Chapter 37: Chapter 37

How would you like to die?

<Azaria>

There was no line at Starbucks, so I quickly got there. I sat at Nick's secretary's table since she wasn't there.

I wonder what the father and son were talking about. They're taking so long. I just arrived, and they're not done yet.

"Hello! What happened to your boss? Why is he so grumpy?"

I looked at the little girl who was talking to me. She was wearing all pink and even had a coat on.

"Won't you get scolded? Oh no, be careful, or you might get scolded because you're on a coffee break. Oh, wait, are you a new secretary? Hmm, you know, be careful with your boss because he can be quite fierce. Roar! If he scolds you, just let it go in one ear and out the other, there's more to come."

She seems friendly.

"It's okay. I already got kicked out of his office."

What is this girl saying?

"Uhm, sorry. Do you have a schedule?"

"I don't have a schedule. I just visited," she took out her lipstick and applied it right in front of me.

"Why didn't you tell me that visitors aren't allowed at this time, huh? I got kicked out, but luckily, he didn't see me. But don't worry, I won't tell on you for leaving and buying coffee," she said with a smile.

"I'm Isabelle, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Azaria."

"Nice name. I hope you last with him, nobody lasts with his temperament," she shared with me.

"Are you referring to Nick?" I asked directly.

"Yes! He's my baby!" She said excitedly.

"Do you know that he used to accompany me all the time before? We used to travel to different countries for dates. Whenever I felt sad, he would make me happy. But now, he's changed, and I don't know why," she said sadly.

"Oh, you've known each other for a long time?" I asked bitterly.

"Yes! I know a lot of his secrets, hihi! Do you want to know? But they're secrets, I can't tell," she smiled at me.

"We're friends now, right? I'll visit here often while I still don't have work, hihi!"

Isabelle continued talking about her and Nick, unaware that he was already married to me. She was so happy when she mentioned Nick's name, and it seemed like she genuinely enjoyed being with him. It also appeared that Nick has been deceiving me for a long time. They had a relationship before we got married. Why didn't she fight for the man she loved and let him marry me?

She paused her story when she saw a man she knew.

"Oh! Mr. Grey is here!" She said excitedly, "Azaria, wait here! I'll go chat with him!" She bid me goodbye and ran towards the man.

Just as she left, Nick came out of his office.

"Wife..." he called me in a low voice.

"Come inside," he ordered. I followed him into his office. Once inside, he locked the door and kissed my forehead, pulling me into an embrace.

"Do you want to go out of the country?" he asked as he smelled my hair.

I pushed him away because he's a cheater! He was surprised by my reaction.

"What happened?" he asked, clueless.

"I still have something to do. I'm meeting Heidi later," I lied to him.

Without waiting for his response, I left. I left him hanging.

I texted Heidi to ask when she'd be free from work. She asked me to come to the building where she works as a secretary.

From: Hubbybi

“Wife take care. I’ll pick you up.”

I deleted his text message.

To: Hubbybi

"Don't bother," I replied. Let him think whether I'm angry or not. But I know he's pondering about it.

He furrowed his brow when he called. I declined his call, but he called again. Doesn't he have anything else to do at this time?

"We'll talk later. You're acting weird again."

I discreetly put my cell phone away when I saw Heidi walking towards my spot.

"You came to visit? What do you want?" I asked as I stood up.

"Heidi, did you notice anything strange at our house when you stayed there?" I inquired.

"Let's go to my office," she invited me. We walked to her office, where I saw a bunch of files.

"Why? Did you notice something? Your house is beautiful, and there's a black shadow too. How much did it cost? The design is well-done. Looks like the owner is scared of ghosts, with all the walls made of glass," she commented.

"That's not what I wanted to say!" I said in frustration.

"Why are you getting annoyed?" she teased, but I didn't engage.

"It's been happening for a while now, but I just ignored it. Ever since I moved to Nick's house, there's one room there that the household staff doesn't enter. It's locked, and the weird thing is, I sometimes hear strange noises coming from that room. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it," I explained, and she listened intently while rummaging through her drawer for something.

"But now I'm starting to suspect something. One of the housekeepers mentioned that the room isn't fully finished. There was a crack caused by an earthquake, so it's locked, and nobody goes in. The big question in my mind is, with Nick having so much money, why hasn't he had it fixed?" I questioned Heidi, but she didn't seem fully attentive to my words.

"Their reasons don't seem valid," I added.

"You're overthinking things. You know, you're just bored, that's why you notice these things," she said, not listening.

I pondered over Heidi's words for a moment.

"Join me. Let's open the door tomorrow. I'm just curious about what's inside. I need to have some peace of mind. I also had a dream about a man inside a room, and there was blood and a knife. I was terrified. I couldn't see the man's face," I shared.

Suddenly, Heidi became attentive to what I was saying.

"When did you start having those dreams? Have you noticed anything else strange around you? Do you remember anything else? Or anything else out of the ordinary?" she bombarded me with questions.

"I don't remember anything else. That's the recurring dream I keep having. I feel a connection with the man in my dreams. I also feel something strange," I admitted.

Heidi's expression became serious.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else? I mean, you can't see his face? When did you start having these dreams?" she asked.

"Hmm, it started when I saw Lanvin in the kitchen, holding a knife while cooking. I felt scared at that time. I also had this feeling that Nick would do something harmful to me like he was going to stab me. But it's not like I have these bad dreams every day; I think it's just because of fatigue," I explained.

Heidi suddenly started writing something on a piece of paper.

"I'm having these weird feelings. But now, I feel comfortable with Nick because he never hurt me during our time together," I said with a smile, but it quickly faded as I remembered all the things Isabelle had shared with me about them.

