Chapter 21

A month passed by so slowly Nook thought that it was a year already. She noticed Oil everyday, up at the crack of dawn trying the plant to rest of the roses in the bed he made for them in the front yard. Oil barely even noticed Nook was still living with him if it weren�t for the fact that she had dinner with him every night. Nook had already made the arrangements for moving into the room, which she named �Heaven in Hell� the bedroom she had escaped to when Oil tried to take advantage of her that one night. Everyday after Oil got off work, Nook saw him lock himself in their bedroom for hours, only coming out when it was time for dinner, and would then retreat back into what she called his 'lair.�

Nook actually enjoyed it when he wasn�t there, but she was also lonely. Her and Aum made plans everyday to go out and check up on Berkeley, and possible preparations if they were to get accepted into Boalt. Tao had also become one of Nook�s regular acquaintances when Aum had to work. Tao had a job working for the International Assistance Program in Thailand; he basically helped students who considered studying abroad with housing, financial aid and bunch of other services. Nook visited him regularly to catch up on some good scholarships and jobs she could apply for if she got accepted. Tao also found it comforting whenever Nook visited him, they would go out for lunch and even catch a movie every now and then when time permitted. Tao also got to know Aum very well because Nook would always drag Aum along with her a lot of the times when she went to visit Tao.

The three had become really close friends in a short period of time. Nook and Tao occasionally went to the park whenever they felt they needed a break from the life�s hectic schedule. Little did they know that wherever they went, a pair of eyes constantly followed them from afar.

Tao drove Nook up to the driveway and waited as she got out.

"Are you sure you don�t want to come in?� Nook asked sweetly as she noticed Tao was a little tired from driving her around all day.

"I don�t really want to see�Oi�� Tao trailed off, he didn�t want to be rude.

"Whatever!� Nook laughed, �He�s not even home right now�geez when did you become such a fraidy-cat?� Nook teased Tao.

"Are you sure?� Tao wrinkled his forehead.

"Positive!� Nook knew Oil wouldn�t be home for at least a couple of hours, besides Tao was her friend, she had the right to bring friends over�didn�t she?

Tao turned off the ignition and got out of the car. Nook took his hand playfully and pulled him up the steps into the house.

"Do you want anything to drink---" Nook stopped so suddenly that Tao, who was looking around the house, bumped into her.

"Hey,� Tao asked, �Why�d you stop so---" Tao stopped as his eyes caught sight of some unexpected guests sitting in the living room.

Oil stopped in the middle of his speech as he saw Nook�with Tao! He gave Nook a dirty look as he gritted his teeth, and curled his fist. Realizing his situation, Oil got up cheerfully and spoke to his business associate:

"And this, Mr. Randall,� Oil walked quickly over to where Nook was standing and pulled her back with him, �This is my wife�Mrs. Suthida Kasem...ur I mean Suthida Sutthikamol� Nook heard the emphasis Oil had put on �Mrs� and 'Sutthikamol� but ignored it as she took Mr. Randall�s hand.

"It�s a pleasure to meet you,� Nook spoke politely.

"Likewise,� replied Mr. Randall who then turned his attention to Oil, �Thana, in all our years working together you never told me that you had a wife as beautiful as Suthida.�

"Well,� Oil answered all the while clutching Nook at his side, �We just got married a month ago�isn�t that right honey?� Oil turned his head and gave Nook a kiss on her cheek.

"Hmmm�� Nook smiled and nodded as she secretly pinched Oil�s back.

"Oh really? Congratulations!� Mr. Randall spoke but his attention shifted to Tao, �And who is that?� Mr. Randall pointed to Tao.

"Oh!� Nook released herself from Oil and skipped over to Tao, pulling him in the direction of Mr. Randall, �This is my friend, Somchai Khemklud.�

"Nice to meet you,� Tao shook Mr. Randall�s hand but his eyes glared at Oil, who returned the same look of hatred.

