Break Free

After the long round of laughter ended, their conversations drifted to Ginny's wedding that would happen in two weeks. She was quite excited but also nervous about their upcoming nuptials. Although she only had one brother, she was happy that all of her girlfriends would be able to attend one of the most important events of her life.

Her brown eyes were almost filled with tears with happiness; it also didn't help that she was a bit tipsy and under the influence of the alcohol.

"So are you ready for your wedding night?" Erica teased. Her usual high ponytail hairdo released from its ties.

Aya nudged Erica's shoulder to take her attention before whispering, "Girl, go gentle on the 'Virgin' one."

Erica's mouth gaped at her, forming an 'o' shape.

"Oh my goodness. You haven't done a home run yet?" Erica exclaimed, which earned Ginny's blushing face from the embarrassment in response. Why did they keep bringing up sex in their conversation?

"Don't tell me you couldn't wake up 'Happy' and make him excited?" Aya asked before tipping down a margarita.

Ririna scoffed beside Ginny.

"I don't think so. They are probably too nervous to get down to business," she said.

Erica shook her head and served another glass of tequila to Aya.

"You're the one to talk, Boss. What did you and Eli talk about when we left you alone? Did you kiss and make out?"

"Nothing to be bothered about. Just confirming we haven't reached a mutual decision," Ririna replied.

"What? You have met with the devil so soon?" Aya joined the interrogation.

"What else, my darling? The devil himself even proposed marriage to my little boss, but she flatly rejected him," Erica said, laughing at her friends' shocked reactions.

"WHAAATT?" Ginny and Aya exclaimed. Their loud voices almost made Erica deaf.

"Could the two of you reach another octave? My ears are bleeding, you know," she complained.

On the other booth…

Evan and Louie's jaws dropped from what they heard from the other side. Really? Eli did propose to Ririna, and she rejected him? They both looked at the devil in disbelief. So that's why he didn't seem surprised when Evan mentioned her name earlier because he already had met her.

"Why did you reject his proposal anyway?" Aya asked. Ririna shot her a glare. Why did she keep on insisting making Eli part of her and Skyler's lives? He would only hurt her—or worst—hurt her son.

"As I said to him, I have no good reason to marry him. Do you think I'll marry him just because he says so?"

"Yeah, and with all the troubles within the Han Zhou Entertainment and the upcoming exhibition. Ririna doesn't have time for her love life. You can cry with me when you see her schedule for the next three months. I'm surprised she isn't dead from exhaustion yet," Erica said.

Ririna knew she has a lot of things going on in her life right now. With Skyler as her utmost priority, her gallery for the exhibit wasn't complete yet; and her last resort in gathering the 10% shares from Madam Lin hadn't even been settled yet.

She sighed. She could already feel the stress and exhaustion building up within her. Eli's proposal didn't help at all. Since their last meeting, she was having a hard time falling asleep. There were nights that she would slip out from her room and sleep beside Skyler instead. Her son's presence helped her calm down her nerves and get a good night sleep.

She pondered how she could get away from Eli. While she admitted only to herself that she still loved him, she knew too well that it was pointless. She was just one of his 'prized possessions', never just Ririna, a woman.

There were times that she couldn't help but wonder… if she went back to the Han Family sooner—and they both had a similar status in the society, would he ever notice her? Perhaps not.

There were so many times that Eli didn't mind one's status. He found most of the socialite women unworthy for his attention, but why did he suddenly turn to her during her 18th birthday?

While it's also true that she wanted him to see her as a woman, it didn't mean that he could take her as a whore. She felt so broken when he used her body. It felt so wrong—so painful—to make love to the person she loved the most, and yet he didn't return her feelings.

Maybe it's time for her to make everything clear between the two of them. If she didn't do it, Eli would continue to harass her, spy on her, or even scheme against her. She really didn't want him to hurt her again. For the longest time, she had given him everything she had. Her adoration, faith, love, and even her innocence.

It's time for her to move on; maybe he needed to do the same and let her be free. There's no use thinking that he could turn back time and make her his once again.

A man like him wouldn't be able to provide what she really wanted. She needed not his money and his fame. These worldly things were useless if it couldn't make her or Skyler happy. She needed love. Skyler deserved fatherly love, and she didn't believe Eli could give it to their son. Such a pity, she couldn't see him as a father figure for their child.

Thinking about her son, Ririna's heart ached with sadness. She knew her son really wanted to meet his father and to call someone his father. She knew how painful it was to grow up without a father. Her own father abandoned her and her mother for another woman. It was a hard thing to bear for a child.

She could only hope that her overflowing love for Skyler could make him happy. There's nothing else a mother could wish but to see her child well and happy. She intended to protect the happiness and innocence of her son.

They were happy just the two of them, right?

"Are you sure you don't want to be with him?" Ginny's sudden question made her thoughts come back to their conversation.

'Why would I want to be with him?' Ririna thought.

"He could go to hell for all I care. I don't care what he has. I have no plans to reunite with him," she replied. "He could never give what I truly wanted."

Wasn't it the truth? Their only connection right now was Evan and Ginny. When she and Skyler came from abroad, Ririna didn't want anything to do with her past lover. She already made a decision years ago that she had enough of him and left. Why would she try to get him back?

She refused to be tied down in a loveless marriage. It would be very unfair to her and Skyler. Didn't he already waste all those times she was head over heels about him? Didn't he know he had hurt her enough?

Maybe she should give Eli a call and a piece of her mind like telling him to f*ck off and leave her alone.