The CEO’S Orphan Wife

Ivan was still around. He had been here for several days, looking after Heather all day while I was at work. He took on the roles of both preparing breakfast and handling our dishwashing duties.

“Mommy, your flowers are here!” Heather shouted excitedly from outside the house, eagerly awaiting the helicopter’s landing.

“Mommy!”

I glanced out the window to see my daughter, a big smile lighting up her face. Ivan was by her side, both of them looking up at me.

She dashed toward the helicopter as it landed. The bouquet was too large for her to manage. Ivan’s assistant handed her a paper bag, likely containing a new toy or clothing item.

Ivan carried the flowers and a couple of other paper bags. They were about to enter the house, heading up here to present me with the flowers.

“Mommy!”

I mustered a smile.

“Your flowers have arrived!” For three consecutive days, a helicopter has been dropping off bouquets for me. Ivan was wasting money on this.

“The flowers are beautiful, Mommy!”

I smiled and reached for them.

“Daddy, kiss mommy!” Heather, our baby, remained unaware. She wasn’t aware that her daddy and I were not okay, and there was no need for her to know.

Ivan kissed my cheek. Despite my frustration, even after expressing my exhaustion and lack of desire in our relationship, he could still approach and kiss me because of his daughter.

“I also ordered your favorite dish. Let’s eat first; you’ve been in front of your laptop since earlier.”

“The food is delicious, Mommy. I want to eat now!”

I placed the flowers on the table and went out first.

Lucinda and Chelle weren’t here; they were at the hotel, attending to the VVIP business partners of my friend’s husband at the hotel.

I savored the food, and so did Heather.

“Take a nap first,” I told her to temporarily lead her father away. Ivan always followed her, even when Heather was simply playing in this room. He never departed, causing discomfort while I worked.

“Mommy, can you share the story of how you and Daddy fell in love?”

Ivan and I exchanged glances. Was our journey truly a love story?

“Like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, Mommy. Just like that!”

I let out a sigh.

Ivan carefully lifted our daughter and set her down on the bed.

“Once upon a time, there was a young princess who found herself in a kingdom. Her parents had passed away, so she had to live with the friends of her mommy and daddy.”

I glanced at Ivan but quickly returned my eyes to my laptop.

“Was the Prince Charming live there?”

Ivan chuckled. “Yes, but he was no Prince Charming. He’s a grumpy and moody prince.”

“Did he fall in love with the princess?”

“Not immediately, but he discovered the young princess’s beauty over time.”

Liar!

I rolled my eyes while Ivan grinned.

” Mom, did Daddy not tell the story correctly?”

I cringed. Why did I even react? It was just a story, not reality. The true story was that the grumpy prince was already in love with a witch before the young princess arrived. But I couldn’t say that. Heather would surely be upset.

“How did the prince fall in love with the young princess?”

“The young princess possessed a pure heart, opting to exhibit kindness even toward the misguided prince.”

“Why did the prince act poorly?”

“Because the prince was confused.”

“Huh?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“One day, the prince got lost, and the young princess found him. He was badly hurt. Even though he had been very unkind to the young princess, she still took care of him. The young prince realized that he had loved the young princess for a long time. He was just in denial.”

“Did they live happily ever after?”

“I was hoping they would soon have their happily ever after, baby.”

“Huh? Why? Cinderella and Barbie had a happy ever after with their prince charming.”

“The story wasn’t finished yet, baby. Let’s pray that the young princess’s heart softens.”

“Was her heart tough? Like stone?”

Ivan chuckled. “Yes, and the princess deserves it.”

“Huh?”

“Go to sleep. Someday, we will finish the story of the young princess and the grumpy prince.”

“Okay, Daddy. I love you. I love you, Mommy.”

“Love you, Heather. Go to sleep so you can grow up.”

“Yes. I want to be a big sister, Mommy!”

I managed to smile.

The two of them drifted off to sleep and I gently let Ivan recline on the bed, mindful of the weariness that had embraced him. For several days, he had devoted himself to caring for Heather and preparing our meals.

When they woke up, they headed downstairs to prepare snacks.

