Part 39

39

Wasn't that what he wanted? He didn't want any closeness between Vano and Chelsea. Carlos grumbled, frustrated and confused with himself. On one hand, he still wanted Chelsea's help in winning Vano's heart, but on the other hand, he felt jealous when his wife was close to Vano.

Carlos didn't know what decision to make. He didn't even realize that Chelsea was no longer in the room. What kind of husband ignores his wife when she says goodbye to go home? If something happened to Chelsea on the way, Carlos would relive the events from ten years ago.

The bad memories resurfaced and circled in his mind, imagining Chelsea experiencing something terrible on the journey. It made him quickly contact his wife to ensure that Chelsea had safely arrived home. Even though he was still somewhat reluctant to communicate, Carlos pushed aside his disappointment for the moment to get news from his wife.

Chelsea smiled slightly upon receiving a message from Carlos after she got out of the online taxi. Even though Carlos was upset with her, there was still a bit of concern in his message. Even if it was just a message asking if she had arrived home or not.

Chelsea hurriedly sent a photo of herself, taking a selfie in front of the entrance, with a caption indicating that she had safely arrived home without any issues. Then she strolled into her room.

Chelsea tried to call Vano, who hadn't answered her calls since earlier. She wondered what the man was doing with Celine, to the point where he couldn't even spare a moment for her.

But Chelsea wasn't the type to give up easily, so there were dozens of unanswered calls on Vano's phone. This forced him to withdraw from Celine. Even though they were nearly at the climax of their game.

Celine rolled her eyes lazily. "Alright, Vano, go ahead and pick up that call. It seems important enough that the caller isn't giving you any time for me. But I expect it to be quick."

Vano reluctantly covered Celine's naked body again. This was the second time they had to postpone their activities because Vano was genuinely curious about the caller, who seemed more possessed than having a legitimate reason.

Imagine there was never a moment of silence, and eventually, Vano's sense of hearing grew weary of the continuous incoming calls.

"What's up?" Vano asked Chelsea, clearly annoyed by his own actions.

"Where have you been? It's been so hard to reach you. You're more elusive than trying to contact the king of a kingdom. My phone's almost dead from trying to call you."

"Don't beat around the bush, Chelsea. Quickly, tell me what you want. Is there something important that you had to contact me without allowing my phone to rest at all?" Vano glanced at Celine, who lay on the bed, her displeasure at Chelsea being the one calling him evident on her face.

Just when Celine had been trying to make peace with Chelsea's presence by Vano's side, now the girl was disrupting her boyfriend again.

"No, I just wanted to make sure you're not doing anything strange with Celine. Because Celine isn't teaching, and you're not coming home. So many hours have passed, but until this moment, I haven't heard anything from you. Don't tell me that right now you're doing something you shouldn't be."

Vano fell silent, unsure whether to lie or not because Chelsea had guessed what he was doing.

"If you're silent, it means it's true. Please, Van, don't do anything foolish. You two aren't married yet, and if Celine gets pregnant, and your dad still doesn't give his approval, what will you do? Abort the child? Refuse to marry Celine, or even elope and make Dad angry, hurt him deeply?" Chelsea pressed.

She felt really uneasy, so she relayed what Carlos had said earlier. She didn't want Carlos and Vano's relationship to break again just because of Celine, who Chelsea considered the most selfish person on the face of the Earth. Because she insisted on having all her wishes fulfilled but was unwilling to meet Carlos to ask for his approval.

"You won't understand." Those were the only four words Vano could muster before preparing to end the call.

"You say I won't understand? If I truly didn't understand, I wouldn't say this. And just so you know, I tried to persuade Dad, and you know the result. Even if you both want his approval, I suggest you don't do anything that would harm Celine. It's better to find out what caused your mom's accident. Maybe there's some information you can get from Celine after five years in a relationship. If she doesn't tell you or doesn't want to discuss it, that means there's something hidden within your relationship." Chelsea ended her call, frustrated because it was true.

Vano had acted foolishly, and Chelsea had warned him back then, but Vano didn't appreciate what she did. As a stepmother, Chelsea wanted the best for Vano. Whatever he did would have an impact on Carlos.

Chelsea didn't want her husband to be burdened just because of a fragile girl like Celine.

Vano sat down next to Celine, looking at her with a drastic change in his demeanor. She raised both eyebrows as if questioning what Chelsea had talked about that had caused his transformation.

Even Vano reached for Celine's nightgown and handed it to her. "Put this on. This is not right," he said weakly, struggling against himself and complying with Chelsea's request.

There were many things he needed to discuss with his stepmother for the sake of his relationship with Celine. Vano realized that everything Chelsea said was the truth, and he also realized that doing this with Celine was not a way out.

He was afraid that Celine's pregnancy would only make the problem bigger and that he would be thrown out of the house. No matter how stubborn and unyielding Carlos was, he was still his biological father, and Vano had to obey his every wish.

Vano wasn't ready to lose his father just for a girl he had only met in his teenage years. He also understood how difficult it had been for Carlos to come to terms with his circumstances and gather the strength to raise him.

Vano also knew how deeply his father had loved his late mother. Fortunately, Chelsea had managed to heal the wounds that had been carved for over ten years. As a child, Vano should be even more understanding than Chelsea, who had just entered their lives.

But Chelsea was wiser and understood Carlos better.

"So, does that mean you're not giving me a second chance?"

"You don't need to worry. I have forgiven you, and I will try to give you a second chance without needing to do this. I also need to talk to Dad about something." Vano gave Celine a quick peck on the lips after she finished putting on all her clothes.

Now he looked neat as before. "Take care of yourself, and I'll call you as soon as I'm done talking to Dad."

Celine simply nodded, frustrated because Vano seemed to be rejecting what she wanted. She was already wet, but Vano canceled everything.

If she weren't a woman, Celine would have definitely forced Vano to go through with it. After all, he had initiated it, and now he was backing out, leaving Celine extremely frustrated.

"So that's what Dad said," Vano sighed as he heard Chelsea's story in its entirety. They were both sitting in Chelsea's room, discussing Carlos's sudden change when Chelsea tried to bring up the topic of approval.

"Maybe I brought up this issue too soon, even though our marriage has only been a few days. It's partly my fault; I felt uncomfortable earlier because Celine blamed me, so I rushed to resolve the issue to make sure your relationship with her was okay. But that's just how your dad is. He gets angry, and I decided to go home first rather than let it drag on and cause an even bigger conflict. It's better for me to give in because I'm sure your dad will meet with me once his emotions have calmed down."

"You really handle every issue maturely, Chelsea. I admire you, and to be honest, earlier I was close to doing it with Celine out of mutual consent. Not by force like back then, but after thinking it over again, even though there was no coercion involved, what we wanted to do was still a mistake."

"Thank goodness you realized it and didn't give in to that bad impulse. I also salute you for resisting the fear of losing Celine. Trust me, if she's your destiny, there will be ease after this. If she's not meant for you, I'm sure the separation is God's way of giving you the best, so you can find a path to meet another girl who is suitable as a companion and a healer for your wounds in the future. Don't rush things because you're still young, and the future is long. There's nothing to fear in this world because something that goes away will always be replaced." Chelsea rubbed Vano's arm. "Alright, go on, Dad will be home soon. I don't want him to misunderstand why you're in my room."