"Same here,� Mr. Randall, oblivious to the tension in the atmosphere, gleefully smiled at Tao, �Well Thana, I think I should get going, I have another appointment soon, sorry I can�t stay for lunch.� Mr. Randall gathered his suitcase and bade farewell to everyone, �Suthida, Somchai, it was very nice to meet you. Thana, we�ll talk soon!� Mr. Randall toddled down the front stairs and drove off.

Oil, Nook, and Tao stood in the living room, an awkward silence filled the room as Nook looked back and forth between Oil and Tao, who looked like anyone of them could kill the other through their eyes.

"Okay�� Nook didn�t want anything to happen, �Tao do you want to stay with me for lunch?�

Before Tao could answer Oil answered for him, �NO!�

Tao took Oil�s answer as a challenge, and put is arm on Nook�s lower back before replying, �Nook I�d love to join you for lunch, after all, that�s what I�m here for!� He smiled and looked at Oil.

"Uh�� Nook carefully pulled away from Tao, �Okay, I�ll have Malee set an extra spot for you.� Nook hurried out of the living room and into the kitchen when Malee was.

"Is there anything I can help you with miss?� Malee asked as she looked up from the soup.

"Yeah, can you set an extra spot for lunch today for my friend?� Nook asked cheerfully, she was kinda glad that Tao was there as a buffer between her and Oil��Uh oh!� Nook yelled as she ran out of the kitchen, �Oh my gosh! I left those two alone!� Nook rushed back to the living room where she only saw Oil.

"Where�s Tao?� Nook asked accusingly.

"Why that tone of voice my dearest?� Oil mocked her as he walked towards her, �Afraid I would do something to your precious Tao?� Oil yanked Nook�s arm and pulled her into his embrace, �You should be worrying about your husband and not your lover!�

Nook shook herself from Oil and slapped him hard. �Why are you always like this! It�s not as if you love me or anything�why do you care what I do? Or it is you�re afraid I�ll ruin your reputation�or better yet, are you trying to make Tanya jealous so she�ll come back to you?� Nook mocked him, �Because whatever you do she�ll never come back to you�why you ask? Because�mmmmfff�

Oil planted his lips on hers to make her shut-up. He didn�t want to hear what she had to say�because it was�true. Even if she said was true, Oil didn�t understand himself�Tanya wasn�t even around�so why did he feel the need or want to make Tanya jealous?

Nook struggled to get away but Oil kept forcing himself on her; attempting to take her shirt off. Nook pulled back but tripped on the rug and fell on the couch. The both of them fell onto the couch and Oil finally unlocked her lips, but now he was lying on top of her. Nook looked up at him and the anger in his eyes�maybe she shouldn�t have said what she did�but it was true---wasn�t it? Oil gazed down at Nook and gently stroked her hair, brushing away the ones that covered her face. He laid a hand on the side of her face and moved in to kiss her again�this time softly. Nook felt paralyzed, she couldn�t do anything to stop Oil from moving in closer and closer to her�till their lips almost touched�

"Hey guys!� Tao yelled as he popped out of nowhere.

Nook jumped up off the couch, knocking Oil off her in process and dashed out to the backyard. Her face was burning with embarrassment as she brushed by Tao, who was smiling.

Oil got off the floor and followed Nook to the backyard, he paused briefly as he walked by Tao and gave him a dirty look for ruining their �moment.� Tao knew exactly what he did and flashed Oil a mocking smile. The both of them then made a dash towards the backyard to get to Nook first before the other one could.

As the three of them were having lunch, the pair of eyes flared up every time Tao and Oil tried to put food on Nook�s plate. After lunch, the eyes disappeared, but along with it, three new pairs showed up by it�s side�plotting.

Chapter 22

Nook came downstairs to the sight of a commotion. There were people everywhere, running here and there, carrying chairs and tables across the threshold. She slowed her step as she reached the bottom of the stairs. With a confused look on her face, Nook attempted to look for Malee and an explanation of why there was a circus in the house. She finally spotted Malee in the kitchen giving directions to what seemed to look like caterers.

"Malee!� Nook yelled her name over the loud clanging of pots and waved at her. Malee saw Nook and rushed over to her.

