“If I love you, what will you do?” Max threw back the question that caused a huge explosion in Gabriella’s heart. The woman didn’t realize that the arch of her eyebrows had almost matched that of an umbrella.
“I never thought about it. So, I don’t know,” Gabriella answered with a flat expression.
Seeing his wife’s adorable response, Max automatically smiled. “If you’ve never thought about it, then how come you can conclude that I love you?”
The woman shook her head in denial. “I am just asking. Your recent attitude makes me feel ….” Gabriella’s words were interrupted by the thought that had just occurred to her. After blinking in disbelief and tilting her head, she continued speaking in a questioning tone. “That you care about me?”
“So, you finally want to admit that I do care about you?” Max teased while raising the corner of his lips.
Gabriella’s expression suddenly turned doubtful. “Not really. You’re usually kind because you have a hidden purpose.”
Spontaneous laughter escaped from Max’s mouth. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that your husband is a kind man?”
With a flat expression, Gabriella denied. “There is still no solid evidence of that.”
“Is that so? How about in three days from now, you pay close attention to me? Gather all the evidence you need. When the time is up, I’m sure you’ll realize that I’m kind and considerate of you,” Max challenged with a raised eyebrow briefly.
“That is not fair. You can pretend to be nice just to get a confession from me,” the woman replied as she was actually harboring concern. What if Max’s attention was proven? Didn’t that mean the CEO loved her? Gabriella didn’t know what to do if that happened.
“I never pretend about it, Mrs. Evans. Attention from me is not something that can be faked. Only the special one deserves it.”
Gabriella’s heart skipped a beat. Why did Max clarify things she wasn’t ready to accept? Was the man playing with her feelings?
After a flash of contemplation, the woman shook her head. “I can’t believe it,” she thought.
“Let’s wait and see. If my observations conclude that you are not a good person, you must be willing to accept it,” the woman said as she got off her husband’s lap.
“Where are you going?”
Gabriella kept walking without looking back. “Making a table to record my observations of you. It’s not going to be easy,” she answered before disappearing behind the door.
Realizing that his wife was denying her own feelings, Max took a deep breath and smiled. “How adorable,” the man mumbled before turning his attention back to work.
“Let’s see how long it takes for her to admit it. Gabriella’s prestige is much greater than I imagined.”
***
Max stared at the food in front of him as he sat at the dining table. “This is our dinner?” the man asked with brows twitching in annoyance and disbelief.
Without feeling guilty, the woman sitting on the left side of the table nodded. “I want to eat chicken steak,” she explained as if she didn’t know that the food was part of her husband’s bad memories.
“Are you testing my patience?” Max accused with narrowed eyes.
Quick as lightning, Gabriella moved her head to the left and right. “No. I really want to eat it.”
Realizing that his wife was indeed provoking anger, Max could only take a deep breath. After that, he forcibly lifted the corners of his lips. “Alright then. Hope you enjoy it,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
Before he could hold the knife and fork, Gabriella had grabbed his plate and started slicing the steak.
“Please don’t get me wrong. I just want to be a good wife,” the woman explained with pursed lips. She was well aware that her husband’s emotions would soon overflow. The man’s jaw had hardened and throbbed with rage.
“This woman … is really testing my patience,” Max thought before curling his lips. Without a word, he grabbed Gabriella’s plate, causing his wife to widen and stop slicing.
“What are you doing? That’s mine.”
Max didn’t answer. Quickly, he sliced the steak into small pieces. Witnessing that action, the woman’s smile began to expand.
“Are you angry? You’ve run out of patience, haven’t you?” Gabriella asked, sounding pleased. A little more, she could record a negative point in her assessment.
Unexpectedly, Max returned his wife’s plate and gave a sweet smile. “Absolutely no. I cut it for you. Do I care about you well enough?”
Gabriella’s mouth dropped wordlessly. Apparently, her husband was able to overcome the first test with ease. Without finishing the last slice, the woman put Max’s plate back in its place.
Looking at his wife’s disappointed response, Max couldn’t help but be exasperated. To cover up his feeling, he quickly filled the silence. “I think, we are a romantic couple. You slice the steak for me and I do it for you.”
“No. Romance only applies to things that are done sincerely. I know that you mind to do it for me,” Gabriella said before devouring the chicken slice. A second later, she chewed vigorously.
Noticing that nonchalant behavior, Max snorted. “Why is it so hard for you to believe me?” he asked spontaneously.
