Veronica had just woken up from sleep. As she looked to her left, she unintentionally spotted the figure of Darwin who had just come out of the bathroom and was walking towards the walk-in closet.
However, today was a holiday. Yet, the man had chosen to dress as if he were about to attend a meeting outside. Upon closer inspection of his attire, it seemed like her husband wanted to go out for some exercise.
“Are you awake?” Darwin asked as he approached the bed. Reaching for his watch on the nightstand, he quickly put it on his wrist while sitting right on the edge of the bed.
“About 10 minutes ago,” Veronica nodded.
“10 minutes? So, you saw what I was up to?”
Veronica nodded again.
“Yes. I saw you busy picking out clothes. So, where are you planning to go on a holiday like this?”
“Because we haven’t exercised together in a while, Kennedy invited me to play tennis together.”
“Tennis? You like playing tennis?”
This time, Darwin nodded with a smile.
“I do. But not extremely.”
“Then what’s your favorite sport?” Veronica asked curiously. “I’m into adrenaline-pumping sports. Rock climbing, surfing, or jet skiing.”
“Oh, no wonder there are so many climbing championship trophies and medals in the TV room. Turns out those are yours?”
“Of course, Ve. Can’t have a neighbor owning my collection.”
Veronica chuckled. Just when she was being serious, her husband decided to tease her.
“Well, since you’re heading out, I’d like to come along.”
“Come along where?” Darwin wondered.
“Come along with you for the exercise. It’s fine if I just watch. I just want to get out too. I’ve been stuck in the room, Win.”
Darwin shook his head. He wasn’t sure about taking Veronica for a morning workout. Even if she was just planning to watch.
“You’re not completely recovered yet, Ve. Your legs might act up.”
“Don’t be overdramatic, Win. My legs are perfectly fine. You’re the one exaggerating. I feel like I can walk on my own.”
“Not convincing. You were complaining about pain last night.”
“I’m serious, I’m okay, Win. Please, let me come along,” she pleaded repeatedly. Veronica tried her best to persuade Darwin to grant her request. After all, she had been getting bored spending all her time in the room these past few days.
Darwin looked at her intently, weighing whether he should take Veronica with him for the morning workout.
“I promise I won’t cause trouble or inconvenience you,” Veronica continued. “I just want to breathe some fresh air. But if you’re hesitant to take me along because you think it’s troublesome, then forget it. I’ll just ask Sean to take me…”
“Okay … okay … you’re such a chatterbox!” Darwin swiftly interrupted. Veronica hadn’t even finished speaking. But hearing his wife mention Sean’s name immediately set off alarms in his mind. “Fine, now go shower and change first. After that, we can leave.”
“In that case, can you help me shower?”
“Huh? What… what? Help you shower? Don’t be weird, Ve.”
Darwin was taken aback in that moment. It would be strange if he had to help Veronica shower. Even though she was his wife, it would definitely be awkward.
“You naughty thing! I didn’t mean help me shower. I meant help me get to the bathroom,” Veronica quickly corrected herself. With a playful giggle, she then intentionally teased Darwin. “But if you really want to help me shower, it’s fine too. After all, we’re husband and wife,” she murmured while batting her flirty eyelashes.
Darwin felt a bit awkward for a few moments. He was embarrassed to be teased by Veronica. It was certain that his face was probably turning red right now.
“Enough, come on. Rambling all over the place. In that case, I’ll help you to the bathroom.”
Darwin then reached out his hand, helping Veronica to slowly rise from her seat. Seeing how she was walking a bit slowly, he grew impatient and decided to lift her up and carry her to the bathroom.
“It’s still a bit hard to walk. You claim you’re perfectly fine,” he grumbled as he set Veronica down in the bathroom.
“I can walk, Win. You’re just too impatient.”
“Alright, we’ll talk about it later. Now hurry up and take a shower. Wait here for a moment, I’ll get your bathrobe and clothes.”
Darwin quickly left the bathroom, striding over to the wardrobe to get the bathrobe and the clothes that Veronica would wear later.
Fortunately, he had already asked their house assistant to move some of Veronica’s clothes into the wardrobe. Otherwise, he might have had to go outside the room to find the clothes for Veronica to wear.
“Here’s your clothes and bathrobe,” Darwin said as he approached Veronica again. “Now, go take a shower. If you need anything, just call me.”
While his wife was cleaning up, Darwin chose to prepare everything else. From shoes to the racket and the bag. Ten minutes later, Veronica came out of the bathroom. Strangely, she hadn’t put on the clothes that Darwin had prepared. Instead, she came out wearing just the bathrobe.
“Why haven’t you put on your clothes?” Darwin asked as he reached for Veronica’s wrist, guiding her to sit on the bed.
“I can’t put them on by myself, Win. I’m having trouble.”
“Alright, wait here. I’ll call Renata to help you get dressed.”
Before Darwin could even take a step, Veronica stopped him in his tracks. She held his wrist and shook her head. “No need for Renata. It will take too long, Win. Just help me put on the clothes.”
“Me? Are you sure?”
Veronica nodded.
“Why wouldn’t I be sure? Don’t overthink it, Win. I just need help getting dressed. It’s not like I’m asking for something else.”
Darwin nodded awkwardly and then reached for the one-piece outfit he had prepared.
“So, how do I put on this dress?”
Veronica slowly stood up. Unexpectedly, she opened the bathrobe she was wearing right in front of Darwin. Revealing her smooth white body, covered only by a bra and underwear.