"Malee, what�s going on here?� Nook asked as she dodged a man carrying a pillar of some sort.

"I thought you knew ma�am�� Malee seemed equally confused as to why her mistress had no clue what was going on, "Didn�t Khun Thana tell you?�

Nook shook her head, �No, he hasn�t said anything to me these last few days��

"Khun Thana is going to have a house warming party this weekend,�

"What!� Nook screamed, �And he didn�t bother to tell me this??�

"I really thought he had told you already ma�am,� Malee said.

Just as Malee ended her sentence, Oil sauntered in carrying a gigantic vase full of red roses. His face was lit up with an enigmatic smile that Nook had a hard time figuring out. He was hard to figure out anyways.

"Thanks Malee,� Nook dismissed her and walked up to Oil, intentionally blocking his path, as she stood in front of him with her arms akimbo. From the look on her face, Oil could see that she was upset; he pretended not to notice her expression and spoke with an annoying tone of voice:

"How are you today honey? Did you sleep well,� he tried to maneuver to the side but Nook blocked him.

"How do you think I feel?� Nook replied sarcastically.

Oil looked her up and down with a mischievous grin that made Nook feel uncomfortable, but she chose not to change her expression.

"Darn hot!� Oil smiled and rushed up to kiss her cheek as he ran off into the garden.

"Oil!� Nook pointed after him as one hand laid on the cheek that was still warm from his kiss. �I�m going to get to the bottom of this!� Nook ran after Oil.

Nook stopped abruptly when she saw the garden. She stood dumbfounded, awestruck by the beauty that transformed the backyard into a lush canopy of roses and tulle. Oil was surrounded by workers asking him where they should set down the table and chairs. Nook wandered around, looking lost until Oil spotted her and pulled her to his side.

"What�s going on?� Nook asked as she looked about the backyard.

"There�s going to be a house warming party for us here this weekend.� Oil spoke gently to her, �How is it?�

"It�s really beautiful�� Nook went up to the vases and gently touched them, �Why did you decide to have a party all of a sudden?� Nook asked without looking up, in reality, she had an idea based on the roses that surrounded her every move.

"Umm�� Oil was searching for the most plausible excuse to present to Nook, �It� just that,� he came up behind her and hugged her, �I feel we should finally announce to everyone that we�re married, and I feel that a party is the best way.� Nook gently nudged him away but he held on and continued, �besides, since we had such a small wedding, a big party would compensate for that�� he smiled and kissed her cheek.

Nook was silent, she was plucking the petals off a rose that had fallen from the vase onto the table. With every petal, she felt a piece of her heart break off; she thought to herself, �It�s not for us�it�s to��

"Nook?� Oil poked her, �are you feeling okay�you look so��

Nook spun around with a fake smile on her face, before she could say anything, she spotted on of the workers trying to set down a table on top of the lilies she had planted. As fast as she could, Nook sprinted to over where he was and yelled at him.

"What do you think you�re doing?� she huffed and pushed the worker and the table off the lilies. �Didn�t you see them here?� Nook was angry.

"I�m very sorry ma�am but Khun Thana asked me to put the table here and I am paid to do what he tells me�I�m sorry,� the worker apologized wholeheartedly to Nook, and she forgave him�it wasn�t his fault.

"I�m sorry I yelled at you,� Nook apologized for her rudeness, �It�s just that�.�

"What�s going on?� Oil asked as he walked up to the worker.

"I accidentally crushed Khun Nook�s lilies�I really didn�t mean to�� the worker tried to explain himself.

"That�s enough,� Oil told the worker to go elsewhere as he talked to Nook. �Nook�come on�don�t cry�they�re only flowers, you can buy new ones�� Oil tried to console Nook.

"You don�t understand!� Nook snapped at Oil, �You�ll never understand!� Nook got up and ran into the house as tears trailed behind her.

