Chương 8: EIGHT

"Ave!"

Avery immediately dropped her tired body on top of Rebecca's cream sofa without paying attention to the screams of Rebecca cooking in the kitchen. Befriending this woman over the years let Avery know the code for Rebecca's apartment which has become her second home here.

Her head hit the edge of the sofa as she tried to lift her head to see Rebecca, who was waving at the end of the kitchen door.

"Immediately I was cooking a meal when you texted you back from Columbia," shouted Rebecca again from the kitchen.

Avery chose to ignore Rebecca's screams for a moment and closed her tired eyes after the four-hour flight from Columbia. This time she felt her body really crumble because she just realized that since Michiel died, she hasn't rested her body properly. No wonder her body is currently struggling to ask for her rights to be fulfilled. She needs to rest at least two hours to make her body better.

"Drink your hot tea first, Ave. You look so thin, pale and tired."

Hearing the voice of Rebecca who was so close to her, Avery reflexively opened her eyes and gave her a wistful smile.

"Drink," said Rebecca this time, lifting her teacup and thrusting the white cup right in front of Avery's face. "This will make you more relaxed." said Rebecca again.

Avery knew that her best friend was very worried about her condition. Especially after the news about Michiel's death got around. Obviously Rebecca didn't stop texting her by the time, although in the fifty messages Rebecca sent, Avery had only replied to her once with an extremely brief reply.

"Thanks, Bec. You are the best." Avery placed the teacup on the table, then came back to her senses, but this time she chose to lean against the arm of the sofa so that her long legs would fit on the sofa.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ave."

Avery made a selection of the sentences that Rebecca came up with as the greeting she used to start a conversation with her.

"Television has never stopped broadcasting the news of Michiel's death since five days ago. The man had such an influence here, that his death left many people shocked."

"Well, I'm a little flattered about that."

Knowing that Michiel was someone the Chicagoans knew well made Avery's whole heart warm. At least it will make Micihiel smile up there because people have known him as a good person. Maybe she was the only one who continued to accuse Michiel maliciously while he was living in Chicago.

"How exactly did all that happen, Ave?"

"I'm divorced from Andrew."

"What?!" Rebecca gaped in disbelief at Avery's shocking confession. Yet before the woman went to Columbia, the woman joyfully told her if she was going to undergo a baby program with her husband. But suddenly all of that was lost and replaced with very shocking news like this.

"Therefore I will stay here for a while. I don't want to live in our mansion, and Andrew decided to sell it in the near future." said Avery again increasing the surprise that had not completely disappeared from Rebecca's face.

"For God's sake, what has happened to you these past two weeks? First I heard the news of Michiel's death when I just arrived in Chicago after a long journey from San Diego, then now I have to hear the news of your divorce from Andrew which you managed to hide well from the news-seeking monsters out there. Oh God, fortunately I don't have heart disease." Rebecca complained excessively.

Avery just smiled at Rebecca's cute attitude who was always like that when responding to the unexpected things that were happening around her.

"It's a long story, Bec." Avery exhaled a tired breath. She wasn't sure if she should pass all the chronology right in front of Rebecca. But this woman was the only friend she would rely on as long as she was in this weak state. So she really had no choice but to tell Rebecca all the details.

"At first everything was fine. Everything is fine." Avery repeated with a frustrated face. Still fresh in her memory how Michiel teased her as usual and made her scream until all the residents of Edward's mansion turned their heads in surprise. "Then Michiel expressed his feelings to me. He loves me."

"Oh my God, I thought." Rebecca commented sympathetically at Avery.

"Actually, it's not a problem, Bec, because I've always known that Michiel still has those feelings for me. We used to be a couple in senior high school. But we ended up because I finally found out that he was only using me as a bet. Then fate seems to be playing tricks on us. We were reunited under different circumstances, but in the same vibration." said Avery in a frustrated tone. "I admit I still love Michiel. Even before I officially married Andrew, I actually wanted to run into Michiel's arms, who at that time continued to give longing gazes from a distance. But then I realized that Michiel used to hurt me. So I want to repay him. I'm married to Andrew."

