At seven in the evening, Nico had just gotten home from work. Celine, who was waiting for him, immediately greeted him with a warm smile, even though she was not in a good mood.
"You must be tired, honey," Celine said gently.
Nicolas only replied with a brief nod, his face looking irritated. Celine tried to keep smiling, even though her heart was hurting even more.
Not long after, Ruby appeared from the direction of the living room with a big smile.
"Honey..." Nico immediately embraced and kissed Ruby passionately on the lips in front of Celine.
Celine looked down, trying to hide the pain that was increasingly squeezing her heart.
"Oh my God... make me strong," Celine whispered.
After removing the kiss, Nico looked at Celine coldly. "Celine, I have a task for you."
Celine raised her face, trying to remain calm. "What is it, Nico?"
"I want you to organize my wedding party with Ruby," Nico said dispassionately.
Celine was dumbfounded. "Nico, that's impossible. I don't want to." Celine refused Nico's order.
"You have to do it, Celine. I don't want to know," Nico said firmly.
"But, Nico, I'm your wife. How can I be the one to arrange your marriage to another woman?" Celine still refused.
Nico sighed in annoyance. "No buts. I want you to do it," Nico said firmly.
Celine looked at Nico with teary eyes. "Alright, I'll do it," she replied finally, forced to agree.
"Good. You'd better prepare the engagement party first. The day after tomorrow I'm going to have a wedding party, and you have to prepare as perfectly as possible. Do you understand?" Nico said.
"Yes, Nico, I understand."
Then, Nico and Ruby joined hands and headed upstairs. Celine followed behind them, carrying Nico's bag and work coat. Arriving at the room, Nico went straight to the bathroom, leaving Celine and Ruby behind.
After Celine put her husband's suit and briefcase away, she returned to her room.
Ruby smiled sarcastically. Then, she opened the wardrobe. She took out the lingerie that Celine often used when making love with Nico. Ruby quickly changed her clothes with the lingerie.
Then Ruby walked confidently into Celine's room.
"Ruby, take those clothes off! They're mine!" Celine snapped when she saw Ruby wearing her lingerie.
Ruby just chuckled. "Why, you don't like it?"
Celine stepped forward and pulled Ruby's hair roughly. "Take it off right now! Those clothes are mine!" Celine urged, not willing to let Ruby use her own clothes.
Ruby cried out in pain. "Let go of me, you crazy woman!"
Nico suddenly appeared, he had just finished showering, "What are you doing, Celine? Let go of Ruby!" shouted Nico who immediately pulled Celine's hand.
Celine reluctantly let go of Ruby's hair. "Nico, she's wearing my lingerie! I don't like her using my stuff!" said Celine m
Nico gave Celine a sharp look. "What's the problem? It's just clothes. After all, Ruby will soon become my wife. And tonight, Ruby will be serving me in bed, so what's the big deal?"
Celine was silent, her tears starting to flow. "Nico, you're really bad, you don't think about my feelings at all!" Celine shouted softly.
Nico approached Celine and looked at her coldly. "You're the one making things difficult, Celine. If you want to stay here, just do as I say. If you mind my girlfriend wearing this lingerie, no problem."
Then Nico looked at Ruby, "Honey, you take off this ugly lingerie, yes. Later, I'll buy you a better one. How about it?"
And again, in front of Celine, Nico kissed Ruby on the lips.
"Yes, baby, I'll return this ugly lingerie to Celine," Ruby said with a satisfied smile after Nico finished smacking her lips.
After that, Nico took Ruby's hand and walked out of Celine's room, leaving Celine standing rooted to the spot, with her heart in pieces.
After a while, Celine sat on the edge of her bed, holding her stomach which was starting to ache. She knew that her pregnancy was in danger if she continued to stress like this. Celine closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.
***
Celine woke up early as usual. She prepared breakfast, even though her heart felt very heavy. When Nico and Ruby came down to the dining room, followed by Mr. Morgan and Mrs. Maria, Celine tried to smile, even though her tears were about to spill.
"Good morning, Nico," Celine greeted with a trembling voice. She was still treating Nicolas sweetly.
"Yes," Nico replied briefly, without looking at Celine.
Ruby just grinned. "Morning, Celine. I hope you can handle the preparations for Nico and I's engagement party well today," Ruby said.
Celine nodded. "Yes, I will. You don't have to worry, Ruby.
After breakfast, Celine began to organize all the preparations for Nico and Ruby's engagement party. Every time she had to contact a service provider or organize small details.
The days passed quickly, and as Nico and Ruby's engagement day approached, the pressure Celine felt grew. She felt like a prisoner in her own home, forced to organize the party of the man who was still her husband.
After finishing all the preparations, Celine sat alone in her room. Suddenly, her bedroom door opened and Nico walked in.
"Have you finished all the preparations?" Nico asked without preamble.
Celine nodded. "Yes, everything is ready, Nico."
Nico looked at Celine with an expression that was hard to read. "You know, Celine, I once loved you. But now, everything has changed."
"Yes, Nico, because I haven't been able to give you children, right? Because I'm not as beautiful as I used to be, right?" Celine smiled slightly.
"It's good that you're self-aware," Nico said.
Celine shook her head, unable to say anything. Nico stepped closer to Celine and lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Don't expect me to love you back again, Celine, it's impossible. You have to accept this fact," Nico said firmly.
Without waiting for a response from Celine, Nico let go of her hand and turned to walk out of the room, leaving a sobbing Celine alone.
