AS Lara began to walk away from me, I immediately followed her. I was careful not to let her know that I was pursuing her. The last thing I wanted was for her to start screaming at me in a panic. The only scream I wanted to hear from her was when she moans so loud because of my dick.

But I was surprised when she suddenly stopped walking. That's when I quickly hid behind a tree.

"I know you're there," she said while facing nothing but the view of the mountains.

Who was she talking to? The fucking cat? The wind? Fuck... a ghost? Did she have a third eye?

"Don't follow me if you don't want me to beat you up," she remarked before continuing to walk. I decided it was best to stay quiet. I never knew my wife had those paranormal capabilities. It was scary. Luckily, she didn't see any ghosts when we were still having sex.

I followed her once again. But after just a few steps, she stopped again. There was nowhere for me to hide this time. I resorted to covering my face with my hands as if they were the Great Wall of China. When the damn cat peeked at me, I scowled at it before covering my face again.

"Are you an idiot? What don't you understand about not following me?" Lara spoke to the ghost in front of her once more.

I decided to stay quiet. I let her do her creepy shit. She is really complicated--

Suddenly, she turned to face me, fixing her sharp gaze on my face. "You're not just a demon, you're also an idiot."

Why me? I retorted.

"At least I don't talk to ghosts."

"Huh?" Her confusion was evident.

My smile grew wider. I playfully wiggled my eyebrows. "Wanna see how's my 'huhdog' now?"

At that moment, she grabbed some rocks and threw them at me. Panicking, I blocked myself using my arms.

"Hey—ouch! Fuck! Wait!" I exclaimed until I realized I had been injured. I felt the pain in my arm, and soon, blood started to trickle down.

Lara paused when she saw it. For a moment, I glimpsed concern in her eyes. But she quickly regained her composure. Her unexpected feistiness began to take over.

"That pain is nothing compared to what you did to me before!" She furrowed her brow. "Don't be such a drama queen."

Afterwards, she turned away from me and continued walking. I followed her, wincing as I endured the pain in my arm.

We walked past small houses, all with a European style. They resembled the native Spanish homes that I used to see in books back when I was in college.

But after a few moments, Lara turned to me once again, still with a furrowed brow. Thinking she was about to scold me again, I braced myself. However, her mocking expression didn't last long. She sighed, her gaze shifting from my wincing face down to my wound.

"You should be grateful; I'm being nice even though you're a demon," she said, rolling her eyes.
She reached for the gate of a house and opened it.
"Come in," she added firmly.

"Is this your house?"

"No, this is the cat's house," she pointed at the damn cat. "It’s letting you in even after your stupid stunt. This cat is surprisingly kind, isn't it? I wish everyone were like it."

After she rolled her eyes at me once more, I couldn't help but think about the times her eyes used to sparkle because of me. "Isn't it obvious yet? What's happened to you? Why does it seem like your brain turned into mush?"

I just pursed my lips.

You're being so harsh, Wife.

With my chest caving in, I entered her house through the gate. In those seconds, it wasn't just my wound that hurt, but my heart as well. I really wasn't used to this side of her. Grumpy. Defiant. Sassy. I preferred my sweet and fragile Lara...

THAT afternoon, she only put a bandage on my wound. I thought everything was okay now, that I could kiss her passionately and we'd end up moaning each other's names. But the situation took a different turn. After that, she practically shooed me away as if I had a contagious disease. She even had to call for help from someone outside her house just to kick me out.

I had no choice back then but to temporarily wave a white flag. I returned to Manila in the morning. I came home with a promise to myself... I would come back. I would come back no matter what until she’s mine once again.

I held onto that promise when I returned to Isla Victorina just a few hours after arriving at my flat. This time, I was prepared. I brought a lot of money with me, as well as clothes and daily necessities.

In those hours, I was ready for however long I would spend on Isla Victorina. I entrusted all my businesses to my most trusted business partner. I had everything sorted out before I boarded the helicopter that brought me to the island where my wife was.

Now, three months had passed since I chose to live on this island…

Three months of coercion.

Three months of rejection.

