“Total of two days, Veronica took complete rest at home. During that time, Darwin appeared quite serious in taking care of her. He prepared breakfast, then came home briefly to accompany her for lunch. And as evening approached, he returned home earlier so they could have dinner together and then relax until it was time to rest.
This morning, after making sure her condition had improved, Veronica decided to start being active again. Actually, Darwin still wanted his wife to rest at home for another day. But because Veronica seemed so bored already, he had no choice but to give her permission.
“Actually, there isn’t much work at the office either, dear. Why not just work tomorrow?”
At the moment, they were both enjoying breakfast. Before heading out, Darwin once again tried to persuade Veronica to just stay home and rest.
“I’m already feeling better. It’s so boring staying at home all the time. If I’m working, at least I can see you and drop by your office anytime,” she explained, making Darwin smile.
“You’re such a smooth talker. Just admit it, you’re trying to work.”
“I’m not trying anything,” Veronica retorted with a serious face. “Besides, I’m already wearing my work clothes. How can I suddenly not work? What else do I need to do to convince you that I’m perfectly fine?”
Darwin finished the last bite of his American Sandwich. He looked at Veronica carefully from head to toe, making sure once again that his wife was indeed in good condition.
“Alright, you can work. But, don’t bring work home, and don’t overexert yourself to the point of skipping meals. If I hear your stomach acting up again, I won’t allow you to work tomorrow. You’ll have to be a homemaker,” he threatened with a serious expression.
Veronica laughed and then intentionally hugged Darwin briefly. She also thanked him for finally giving her permission.
“Don’t worry, what happened yesterday won’t happen again. I promise.”
“Alright then, get ready now. We’ll be heading to work in five minutes.”
Upon arriving at the office, Darwin escorted Veronica to her room first, ensuring that his wife was comfortable before he left to attend a meeting outside with one of the clients.
Meanwhile, Veronica immediately started working in her office. While she was engrossed in her work, Sean suddenly appeared. He came bearing files and a box of cake for Veronica to enjoy.”
“How’s your condition? Are you feeling better?” Sean asked as he handed over the box in his hand.
Veronica nodded. She didn’t refuse; she simply accepted what Sean gave her.
“I’m 100% healthy now. You can see for yourself, right?”
“Thank goodness for that. Just don’t overwork yourself.”
“Don’t worry,” Veronica replied with a smile. “I won’t push myself too hard and forget to eat or anything. By the way, is this cake all for me?”
Sean nodded. He even helped fetch a plastic plate that happened to be available in Veronica’s office cabinet.
“Yes, I bought it especially for you. Here’s the plate too, so you can enjoy it while checking your work.”
Veronica then looked at Sean, who was busy cutting the cake. A sudden sadness crept into her heart. She felt bad because she had openly assured her former lover that they would never be together again.
It all happened because Veronica had convinced herself to choose Darwin as her partner. She also believed that Sean would eventually find a better woman.
“Here’s the cake,” Sean offered, breaking Veronica’s reverie. “I’ve already cut it for you, and it’s ready to be enjoyed.”
Veronica nodded and happily accepted the plate of cake that Sean offered.
“You’re being so kind after what I did earlier,” Veronica murmured as she took a bite of the cake.
Sean just smiled. There was no trace of disappointment that had previously appeared on his face.
“Why should I be mean to someone I love? Even though you’ve made your choice, I still want us to have a good relationship.”
Veronica smiled happily. She was relieved that Sean was slowly coming to terms with his decision.
“Don’t you want to try some too? There’s a lot of cheesecake here.”
“No,” Sean politely declined. “I bought it specifically for you, so you should have it all. Well then, I’ll get back to work.”
Veronica nodded and watched as Sean slowly left her room. However, as he was about to close the door, he suddenly turned back.
“Sean…”
Hearing her call his name, Sean turned around. “Is there something else you need?”
Veronica shook her head. “No, I just forgot to thank you. Anyway, thanks for the cake and your attention.”
Sean then smiled and closed the door, returning to his own office. Despite Veronica’s assurance that they would never be together again, Sean still wanted to maintain a good relationship with his former lover. Even if he couldn’t have her, at least he could see her every day.
While enjoying the cake Sean had given her, Veronica continued to focus on her work. Around 11 in the morning, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing her father’s name on the screen, Veronica quickly answered the call.
“Yes, Dad, what’s up?”
“Where are you? Are you feeling better? I heard you were sick after the meeting with Leighton yesterday. How are you now?” Damian inquired.
“Veronica is all better now, Dad. That’s why I’m back to work today. How about you, Dad? Are you well?”
“I’m fine, dear. Can we meet today? There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Sure, Dad,” Veronica replied without hesitation and suspicion. She thought Damian was just being his usual self, suddenly reaching out because he missed her and wanted her to visit.
“In that case, I’ll wait for you at the office.”
***
After finishing her remaining work, Veronica hurried to her father’s office. She didn’t have any premonitions or bad thoughts at the time.
Upon entering her father’s office, Veronica acted as usual. She approached and hugged him briefly before starting the conversation.
“Why did you suddenly ask me to come here, Dad? Is what you want to talk about really serious?”