On the day of Nico and Ruby's engagement, Celine wore a maid outfit. Celine tried to appear strong even though her heart was really hurting. In this house, she was truly treated like a servant.
In the middle of the party, Celine saw Nico and Ruby dancing together, looking so happy. Her heart was broken, but she stood her ground, holding back the tears that were about to fall.
"You're such a fool, Celine," Celine whispered. "Look, they're so happy without thinking about your feelings. You're a fool, Celine, you're a fool!"
The long-awaited day had finally arrived. The inauguration of the Calco Group took place grandly in the company's new building in the city center. Invitations from all walks of life, from entrepreneurs and business partners to family and close friends, attended the event. On the main stage, Nico stood proudly in his black suit, while beside him, Celine looked elegant in a navy blue dress. Between them, Calvin stood excitedly, ready to carry out his important duties today. An MC took the stage and began to speak, "Dear audience, today is a historic moment for Calco Group. After a long journey, the company is finally firmly established and ready to enter a new era. To inaugurate this company, we will witness the ribbon cutting by the first son of our CEO, Calvin!" The audience applauded loudly. Nico squatted towards Calvin, handing him a small golden scissors. "Come on, son. It's time for you to be part of history." Calvin nodded confidently. With both hands, he grasped the sc
One month has passed since the tense incident at the hospital. Now, the twins were healthy and at home with their families. The mansion felt more alive with the cries and laughter of the babies filling the room. Celine sat on the living room sofa, holding their baby girl, now named Aurora, on her lap. Meanwhile, Nico held their baby boy, named Alva. Calvin, their older brother, sat next to Celine, occasionally stroking Aurora's head gently. "Mommy, why is Aurora so small?" Calvin asked with curious eyes. Celine smiled, kissing her son's forehead. "Because she was born earlier than she should have been, dear. But look, she's healthy and strong now, right?" Calvin nodded firmly. "I promise I'll take care of them both, Mommy. I'm a big brother!" Nico chuckled, patting Calvin's head proudly. "That's Daddy's boy! Big Brother should always love the younger siblings, right?" "Of course!" Calvin patted his chest, acting gallant. "If anyone bothers Aurora or Alva, I'll go first!"
"Celine! Wake up! Don't joke around like this, wake up!" Nico shook his wife's body violently, his voice hoarse from shouting too much. His tears fell relentlessly. "I can't live without you! You promised you would always be by my side! Don't leave me!" Maria, who was standing in the corner of the room, finally couldn't take it anymore. She covered her mouth, turned around, and walked out with tears in her eyes. Seeing her son like this was too painful. Meanwhile, Nico was still in place, his hand grasping Celine's cold hand tightly. "Honey... please... if this is my punishment, I accept it. But don't leave. I beg you, don't leave me alone..." Suddenly, Celine's fingers moved slowly. Nico gasped. His breath caught in his throat. He looked at his wife's hand, then frantically felt his wrist. There was a pulse! There was still a heartbeat! Nico's eyes widened, he brought his face closer to Celine's chest and heard a weak heartbeat. "Celine?! Can you hear me?!" There was no r
Nico stood as soon as the doctor came out of the operating room. He held his breath, waiting for the news to come out of the doctor's mouth. "How is my wife, Doc?" he asked in a hoarse voice. The doctor removed his mask, his face looking exhausted. "We managed to save your twins, Mr. Nico. Although premature, they are in stable condition, but will have to stay in the incubator for some time." Nico breathed a sigh of relief for a moment. However, he saw the doctor's expression turn tense. "And... Celine?" his voice weakened. The doctor looked down for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry, sir... We tried our best. But Mrs. Celine lost too much blood... She didn't survive." The world seemed to stop spinning. The doctor's voice echoed in her head, but her brain refused to understand. "No... It's impossible," she whispered, her body faltering. Maria covered her mouth, her tears falling instantly. "Oh my God... Celine..." Nico stepped forward, gripping the collar of the doc
That morning, the smell of cooking filled the entire mansion. Maria was busy in the kitchen, stirring the warm soup while checking on some side dishes she was frying in the pan. The servants could only stand at the side of the kitchen, looking at her in confusion. "Madam, let us do the cooking," one of the servants said politely. Maria smiled, but her hands remained busy stirring the dishes. "No need. I haven't cooked for the family in a long time. Besides, Calvin would love his grandmother's cooking." Celine who had just come down from the room immediately approached, surprised to see Maria in the kitchen. "Mommy, why are you cooking alone? There are servants." Maria glanced over with a smile. "Mommy wants to cook for you once in a while. It's been a long time since I've cooked for the kids." Celine sighed while holding her growing belly. "But Mommy should just rest. Let the servants take care of it." Maria chuckled. "Celine, when you get older and have grandchildren, you
Three months passed quickly. The company Nico had built, Calco Group, was finally firmly established. The building was magnificent, his team was ready to work, and some projects were already well underway. Nico looked at his company logo displayed in front of the building with pride. All his hard work had finally paid off. Leo stood beside him, also gazing at the building in awe. "Finally, everything is ready. Just waiting for the right time to launch," he said, glancing at Nico. Nico nodded. "Yes. I want everything to run smoothly first before it's announced to the public. And most importantly, I want Celine to give birth first. I don't want her to be stressed because of this." Leo chuckled. "You're really protective of your wife, huh." Nico glanced at him with a flat expression. "What's wrong?" Leo raised his hands in surrender. "No, not wrong. In fact, it's good. Celine is a great woman, but she still needs support. Especially now that she's pregnant with twins." Nico t