3

“So… I’m going to take a shower first, sweetheart,” Althea said sweetly as she slowly pulled away from Alexander’s embrace. “Then I’ll head home to our house…”

There was emphasis on the last words.

Our house.

Alexander smiled as he watched Althea’s figure slowly walk toward the bathroom.

“Haha… okay, sweetie,” he replied. “But rest for a moment first. You might get tired from the trip.”

Althea stopped at the bathroom door and looked back at him with a seductive smile.

“Tired?” she repeated softly. “I was more exhausted from pretending earlier than from what we just did.”

Alexander laughed.

“That’s my girl,” he replied. “You’re good at acting. Even I sometimes believe you.”

Althea raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Sometimes?” she teased.

Alexander stood up and approached her from behind. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist.

“No…” he whispered near Althea’s ear. “Always.”

The two fell silent for a moment.

“You know,” Althea said again, her tone becoming more serious, “while I was talking to her earlier… I could almost feel how happy she was.”

Alexander said nothing.

“She’s excited,” Althea continued. “She’s excited about me living in your house. She’s excited about me carrying your child.”

She smirked.

“She doesn’t know… that the child won’t only be hers.”

Alexander tightened his hold around her waist.

“And she doesn’t know,” Alexander added, “that I’ve wanted you in that house for a long time.”

Althea looked at him.

“Really?”

Alexander nodded.

“Ever since I saw you again,” he answered directly. “You’re the one I want. Not her.”

“But you married her,” Althea replied coldly.

Alexander fell silent for a moment.

“Because that’s what my family wanted,” he explained. “I needed a woman who would be easy to control. A woman who wouldn’t fight back.”

“And you got exactly that,” Althea replied with a slight laugh. “She’s too kind. Too trusting.”

“She can’t bear to lose me,” Alexander added.

Althea looked into his eyes.

“And when I get pregnant…” she said softly, “what will happen to her?”

Alexander didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he gently caressed Althea’s cheek.

“Step by step,” he replied. “We can’t rush things.”

“She needs to stay for now,” he added. “So no one will become suspicious.”

Althea smiled.

“But in the end…” she whispered.

“In the end,” Alexander repeated, “you’ll be the one beside me.”

They stared at each other for a moment.

Their eyes filled with secrets.

Filled with deception.

“Go take a shower,” he said softly. “Then go home. Your ‘best friend’ might already be waiting for you.”

Althea smirked.

“Oh, she is,” she replied. “And she has no idea… that the woman she’s preparing a room for in her own house…”

She paused.

Then leaned toward Alexander’s ear.

“…is the woman who will destroy her life.”

After saying that, she entered the bathroom and closed the door.

Outside, Alexander remained standing.

Silent.

But his eyes—

Were filled with cold determination.

---

It was already past eleven at night, but Theariza was still awake. She stood by the large window of their living room, watching the dark street occasionally illuminated by the headlights of passing cars. The entire house was quiet—the only sound was the ticking of the wall clock.

“It’s already too late for my husband to come home… Maybe he’s working overtime?” she whispered to herself. “And Althea… she called around nine earlier. It’s been almost two hours, and she still isn’t here.”

She yawned. Her eyes were already heavy, but she fought against the sleepiness. She didn’t want to fall asleep before the two of them arrived—especially her husband.

A few minutes later, her body finally gave in. She sat down on the sofa and continued waiting there. But before long, she eventually fell asleep, her head resting against the arm of the chair.

Ding dong… Ding dong… Ding ding ding…

The doorbell rang repeatedly.

But Theariza still didn’t wake up.

Outside the gate, Althea stood holding two suitcases. Not far away, Alexander was quietly watching the scene. He quickly drove his car into the garage and repeatedly honked the horn.

BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP!

Theariza suddenly jolted awake.

“Oh no! My husband… he’s here!” she exclaimed in surprise as she looked at the clock. “I fell asleep while waiting…”

She quickly went downstairs to open the gate. Their housekeeper was away, having asked permission to return to the province because her child was graduating from high school.

As soon as she opened the door, Alexander’s angry voice greeted her.

“Why did you take so long? Someone has been waiting outside for quite some time!”

Theariza looked toward the small gate. There she saw Althea—smiling but clearly tired, holding two suitcases.

“Oh no… I’m sorry, bestie…” she said softly.

“It’s okay,” Althea quickly replied, but there was a strange glimmer in her eyes.

“It’s not okay! It’s already late at night!” Alexander added angrily.

“Oh, sir, please don’t be angry with your wife. It’s my fault. I got delayed on the way,” Althea immediately interrupted, seemingly defending Theariza.

“I’m sorry, bestie…” Althea said again as she gently held Theariza’s arm.

But behind Althea’s gentle voice and innocent smile was another story hidden away.

As they walked into the house, Althea and Alexander secretly exchanged glances. It was a quick but meaningful look—a signal that seemed to say they shared a secret that only the two of them knew.

Meanwhile, Theariza was busy carrying one of the suitcases.

“You must be tired. I’ll prepare some food,” she offered sweetly.

“No need,” Alexander replied coldly. “I already ate at the office.”

“And who is she?” Alexander asked, his voice low but clearly filled with irritation and exhaustion. He briefly looked Althea up and down.

“Ah—sorry, I forgot to tell you, honey,” Theariza replied nervously. “She’s the one I told you about… my best friend. Althea. The one I mentioned regarding our plan.”

Alexander fell silent for a moment.

“Our plan?” he asked, emphasizing the words, as though trying to suppress whatever emotion was building inside him.

“Yes… about the baby,” Theariza said softly, her voice filled with hope. “She’s the one who agreed to help us.”

Alexander’s gaze lingered on Althea for a moment. Althea, meanwhile, slightly lowered her head, pretending to be shy.

“Good evening, sir,” she said softly.

Alexander sighed and rubbed his temple, as though his headache had suddenly gotten worse.

“I’m tired. And it’s already late,” he said abruptly, his tone cold. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow. I’m going to bed.”

Theariza’s face fell slightly, but she forced herself to smile.

“O-okay, honey. I’ll just accompany Althea to her room.”

Althea secretly smiled.

“Good, sweetheart. That’s exactly what I want to see,” she whispered.

Alexander also secretly smiled, as though the two of them shared a connection that allowed them to understand exactly what was going through each other’s minds.