Apollo's father

RIX’s P.O.V.

I covered my mouth as I looked at him.

I shook my head, closing and opening my eyes repeatedly.

But no matter how much I denied it, this was a different person. I was certain it was Apollo.

But how?

Was I forgetting something? I’m sure we had clearly settled our relationship and agreed on our boundaries.

I approached him, examining him closely, and the more I looked, the more convinced I became.

As I went closer, I can see how aggressively he kissed that woman.

He was intentionally doing this, purposefully making sure I saw.

I’m sure because we were in a hidden alley and no one would bother to look at this.

I gulped.

It was a cruel act, hidden away where no one would bother to look because it was in the suburbs.

I swallowed hard, wiping the tears streaming from my eyes.

"What are you doing, Apollo?" I asked.

He still hadn't detached his lips from the other girl.

Then, I forcefully pushed the girl away from him and faced Apollo.

It might seem like I was becoming obsessive with him, but I needed some peace in my heart at that moment.

Or perhaps my emotional state was due to the hormonal imbalance I was experiencing.

"Stop asking. You know the kind of man I am. Are you really surprised to see me kissing another girl?" he retorted.

I chuckled.

"Who is this, Tyler?" the girl asked in drunkenness.

Confusion furrowed my brow. "Who are you calling Tyler? This isn’t TylerHis name is Apollo Cartier."

I looked at the girl, who had the same aura as Aileen gave— sophisticated. She crossed her arms, furrowed her brow, and went closer to me.

"Whether his name is Tyler or Apollo, I don't care. I needed his money, and he needed my services, so who cares?"

I was taken aback that he had hired another hostess girl aside from me.

"Please explain this to me, Apollo. I don't understand. I'm sure we made a deal. I'm sure we ended everything about the contract... you said you would protect me, you said I'm important to you, and you wanted to take our relationship to another level, and now?"

I laughed and said, "Are you playing with me and treating me like a toy? What the fuck are you doing, Apollo?"

"Stop asking me! You started this. You kissed Harold!"

"WHAT? I DIDN'T—"

"OF COURSE, YOU WILL DENY IT. I KNOW YOU! But stop it, I'm done. Before you do something to hurt me again or deceive me, I'm ending this right now. You're trash to me now, Beatrix. Garbage."

Apollo pulled the girl beside me, and they walked away to a place I didn't know, presumably to continue their intimate moments before I interrupted them.

I shook my head as I watched him walk away.

His figure grew smaller and smaller, and my vision started to blur.

I couldn't help but collapse to the ground unconsciously.

"Is this a fucking dream?" I thought.

I didn't know.

Maybe it was.

What if it was… an imagination?

Okay, I just have to go home and see if everything is alright or what happened.

Maybe Apollo and I just had a misunderstanding, and maybe we can solve it.

I returned to the convenience store because I had left my bag there, and when I came back, I saw Harley and Charis.

"Girl, where have you been?"

"How can you just walk away like that without even informing us? You could have texted!"

I didn't bother answering them and just grabbed my bag from them. "Sorry, I just need to check something."

I turned my back on them and started walking away.

Harley and Charis stopped me from leaving.

"I will accompany you," said Charis.

"What? No! I can handle this myself," I replied.

"No, you can't. I'll be with you. Don't try to stop me from going."

As I looked at her, I noticed something.

"Do you know something that I don't? Are you keeping a secret from me? Am I the fool here?"

Charis let out a deep sigh.

She held both of my hands, caressed them, and began to speak.

"I know this will be shocking to you, but we saw Apollo earlier—"

Before she could finish her statement, I cut her off right then and there.

"No, don't mention his name again. Don't try to ruin his name or me. I'll check it out myself."

I turned my back on them before leaving. I said, "Whatever happens, please checks up on me because I don't know anymore. I don't know if I can continue this life."

—

I could feel my feet becoming heavier as I approached the Cartier family's apartment.

My feet felt numb, and my eyes were dry.

Knowing that nothing will surprise me once I enter the family's house, I will bravely face it.

