Chapter 5

As she saw the panic and fear on Simon’s face, Bertha wanted to laugh.

If she left, he and Luna could finally be an official couple, no?

That would be perfect for his wish, right? Why was he pretending to be all scared?

Bertha spoke calmly. “I’m leaving after lunch. I’ve been really bored just sitting in the house all the time, and I got tired of some of my clothes. I’m going to be donating them since I won’t be wearing them anymore.”

Simon sighed in relief, and the worry in his heart finally faded away. He smiled with a sense of ease as if he was feeling lucky about something. But when he saw Bertha’s flat gaze, he still felt anxious and knelt down to apologize to her.

“I’m sorry, Bertha. It’s all my fault. Something suddenly went wrong with a contract, and I forgot to tell you because I was really flustered about it. I shouldn’t have left you alone in the restaurant. I know that you’re mad. You can hit me or yell at me, just don’t scare me, please. I’m really afraid of losing you…”

As Simon spoke, he cried, and his eyes were full of fear.

Bertha just watched everything unfold.

Simon was a company president who ruled over the business world. No one could ever imagine him kneeling before a woman and begging her to not leave his side.

However, she had only vanished for a few hours. What was Simon going to do once she left for good half a month later?

Bertha could not understand it. Since Simon loved her, why did he sleep with Luna?

“I’m fine. Your work is more important.”

The more magnanimous she was about the situation, the more uneasy Simon felt. He swore, “Bertha, you’re more important to me than anything else.”

He hugged her tightly and pressed his face against her neck. “You haven’t eaten your birthday cake today. I ordered a fondant cake for you. I know it’s your favorite. Why don’t we make a wish and blow out the candles?”

Simon had a pitiful expression on his handsome face as he stared at Bertha.

In the past, she would start to pity him at this point. But she no longer wanted to put up an act around him, so she just shook her head. “My birthday’s the same every year anyway. I’m tired. I’d like to sleep.”

Since Simon was panicking, he agreed to whatever Bertha said and entered the bathroom to take a shower.

After that, he stayed by her side for three days.

On the fourth morning, Bertha woke up and saw Simon making a call on the balcony. His tone was doting, and his gaze was gentle as if he was speaking to a really important person.

Over the next few days, Simon would even begin calling Luna right in front of her. It would also be common for him to sneak out in the middle of the night.

On this day, a good friend of Simon was going to get married. So, he wanted to meet up with him before his wedding.

Bertha had just returned from a toilet break when she was about to open the door. Right then, the people inside talked about her.

James Jonas, Simon’s good friend, teased him, “Simon, you’ve been with Bertha for almost eight years, right? I’m about to be tied down to another woman too. Tell me, have you ever been tired of her?”

Upon hearing this, Bertha’s hands froze above the door handle for a moment. But she soon pushed the door open and entered as if nothing had happened.

The group that was laughing inside fell silent. Simon immediately went up to her and led her back to the couch.

He poured her juice and even fed her fruits.

When James noticed that the atmosphere had turned awkward, he cleared his throat before saying, “Come on, Simon, tell me. It’s not as if Bertha can hear you.”

Simon hugged Bertha tightly and smiled brilliantly. “Tired of her? How could such a thing exist between me and Bertha?”

The others laughed.

“Simon’s a great man. Eight years is nothing. Even if he’s together with Bertha for eighty years, he won’t get bored of her.”

Simon took a sip of wine while the people around him laughed. Then, he softly said, “But a lifetime is really long, and you’ll get bored of sleeping with the same person.”

He gave special emphasis to the word “sleeping,” and everyone got excited. They started cheering him on.

“Ooh! Looks like you have quite an exciting life, Simon!”

Bertha was shocked when she heard this, and the grapes she had just eaten suddenly tasted poisonous. Pain spread from her throat straight down to her stomach.

She looked at Simon, only to see that his eyes were still filled with love. At that moment, her blood ran cold as if she had been thrown into a blizzard.

“Enough, pipe down. Don’t let Bertha notice that something’s off.” Simon only thought that she was curious about why they were laughing, and he snapped at the group.

“Come on. You don’t have to be scared. It’s not like Bertha can hear you. Just tell her later that we were talking about the wedding tomorrow.”

“By the way, Simon, who’s better? Bertha or Luna?”

Simon slumped against the couch. His expression remained the same, but his tone was intriguing. “Bertha’s special to me, but everyone needs a sense of novelty in life.”

The cheers in the room grew louder, and they were making Bertha’s mind go blank.

Simon picked up a grape and fondled it for a moment before he added, “Luna’s young and pretty. She’s open in bed, and she has plenty of bedroom tricks…”

He had not finished his entire statement, but everyone got even more excited. He pointed at Bertha and motioned for everyone to fall silent with a look. After he peeled the skin off the grape, he fed it to Bertha.

However, Bertha remembered how he had just fondled the grape, and she could not swallow it.

Perhaps he noticed her unusual behavior, but Simon patiently signed to her, “What’s wrong? Are you sick of it? Do you want to eat something else?”

When Bertha saw the words “sick of it,” her entire body trembled.

“No. If I like something, that will be the only thing I like. I won’t ever change.”

With a doting look, Simon held her hand and smiled as he stared into her eyes. “I’m the same.”

Bertha met Simon’s gaze. His eyes remained as gentle as ever as he confessed his love through sign with practiced ease.

If she had not heard him say those things with her own ears, Bertha would never have believed how fake her husband was. After she listened to their conversation, Bertha finally understood that everyone knew about his affair with Luna. She was the only one who had been kept in the dark like an idiot.