Chapter 44 Lesson Learned

"WHERE'S my mom?" Chris asked the nurse who was in the room when he came back. His father was still out and he was talking to someone.

"I passed by her outside and she was with the woman your wife had a fight with, Sir." The nurse answered the young man.

Chris quickly went out of the room to find his mother. He knew the nurse was referring to Margaret and he is worried. He followed the direction where the person he asked last saw them.

"Luisa, I already warned you in the first place not to be tricked by that pretentious girl! She's good at acting to get the heart of the people she wants to take away from our life." Margaret said sadly and she secretly smiled when she saw the angry reaction of her friend as she looks at the photo in her hand.

"If this is true, why did Chris let this happen?" Luisa asked confusedly. What she knew is that, it was Margaret who had an affair and not Nica.

"Believe me, Luisa, you know me. With my age, can I still have a relationship with someone younger than me? She turned everything upside down to ruin me and my daughter!" Margaret sobbed as she covered her face with two palms.

"But, about the design...?"

"She planned all of it to destroy her sister in the company," Margaret explained to her friend. She held her hands and it was on her face that Luisa is her only hope to clear their name.

"My daughter is innocent and she can't manage to steal other's work. That video is edited, as well as the photo Alfonso saw." Margaret explained to Luisa.

Luisa shook her head and took the hand that Margaret was holding. She has been fooled by her once, thus she does not want to be impulsive and believe her immediately without enough evidence.

"Won't you really stop discrediting Nica?" Chris asked Margaret angrily. He heard how she convinces his mother to believe her lies.

Luisa quickly approached her son and made him see the photo.

Chris tore up the photo and threw it on the floor as he glares at Margaret. "Leave before I lose the little respect I have for you."

Margaret sadly looked at her friend, asking for help. She really was hurt by her son's treatment of her. "Luisa..."

"It's better if you leave, Margaret." Luisa acted cold as well. By her son's behavior, she knows that the photo was not true.

Chrismith explained everything to his mother when Margaret was gone.

"She has such a thick face to think of approaching me for help!" Luisa said frustratedly when she heard the truth.

"Let's go back, Mom. Nica might have woken up." Chris went back to the room with his mother. His father was already there when they entered, but Nica was still asleep.

It was already midnight, so Luisa and her husband did not stay much longer.

Nica woke up, she was pillowing on her husband's lap. The last thing she remembers from last night is that she was pillowing on his mother's lap. She looked around, but she did not see her husband's parents. She felt bad while looking at him because he was only resting his back against the sofa's backrest as he sleeps.

"Good morning." Chris greeted the young lady while his eyes were still closed.

Nica lifted up her body from lying and she sat. "You should lie now so you can sleep well."

She tapped her husband on the cheek when he did not move from his seat. She smiled when he opened his eyes. She knows that he does not like seeing her sad, thus she tries to fight the sorrow she was feeling.

"Are you feeling better now?" Chris said in a husky voice as he caressed his wife's soft cheek.

Her lips pressed together, Nica smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you! If you're not here, I don't know what to do."

Chris quickly grabbed his wife's body and hugged her tight. "From now on, I don't want to see you crying in sadness."

Nica hugged him back without speaking and completely let go of her worries. She freed herself from that one part of her, loved and trust someone wholly again.

"You know how much I love you, don't you?" He said his feelings softly. He smiled when she nodded, but it immediately got erased when he heard what she said.

"I love you too!" Nica whispered in her husband's ear. It naturally came out of her mouth and it was sincerely from her heart.

"What did you say?" He asked the young lady as if deafened. He could not believe he heard the words he wanted to hear from her.

Nica pouted and feels embarrassed. However, she locked eyes with the young man.

"Please, say it again!"

Nica smiled when she noticed that her husband was nervous. He is probably thinking that he heard it wrong but was expecting that answer to his feelings for her.

"Larry's bossy boss was the first one I loved." Nica made it clear to the young man and she smirked when his brows furrowed as he listens and stares at her intently.

"I loved his lips, how it smiles as he sings." She caressed the young man's lips with her index finger. She knows he was thinking she loves the other him.

"From that day on, these lips never leave my mind, particularly when I first saw you as my sister's boyfriend."

"We're just friends..."

"I know!" She quickly cut off the rest of what he wanted to say. She slightly pinched his lip when he frowned. "Do you know I became more irritated with you because my heart would beat fast whenever I'd see your lips? I was frustrated because I saw in you the first person I liked and I want it to smile only to me."

Chris holds his breath as her finger ran over his lips. It was as if she were memorizing every part of his lips. He stared at her slightly parted lips. If they were not there, he might have kissed her.

"I hate you more every time I see you smiling at Janice."

