The CEO's Painted Skin

After two weeks of being confined in the hospital for observations and initial treatment, Catherine was finally discharged by her physician Doctor Cruz. She will be taken care of by John in MysticBay Twin Tower.

Along with the two nurses that John hired to take care and keep Catherine company 24/7, George and Allan will also be guarding outside the door of the condo just in case Catherine will suddenly regain back her sanity and run away again.

John made sure this time that Catherine can never be separated again from him.

Catherine settled in the MysticBay Tower comfortably along with her new companions. John would visit Catherine every day after his office work, talking to her, yet no avail.

Yet it didn't deter John from trying his best to bring back everything into Catherine's mind. He prefers an angry woman compare to this living dead woman. This living dead woman speaks nothing as if she was a complete stranger, she's no longer Catherine the woman he loves so much, it's so heartbreaking to see her like this every day and it's all because of his fatal mistake. He pushed his beloved woman to what she become today.

>>

John was reading important files and documents in his office. When Romeo entered the office to have a serious talk with his buddy regarding what happened to Catherine.

Romeo sat down on the chair opposite John, looking bothered and guilty.

'Bro, I'm so sorry of what happened to Catherine, I felt it's entirely my fault 'coz I am responsible for bringing Ella into your life. I never knew that Ella is a psycho girl who would go all the way just to seduce you. What a shameless woman! I told her that it's just talking, greet and meet, I didn't expect that she will become so bold to go the extra miles just to tempt you to the point when Catherine saw everything. I'm so sorry, I apologize," said Romeo, his face displays seriousness and sincere honesty.

John eyed his buddy under the hooded gaze. Now that the chaos finally settled, and after analyzing everything that happens that night, he finally accepted the painful and shameful truth that the control lays totally in his hand. It would be easier to throw the blame on others especially on Romeo, but at the end of the day, who's mouth is it that willingly sucked at Ella's breast, isn't it's his mouth?

Yeah, John screwed up big time and he already accepted that and was being punished gravely of that momentary weakness, it's all his fault for being so weak in front of the heavenly temptation, it's like the whole force of Satan descended on earth on that particular night just to tempt him and Satan succeeded. Too bad, he can't even blame Satan for what happened that night. As a real man, he would take responsibility for all his actions that night.

Romeo is not at fault, he just wants to help him meet new women in his life after Catherine run away, and his buddy was just acting like any typical friend out there.

Just that some of those women really have loose morals and Ella was the worst of them all. And too bad he had succumbed to her seduction too quickly, which he should have avoided in the first place.

The damaged has been done and one woman suffered so much because of it, and that woman is his beloved Catherine! And right now his heart was breaking badly just thinking about it.

"It's not your fault Romeo, the fault is all mine. Let's just forget everything that happened and move on," replied John.

"C-can I visit Catherine, bro? I would like to apologize to her myself," asked Romeo with a sincere look on his face.

John shook his head. "No need, bro. Catherine is now totally different from yesterdays. She suffered from Dissociative Amnesia. She was no longer talking, she just stares at the corner in her room, lost in her own world. She becomes a living dead because of extreme trauma brought by my cheating on her, she didn't even recognize me at all. So why bother apologizing to her when she won't even react or say a word? In short, everything you say to her has no meaning. She just totally loses her mind and sanity," explained John in a sad voice.

Romeo trembled a bit. He didn't expect the effect on Catherine was worst. He was feeling beyond guilty right now and he can't even do anything about it. The guilt will haunt him for the rest of his life.

"...And the best thing that happened amidst the chaos was that she's now pregnant with our first child," added John a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Congratulations bro! I'm happy for you!" Romeo greeted his buddy with a genuine smile on his face.

"Go now, bro. I still have to focus my mind on several things that need my attention," said John.

Romeo exited the room with a gloomy expression on his face, his consciousness was full of shame and guilt. Instead of bringing joy to his buddy's lips he only brought sadness in his buddy's eyes. He failed big time and it resulted in Catherine's detachment of reality.

When he posed as Phantom the anonymous texter to Catherine, his sole intentions were to make Catherine realized John's value so that she will get jealous and will not run away again.

He no longer texted her about the 7th woman because he felt guilty already, besides he was not expecting that something bad would happen when Ella and John's path finally meet. He was thinking that John would dismiss and treat Ella just like the other girls before her. Unfortunately, his buddy gives in to temptation and all hell break loose from that day onward.

He was such a bad human being. How can he make amends now? How?

>>

John was alone again in his room, Romeo already left a while ago.

Just thinking about his baby growing healthy inside Catherine's womb is enough to make his day a bit brighter. He would focus on the baby's health. If the baby will finally be born, the baby might become an important bridge to bring back Catherine's sanity and smile.

He can't wait for the day to hear the first cry of his child, hold its tiny hands and feet. He suddenly feels much better just thinking about those happy thoughts. He would think of the baby more and less of Catherine's illness and condition so that he can cope up with the loneliness and survive his sadness every day.

He's very much excited to know the gender of their first child! Is it a boy or a girl? Whatever the gender of the baby, he will love this child unconditionally and become a good father to the baby just like how he loves the baby's mother unconditionally.