I know there's a lot I can do right now rather than talking to Apollo.

But I needed peace in my heart right now.

I didn't know if I should leave or confront him with tears hidden behind a brave face. I feared that if he saw the state of my mind, it would only give him another excuse to hurt me.

But I would approach him with my head held high.

I pressed the doorbell and the maid stepped outside.

She was taken aback to see me at the gate and seemed to contemplate whether it was right to let me in, because, well, I didn't know...

Why so?

"Excuse me, please open the gate. I needed to talk to your master, Apollo," I said.

She swallowed nervously.

I could read the hesitation on her face as if opening the gate for me could potentially cost her a job.

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything once I'm inside. I’ll tell them I barged in. It's not your fault," I assured her. "Just let me in, okay? I'll take responsibility for pushing myself into the mansion if anyone asks. I will tell them that you were pushing me away."

Her face seemed elevated right now.

She went to approach and open the gate for me.

I offered her a smile.

It was heartwarming to know that there were still people who could show kindness, even to someone like me, who felt like trash.

Apollo's grandmother welcomed me with open arms.

"Hija," she called out.

She was the warmest presence in the room, moving closer to embrace me.

It felt like a powerful hug.

It was a comforting feeling to be embraced like this…

My eyes felt heavy, weighed down by the warmth of Grandma's embrace. I wanted to cry, to let it all out.

But I fought back the tears, knowing this wasn't the right time to show weakness.

"I know what happened," she whispered.

I knew they would find out eventually, considering it was Apollo's father involved.

Apollo's father wasn't someone you could mess with.

He didn't want to lose face, especially since he was a business owner.

It would hurt his pride if anyone found out that someone like me, working as a waitress and taking on extra jobs, could have the capacity to dupe someone like him.

"I'm sorry, Grandma. As much as I want to talk to you longer, I've been meaning to meet Apollo and clear some things up with him."

She let out a deep sigh, releasing her embrace from me.

"But what if he rejects you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Ate!"

It was Jade and Jayra.

Oh, maybe Nurse Anna already dropped off Jade.

Aydan exclaimed, "What is that bitch doing here?"

"Aydan, don't call her that!" Grandma scolded.

Jade interrupted, "You don't know Ate Beatrix, so don't call her that! Just because you're Dad's son doesn't give you the right to insult her. She's not like that, and you don't know her worth!"

Jayra gave a stern look at his older brother and hugged me.

"Whatever they say, I believe in you, Ate."

"I haven't done anything other than being a contracted wife. What do you mean by 'whatever they say'? Whatever your father says is true. I’m just a contracted wife of your brother. I’m sorry…."

Aydan interrupted again, "We already know that you're just his contracted wife from the very beginning. Anyone could say that! But our father couldn't. However, the fact remains that you kissed our cousin while you and my brother had already agreed to end your contract!"

Did they know about the contract?

"I didn't kiss Harold, he kissed me!"

"What an excuse!" exclaimed Aydan.

Apollo's mother, Jade, interjected, "Aydan was telling the truth."

Her daughter, who is also named Jade, stood beside her. She named her daughter next to her that's why they have the same name.

Miss Jade added, "That woman is a slut!"

Grandma stepped in between.

She stepped forward to shield me from Miss Jade.

"How dare you accuse my granddaughter like that? You are the one at fault here! You're the reason why my son turned into a monster!"

Miss Jade seemed intoxicated.

And it seemed like she wasn't going to let this pass. "Are you trying to defend that woman over me, Mom?"

"Yes, I would. You can walk over my grave to reach this woman, but I will never let you touch her as long as I'm alive!"

Miss Jade appeared overwhelmed.

"I can't accept this, Mom."

Aydan butted in, "Granny, she's not related to you! Why are you taking her side over the family you've been with for like half of your life?"

"Well, since you brought it up, your mother is related to me as well. She's just the wife of my son, and that's all!"

I can't bear witnessing all these overwhelming emotions and unnecessary arguments caused by me.

I need to put an end to this turmoil right now.

