Darwin woke up. He opened his eyes fully and quickly sat up. Immediately, a strong sensation of pain hit him.
Massaging his throbbing forehead, Darwin slowly tried to recall what had happened to him last night. He was certain that a lot of events had taken place.
“I’m sure I didn’t mishear, Ve. I even intentionally eavesdropped on your conversation with Deasy about wanting to have dinner with Sean.”
“Just so you know, I even prepared a special gift for you. Because giving expensive things like a diamond necklace, car, or house is ordinary, I went to the trouble of asking your Dad, and he said you’ve always loved big Teddy Bear dolls.”
“So, I got you something special. The biggest and most expensive Teddy Bear doll. So that Sean can’t outdo my gift.”
Darwin narrowed his eyes. His brow furrowed even more. Memories of the events from last night started dancing in his mind.
“This is my birthday present to you, and you’re just going to say thank you? No other additions?”
“Well, you should thank me and give me a kiss like the one I just gave you, Ve. Besides, isn’t it okay if we do more than just kissing? Like trying making love with your handsome hubby here.”
Darwin’s eyes widened suddenly. In that moment, he remembered some fragments of the events along with the absurd remarks he made to Veronica last night.
He tightly closed his eyes again, attempting once more to remember what other foolishness he might have done.
“Are you sure you want to make love with me?” Veronica asked that night.
Darwin nodded.
“Why aren’t you sure? I’m your husband. It’s totally fine for us to do that.”
Veronica grinned. She leaned closer, whispering right into Darwin’s ear.
“I want to make it clear, and I hope you remember this when you wake up, that if you want to claim your husbandly rights by inviting me to make love, please give me one conviction that you truly deserve it.”
“If I prove myself, you’ll definitely agree?”
Veronica nodded.
“I’d happily give you what you ask for if you prove yourself.”
Holding his lips, Darwin muttered repeatedly. He cursed himself intensely for talking recklessly while intoxicated.
“For God’s sake, Darwin. Why didn’t you just drop dead, huh? What on earth did you say to Veronica last night?”
Darwin let out a frustrated sigh. He looked down and realized his clothes had changed. Instantly, he remembered his last statement to Veronica about the invitation to make love.
“Oh my God! If I really did make love to Veronica last night, I might go crazy all of a sudden,” he grumbled in utter frustration. “Why am I such an idiot!”
Darwin hastily slid down from the bed, walked quickly to the bathroom to freshen up. After dressing casually, he hurriedly went downstairs while calling his wife’s name.
“Veronica… Veronica…”
“Mrs. Veronica left 15 minutes ago, Sir.”
Renata, who had just finished watering the plants in the garden, approached Darwin. She had faintly heard her employer calling his wife’s name from outside the house.
“Did you drive yourself or did the driver drop you off?” she asked, walking towards the dining area. She grabbed a glass of warm milk and took a sip halfway.
“Dropped off by the driver, Sir. Mrs. Veronica even prepared a glass of warm lemon drink for you. She said it’s for you to have when you wake up,” Renata said, pointing to the glass she meant.
Darwin just nodded. He took the small glass of lemon drink that Renata mentioned and downed it in one gulp, then got ready to leave for work.
“Aren’t you having breakfast first, Sir?” Renata asked, noticing that instead of sitting down for breakfast, Darwin was heading outside again.
“Next time, maybe. I’m running late.”
Darwin then entered his car to start driving. Once he arrived at the office, he hurriedly walked to his room.
“Take a deep breath, exhale. Stay calm, Darwin. Just pretend nothing happened. If you want to survive, act like you’ve forgotten or if necessary, act like you’re crazy.”
For a while, Darwin repeated encouraging phrases in his mind while taking deep breaths. Just as he was calming down and about to continue working, Veronica suddenly entered his room and initiated a conversation.
“Win, did you sign the documents I gave you last Friday? I want to send them now.”
