Five hours was not a short time to stay in a room waiting for the arrival of whoever Theo had informed. Although she didn't know exactly where she was going... Rose was desperate to order a taxi online - across the hustle and bustle of Milan with just enough euro notes, and the debit card Theo had given her, before he left her alone. And if Rose had an urgent need.
Still aimlessly traveling, Rose's attention was drawn to the thermal paper-the results of her fetal sonography. She smiled, rubbing the surface of the image in illegible pixels. Only one-Rose was not pregnant with two as she had thought. It felt a little regretful to have rejected something that was not yet a reality. If Theo's reaction was anything other than expected, having three would be fine with Rose. "Control yourself, Rose!" Rose repeatedly patted her face lightly, barely able to contain herself. Then she gazed intently out of the window-enjoying the view of the"No, I'm not. I'm taking some time off to prepare some things until my wedding day. Oh, yes, Rose, this is Crowel, my fiancé and future husband." Sirea was eager to introduce Crowel. She seemed so trusting of her fiancé. She didn't even seem to care, even though the man had no intention of letting go of the touch of his fingers - continuing to hold Rose's hand. Crowel's gaze was too intense. Rose didn't move when the man pulled her into his embrace. "Sorry. This is how we familiarize ourselves." Rose's forehead furrowed. She remembered that Sirea didn't do the same thing as Crowel when they were first introduced. She knew Crowel was lying. Hoping that Sirea would take her lover away, before Crowel did something easy. Luckily, Sirea received an incoming call from who-knows-who, so she hurriedly excused herself, leaving Rose alone in the park. ***
A gentle stroke from the top of the head traveled down, touching the surface of the skin of the face that looked innocent without any make-up. Theo thinned his lips. The action was a far cry from the expression that was too cold to read. He had been on the edge of a rage for most of the day, seeking an outlet to control his unstoppable anger for one reason. Some time ago before returning to the hotel, precisely after sending a short message to Rose-he accidentally pressed the notification pop-up that successively came in when he got several new messages. Unfortunately, it ended up in two photo submissions from unknown numbers, which Theo had actually ignored since he had a technical meeting for hours in the meeting room. Nothing could have gone wrong. If only the photos didn't show Rose being intimate with a man out in the open. He was furious - even smashing an innocent cell phone into pieces, without thinking of hacking it. Two photos with almost di
Rose's jaw was deliberately gripped, making their eyes squeeze together. The more Rose didn't say a word, the more Theo's face darkened-Rose realized Theo was getting out of control. "What do you care, he's a nobody," she said, wearing a defiant expression. "What do I care?" The man grinned mysteriously. "What if I say you're my wife again? I have reason to be angry, when my wife is with another man." Theo's statement seemed to kill her. Rose tried to be unaffected, but there was not a shred of lie to be found from the blind glare, who didn't look away - locking Rose in a tight corner. She felt shipwrecked, simply climbing a mind that felt stuck. "You've got to be kidding, right?" Rose traced the face of the adonis before her, hoping Theo would justify the question she asked. "Look at the ring on your finger." Theo's grip loosened, followed by a movement of Rose's body, w
What problem could tears solve? Rose tried not to involve the pain of Theo's statement, ever since she slammed and stepped out of the car that brought her to the mansion earlier. Not wanting to get ahead of herself, Rose only regretted the one occasion where Theo didn't apologize, even though the man already knew the facts about Sirea. It was clear that the car's engine was forced to speed up again, leaving Rose, who chose to go to the guest room - to calm down from several things, which made her feelings crushed. To top it all off, Rose had no idea how to explain her position as someone who had been married without a reception. How did she not know she had been framed in such detail. Should Rose file a lawsuit against a relationship that was not based on a foundation like her relationship with Theo? Their marital status, was it official in the eyes of religion? Rose shook her head vaguely. She was too naive to think things were as go
The car, which could reach speeds of up to 400km/h, suddenly stopped. Theo's body was restrained. He gripped the steering wheel tightly. He stared hard at the reflection of his face in the rearview mirror. Anger was still gathering in his ashen eyes-how stupid, to have believed the photo, which had managed to destroy his composure. Ever since Rose had mentioned Sirea, it wasn't the intimate photo that Theo cared about anymore. Sirea had never worked for his company. But she had an attachment to someone who Theo believed was the mastermind of the misunderstanding Rose was accused of. There was no telling what kind of plan Magdalena had hatched earlier. Theo was quite appreciative of how the two cousins, Magdalena and Sirea, worked together, putting a strain on his relationship with Rose. Or if Theo had to put it in perspective, Sirea was assigned to disguise herself as someone who could get close to Rose. It almost worked. There was no way Theo was going to let Sirea, and the man
The clomping of feet drew Rose's consciousness. Her brown nether-eyes opened slowly, finding the skyline of the building in front of her lit up. The bias of the light made Rose blink a few times, feeling clueless in a place that was not so familiar. "I'm still alive?" Rose muttered to herself. She touched exactly where the wound on her body was lodged. Before ending up unconscious. Shouldn't she be in a room filled with figurines of women? All she saw was the innocence of the whitewashed walls, and Theo-there, walking the same straight line over and over again. His face was downcast as if he was thinking about something. Rose quickly turned away when he realized something, which made their eyes meet. The look in Theo's ashes implied guilt. Rose didn't care what it was, the pain in her heart was still the same-it was at the level of disappointment. "Are you awake, Sugar?" Rose's fingers gripped the thick blanket tightly when she heard Theo's steps approaching. The touch of that