“Have a snack first; you might be hungry.” Ivan headed upstairs to bring me a mango sticky rice. Lucinda knew I was craving it, so she was probably the one who informed Ivan.

The food exuded a smoky but delightful aroma. I sighed as I realized that Ivan was attempting to win me over with flowers and food.

I couldn’t easily soften just because of food and flowers; I could buy those for myself.

Our dinner was barbecue. Ivan and Lucinda did the grilling outside the house.

“Your husband’s efforts were impressive, huh? From a rich businessman to an all-around guy really quick.”

“He had just been here for a couple of days.”

“It had been ten days already! But I couldn’t blame you; what he did was really painful.”

Shooting her a stern look, I took a momentary pause, wary that Heather might have caught wind of our conversation.

Lucinda grabbed our attention with her comment. “Ivan, were your friends still single?”

“Which ones?”

“Huxley?”

“I thought he was in a serious relationship already.”

I cast a glance at Chelle, seeking to gauge her reaction, yet she remained fixated on the sea, seemingly unbothered.

“Ah, got it. What about the other guy-the one with the tattoo on his chest?”

Who was Lucinda referring to? I noticed Chelle blinked.

“Angus?” Ivan laughed. He also sneakily glanced at Chelle.

“Oh my God! Angus? So, was I correct in assuming that Chelle was involved with one of Ivan’s friends?”

Ivan cleared his throat.

“He was already taken and about to tie the knot soon.”

helle stood up, pouring juice into her empty glass.

I considered gossiping with Ivan but thought better of it. He might have assumed everything was okay between us.

Heather dozed off after our meal. I remained outside with Chelle and Ivan, quietly sipping on drinks and nibbling on snacks.

“I’m feeling sleepy, so I’ll excuse myself for a moment,” Chelle said, standing up from her seat and sensing something.

Ivan looked at me. “Were you still upset?”

I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I had already expressed everything I needed to say to him.

However, my anger towards him had diminished slightly, though not enough for me to retract my earlier statements.

It felt like we were navigating a semblance of a healthy co-parenting arrangement.

“If only I hadn’t experienced that accident back then, things wouldn’t have turned so chaotic. I regretted not expressing my love to you back then.”

“Even if that incident hadn’t occurred, Ivan, you still wouldn’t have been able to fully commit to me. Maureen would still have held a larger place in your heart. It was as if, when she informed you that she was feeling sad and crying, you’d hastily go to her, leaving me behind-your wife, the one to whom you professed your love.”

He sighed.

“I didn’t want to dwell on the past any longer. It was done. Everything had unfolded, and it was irreversible.”

“Yeah. All I could do now was make amends and prove myself to you.”

“We had enough drink, I headed to bed. You should have returned to your villa too.”

“You go ahead. I’ll take care of these,” he said.

Despite my desire to assist him, sleepiness overwhelmed me. Before lying down on the bed, I glanced at him through the window. He was busy tidying up, occasionally sipping his drink and wiping his cheeks. Tears streamed down his face.

Several bustling days swept by. Ivan remained on the island, tending to his child, and overseeing both cooking and the overall household. Each day, their chopper landed here, delivering flowers and an array of gifts for Heather and me.

At times, his parents would call to inquire about him. They didn’t explicitly ask about the status of our relationship. It had been quite a while since his official leave from the company; he was supposed to return to work. I haven’t asked about his plans or how long he intends to stay here.

My father-in-law got older, and out of all his children, only Ivan was genuinely committed to managing the company.

“When did you plan on returning to Manila?” I queried one afternoon. He had been here for more than a month.

He remained silent, busy rinsing the rice and preparing to cook.

“You were needed at the company.”

He didn’t respond.

“Were you even paying attention?”

He sighed.

“I will remain on the island, and I won’t leave. I won’t abandon you or Heather.”

“But your company needed you,” I reiterated.

“My dad could manage that. I’d stay there. Wherever you and Heather were, that’s where I should be.” His eyes met mine with gentleness.

“I’m happy being here. This is where I truly belong, Myla… I love you so much, and I’m missing my wife tremendously. I hoped you could find it in your heart to forgive me and accept me once more.” His voice quivered, and tears welled up in his eyes.

I turned away as I sensed the warmth in the corners of my own eyes.