The Next DayEarly in the morning, Erland invited Maelie to ride the red motorcycle that was provided at the villa where they were staying. The man took his wife along the beach, enjoying the morning air until they stopped at a relatively secluded spot, with few vendors or visitors but cleaner and more beautiful surroundings."Why are we here?" Maelie asked after getting off the motorcycle, squinting her eyes due to the dazzling morning sun."We're going to sunbathe," Erland replied, quickly fetching sunglasses from a small crossbody bag he was wearing and putting them on Maelie's eyes with a smile.Maelie smiled. "Thank you."Erland just smiled silently, then took off his light blue sky shirt, leaving him only in shorts and shoes. Then he sat down and started digging in the sand."Hey, what are you doing?"Maelie looked at Erland in confusion."This is for you, Babe!" Erland exclaimed, continuing to dig the sand with his bare hands.Maelie chose to remain silent and admire the cool a
At 6 in the evening...Erland took Maelie back to the beach after staying in the villa since noon. The man wearing a white suit demanded his graceful wife, who was wearing a long white dress with open sleeves, letting her hair loose and not wearing any footwear."Anyway, I like walking barefoot on the sand," murmured Maelie as she walked. "I love the cold texture of the sand."Erland smiled."I'm glad to make you happy. Maybe we'll buy a new house near the beach," he said.Maelie immediately frowned."You always do this, giving me things I like without thinking that they're expensive!" she said irritably.Erland just chuckled."Don't do that!" exclaimed Maelie."No, I won't... I'll run out of money, besides, I'm just a marketing manager," Erland replied, looking back to find Maelie smiling. "Sometimes I wish I were just a marketing manager, so we'd stay together... You don't demand me to be with Tiffany... I think that's the profession that brings me luck.""You never really worked li
Several days have passed...Maelie and Erland had returned to Sacramento, and now it was time to part ways as her husband had to return to New York because his father kept contacting him."I will miss you so much," Erland said, then kissed Maelie fiercely on the lips.Maelie closed her eyes, reciprocating the kiss until she felt Erland's hands roaming over her thighs, covered by a thin dusty pink nightgown, causing her to quickly end the kiss and stare at him."No, we can't do this, you have to go," she whispered.Erland fell silent, gazing deeply at Maelie, feeling it so difficult to leave her. Somehow this separation felt heavier to him, unlike previous ones, as if they would truly struggle to meet again."Hey," Maelie whispered with a faint smile."I have an hour before my flight," Erland replied with a sad look. "Can I get what I want before I leave?" he asked.Maelie just stayed silent."I want you," Erland whispered, kissing Maelie's lips softly again.Maelie remained silent and
"Enough, my dear..." Erland gently released Maelie from his embrace, then kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears. "Don't cry anymore. It makes it hard for me to leave."Maelie tried to stop her tears."I'll be back as soon as possible, you have to be careful here, okay?""You have to be careful too... Don't get into new trouble... I'll always wait for you."Erland smiled, kissed Maelie's forehead again, and quickly helped wipe away her tears. Then he invited her to leave the room and continue walking towards the terrace where Tommy was waiting with Amanda and Leo."Boss," Tommy greeted."Let's go," Erland replied, quickly heading towards the car while his wife stopped on the terrace with Amanda and Leo.Maelie watched Tommy's car drive towards the gate, haunted by Erland's face sitting inside. Suddenly, a longing so painful emerged that she couldn't hold back her tears any longer."Sis?"Amanda turned and noticed Maelie crying, then immediately hugged her."I used to be sad ever
Maelie shook her head, staring at Leo warily."No, I don't believe you!" She asserted as she stood up. "You must be a liar. You are just tricking me!""Mae..." Leo also stood up, gripping Maelie's hand before she left. "You have to believe me!""What's going on here?" Amanda, who had just come out of her room, looked beautiful in her black outfit and blue bag.Maelie immediately pulled her hand away from Leo and then approached Amanda with a worried look."He's making it up, he says he's Tiffany's pawn to kill me!" she exclaimed.Amanda furrowed her brow and looked seriously at Leo.Leo sighed inwardly. 'Now I have to insist... After all, I'm the only one who can save them!' he thought irritably."Is what my sister said true?" Amanda asked, approaching Leo, staring at him sharply.Leo nodded. "It's true, but I'm not... a killer...""You're a spy, you came here to spy for Tiffany?" Amanda asked loudly. "How could you do that when I trusted you?""Amanda..." Leo shook his head. "I never
At 9 p.m...Erland was already in New York, greeted by Tiffany who had prepared a lot of food for him. The man lazily showed his appreciation to his wife, longing instead for his second wife in Sacramento."I guess you're always so busy that you don't have time to call me," Tiffany said, serving macaroni and cheese onto a plate, then adding chicken nuggets and a bit of salad."I am indeed busy," Erland replied wearily."And now you're tired.""You know..."Tiffany placed the food in front of Erland and then sat back down in front of him."Enjoy your meal," she said, smiling.Erland only gave a faint smile, immediately starting to eat without wanting to look at Tiffany at all.'Why am I increasingly unable to be far from Maelie... I can't stop thinking about her... Maybe I should contact her later,' he thought anxiously."Don't you want to know about our baby?" Tiffany asked.Erland looked at her. "Tell me...""Um... She's fine...""She?" Erland furrowed his brow. "Do you mean it's a b
1 a.m. ...Erland woke up upon hearing his phone ringing from the nightstand. He sat up, picked it up, and saw a call from Tommy."Tommy? It's not usual for him to call me at this hour."Curious, he got out of bed and answered the call without bothering to put on his clothes. Yes, he was naked, perhaps unwillingly needing to satisfy Tiffany, or perhaps his desire could still rise because he's just a scoundrel!"Hey, what's up?" he asked as he headed to the dressing room."Boss ... um ... something happened," Tommy answered, sounding nervous."What's that?""Your wife ... oh my God, how do I say this!" Tommy sounded frustrated, making Erland even more anxious."Tommy, just tell me what's going on. What happened to her?""She ... her car went off a cliff ..."Erland's eyes widened immediately, his mind imagining Maelie and the unlucky car."She was having dinner outside with Leo and Amanda ... That's what Ben said. But unfortunately ... They had an accident. Their car went off a cliff..
Early in the morning, Erland had just arrived in Sacramento, swiftly heading towards Maelie's car accident location. He remained unmoved, observing the bustling scene there - police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and several teams of journalists.His heart pounded, and his body felt fragile, trembling, imagining the fate of his wife, her sister, and Leo."Tommy!"He immediately got out of the car and approached Tommy who was still standing with the police."How are they? Did they manage to evacuate them?"Tommy shook his head with a worried look."No... The fire department and the police haven't found them," he replied.Erland looked straight at the dark ravine illuminated by the lights of the firefighters' and police officers' torches, allowing him to see his wife's car so close to the river, overturned and wrecked. The sight made his heart race again."They're not in the car. The police only found their belongings scattered around the car, and some may have been washed away," Tommy