"What do you have to gain by trapping me in marriage?" The man finally chuckled. "What's in it for me? I got you, that's all what I deserve." How proud Theo's face smiled viciously as he turned to look at Rose. "But it's okay, I won't stop you, if you want to end things. I mean, it's fine, if you want a divorce. Just be patient. After me and that damn woman are done, and I introduce you to my father. You can go ahead and file your lawsuit with the court, Lion will assist you." Is that how people with money are? For them, divorce is not a complicated matter. When something doesn't fit into the agreement, or there are other things that don't fit into the path that intersects with the harmony of marriage. They easily throw out the word 'separation', as if being one and being united, is something that has no honor value. Rose shot Theo a piercing look. "Divorced and your widow, is that it?" she asked, her anger never ending,
Strangers and not talking to each other. Ever since Rose asked Theo not to show his face in front of her. The man was never really seen. Never anywhere where Rose was. Until now, five days of their relationship was not okay. It was quiet on the dining table, with only Beatrace busy in the kitchen. Rose had offered to help the middle-aged woman, but she had received rejection after rejection. With the same excuse, of course. Rose's breathing was rough, not knowing how to properly enjoy the breakfast in front of her. Everything still felt strange, she didn't want to sink any further. Although her mind kept wondering where Magdalena was after the night's events. Everyone she met was silent when she directly expressed her curiosity, but that didn't rule out Rose, unaware of Theo's indifference regarding Magdalena's actions. Lion slipped up a little when Rose tried the man for the lies he had told. Rose doesn't try to make a big deal o
Zever's sudden departure made quite an impression on Rose. At that moment she and Travis silently watched the backs of two people who were moving away. Rose didn't dare say anything as she herself realized Travis was leaving her behind—Travis looked down and Rose hoped he was okay, then followed with careful steps carrying her triplet into the mansion building. Two hours after the incident in the back garden, and after putting the children to bed, Rose soon caught up with Zever's whereabouts. Through the messages given to Lion, Rose certainly monitored whatever was happening outside. This included asking how Travis was doing. The man was behaving as before, but there was one problem. Zever in the living room with a ripple face so cold and gray eyes that stared half-empty arranged miniature joints on the table. Rose repeatedly took a breath just to steady herself sitting next to her husband. "Zever," Rose called out, wanting to make sure he would respond or not. Z
"I'm done, Theo. Now it's your turn—" Rose thought, after stepping out of the bathroom and changing there. She would find Theo keeping all three of their babies in their proper positions, but that big body—in his sideways sleep—seemed to be deeper than the three babies who were snoozing peacefully. Exhausted. That's how Rose interpreted it, because these days Theo was often busy in the middle of the night—looking after their babies, while Rose was forced to rest. Rose smiled slightly as she rubbed the top of Theo's head. It was only for a moment that she turned to her triplets to transfer them to the trolley. Rose would take them for a walk in the back garden. Finished with the transfer she returned to Theo simply covering her husband's body with a thick blanket. "We're leaving first." Rose briefly kissed the corner of Theo's face. She pushed the trolley carefully towards the elevator. Rose already knew where the elevator was, it was quite hidden—and Theo had no
"I got a lot of grandchildren." O'Douglas laughed like a pirate captain who had just discovered a historic treasure. Each of the middle-aged man's arms flanked two tiny babies, while the other was in the arms of Verasco, who continued to hold them, occasionally bringing them closer with a lighthearted joke. There was no telling what Rose would say as she watched her children being swarmed as soon as Verasco and O'Douglas walked into the ward. She had just finished breastfeeding, so the satiated babies would just sleep through the day, and not trouble their two grandfathers. "You never stopped looking at me," Rose said quietly. Most of the time Theo had a glare on his face, but right now the gray bead was shining something different. It was so loving and some of it Rose couldn't interpret correctly. How could Rose stand being shot at so closely. Theo had to, just once, look away from her. "Thank you, Sugar." A gentle touch on the skin of Rose's face made her
Rose didn't expect Theo to take her to the island of Ortogia, the historical center of the Sicilian city of Sirakusa, to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean sea. The scents by the sea were soothingly beautiful. Rose had not forgotten that Theo had not once let go of her body on the man's broad shoulders after walking along the old buildings on the islands of Ortogia. "Whose house is this?" asked Rose looking at a sturdy building that looked like it was meant for two people to live in. "Our house." There wasn't much Rose could say, except to bury her face deep in the hollow of Theo's neck. The masculine scent was still very much present, even after they had spent the whole day entertaining the guests, as if the perfume was very much at home on Theo's clay skin. "Want to go straight to bed or shower first, Sugar?" In front of a door Theo stopped and let Rose get on the floor. Between hesitation and the need for something fresh she finally looked up at Theo.
