Chapter 16 Others

<Mia>

"Hey! Why do you look so troubled?" I asked Jarold, waving my hand in front of him. What happened to this gay guy?

He looked at me and let out a sigh.

"Is it Good Friday or something? Your problem seems huge. Don't tell me you don't have enough money for your child's birthday?" I said to him, but his expression remained unchanged. He looked sad and troubled.

His child's birthday is coming up soon.

Even though my profession is different from what I studied, I'm happy with this job. Thankfully, the Lord has blessed me with this talent.

"She is not the mother of my child."

"Huh?" I asked Jarold, puzzled. He suddenly started talking but didn't clarify anything. What does he mean? And who is he referring to?

He let out another deep sigh and rubbed his face as if he had a big problem.

"We found out she's not the mother of my daughter, and fuck! We're fucking married! Damn it!" he said in frustration.

How did that happen? "Huh? Why did you marry her if she's not the real mother of your child? And besides, don't you have a boyfriend?" Jarold isn't straight either.

"I got her pregnant, that's why I married her! And I can't fucking believe that she has a twin sister!" He said angrily, clenching his fist tightly. "I married the wrong woman! Shit! If I knew earlier, my boyfriend and I could've lived freely."

"What did the woman say? Does she know, huh? And if she knows, why did she do that?" I asked curiously. That's why he's been meeting up with me even though we don't have a scheduled session.

"She doesn't know either... her twin sister planned this! Fuck!" Jarold glared at his coffee cup. He was furious.

"Huh? How did that happen? She must know because she didn't carry your baby, right? You were together during her pregnancy, right? And how did this happen?" I asked, getting more confused.

He clenched his fist even tighter. "I was with her twin sister, not her, during the pregnancy. We got married after her twin sister gave birth to my daughter and shit! That witch's twin sister tricked her, and she married me!" Jarold explained, clearly troubled.

"Oh no!" I reacted in shock.

"What are you going to do now? And why did her twin sister do that? She's so wicked," I commented.

They didn't love each other to begin with. They were living together for the sake of the child. But now, it became even more complicated because he married the wrong woman.

"What about your boyfriend? Does he know? And what's his reaction?" I bombarded him with questions.

"Mia, I need to fix my family issue first. He will understand me," he said and left me.

I was left dumbfounded.

"Hey! You fucking gay asshole!" I shouted after him, looking at his back as he exited the coffee shop.

"You meet up with me and then you just leave like that?!" He's a nuisance! He's a fucking bastard!

I came from another country just to see him, and now he's leaving me like this. Well, let that gay guy deal with his own life, it's his problem now.

I packed up my things to leave when suddenly I received a text from Yunnie. She wanted to meet up.

She gave me an address close to this coffee shop. Looks like I'll drown myself in coffee today. She's inviting me to a coffee shop.

"Yunnie..." I called out cheerfully when I saw her. I was about to kiss her when she avoided my gaze.

Yunnie and I are about to get married, and all that's left is for me to divorce Ethan. Yunnie is fine with our setup like this.

"Mia..."

She called my name as I sat in front of her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her seriously. I glanced at her coffee in front of me, realizing she didn't even think to order one for me.

"L-let's break up..."

~

<Third Person>

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Etheus called out to Ethan as he ran towards him.

"Etheus, you might trip!" His mother reprimanded him from behind. They were in a mall, shopping for necessities when Etheus spotted the man.

Ethan paused in his stride upon hearing the child.

"Hey, kiddo." He opened his arms for a hug, lifting the child up once he reached him.

"How are you, huh?" Ethan asked the child, ruffling his hair.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Etheus called out excitedly, "look, Momma gave this to me because I was a good boy and I got lots of stars at school!" He proudly showed his hand filled with stars.

“Really?” Ethan smiled at the kid.

"Ethan, you're here too." Joy greeted him with a smile as she approached their spot.

"Daddy! When are you going to visit us at home? And where is Daddy Nathan? I miss him too!" Etheus exclaimed loudly. Ethan was slightly taken aback by his enthusiasm, but he didn't mind because he missed the child too. It had been months since he last saw and visited him.

"Hey," Ethan greeted the woman, "I was just looking at something. How about you?"

"Daddy! I'm talking to you!" Etheus demanded when Ethan didn't pay attention to him. The two adults chuckled at the child's behavior.

"Etheus, didn't I tell you not to shout?" Joy gently scolded her son. The child pouted in response.

"I'll visit you soon, but be a good boy while I'm not around, okay? Listen to your mom," Ethan spoke to the child.

"I'm always a good boy!" Etheus proudly declared, flashing a wide smile.

"You're not always a good boy! You're so naughty!" His mother interjected.

"Shhh! Mommy!" Etheus hushed his mother, acting like he was the elder between them. Ethan found amusement in the interaction, and his eyes sparkled with joy as he looked at the child.

Ethan observed him, noting that he mostly inherited his features and was tall, just like him. It was undeniable that he was his biological child. The boy had a sharp, pointed nose, while his personality seemed to resemble his mother.