“Because you’ve lied to me too many times. Don’t you know that lies have a domino effect? Once you lie, people won’t believe you anymore,” Gabriella said without thinking. He didn’t realize that her words had shrunk the joy on Max’s face.
“Right. Victims of lies will not give trust easily, because they already know what it feels like to be betrayed by the truth,” the man muttered in sorrow. His cold, flat tone instantly caught his wife’s attention.
Once Gabriella found her husband’s sad eyes, Gabriella fell silent. She thought over and over again, what was wrong in her words. However, the logic never found a bright spot.
“Has Max had a bitter experience dealing with lies?” she guessed at the end of the contemplation.
Not wanting to be haunted by guilt, the woman took the initiative to fill her husband’s glass with tea. “But, there is one thing you must remember, that the heart does not always have to suffer. Whether because of lies or betrayal, a wound can be healed. You just need to give it the right medicine.”
The man’s blink immediately changed meaning. He didn’t know if Gabriella was just talking nonsense or if she really understood his feeling, but her words had knocked the door of his consciousness.
“Then, can people who lie once, be able to gain trust again?” Max asked sadly. It was unusual for the man’s voice to sound weak.
“I think so, as long as the liar realizes his mistake and is willing to repent,” Gabriella replied, rolling her eyes with blinks. Didn’t she plan to enrage Max? Why was she comforting the man?
Unexpectedly, joy returned to give color to the man’s face. “Does that mean, someday you can completely trust me?”
Gabriella looked at her husband with round eyes. “Depends. I dare not give any guarantees.”
After a smile, Max looked down and heaved a sigh of relief. “At least I have hope now,” he thought before lifting his head brightly.
“Eat this. You must be hungry,” the man said as he moved a piece of meat from his plate to Gabriella’s plate.
Getting that kind of attention, the woman was stunned. “Is this part of the charade to get positive points?” she thought, tilting her head.
However, after observing the curve of Max’s lips that seemed to be hiding something, a sigh of disappointment escaped her lungs. “This must be a trick again.”
Even so, Gabriella still devoured Max’s steak. The woman didn’t realize that as she looked down at such the neat slice, her husband was looking at her with warm eyes.
***
“Why hasn’t he entered the room yet?” Gabriella muttered with furrowed brows. She had been staring at the door for ten minutes, but there was not any movement in sight.
“Is he deliberately avoiding me to not get negative points?” the woman thought with pursed lips. “It’s really not fun.”
Suddenly, the doorknob started to move. In a flash, Gabriella kicked off the blanket and closed her eyes.
“Hmm? She is asleep?” Max thought as he saw his wife lying on the bed. Carefully, he closed the door to make no sound.
Without worrying about whether the woman was pretending or not, the man approached and immediately adjusted the position of the blanket. After making sure his wife was comfortable, he bent down, burying the warmth of his lips on Gabriella’s forehead. Only then did Max enter the bathroom.
When the woman heard the sound of the door closing, she slowly drew her eyelids. After making sure that no one else was around, Gabriella blinked and began to digest what he had just experienced.
“Why is he being warm to me? Does he know that I was just pretending to be asleep?” Gabriella thought as she touched the trace of lips that had warmed her heart.
A moment later, the woman’s gaze was suddenly sad. “Why did he do it exactly like Mom? I feel so empty right now.”
Holding Snowy tighter, Gabriella reminisced about her late parents.
“Everything is so different now,” she thought, no longer aware that her husband had returned and was standing watching her restless movements.
“I thought you’re asleep,” Max said with a crooked smile and hurried up the bed.
Gabriella automatically gasped and looked at her husband with round eyes. “I … I was already asleep, but woke up from a nightmare.”
The man’s eyes now narrowed to detect his wife’s lie. “What nightmare has woken you up?”
Suddenly, the woman stammered, waiting for the brain to finish making up the words. “I don’t remember exactly. But I’m sure it was a nightmare.”
“Is it because you are too eager to find proof of my love for you?”
Gabriella’s eyes opened wide again. With her eyebrows raised high, the woman repeated the doubtful words. “Proof of love?”
“Isn’t attention a sign of affection?” Max said casually. Even though, in his heart, he laughed at his wife’s awkward expression.
Blinking indecisively, Gabriella forced her lips to ask the question that was boggling in her mind, “Did you just tell me about how you feel?”
A second later, Max raised the corners of his lips.