"I'm going to take a shower first," Darren said, causing Vivi, who was removing her earrings, to turn to him."Then I'll run some hot water for you.""No, you don't have to. I'll just use the shower," Darren refused, which made Vivi undo her intention to get up from her seat.Sitting before the dressing table, Vivi watched Darren enter the bathroom through the mirror before her. What struck her was that the man's strong shoulders seemed to hang sadly."He looked so happy when we went to the restaurant to celebrate our four months of marriage, but why does he look so sad now?" Vivi thought. "Did I do something wrong to make him like this?"Vivi tried to think hard about what she had done wrong to Darren, remembering everything she had done, from going to the restaurant to going home. But it felt like nothing was wrong with her as she continued to be careful while trying to be sweet in front of Darren."Maybe he's just tired. Running two companies at once must be very stressful for him,
"Vivi! Open the door! It's important, really important! This is about your marriage!"Watching TV in her room, Vivi frowned when she heard Bryan's impatient voice knocking on her door. She was very annoyed, but she followed Darren's words, telling her to always ignore Bryan. Just let him knock on the door, he'd get tired and stop anyway.But Bryan was very stubborn. Even though he had been ignored like that, he never gave up and continued to knock on the door."You don't want to open it, huh? So you wouldn't mind if Darren divorced you? You're more concerned with watching TV than– Oh my goodness!"Bryan was shocked when the door suddenly opened before him while he was still shouting to get Vivi's attention. He lowered his right fist when he saw Vivi standing before him with an unfriendly frown on her forehead. Bryan's fist almost landed on her face as she opened the door for him."You should be working hard to take over your father's company, but what are you doing here, huh? You're b
"Why do you feed me all the time? I came here because I wanted to bring you this food.""It's okay. I feel full just watching you eat. Come on, aaaa~"Darren wasn't lying when he said that he felt full just by watching Vivi eat because he felt really satisfied when he saw Vivi enjoying the food he was spooning into her mouth.Darren never counted how many women had come and gone in his life–into his hot embrace, but Vivi was the only woman who could give him satisfaction and comfort just by looking at her."Stop staring at me," Vivi said, which made Darren smile as the woman closed his eyes to keep him from looking at Vivi as she ate. "You can make a hole in my face if you keep looking at me like that.""Let’s finish the food," Darren said as he wiped the leftover food from Vivi's corner–which, although Vivi looked fine with it, actually made her blush and thump when she saw Darren casually wipe her lips and then put the leftover food in his mouth."How long are you going to work? It'
"When you see him later, convince him of all the benefits we discussed in the meeting earlier and..."Darren, who had been giving Bryan instructions, stopped when he noticed that the man wasn’t paying attention to him because Bryan's eyes were fixed on the sofa in his room.Darren closed the folder on his desk and held it up, making Bryan squeal loudly as he smashed it against Bryan's head."WHAT?!" Bryan snapped. "Why are your hands so light when you hit me, huh? Do you think my body is your punching bag?!”"Where are your eyes, huh? Why do you keep looking at the sofa while I explain?" Darren replied to Bryan's words just as fiercely, making Bryan jump.Not because Darren had become fiercer than him but because Bryan was afraid that Darren would find out what he had been thinking while staring at the sofa. The sofa kept reminding Bryan of what he had seen last night when Darren and Vivi were making love, making it impossible for him to think of anything else, let alone concentrate o
"I don't know what to say, but... Ah, it's useless to apologize. I know nothing about what Darren did to you. I didn't think he would go so far as to bring your business to the brink."Bryan and Lucas sit across from each other in a cafe not far from Bryan's office. Their drinks are on the table, but Lucas is in such a bad mood that he won't even touch his."I've never had any contact with Mr Hart, and I was shocked when our partnership was suddenly terminated after your company came under his leadership. It was unfair for him to do this to me because I was Vivi's ex-husband. It was something that happened in the past and couldn't be changed. I don't understand why he hates it so much that Vivi and I are no longer in contact after our divorce."Bryan let out a long sigh. He could feel Lucas' desperation in every word the man said, which annoyed him with Darren."Darren is the most professional and competent person I know. It also surprised me when he started interfering in your busine
"Oh, my God!"Bryan, who had been walking in a hurry, came running when he saw two policemen talking to Darren's secretary outside the room where Darren was being treated after his accident."What's going on?" Bryan asked, drawing everyone's attention to him."The police came to check on Mr Hart for driving under the influence. He sustained injuries, and the doctor has treated them. He is resting now." Darren's secretary explained.Even though he had heard this from Darren's secretary, Bryan's worry still wouldn't go away. That's why he immediately barged into the treatment room to see Darren's condition for himself–and was then very annoyed to see Darren leaning against the bed, enjoying a cigarette."Will you die if you stop smoking for a while? Should you still be smoking in this condition?" Bryan grumbled as he sat on the chair next to Darren's bed."You haven't said anything to Vivi, have you?" Darren asked, making Bryan glare at him for ignoring his words."You told the hospital
