YVONNE woke up on her bed the next day. There was no need to ask; Rohan carried her to the villa and took her there. But it could have been more romantic if she had woken up beside him inside the tent. With a wide grin, she got off the bed and fixed herself. She was in a hurry to see Rohan downstairs.
“Good morning!” she greeted Rohan giddily upon seeing him enter the villa. “Where have you been?” Yvonne asked nonchalantly. She didn’t want to sound like a wife interrogating her husband.
He smiled at her as he wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead.
“I… ah… just had a quick jog.”
“Oh.”
“Are you hungry?”
“I can just grab some bread and—”
“Don’t. Wait for me in the kitchen, and I’ll make you a decent breakfast. I’ll just shower quickly. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you’ll be up today this early.”
She wagged her hands shyly.
“Don’t be sorry, Rohan. It’s fine. I’ll make our breakfast instead.” Yvonne gestured to the staircase. “Go on and shower now.”
“Are you… sure?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded consecutively and sauntered in the direction of the kitchen.
Yvonne opened the cupboard and took out the pancake mix that she saw. It was easier to make so that they could eat breakfast in a matter of minutes. And then, she started brewing coffee.
By the time Rohan arrived in the kitchen after his shower, the food was already done.
“I suddenly want to eat breakfast on the veranda. Do you mind?” asked Rohan.
But she couldn’t respond to him instantly because her mind was already wandering somewhere far. His exposed upper body was to blame. He didn’t mind wearing any shirt and came down to the kitchen half-naked with beads of water still dripping down to his stomach. Yvonne swallowed hard, reminded of the passionate night they had shared.
“Yvonne…” He held her arm. “Are you all right?”
His touch pulled her back to her senses.
“O-oh? Ah, yeah… sure. Let’s eat our breakfast on the veranda.”
“Great.” He started taking their food out of the kitchen. “Come quickly!”
“Y-yeah!” Yvonne inhaled deeply, filled the mugs with coffee, and followed him to the veranda.
 
“WHY are you in such a hurry, Rohan?” He turned his gaze to Yvonne, who was sitting across from him. “You forgot to wear a shirt.”
He arched a brow.
“I thought you’d like to see me without a shirt.” Rohan saw how her cheek turned red. “Oh, I’m just kidding.”
“Are my cheeks red right now?” Yvonne cupped her cheeks and smiled.
“Yeah. You look cute when you blush, by the way.” Rohan picked up his mug and took a sip of his coffee. Maybe caffeine would help him collect his thoughts. For some reason, he seemed to be losing his mind.
What happened between them was unintentional. He didn’t plan to seduce her or start any romantic relationship with her. What Rohan wanted was to execute his plans against his mother because that was what he wanted from the very start. However, things suddenly went south, and he wasn’t prepared for that.
He must admit… his defenses had weakened. Yvonne made him weak, which is why he had lost control last night, which resulted in something he didn’t know what to name. And he was sure that Yvonne had taken that matter seriously. But Rohan was firm with his decision: to stand on the same ground where he was from the very start.
“About last night…” he said after a few moments of silence between them.
Yvonne straightened her back and looked at him intently.
“W-what about last night?” Her voice was almost like a whisper. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry about it.”
He propped his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands.
“We’re grown-ups now, Yvonne. We should be responsible for our actions.”
Yvonne’s expression suddenly changed; she turned pale.
“You regret it, don’t you?”
Silence was his answer. She shook her head and exhaled sharply.
“Are you going to tell me now that you regret what happened last night or not?” Yvonne’s voice raised a little. “For heaven’s sake, Rohan… just be honest with me!”
“Yes.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“You’ve hurt me again, Rohan… and this time, you’ve hurt me more.” Her eyes glistened with tears.
“Come on, Yvonne… I know why you’re here,” he said in a low tone.
Her eyes narrowed. “W-what are you talking about?”
