TWO

"Ave!"

Avelyn immediately dropped her tired body on top of Rebecca's cream sofa without paying attention to the screams of Rebecca in the kitchen. Befriending this woman over the years let Avelyn know the code for Rebecca's apartment which has become her second home here.

Her head hit the edge of the sofa as she tried to lift her head to see Rebecca, who was waving at the end of the kitchen door.

"I was cooking a meal when you texted you back from Columbia," shouted Rebecca again from the kitchen.

Avelyn chose to ignore Rebecca's screams for a moment and closed her tired eyes after the four-hour flight from Columbia. This time she felt her body really crumble because she just realized that since Michael died, she hasn't rested her body properly. No wonder her body is currently struggling to ask for her rights to be fulfilled. She needs to rest at least two hours to make her body better.

"Drink your hot tea first, Ave. You look so thin, pale and tired."

Hearing the voice of Rebecca who was so close to her, Avelyn reflexively opened her eyes and gave her a wistful smile.

"Drink," said Rebecca this time, lifting her teacup and thrusting the white cup right in front of Avelyn's face. "This will make you more relaxed." said Rebecca again.

Avelyn knew that her best friend was very worried about her condition. Especially after the news about Michael's death got around. Obviously Rebecca didn't stop texting her by the time, although in the fifty messages Rebecca sent, Avelyn had only replied to her once with an extremely brief reply.

"Thanks, Bec. You are the best." Avelyn placed the teacup on the table, then came back to her senses, but this time she chose to lean against the arm of the sofa so that her long legs would fit on the sofa.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ave." Becca called.

“Television has never stopped broadcasting the news of Michael's death since five days ago. He had such an influence here, that his death left many people shocked."

"Well, I'm a little flattered about that."

Knowing that Michael was someone the Chicagoans knew well made Avelyn's whole heart warm. At least it will make Michael smile up there because people have known him as a good person. Maybe she was the only one who kept accusing Michael a bad man.

"How exactly did all that happen, Ave?"

"I'm divorced from Andrew."

"What?!" Rebecca gaped in disbelief at Avelyn's shocking confession. Yet before the woman went to Columbia, she joyfully told her if she was going to undergo a baby program with her husband. But suddenly all of that was lost and replaced with very shocking news like this.

“Therefore I will stay here for a while. I don't want to live in our mansion, and Andrew decided to sell it in the near future," said Avelyn again increasing the surprise that had not completely disappeared from Rebecca's face.

“For God's sake, what has happened to you these past two weeks? First I heard the news of Michael's death when I just arrived in Chicago after a long journey from San Diego, then now I have to hear the news of your divorce from Andrew which you managed to hide well from the news-seeking monsters out there. Oh God, fortunately I don't have heart disease," Rebecca said excessively.

Avelyn just smiled at Rebecca's cute action who was always like that when responding to the unexpected things that were happening around her.

"It's a long story, Bec." Avelyn exhaled a tired breath. She wasn't sure if she should pass all the chronology right in front of Rebecca. But this woman was the only friend she would rely on as long as she was in this weak state. So she really had no choice but to tell Rebecca all the details.

“At first everything was fine. Everything is fine." Avelyn repeated with a frustrated face. Still fresh in her memory how Michael teased her as usual and made her scream until all the residents of Edward's mansion turned their heads in surprise. "Then Michael expressed his feelings to me. He loves me."

"Oh my God, I thought." Rebecca commented sympathetically at Avelyn.

"Actually, it's not a problem, Bec, because I've always known that Michael still has those feelings for me. We used to be a couple in senior high school. But we ended up because I finally found out that he was only using me as a bet. Then fate seems to be playing tricks on us. We were reunited under different circumstances, but in the same vibration," said Avelyn in a frustrated tone. “I admit I still love Michael. Even before I officially married Andrew, I actually wanted to run into Michael's arms, who at that time continued to give longing gazes from a distance. But then I realized that Michael had hurt me. So I want to take revenge on him. I married Andrew."

Avelyn closed her eyes painfully as she recalled all the memories of her bitter past. The choice of her life that she left wrong from the start has brought her to the brink of collapse.

"You were hurt in your own marriage?"

“I thought loving Andrew was easy. But I was wrong. Andrew, a very workaholic, has spread a huge distance between us. On the contrary, Michael just keeps clinging to me and makes me always lose my way when I'm near him. So the only way I can do to chase him away is to be rude whenever he is around me. I don't want my feelings to blind my eyes and my brain which exactly chose Andrew to be my husband." groaned Avelyn as she ruffled her brown hair into a mess.

Concerned about Avelyn's condition, Rebecca decided to rub her shoulder gently and let Avelyn take a moment to soak it all up herself.

"Then how does all this ugliness drag you into this increasingly bad state?"

"I insist on maintaining my marriage. Many times Michael offers love and marriage that is so tantalizing to me, but I am too afraid to destroy the brotherhood between Andrew and Michael. I've seen them doing well so far, so I won't be selfish by having an affair with Michael. At least that was my thought at the beginning."

Avelyn's fingers nervously intertwined in her lap. It feels so helpless if she have to remember the fight with Michael before the man had an accident. She was sure that at that time Michael left the house in an emotional state, so that the man must have driven his car very fast without caring about any danger that could catch him in the middle of the road.

“That morning Michael and I had an argument because suddenly I got a divorce letter from Andrew. I think Michael has exposed our past love affair with Andrew which caused Andrew to get angry and file for me for divorce. So without thinking I immediately slapped Michael and cursed the man as hard as I could."

"So you guys had a big fight at that time?"

Avelyn nodded slowly and shed a tear from her two clear eyes. With teary eyes Avelyn stared at Rebecca as she pounded her tightened chest.

“I was stupid for letting Michael go in an emotional state after our fight. And not long after Michael left, Andrew came. He explained everything. The reason why he divorced me was not because of my affair with Michael, but because he had been having an affair behind my back," shrieked Avelyn in her painful voice. “Mic knew that Andrew was having an affair with his secretary behind my back, and he tried to tell me indirectly while offering another love I could have after my marriage life was ruined. But I just cursed him rudely, even slapped his face without listening to the explanation he wanted to tell me."

"Avelyn."

Rebecca quickly hugged Avelyn and stroked Avelyn's trembling back who was sobbing on her shoulder. Not everything that happened was Avelyn's fault. She was just a play on the script God was playing out for her. And from the bottom of her heart, Rebecca continues to pray that Avelyn will soon get her truly eternal happiness.