"Please, stop..." I pleaded.

All eyes turned towards me.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered the thoughts and courage left on me.

I swallowed hard, and a profound silence filled the room as they anticipated my next words.

"It's not my fault that Harold kissed me. Believe me or not, he forcefully pulled me aside and kissed me. I have no idea what his ulterior motives are, but I must tell you that he wants to take over Apollo's position and is willing to use me to achieve that—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Miss Jade interrupted me.

"Lies. MORE LIES! Enough with that. I don't want to hear another word. Get out of my house this instant!"

I remained silent, staring at her, terrified.

She repeated her command, this time louder and clearer.

"GET OUT!"

"No one is leaving," a voice interjected.

Oh no... it was him.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and my heart fluttered as if nothing had happened earlier. I pretended not to have seen him kissing another girl.

Come to think of it, he kissed another girl and I saw it. I knew what I had witnessed. Shouldn't I be the one feeling angry right now?

He stepped forward and held me close. "She won't leave unless she wants to. Don't force her into something she doesn't want. Leave her be within the confines of this wretched house."

My heart felt like it was breaking into pieces.

My brothers alone are enough to shatter me into pieces, but Apollo adds to my pain, a great addition indeed.

I feel a lump in my throat as if something is stuck.

Why can't I speak?

Why can't I defend myself?

Why am I allowing them to insult me?

"Come on," Apollo said.

He walked towards his room.

I followed him, and as I did, I could hear his mom and brother yelling.

They were not in favor of Apollo’s decision.

Grandma, on the other hand, was shouting in support of Apollo, urging me not to go to his room alone.

It felt like a task like we needed time to talk. And at this moment, I wanted to say yes, to prove to myself that I am not who he thinks I am.

Neither of us spoke. We simply sat side by side on his bed in silence.

The silence was so profound that I could even hear my own breathing.

Finally, I decided to break the silence. "Nothing happened between Harold and me. Why can't you believe me, Apollo?"

I tried hard not to let my voice crack, but I couldn't help it. I began to explain my side of the story.

"Can we please stop talking about shits anymore? Let's not break our agreements anymore. Instead, let's act as if we’re breaking it and making it real. I can still use you against him. I can still use you to maintain my position in his company."

I shook my head and held his face so he would face me too.

"Are you still fixated on that? Aren't we in the same boat?"

He throws my hands away.

"We're not, and I've made up my mind. There's nothing you can do now."

I held his hands, allowing my hands to move on their own—tracing down his pants, and sliding inside after unzipping them.

He tightened his grip on my hand, guiding me to lie down on his bed.

"Is this what you want?" he asked, his gaze grave as I reluctantly nodded.

"Yes, can you do this for me?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He smirked. "Since this is also part of our contract, why not? It means nothing to me. I could do this every day. Even if you don't want to voice your complaints, I'll still do it every single day."

I looked at him blankly, forcing a smile as tears streamed down my cheeks.

His hands roamed my body, moving with aggression as he thrust in and out.

I was hurting myself once again.

Since this was our last day, I would make the best of it.

Apollo didn't deserve to know about our child. I would carry the burden alone.

I didn't need his help or his presence as a father.

For Andrei's sake, I had to escape the toxicity caused by Apollo.

I clenched my fists as he continued to possess me.

This was the first thing I needed to confirm, and I had already found the answer.

Through the act of sex, all I felt was a sense of loss. There was no love, comfort, or tenderness anymore. I knew that soon, everything would change. I would make sure he was no longer mine.

Perhaps Apollo had just used Harold as an excuse.

But regardless of his reasons, I was done. This would end here.

---

Apollo now slept beside me.

Both of us were naked.

He lay on his stomach, snoring as if he were alone, oblivious to my presence.

He looks peaceful.

I was about to touch his face for the last time.

But I'm having doubts, so I think it's better not to do that or I will regret it later.

I took a deep breath.

I don't want to lie to myself about anything right now, so I want to be true to myself.

I don't think I will be able to forget his face, the memories we made together, and the feelings he made me feel.