All the way to the airport, Max couldn’t stop observing his wife. Gabriella looked cheerful, very different from usual.
“What happened in that room? Why did she suddenly forget her sadness while her eyes are still swollen?” the man thought, pretending to focus on his tablet.
Arriving on the plane, something more surprising came. The woman suddenly grabbed Max’s hand as the plane was about to take off.
“What are you doing?” the man whispered, unable to hide his astonishment any longer.
“Doesn’t this make you comfortable?” Gabriella said with adorable round eyes. The husband could not even blink at her.
After one breath, Max put his palm on his wife’s forehead.
“You don’t have a fever,” he muttered after detecting a normal body temperature. Confusion was piling higher and higher in his mind.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I won’t bother you anymore,” Gabriella whispered before looking out the window.
There was absolutely no sadness on her face. The woman moved her head like she was singing inside. Her hands refused to leave her husband. Max really got a very complicated mystery.
“Is she trying to get my attention because she doesn’t want a divorce?” he thought, furrowing his brows.
After noticing Gabriella’s behavior one more time, Max sighed in resignation and closed his eyes.
“Whatever. Why do I bother with that unimportant thing? Her sweet demeanor won’t change the fact that she’s already allowed Sebastian to touch her.”
As the plane began to lift into the air, Max subconsciously squeezed his wife’s fingers tighter. In the darkness, he couldn’t see the curve of Gabriella’s lips and the warm look in her eyes.
“Apparently, he is still afraid to get on a plane?” Gabriella thought as she stifled a laugh. With her gaze fixed on the man’s grip, she exhaled a sigh of relief.
“It’s like I have begun to understand this man. Let’s just hope that little Max hasn’t changed so much.”
***
Arriving at the hotel, Gabriella was surprised that she got her own room. With eyes as full as the moon, the woman waited for an explanation from her husband.
“People think our status is only that of business partner. I don’t want my reputation to be ruined because of a small mistake.”
The woman nodded in agreement.
“What time will you get back to this hotel?” Gabriella asked, provoking suspicion.
“Why? You want to have fun while I’m not around?” Max accused with a raised eyebrow.
Instead of denying it, the woman shook her head with a meaningful smile. “No, nothing.”
It left a bigger mystery in Max’s heart.
“It’s a good thing Sebastian doesn’t come here. If so, I wouldn’t have left my wife alone,” he thought before returning a grim look.
“This … Take good care of my room access card.” Max handed a black thin plastic to the woman who was wide-eyed questioningly.
“Why do you leave it to me? Aren’t we playing the role of co-workers?”
The man was stunned. He did not understand what he had just done. After blinking, his hand pushed the suitcase towards his wife.
“Of course for you can tidy up my room. I’ll be back before dinner. When I enter the room, you should have everything ready there.”
Gabriella’s lips automatically pursed and her head tilted in confusion. “Aren’t hotel rooms usually tidy?”
That mumble succeeded in inviting Max’s odd demeanor.
“Don’t protest too much! Just carry out my order. I go now.”
With quick steps, the CEO left Gabriella, saving the prestige he still wanted to maintain.
“Ah, why am I suddenly stupid in front of her? I can’t be influenced by that sweet look,” the man grumbled in his heart.
Behind Max’s back, Gabriella was still caught in amazement. Her brows furrowed at the sight of her husband shaking his head for no reason as he walked.
“What’s wrong with him?” the woman muttered before looking at two cards in hand.
After blinking flatly, Gabriella nodded and put them in her pocket. Then, excitedly, she dragged two small suitcases towards the elevator.
“I can’t waste time. Important points about Max should be written down while I can remember.”
***
As night fell, Gabriella was beautifully dressed with her hair neatly tied. The small table in front of her had also been decorated. The husband’s favorite food was there along with a sprinkling of flower petals.
“Is this too much?” the woman mumbled while frowning. Two seconds later, she shook her head to cancel the idea. “No, no. Max will sneer at me if I leave these rose petals here.”
After clearing the table of red sprinkles, the woman folded her arms again and tapped her chin.
“Would the perfectionist have a problem with this apple slice?” she muttered while stroking the wound on her finger. “I hope he will appreciate my sacrifice.”
When Gabriella’s eyes turned to the main course, her lips moved back.
“Does Max still like chicken steak? Auntie never put it on the menu.”