Damian nodded. His expression remained flat. Perhaps he was still upset about remembering Darwin’s bad behavior toward his daughter. He couldn’t believe that Veronica had been treated so unfairly by her own choice.
“Take a seat,” Damian ordered after a brief silence.
Veronica complied and pulled a chair, sitting right in front of her father.
“What’s going on, Dad?”
“I just want to ask, how is your relationship with Darwin?”
Veronica was puzzled by her father’s sudden question about her relationship with Darwin.
“Veronica and Darwin’s relationship is just fine.”
Upon hearing his daughter’s response, Damian smiled bitterly. He thought Veronica was pretending or trying to cover up what had been happening all along.
Instead of responding, Damian took something out of his desk drawer. It was an important document that he handed to Veronica.
“What’s this, Dad? Are you accusing me of hiding something from you?”
Veronica was startled. Feeling confused, she immediately read the top part of the document and knew what it contained.
“Dad… Veronica can explain everything. It’s not what you think.”
“You need to explain everything to me, Veronica. What does this contract mean? So, have you and Darwin been pretending to be a happy couple all this time?”
The document that Damian handed over indeed contained the marriage agreement that Veronica had created and used to manipulate Darwin into submission. Damian obtained this document from Adrian, who had been conducting an investigation recently.
“Dad, please listen first,” Veronica pleaded. She was afraid that saying the wrong thing might trigger her father’s illness. Damian was indeed very sensitive to matters like this. However, not explaining it properly could lead to prolonged misunderstandings. “The document you’re holding is no longer valid.”
“What do you mean?”
“From the beginning, Dad, you knew that Veronica and Darwin got married because they didn’t love each other. To avoid disappointing our parents, Veronica took the initiative to create that document. Yes, Veronica admits that she asked Darwin to pretend to be a happily married couple for six months-”
“And then you got divorced?” Damian guessed.
Veronica nodded, confirming what her father had said. But before she could provide further explanation, her father bombarded her with more probing questions.
“Why did you hide all of this, Veronica? If you weren’t happy with Darwin, you should have told me from the beginning.”
“From the beginning, Veronica tried to reject this arranged marriage, Dad,” Veronica tried to defend herself. “But you didn’t want to hear any of it, right? So, what could Veronica do other than to surrender? Veronica did all this intentionally to make you happy.”
“But why did you have to sacrifice so much, even concealing the fact that your husband was openly cheating on you with another woman?”
This time, Veronica was taken aback. She didn’t expect her father to know about Darwin’s wrongdoing.
“Why, Veronica?” Damian relentlessly questioned. “Why didn’t you tell me about Darwin’s abusive behavior and his blatant infidelity? Did you think I’d be okay with seeing my beloved daughter openly betrayed? Even treated harshly and unfairly by a scoundrel like Darwin?”
“Dad, that’s enough!” Veronica yelled, shaking her head. “This isn’t how you imagine it.”
Once again, Damian smiled bitterly. After all that Veronica had been through, he couldn’t believe that his daughter was still defending her husband.
“If it’s not how I imagine it, then what’s the reality?”
Veronica sighed repeatedly, trying to remain calm while explaining everything to Damian to avoid any misunderstandings.
“I don’t know where you heard all this, but I admit that Darwin did act out of line at first, openly cheating on his ex-girlfriend. But, you need to know that over time, Darwin gradually changed. Both of us became comfortable with each other. In the end, we canceled the agreement we had made and decided to live a normal life as a real husband and wife.”
Instead of believing her, Damian laughed again. He couldn’t fully believe what Veronica was saying.
“Are you sure Darwin changed out of genuine love for you? You should think about it; he did all this because he was afraid of being poor and afraid that his former lover would suffer. He gave in, not because he wanted to, but because he didn’t want to lose what he could forcibly take, my dear.”
“No,” Veronica repeatedly shook her head. Even though it made sense, she tried to refute what her father had just said. “Darwin is not like that, Dad. Veronica is sure he has changed.”
“Changed from what? If he really chose you, then why, just two days ago, was he still meeting with Vivian, his former girlfriend? They even hugged in public!”
This time, Veronica was truly shocked. She had no idea that Darwin had done what Damian had just described.
“Veronica is sure you must have the wrong person, Dad.”
“It can’t be the wrong person, dear. It’s not just me; Adrian and Sean also witnessed the same thing. The three of us clearly saw Darwin meeting another woman, openly hugging as if they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. And you? Do you still believe that your husband has genuinely changed?”
Veronica’s shoulders slumped. She wanted to deny it, but it wasn’t just her father who had seen this happening.
“But Veronica is sure that Darwin wouldn’t do anything wrong.”
On one hand, Veronica seemed to be struggling to convince Damian that Darwin hadn’t done anything wrong. But on the other hand, she felt deeply disappointed because Darwin had violated what they had agreed upon by meeting Vivian without her knowledge.
Seeing his daughter’s distress, Damian took control of the conversation. He thought that all this chaos needed to be resolved immediately. Furthermore, he couldn’t bear to see his beloved daughter continuously hurt, let alone disappointed.
“In this situation,” Damian continued, “should we consider divorce?”
Veronica widened her eyes. For a moment, she wondered if she should follow what her father was suggesting.