124

124

“what it's”

Alesya lifted a box wrapped in gift paper. "This?" She sat on the edge of the bed and opened it for Nicholas. "This is a gift I prepared for Devin's birthday."

"His birthday?"

"Yes, Devin's and mine fall on the same date and month. We always exchange gifts on our birthdays. So, you can use this as replacement clothes and as a gift for our meeting. Try it on!" Alesya handed over the clothes and pants inside the box, along with an expensive wristwatch for Nicholas.

"This is for me? Thank you so much. I hope this can be a fresh start for us."

"You mean?" Alesya inquired.

"I have no specific meaning. Don't read too much into it. Well, I'll change my clothes first, hehehe." Nicholas rubbed his neck.

Alesya nodded, smiling slightly as she bid farewell to Nicholas into the bathroom. She waited for him to finish with his new clothes.

Honestly, there were still many questions Nicholas wanted to ask, but he'd wait. He wanted to put on the clothes first before any potential "yes" or "no" between him and Alesya happened.

Elsewhere, Bryan was sitting alone on his bedroom balcony, staring at the main gate of his house. He seemed restless, waiting for someone who hadn't shown up yet. Bryan had confirmed that Nicholas was coming to pick up Alesya, but until now, neither Nicholas nor Alesya had appeared. He didn't know why there was a strange feeling urging Bryan to see the arrival of Alesya and Nicholas firsthand. Since last night, he had been worried, waiting and waiting. However, he hesitated to contact Nicholas, even just to ask about Alesya's well-being.

"What are you doing? I've noticed you seem restless as if you're worried and waiting for someone." Shabila narrowed her eyes, intimidating Bryan, who suddenly felt flustered and stumbled over his words.

"I-I'm not waiting for anyone; it's just your imagination," Bryan said, rubbing his neck. "Are you ready? Let's go!"

Shabila raised an eyebrow, not believing Bryan's words, but she still followed him and tagged along wherever he went. Her husband was taking her shopping at a mall to buy a branded handbag she had long desired, as a way of apologizing for their argument in front of Alesya and Nicholas yesterday.

“Yan, why do I feel like you've been restless and constantly checking your phone since earlier? You're completely ignoring me. Yet, when we were dating...” Shabila protested, seeing Bryan occasionally divert his gaze from the road to his phone.

"It's already office hours, Sha. And you're still busy questioning me, why? You should know that I should be working, not here. So, it's natural for me to be restless and check my phone, afraid of important emails or messages."

"So, you prioritize work over me?!"

"If I prioritize work, I wouldn't be here to accompany you. I'd still be at the office, Sha!"

"But you still think about work, not..."

"Sha, listen. I work for you, not for someone else. I do it to make you happy, not for myself, so please understand."

"I'm disappointed in you, Yan." Shabila unbuckled her seatbelt. "I'll get off here. I don't want to be with a selfish husband like you!"

"Shabila..."

"Enough! Stop and open the car door. I hate you!"

"Sha..."

"No, I want to go by myself. Open the door or I'll break your car window!"

Reluctantly, Bryan pulled over and opened the car door, allowing Shabila to step out.

"Okay, Sha, okay!!"

With great reluctance, Bryan stepped aside, opened the car door, and let Shabila leave.

Her lips were still muttering incoherently, cursing Bryan for not taking her seriously. Yet, Bryan had made many sacrifices. From time to feelings and, of course, money.

"After this, how can I make you return to how you used to be?" he murmured to himself. Bryan truly couldn't handle Shabila, who was so different from how she was before they got married.

Shabila exhibited many negative traits, at the very least, she was selfish and a shopaholic. Not even a month after becoming a married couple, Shabila had maxed out her credit card limit.

And now, Shabila was angry again, unable to imagine what other items she would buy as an outlet for her hurt feelings.

Dragging his steps, Nicholas was truly exhausted now. His body felt tired and stiff from driving alone. Alesya couldn't drive a car, so Nicholas had to take the wheel by himself without a replacement driver.

"You look really tired," Alesya sat beside Nicholas, who had already lain down on the bed.

