She had hoped to go home tonight. Was this what they called an agreement? Maxime always broke the promises he made himself. If this continued, Alexander might become suspicious of her having other engagements outside of being a model, especially as his superior’s mistress.
“Why? You’re angry at me in the middle of the night for no reason,” Maxime sighed, pulling the blanket to cover his body. He was truly tired, but Cesilia disturbed his deep slumber.
“It’s better if you take me home, or I’ll just let everything be revealed. It’s better for everything to be revealed quickly, so I can apologize to my husband. Instead of dragging this on, you make jokes. I’d rather lose Alexander and you as well.”
Cesilia pointed her index finger at Maxime’s face, giving a warning and a little resistance so that he couldn’t take advantage of her anymore.
Maxime treated her like this even after tearing her marriage apart, and now he trapped her with promises that he had no intention of fulfilling.
Since signing that agreement, Cesilia had not once slept with her husband, even just sleeping, nothing more than that.
Maxime yawned, stretching his stiff muscles after their recent encounter.
“So, what do you want? Do you want to go home?” Maxime asked, his voice heavy and drowsy, sounding like someone who just woke up from a deep sleep.
“Of course. Weren’t you the one who promised to take me home, but what happened? You kept me like this, making me tired and fall asleep. Can’t you fulfill my request just once, Maxime? I really miss my husband, and I also promised you I won’t do anything to him. I just miss him, nothing more,” Cesilia pleaded, cupping her hands in front of her chest.
It was not the first time she begged Maxime to let her go home. He nodded, got off the bed, and said, “Let’s go home!” just like that.
Cesilia was overjoyed to hear those words. She jumped off the bed and immediately started cleaning up and packing her things. She was really eager to go home.
Maxime and Cesilia spent quite a long time on their journey back to Jakarta. The roads were relatively empty as they were traveling in the early hours of the morning.
“By 9 a. m., you have to be at the office. I won’t tolerate any lateness, and if you’re late, don’t expect me to be kind like this again,” Maxime warned.
Just as Cesilia was happy to be driven home, now Maxime was starting to set rules again, threatening to delay her even longer if she didn’t adhere to the specified time.
Although Maxime himself had done the same thing, saying they could get home early, they ended up traveling until almost one o’clock in the morning. This meant Cesilia wouldn’t have much time to spend with Alexander. But that was fine; going home was enough for her. Cesilia didn’t want anything more, so she just nodded in agreement to avoid Maxime talking too much.
However, everything Cesilia imagined was just her own wishful thinking. It was a few minutes past 3 a. m. when Cesilia entered the house. It was quiet and still. All the lights were off except for a few small ones illuminating the way to the second floor.
Cesilia occasionally glanced at the guest room, where Meri usually stayed if the middle-aged woman was there. Seeing the car parked in the garage, Cesilia was sure her mother-in-law was still at home.
That meant in the morning, she would have to be ready to be bombarded and scolded again. Cesilia had been strong and thick-skinned in facing Meri’s insults before, but now her situation was different. Now there was Casandra as the third person in their marriage.
Naturally, Meri would compare herself to Casandra. Ready or not, Cesilia would gather all her courage not to be affected by the middle-aged woman’s words.
When Cesilia opened the bedroom door, the silence and emptiness felt even more overwhelming because she didn’t find Alexander there. The bed looked clean and tidy as if no one had ever slept there. Afraid that Alexander might be in Casandra’s room, Cesilia quickly walked towards Alexander’s workspace, which had been converted into a bedroom.
There, Cesilia still couldn’t find her husband. “Where is he?” she muttered to herself, placing her hands on her hips, trying to figure out where Alexander and his mistress could be. She checked the bathroom and several rooms on the first floor, but she couldn’t find any sign of Casandra and Alexander.
Then, the door to the guest room opened, revealing Meri, who had just woken up from her sleep. She felt disturbed by Cesilia, who opened the door not far from where she was. The woman even checked Casandra’s room near the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with you? You come home and start rummaging around the house. What are you looking for?” Meri said, crossing her arms, looking at her daughter-in-law, whom she no longer liked.
“Where’s Alexander, Ma?” Cesilia asked, avoiding Meri’s question and instead throwing her own question. Polite or not, Cesilia was eager to find out where her husband was now.
“I don’t know. Please go find your husband yourself. Alexander is your husband, not Mama’s husband. Of course, you should know where he is,” Meri replied bitterly, pleased to see Alexander now prioritizing time with Casandra over coming home to see his wife, whose intentions were unclear.
“I’m asking seriously, Ma. Please tell me where they are. Are they staying somewhere else or just went out for a while?” Cesilia urged for an answer.
“Where they are is none of your business because you’re no longer Alexander’s concern. Mama hopes you understand and go back to your room because Alexander won’t be coming home,” Meri said firmly.
“W-what? It can’t be true. Alexander never goes out without telling me anything.” Cesilia showed her phone to her mother-in-law, revealing that there were no missed calls or messages from Alexander.
Not even when he was just going to be late for an hour, Alexander always let her know. Even if he was stuck in traffic. Alexander’s love for Cesilia was immense, but she was unwilling to accept all that sincere affection.
“Believe it or not, that’s the truth. Alexander can’t come home as you wish. It’s better for you to rest and pray that they’ll come back tomorrow morning,” Meri advised.