Return From Prison

Beautiful Wife

Ren sat frozen in her room, staring blankly at the wall, her cheeks flushed as the memory of the unexpected kiss replayed in her mind. Her heart raced as she recalled the firmness of Rys' chest against hers, the warmth of his embrace, and the closeness of their lips. Without realizing it, she bit her lip softly, her blush deepening.

She was so lost in thought that she completely forgot she was on a video call with her best friend, Jane.

Jane's amused voice broke through the silence. "Ren? Hello? Are you daydreaming or something?"

Ren blinked, her face flushing even more when she realized Jane was still on the call. "N-no, I'm not!" she stammered, shaking her head furiously.

Jane smirked knowingly. "Oh, really? Then why is your face so red? Spill it, Ren. What happened? Did something juicy happen between you and the husband?"

Ren fumbled for words, unsure of what to say, but Jane's relentless teasing finally made her crack. She hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "Fine! Something... unexpected happened."

....

Earlier that evening, Ren had pulled away from the kiss abruptly, her face bright red as she avoided Rys' gaze. Rys looked equally flustered, his usual confidence replaced with an uncharacteristic silence.

"W-we should head home," he finally said, his voice awkward.

Ren nodded quickly, not trusting herself to speak. She walked on the opposite side of the e-bike from Rys, glancing nervously at passing vehicles as if fearing another reckless motorist. Rys, noticing this, silently stayed alert as they continued home.

Once they arrived, Ren practically sprinted to her room, locking the door behind her. She immediately called Jane, desperate to unload everything that had just happened.

....

Jane leaned closer to the screen, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Unexpected, huh? Do tell."

Ren avoided Jane's gaze, her fingers fidgeting nervously. "We were walking home, and this motorcycle almost hit me—again. Rys pulled me close to protect me, and... um... I accidentally... kissed him," she mumbled, barely audible by the end of her sentence.

The sound of Jane's laughter filled the room. "Oh my gosh, Ren! That's so romantic! Your first kiss with your hot husband! And by accident? Classic!"

"It wasn't romantic!" Ren protested, her face burning. "It was... it was just an accident!"

Jane grinned mischievously. "Accident or not, it still happened. Anyway, how was work today? Did you and your husband cross paths?"

Ren sighed, deciding to switch to a safer topic. "Actually, yeah. I didn't realize we'd be working in the same department. I thought I could just quietly go through my internship without anything dramatic, but nope—he is on my team!"

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, Rys is in your team? Oh, this just keeps getting better! What happened?"

Ren hesitated, then began recounting the events of the day. "Well, there was this project, the AstraDrive, that no one in the department has been able to fix for months. The autopilot system had so many issues—accuracy, sensitivity, outdated hardware, you name it. Even the framework itself was a mess."

"And?" Jane prompted, leaning closer.

"Rys just... walked in, took one look at the files, and started solving problems like it was nothing. He reworked the framework, implemented an auto-matching feature, and even started coding solutions on the spot. When David asked how he knew so much, he just shrugged and said it was something his mentor taught him."

"Wow," Jane said, clearly impressed.

Ren continued, her voice softening. "Later, David was working on the object and human detection system, but he couldn't get it to work properly. Rys fixed that too. He reprogrammed the system to identify traffic lights and signs and made it run more efficiently than it ever had before."

Jane grinned knowingly. "And let me guess, you were staring at him the whole time, weren't you?"

Ren froze at the accusation, her cheeks heating up. "I-I wasn't!" she stammered, though her heart betrayed her by racing at the memory of Rys effortlessly solving problems.

Jane raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on her lips. "Ren, be honest. Are you starting to fall for him?"

Ren froze at the accusation, her heart skipping a beat. "W-what? Me? In love? Impossible!" she blurted, her voice shaky and unconvincing.

Jane's teasing smirk deepened. "Uh-huh, sure. Totally impossible."

But even as she denied it, her mind wandered back to Rys—his calm confidence, his sharp intellect, and the way he had protected her earlier. Her heart raced, and for a moment, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, Jane was onto something.

Outside, Rys had just finished cooking dinner and walked toward Ren's room to call her. Before he could knock, he overheard her talking on the phone. Recognizing Jane's familiar voice, a mischievous smile played on his lips. Clearing his throat lightly, Rys knocked on the door and said in a sweet voice, "My lovely wife, dinner is ready. I made you something delicious—buttered vegetables."

