“Are you ready?” Darwin asked, hugging Veronica from behind. Right now, his wife is busy applying makeup at the vanity.
Darwin and Veronica are indeed getting ready. In a little while, they will be attending the wedding anniversary celebration hosted by Darwin’s parents at their residence.
“Just a moment, dear. Let me apply lipstick first,” Veronica replied, glancing at Darwin through the mirror in front of her.
Darwin smiled. Seeing Veronica applying lipstick to her lips, he playfully interrupted. He brought his hands to cup Veronica’s cheeks and even pinched one of them affectionately.
“Come on, hurry up. No need to take too long with the makeup. If you get too beautiful, I’ll be the one in trouble.”
“Why trouble?” Veronica asked in confusion.
“If you’re too gorgeous, my cousins might start crushing on you.”
Veronica laughed and playfully tilted her head, intending to tease Darwin. But before she could carry out her plan, Darwin already reached her face, suddenly planting a kiss on her lips.
As usual, Darwin passionately kissed and nibbled on Veronica’s lips. Even the lipstick she had just applied got messy, with some of it ending up on Darwin’s lips.
“Darwin!” Veronica exclaimed in a slightly annoyed tone as she pulled away from the kiss. “My lipstick is all over the place because of you.”
“Let it be! I did it on purpose,” the man joked, laughing.
Annoyed, Veronica reapplied her lipstick. Once finished, the two of them decided to quickly head to the event.
At exactly 7:00 PM, Darwin and Veronica finally arrived at his parents’ house. Holding hands, they entered and immediately approached Magnus and Claudia, who were engaged in conversations with relatives and siblings present that evening.
“Mom, Dad,” Darwin greeted as he and his wife stood in front of his parents.
“Darling.”
Claudia immediately smiled with joy. She then embraced her eldest son warmly. She was delighted to see Darwin present at the party that she and her husband were hosting. After the hug, Claudia turned to Veronica, who was also standing beside her son.
“Veronica, how are you, dear?”
“Veronica is well and healthy. How about Mama and Papa?”
Still smiling, Claudia answered her son-in-law’s question. “As you can see, Mama and Papa are always healthy and, of course, happy.”
“How could we not be happy? We’re pampered and loved by Papa every day,” Magnus interjected, standing next to Claudia with a playful expression.
After chatting with his parents, Darwin didn’t forget to give them gifts. After enjoying some dishes, he joined Kennedy and Randy. Meanwhile, Veronica seemed engrossed in a conversation with Luna and Celina, who had just returned from Korea.
“How have you been, Win?” Kennedy initiated the conversation.
Darwin let out an annoyed sigh. The question Kennedy posed was clearly full of small talk. Why couldn’t she just get to the point?
“Why are you asking about my well-being? It’s not like we haven’t seen each other for a long time. Didn’t we just meet yesterday? I’m doing just fine.”
Randy, sitting next to Kennedy, burst into laughter. He wondered why his cousin bothered with such trivial questions for Darwin.
“Well then, let me ask,” Randy chimed in. “How’s your experiment with marriage going with Veronica? It’s been a month already, right? Are you still headed for divorce, or what? Because from what I’ve observed, you two have been getting even closer lately.”
Actually, Darwin had anticipated this question. Somehow, these two cousins of his acted just like nosy neighbors. Always eager to inquire about marital progress or share all sorts of experiences with partners. Luna, being a woman, was never as intrusive, let alone as nosy as Kennedy and Randy.
“Veronica and I aren’t getting divorced.”
Randy, who was taking a sip, almost choked. Giving Darwin an incredulous look, he tried to clarify what he had just heard.
“Seriously? Don’t joke around, Win.”
Darwin nodded repeatedly. In his opinion, his cousins should understand what he meant without further explanation.
“So, you guys aren’t getting divorced?”
Earlier it was Randy, and now Kennedy herself sought confirmation from Darwin about what she had heard before.
“Oh my God, seriously. Yes, I’ve decided not to get divorced and I agree with Veronica’s plan to salvage our marriage. Why do I have to clarify this any further? You two just don’t believe anything,” Darwin said irritably. He had already affirmed what both his cousins had asked.
Kennedy laughed. She knew that Darwin would get annoyed if asked repeatedly. However, she didn’t anticipate that Darwin had made a decision that she found quite fitting.
“Finally, you realize it, Win.”
“Who says I realized it?” Randy interjected, sounding displeased. “Isn’t Darwin currently on the way to madness?”
Kennedy immediately raised her eyebrows in confusion. She suddenly became baffled and didn’t catch the meaning behind Randy’s previous statement.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh my God, Kennedy,” Randy exclaimed, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me you’re also becoming slow-witted like Darwin.”
“Who are you calling slow-witted!” Darwin, seated in front of Randy, shot a glare, not accepting the comment. His cousin was just casually throwing around such remarks.
“Yeah, you’re slow-witted, Win. The proof is that you’re only now putting your marriage decision into action. Even though almost every time we’ve met, Kennedy and I have been preaching to you about realizing that Veronica is the best choice. Your brain seriously needs a lot of bleach to stay bright and aware that you’re on the right path right now.”
Randy seemed quite satisfied after venting his thoughts. Darwin even thought that his cousin had finished his rant.
However, that wasn’t the case, my dear friend. Just as Darwin was about to present his argument, Randy spoke up again. This time, the narrow-eyed man shifted his attention to Kennedy sitting next to him.
“Regarding not being sane, how could you forget? Darwin bragged many times to both of us. If he ends up liking Veronica, that means he’s not sane anymore. Now, I think Darwin is not only not sane but also completely crazy, Ken.”
Kennedy burst into hearty laughter. Eventually, she understood what Randy meant earlier. But more than that, she couldn’t deny that she was also grateful that Darwin had decided not to divorce.
“And what about Vivian, Win?” Kennedy suddenly asked.
All this time, they knew that Vivian was the woman Darwin loved deeply. Even after getting married, Darwin was still determined to maintain a relationship with her.
Even though Darwin had now made the decision to preserve his marriage with Veronica, Kennedy believed that everything related to Vivian should be resolved first. This had to be done to avoid future complications.
“I’ve decided to meet up with Vivian soon. I intend to end our relationship amicably. I’m even determined to explain very clearly to her the reasons why I have to end all of this.”
“It won’t be easy, Win,” Kennedy mumbled, watching Darwin’s movements closely from her seat. “I’m sure Vivian won’t readily accept your decision.”
Darwin himself let out a long sigh. It wasn’t easy for him to end this relationship. But since he had made a choice and was sure that someone would be hurt, he had to remain consistent with his decision.
“I know that. But what can I do, Ken? Vivian deserves to be happy too. Even if it’s not with me, she can find happiness with someone else.”
Randy, who was initially lounging, suddenly straightened up. Looking serious, he took the opportunity to add his comment.
“More than that, Win. I just hope you stick to your decision. If you ever waver back to Vivian or any other woman in the future, I’ll be the first to snatch Veronica away from you, no matter what. It’s such a waste for a beautiful and attractive woman to be left single like that.”
Darwin rolled his eyes. He crumpled up a few tissues and threw them in Randy’s direction in frustration.
“Don’t even dream about it. I won’t let you bother Veronica!”
***