Chapter 7

Lirah woke up early the next day. She didn’t even bother to get dressed due to the overwhelming embarrassment she felt. The image of Matias’ manliness kept lingering in her mind. She wondered if there was any place where he couldn’t find pleasure because of his size. She recalled something Kiray had told her about the guy.

Lirah got up and dressed. Surprisingly, she found her belongings inside the room. It seemed like Matias had prepared everything for their move to that house. After taking a shower, Lirah put on her flowery dress, letting her long hair down, and then she left the room. She paused for a moment when she saw Matias’ room.

“Is he still in there?” she whispered to herself. Lirah shook her head and said, “Whatever.”

She went downstairs to the first floor and noticed that there was food covered on the table. She approached it and saw fried eggs and sausages. There was also neatly arranged bread on a plate and an empty cup with warm water and coffee inside. She picked up the sticky note attached to it.

‘Warm the water and fill your cup.’ 

Lirah hesitated. It seemed like her assumption about Matias was wrong. She followed his instructions and made herself a cup of coffee.

“He probably left already,” she thought to herself.

Lirah sighed and decided to have breakfast. Afterward, she cleaned up her eating area. She had plans to visit her father at the hospital and check on her mother. However, there was a knock on their door, so Lirah opened it, revealing the old man she had seen yesterday.

“Good morning, Madam. I’m Arnaldo, Butler of Sir Matias Gomez,” he introduced himself.

Lirah opened the door wider and let the man in. “Why? Is Matias not here anymore?”

Arnaldo paused and looked at Lirah. “Yes. He’s already at the office.”

“Oh, I see.”

“He sent me here to give this to you.” Arnaldo handed a small paper bag to Lirah. She quickly took it and checked its contents. “There are two cards you can use to buy whatever you need or anything else. Your cellphone is in there too, and his number is saved. If you need his help, you can contact him. My number is also in there.”

“Cellphone and cards? What will I do with these?”

“For emergencies.”

Lirah winced. “Oh, I don’t need that. I’m not materialistic, and I don’t use social media at all.” In reality, Lirah didn’t even have a cellphone. Kiray had more belongings than she did. She would rather spend her time reading books than staring at a gadget that only harmed her eyes. It would be alright if it only affected her eyes, but she had seen Kiray talking to her phone alone, laughing and crying.

“But you need this, Madam, to easily communicate with Sir,” Arnaldo insisted.

Lirah sighed again. “As if he would want to talk to me. But fine, I’ll take it.”

Arnaldo nodded at her. “Do you have somewhere to go now? Your car is ready outside, Madam. Let me introduce you to Rico, your personal driver and bodyguard as well.”

“Driver? Oh no, sir. I don’t need that. I can take a taxi.”

“Madam, your husband is the richest and most influential person in this country. You need to accept it.”

Lirah scratched her head. She had never experienced this in her family before, except maybe for her eldest sibling, who was a model. She just nodded and agreed with Arnaldo. She excused herself briefly to get her bag. She brought the cellphone Matias gave her and the cards. Then, she hurriedly went downstairs. Upon exiting the house, she saw the black luxury car and a man standing next to it.

“He’s Rico, your personal driver and bodyguard. He will accompany you wherever you go,” Arnaldo introduced.

Lirah nodded and waved gently at Rico. "Hello." The young man nodded back and greeted her. Rico was much bigger and taller than Lirah, but he didn't seem much older than Matias. "Thank you for your help," Lirah politely greeted Arnaldo.

"You're welcome, Madam," Arnaldo replied, nodding at her.

Lirah got into the car and asked Arnaldo to drive her to the hospital. While on the way, she opened the cellphone Matias gave her. She stared at it, realizing she wasn't familiar with using a touchscreen phone. She could still manage a keypad phone, as she had used one back in college. In truth, she was more comfortable using a laptop or computer than this small device. Lirah decided to put the cellphone back into her bag and waited silently until they reached the hospital. She would ask Kiray to teach her later when she arrived at the hacienda.

"Thank you, Rico. I'll text you—oh," Lirah winced. "I can't text, actually."

"I'll be waiting here, Madam," Rico replied.

Lirah nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

She entered the hospital and went straight to the fifth floor. Upon entering her father's room, she saw her mother and sister there, and they immediately turned their heads to her.

"Oh, the newly married are here. How was your night, little sister?" Liza asked playfully.

"Why didn't you come to my wedding yesterday, Mama?" Lirah asked.

Paulina rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for that. Your father needs me, right?"

"Is that so? Sorry."

"Don't be a baby, Lirah," Liza commented. "Now tell us, how was Matias Gomez?" She wanted to see her sister embarrassed and regret her marriage to that worthless man.

Lirah's cheeks turned slightly red. She avoided looking at Liza.

Liza frowned when her sister didn't respond. "You're so boring."

"What are you doing here, Lirah?" Paulina asked.

"Um, I just wanted to visit Papa and tell you about the wedding."

"I don't care," Paulina quickly retorted. "But thanks to you, your godfather paid for the money we lost in our company. We won't struggle anymore, and I'm sure your father will be pleased when he wakes up."

Lirah felt her heart squeeze when she heard her mother's words. It was as if her mother cared more about the money Matias' family gave them rather than asking how she was doing. It seemed like they considered her marriage to Matias as the end of her relationship with their family. She sadly nodded and looked at her father.

"H-How's Papa?"

"Lirah." Liza stood up and faced her sister. "It's not your business anymore. You're now married to Matias Gomez. They are your family now."

"Sister, Papa is still my father. You're my family."

"We don't need you. You've fulfilled your duty. You can now go with your miserable life."

Tears welled up in Lirah's eyes. "I-I can't do that, Sister."

"Urgh! Go! Don't show yourself here again. We don't need you anymore!"

"Your sister is right, Lirah. It's better for your father if you never come back here again."

Lirah couldn't believe what she was hearing from her sister and mother. It felt like they were suddenly rejecting her, even though they were the ones who arranged her marriage to Matias. She started to cry and exchanged glances between her sister and mother. Her lips quivered, and she tightly clenched her fists. She couldn't help but feel hurt by their actions towards her. She turned around, crying, and left the room.

'Why is it like this? I followed Mama's wishes, but why do they still treat me badly? They didn't even think about the sacrifices I made for this family.'