He took a step back and waited for her to open the door, a playful grin on his face.

Inside, Ren froze at the sudden call. "L-lovely wife!" Her cheeks turned red as she heard Rys's voice. Jane, who had also heard him, let out an amused laugh. "Oh, ‘my lovely wife,' huh? Your husband is calling. Go eat your buttered vegetables."

"Janeeee!" Ren groaned into the phone, her embarrassment growing. "I'll call you later!"

"Okay, enjoy your meal, Mrs. Lovely Wife of Mr. Hot Husband," Jane teased before ending the call with a wave.

Ren pouted and hung up, walking to the door with the intention of scolding Rys. But as she opened it and saw him standing there wearing an apron, her words caught in her throat.

He looked… adorable. And somehow dashing at the same time. A brief thought flickered in her mind, 'How wonderful would it be if he were my husband for real and not just a contracted one?' Her cheeks turned pink as her imagination ran wild. She thought about their kiss earlier, then pictured a life where they were married for real—sharing a bed, raising a child together, a lively little boy with Rys's handsome features.

"Wifey?" Rys's gentle voice broke through her daydream.

Ren snapped out of her thoughts, startled. "L-let's eat!" she stammered before walking quickly toward the dining table, her heart pounding.

Rys chuckled softly at her reaction, a fond smile on his face. "Cute," he muttered under his breath before following her to the table.

As they ate, the atmosphere turned casual, and Ren decided to break the silence. "How did you get into this job?" she asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

Rys shrugged lightly. "I know someone who helped me get in," he replied, taking a bite of his food.

Ren tilted her head, intrigued. "And where did you learn all those programming skills? You're so good at it—it's almost like second nature to you."

Rys set his fork down and leaned back slightly. "I learned from my mentor," he said simply.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Who's your mentor?"

There was a brief pause before Rys answered, "Someone I met in prison."

Ren's eyes widened, her hand freezing mid-air. "Prison? You've been to prison?"

Rys nodded, his tone calm. "I was framed by my ex-wife and her lover. They set me up, and I ended up spending three years behind bars."

Ren's gaze softened as she listened. "That's awful… I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Rys gave a faint smile and continued, "While I was inside, I decided to make the most of my time. My mentor taught me everything he knew—not just programming, but also how to think strategically and solve problems."

Ren nodded thoughtfully, feeling a pang of sympathy for him. "Do you plan to get back at them?" she asked cautiously.

Rys smirked, his eyes glinting with quiet confidence. "No. Revenge isn't worth it—especially now that I have a beautiful wife."

His gaze shifted to her, and the warmth in his eyes made Ren's heart race.

"W-wife…" she murmured under her breath, her cheeks flushing again. "Just eat your dinner!" she said quickly, flustered, before stuffing a spoonful of rice into Rys's mouth.

Rys chewed the food, a hint of amusement in his eyes. After swallowing, he leaned slightly forward and asked, "So, how did you get into the company? And why did you choose to work there?"

Ren hesitated for a moment, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Well, my friend Jane knows someone at the company, and they helped me get in," she started, glancing at her plate. "I wanted to earn money… I thought it was a good opportunity."

She paused, biting her lip, before adding softly, "Also, I… I have a husband. I promised to take care of him…" Her cheeks turned pink as the words escaped her lips, and she avoided Rys's gaze.

Rys narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing her hesitation and the way she avoided his gaze. He had a feeling there was more to her story, something she wasn't saying. However, he decided not to press her on it. Instead, he smiled warmly, his tone light as he teased, "Oh? A husband, huh? Sounds like a lucky guy."

Ren's eyes widened at his playful tone, her face growing even redder. "Y-you—just eat!" she stammered, grabbing another spoonful of food and feeding it to him, effectively silencing his teasing for a moment.

Rys laughed after chewing, the sound deep and genuine. He leaned back in his chair, observing Ren's flustered expressions. "You're cute when you're flustered, you know that?"

Ren huffed, her face as red as a tomato. She muttered something incoherent under her breath, which only made Rys chuckle more. They continued eating, with Rys occasionally sneaking glances at Ren, appreciating her unique charm.