“Y-yes, Ve,” Darwin stammered. Oh my goodness, why am I getting nervous like this when talking to Veronica?
“Where are they? Come on, give them to me.”
Darwin nodded and quickly looked for the blue folder containing the mentioned documents. When he found what he was looking for, he promptly handed it over.
“Here. I’ve checked and made sure everything is in order.”
“Thank you,” Veronica replied shortly. She turned to leave, with no intention of discussing what had happened the previous night.
However, just as Darwin was about to breathe a sigh of relief that his wife didn’t bring up the foolishness from last night, there was a knock on his door. Veronica paused.
Both of them turned their heads toward the door, where Randy appeared. Without waiting to be invited, he walked in with his characteristic mischievous smile.
“What are you doing here so early in the morning? Can’t you survive a day without seeing me?”
Randy smirked. The narrow-eyed man sounded irritated.
“Confidence is important, but going overboard is not good either. Besides, I’m here to bring your tablet that you left in my car last night.”
“Last night?” Veronica interjected. “So, you were the one who drove Darwin last night?”
Randy grinned and nodded.
“Yes, beautiful Veronica. Your husband insisted on being driven home. Even though he drove to the bar himself. Such a hassle!”
“But thanks for driving him. I can’t imagine him driving in that state, especially after drinking.”
“Who was drunk?” Randy asked after Veronica finished speaking.
“Darwin, of course. Who else?”
Randy immediately put on a serious expression. He responded to Veronica’s statement.
“Drunk from where? Darwin came home perfectly sober. He only had two glasses of wine last night. How could he be drunk?”
“Really? But he came home stumbling around.”
“Oh, come on, that was just an act to get your attention,” Randy teased casually and earned a sharp glance from Darwin.
“Enough, Ran. No need to start spreading rumors.”
Veronica chuckled seeing Darwin’s uncomfortable expression. But instead of stopping, she continued to speak.
“If he wasn’t drunk last night, then when he kissed me, he was completely sober, right?”
Darwin was taken aback. He never expected his wife to say something like that in front of Randy. Well, it’s over now. Randy is surely going to tease him mercilessly after this.
“Wow… wow… wow… so, did anyone start some smooching last night?” Randy asked, giving Darwin a teasing look. Of course, you can’t dangle a little bait in front of his cousin. He’d pounce on it faster than a bursting stove. “And also, aside from kissing, did they do anything else?” Randy asked, then glanced towards Veronica.
“Yeah, well, Darwin even invited —-”
“Ve, stop!” Darwin cut in immediately. It could get even crazier if his wife continued her sentence. “Your schedule’s packed today, right? Quickly get back to your previous tasks. It’s still morning. It’s a morning taboo to gossip this early. Almost like the neighborhood moms.”
Veronica giggled playfully. Nodding, she walked out of Darwin’s room. However, as she was about to close the door, she invited her husband to talk once again.
“Win, the gift you gave, I haven’t taken it yet. Could you move it tonight? I can’t handle carrying it myself.”
Darwin just nodded. Gesturing with his hand, he waved, signaling for Veronica to leave and close the door to his room.
Meanwhile, Randy? He was obviously still hanging around the room. In fact, he had plenty of questions ready to throw at Darwin.
“Why are you grinning like that?” Darwin asked when he saw Randy with a smirk on his face.
“Nah, I’m just curious about what Veronica mentioned last time. She didn’t finish telling me. Like, besides kissing, what else did you do?” Randy asked while giving Darwin a flirtatious wink.
“Enough, Ran. No need to discuss it. Just so you know, I’m really embarrassed. It seems like I talked about all sorts of things with Veronica last night.”
Instead of feeling sorry, as usual, Randy burst into satisfied laughter. He truly enjoyed seeing Darwin embarrassed and suffering like this.
“So, in the end, what gift did you give Veronica? Did you really follow my advice? Did you suggest making love to Veronica?”