This time, a smirk formed on Chris's lips. He quickly grabbed her index finger and kissed it. He could clearly see the intense jealousy in her eyes when she mentioned how he smiled at her sister before.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that way before. But you don't have to worry because like you, the first time I saw you, you've captured my heart."

Nica pouted and quickly stole a kiss from her husband's lips before hiding her reddened face on his chest.

A wide smile formed on Chris's lips as he stroked her hair. He just let her on his hard chest. "So, those kisses you stole from me whenever Janice was around wasn't just for the show." He teased her and chuckled. He did not mind the pinch she gave him on the waist.

"If only your Dad was awake, he would have been shivering in thrill."

Chris and Nica both looked at his mother who spoke. They did not notice that they are already back and they were standing near the bed where Alfonso lies.

"You two should go home for now and continue being lovey-dovey there before the ants here increase." Chris' father said whilst smirking. He is happy that the two really love each other and they were not together just because of some paper.

"Your Dad is right, you should also take a rest. We'll watch your Dad and we've also hired a private nurse who'd take care of your Dad." Luisa said to Nica.

Nica is thankful to Chris' parents and obeyed them. After she talked to her sleeping father, she and Chris said goodbye to them.

"Where are we going?" Nica asked Chris when she noticed that they were taking a different path from their way home.

"I don't want to ruin your mood, so let's stay the night at my condominium."

Nica did not oppose what her husband wants. He was right, she does not want to see her sister and her mother. They went to a shop first and buy some personal belongings for her. They eat at a restaurant first before they proceed to his condominium.

The condo was nice and it was clean even though no one stays there. It has two rooms and two bathrooms. One in the bedroom and one near the kitchen.

"You like it?" Chris asked the young lady whilst smiling after he gave her a tour. His mother's maid goes there twice a week to clean it and replace the bed sheet even though he rarely visits there.

Nica looked at her husband while smiling and nodded her head. She felt her body sticky when she saw the bathtub.

"You bathe first, I'll clean our room."

When Chris turned, she immediately took off her clothes and went to the bathtub. Her tiredness lessened when her body sank in the water. She closed her eyes until she did not notice she was falling asleep.

"Hey, this is not the bedroom." Chris tried to wake her up. It has been thirty minutes since he left her there and he went back when she was not answering him from the outside.

Nica opened her eyes drowsily and her husband's handsome face was what she saw. She smiled when he caught him stealing a glance at her body, which was covered by bubbles.

Chris quickly handed her the robe as he swallowed his own saliva. "C'mon, Babe, you might catch a cold if you stay there longer."

Instead of going out of the bathtub, Nica grabbed her husband's hand. He was surprised by what she did but drifted until he was also wet with water. They hugged and sank their bodies in the water in the bathtub as they locked lips.

They tasted the sweetness of their love again and temporarily forgot the problems they were facing. Right there in the bathtub, Chris owned his wife.

One week passed before Alfonso woke up. His body has weakened, but he could still speak properly. He lets Nica and her husband make the decision for the company.

Philip was arrested for attempting bad things for Nica. There was evidence that a drug was put in her drink. Xtine also testified so he could be in jail.

At first, Philip would not admit that Margaret was having an affair with him. But they pressured him and threatened, thus in the end, he confessed.

"What are you planning for your sister?" Chris asked Nica after Margaret and Philip were judged guilty. Philip was sentenced to more years for his attempted rape of Nica.

Nica sighed and looked at the garden. There, her sister was sitting in a wheelchair and was staring blankly into space. Even though she was bad to her, she could not deny that they have the same blood. She was just a victim of her mother's greed.

She could not bear the shame from the event and the exposition of her mother's unexpected stench. She became depressed and attempted suicide in a car accident. Fortunately, it was not successful and she is still alive today. However, she does not want to help herself to go back to normal. She also does not want to help herself to walk again. She dislocated her knee bone when her car collided with a pole.

"Dad has agreed to admit her to a private mental hospital."

Chris smiled at his wife to ease the pain in her chest. He knows that she is blaming herself for why her sister was not in her mind. He also feels bad for his friend, but they cannot do anything because she locked herself in a different world.

Nica's relationship with her father was good now and his strength also came back. Their house was renovated, but her mother's garden was not changed.

Margaret stayed selfish and prideful. She did not apologize to Nica even though she was proved guilty. She begged Alfonso and asked for a second chance, but the latter's heart became a stone.

"Daughter, go in now, fog will be bad for my grandchild!" Alfonso called Nica.

Nica looked at her father with a smile. He kept his promise that he will make up with her.

Chris put his arm around his wife's shoulders and whispered to her. "Are you really sure, Babe, that we don't need to have a house of our own?"

Nica smiled at her husband, he is worried that he might not be able to hold their child after he came out of her womb because their parents were fighting over him. Their child was not even born yet, but his grandparents spoils him so much.