"It's okay. I can do it myself."Darren's words made Vivi lower the spoon she had raised to Darren's mouth while her eyes gave the man an unhappy look."Are you not even going to take a bite from me now?" Vivi asked."It's not like that. But I can–“"Your right hand is also injured, how can you eat alone with a bandaged hand? Shut up and just eat this!" Vivi cut in annoyed, which made a small smile appear at the corner of Darren's left lip."Why are you smiling like that? Are you going to laugh at me now?" asked Vivi to Darren, who still had that smile on his face."I'm glad you're nagging me like that," Darren said."Are you happy to annoy me?""I'm glad you give me this kind of attention," Darren replied with a smile that seemed softer than before. "Feed me the meat too. I'm so hungry."Vivi let out a long sigh before feeding the food to Darren's mouth. "Don't talk anymore. Hurry up and finish this food, or I'll nag you!" Vivi still said in an annoyed tone, although to Darren's ears
'I didn't get a chance to say this earlier. But I'm grateful that Bryan said that you were the one who helped convince Mr Hart that he was willing to be a partnership again.'Vivi had just eaten dinner in the hospital cafeteria after making sure Darren was asleep, and in the middle of her meal, she got a message from Lucas.Vivi put down her spoon and used both hands to answer Lucas' message. 'You don't need to thank me because I should be the one to apologize because it's of me that you have to go through all this. From now on, I'll try to make sure that Darren doesn't bother you just because of our past.'Vivi hadn't even had time to put her phone down on the table when Lucas replied quickly. It was a short message that gave Vivi a strange feeling when she read it.'I'm sorry. And thank you for everything.'Vivi didn't understand what the words 'sorry' and 'thank you' were for, but the more she thought about it, the stranger it made her feel. And when she imagined Lucas' face, which
Bang!"Oh, my goodness!" Lying on the bed and playing with his phone, Bryan jumped in surprise when the door to his room suddenly opened. And he immediately glared at Vivi as he saw the woman with the big belly walking toward him while ruffling her waist."What? Where are your manners, huh? Why did you just barge into a virgin's room?!" Bryan snapped."Where are you hiding him?" Vivi asked with an annoyed look."Hiding who? Can't you see I'm busy, huh?" Bryan argued as he was busy with his phone again."Seriously, Bryan! I don't have much time. The plane is leaving soon!" Vivi raised her voice in an annoyed tone, but Bryan just shrugged."Then hurry up and get going! Why are you lingering in my room?" snapped Bryan–who could comfortably call one of the rooms in Darren's house 'my room' due to the number of times he stayed there and used it."You don't want to tell me?" asked Vivi, and Bryan shrugged again. "Just watch out if I find him here!"Vivi turned to leave Bryan, causing the ma
Lucas put his cup down on the table after taking a sip. It hadn't been ten minutes since he'd sat down in this cafe to meet Vivi, but he'd almost finished his coffee before Vivi arrived. Unconsciously, the nervousness he felt was making him thirsty.Lucas didn't know why he felt so nervous. But the feeling came only after Vivi, whom he hadn't heard from in 5 months, suddenly contacted him and invited him to meet.Since Vivi returned to Darren, his relationship with Vivi, which was once intense, has been severed. He never hears from Vivi again, and even Bryan, who is still on good terms with him, never mentions Vivi or Darren in his presence.Lucas was very worried and wanted to contact Vivi at least once to check on her. But Lucas tried to suppress his curiosity for fear of putting Vivi back in a bad relationship with Darren. He assured himself that if there was no news, everything was okay because if something happened to Vivi, he would hear about it from Bryan."Have you been waitin
"Because there is a childhood wound that I want to heal.""What wound do you want to heal?" asked Vivi."My wounded heart from parents who never loved me at all," Darren says, causing Vivi to fall silent as she remembers Bryan's story about Darren's mother killing his father."As a kid, I wanted a lot of trivial things. But because I was afraid of my parents, I never said it and grew up without ever feeling those things. Now that I can get everything easily, I will no longer feel happy. So I want to heal the wound my parents left in my heart by giving my future child all I never had in my childhood," Darren explains."This child is so lucky," Vivi said as she gently rubbed her belly. "I am so jealous that he has a dad who loves him so much because I never really felt my parents' love." "Why would you be jealous? This baby's daddy is your husband. He's all yours," Darren said."I like this kind of feeling. Feeling happy without much effort. Just being in your arms and chatting without
