Word count: 2278

*

Resignedly, Monica went back into the house and avoided Sucre's inquisitive gaze the moment she stepped in. Stephanie, who just noticed her mother coming in also, left her dolls and ran to hug her mom.

"Why are you back?" Sucre questioned and dropped his phone on the table in the process.

He looked confused and it irritated Monica to no end.

He wasn't her dad, just a past lover whom she had a complicated relationship with since he'd refused to sever all ties with her and she had no idea where they currently stood.

Anyway, he had no right to question her for any reason.

Monica's gaze was fierce. "I changed my mind." She pulled off her shoes and bent to pick them, putting on flip-flops immediately.

"You're back." Stephanie breathed into her mother's waist while the woman was straightening up.

"Yes baby. I'm not going out anymore." She pecked Stephanie's forehead and the girl slowly walked back to sit on daddy's lap with her blonde doll in hand.

"Did that jerk really...he stood you up didn't he?" Sucre asked with clenched teeth as he noticed Monica's glum expression.

Monica's eyes widened a little. Was she that obvious and did he figure her out? "No. The point is, I changed my mind and won't be going out anymore. I'll just go in to sleep."

She went over to the couch and ruffled Stephanie's hair and then just went to her room to take off her clothes and wash her face. Sucre could see that she was very upset so he decided not to pry and just kept playing with Stephanie.

Monica changed into sweatpants and camisole after slowly cleaning the makeup off her face. Then she thought about it with tightly pursed lips.

"I'm in my house and I can wear whatever I want." She stated with a frown and changed into her shorts instead. She'd initially wore sweatpants because she wanted to cover her legs from Sucre's hungry eyes.

Lying in bed, she went through her notifications to get relaxed before sleeping off. She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep even after twenty minutes of mindlessly going through her phone and she also didn't want to go out there to face Sucre. But then she would have to face him sometime later, eventually. Resignedly, Monica got out of bed.

Back in the sitting room, Sucre was smiling down at the chubby cheeks of his daughter. The girl was beginning to mumble to her dolls and her words were drawling out because she was slowly beginning to doze off. When she finally drifted off to sleep, she dropped the doll on the ground as her breath evened out.

Sucre was awed at how carefree his daughter was. Even after scolding her for something— which he rarely did— Stephanie would still peck her dad and play with him as if he'd not just scolded her. Also, she was so innocent that it was shocking. It was almost startling how she was in awe at the littlest things which he sometimes did and the questions she asked out of curiosity, things an adult would be called dumb if they asked. But she was young, and still so oblivious to things happening in the world.

She always looked at him with so much awe as if he was the most special person in her life; like he was a superhero that had just saved the whole world and deserved to be highly respected.

Sucre chuckled and carried her in his arms, feeling proud of the fact that he was a dad. He should have made preparations and met her sooner so he wouldn't have to feel so much emptiness like he had all these years. After placing Stephanie on her bed and making sure she was comfortable, Sucre pecked her forehead and left the room.

Then he went to Monica's spare room where one of his briefcases was. He took off his shirt and jean trousers and changed into white singlet and grey Adidas sweatpants. Since he'd showered before leaving his own condo, he figured there was no need to shower again and so he just put on his flip-flops once again. Then he went to check on Monica.

Monica was just opening the door to leave her room when Sucre appeared at her door.

She blinked at the figure that took a large space at her doorstep. "Hey."

Sucre stared at her for a few seconds. He slowly took a tendril of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, feeling hurt when she showed her unease at his gesture.

His brows furrowed. "The new haircut gave you a good change which I'm still not used to but you're beautiful regardless. You'll always be beautiful to me."

Sucre's expression had turned gentle as he spoke. It annoyed Monica to no extent. What did he want exactly? Why was he complimenting her every second?

"Thank you." Monica tucked her hands into her pocket and licked her lips, shrugging. "Where's Stephanie?"

"She fell asleep. I've taken her to her room."

"Oh. Okay." She blinked and decided to just watch TV since there was no office work left for her. She'd completed it a while ago before going to prepare for her date.

Thank goodness Stephanie was having her afternoon nap and she wouldn't have to tend to her for a few hours.

"What's up?"

Monica looked up at him. "I'm good. I just have to...watch TV?"

"Oh." Sucre murmured. "I was thinking we could have that talk now."

Monica sighed. "Sure. But in the sitting room."

He nodded and they both headed there. Monica settled on the sofa, intentionally keeping away from Sucre and he knew this. Sucre's heart dropped into the pit of his belly as he took a deep breath. But that didn't stop the jittery feeling that flooded him. He felt butterflies in his stomach as if he was a teenage boy and was about to ask his crush out for the first time.

"So?" Monica stated impatiently at the man who was just staring at her.

"You remember Stephano, right?"

Monica's heart started beating faster. How wouldn't she remember Stephano? The Italian guy some of his friends usually called gay behind his back even though he had a model girlfriend. That was in their university days and she had kept a close contact with Stephano Alfonsi but they'd only contacted each other a handful of times and he'd even helped her with the divorce proceedings so the news wouldn't get exposed because she didn't want the public's eye on them.

But Sucre didn't know that and he would have a fit if he knew, due to his jealousy. Especially if he got to know about the help Stephano had rendered to her when she left Sucre.

