"All right, I am sorry. I was just bringing up a mere thought," pouted Claire. She honestly didn't believe that the painting was authentic. How could a regular family like Leena's afford such an expensive gift?

  "Leena, honey, please pay no attention to what Claire said. She is always like this, blurting out things and ignoring others' feelings." An apologetic smile was on Shannon's face when she turned to Leena. She couldn't be sorrier about what her child just did.

  "That's all right, Mother," replied Leena as she tried hard to keep her smile. Their family's little quarrel had drawn the attention of some people in the room, who were now looking towards them. She could feel her blood rushing to her face as she did her best to handle the embarrassment. Would these people really think that she would buy a fake painting and give it to her father-in-law just to make herself look good?

  "You are a sweet girl, Leena. I wish Claire could be more like you. Now, why don't you go and hang out with the other young boys over there? They are from the army but are of similar age to you. I am sure you will hit it off instantly." Shannon glanced at her son who was now surrounded by his cousins. A surge of motherly pride got her with the view. Kevin had always been the best among the siblings of the big family no matter if it was in school or at the workplace.

  "Yes, Mother," Leena replied as she too turned to see where Kevin was standing. She had no trouble spotting him even if he was surrounded by a crowd of other men. The man was simply captivating. At the same time, she found herself swallowing a bit too as she marveled with the number of military people they had in the family. It seemed that Claire and Shannon were the only two spared from the family trend.

  Kevin was engaged in the talking with his cousins the whole time and had no idea of what had just happened with Leena. He didn't even have a clue when he turned to her upon noticing that she was staring at him. He even waived at his beautiful wife and gestured her to come.

  T

  Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

  To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

  "As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

  She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

  Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

  rom home. In her opinion though, the joy that each reunion brought could make a marriage grow healthier. Besides, a husband's absence could actually give the wife more time to spend on things she really enjoyed.

  "Not that there is anything particularly bad about it. It is just that the long separations due to army work demands can be more than what most women can take. Loneliness is inevitable after all." Lee regretted as soon as he finished his words, because it suddenly occurred to him that Leena herself had married to an army man. He ended up awkwardly scratching his head as he thought of how embarrassing his arbitrary theory was.

  "Yes, I guess you are right. But there are exceptions, right?" A sly grin appeared on Leena's face. She knew that she was one of the exceptions.

  "Yes, such as you, Leena. If you allow me to say so, I'm going to say that you are in fact a role model." If Leena had been any other ordinary girl instead of coming from an insanely rich family, Lee would have thought that it wasn't a big deal that she married Kevin. Girls were very picky nowadays in pursuing a romantic relationship. Though Kevin was very handsome and talented, his job could be intimidating to a potential bride. Serving in the arm demanded a lot of energy and time from a man. It was Leena's courage to marry an army man that made Lee sincerely respect her.