"What the?� Oil scratched his head and jogged after Nook, �Nook wait up�Nook!�

------------------

"Nook�wait up�� Oil called after her as she ran up the stairs. Before she had a chance to close the door on him, he caught her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Nook�what�s wrong?� Oil asked as he wiped away the tears trailing down her face, �Are you upset over the plants? Come�on I can buy you a new one�they�re not even that expensive.�

Upon hearing that, Nook pulled herself away from Oil and stared at him through her tears as she spoke, �You think everything in life can be replaced don�t you!?�

Oil looked at her, stunned; apparently, she wasn�t talking about the lilies anymore.

"Nook�I�� Oil didn�t know what to say to her. He reached out to hold her arm put she backed away.

"No�� Nook held her hand out to stop Oil, �I don�t want to hear any more excuses from you, I�ve had enough�this isn�t worth it�you�re not worth it.� Nook swallowed hard as she wiped the last tears from her face. She backed away slowly and locked the door behind her.

Oil wanted to go in after her as he held is arm in the air�wanting to knock to make her open the door�but after thinking for a while, he backed off slowly and went downstairs. He didn�t know what to do�he wanted to stop�but he couldn�t�not until everything he lost was gained back�even if that meant sacrificing everything he had�even if it meant losing�

Nook broke down on her bed. She had kept things pent up so much ever since the day she agreed to be his wife�she didn�t deserve this�not this. She was so tired living from day to day with a person who could care less if she existed or not�because he only had eyes for roses�while he trampled over lilies. Nook cried herself to sleep, a peaceful and relaxing sleep where she didn�t have to deal with the Thana�s or Tanya�s of the world�

"Hmph�� Nook murmured in her sleep, �No wonder he still loves her�look at how easily their names match�� her last thoughts before she drifted off into slumber.

Chapter 23

"Mmmm�� Nook stretched her arms and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. She stopped to feel the remnants of tears that were once running from her eyes. She sat in bed for a while, thinking, before actually getting up and preparing for what life decided to throw at her today.

While brushing her teeth, she stopped to look at herself in the mirror.

"I don�t want to see him today,� she thought as her reflection glared back at her. She spun around a couple of times to look at herself, �There�s nothing wrong with me�why can�t he see that?� Nook shrugged and proceeded to brush. After having gotten dressed, she looked outside to see if Oil was still continuing with the preparation for tomorrow�s event. Sure enough as she looked outside, he was surrounded by the workers like yesterday, giving them orders and instructions on what they had to do.

"He�s really putting his heart and soul into this�� Nook murmured while she stepped away from the window to go downstairs.

Just as she reached the last step, Oil walked in. For a while they stood motionless, exchanging glances before Nook decided to move. She brushed past him without a word, but Oil caught her arm and swung her back.

"We need to talk�� He spoke solemnly.

Nook let out a deep sigh and nodded accordingly. Oil then led her into his �lair� so they could talk privately. He sat down in his armchair and beckoned Nook to the couch; she shook her head, saying she preferred to stand up. Oil didn�t force her.

"Nook�� Oil began, �About yesterday�I��

"Forget about it.� Nook spoke coldly, �I don�t want to dwell on the past. For me�the future is everything.�

"Ok then�� Oil was stunned by her coldness, in the time he�d known her, she had never spoken to anyone with this tone of voice, �I just want to tell you that whatever happened in the past or yesterday, you�re still suppose to be here tomorrow at the party, by my side�as my wife.�

"Why?� Nook threw him a questioning look, �There�s no reason why I have to be here�I have a life too you know?�

"I don�t like to have people gossip, especially when I invited many important clients from my company here also. You have to be there in the title of my wife, understand?�

"No�� Nook shook her head, �I don�t understand why I have to�it�s not my place to be there when��

"I don�t want to hear what you have to say next, because I can pretty much guess. And I don�t feel like getting in an argument today.� Oil looked at her sternly. Nook backed off, she didn�t want any more problems than she already had.

"Is that all you have to say to me? If that�s it, I�d appreciate it if I could be let out of my prison now.� Nook mocked him and proceeded to exit.

