? Are you the only one who has the right to answer between the two of us?" I asked. "I've been holding my temper back for years and don't ever think that I won't return all of that evil-doing of yours. Who are you to oppress me? We are just both fucking human beings. We will both be crawling with worms underground when we die," I voiced.
• He chuckled. "How sure are you? I will have my coffin made of metal," he said.
• "Oh, I forgot, you're a billionaire." I sarcastically said. "Rich in money but poor in friends, I see."
• I was satisfied when I saw his wrinkled face. "Of course, you won't have any. Who could even want to be friends with you? You're such a boring person and when someone approaches you, you immediately hand them money. You are so arrogant and have no love for other people, and I bet that's the reason why Iris must have left you and never came back—"
• I was no longer able to continue what I was saying when I received a firm slap from him. My head tilted because of the force. I tasted the metal on the side of my lip, a sign that my lips were bleeding.
• "Don't you fucking dare to drag Iris's name here! Who are you? As far as I know, your parents are fucking desperate to have my power and you are just a woman who happened to be as desperate as her parents to marry me. How desperate your family is."
• "What?" I asked, laughing. "I just want to tell you that I will kill myself first before marrying you. How thick your face is? Where did you get that done?" I sarcastically said.
• "My family is desperate? How come you forget who is more desperate between us?" I shot back and glared at him when he was about to extend his hand to me again.
• "One more touch of your hand," I warningly said. I was shaking because of the anger I was holding.
• He laughed. "What are you going to do, then?" he asked. Acting scared. "Oh, I am scared," he said and sarcastically covered himself.
• "Damn.. you are scaring me," he nodded and pointed at me. "Do you see yourself? Let me fucking tell you that it is your family that I helped and you're still like this when you stand in front of me?"
• "What are you talking about?" I asked and let a short laugh. "We never need the help of other people, especially a person like you. I'll rather go into the pit before asking for help from someone like you—'
• "Should I notify my people to dig a coffin size in the backyard then?" he cut me off.
• I feel like I'm turning red. His grin sounded as he turned his back on me. "Just let me know," he stated before completely leaving, carrying the coat he had been carrying when entering here.