My Ex Next Door

Ken bite his lips after remembering her face, his hand reached to the frame on his desk and stared at Novie's picture. It's been two years but the pain in his heart remained.

"When will you call? I am waiting here" he murmured silently.

He was in the middle of reminiscing their time together when his secretary knocked on the door.

"Come in" he spoke and the door opened, he was expecting his secretary but instead, it was his mother. A nurse was pushing her wheelchair inside.

"You can leave us," his mother said to the nurse. Ken immediately stood and seated on the single sofa opposite to his mother.

A warm and soft smile was on her lips, "Ken" she spoke slowly.

"yes mother?" he asked with his brow creased, the last time his mother spoke in this way was when they arrived in Paris, where she asked him to cut his communication with his siblings.

"I am getting old" she stated and reached for his hand, Ken immediately held her hands and stared at her.

He's been a good son to her, providing all the time and resource she needed.

"Don't worry, I will create a pill that can make you younger" he jokingly said but his mother's face remained serious.

"How long are you going to wait for Novie?" she asked, her voice sounds concern.

Ken gulped, again by just hearing her name, his heart aches.

"Mother, I--" he stops after seeing her face hardening.

"Ken, you've been waiting for two years. It's time to move on." Ken shook his head, he wanted to explain to her that he doesn't have a plan to get married if it's not Novie.

"Mo--"

"I have arranged a dinner to Anna's parents, they're coming here next week, and we have discussed your engagement with Anna" Ken's eyes widened with shock, he immediately pulled his hand from holding her and stood.

His heart pounded by her words, he was not expecting that his mother has been planning this, especially to Anna.

His hands squeezed into fists while a line appeared between his brows.

"I am not marrying anyone." he bursts, thinking his mother must be crazy for doing this, while his mother frowned after getting yelled by him.

He walks back and forth while problem formed in his head. Then he stopped and stood in front of her and put a hand on his hips.

He exhaled and stared at her emotionless.

"Ken, do this for me please, I want to see you getting married and have a family. I want to have grandchildren. Look at the Su family, their life is so happy and lively because of the triplets. Please." she begged to him, but Ken has made up his mind, he will not stand in the altar unless the bride is Novie.

She squatted on the floor and put his hand on her knees, then he stared at her with his eyes glooming with sadness.

"Mother, I am sorry but this is that one thing I can't do" His mother nodded and looked at the sky.

"If you will marry Anna, then I will accept Daniella's help so I can finally walk"

Ken shut his eyes, he hired a lot of professional and changes therapist to help his mother to walk again but no one could help her, except his sister Daniella but his mother refuses it.

"Mom, please don't do this" he spoke in a low voice, hoping that his mother will change her mind, but instead of responding, the woman pushed her wheelchair backwards.

"If you can't, then you better leave me alone. I just want you to have a family, if you think that I am being selfish, then I will leave and let you wait for that woman to come back" he could see and anger in her face, her cheeks were red as tomato while tears shone her eyes.

His mother pushed the wheels of her wheelchair towards the door.

When he saw his mother leaving, a familiar pain rubbed his hearts, the same pain he felt when he was six years old after his mother disappeared.

He saw his former self grieving after losing his mother, his brows swayed with the mix emotion that throbbing his heart, he knows that his mother is controlling him, but he doesn't want to lose her, he already lost Novie, he can't lose his mother too,

Through the open door, Ken saw the nurse pushing his mother's wheelchair towards the elevator. He knows that if he doesn't stop her now, he might not see her again.

His mind was fighting whether to follow her, it was full of memories him and Novie had shared, but right now, his eyes were seeing his mother from the distance.

Confusion, that's all he has in his mind and heart, he swallowed hard and let his lips decide.

"Wait please" those two words were like a huge rock that lay on his shoulder, his heart aches as he thought of Novie.

But his mother didn't stop, the elevator door opened and in slow motion, he could see his mother's nurse pushing the wheelchair inside.

"I will marry her" He sighed.

"I will marry Anna"