After a while, Gabriella sighed and shook her head quickly.
“Never mind. Why am I trying so hard? My intention is sincere to give it a try. I am making little Max’s dream come true. There’s no need to worry.”
A second later, the woman sat down and started cutting the steak. Despite the occasional grimace of pain, she continued. “I have to prove that I can be a good wife. So Max won’t regret marrying me.”
With a hopeful smile, Gabriella finished the dinner preparation. Then, sitting quietly facing the door, she waited and waited.
Unfortunately, until the food on the table was no longer warm, Max had not appeared. The joy on Gabriella’s face began to fade. The woman had looked down at her fingers that were shaking rapidly.
“Why does he skip dinner? Hasn’t the meeting done yet?”
The woman took a deep breath and looked up at the clock. Her hands began to rub the rebellious stomach.
“How much longer do I have to wait?” Gabriella thought with drooping shoulders. Her strength was drained along with enthusiasm.
“Should I eat first? But Max can get angry and accuse me of being unfaithful to him.”
After pondering for a moment, Gabriella finally shook her head and propped up her chin. “I’d better wait.”
An hour passed, the woman’s lips curved downwards. The space in her heart was already filled with disappointment, causing a sense of tightness that required her to take a deep breath.
“Is that man playing me? Does he make me wait on purpose?” she grumbled with furrowed brows.
Suddenly, the sound of the bell straightened Gabriella’s back. In an instant, annoyance evaporated from her body.
“Finally, he came.” With a smiling face, the woman greeted her husband.
However, as soon as the door opened, the corners of her lips followed gravity again. Max did not come alone, but with a beautiful woman who wrapped her arms around the man’s neck.
“C-Cherry?” Gabriella looked at the disheveled-looking woman with trembling eyes.
Without further ado, Max dragged his partner in and laid her on the bed. After that, the man’s gaze turned to his wife.
“It’s a good thing you’re here. Please clean up Cherry. Change her clothes to mine. She’s very drunk.”
Gabriella was speechless. Her chest felt tight knowing another woman was lying on her husband’s bed.
“Hey, what are you waiting for? Do it right away. She stinks. Don’t let her still be in this state after I finish showering. Understand?”
With an annoyed look, Max went to the bathroom. He didn’t notice the tears that were starting to form on his wife’s eyelids.
“Didn’t he say he wanted to maintain his reputation? But, why did he come back with Cherry who was drunk?”
Unknowingly, Gabriella raised her hand, pressing the aching heart. She did not notice the tremor was getting worse. Her burning chest was torturing too much.
“How can I forget that he was going to divorce me? I shouldn’t have come this far. Of course I’m not the wife he dreams of. After all, Max isn’t the kid in the diary anymore.”
After swallowing the saliva that tasted like coals, Gabriella inched closer to Cherry. Her breath suddenly became heavier as soon as the lady’s face became clear in her eyes.
“How can she still look beautiful with hair like that and a dress covered in vomit?”
Two seconds later, Gabriella’s gaze shifted to the steady-looking slender fingers. While looking down, she closed her eyes, trying to awaken her heart.
“No wonder Max prefers Cherry. This woman has everything I don’t have, including hands that won’t bother anyone else.”
While forcing a smile, Gabriella carried out her husband’s order. With a broken heart, she took care of the woman who had hurt his face and feelings.
After the beautiful woman was clean, Gabriella covered the bare body with a blanket and rushed out of there. She didn’t care anymore about the churning stomach or the food that was still on the table. The woman didn’t want to see what would happen if Max finished washing himself.
“Why does my heart feel weird like this? I already know that the man married me out of guilt and I accepted his proposal because there’s no other choice,” the woman thought as she hoped the elevator would stop soon.
When the door in front of her opened, Gabriella rushed into the room.
Once she had hugged Snowy on the bed, the tears could no longer be contained. Every now and then, the woman choked with sadness she didn’t understand.
“Why am I crying like this?”
Even though she tried to calm her breath, the burning feeling in her chest was still excruciating.
“Come on, Gaby, wake up! Nothing to worry about. Even if this marriage ends, I’ll still be fine. Aren’t I used to being alone?”
After coughing and wiping the traces of worry on cheeks, the woman hugged Snowy tighter. The only friend she had was that teddy, since there was no one else could accompany her through the loneliness. Not even her husband.