Friday — December 28

"Angela?" Samantha called as she stirred the pot on the stove in the kitchen of Angela's apartment. The room smelled absolutely divine; it could make anyone's mouth water.

Angela lifted her gaze from the phone and looked at the other. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Instead of being annoyed that Angela wasn't the best listener this morning, Samantha smiled at her. That only made Angela feel guiltier. Samantha turned the stove's heat down to low and covered the pot. Angela had asked her the other day if they could meet today at her apartment in the city. Hannah was also supposed to teach her how to use the coffee machine properly but had to cancel at the last minute. Knowing that Samantha loved cooking and baking, Angela thought she could learn a thing or two from her.

"Don't worry about it. Has he contacted you yet?" Samantha asked.

Clearing her throat, Angela went to get a bottle of water from the fridge and answered casually, "Who?" Though she couldn't see Samantha behind her, she could sense that the other just rolled her eyes.

"Gael."

"Ah… No."

"When did you last speak to him?"

"We talked on the phone last night."

Angela turned around and leaned against the counter, across Samantha. She knew that Samantha was studying her, and it made her a tiny bit uncomfortable. "What?" she asked.

"Come on, now. I know I could've just sent you a youtube video where you can learn how to cook a stew or a baked dish. But I came because I know you wanted to talk."

God. Angela felt like a toad. She'd listened to Samantha when she demonstrated how to prepare and cook the stew, but her mind wasn't totally focused on learning. "I'm sorry, Sam. It's rude of me to space out a lot today when I invited you over. I swear I listened earlier."

Samantha waved her hand as if to brush it off. "It's okay. There are days like that. I get it. So what's up? This is about Gael, right?"

Angela nodded, wondering how she would start the conversation. Talking to Nina yesterday was different as she still had to hold back information. And now that she's facing Samantha, she became conscious about what to tell her. She didn't even know what Samantha knows about Gael and his family. Was this a mistake?

When Angela didn't speak, Samantha informed her, "He came by on Christmas Eve. Said he came from your house in Oakwood. He just dropped off some gifts to the kids and left for the airport."

"Yeah… He told he would."

"I…heard about your guys' situation—not from him. From my husband. They talked, and I made Daniel tell me." She giggled, and Angela laughed with her.

Letting out a sigh, Angela pursed her lips into a thin line. That was the hint she waited for. She set the bottled water on the counter. "So you know he's…engaged?"

"Ugh." Samantha shook her head, slightly looking disgusted at what she heard. "Let's not call it that. It irks me. I like romance, Angela, and there's nothing romantic about the two of them. Let's just say he's forced."

Angela couldn't agree more. "Yeah... So there's that."

"You must be feeling awful…"

"Awful is an understatement. I've had to take melatonin the past few nights to help me sleep. I tried yoga and meditation, but it's only temporary." She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's taking up my mind the whole day. I can't think about anything else but this."

"Have you told him that?"

Angela shook her head. "He has a lot on his plate already. Telling him would only add to his long list to worry about."

"I get what you mean." Samantha nodded, glancing at the view from the tall window. She was in deep thoughts as if she recalled something from the past. When she took a deep breath and turned to Angela again, her expression changed to thoughtful. "I don't think you need my help deciding whether you like him or not. I'm sure you've already figured that out. And seeing that you're stressed about this, you're definitely affected—which means you more than like him."

Angela cleared her throat, turned away, and cleaned up the counter. She couldn't look Samantha in the eye. "How I feel about him isn't the problem. I just…don't think I'm good enough."

"You think you're not good enough for him? Why would you think that? Girl… You're Angela Su!" Samantha remarked, causing Angela to scoff.

"And who is Angela Su? A broken, indecisive, and sappy hopeless romantic writer who's afraid of thunderstorms like a child."

"You're afraid of a thunderstorm?"

"It's…a long story. Anyway…" She sighed, playing with her apron as she faced Samantha again. "I love writing and reading dark romance stories, Sam. The thrill, the danger, the twists—"

"The oh-so-fucking-hot smut?"

"Yes. Who doesn't?" Angela chuckled. "But that's about it… I like it because it's fiction. My imagination is endless, and I get to live in a world that I created. But this… What's happening between us… It's just too…too…"

"Real?"

She nodded. "I'm not sure if I can handle 'real'."

Angela didn't look away when Samantha stared at her this time. Samantha seemed to contemplate first before she turned off the stove and then faced her again.

"I understand what you're going through, Angela," Samantha started. "Not that Daniel had to be forced into a marriage too, but I understand how it feels being with someone whose background isn't…pretty. I don't have any words to describe it, really."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you wondered how we're connected to Gael?"

"I did… But it's not my place to question, so I just didn't think about it."

A small smile ghosted Samantha's lips as she twisted the rings on her finger—an engagement and a wedding ring. "Daniel had some history with the Olsens. I think you've met them at our wedding. The Olsen family is like the De Lucas. It was some pretty dark past he had while he was with them. When I learned about it…" She swallowed. "It felt as if I didn't know him at all… It made me question a lot of things. Just like what you said… It felt too much…too real."

Angela saw Samantha getting emotional. She felt that Samantha could relate to what she was going through to some degree even though they weren't exactly in the same situation. Her eyes became misty too as she remained quiet, letting the other continue talking.

"Thinking back… I could have left him, you know? I didn't exactly have the strongest mental health back then. I was weak, unsure most of the time, and even thought I didn't deserve him. With everything that happened between us, the easiest way was to leave him."

Exactly what Angela was feeling. It was as though she was listening about herself through Samantha. "What made you stay?" she probed.

Samantha chuckled, wiping a stray tear that escaped from the corner of her eye. "It's going to sound cheesy, and I bet you've read this a hundred times in romance stories… But I stayed because I love him, and I couldn't see my future without him in it."

"Just love, huh?"

"It's more than that, really…" Samantha lifted a shoulder. "I stayed because I would die without him… And I would literally die for him. Apart from my family, I didn't think I'd do that for any other man. I stayed because he's my endgame, and I felt it even after learning his dark past."

Angela ruminated on Samantha's words. This woman loved her husband so much—she knew then that he was the one. Angela questioned herself how she would know Gael was 'the one'? Would that be the answer to all her questions if she found out?