“Making Love, YOUR EYES!”
Randy burst into laughter again. He loved it when he saw Darwin squirming like this.
“I asked, didn’t I? Can’t blame me.”
“Because of your suggestion, I actually did suggest making love to Veronica for real last night.”
Randy’s eyes widened.
“Seriously? So, did you two really… you know, get it on last night?”
“Well, no way! Veronica wouldn’t go for that.”
“Ah, that’s too bad!” Randy let out a long sigh. He had hoped Darwin would actually follow his advice.
“Enough already! Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m embarrassed. If you don’t have anything important to discuss, you better leave. I need to work.”
Randy was still laughing. Fully satisfied with teasing Darwin, he decided to leave his cousin’s office.
***
Veronica had just finished all her work for the day. Planning to head home, she walked leisurely, intending to leave the room.
However, as she turned the doorknob, Veronica was suddenly surprised by Sean’s presence. Without waiting for an invitation, he gestured for her to come in and sit on the sofa.
“What’s up? Is there something you want to talk about?”
Sean shook his head. He took out a small black velvet box from his suit pocket and handed it to Veronica.
“I just want to give you a belated birthday present. Sorry I couldn’t give it to you in person yesterday.”
“Oh my, what is this? And you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble. You even called me yesterday to wish me directly.”
Sean nodded, smiling.
“Also, I’m sorry I couldn’t join you and Deasy for dinner last night. Next time there’s a dinner, I promise I’ll be there.”
Veronica smiled understandingly. Curious about what Sean had given her, she opened the box without hesitation. Untying the gold ribbon, she opened the velvet box and found a necklace with a pendant in the shape of her nickname.
“Oh my, you really went all out with a necklace.”
Sean leaned forward. He moved closer to Veronica to help her put on the necklace.
“Let me help you put it on.”
Veronica didn’t object. She agreed as Sean politely assisted her in wearing the necklace she had just received.
As they faced each other, suddenly Veronica’s heart started pounding unusually fast. Not to mention the perfume Sean was wearing, it was intoxicating. Veronica knew that scent all too well. Apparently, even up to now, her former lover hadn’t changed his perfume brand, which she had always liked.
“We’re done.”
Veronica thought Sean would step back completely. However, instead of moving away, he seized the opportunity and quickly kissed her right cheek, whispering softly.
“Happy birthday, Love.”
“Sean,” Veronica muttered, looking at Sean. He then pulled back and returned to his original position.
“Sorry, I got carried away. What can I say, I can’t deny that even up to this moment, I still love you.”
“But you know that I’m married, right?”
Sean nodded.
“For the next six months, right? After that, I have a chance to be with you again.”
Veronica frowned. She wondered how Sean knew about this. As far as she remembered, she never told him about her personal or marital problems.
“What do you mean by what you just said?” Veronica inquired.
“I know everything, Ve. Deasy told me about your marriage and all the agreements within it.”
Veronica let out a quiet groan. This was unfortunate. Why did Deasy have to share this with Sean? Even though she still had some feelings, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss her marriage problems with her ex-boyfriend.
“But, Sean, no matter what, I can’t just…?”
“Shh,” Sean interrupted, as he heard Veronica speaking again after a short silence. “No need to be afraid or worried. For now, even though I could, I won’t disturb or damage your marriage. But, remember this well. Whether it’s six months, a year, or even ten years, I’ll still be waiting for you, Ve. No one can replace you in my heart.”
Veronica sighed softly. She hated hearing Sean express his feelings like that. It made her feel even guiltier for breaking her promise by unilaterally ending their relationship in the past.
“Why go through all the trouble of waiting for me?”
“I already said it before, my love is only for you. That’s why, when your marriage with Darwin ends, will you come back to me?”
“Sean, I…”
“Veronica.”
Her sentence was left hanging as she and Sean both turned to the source of the voice. They found Darwin standing right at the doorway, his expression difficult to decipher.