"No need to go to the hospital!" Vivi immediately rejected Darren's invitation in a panic. "It's probably not because I'm pregnant. Maybe... Maybe it's just fatigue or a cold."Darren looked at Vivi worriedly–more worried than ever because Vivi refused his offer to go to the hospital."It's okay if you're not pregnant, Vivi. You should still go to the hospital for a checkup. We can't go home if you're sick," Darren said. He tried to say it softly so Vivi would not feel depressed because she thought he wanted her to be pregnant.Although, in truth, Darren was very upset to hear Vivi's suspicion that she might be pregnant with his child."You looked very happy when I said I might be pregnant." But it seemed that Darren had unconsciously made it clear enough for Vivi to see. "I didn't want you to be disappointed because–“"I told you I wouldn't force it. If you're not pregnant, if you're not ready, then it doesn't matter. But please, you should still go to the doctor and get checked out
"You're just in time." Standing in front of the stove with an apron attached to her body, Vivi greeted Darren's arrival with a warm smile. "I just finished making lunch. Wash your hands and..."Vivi stopped talking when Darren, who was walking towards her, suddenly hugged her tightly. It surprised Vivi that the man hugged her like that without saying anything."Darren?" Vivi called Darren's name softly. "What's wrong?" she asked in a worried tone."I miss you so much. So let me hug you like this for a while until my longing goes away," Darren said, which made Vivi hug him back immediately."Vivi." Darren then called Vivi in a soft way that he only used to call his wife. And after Vivi answered him with a soft murmur, Darren asked, "Are you happy with me?"Vivi did not answer Darren's question right away. She put her arms around Darren so she could see his face. And she felt that Darren must have said something that had shaken Darren's heart to ask her such a question.And without answ
"A- Ah! Shit!"Bryan cursed in annoyance that his gaming fun had to end when his phone suddenly rang. And he was even more annoyed when he saw Vivi's name on the screen."Hel-""What, huh? WHAT?!" Bryan didn't need to hear Vivi finish a word to immediately interrupt her with a yell, which surprised the woman and made her hastily move the phone away from her ear."Why are you yelling-""You don't remember how arrogant you were to me this morning about getting back together with Darren, do you?!" Bryan interrupted Vivi again, still yelling, which surprised Vivi very much because she was being scolded like that."Have you been fighting with Darren again? Did he hit you again? Hah! Enjoy it! I don't care anymore, so you don't have to call me to tell me-""What's wrong with you?" Vivi, who couldn't stand Bryan's incoherent tirade, finally interrupted him. "Are you secretly hoping that Darren will hurt me again?""So he hasn't hurt you?" Bryan asked, lowering his voice, while Vivi only answ
"Why do you look so upset? Is there a problem?" Lucas asked after sitting down in front of Bryan.A few moments ago, Bryan called him and invited him to dinner at a restaurant near his office. At first, he thought that Bryan just wanted to have dinner with him, but when he saw the annoyed look on the man's face, Lucas wondered if Bryan might have some problem."Yesterday, you said you were going to Vivi's apartment, right?" Bryan asked as Lucas nodded. "So it must have been you who beat up Darren so badly?"Lucas didn't answer Bryan's question right away. Because Bryan was so nice to him, he sometimes forgot that he was Darren's best friend since he was a baby. And it made him a little sad to think that Bryan had come to him with such an upset face because he was disappointed in him for beating up his best friend."Yesterday, I lost control of myself and beat him up like that," Lucas said in a low voice that sounded like a mumble.But Bryan's reaction was unexpected. In an angry tone
"Good morning, darling."Since her parting from Darren, Vivi had never seen anything like this, not even in her most beautiful dreams. To wake up from her sleep and to be greeted by a good morning from Darren, and then to receive a loving kiss on the forehead from the man.And the best part of it was that Vivi experienced it directly, not just in her dreams or wishful thinking."Good morning," Vivi answered Darren's greeting with her hoarse voice. She pulled the blanket over her body, which felt cold because it was not wrapped in any cloth. "What time is it?""It's very early. Go back to sleep if you're still tired," Darren said, tucking Vivi's messy hair behind her ear.Vivi turned her head to the window, which made her squint when she saw the sunlight shining brightly."Looks like it's already noon," Vivi said as she looked back at Darren. "Why aren't you getting ready for the office yet?""I'm not going to the office today," Darren replied as he shifted his body to get closer to Vi
"For the last time. If the same thing happens again, I'll let you go myself. Please give me another chance to prove how much I've changed for you."Vivi listened to Darren's plea while looking directly into the man's eyes. And it touched Vivi's heart when she saw how sincere and how much love Darren showed her with his gaze.Vivi had never received so much from anyone else. She had never felt so much sincerity from anyone. But Darren always gave her more than she could bear, whether sincerity, love, or fear. And Vivi felt thrown back into the abyss of dilemma when she couldn't decide if the love Darren gave her was strong enough to overcome her fear of him."You can have any woman you want. Easily, without all this struggle. You can make women crawl under your feet. But why did you go to all this trouble just for me?" Vivi asked about the confusion that had always been in her heart.The question of what exactly Darren saw in her made him willing to give up everything for an ordinary w