THREE

"Andrew... I miss you."

Avery clung loosely on Andrew's shoulder as she leaned against the comfortable back of the bed. It seemed like she hadn't done that for a long time because their job required them not to see each other.

"I miss you, too. How were your activities while I wasn't home?" asked Andrew, stroking Avery's soft mane.

"As usual, your annoying brother is always bothering me. In fact, he often acts impudently by touching my body at will. I'm uncomfortable with Michiel's attitude, I'm afraid people will think negatively because of his irreverent behavior." Avery's story was excited.

Andrew only smiled a little in response to his wife's story. He knew that Michiel was really ignorant of Avery. Even from the first time he introduced Avery to his extended family, Michiel immediately bullied Avery. Although sometimes he was jealous of Avery and Michiel's closeness, he always thought positively of both of them. Moreover, Michiel is his own younger brother, Michiel couldn't possibly mess with Avery. Precisely with Michiel's presence, he felt relieved that Michiel was able to look after Avery while he was busy developing Thompson Corp companies in Chicago and Columbia.

Michiel should have taken over all the companies, but until now this man has not been interested in handling them all. Michiel has too high ideals about success that must be achieved on his own, so he has to give in.

For now he will replace Michiel as leader at Thompson Corp. And when Michiel was ready later, he would return it to Michiel.

"Drew, what do you think I'm going to do with the baby program, do you agree?" Avery asked, breaking his daydream about Michiel. Avery's tapered fingers tickled his chest because the woman deliberately played with the buttons on his pajamas.

"That is good."

Only that one simple comment Andrew could afford. The rest of the man was confused. He feels he doesn't deserve to be a father now.

"Only that? Aren't you happy if I'm going to get pregnant and have a cute baby? Do you think I will become fat and ugly just like that annoying Michiel?" asked Avery angrily.

Andrew kissed Avery on the forehead to lighten the woman's anger.

"It is not like that. Even I don't care about your body because you will always look beautiful in your own way. But what about your job, aren't you bound by a contract with Michiel's company?"

"I am still under contract with Michiel's company until next year. But can you persuade Michiel to make my resign process easier? He said he would sue me to pay the fine according to the terms written in the work contract. He purposely made it difficult for me so that I would stay at his agency and be the material of his teasing all the time," said Avery irritably.

However, what Avery expected did not come true because Andrew didn't seem to have the slightest intention to help her. Andrew actually told her to stick to the contents of the contract because it was a consequence of what she had chosen in the past.

"Then why would I have a husband who is very rich if he can not help me to pay company fines. You and Michiel are the same, you sucks."

Their conversation that night finally ended with sulking Avery. The woman then chooses to sleep first with her back to her husband. Seeing that Andrew only let out a small sigh while stroking the top of Avery's head gently.

"I don't want to make things difficult for you at all, but I just want you to be responsible for your choices. One day you will not be able to rely on my money to solve your problem. There are times when you have to rely on yourself to solve all the problems you face, even though it is very troublesome for your life," whispered Andrew right in Avery's ear.

He then kissed Avery softly on the cheek and headed off to get out of their room. He needed to relaxing his mind's mess tonight. And he hopes that when his mind clears up, he can improve his relationship with Avery.

-00-

"Good morning!"

Avery snorted in annoyance when she ran into Michiel at the end of the stairs. Always Michiel interrupting the morning. Plus last night she was arguing about her work contract with Michiel's agency, so the woman's mood is really bad right now.

"You better not start arguing with me this morning because I'm not in a good mood. Have you seen Andrew?" Avery asked as she looked around to find Andrew's presence in the Thompson family's luxurious mansion.

"Andrew has already left for the office," replied Michiel plainly.

This morning before he went jogging, he saw Andrew walking hurriedly away in his car. Although he was quite suspicious because Andrew was driving himself this morning, he didn't want to worry Avery because the woman's mood this morning was really bad.

"To the office? Why is it so early? He's totally irresponsible, just leaving me when our relationship hasn't improved." Avery grumbled irritably.

Michiel raised his eyebrows lightly. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind when he saw Avery who looked neat this morning.

"Come on follow me!" asked Michiel while grabbing Avery's hand quickly.

"Kyaaaa... where do you want to take me? Go away!"

Avery screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to get rid of Michiel's grip and wrists, but the man tightened his grip even more so that she couldn't move a bit.

"We take a walk. Haven't we taken a walk around the mansion in a long time. I want to repeat our past when you were my lover."

"I do not want! Get off me Michiel! I've buried all those sad memories. So don't ever force me to remember it. I'm already happy with Andrew. You shouldn't have done that to your brother-in-law!"

Avery jerked Michiel's hand hard as she stared into Michiel's sad eyes sharply. The cold wind that blew her hair down the chicks, adding to the dramatic atmosphere between them. But this time Michiel wouldn't just let Avery go.

For the last time he wanted to reminisce about those good times before Avery decided to focus on her romantic relationship with Andrew.

Last night somehow he started thinking about his own future. What was said by his grandpa kept ringing in his head so he couldn't close his eyes. And last night he began to give up on trying to bring Avery back.

