Rhezi was smiling while watching the little boys playing around the vast garden of the Bailey mansion. Dos was swimming in their huge inflatable pool while his brothers were sliding on the huge slide that was connected to it. They were cheerfully giggling while playing with bubbles.
“Momma!” Dos called.
The boy was already fine and treated after Kraius offered his bone marrow for him. After the boy was confirmed to have leukemia, Kraius didn’t hesitate to do what he did. He also volunteered to give blood which the woman felt grateful for. She owed him a lot even though they were still not in good terms after they devoured each other that night.
It has been two months since everything happened. Two months since Kraius and her have talked about what happened in the past. It has also been two months since they last talked to each other, only acting casually. Two months of accepting and healing. Two months since everything changed.
“Momma! Do you want to join us?”
Rhezi exhibited a light smile when she heard Roscoe speak in Filipino. She’s still not used to hearing her kids speaking the language, but she’s happy to see that they’re learning the language pretty well along with Philippine history. Kraius suggested it and the woman didn’t oppose.
“No thanks, Love!” she replied.
Truthfully, she wants to play with them, but she wasn’t feeling well. She’s been feeling dizzy and sick for the past few days. Her head was throbbing sometimes and she knew it was not good, aside from the stress she had whenever she encounters an argument with Jericho.
Rhezi only sighed when she thought of the man. She even glanced at her phone and took it from the top of the table. She wanted to call him but she was hesitant to even try. She badly wanted to talk to him before she leaves.
Rhezi stared at her phone at the thought. She looked at the time and stared back to her kids. They seemed to be enjoying and she’s sad to call them. They needed to get ready because Kraius was picking them up.
It wasn’t directly said, but Rhezi felt that they already knew who Kraius really was in their lives. She forgot that her kids were all smart. They can easily notice things, especially when Kraius took care of Dos in the hospital.
“Momma, are we going to stay there for long? Are we going back in a bit?” Dos asked. The boy was obviously eyeing Rhezi while the latter was packing and checking each luggage.
“Of course. Besides, I will visit you often.”
Rhezi internally grimaced because it wasn’t true It was the opposite from what she and Kraius discussed. The truth was, she needed to stay in Kraius’ house for her to see the kids. Something that made her relationship with Jericho even more chaotic.
Rhezi didn’t want the idea either, but she couldn’t do anything in the end. She forgot that Kraius was one cunning Attorney. He could control everything, including the law. He has a great connection with Judge Aguirre which was his accomplice in all of Kraius’ business. She even remembered how the old man blackmailed her when she disagreed on the proposed agreement for custody.
“It’s okay, Momma. Mr. Handsome is a good Dad. I can see it. He took care of me everytime,” Dos stated.
Rhezi put the trolley down and beckoned the maids to get it. She went to her son on the bed and sat beside him. l. Then, she extended her hand and pulled the child close to her. She hugged him and kissed his temple after.
“You knew,” Rhezi whispered. It wasn’t a question but a sure statement.
“Yes! Even Roscoe and Tres. Momma, we’re not kids anymore,” the boy replied while huddling closer to his mother.
“But you’ll always be my baby,” Rhezi whined. She sighed and released her uncertainty. Then said, “I love you, Dos. Always remember that I love you and your brothers.”
“We love you, too,” he answered.
Rhezi tightened her hug on Dos. She also called the two other boys and cradled them closer into an embrace. They have always been her treasure. Her greatest possession. Now that they’re set-up has changed, the situation would be more difficult for the woman and probably for her kids, too. But she would make sure to always be there for them.
Rhezi’s thoughts were cut off by the sidden ring of her phone. She released the kids from the hug and looked for it. She smiled as the maid handed her the phone and abruptly took it. When she saw Kraius’ name, she immediately tap the answer button along with her frantic heartbeat.
“Are they ready?” the man said from the other line which made the lady pout. Kraius was undeniably one rude man.
“Y-Yes!” Rhezi bit her lower lip as she internally scolded herself for stuttering because of the effect that Kraius’ voice had on her.
“Remember what I told you, Chubz. You’ll be staying in my house if you want to–”
“I know,” she said, preventing the man from completing the sentence.
“Good. I’m outside your house,” he muttered.
The woman’s eyes widened. “You’re joking. I mean. . . That fast?” she said in disbelief.