"I didn't sleep last night, and I drove non-stop earlier. It's only natural to be tired, Al. Besides, you can't drive, so I had to do it alone. But..." Nicholas lay on his side. "Why can't you drive?"

Alesya shrugged. "I prefer motorcycles. You can enjoy the scenery, and when you're with your partner, you can hug from behind. It just doesn't feel right riding in a car, Nik."

While tidying up his clothes in Nicholas's wardrobe, Alesya explained everything, so Nicholas would understand and wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Oh, I'll find a motorcycle for you later."

"For me?"

"Yeah, so we can take turns. If you want to ride a motorcycle, you drive. If you want to take the car, I'll drive. So it's fair, right?"

"Fair enough, but I'm not sure..."

"Both of you, once you're back, can let me know!"

Nicholas and Alesya were startled. They both looked at each other, seeing Bryan suddenly appearing and getting angry. Out of nowhere, a storm had arrived.

"What news?" Nicholas immediately interjected before Alesya could speak. He also edged over, stepping down from the bed to meet Bryan at the door.

"The news is that you're back," Bryan stepped back a bit. "Wait, what's going on..."

Nicholas waved his hand. "Go! Alesya is mine, you have nothing to do with her since she came in here."

"But she's my wife!"

"Shabila is your wife!" Nicholas pointed to Shabila behind Bryan. "Leave. Don't let her drag Alesya into this mess. If you two want to argue, wrestle, or even have a showdown, that's fine, just don't disturb us."

Brakk!!

Bryan's eyes closed. An air of shock swept in through the door, which Nicholas closed tightly. His ears also hurt from the thud of the door. Ah, that was nothing compared to the fear that had engulfed him when he saw the wrath in Shabila's eyes.

"I'm sorry if I acted badly and made you want to get Alesya."

"Eh?" Bryan blinked. Couldn't believe what just happened. Suddenly, Shabila hugged him, instead of being uncontrollably angry.

"Forgive me once more. I promise I'll never make you angry again."

Bryan didn't understand what had changed Shabila like this, but that wasn't the issue. For him, Shabila turning into this loving attitude was the most beautiful gift. Even though Bryan had been troubled thinking about how to talk to Shabila when he returned from work, trying to make her forgive him.

"Today, you guys go out without me." Shabila lay down. Her head hurt because she couldn't attend her friend's birthday party. She had already bought a gift and a dress to wear for the evening.

However, all her plans were canceled after overhearing the conversation between Nicholas and Bryan. Her husband started worrying about Alesya, which meant there was an extraordinary problem if left unattended.

"Anyway, I'll still send the gift. Please give me some time with my husband first. When the situation has improved, I can join you as usual."

"Oh, Sha, Bryan is head over heels in love with you. He couldn't possibly turn away from such a beautiful woman like you." On the other end of the call, a woman was encouraging Shabila, just to get her to join the party, spending a lot of time and money.

"True, Bryan is madly in love with me."

Bryan's intention to leave the bathroom was halted.

"But this morning, he started acting strangely. He's been restless since morning, and earlier he suddenly went to Nicholas's room. He got angry out of the blue just because Nicholas didn't give him an update. I'm afraid he might turn away, that's all."

"Really?"

Shabila nodded. Although her conversation partner couldn't see what she was doing.

"I can't even be angry with him anymore. Even though I've composed many words to be able to go to the party with you all. And if I may be honest, I regret getting married too soon."

"Why? Weren't you deeply in love with him?"

"I was. But I'm not as free as when I was single. Dad also doesn't want to give me shopping money anymore. As you know, I can't live frugally. While with Bryan? His credit card limit is only a quarter of what Dad has. I get a headache if I have to check prices while shopping. Even if I want to shop more or hang out with you all, I have to stage a drama and get angry first. Basically, I'm stressed after getting married."

"Yeah, true. Proof is that you couldn't come today."

"Okay, enough of that. Don't rub it in anymore. I'm tired and want to rest. If the gift from me has arrived, please let me know if someone gave a more expensive gift than mine."