Part 95

95

"Your defense is accepted," Vano said, chuckling slightly in response to the two women who were now on both sides of him. He felt happy to put himself in the right position, loving Chelsea as a mother and beginning to love Alexa for the sake of their child.

After the graduation ceremony was held, Carlos invited his extended family to stay at a hotel to celebrate this important event in Vano's life.

"Dad, it's really unbelievable that you didn't tell Mama that you're the dean," Chelsea grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed with a pout on her lips.

"It's not that I didn't want to tell her, but we've been busy dealing with problems that never seem to stop coming our way," Carlos replied, sitting near Chelsea, guiding his wife to lean back on the bed's headrest, and placing her feet on his lap. He began to massage Chelsea's feet gently.

Carlos was sure that Chelsea's feet must be sore and tired from standing and walking around to greet her friends. Chelsea should have been doing her community service if she hadn't taken leave.

"Besides, as a student, you should be one of them."

"Which ones?"

"The students who don't know who their university's dean is. They say, well, 90% of students don't know who the dean is. And they find out only during graduation," Carlos explained. Trying to comfort his wife a bit. Because he was indeed at fault here.

He hadn't introduced himself more thoroughly to his wife, so earlier Chelsea was shocked. Even though everyone knew that he and Carlos were married, she was still surprised to discover the fact that her husband was the dean.

Don't ask how Carlos managed to get forgiveness from Chelsea. Their clothes were scattered in all directions, leaving only a blanket as a barrier. Carlos was being cautious when working because of Chelsea's protruding belly.

In another room, Vano led Alexa to sit on the bed. His wife complained of pain and stiffness in her calves.

"How about your leave?" Vano asked, wanting to know the extent of the leave permission that his wife had requested.

"I can't take leave. I have to continue my thesis. But there's a little flexibility. I don't have to keep going back and forth to campus to look for professors. If they have time, the professors will ask me to come," Alexa explained. If only she had applied for leave immediately when she found out she was pregnant, Vano wouldn't be so worried.

Seeing his wife working on her thesis while pregnant, Vano could only support what Alexa was doing as much as possible. He wanted to help her stay healthy.

"In that case, you rest for now," Vano said, before saying goodbye for a while. He wanted to give a small gift to his wife. At the same time, he wanted to express the feelings that were beginning to stir in his heart.

Not knowing Vano's plan, when asked to rest, Alexa complied. As a result, she fell asleep when Vano returned. So, he had to postpone his plan. When dinnertime arrived, they gathered on the hotel's rooftop for dinner.

Once they arrived in the room, Alexa whined and asked Vano to visit their baby. Reluctantly postponing his plan once more, Vano complied with his wife's wishes. They enjoyed a long night filled with intoxicating games, until Alexa fell asleep, exhausted from their lovemaking.

Sighing deeply, Vano could only place a ring on Alexa's ring finger. It was a ring that he had originally planned to give when expressing his feelings. Afraid of forgetting or leaving it behind at the hotel, Vano decided to just put it on while Alexa was sleeping.

When she woke up, Alexa felt puzzled by the presence of the ring. When she asked about it, Vano only replied that the ring was a gift for her because she had been a great wife. Alexa showered Vano with kisses on his cheeks.

Not romantic at all. Because Alexa questioned the ring when Vano was still half awake.

"Are you sure you can go to campus alone?" Vano asked, making sure once again that Alexa was capable of going alone with an online taxi.

He originally wanted to accompany his wife, but unfortunately, there was an important meeting he had to attend at the office. Meanwhile, Alexa had to rush to her campus after receiving a text message from her professor, who asked her to come immediately to get the professor's signature.

Rather than causing trouble later on, Alexa decided to go alone. She didn't want to ask for help from Carlos or Chelsea because she felt it would be unfair to bother the married couple with their marital problems.

"It's okay, Van. I'll just go alone. Besides, I'll be driven by a taxi driver, so nothing bad will happen to me. He's always calm and never interferes with my work," Alexa reassured him, placing a hand on her protruding belly.

"If you arrive at the campus, please let me know."

"Of course, I'll send you updates every minute," Alexa teased, stroking Vano's arm before getting into the taxi he had ordered.

Vano could only smile faintly as he watched Alexa depart. For some reason, it felt very heavy to let his wife go alone, especially since they had always gone together wherever Alexa went, even if it was just for a short time.

Even though it was only to pick up Alexa from campus, today he had to reluctantly let his wife go alone. He hoped everything would be fine, contrary to the feeling he had had since last night.

Alexa left, and so did Vano. He went to the office using a driver. Initially, he wanted Alexa to use their private driver, but once again, his wife was stubborn and chose to take a regular taxi. Unbeknownst to Vano, not far from their residence, Celine was lurking. She had not moved on from the failed relationship between her and Vano.

She kept trying to find ways to make Vano and Alexa divorce, but to her frustration, Alexa and Vano were getting closer. Furthermore, Celine could no longer rely on Amber, who had disappeared without a trace. Even as Amber's cousin, Celine didn't know where Amber had gone, leaving her feeling hopeless and frustrated. Instead of seeing Vano happy with another woman, Celine wanted to settle things once and for all.

Vano wouldn't get anything, nor would she. Vano would mourn the departure of his wife and child, while Celine would end up behind bars. That, in Celine's eyes, was a fair outcome compared to seeing Vano happy with another woman. So, she followed behind the taxi that Alexa was using to go to campus.