"Oh,� Oil spoke before she went out, �You can invite any friend to the party�provided his name isn�t Tao.�

Nook spun around and challenged him, �And what if I do?�

Oil got up and walked up closer to Nook. He pressed his body on hers while holding her arms down. Nook struggled to push him away, put the more she did, the more weight he put on her. Oil leaned in close to Nook and whispered in her ear�

"Do you really want to know what will happen?� He raised an eyebrow as if implying something. He then held out his pinky to her said, �Promise me you won�t invite him��

Nook looked at him for a moment, and for a split second he looked sincere. She locked her pinky with his and spoke, �I promise, I won�t invite Tao,� Nook smiled mischievously, then continued, �Now can I go?�

"Alrite,� Oil was glad she agreed so easily, �Oh but before you leave�� Oil ran up to Nook and kissed her on the cheek and then ran out to attend to the party matters.

Nook smiled for a moment, as if satisfied, �Oh Oil�so gullible�I said I wouldn�t invite Tao, but I didn�t promise someone else couldn�t.� She laughed a little and walked out to the garage and zoomed off in her car.

Oil stood watching her car as it disappeared into the street, he stood gleaming while he proceeded to give out orders.

---------------------------------

"Huh?� Aum was confused, Nook babbled off a lot of stuff to her, that she forgot to listen.

"Aum come on!� Nook took a sip of her iced tea before continuing, �I want to invite you to a party at my house tomorrow.� Nook set the glass down and crossed her arms.

"Of course I�ll come�geez did you think I wasn�t?� Aum joked.

"Great!� Nook exclaimed, �Now I need you to do a favor for me��

"Anything.� Aum smiled.

"I want you to invite Tao also��

"How come you just won�t invite him yourself?� Aum asked.

"Because I made a silly promise to a gullible dork that I wouldn�t invite Tao�well that is I won�t invite him directly.� Nook smiled.

"So now you�re using me to get back at that gullible dork huh?� Aum pouted and crossed her arms.

"Ah come on Aum! You�re my only hope!� Nook shook Aum and pleaded with her to do so.

"Alrite�since you seem so desperate!� Aum laughed and teased Nook.

"Thanks! I knew I could turn to you!� Nook smiled a huge smile.

"Oh by the way,� Aum asked, �What are you going to wear?�

Nook put down her glass and thought heavily, �To tell you the truth�I have no idea.� She looked a bit worried because she didn�t have many dresses�aside from the black one that�

Nook seemed to be lost in her own thoughts even though Aum was calling her name.

"The black dress,� Nook remembered what happened to her when she wore the black dress�that fateful night when Oil�

Nook shook the thought from her head. She didn�t want something like that to happen ever again.

"Nook?? Noook???� Aum shook Nook�s arm which woke her from her trance.

"Huh? What?� Nook looked over to Aum.

"What�s wrong with you? I�ve been sitting here at least five minutes calling your name�what are you thinking about?�

"Oh nothing!� Nook lied, �Hmmm�speaking of what to wear�I don�t have a dress yet so why don�t we go shopping for one?� As she spoke Nook was already getting up so Aum had no choice but to follow Nook.

---------------------------------

Nook woke up early this morning to get last minute chores done for tonight�s party. She had been up since the crack of dawn fixing the decorations and preparing garnishes for the food. She was tired, but also excited to see the atmosphere the best since she arrived here. Laughter poured out of the kitchen as she and Malee joked around and had fun bonding�something she was lacking for a while. To Nook, Malee wasn�t a servant, she was a friend who Nook felt could talk to when Aum wasn�t around.

"What are you going to wear tonight Khun Nook?� Malee asked while slicing the strawberries for the fruit salad.

"You�ll see�� Nook smiled secretly, �It�s a surprise�� Nook looked over to Malee and beamed.

"Wow�it must be really special then�I�ll look forward to seeing Khun Nook looking beautiful!� Malee yelled.

"Me too�� Oil spoke as he stepped into the kitchen.

Nook almost dropped the pineapple she was holding when she heard Oil�s voice come up behind her. Luckily, Oil had caught it in time�using that chance to wrap his arms around her. Nook blushed and pushed Oil away while Malee giggled silently.