“Oh my God, Veronica!” Darwin exclaimed, caught off guard. He had glanced at Veronica’s body for a few moments before quickly looking away. “That’s not how you wear the dress,” he protested, his face turned away. “You’re not supposed to just put it on like that. You should start from the top.”
Veronica burst into laughter. In her eyes, she could see how bright red her husband’s face had become. Maybe he was embarrassed, maybe he was awkward and flustered. But for some reason, she was enjoying teasing him until he was rendered speechless like this.
“Why are you turning away, Win? Don’t really want to see? You reject seeing what’s halal, but you’re all for what’s forbidden,” she said, openly mocking. “Instead of turning away, just relax. Pretend you’re looking at me in a bikini.”
“Well, but this isn’t the right way either, Ve,” Darwin protested.
“Then how do you want me to do it?” Veronica asked, narrowing her eyes. “Come on, look here. Hold the dress for me. So, I can put it on. Legs are the tricky part, choosing outfits that are hard to put on.”
Slowly, Darwin turned his gaze to Veronica’s back as she stood there, facing away from him. He looked at her for a moment from head to toe. Suddenly realizing, he quickly reached for the dress Veronica handed him, helping her put it on and fastening the zipper.
Darwin’s jaw seemed to go up and down. He felt a strange sensation when his hands accidentally touched Veronica’s smooth back. He thought to himself that he might go insane if he kept getting treated like this by his wife.
“Done, there. What now?”
“Nope,” replied Veronica. “I’ll just put on some makeup real quick. After that, we can have breakfast and then leave.”
Darwin unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that this morning’s activity was more adrenaline-pumping than the extreme sports he often did.
Once Veronica finished applying her makeup, she helped guide her wife to the dining area. After a quick breakfast, they hurried to get ready to leave.
Veronica’s steps paused briefly as they stepped out of the house. She noticed people busy doing something in her husband’s front yard.
“What are all those people doing in the front yard?” she wondered.
“They’re planting a rose garden,” Darwin casually responded as he carried his sports bag and moved it into the car.
Veronica raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was pretty sure she heard correctly.
“A rose garden?”
Darwin looked over and nodded.
“Yes. You like white roses, right? I promised a while back that I’d replace the ugly plants I got rid of with a bigger rose garden. So that you could enjoy looking at flowers every day.”
Veronica laughed. She didn’t expect Darwin to actually carry out what he had said before.
“You’re quite something, you know that? I thought you were joking.”
“As long as it can be done, why not?”
Veronica smiled. In her heart, she was undoubtedly happy because among many flowers, roses were the ones she liked the most. And now, her annoying husband was unexpectedly giving her a garden as a gift. She had never even thought of it.
***
Veronica thought she might get bored watching Darwin exercise. Fortunately, when they arrived at the field, Luna was there too, accompanying Kennedy.
So, the two of them chatted together. They discussed various topics, from work to household matters, hobbies, and the habits their husbands often engaged in.
“Kennedy and Darwin actually share the same hobbies. They both like Jet Skiing, Surfing, and Diving. Quite different from Randy, who likes Tennis, Basketball, or horseback riding,” Luna told Veronica.
“That’s why, all through their marriage, I was surprised Darwin suddenly started playing tennis. I thought it was his favorite sport.”
“No,” Luna shook her head. “Your husband actually likes the adrenaline-pumping stuff. Sports that he thinks are very MANLY. Quite the opposite of his gentle personality.”
Veronica glanced over, skepticism clear on her beautiful face.
“Darwin is gentle?”
Luna nodded several times, confirming what she had previously said.
“Yes, his heart is as tender as 11:12, just like Kennedy’s, so gentle and sensitive to women.”
Veronica wanted to laugh. Unconsciously, she mumbled to herself.
“Gentle? From where? In the early days of our marriage, he was so rough with me.”
“Really?” Luna asked, making sure.
“Seriously,” Luna reassured her. “Back when I was in Korea, he was the one who kept me company every night. He knew what women needed when they were sad. He knew how to behave. Skilled at charming women and faithful to his partner. Very different from Randy. Him, well, I don’t need to explain. Basically, if Randy, oh well, let’s not go into that. If anything, Randy is my arch-nemesis.”
Veronica laughed. She agreed with Luna’s last statement. From what she could see, Randy was a guy who couldn’t take anything seriously.
“By the way, is Darwin really faithful to his partner?”
Luna nodded again. She looked closely at Veronica and then reached for her wrist.
“I’m sorry in advance if this makes you angry or upset. But, as far as I know, Darwin used to have a long-distance relationship for quite a while. They both managed to stay together for a long time because they both committed to being faithful. But now, Darwin is your husband. Even if it’s an arranged marriage, I’m sure he’ll be faithful to you. Even if you two don’t have chemistry right now, I’m sure you’ll eventually develop feelings for each other.”
“Why are you so sure?”
Luna smiled faintly. Once again, she provided an explanation.
“Because I’ve been in a similar situation as you guys. That’s why I’m confident that someday, you both will be as happy as Kennedy and I are now.”
Veronica nodded in understanding. Unconsciously, she silently agreed with Luna’s prayer. After all, from the beginning of their marriage, she had committed herself to living with Darwin willingly.
But if they were to eventually separate, what could she do? The important thing was that she was trying her best to be a good wife. Who knows, maybe in the future, the fate of their marriage might change for the better. Not because of agreements, but because of the sincerity in their hearts to fulfill their marital duties as they should.