Avery closed her eyes painfully as she recalled all the memories of her bitter past. The choice of her life that she left wrong from the start has brought her to the brink of collapse.

"You were hurt in your own marriage?"

"I thought loving Andrew was easy. But I was wrong. Andrew, a very workaholic, has spread a huge distance between us. On the contrary, Michiel just keeps clinging to me and makes me always lose my way when I'm near him. So the only way I can do to chase him away is to be rude whenever he is around me. I don't want my feelings to blind my eyes and my brain which exactly chose Andrew to be my husband." groaned Avery as she ruffled her brown hair into a mess.

Concerned about Avery's condition, Rebecca decided to rub the little shoulder gently and let Avery take a moment to soak it all up herself.

"Then how does all this ugliness drag you into this increasingly bad state?"

"I insist on maintaining my marriage. Many times Michiel offers love and marriage that is so tantalizing to me, but I am too afraid to destroy the brotherhood between Andrew and Michiel. I've seen them doing well so far, so I won't be selfish by having an affair with Michiel. At least that was my thought at the beginning."

Avery's fingers nervously intertwined in her lap. It feels so helpless if she have to remember the fight with Michiel before the man had an accident. She was sure that at that time Michiel left the house in an emotional state, so that the man must have driven his car very fast without caring about any danger that could catch him in the middle of the road.

"That morning Michiel and I had an argument because suddenly I got a divorce letter from Andrew. I think Michiel has exposed our past love affair with Andrew which caused Andrew to get angry and file for me for divorce. So without thinking I immediately slapped Michiel and cursed the man as hard as I could."

"So you guys had a big fight at that time?"

Avery nodded slowly and shed a tear from her two clear eyes. With teary eyes Avery stared at Rebecca as she pounded her tightened chest. "I was stupid for letting Michiel go in an emotional state after our fight. And not long after Michiel left, Andrew came. He explained everything. The reason why he divorced me was not because of my affair with Michiel, but because he had been having an affair behind my back," shrieked Avery in her painful voice. "Mic knew that Andrew was having an affair with his secretary behind my back, and he tried to tell me indirectly while offering another love I could have after my marriage life was ruined. But I just cursed him harshly, even slapped his face without listening to the explanation he wanted to tell me."

"Avery."

Rebecca quickly hugged Avery and stroked Avery's trembling back who was sobbing on her shoulder. Not everything that happened was Avery's fault. She was just a play on the script God was playing out for her. And from the bottom of her heart, Rebecca continues to pray that Avery will soon get her truly eternal happiness.

-00-

Autumn is so beautiful for Avery who loves the amazing sight of falling yellow leaves on her school grounds. With a big smile Avery stretched out her hand and let the yellow leaves fall one by one on her palms. It's lucky for her to be able to attend this elite school. If it weren't for her brilliant bright brain, her mother certainly couldn't have sent her to this expensive school. Even so, she should always take heart whenever the students in this school looked at her with scorn. To them she is just a nerd student who is so annoying because this poor girl with various economic limitations can beat them in school rankings. There is no doubt that Avery is a smart student in her class, even at her school, so that the committee board has never stopped giving her scholarships. Even until she graduated, everything was guaranteed by the school board.

"What are you doing, nerd?"

That call, Avery was used to hearing it. And she didn't have to bother putting her strength into it. She just needs to walk away, as if she never heard anything and leave them annoyed at being ignored.

"I won't let you ignore me, nerd."

Avery jerked backwards as those strong hands gripped her wrists hard. And without looking at the bully, Avery already knew who she was dealing with.

"What's the matter that a school prince like you suddenly approaches a nerd like me?" asked Avery sarcastically. One thing that makes some students at this school dislike her is because of her arrogant.

"They were right about you."

"Okay? I guess no one really knows me but myself." Avery replied still sarcastically. Sometimes she wondered why she wasn't born in a rich family so she wouldn't have to experience this disgusting humiliation.

"I want to know you."

Avery frowned. Still facing her back to the man with one hand held behind her back, she thought that the man was starting to go crazy and talk.

"So look at me right now."