"You know you should warn someone when you come into the room,� Nook help up her knife, �You never know what I could�ve done��

"Oh really?� Oil mocked her, �But I like surprises�and I�ll be looking forward to your surprise outfit tonight too�� He gleamed and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Nook with a confused look from the tone of his voice. �Why such a weird tone of voice?� Nook thought, but then shrugged and went back to work.

As Oil walked out of the kitchen, he held a devilish grin on his face. �Surprises�oh how Tanya will love my surprises��

Chapter 24

Nook spun around in the mirror marveling at the new dress Aum helped her pick out. It was a sleeveless, solid white dress with a cowl neck and flowing fringes from the bottom. It was exactly what she wanted, something stylish yet conservative. Tanya used to pick out the most revealing dresses for Nook and they would always be red�Nook�s least favorite color. She let her hair down and curled the ends, having then wrapped around her arms. She wore small diamond studs she got from her mother as a birthday present, and the necklace to match.

As Nook admired herself in the mirror, she noticed the red rose on her finger and looked down at it. It was out of place with her new outfit, so she decided to take it off and set it down on the dresser.

"Besides,� Nook spoke to herself, �It wasn�t mine to keep in the first place.�

RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG�.

"Hello?� Nook picked up her cell phone, �Aum is that you?�

"Yeah, okay so me and Tao are on our way there�we�ll be there in a little bit okay?�

"That�s great�alrite I�ll see you two soon�Bye�� Nook hung up and waited in her room for the two of them to arrive.

Nook plopped down on the fluffy white comforter and waited for Tao and Aum to arrive. She smiled happily and spoke to herself, �This will be my night!�

-----------------------------------------

"Geez�come on�� Oil was tugging at his tie, attempting to fix it. His father had taught him so many times as a boy to learn and tie his own tie but he never caught on. He always had his mom or Malee fix it for him. Unfortunately his mother had passed away a few years ago, and Malee was too busy with the party arrangements to come help him. He thought about having Nook fix it for him, but he wanted to surprise her.

Tonight, he wore a black casual suit and was looking as handsome as ever. He was looking forward to this weekend�not just because he would be able to show off Nook�but also because he would use her to get back at Tanya. He knew exactly what he was doing by letting the information about the party tonight leak out to the high class wives of his business partners. He knew that the �hens� would not be able to contain themselves and sooner or later�the news would reach Tanya�s ears. Oil knew Tanya never backed away from a challenge�and with this party�he was challenging her pride�his intent was to make her lose face�and show her what she turned her back on.

"Yes�� Oil grinned, �Tonight, everything will be in the palm of my hands��

-----------------------------------------

Tanya gripped the steering wheel with both hands as she spoke on the phone.

"You guys are coming for sure right?� She asked as she sped carelessly through a red light.

"Yeah�we�re coming�we wouldn�t miss it for the world�� A voice of the other line replied back, and in the background Tanya could hear the laughter of two others.

"Good�� Tanya smirked, �Tonight�I�ll make sure to get everything back that�s rightfully mine!� She laughed and so did the other three voices on the other end.

-----------------------------------------

Nook looked outside at the shining lights coming from the backyard. It was turn into some sort of heaven, just for tonight. There were piles of food brimming off the tables, along with musicians fiddling away on their violins serenading the arriving guests.

"Wonder where Oil is?� Nook scanned the proximity, �Why isn�t he greeting the guests?� Just as she turned her head to the driveway, she saw Tao�s car pull up.

"They�re here!� Nook dashed away from the window and pulled open the door. Just as she was slamming the door shut, there in front of her stood Oil.

"Wow�� Oil stood stunned, he thought, �She looks beautiful��

The way Oil looked at her made her blush. He had never looked at her this way before, and it made her feel flattered�yet a little uncomfortable.

"Oil?� Nook walked up to him and tried to break his stare. �Are you okay? Or am I too beautiful for words?� Nook joked and laughed.