His past idiocy could never be fixed. He had ruined Avery and let her down until she disappeared from his life. So now he just wanted to reminisce about all of that for today, before he gave up Avery to be happy with Andrew.

"I'm sorry, I hurt you before."

"Tch, after all these years have passed and you just apologized now? Where have you been Michiel, huh?" Avery spat out sarcastically.

Michiel stared at Avery's honey bead sadly as he smiled grimly at her.

"I... I don't know what to do with you Avery. I'm sorry. I used to betray you and play with your pure feelings."

"Huh, you used to be cruel. You used that weird nerd girl for betting. And at worst you raped me! You remember? Forget? Huh, I'm sure you've forgotten it," said Avery sarcastically.

Michiel came forward to reach out to Avery's body so he could hug her. But unfortunately Avery immediately took a step back whenever he tried to get close to the woman.

"I never forget. Even the sad years passed, I never forgot about it. I'm sorry, Ave. I used to look for you, so I didn't think about a sick mom. And when I gave up on finding you, I was too late to save mom. Mom left when my heart broke because I just lost you. After that I chose to live my life as usual, hoping that I could correct all my past mistakes. Even the second Andrew introduced you to me, I still hired a private investigator to look for you. I want to apologize and account for what I did to you, Ave. Mom used to be very angry when I told her all my behavior. Mom even hit me with a stick golf at the time because she was so mad at herself and me. Mom felt that she had failed to be a good mother. Maybe because of that mom finally fell ill and died. It's all my fault Avery, I'm sorry."

Without realizing it, Avery shed tears when he heard all the confessions from Michiel. No matter how hard he buries her painful past and behaves if it's all right, in fact it can never obscure her old wounds.

She admitted that she loved Michiel and was attracted to him. But all that changed when she found out about all that man's rottenness. Michiel only made it a bet.

"That night I met your mother. I visited your mother before your mother died the next day."

Michiel looked surprised at the information. He thought Avery hated him very much and would never have wanted to meet his mother who was sick at the time.

"You never said..."

"I told you, I don't want to reopen old wounds. But right now I want to tell you. That night your mother cried apologizing to me. Your mom looks really sorry and keeps blaming herself for not being a good parent for you. She is truly a very great and wonderful woman. You shouldn't waste it like that. But isn't the past still the past. Everything can never be changed.

"Even with crying blood we can never go back to the past to fix everything. So at that time I have forgiven you. Because of your mother, I ended up trying to open up and accept everything as a juvenile delinquency I won't need to remember in the future. Do you know who gave me the scholarship for modeling school in Chicago? your mother! That night your mother asked me where I would continue my education after graduating from senior high school. I then told everything to your mother about my situation after my mother died. I told your mother that I did not have anything to continue my education to a higher level, like college. And suddenly your mom offers me to take modeling classes at a top modeling school in downtown Chicago."

"Then how can you become a model in my agency? You can't possibly register as a model in my agency if you know that the agency is mine right?" asked Michiel with a frown.

"Didn't you buy a collapsing agency? I come from that agency. I really wouldn't be able to work under your agency because I avoided you so much. But fate was completely unexpected because I married your own brother. I—"

Suddenly Michiel hugged Avery tightly and sank Avery's swollen face into his warm broad chest. He realized that his mistake in that woman was bad. Because of that he wanted to fix it. He wanted to make her hate him because he loved her so much.

"Avery, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. If at that time I could find you sooner, I want to fix everything, I want to account for my bastard to you in the past. Please forgive me Avery. " begged Michiel hoarsely.

At this time, he could not hold back the melting of his own tears which felt suffocating. All the facts and confessions that Avery spoke of made him feel even more of a jerk to her. In fact, he felt he did not deserve to live in this world. The life God gave him was too luxurious for a jerk like him.

"I have already forgiven you. Even before you asked for it, I have forgiven you. Life is too good to be filled with grudges, so I decided to forgive you and turn a new leaf in Chicago. You don't have to feel guilty now."

With a little coercion Avery pushed Michiel's body so he could release his too tight hug. Now his heart feels more relieved after he told everything. There are no more things to hide in her pretty head. The past will forever be a past that is full of twists and turns of life.

"Thanks Avery."

"Now wipe those ridiculous tears of yours. You don't deserve the tears that ripen your cheeks."

Michiel laughed dryly in front of Avery and started wiping the remnants of the tears that had started to dry on his cheeks. If all the models saw this embarrassing thing, the image of the player would surely be crushed by the ridiculous tears that had just recently rolled down his cheeks.

"So now we make up?" asked Michiel doubtfully. Avery showed a flat face in front of Michiel while narrowing her eyes. But a few seconds later the woman embraced Michiel's shoulders lightly while nodding her head.

"We make up! Let's go, you want to ask me to go somewhere right?"

Michiel smiled faintly at Avery and returned the woman's hug on his shoulder. The heavy burden he had borne because of the guilt that choked him in the past has now disappeared. He hopes that in the future he will find the right woman to replace Avery in his heart.