"What if you discover something hidden in that room related to you? How would you feel?" Heidi asked.

"Hmm. I'd have more questions. Why would they hide something that concerns me, right? - wait a minute. Why are you asking so many questions? Your questions are getting weirder too," I responded.

"I'm just poking holes in what you're saying. Don't overthink too much. I'm just going along with your thoughts. What if the room is empty and just locked?" Heidi asked.

"Then I'd be satisfied with my curiosity. I can finally sleep well," I said, feeling relieved.

"That's good then. I still have work to do. Let's meet tomorrow. I have a client to attend to. We've been talking for over an hour now," Heidi said.

I gave her a stern look because of what she said.

"You're overthinking too much, and now you're dragging me into it. Geez! Just go away," she told me, pushing me out of the door.

"I need to use the bathroom, Heidi!" I shouted.

**

"I told you, I'll pick you up."

I leaned against the bed while looking at social media, which was making me feel depressed and envious. He had just arrived. He texted earlier, saying he had to work overtime.

He was getting dressed in front of me, but I avoided looking at him.

"My phone died," I lied, just to keep him quiet.

He sat next to me and pulled me closer. He wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Why are you so grumpy, hm?"

"Lanvin, seriously!" I said irritably, pushing him away when he tried to kiss me.

"You're resisting my kisses. You're grumpy and throwing tantrums. Did I do something you don't like?"

"I'm going to sleep."

“Let’s make love.”

"Nick, seriously! You're getting horny again! I know all you want is my body! Give me a break! If you're turned on, find some other woman to satisfy you! I need some rest! If you want to get laid, go find someone else!"

He looked surprised and hurt by my words. It took him a while to compose himself.

"Where did you get the idea that I'm only after your body? I was just trying to be affectionate. You've been angry and lashing out at me all night. If you don't want to make love tonight, that's fine. We can just cuddle. Please don't think that I'm only interested in your body. If that were the case, I could find women anywhere to have sex with."

He looked genuinely hurt by what I said and the way I shouted at him.

"Wife, why are you so mad? Let's talk and fix this before you go to sleep," he said softly, trying to pull the blanket towards him.

"I said don't touch me! Go to your other women if you want to! If you don't want to sleep, then leave me alone! I'm tired and I just want to rest!"

I knew my shouting was hurting him.

He licked his lower lip and ran his hands through his hair. I noticed his black ring again, which suited him well.

"I don't have any other woman," he said quietly.

"I don't care about you," I said coldly, lying back down. I turned away from him, wanting to be left alone.

"But I care about you. Wife, I'll let you sleep after we talk. You wouldn't be acting like this without a reason."

He held my arm and tried to turn me to face him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to be patient. I felt sorry for him.

"Please, just let it go for tonight. I'm fed up with you. You're irritating too. Can't you feel that I don't want to talk to you?" I said with pain in my voice.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice. He seemed like he was about to cry. I suddenly felt pity for him. But I was also angry because he had another woman. I wanted to ask him about him and Isabelle, but I didn't have the courage. I was afraid of what I might find out.

My world stopped when he suddenly hugged me.

"Wife, please let's settle this. I don't want to sleep knowing we're not okay," he said, trembling with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry if I made you mad. I won't do it again," he said while crying. His head was buried in my neck as he held me tightly. He seemed afraid of losing me. It was the first time I saw him like this. It was the first time he cried in front of me.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me. I love you so much," his voice broke.

"You don't love me," I stubbornly said.

He faced me with tears on his cheeks. I felt guilty for making him cry. I made him cry.

"I want to know why you're mad at me. We were okay early in the morning, and I don't know why you're so angry. You left me in the office, and I didn't know where you went."

"Sorry," I said with a sigh, "I'm just not in the mood. I don't know why I'm so irritable," I lied.

"Are you on your period? Tell me, I'll take care of you. And please don't say those words again. It hurts me. You care for me, right? I know you care for me. Take back everything you said earlier."

I didn't respond and just hugged him.

"You scared the hell out of me," he said, looking afraid as he held me tight.

"Don't act like that again, wife," he said, still afraid, "I don't like what you said," it seemed like I hurt him with my words.

"Hug me too," he said like a kid. He demanded hugs, kisses, and attention.

The next morning.

I was in Nick's car when I noticed lipstick on the door. It was the same lipstick Isabelle used yesterday.

"Who did you give a ride to in your car yesterday?" I asked straightforwardly.

"Huh? What do you mean, wife?"

Who's the cheater admitting to his affair?

"No one."

"I went home alone last night. Why?" He still had his gaze on the road, "I was waiting for your call, and I was damn worried. What time did you arrive home last night?"

We didn't talk about anything else last night because we were busy being affectionate. I put him to sleep last night because he was acting like a baby.

"Early," I replied shortly.

He sighed and took my hand, kissing it.

"Do you want to go to the doctor?"

I furrowed my brows at his question.

"Huh? What are we going to do there? Do you have a serious illness? Are you dying?"

If he dies, who will manage the company? We don't have children to take over his position, and I don't have the capability to take over either. Especially when the company's performance is good. I might just get depressed with the pressure if I were to take over.

"Don't die yet," I said sadly. If he dies, I won't have anyone to boss around. I won't have anyone to play tricks on, and I won't have anyone to buy me out-of-the-country tickets when I'm feeling down. I won't have anyone to translate things into English for me.

"Maybe I overthink things. Let's go for a drive-thru. What do you want to eat?"

I just ate, and I'm still full. Maybe I'll just give it to his secretary. I heard that Lanvin's company gives out a lot of incentives, and they often receive awards for their hard work. I overheard a group of friends talking yesterday that they're going to Greece because it's a gift from the company for their hard work.