She blinked. "Yeah...I kind of remember him. What about him?"

"He invited me to this event and we are supposed to bring our family— wife or girlfriend and possibly kids."

Monica's gaze went hard. "So? You'll be away for a few days but that's no biggie. We survived without you all these-"

Sucre reached her so swiftly and pressed her onto the sofa, his right hand going around her neck to caress it while he rested his thighs on the arms of the sofa and his long legs rested on each side of the sofa, his feet firmly pressing on the carpeted floor.

Monica gasped. She hadn't seen him coming. "What ar-"

"Do you think I haven't reminded myself about how I haven't been the best husband these past few years? I don't need you reminding me in every goddamned sentence Monica. Know when to shush it!" He grounded out.

Best husband? Husband to whom?

Monica shook her head but couldn't free her neck from his grasp. "Don't you dare tell me about shushing it because I simply won't. If I tell you you've failed as a husband, best believe it because it's the truth. Not everyone will go with your bullshit, rich boy!"

Sucre's jaws clenched tightly. His eyes darkened and Monica's heart skipped a beat but she hardened her resolve. It was not for her to care about.

"Shut up!" He commanded.

Monica laughed tauntingly. "I just told you not to try and shut me up. I've not told one single lie, have I?" She snapped.

Sucre felt his body shaking with anger. He looked down at her and wished he could punish her so badly for opening his closed wounds. He was past the stage of getting bullied by mere name calling and that was with anyone. He didn't care what they thought about him or had to say about him. But Monica wasn't anyone; she'd been there when his parents died.

She'd been there when he had nothing but griefs surround him. He had wanted to be alone, not even to see his grandmother, Nana. She was with him when he ate his sadness away and got fat. When he was bullied in school by the skinny poor boy who loved bullying others because he hated life and hated the fact that his parents couldn't provide the things he needed.

"You know how to get on my nerves don't you?" Sucre asked calmly but he wrought so much emotion in that tone.

Monica lips parted as she looked up at him warily.

"I offended you...in some way. You left me barely six months after our wedding, which had been blissful by the way. Then you sent your playboy of a lawyer to me to deliver the divorce papers. What did I do that was so grave?"

Monica's heart wrenched. She looked up at him and realized she hated him. She hated Sucre so much that her ribs hurt when she breathed raggedly at the thought. Sucre tilted her chin to face him and she saw tears in his eyes.

Monica blinked and shut her eyes, refusing to look at him.

"You denied me the joy of fatherhood. You didn't even think it was necessary to let me know you were pregnant and-"

"Oh shut the hell up and stop talking like you're some goddamned saint! How dare you?!"

Sucre blinked away the tear in his eyes and frowned in confusion. It'd been killing him all these years because he didn't know what he did wrong and he almost hated her for leaving him.

He'd come to Canada just to ruin her. Take away everything that was hers— her job, her house, her daughter. But seeing her and knowing she still had feelings for him; a cord had struck in Sucre. He knew he couldn't do that. Also, Stephanie was now in the picture. He couldn't hurt her mother because that would hurt Stephanie and the last thing Sucre wanted was for his daughter to hate him. He couldn't even stand it.

So here they were.

"What did I do? I gave you everything. I loved you and still do. We were happy togeth-"

"Shut up, you sick bastard! You cheated on me. I was going to give you a surprise at Daniel's engagement by showing up after I first told you I couldn't make it. I was going to tell you that I was pregnant, you were going to be a dad."

"What?" Sucre whispered.

"I thought you'd changed but it turns out you couldn't even give me that respect even when I became your wife! You cheated on me with that stupid bitch!" Monica whisper yelled with bloodshot eyes, knowing better than to yell because of a sleeping Stephanie. Just like her mom, Stephanie hated it when her sleep got interrupted.

"Who?"

"Diana."

Sucre stared at her as if she'd just sprouted a horn. "Who the hell is Diana?"

Monica tried to wriggle out of his hold but Sucre remained calm there and her hands were trapped on her thighs. She couldn't raise them.

"Diana Duke."

Sucre wracked his memory. Diana Duke was the nerd who had been dating Tommy then.

"I didn't cheat on you with her, ever since we started dating I never even looked at any other woman the same way. Believe me."

"You are too late for that apology." Monica said softly. "I saw her hugging you and telling you she was pregnant. Remember I picked out the blue suit you wore that day."

"Yes but we all wore blue suits that day—me, Tommy, Felix, Daniel, Raphael and Stephano. We were all wearing blue suit. And if I remember... that was the night Tommy's girlfriend told him she was pregnant. The child is the same age as Stephanie."

Monica's eyes widened.

Her breath hitched as she felt her blood run cold.

No. No. No.

Dammit!

She'd mistaken Tommy for Sucre because they had the same body build and had been wearing the same suit. But Tommy was blonde, unlike Sucre. The lights had been turned off that night and everyone was present in the hall.

Well, everyone except Diana and Tommy who'd revealed to her boyfriend that she was pregnant.

And the man Diana had been speaking to, whom Monica had mistaken to be Sucre hadn't uttered a word to Diana. Instead, he'd raised her up in the air and kissed her senseless.

But now she realized it hadn't been Sucre Diana had been speaking to that night but Tommy.

And Monica...had lived with that image for years.

*

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