Chased by my Ex Husband

Grace

"The PR is taking down the articles and pulling the video from social media. They will be done soon but I think the damage is already done." Tristin sighs, closing his eyes.

I look down at his face. I am still trying to understand how his head actually landed in my lap.

I scratch my ear and hum. " How did the video release? From what I know Lily is still...kind of missing?"

"That wench is not as smart as I thought. She made sure my cousin had a copy of the video in case she went missing. She used it as leverage to keep herself safe all this time. But Carlos didn't wait for whatever she had in mind. As soon as he gathered enough people to back him at the company, he released the video to weaken my position. " He grumbles, moving his head to rest in a comfortable position.

My hands hang in the air as I blink a few times. "Uh... Carlos? Your cousin wants to-"

Tristin snorts." He wishes. He can bring hell to Earth and he still won't be able to become the CEO of our business. At most, he will get a subsidiary and I will send him packing."

"You should have done it sooner then. "I sigh.

"I didn't have a reason to. Not until now. If I had kicked him out without a good reason, I would only be inviting more trouble. "His eyes open and meet my gaze.

He gathered himself a little over an hour ago and since then, he's been occupying my lap as if he owns it. I am tied to watch him watch me and sigh every now and then.

His hand lifts towards my face and slides my hair behind my ear. " most executives don't like me at the company."

"Why do you think that?" I ask, finding myself staring right back into his calm eyes.

I am glad he is not like before right now or I don't know what I was supposed to do to comfort him.

"I don't have the traditional education or training to lead the company. I left home, remember?" He grimaces and closes his eyes again.

"But you are doing...more than fine." I mumble, my eyes tracing his frowning brows, his tall nose, and full lips.

Seeing him from so close is always so strange. He is so handsome that you can not take your eyes off him once you start looking at him. Girls must be swooning over him all the time.

An ugly emotion rears its head in my heart when I think about that.

I shake my head, and reach for his forehead, smoothening the lines between his brows.

"They like to cause trouble. "Tristin mumbles, his breaths hitting my wrist.

I nod but don't say anything. Unconsciously, my fingers slip into his hair, feeling the softness beneath my skin.

"Why are you living in this small place?" He wonders.

"It's...comfortable here. A big place would have made me feel...weird. "I tell him honestly.

"Did you miss me?" He asks right away.

I choke on my breath, and my fingers pause. Heat spreads in my cheeks, making me want to shift in my spot but I can't.

A moment passes, then another, and another. When he doesn't get an answer, Tristin's eyes open to hold my gaze.

"I did." He blinks, no emotion reflecting in his eyes for a second. "Hm?"

"I thought I would forget about you if we slept together once. Or I will stop thinking about you if I bury myself under work. Or maybe, once a month passes, I will no longer want to see you." His hand lifts again. He cups my cheek and runs his thumb down my skin, stopping at the corner of my mouth.

"A month passed, and I couldn't stop myself from wanting to call you. Another month passed, and I just wanted to hear your voice. A few more days passed and I...started getting angry, and desperate. " His eyes droop, his voice softening. My palms sweat as my heart pounds inside my chest.

Tristin takes his hand off my face and places it over his stomach before fisting it, "I kept thinking... Did she not even think about me for once? Did she forget me? How could she?"

I didn't really forget about him. I just remembered that I should never reach out to him. If I want to start a new life, and if I want to keep my word to Alma, I must not remember Tristin Roberto.

"It's stupid. My office reminded me

of you, my house reminded me of you, and even your stupid sister's face reminded me of you." His nose scrunches as he closes his eyes again You are more on my head than like to admit. You just never leave me alone. We are on unequal grounds, Little Butterfly. think about you more than you will ever think about me."

My heartbeat slows. I take my eyes off his face and direct my gaze towards his clenched fists. Instinctively, I reach out and pry his fingers open.

He takes this chance to intertwine our fingers. The warmth of his palm runs down my cold hand and I shudder.

"Maybe...you should forget about me, Tristin." My heart clenches in my chest. "you know...there can not be anything... between us."

"I would love that." He nods quickly

but doesn't open his eyes. " But I told you...I have tried everything I could and you still occupy my thoughts most of the time. So by now, you should know it's impossible for me to understand that we are not

supposed to be together

I look down at our joined hands, and my heart misses a beat. I open my mouth to say something-anything, but there are no words in my mind.

Something shifts in my chest, a strong emotion flipping everything upside down.

"I look for you when I am happy and want to be with you when I am suffering. How far gone do you think I am? " Finally, he looks into my eyes and my throat dries. "I am...unredeemable, am I not?"

I don't have anything to say, so I just watch as he gets disappointed at my lack of answer, closes his eyes, and sulks in silence.

I watch until his breaths even out and he falls asleep in my lap. My thumb runs down his nose, admiring his beauty a little longer.

I can not bring myself to believe that

he can actually feel something like that for me. Maybe, it's a temporary infatuation. But if it's true...then it's the first time someone has told me that they think about me at every moment of their life.

And somehow, that fixes a little part of my broken heart.