Avery did not expect that the prince of the school, Michiel Thompson, would spin her body in a single hard beat and make her body sway at once until she hit the man's chest hard. Then when Avery looked up, Michiel's captivating smile had held her in silence. She is simply paralyzed by the charm of Michiel which she has often underestimated because she has never really dealt with him. But now that he was hugging her with one hand and the other that she had deliberately tucked into the pocket of his trousers, Avery had to admit her defeat to his charm.

"Ave! Hello... Avery Sherlone? Are you daydreaming again?"

Avery blinked and found herself resting her chin on the dining table with the sight of Rebecca on her hips in front of her.

"I've been screaming since earlier, and you're just daydreaming?" Rebecca grunted irritably. She saw that the woman was wearing a neat complete outfit. Meanwhile, she was still clad in Rebecca's silk pajamas that she had borrowed last night from her.

"Shall we go now?" Avery asked in a daze. Last night she asked Rebecca to accompany her to pick up stuff from her mansion. But now she felt reluctant to step into the house because she was afraid that all the memories would cloud her eyes because of the pile of tears that welled there.

"This afternoon I have a shooting schedule, Ave. So we really have to go now." said Rebecca exasperatedly, glancing at the clock that had shown it was eleven o'clock.

"Anyway, and as far as I remember you also have a shooting schedule starting Thursday."

"That's in two days," said Avery as she looked at the calendar on Rebecca's kitchen wall. "Why do you know my schedule?"

"Mr. Lean, someone who took over Michiel's agency announced yesterday."

"Did you meet him?"

"The schedule is sent via email. You must not have opened it because you were too busy with your sadness." Rebecca grumbled as she checked her cellphone to show Avery the scheduled shoot.

"I don't blame you if you're still sad over Michiel's death. But life must go on, Ave. You can't go on like this. One day you will meet another man who will bring happiness to you. Then you will live happily with cute children like the Disney princess stories that my mother always told me," said Rebecca at length, her face twinkled.

"I'm moving to LA."

"What?! What's this joke? Is this April Fools' Day?" Rebecca asked angrily, staring at her unfortunate calendar that was showing August, not April.

"You're leaving me, Ave?" Rebecca asked with tears. She immediately ran towards Avery and hugged her tightly. "What about your contract?"

"I'll pay the fine with the money from the sale of our house. There's nothing I can do here, Bec."

This is a big decision. For more than three days she stayed at Thompson's house, she finally found the right choice of country with various considerations. Initially she wanted to choose Paris because it is a country with dozens of high-end fashion that will become her favorite. But then she thought of Michiel's grave here which would be difficult to reach if she went to a country too far away. Finally she decided to move to LA and start everything there with the new spirit that she had been preparing since yesterday.

"You can visit me if you miss me." Avery tried to comfort Rebecca who didn't want to let go of her embrace yet. She knew Rebecca was deeply saddened by this decision, but she had to.

"Promise me you will introduce me to the handsome actors there." Rebecca finally ended the hugging event with a frown on her face.

"Erm... but before I bring it to you, I will date him first." Avery replied playfully, pinching chubby Rebecca's cheek in exasperation. "I think you're getting chubby." commented Avery mischievously.

"Not!" shouted Rebecca irritably and immediately took a few steps back away from Avery.

"Did your mom stuff you a lot of food when you were in San Diego?" Avery continued flirting with Rebecca, sorting clothes from her black suitcase.

"No, Ave! You know, I'm afraid the agency will make me go on a diet again like before." Rebecca grumbled irritably.

Avery remembers very well how tortured Rebecca was when the agency told her to lose eight pounds last month. Almost every day Rebecca's diet is only vegetables and a little meat cooked without seasoning. Rebecca obviously screamed her rage every time she faced her diet because she almost died of boredom with it all.

"But you look fuller."

"God damn, Ave! I want to choke your lips right now. Even my aunt calls me like a walking broom stick because my body is too thin. So you better get into your room to change clothes. I'm waiting in the living room," said Rebecca embarrassedly and immediately pushed Avery into the room.

As for Avery seemed so satisfied with her seducing that she had managed to irritate Rebecca as she waited for her in the living room.

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