"Dad, it's only five PM," Nica answered to her father before she rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Where is my baby sister?"

Nica looked at the person who spoke. She became teary-eyed as she saw her sister who now acts like a child. Whenever she hears that they are talking about her future child, she becomes cheerful and talkative.

What was on her mind is that she will have a sister like when they first met. She treats her as a baby sister back then. But it changed because of the wrong things her mother taught her.

Nica went to Janice and touched her head. "Get well soon so you can come back here and you can meet her."

Janice's gaze followed where her hand was pointing. She stared at the bulge of her stomach without blinking. Then, she did not speak again and looked into the distance.

Nica does not know when her sister will return to normal. But she prays for her recovery and hopes that their relationship as sisters will be fixed.

Chris hugged his wife to ease the sadness she feels for her sister.

"Thank you!" Nica warmly thanked Chris and hugged him back. "Thank you because you love me and accepted everything I had."

"I'm the one who should thank you for giving me a chance to get into your life." Chris pinched his wife's nose before kissing her on the forehead.

"Cheesy!" Nica teased her husband while laughing. "Let's go back inside now and grandpa has been frowning." She referred to her father who did not leave the doorway and was waiting for them to go inside.

Rachel also followed—the nurse who is taking care of her sister. Nica had made Margaret's old maid gone and replaced her. Bheng stayed in the company as Chris' secretary. Chris handles all of her work because he does not want her to be tired.

Chris' parents often visit them to help the young lady. Their future child's room was almost full of toys from them.

As Nica's parturition approached, Chris stayed at home. He does his work there and Bheng delivers the papers that he needs.

"Ma'am Nica, can I live here too?" Bheng's request while eating the snack Nica prepared.

Nica suppressed a smile as she watched her friend's serious face. She knew that she has a crush on Chris, but she knows she would not try to seduce her husband.

"I don't have someone to guard in the office anymore and Sir Chris no longer works there," Bheng complained to her.

"You don't have to watch him here because I'm here too." She answered to Bheng.

"Eh, Ma'am, my rival for Sir is here, so I should also be here!" Bheng's eyes widened as she looks around.

"Hey!" Mheg's voice was loud as her hands were on both sides of her waist in front of Bheng. "You'll steal my job here?"

Bheng frowned before she looks at her bosses' new maid.

"Hey you, too." She lifted up her eyebrow at her friend. She recommended her to Nica when she looked for a maid. But now she treats her as a rival because she is stealing her role as her boss' number one fan. "I'm not like you who copies somebody else's feelings, so I never steal anything from you!" She rolled her eyeballs at Mheg.

Nica laughed as she watches the two. That was what she likes when Bheng is there, she enjoys seeing her bickering with her friend. The word 'offend' is not in their vocabulary.

"Duh, Sir is mine here and yours in the company, so shut up!"

Bheng was about to reply to Mheg but it did not happen when someone tapped her shoulder. She forced a smile when she recognized who did it. They did not notice that he was behind them.

"My child hears you!" Chris widened his eyes at the two.

"Sir, it's because Bheng wants to have you to herself," Mheg said.

Nica shook her head at their maid's talkativeness. Like Bheng, she is also comfortable with her and she trusts her. There was no day that Bheng and Mheg were not bickering when they are together because they both idolize her husband.

"If you two will fight over me, stay away from my wife because my child can hear you. I don't want my child to think that his father is a womanizer." Chris reprimanded the two jokingly.

"Girls like fighting over someone here." Nica laughs as she teased her husband.

"Eh, Ma'am Nics, there are also many who like you, particularly there at your favorite place back then," Bheng said.

Chris hemmed and put his arm around Nica's shoulders. He is not into that topic. He is that jealous, she rarely visits the bar now because of his jealousy. Oftentimes, he sings to his wife to cheer her up whenever she is not in the mood.

"Ayieee!" Bheng and Mheg screamed when Chris kissed his wife on the forehead.

Nica is contented with her life now. She has a loving husband, cheerful maids that she treats as friends, and her relationship with her father is good now.

She now believes that God is not sleeping. It is not bad to have vengeance on those who have done wrong to you, but in a legal way. Learn to forgive, thus you can have real happiness. She has forgiven Margaret even though she did not ask her forgiveness. She also visits her sister in the mental hospital to know how is she.

After Nica gave birth to a healthy boy, their second wedding was held in the Philippines. The wedding was luxurious and even those they are not close with are invited. This time, there were no contracts nor conditions between them.

She has gone through and overcomes many trials. In the second stage of her life, she will face it without fear with the people who truly love her.

Author's note: Thank you for spending time and coins to read this, can yo leave a feedback for this book?