"Ready?" Rose nodded as Theo spoke over the top of her head. She was indeed standing with her back to Theo, holding the handle of a long cookie-cutter knife, while Theo's large fingers grasped each of her knuckles warmly. The multi-tiered cake, or not much different from a fragile tower, was being split open. The blade slowly descended downward to symbolize sharpness. Rose smiled almost melting into laughter when Theo whispered something funny to her, funny but Rose wouldn't tell anyone. Let her keep it to herself and make it an important fun moment. After the first slice of cake Rose and Theo should have been feeding each other. Instead Theo scooped out the cream and immediately applied it to Rose's lower lip. Rose's face was a mess, but that was exactly what Theo wanted. He took Rose's lips like he was taking a delicious cake. The sweetness of the sugar and butter mixture seemed to make Theo insatiable. He licks Rose so intimately—there's no end to it—that Rose
"It's enough. I'm full." Again Rose had to restrain herself as Theo's big fingers tried to push away the bowl of white porridge in her hand. "Just a little more, Theo. You have to finish your porridge." "Come on." Rose brought another spoonful of porridge closer, but that face refused. "Don't make me eat bad porridge, Sugar. It's tasteless." "That's why if you eat while looking at me, you'll get some flavor." "One more bite. I promise after this is over." "I don't believe it. You said that earlier, don't you remember?" Rose's wide grin completely fooled Theo. The man was exactly a child who had lost his appetite. It was very difficult to persuade him to open his mouth. "This time I'm serious about the last one. Ahk... open wide." Rose thought Theo would immediately accept her bribe. Instead, the man moved the elbow of Rose's hand, moving the bow of the spoon to Rose's own lips. "You should eat too." "I ate earlier," Ro
One day after Theo regained consciousness, Rose finally decided to return to her home, the place where she once lived alone next to her small restaurant. At the moment there wasn't much for Rose to do other than prepare to meet Theo at the hospital. Rose immediately drove her father's borrowed car. On the back passenger seat she placed a medium-sized box with several holes in it that was wrapped very beautifully. While beside her sat a cute little dog with curly hair and white color like cotton. Yesterday Rose had just bought the poodle breed at the pet shop. Intrigued. That was all that drew Rose's desire to bring home the poodle named Cocomelo. "We've arrived." Rose prepared a special backpack to carry Cocomelo on her shoulders, so that when she first entered the infirmary Theo would not immediately meet her Cocomelo but Rose would show him. And in her hand, she carried the medium-sized box and walked into the hospital. Not just daring, but Rose had already ob
Coming back from the bathroom, Rose thought she would be faced with the same situation. She had warned against it by waiting longer in the humid room until some of the noises from outside faded away. But everything Rose had expected was not true. The blood seepage on the floor when she opened the door was gone. Verasco's subordinates... even Verasco himself was nowhere to be seen, in his husband's infirmary. All that was left was Lion waiting very quietly, arms folded across his chest as he watched Theo silently. "Are you still here, Lion? Where are the others?" asked Rose as her steps brushed the side of the blanket. "Mr. Verasco asked me to wait here, Miss." Lion's attention was finally diverted. Rose suspected that he had just returned from the police station and helped Verasco and Elijah to execute George. As for George's betrayal, perhaps it was a wake-up call for Verasco to be more intolerant of hidden intentions and whatever else might happen. "Where is my
"On the way home. Their story has a happy ending. Finished." Rose closed the 400 pages book and placed it on the nightstand. Reading sweet stories had become her routine in the past few days. Rose smiled slightly at her husband's face who was lying so quietly. This morning the breathing apparatus had just been removed indicating Theo's condition was getting better after the bloody spear incident. Luckily, they immediately brought Theo to get the right treatment. Theo had to undergo surgery three times. He had lost a lot of blood and needed transfusions as soon as possible. Rose remembered that some arguments happened between them regarding Theo who had very step blood, even Verasco was helpless about it. Just a Wench .... That's what Verasco said at that time with a trembling tone of voice. Like he was so regretful. Really regretful, until finally Travis suggested the few people who were still left in Italy to bring some bags of Theo's blood that were taken two