"Daddy, I missed you! Did you miss me too?" The child innocently asked, his arms wrapped tightly around Ethan's neck to prevent himself from falling.

Before Ethan could respond, Nathan arrived.

"Bro, do you think this one is good? Can you help me choose?" Nathan entered the scene, holding sanitary napkins in both hands. Joy and everyone else looked at him in surprise.

"Daddy Nathan!" The child exclaimed, wriggling out of Ethan's arms and running towards the newcomer, wanting to be carried by him instead. Nathan dropped the sanitary napkins due to the sudden movement.

Nathan chuckled, "I missed you, boy!"

"I missed you too, Daddy!" the child shouted.

"Etheus, lower your voice. Didn't I tell you not to shout?" Joy repeatedly reminded her son about this matter. But the child paid no attention, completely focused on his Papa Nathan.

"You're getting heavier," Nathan commented with a smile.

"Hmm, who are those sanitary napkins for?" Joy curiously asked, looking at the items that Nathan had been holding, now resting among the shampoo bottles.

"I'm with Nathan, helping him choose a good sanitary napkin for his teenage girlfriend," Ethan answered the question in his deep voice.

Joy laughed, "Oh, Nathan. I thought you'd remain single forever. No girlfriend since birth," she teased him.

"Tsk!" Nathan retorted, rolling his eyes. "Don't believe him."

"Well, why are you the one choosing if she's not your teenage girlfriend? And from what I know, you have plenty of bodyguards. You could have just asked your secretary," Joy gave him a meaningful smile while giving Nathan a teasing look.

"Tsk! She's not my teenage girlfriend! She's my stepdaughter."

Joy couldn't help but exclaim, "Woah!" She had never heard about Nathan having a serious relationship, let alone a stepdaughter.

"I'm not updated with what's happening, huh? Is there something going on that I don't know?"

"Tsk! Stop sticking your nose, Joy. Stop being nosy like Ethan," Nathan denied, trying to deflect the conversation.

Ethan and Joy locked eyes, silently communicating through their gaze.

"He's really grumpy," Joy murmured.

"Give my son back," Ethan said, reaching out to take his child.

"Ethan, give him back to me for now," Nathan said possessively, moving away with the child. They went to a different section, leaving Ethan and Joy alone.

"Well, you might miss Etheus more if I take him to another country," Joy commented, a hint of frustration in her voice.

Ethan stopped looking for a shampoo for Mia when he heard Joy's statement.

"What?"

"I'm planning to migrate," Joy answered casually, as she continued browsing the shampoo aisle.

"And you're going to bring him with you?" Ethan asked in serious manner.

"Of course! He's my child, after all. I can't leave him behind, and who else will take care of him? Besides, I don't want to be far from my only child."

Ethan sighed but didn't comment further. He continued looking for a shampoo for Mia, picking out skincare products and other necessities. Mia had run out of her usual supplies, and he was the one responsible for choosing what she used. She had been complaining and demanding that he buy her a different brand, claiming that the one he had chosen gave her dandruff. Luckily, his twin brother had invited him to go shopping together.

"I see, he's still your child. Even though I'm his father, I won't hinder your plans. But we're going to miss him," Ethan said, focusing on finding a quality shampoo for Mia.

"Why haven't you had a child yet? You have money, a stable job, and you're not getting any younger," Joy asked, observing him.

Ethan looked at her. "I have Etheus," he reasoned, although the real reason was that Mia wasn't ready yet. He didn't want to pressure his wife into having a child, but he had been thinking of discussing it with her. He had wanted to have a child for a long time.

"Heh! He's mine, you know! He doesn't count," Joy argued.

Ethan didn't comment and moved to another section to look at skincare products for his wife. It was actually Nathan's idea to invite him to go shopping, and since he remembered Mia's needs, he decided to buy her some as well. He had been getting glances from women in the women's section, but he didn't mind. He was used to it, and it wasn't the first time.

Joy followed him. "Ethan, what if it's really us?" she blurted out of nowhere.

Ethan didn't comment at all. "You know, I've had a huge crush on you," Joy confessed, expressing her feelings for the woman.

“I already agreed to your craziness, Joy, so please stop daydreaming. I’m already married.” He showed his wedding ring to her.

"Ouch!" Joy acted as if she was hurt, clutching her chest where her heart was located. She couldn't believe that he was making it so clear that they had no chance. She had been rejected by the man several times.

"You're taking things too seriously, Ethan. I was just thinking," she faked a laugh and continued to follow him wherever he went.

Ethan stopped and turned to face the woman who was silently trailing behind him.

"Can you stop following me? You're distracting me," he said with a frown, irritation evident on his face.

"I hate being followed," he added curtly.

The woman pouted, "You're so grumpy! Do you want me to tell your wife that you have a child with me?" she challenged him.

Ethan didn't respond and simply walked away, leaving her behind.

"Hey!" she called out to his retreating figure.

"You jerk," she muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.