04

Chapter 04

"Let— let me prepare myself first. I want to take a shower," Phinea whispered while lying on the bed, covering herself with her hands.

"Don't bother; I don't mind," I whispered as I hovered over her, looking into Phinea's eyes. Her green eyes sparkled and she didn't know where to look.

"We still have a long night ahead of us. Focus on me now and please relax," I whispered, gently pressing my lips against Phinea's cheek.

This wasn't my first time; I was already familiar with every side of Phinea but it was new for her. I needed to wait for her to relax and feel comfortable.

I missed her scent and warmth—I lowered my kiss to Phinea's neck and embraced her body.

Phinea released her grip on her dress and let her hands drop. I just smiled and closed the curtains by our bedside.

I slightly lifted myself and took off my shirt. I apologized to Phinea and thanked her.

She completely gave herself to me and opened up. I wanted to thank her for that and apologize because it was impossible for me to hold back, even though it was her first time.

The next day,

"Mom, good morning."

I saw my mom was surprised and asked me why I was so late getting downstairs.

"Where's Phinea?" my mom asked. Our parents were in the living room with Kiel and Robin.

"Mom, isn't it weird to ask me that? This is our first day as husband and wife—where do you think we were all night?" I asked, scratching my head.

Kiel spat out his drink, and my mom was stunned when she heard that.

I ordered breakfast for Phinea and me and asked my mom for a pain reliever.

I stayed in the living room chatting with my in-laws, of course to take the teasing from my friends, those rascals.

When I returned to our room, I saw Phinea was awake. She immediately covered herself with the blanket, her face flushed, looking in another direction.

"I brought breakfast and medicine."

I approached her, happy to sit on the edge of the bed with the tray.

"You fell asleep last night, so I cleaned you up and changed your clothes. Are you uncomfortable?"

Phinea shyly shook her head and stammered a thank you.

Phinea wasn't touching the food. I asked her if she didn't like what I ordered.

"Y... You're staring at me," Phinea whispered, her head bowed in embarrassment.

"Hmm, sorry, I can't help it. You're the only beautiful thing I see in this room."

I burst out laughing when she suddenly stretched her hand to push my face away.

"Stop... Stop staring at me."

I joined Phinea in eating since I ordered a lot of food and she looked like a baby bird while eating.

"Anyway, do you want to go out? Walk on the beach?" I asked Phinea. I propped my arms on the bed, looking out at the hotel room balcony.

If I looked at Phinea again, I was sure she wouldn't eat and wouldn't be able to swallow her food.

Phinea didn't answer, so I took that as a yes.

As usual, Phinea wore a long skirt, flat shoes and a floral dress. I didn't mind and invited her to leave the room.

We went downstairs before lunch and my parents were there along with Catherine.

"Sister-in-law! Did my brother bully you all night? Are you okay?"

I grimaced and pulled Catherine away from Phinea.

"Ate, Phinea doesn't like physical touch!"

I stopped when, unlike last night when Phinea almost fainted from Catherine's sudden hug.

It didn't seem like she hated it; it was more like she was just uncomfortable.

"A... I'm fine."

I also let go of Catherine and held my head.

"Please, ate, don't make it hard for Phinea."

"You bullied her all night and now you act like I'm the one doing something wrong just by hugging her."

My cheeks suddenly heated up and I said that Phinea was my wife now.

"She's my sister-in-law. What's wrong with a hug?"

I heard my mom laughing as she sat on the sofa next to my dad, who looked like he didn't care about our argument.

"Are you okay, Phinea?" my dad asked after closing the newspaper he was holding and looking at the three of us at the bottom of the stairs.

Phinea shyly nodded. I pouted and told Catherine to let go of Phinea.

"We're going out for a walk on the beach," I said, tugging at my sister's dress to make her release Phinea.

"You two should have lunch first."

Catherine said it was hot. Phinea's skin would surely get damaged.

"I have sunscreen here; I'll put it on you, sister-in-law!"

We joined my mom for lunch, and before we left, I was thankful that Catherine didn't come along. She gave Phinea a hat to protect her from the heat.

When we exited the resort, as usual, there were a lot of people. I held Phinea's hand and ignored the stares from the crowd.

"Victor!"

I saw Kiel holding a surfboard with Robin. They were surrounded by girls, as usual.

I laughed as I approached them, holding Phinea's hand.

"Hi, Phinea, good afternoon," Kiel greeted. I looked at Phinea, who just nodded and shyly greeted back.

"Where are you guys headed?" Jack asked after I put my arm around him.

"We're going for a walk and then heading to the shop to look for souvenirs," I replied. One of Robin's friends asked who I was with.

"She's my wife," I answered. The girls with Jack looked shocked when they heard that. I laughed and said we got married just yesterday, then raised our hands, holding each other's.

Phinea, embarrassed, hid behind me and trembled. I paused and looked back.

"Are you okay?"

"Heh, who would have thought you'd be the first to get married among these idiots?"

