My Secretive Wife

HE LOVES HER

One month after she regained consciousness, he started hitting on her. At first, she thought he was just lovely, but he became more and more possessive later on, so she confronted him. Their confrontation ends with a kiss, and that's when their relationship starts.

It's already half-past three, so the sun's heat is not that hot anymore. The couple decided to walk on the shore after a hearty meal. The wind was blowing behind them, so she tied her hair into a bun showing her rose tattoo on her neck. 

She rarely put her hair up, so Marco just saw it a few times, and he just shrugged off his shoulder. These days, almost everyone loves to have a tattoo of any design. He has a tattoo of a dragon on his back too. Although this is not because he wanted to, it is because he has to. Anyways, her tattoo looks nice on her back. He liked it.

Bea removed her sandals and sat on the sand. She stretched her legs and let the water touch them. Marco did the same. He seated beside her and let her lean on his shoulder.

"Marco," she called, not looking in his direction.

"Hmm," he replied. Athena used to his short reply. And sometimes, he looks at her when she calls his name, so receiving a response from him makes her satisfied enough, even if it's just a single word or hum.

"When did you start loving me?" She asked. This time she looked at his eyes, trying to read what was in his mind.

"I don't know," honestly, he doesn't know when he started caring for her. What he knew was when he saw her unconscious on the shore and carried her to his cabin, he wanted to know her more. He wants to know everything about her.

"Maybe, it was love at first sight, or maybe not. I'm not sure but I know since then, you're a part of me," he said, looking at her with loving eyes. She was touched and couldn't help but blushed in front of him. He kissed her on her forehead and hugged her tight.

"Thank you for loving me," she looked up at him with a sweet smile on her lips.

"You deserve it, love," he said with a hoarse voice, hugging her tighter. Damn, he loves her so much. He can't imagine how his life is going to be if one day she disappears. Up until now, he did not ask her why she ended up on the shore. He wants her to open up to him voluntarily. His best friend Francis Guzman has been getting on him for not investigating her, but what can he do? He chose to trust her that she'll tell him everything that he needed to know one day.

Instead of walking back to the mansion, the couple decided to head back to the cabin.

A year ago, this cabin became her home. Marco wants her to move to his mansion when she regains consciousness, but she declines. Athena begged him to let her stay in the cabin instead, so Marco asked Nana Maria to send someone to help her around, but she refused. Athena needs her freedom to move around the house without being watched. She can't be careless.

Living alone and away from other people's views is what she needed for security reasons. Athena doesn't know the area and the people around, so she needs to be vigilant. Although she doesn't feel threatened by the man who rescued her, his looks say he's not simple.

She asked Marco if she could transform her previous room in the cabin as her study or personal space before they tied the knot, and he agreed. He hesitated at first, but she was able to coax him. So the cabin now has 2 study rooms, one for her and one is Marco's.

Unlike Marco's study, hers only has a table with the latest computer, a comfortable gray swivel chair, a white coffee table, and a gray two-seater couch. Marco wants to add more furnishings, but she told him that she doesn't need those. A computer is what she needs, and the rest are just a bonus.

Anton Baltazar, supposedly her retirement mission. She received an encrypted email last month. But because she failed to report personally, her retirement was put on hold even though their organization received the USB drive. Their rule is that a retiree candidate must finish their last mission and report personally to receive the retirement benefits and the likes. Additionally, a send-off to a new life is a must-have too. Every organization member who left never has access or contact to the organization to prevent exposing their unique identity.

She turned on the computer and reread the email. There's a new mission that needs her decision. In her mind, the answer is a yes, but her heart is telling her not to go. Her boss had given her a chance to fulfill her goal since she joined the organization when she was fifteen. She trained harder than anybody else for three years. Three months before her eighteenth birthday, fourteen recruits, including herself, jumped off from the airplane to the sss Rainforest. Their last mission is to complete their training to survive in the sss for seven days.

She was scared at first, but the thought of becoming a part of the organization if she successfully finished the last mission gave her the courage to shrug off her fear. The helicopter dropped them off in two groups. The organization has branches on seven continents, so each continent needs to send two of its best recruits. Each member of the group represents their continent. In fairness, they sent them to the forest with everything they might need to stay alive, like first aid kits. It is like telling them that they won't die of hunger because they can always find edible plants to eat but will die if they encounter other elements living in the forest that can hurt them. That's why they sent medicine to heal their wounds, which is more likely than starving.

The sss rainforest is among the deadliest forests in the world. The home of the most dangerous animals like anacondas, jaguars, cougars, and poisonous plants like Strychnia. They don't have a choice but to survive in the dense forest for a week. Athena will choose to face her enemies rather than being thrown in the sss. Reminiscing about her one week in the sss, she can't help but tremble.

Benjamin Baltazar is her next mission. According to the information found in the USB drive, she got from Anton Baltazar. He will be in City S in three weeks. She clenched her jaw while staring at Benjamin Baltazar's latest picture. He had more wrinkles compared to his look ten years ago. She won't forget the man's face, even if Benjamin would be covered with ruffles all over. He is the reason why she endured everything and reached this far.