Roman Cervantes

"We have to come up with strategies to make sure that our goods reach the target market" Kevin unflaggingly insisted.

The board members seemed impressed with his idea and so was Roman. The slight buzzing of a phone jostled everyone's attention to Roman. He excused himself and exited the room in a rush.

SOS

He knew what it meant either Mick was in danger or Seth was in harm's way. Dialling Mick's number he called her over and over but the calls went straight to voicemail. Deploying the one thing he never thought he would use, he tried to track down Mick with his phone. Needless to say he acted like a real husband by pinning a tracker on her skin the other day when she was drunk and if that wouldn't work he could always track her phone.

Her location popping up on his screen, he wondered what she was doing all the way outside town. Hours later, he parked his car away from the cab and rushed out. His grey eyes met with Mick's swollen puffy eyes. Breaking away from Mick his glare landed on Owen Williams.

"Roman?", Mick started, " Is it true? Is what Owen saying true?"

She cried and his heart cried also for her. Of course Owen had already told her everything, starting from how he had planned to use Mikaella to get revenge on him. He knew what he was getting into by making her his wife. He had already dug her past, realised that Owen Williams was her fiancé but duped her for Joanna Manchester. Marrying her was a win win situation. Keep his son close and at the same time take what Owen treasured the most just like what he did to him. Simply put, kill two birds with one stone.

"Mikaella get in the car," he avoided her eyes that were searching for his.

Mikaella on the other hand didn't say a thing, she nodded, pulled away from Owen and slowly settled herself in the passenger seat of her husband's car.

"Stay away from her," Roman growled hesitating to punch Owen.

Instead, he got in his car and drove it so fast that the dust almost choked a left behind Owen.

She didn't talk, she didn't say anything. What she did though was let out little sobs that made Roman flinch. He couldn't take whatever Mikaella was thinking of him.

"Talk to me Mikaella," he said softly but Mikaella's eyes still dazed out the window of his car.

Wiping her tears, she turned and said weakly," I thought you were different, Roman"

That cut him deeply. He wanted to correct her tell her that he was different, tell her that he was changing because of her and Seth, tell her of how he made her feel but how could he? When he himself wasn't aware of what he felt for Mikaella? Was he with her for revenge? The sound of revenge almost made him cough, the past weeks he had been together with Mick was remarkable.

Mick was a down to earth woman, a nervous wreck at times, a shy kind of woman but also a fiesty one that he had grown to get attached to. The best thing. The best thing was that fate had chosen her to be the mother of his child and he couldn't be happier but now. Did Mikaella hate him? Come to think of it, did she have any sort of affection for him in anyway?

Like a coward, he drove on home not daring to correct her.

~•~•~•~

"Mummy what's wrong?" Seth asked turning his attention to his father.

Mikaella smiled wearingly trying to gulp down the last of her dinner.

"Come on, young man. Time to sleep," Marga took Seth by the hand aware of the tension between Roman and Mikaella.

After kissing his mother and father goodnight, the kid went to sleep.

"Mikaella we can't go on like this," he started and she rolled her eyes blinking repeatedly to ward off the tears.

"I'm tired," Mikaella pushed away her chair moving away from the dinner table.

Roman couldn't stand the cold shoulder any longer, he stood in her way.

"Then let's talk," Roman insisted.

"Talking will only make things worse because you know what Roman? I'm sick and tired of feeling this way. I'm sick and tired of how men treat me like I don't deserve to be loved", she cried her hands doing all the gestures before she continued,"all I wanted was to be loved; to love, to have a loving husband to have a family! Is that too much to ask? Roman if it wasn't for you, I could have had the family I always wanted. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be feeling this way. Roman? Y-you used me and that hurts more than what Owen did to me" she spat finally walking a few steps away from him.

Roman didn't expect her to feel that way. He felt like punching himself for not being man enough to reveal his feelings for her. His chest collided with her back and his arms stretched over her abdomen. His chin rested on her shoulder and he didn't want to let her go. Mikaella Sandoval was a woman worth fighting for. Mikaella Sandoval was not like Joanna Manchester, his ex. She meant so much to him.

"Don't do this to me, Roman," Mikaella resisted his hold. She tried fighting his embrace but in the end she turned around, Roman's arm now shifting to her waist.

"I admit, I'm a coward. I'm a bad man that doesn't deserve to have a woman like you and a son like Seth in my life. Mikaella I'm messed up in ways that only you can understand me. Mikaella Cervantes I'm begging you, please forgive me. Screw Owen, screw the past, screw the old me! Let's live in the future where you and Seth are all that matter to me. Mikaella Sandoval Cervantes, what I'm trying to say is that I love you!"