"Yeah, it feels like just yesterday you said you had no plans to get married."

I looked at Jack's girlfriend and she winked at me. I just smiled and laughed, saying that even I couldn't believe I'd get married before Jack.

Phinea calmed down a bit and slowly peeked out from behind me. My friends introduced their girlfriends to Phinea.

"Phinea," Phinea whispered. She said that was her name.

"Nice to meet you, Phinea."

"She has a cute name."

Jack said we should leave, saying they didn't want to hold me back and disturb my date with Phinea.

"Weren't they at our wedding?" Phinea asked. I looked at her and explained that Jack's girlfriend had a gig yesterday, so she couldn't come.

"They just arrived today," I replied while looking at Phinea. She looked at me and I just smiled.

While we walked, I told her about my friends and myself, of course.

"Drama?" Phinea repeated. I nodded, and she slightly let go of my hand. I walked in front of her and walked backward.

"I've finished two dramas where I was the male lead, and five supporting characters. Do you want to watch?" I asked. Phinea quickly nodded, saying she wanted to watch.

"Okay, I have copies on my laptop. We'll watch it when we get back to the resort," I said happily, reaching out my hand to her.

She took it, and we continued walking.

If I was unlucky, we would run into Peregrine with her friends and current boyfriend, who was also an actor.

What else would I be doing as an actor if I didn't know how to act? Phinea would pull her hand away from mine when I held it tighter and called Peregrine my sister-in-law.

I couldn't miss the brief moment when Peregrine's expression darkened before she forced a smile.

"I didn't expect to see you here in such a crowded place. My sister isn't comfortable around a lot of people. Is it okay for you to take her out in public, considering she will get a lot of attention because of your career?" Peregrine said. It was as if she was saying, 'Why is Phinea out here, and why are you showing her off?' Was I not afraid of the backlash from my fans?

"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law, but personal life is different from my work. I don't plan to mix them or hide my relationship for my job."

I felt Phinea's gaze on me now. Did you hear that, Phinea? I have no intention of hiding you, and if I stand in the spotlight again, I will hold onto you, and we will stand side by side.

Peregrine clenched her fist and I smiled as I said goodbye to them. We passed by some shops, and I bought Phinea a thin scarf.

"Do you want to buy anything?" I asked while we were inside the shop. Phinea was silent until I remembered she was looking at a wooden pen earlier in the shop.

I pulled her close to the shelf and told the staff that I would take everything from that shelf.

"Ah! Ah, w-wait!"

Phinea grabbed my arm and held back a smile as I looked at her. Phinea tightly closed her eyes and pointed at the pen she had been staring at earlier.

"Pen."

Laughing, I instructed the staff to get the wooden pen. I asked Phinea if there was anything else she wanted to buy.

Phinea took a small bag that the staff handed to us. I followed her as she approached the shelves filled with hanging dream catchers.

"Do you want that?" I asked. She nodded eagerly. Smiling, I reached for the one she was looking at and told the staff to take care of it.

It had a moon design with stars hanging. It was so pretty.

I was surprised when she picked two dream catchers, and when we got home, I paused because she gave the two dream catchers to my sister and my parents.

They were also surprised when Phinea handed them over. They were supposed to mean good luck.

"Oh my! Can I hang this around my neck or on my bag?" Catherine asked. I immediately replied no, saying it would look silly on her.

My mom laughed and hugged Phinea. I just smiled when Phinea looked at me. I whispered thank you. If she starts stepping in effortlessly, she wins anyone over with her sincerity.

When we returned to our room, I headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

When I came out of the bathroom, I saw Phinea holding a small box, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What do you have there?" I asked while drying my hair. Phinea looked up when I approached her. She shyly handed it to me.

"For me?" I asked, pointing to myself. This wasn't part of what we bought earlier. Where did it come from?

I opened it and stopped, stunned by what was inside.

It was the box I saw under our bed after Phinea's suicide. It was in a small, old box.

"Is this a wedding gift?" I asked, staring at the box. I saw in my peripheral vision that Phinea nodded.

I lowered it and knelt in front of Phinea.

"W... Why?"

I held my head and gripped the box tightly. In almost six years of marriage, Phinea had held onto that box, which was supposed to be her wedding gift for me.

From its design and the detailed craftsmanship, it was clear that it was made with care and only sturdy materials were used.

When she found it under their bed, the bracelet's color had faded, likely because Phinea had always held onto it.

"Can you put this on me?" I asked, trembling, handing her the box. My heart felt crushed every time I remembered how I once threw it in front of Phinea without knowing it was her wedding gift to me and that it was handmade.

Phinea took the box and opened it. She took out what was inside and fastened it to my wrist.

"I'll take care of this," I said, smiling. I showed it to her and told her not to take it off.

I tried to hold Phinea's cheek, unlike yesterday—she didn't pull away or look away from me.

I just stepped in a little, and she was already opening up to me. Why didn't I do this before? Why did it take someone almost dying in my memory for me to realize how foolish and useless I had been as a husband?