“The moment you mentioned that you knew my mother, I already knew why you were too persistent to stay here with me.”
“I… I don’t—”
“Stop pretending and be honest with me, Yvonne.” He looked at her intently. “The reason why you’re here is because my mother sent you. I know she’s on it again, playing Cupid. My mother sent you to seduce me.”
Yvonne closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh. When her eyes opened again, he saw anger in them.
“Your mother asked me to date you—”
“What did she promise you in return?”
“What?”
“I know my mother, Yvonne. I know you two made a deal, and she always gives something in return whenever she does that. If that’s a hefty sum of money, tell me how much. I want us to rectify this. Side with me and—”
“There’s no money involved! I came here on my own accord! Damn it, Rohan!” Yvonne’s chest moved up and down. “Money? Do you really think I’ll come here to be with you just because I want money?”
“I thought—”
“I’ve loved you for so long, Rohan!” Tears rolled forth her cheeks. “I came here for this love that I wanted so badly to blossom!”
“I’m sorry, Yvonne.”
“Sorry? Again? For what?” She bit her lower lip.
“Look… I admit I’m the desperate one here. My mother threatened to disown me if I didn’t marry and have kids. If she did choose you to be that girl, then maybe we can work this out and—”
“I don’t think I like where this conversation’s heading, Rohan.”
“You said that you love me—”
“Yes, Rohan! Yes! How many times do I have to repeat that I love you? I gave you myself last night because I love you!” Yvonne rose from her seat with her fists clenched. “But what is it to you, Rohan?”
“I-I’m a man, Yvonne.” He sighed. “I got carried away—”
“Why do you have to hurt me like this?”
Rohan didn’t know what to say to make Yvonne understand him better. He didn’t want to hurt her like that. What he wanted was someone to be on his side, an ally. If only she would listen to him, they might come up with a good plan that’d benefit them both.
“Listen to me, Yvonne. I want to give this a shot. If my mother likes you, let’s do what she wants. Let’s get married, have kids… and maybe after I get the inheritance, we can live our lives freely—”
“What do you think of me, Rohan? I’m not a puppet or a baby machine! I’m human, and I love you, which clearly states that I have feelings! Feelings that you chose to ignore over and over again!” she snapped. “And you know what makes me hate you more? You took advantage of my feelings. Tell me, did you fuck me last night so that you could get even on me for siding with your mom?”
“It’s not like that—”
“Well, that’s what it seems to me!”
He stood up and strode toward her.
“Calm down, Yvonne, please.” He held her arm. Rohan wouldn’t want his chance to slip away just like that. He’d rejected tens of women his mother set up with him, and Yvonne was the only woman he knew he could bare to stand. He needed her help to win against his mother. “I’m begging you to please help me with—”
She shoved his hand away.
“Don’t expect me to help you after what you’ve done, Rohan. How brazen of you to ask me for help after shattering my heart into the smallest pieces,” Yvonne cried. “It’s just so cruel. Fuck you… very… very much!”
“Yvonne—”
“Stop!” She raised her fist.
Rohan thought she’d punch him, but she just stared at him with anger in her eyes as she gritted her teeth.
“I—”
“Leave me alone! Go fuck yourself if you want!”
 
SHE was hurt so badly after knowing what Rohan’s real intention was. It shattered her heart into the tiniest pieces, and she didn’t know where to start picking the pieces to make her heart whole again. Or maybe there was no chance to make it whole again. Now, her world was falling apart. She shouldn’t have given that stupid Cupid a second chance. Again, Rohan had hurt her, and now the wound was even deeper.
Yvonne marched inside the villa. She headed straight to her room and locked herself.
Bean, her cat, immediately ran to her and purred as it licked the tears on her cheek. That made her cry even more. How could Rohan be so dumb about what she’d felt for him all those years when her cat could immediately tell what she felt?
“I feel so horrible right now, Bean,” she told her cat while crying. “I feel used….”