She abruptly stood up and commanded the maids to put the luggage outside. Rhezi then called her kids to lead them outside. She was in panic, not even caring about the fact that Kraius could hear what she was saying from the other line.
“Momma, relax!” Tres said.
“I am,” Rhezi answered as they descended the stairs. She looked around first, hoping to see Jericho, but the man was nowhere to be found.
The woman sighed and shrugged everything off. As they walked on the pathway towards the gate of the mansion, Rhezi couldn’t help but to look at her kids from their back. Talking and teasing each other, while protecting and smiling towards each other. She was happy and overwhelmed from the sight that her heart throbbed. She realized that even if she hid them to the farthest place, the truth would always prevail. Her kids would always be connected to Kraius because they came from his flesh and blood.
When the guard opened the gate, her heart rate accelerated even more. She tried to calm down as she scolded herself for panicking and acting this weird. Like she badly want to see the man despite her mind opposing.
“Hi!” Kraius greeted. He gazed at the kids before shifting towards Rhezi, smirking teasingly. “Relax,” he added while staring directly at the woman.
“Hi, Mr. Handsome!” the kids greeted in unison, stealing Kraius’ attention.
“H-Hi,” the woman greeted back.
Kraius nodded his head as a response. “Lets go, kids! Come on!” he cheerfully said to the three. The boys didn’t complain and immediately went inside the car. When they finally entered the car, he turned around to face Rhezi.
“You looked pale and obviously tensed. I won’t eat you if don’t want to be eaten,” he teased as he leaned closer to kiss Rhezi’s head, not minding the eyes feasted on them. “I missed you,” he added.
“I am still married, Kraius. This is infedility,” she answered, trying to prove a point. It’s more like she’s convincing herself rather than convincing the man.
“Fuck those bullshit, Chubz. You don’t know how much I tried to stop myself from touching you like this, where in fact I can always break the rules for you.”
Rhezi closed her eyes as she wanted to feel Kraius’ words inside her heart and mind. They were just the same. They felt the same. She also wanted to be with him and hugged him tight. But, things wasn’t just easy. There were things they needed to consider. There were things that needed to be fixed.
“I d–”
Everything happened in a blink. Rhezi’s eyes widened as she stared at Kraius holding his jaw. Her mouth fell open when she looked at her side and saw Jericho’s eyes blazing with anger, while looking at her intently.
“Is this why you agreed to that bullshit custody? So you could be with this fucker?!” he sternly said. “Did you sleep with him again, Momma? Haven’t you learned your lesson?” he added.
“Watch your words, fucker!” Kraius spat. He aimed to punch Jericho but Rhezi quickly stood between the two furious men. She looked at Jericho with confusion. She didn’t want to assume things but it was something she couldn’t afford to skip.
“I don’t know what you are trying to say, Dada. You are beyond the line,” she commented. “Why are you acting this way? You know what we really are!”
Jericho laughed bitterly while Kraius knitted his brows. The man obviously didn’t know about what was going on between the two.
“You stooped this low, Rhezi. I thought you learned. He cheated on you before. You saw that, right?!” Jericho angrily sap. The bodyguards went to him but the latter only shook his head. “You cried. I was there!”
The last words Jericho said caught Rhezi’s attention the most. She couldn’t forget that certain moment. She was walking alone in the hotel after she declined her friends offer to sleep over. Jericho approached her and told her about Kraius and his escapade. She was with him when he witnessed everything and he was also the one to pull her out of that place. If it was just a coincidence then why did her mind tell her it wasn’t? Why did her heart hurt from the images and memories that would lead him to prove her guts?
“Did you plan all of this?” she asked.
“What?!” Kraius roared, but the woman ignored her. She walked closer to Jericho instead and looked at her in the eye.
“Did you pretend to be gay just so I could fall for your trap?” she asked with conviction. When she was given no answer from the man, she instantly hit the chest of someone that she treated as a friend and a shoulder to lean on for the longest of time. “Answer me. Damn it!”
“I love you!” he confessed.
“Fuck you, bastard!” Kraius yelled.
“I love you but you never seem to see it,” Jericho added weakly.
Rhezi was stunned. Her mouth opened to say something but she was caught off guard to even form a coherent sentences. She looked at him incredulously for she never thought things would turn this way.
She touched her chest as the feeling of betrayal succumbed inside her heart then tears streamed down to her face. She was hurting. Her heart was aching because of the realization. Realization that all the past years of her life were a total lie.