"Oh�I�� Oil shook his thoughts, �You look perfect�� Oil couldn�t help but stare at her�why had he never seen her this way before? He was in awe of her beauty�it was hard to find the words to describe what he felt�

"If you�re just gonna stare at me like this�I think I�ll be more useful outside greeting the guests.� Nook brushed past him, but just as she did, he wrapped his arms warmly around her waist while immersing his face in the perfume of that bathed her. It was like the scent of pureness�utterly clean and innocent�like the smell of fresh clean sheets.

Nook felt the warmness coming from Oil, and it felt different from the other times he had held her�like this time it felt�genuine. For a moment, she let herself melt in his embrace�but then reality hit her and she realized that it was a charade. She slowly pushed Oil�s arms away from her and looked at him.

"Come� on�all the guests are waiting�you don�t want to look like a bad host do you?� She smiled warmly.

"Yeah�� Oil spoke, but he was still quite taken away by Nook. As she descended the stairs, he ran up behind her and put her arm in the crook of his.

"This way�s better�� He smiled at her and led her down the stairs.

As they reached the garden entrance, both of them stopped abruptly. Two familiar figures sauntered up the driveway like a horrible dream. Nook couldn�t believe it. She looked over to Oil, who seemed equally surprised. She let go of his arm and let it fall to her side as she stepped away from him.

Oil couldn�t believe it�after he asked her so nicely, she had managed to invite Tao somehow. He didn�t take his eyes off Tao as he walked up to stand by Nook�s side. The shock on Nook�s face did not wear off�she couldn�t believe what her eyes were seeing.

"What�s wrong Nook?� Tao asked before seeing what Nook saw, �Oh my---"

Before Tao had a chance to finish his sentence, Tanya strolled up the driveway�wearing the same black dress she had worn on the day of the graduation party, only this time�it was much shorter and much more revealing. She had a devilish smile on her face as she went directly to Oil and locked her arm around him; giving Nook a look of satisfaction.

Nook shook her head, �This isn�t happening�not again!� Nook thought to herself. She wanted to run away, far away from Tanya as possible�but this was her chance to stand her ground. �Even if Oil still loves Tanya, I�m not about to let her make a fool of me at my own home!� Nook asserted and decided to finally live life head on. �No more weak Nook, no more passiveness, no more�this is my night!�

Chapter 25

"So how are you tonight Nook?� Tanya spoke with a condescending tone as if she were the owner of the house, all the while she didn�t let go of Oil�s arm despite his attempts to release himself.

"I�m doing absolutely great!� Nook gave her a fake smile, �I�m living the dream so many people want�� she mocked Tanya and continued, �Come on Tao, I believe I have to introduce you to some people.� And with that she took hold of Tao�s arm and led him into the party.

Oil tried to peel himself off of Tanya and go after Nook but she kept pulling him back.

"You don�t need her�she�s just a replacement anyways�I�m here now, you don�t have to worry about being embarrassed by her.� Tanya spoke harshly.

"Actually Tanya,� Oil smiled at her, �You�re the one embarrassing me right now�� with which he flung her arm from his and ran into the garden to find Nook.

"Oil!� Tanya screamed. She felt utterly bitter, �How dare he do that to me! And Nook�when did she all of a sudden develop a backbone! I�ll show you! I�ll show all of you�I always get want I want!� Tanya spoke furiously. Just as she was entering the party, she beckoned for the three others that came with her.

Aum saw this and was afraid for the night, �Nothing good can come from this�� she followed them into the party and tried to look for Tao and Nook so that she could warn them. There were so many people that Aum had a hard time trying to locate everyone.

"Where did they go?� She stood on her tiptoes trying to see if she could spot any familiar faces. Finally she saw Nook, but before she could get to her, Nook was on the dance floor with Tao.

"Darn!� Aum found a seat next the dance floor and waited for them. She looked around and saw Oil with a furious face. Apparently he wasn�t pleased with Nook�s actions, and from where she sat, Aum saw Tanya force herself onto Oil and pulled him in the direction of the dance floor.

"Hell will surely break loose tonight,� Aum said while shaking her head. She let out a heavy sigh as she looked at the couples on the dance floor.

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Nook held onto Tao�s shoulder as she stared at Tanya and Oil. She was a bit disappointed that Oil chose to express his lingering emotions toward Tanya at a party he said was for �her and him.� She rested her head on Tao�s shoulder as the slow song played its tune into her mind.

