Chapter 4
883 Words
Niamh POV
I woke up alone in our bedroom, my whole body weak and sore. I reached for the side of the bed where he should have been. It was cold.
He must have left some time ago.
I went to wash up. When I caught my reflection I screamed. For a beat I couldn't recognize myself: hair tangled, eyes puffy, and bruises-hickeys-streaked across my neck.
Did I scare him into leaving?
"This is embarrassing," I muttered. How am I supposed to go out like this? I felt useless and hollow.
After showering I checked my phone and called.
"How'd the mission your grandpa gave you go?" my caller asked. "I heard it was S-rank."
"It went well," I said.
"Good you're alive. Come home now," the voice replied, flat and without warmth.
I squared my shoulders and looked at myself in the mirror again.
"Okay," I said, and hung up.
Ethan POV
I sat through the morning meeting but my mind was at home. I'd forgotten to make breakfast, to leave a note-small things that mattered. Would she think I'm unreliable?
I wired her ten million at once. Is that enough? Should I add more? Call her?
My phone rang before I could decide.
"Wifey," the caller ID read. The room went quiet. I didn't look at anyone as I cleared my throat and answered.
"Hello," I said, trying for neutral.
"Hubby. Why'd you transfer so much?" she asked.
"For breakfast," I said, though the word loosened something in me.
"You didn't have to. Thanks. I won't be home later-" she began.
"Where?" I cut in.
"Visiting someone. I'm off now-bye," she hung up.
I slammed the phone down. The silence in the room felt louder than usual.
"Dismissed," I said, and walked out.
Who is she meeting? If it's her parents, why didn't she invite me? Is it a man? A woman? My assistant-find her location.
"Madam?" my assistant asked, confused. "Your mother or your grandmother?"
I glared. "My wife."
"You have a wife?" he blurted.
"If you can do it, do it. If not, don't bother working here," I snapped.
Assistant POV
My boss told me his wife ran off and ordered me to find her. And I didn't even know he was married. How am I supposed to know what she looks like or where she goes? Does he think I have some kind of superpower that solves everything on command? Now my job's on the line.
Who is his wife?
I felt like crying.
Niamh POV (continued)
I'd just stepped into the house when someone called me by my other name.
"Laoise," my mother cooed.
I turned and ran into her arms. "Mommy," I said, clinging to her. A man in a black suit stood behind her.
"Dad," I added, hugging him too, for a moment. He only patted my head.
"Kain muna tayo, anak," my mother said, taking my hand and leading me to the table. My father followed silently.
Mom's family was military, publicly respectable, and privately involved in government contracts and shadowy operations. My father had been her target on a mission; they'd fallen in love amid the danger. She'd faked his death and later been r***d during the mission, which left her pregnant. I was their second child during those years. My grandfather had quietly raised me after they staged my mother's death and eloped. I only learned the whole story when I was kidnapped in elementary school. In public I was an orphan; in private they tried to make up for everything. My father was distant, but I knew he cared more than anyone.
A little later my brother arrived. "Usher!" I clung to him.
Even if we hadn't grown up together, we were close. I trusted him to protect me.
"How's my little lele?" he teased, pinching my cheek.
"I'm not a child anymore," I protested, and curled back against his arm. We ate and watched a movie until my phone buzzed. Everyone turned at the caller ID.
Husband.
They stared. "Excuse me," I said and slipped out onto the veranda.
"Baby!" my brother called, but I ignored him. When I came back everyone was sitting stiffly.
"I-I got married," I said, forcing a smile.
"Care to explain?" my brother asked, sharper than usual.
I broke down. "I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I didn't mean to hide it. It was too sudden-"
"It's okay," Mother said, wrapping me in a hug. "We were just curious. We know you didn't mean it. Stop crying."
"Bring him next time," my brother said.
"What if Mom and Dad's cover blows?" I asked, afraid.
"Don't worry. It's been so long. You can bring your grandpa too," Mother said. I hugged them until even my stoic father hugged back.
I told them the story-mostly the simple version, leaving out the agreement. I said it had been love at first sight.
Ethan POV (continued)
I couldn't stand it. I called her back.
As soon as she picked up, I heard a man call her "baby." I felt the floor drop away. She didn't explain; she scolded me for calling and hung up.
I sat on the bed, chest tight. I decided to drink. All night I drowned myself in beer. It had just started, but I already got cheated.
- Writer
