"So this is what she does when I'm not home?"Darren still had some work to do in Beijing, but since his longing for Vivi was unbearable, he left it to his secretary and went straight home without any plans during his conversation with Bryan.The sun hadn't even risen when Darren arrived at his house, but the first thing he saw when he entered his room made his heart melt as if very warm sunlight was shining on him.On the bed, which always bears witness to how hot his marriage with Vivi is, Darren sees Vivi sleeping peacefully on her side of the bed - which makes Darren smile unconsciously as he thinks that Vivi must miss him too much to sleep in his place using his pillow.But that wasn’t the only reason for Darren's smile, which grew wider and wider. Another thing that feels sweeter to Darren is the tie wrapped around the wrist of Vivi's left hand that Vivi put to sleep to reduce her longing for Darren.Darren sat on the edge of the bed, close enough to Vivi that he could look at h
"You're alone? Where's Bryan?"Darren, who had been sitting with his arms folded across his chest, raised his head when he heard Vivi's voice and immediately reached out to take the glass of coffee she offered him."He's in the next room," Darren said, which made Vivi look at him in surprise. As far as she knew, the next room was also a medical room. "He fainted after seeing his dad's body. The doctor said he was shocked and exhausted, so he had to be infused."Vivi, who was already sitting next to Darren, let out a long sigh as she looked at Mrs. Walters, who was still in a coma while Darren drank his coffee next to her to help him stay awake. Although the percentage of success was very low, Mrs. Walters could undergo the surgery and pass the critical stage."I didn't think Bryan was that close to his parents," Vivi said, causing Darren to turn to her. "But it seems like he's devastated to be like this. I wasn't like that when my mom died.""What did you do when your mom died?" Darre
"Are you sure you're strong enough? You know you don't have to""I do, Bryan." Mrs. Walters' words interrupted Bryan's speech and instantly silenced her son. She looked at Bryan sadly and added, "I've been with your dad everywhere for decades. He's probably confused now that he has to go alone without me by his side.""No way!" Bryan shook his head with teary eyes, trying hard to keep his tears from falling in front of his mother."This time, you can't go with Dad. You have to stay here with me! I won't let you go with Dad. I won't be able to if you go too," Bryan cried, which made Darren, who had been watching them, decide to move away because if he looked at them any longer, he would cry along with Bryan, who was already sobbing.'I arrived at the funeral home.'Darren read the message that Vivi had sent him. It made his chest tighten because no matter how much he wished that all of this was just a bad dream, Mr Walter's funeral today had become proof that it really happened. Today,
"Why are you still working at this hour?"Darren, who had been very focused on the work on his computer, immediately shifted his attention when he heard Vivi's voice. And a soft smile - Vivi was the only person in the world who could see such a soft smile from the iceberg man- immediately formed on his lips when he saw Vivi walking towards him in her white nightgown."And why are you up at this hour?" Darren turned Vivi's question around as he extended his hand to her.Vivi, who was very used to this, took Darren's hand and let him sit her on his lap, facing Darren's computer."I woke up because I was thirsty," Vivi said. Then she turned to Darren, who held her waist with his left hand while his right hand controlled the mouse on the table. "Did you not sleep at all?""I took a short sleep to get rid of my sleepiness and then got up to work," said Darren, who could still concentrate on his work, although his position with his chin resting on Vivi's shoulder looked very relaxed."You s
"Is it true that Vivi..."Darren, who had answered Bryan's call without taking his eyes off his monitor, frowned when he heard Bryan's words and then hung up without saying anything more."Vivi, what?" asked Darren, who had finally left his work to focus on Bryan. "What's wrong?""No, no!" Bryan said, shaking his head even though Darren couldn't see it. "I'm going to ask Vivi directly.""Ask wha– Dammit!" Darren clucked his tongue, annoyed that Bryan, who had interrupted his work, was hanging up without letting him understand what he was calling about.And since he didn't want Bryan to bother Vivi, he quickly called his wife before Bryan could reach her."Don't answer Bryan's messages. Don't answer his calls, and don't meet him. He might ask you something weird." Darren told Vivi immediately, without saying anything that made Vivi let out a long sigh."Darren, Bryan has just lost his father. What if he wants to meet me to forget his grief?" asked Vivi, who knew very well how Bryan lov
"Can we meet for lunch? I have something to tell you."It was certainly a surprise to Vivi that Lucas had contacted her out of the blue and asked her to meet him. For a moment, the man's request to meet him left Vivi's brain blank, so she almost said yes before Darren's cold face flashed in her mind and made her hesitate to say the words of agreement already on the tip of her tongue."Can't you tell me over the phone?" asked Vivi."Can't you see me?" Lucas replied."I'm sorry, I guess–""There's a will from my mother that I must tell you about." Lucas quickly interrupted Vivi before she could finish declining his invitation. "I tried to meet you many times to give you the will, but you changed your number. For the last time... Can't you meet me one last time so I can give you the will in person?"***"I shouldn't have left. But why would I be so crazy to go to him? Darren could have killed me if he knew I dared to meet Lucas secretly like this."Vivi monologued as she looked at hersel
"Thank you for lunch. I really enjoyed it."Vivi, who was already sitting in the taxi, said to Lucas, who was standing outside the taxi, smiling at her."Yes. Thank you for the gift," Lucas said as he looked at the branded tie clip that adorned his tie. "It's the nicest one I've ever had. I'm going to wear it a lot.""I'm glad you like it," Vivi said."Well, be careful. Goodbye." Lucas said as he took a few steps back and let the driver start the taxi to leave the luxury restaurant area.Even though the taxi had left Lucas, Vivi was still reluctant to take her eyes off Lucas through the rearview mirror. The woman leaned her head against the taxi window, her gaze fixed on Lucas' reflection in the mirror, where the man still stood in his place, and continued to stare at the moving taxi with a look that Vivi couldn't understand what it meant."It's okay. I made the right decision." Meanwhile, Lucas still standing in his spot staring at Vivi's moving taxi, tried to console himself that he
"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,
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