LUCAS POV

I was wrong. I was terrible wrong. I thought the incident would keep her quiet for at least a few hours, but no, she just kept coming back. And coming back, and coming back.

It was like a never-ending cycle of me having to walk away from her constant annoying attitude only for her to follow me around for more.

I didn't know what to do anymore. I tried ignoring her, I tried being nice , I tried being calmer when I respond to her, and it was all in vain. Nothing worked anymore and I was completely exhausted.

If she's not, not giving me food, she's giving me attitude. And she keeps talking about taking my kids away. I'm only being nice because I feel she's not doing to well but it seems she's strong enough now. I should go back to being my mean self.

Jeez! Like I don't have enough on my plate already trying to find out who paid that teacher to bully Claire and why.

I picked up and keys and was about stepping out when I heard something from the TV that got my attention.

"A certain history teacher from Hugh's schools was shot dead in front of the school. Although no suspect has been named, rumor has it that Mrs Sophia Miller who is also the wife of Mr Lucas Hernández holds a grudge against her for bullying their daughter. Could it be that....

I couldn't listen anymore. I turned it off.

I took out my phone and went through the tabloid. The news was everywhere, on every news hub, every blog. It was like someone paid for it to be hyped. People were calling Sophia a murderer. I called Tony immediately.

"Why the f**k I'm I seeing this shit on the news?" I asked without responding to his greeting.

"I don't know how it happened sir. I'll take care of it."

"You better do, if you don't want your head on a platter."

I ended the call and tuned to leave o ky to see Sophia standing behind me.

"Sophia!" I called a bit startled.

I was struggling to come up with something to console her. "I... I'll handle it....

"Seriously! I'm trying to get past this and they keep reminding me. What's wrong with them?" she said, surprising me.

The Sophia I knew would have been shaking and probably broken down In tears by now but this one before me didn't seem affected.

"You're okay?"

"Should I not be?"

"Well, the news...

"Oh that? You'll handle it. Right?"

And there comes the ride girl.

"You thought I'd be crying and cowering huh? That me is long gone. Besides I didn't kill her so why should I be worried about mere rumors?"

"Well, it's...

"I need to go back to bed, I just came out here to ask you the plans you've made for the inter-family sports."

"Inter-fa... Oh yeah! The kids school. I'm I supposed to make plans?"

"You... You act like you were never a child."

"That was ages ago. How I'm I supposed to remember stuffs that happened then."

"SMH! I have a headache and don't have the strength for this now."

"Me neither. I have to clean up your mess."

"My mess? What did I do?"

"Apparently, you killed a teacher who bullied your child." I said sarcastically.

I loved the look on her face. It made her kinda cute. I mean.. Well.. Whatever!

"At least I did something about it. Which is more than I can say for you."

"Sophia!"

"Lucas!"

Silence fell on us. We stood glaring at each other for what seemed like hours but in reality was probably only a couple of seconds.

I didn't really know what I was going to say.

It seemed strange to be just standing there glaring at this lady who I'd once loved. Maybe still loved.

I could tell she was struggling to come up with something to say and I was struggling to figure out how to react.

SOPHIA'S POV

I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. He was breathing heavily, his fists clenched and his face red. I was standing there, staring at him with my hands on my hips. I wanted to kill him and it was more than just a thought. My anger had taken over and it was going to be a fight that would end in one of us dead.

Maybe I shouldn't be feeling this way but I can't help it. He's been nothing but kind and helpful since the incident but I just couldn't bring myself to relax around him.

My defenses just kept coming up, whenever he was near me. But why wouldn't it. He had vowed to love me through thick and thin, good or bad, life or death but did he? He didn't even have the decency to admit that what he had done was wrong.

He didn't speak to me after everything was over. He never looked me in the eyes. He never even called me or emailed.

Whenever I looked at him, what I feel is regret for wasting years with him. I am ashamed for the amount of trust I placed in him. I get angry at the depth of his betrayal. I am pained that I lost in love. At the most annoying part is the fact that this act of his created the fear of ever loving again. And on the rare times where I entertain the thought of trying again, I remember what he did and change. My mind. I don't think I can listen to a guy talk and not think what he was saying was a lie. I don't think I can ever feel safe with him again.

In the midst of the tension and thought, I was distracted by a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead, on to his nose and stopped right above his lips. My thoughts flashed to when we kissed for the first time.

It was one of those nights that I remember forever. We had just finished watching a movie and decided to go for a walk in the park. It was a cold, crisp night and the stars shimmered above us. The park was dimly lit and it felt like we were the only two people left in the world. We walked through the trees until we reached a bench and sat down. I could feel my heartbeat quicken as he leaned in to kiss me. He held my hand as he pressed his lips against mine, and I closed my eyes as I felt his warm breath on my face. It was pure bliss.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and realized I was still holding his stare.

It was then I saw something odd. He has been holding his breath. He was still struggling but it wasn't to hold in his anger but it was to hold his gaze. The look in his eyes was no longer anger, it was desire.

It was the look of a man who was holding back his feelings but could no longer control them. He started to take a step towards me, slowly at first and then faster and faster until he was standing right before me.

I suddenly felt heat spread from between my legs and through my whole body. I don't know what was going on inside me but I knew I was going to have a hard time containing myself. I held my ground though, with no idea what was going to happen next.

His eyes slipped to my lips and his lips parted slightly as he exhaled softly, almost like he was savoring the look of my lips. It sent shivers down my spine. I looked back up at him and I saw him on the verge of breaking. He stared at my lips with a hint of disappointment and a hint of longing.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened my lips, with just the tip of my tongue and lightly touched it over his. He moaned softly and cupped the back of my head, guiding my mouth towards his. We started a gentle kiss, like lovers do when first falling in love and his right hand gently came up to my left cheek.

I gently guided my left hand around his neck and up to his cheek. His hand left my hair and came to rest on my back.

I gasped as he pushed his tongue into my mouth, and his hands found my waist and pulled me into him. My hands went from the back of his neck to the middle of his back as I tried to balance myself.

I wanted to feel more of him. I wanted to feel him everywhere. But then a snap in my head told me something different. It was a reminder that all that magic from just a few seconds ago was just a memory. He had had sex with someone else. He cheated on me.

I felt the blood run from my face, my heart break, and my body ache in a million different places. He looked down at me and slowly put his hands on my hips, pulling me close, and I lost it.

My fight or flight instinct kicked in and my body went into shock. I'm not proud of the way I reacted, but I couldn't control myself. I pulled away and slapped him. I ran upstairs to my room.

I had never done that before, and I never wanted to do that again. I felt bad, but I just wanted him to leave and let me come back to myself.

'Why did you do that?" I asked myself.

I can still feel the sting of the slap in my palm. Then I put my hands on my knees, hunched over, and screamed into the bedsheets.

.