She was exactly what the song was saying�a star under the sea��dao bone peun nam.� Can only be a reflection, and not a star in the sky�without worth�only as shadow�it�ll never be like the real thing�it can never replace the star in your heart. She tilted her chin to gaze at Tanya, who mocked her as she held and pulled Oil closer to her body�like old times. Oil had a cold look on his face as he looked at Nook, almost as if he was trying to get back at her for dancing with Tao.

Nook shook the feelings from her mind and reminded herself that �tonight would be her night to shine.�

Oil was tired of playing along with Tanya, he didn�t want to hold her like this�he didn�t want to remind himself how much she hurt him when she toyed with his emotions. But then, when he looked over at Nook, she seemed so much more intimate with Tao than she ever was with him�which made him even angrier�which made him want to continue with the charade of pretending to like Tanya. What else could he do?

Oil quickened his steps in an attempt to move closer to where Tao and Nook were dancing. Suddenly, he reached out for Nook and swung Tanya into Tao�s arms.

"Have fun�� Oil smirked and pulled Nook away from the dance floor and to the front of the garden.

After Oil and Nook were out of sight, Tao stepped away from Tanya and looked her up and down with a disapproving face while he shook his head.

"Hmph!� Tanya crossed her arms and headed towards the group of people she arrived with. From a distance, Tao could see them whispering and it looked as if they were planning some sort of evil scheme. Tao gave a heads up to Aum and walked over to where she was.

"I think those girls are up to no good�� Tao whispered to Aum.

"I knew they were trouble the moment they walked in with her,� Aum pointed to Tanya.

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Oil led Nook over to where the stage was and carried her onto the stage as the guests awed and oohed at the sweet scene.

"Let me down!� Nook whispered to Oil, who didn�t seem like he wanted to hear her, �Are you deaf? Let me down!�

He finally let her down when they were in front of the microphone, and gave her small kiss on the cheek. He tapped the mic a couple of times to test it and proceeded to speak.

"Everyone�can I please have everyone�s attention please�First of all,� Oil spoke and pulled Nook closer to his side and kept her there, �my wife and I would like to thank everyone who came to our party.� He looked mischievously over at Nook before continuing, �And as a token of my love for this beautiful woman standing next to me, I have a surprise for her.�

Nook was shocked�he said �love� and referred to her. She was still in shock when he took out the 3 carat platinum diamond ring and presented it to the crowd�and then placed it on her finger.

He then kissed her hand and then her forehead, as he whispered to her, �A flawless ring, for a flawless person��

"This night, I dedicate to my wife�a Heaven of Roses�� he spoke for everyone to hear.

Nook was speechless, but a loud scream broke the silence as all the guests turned around to look at Tanya.

"NO!!� Tanya screamed, �That�s mine!� She was weaving through the crowd, knocking people left and right as she tried to climb up the stage. She took the mic away from Oil and proceeded to talk.

"This girl isn�t worthy of standing up here and being praised�he�s just doing it to get back at me! I�m the one he really loves!� She looked at the crowd, who were giving her disapproving looks.

"You have to believe me! She�s just a replacement! He doesn�t love her�he loves me! And always will!� She turned to Oil and pulled him away from Nook, �You don�t deserve this�I do!�

"That�s not true!� Tao yelled out as he came up the stage with Aum. �That woman,� he pointed to Tanya, �is jealous of Nook, and doesn�t love anyone but herself!�

Tanya bit her lip, she wanted to scream at Tao, �How dare you try to embarrass me!�

A war of words broke out between Tao and Tanya as they exchanged insults and dug up the events of the past. A commotion broke out amongst the crowd also. Nook shook her head and tried to make an exit, but Oil caught her arm and pulled her into a secluded part of the garden. The grip he had on her arm was evident of the anger he was feeling. He pushed her up against a tree, and the crazy look in his eyes�so similar to many months ago reappeared. Nook tried to push him away and run but he pulled her back and leaned in against her.

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