My first month here felt like my idea of hell. Lara did nothing but drive me away. But she couldn't do anything to get rid of me. I always paid off the police, after all.
The real challenge for me was dealing with her fucking suitors. That's when I needed to step up my game. Like an MVP in a crucial game, I made sure I would deliver my very best. I made sure to leave her with no choice but to love me back again.

"What else do you want to hear from me?" She greeted me with sharp eyes as I entered her shop.

The smile faded from my face. I sadly placed the bouquet of roses I had picked up from my widowed neighbor in the cashier's area.

"You're so persistent. You're like a fly, you're always there to bother me every day," she muttered, touching her forehead. "I already told you not to trouble me. There are plenty of other women out there. After all, you’re only looking for some sex, isn't it? Why don't you just find another woman--"

"You are more than just sex," I sighed. I directed my sincere eyes right into her eyes. My chest tightened with pain, and I continued without her interrupting. "You are more than just my lust. I love you. You know me. I will never go through so much trouble just for the need of my dick. I love you, Lara. You should know that fact."

My voice was low, almost a whisper. "You know me inside out, don't you? You know I wouldn't go through all this trouble for nothing."

She paused momentarily, looked away, and then let out an irritated sigh. She had those sharp eyes again when she looked at me.

But I was overjoyed when she accepted my bouquet of roses for the fucking first time. She placed it on her side, and at that moment, her assistant Frances almost squealed with excitement.

In that moment, I was fucking happy. It tasted like heaven. That marked the beginning of her accepting all the things I gave her. But our status remained the same. She only accepted. She never once talked to me properly. That was the specific point when I leveled up my game.

It was that one morning when I woke up early. I joined my neighbor woodcutters to get some firewood for Lara. There was no gas stove here because, aside from the suppliers having a hard time shipping it across the sea, no one would buy it here for sure due to its expensive price. Electric stoves weren't an option either. Electricity was limited here. When one house consumes excessive electricity, several others lose power.

We've been gathering firewood for what seems like over an hour now. It was truly challenging. We weren't allowed to cut the sturdy portions of the trees. Our first task was to find a tree with old branches, and that was the toughest part. The one I found was up in the higher part of a Mango tree. I had no choice but to climb up there.

Fortunately, my ascent was successful. I effortlessly cut down all the old branches of the tree, and many branches fell to the ground.

However, when it came time for me to descend, I wasn't prepared to confront Satan. It was fucking difficult. I never knew I had fear of heights.

F*ck shit

Why did I only discover this now?

I literally want to punch myself.

My knees were trembling as I descended. And soon my hands started to shake as well and I ended up dropping the machete. It fell to the ground.

At that moment, I was alone. Everyone was busy finding their own trees. No one was around to help when I misjudged my footing on a tree branch. I didn't expect it to break so easily, and I fell from the tree.

My foot got twisted.

"Fuck!" I winced in pain while massaging my foot.

But I endured the pain for the time being. It was already seven in the morning, and I was sure Lara was getting ready. I quickly gathered all the firewood before I slowly hobbled my way towards Lara's place.

Since her house wasn't far away, it took me less than ten minutes to get there. Just as I was about to enter her gate, she was coming out. Her eyes widened. It was the first time she ever checked me out. "What happened to you?"

I hesitated at first, but the devil in my mind took over. Since I was already here, I seized the opportunity and acted. I winced in pain, feeling as though I were on the brink of death. "My foot hurts..."

Her eyes landed on my reddened foot, which was close to swelling. She suddenly touched her forehead. I was unprepared when she took hold of my arms and helped me inside her house.

Since that moment, she has taken care of me for several days. If only I could have a foot injury forever, I'd gladly take it. But that wasn't the case. Eventually, it healed, and that's where it all ended. The good thing is, Lara and I are in a better place now. She treats me like an acquaintance she often teases. But I suppose it's better than how she treated me during my first month here.
Well, today marks the third month, and I'm still positive about my mission here. I still have many aces up my sleeve. I still have plenty of bullets in reserve. And it’s unlimited.

With the natural breeze in the air and the beautiful night sky above, I stood in front of Lara's house, holding a guitar. I was about to do something I never thought I'd do in this entire lifetime…