Chapter Six

Marcus descended the stairs of his house while fixing his tie. He glanced towards the kitchen, but there was absolutely no sign of his wife. He headed to the kitchen to make sure. However, still no one was there. He then saw something on the fridge door. Marcus walked over to it, and it turned out to be a piece of paper affixed with a horse-shaped magnet.

Hi, Marcus. I'm sorry I left too early. Hehehe, maybe you were disappointed in me last night. I know it was our first night, but last night I was really exhausted and sleepy. Oh yes, you bought that ice cream. Thank you for that. It tastes good, and I finished it this morning. By the way, there's a waffle in the fridge and in the pitcher on the stove. I prepare espresso for your breakfast. I hope you like it. Have a great day ahead and good luck at work!

Daniella

Marcus smiled after reading the letter from his wife. He also observed the brown horse-shaped magnet in his hand. He lets out a laugh. He knew that "Daniella" intentionally chose that ref magnet. But there are two things that again make him wonder.

"Daniella's handwriting is different here. Did she change her handwriting? Or maybe she was just in a good mood today?" Marcus muttered as he took a waffle from the fridge, "And since when did my wife know my favorite food?" he continued, surprised because all this time he had deliberately kept his favorite food secret from "Daniella" because she wanted the woman to take the initiative to get to know him better.

Marcus just finished his breakfast and then headed off to the office.

*****

Day after day, Marcus just lives like that. Almost every day, he couldn't see his wife unless he was about to sleep. "Daniella" always went too early, before he even woke up, and she would always go home ahead of him. When he came home, he found his wife in a state of sleep.

Just like the previous day, this morning, his wife once again went ahead of him. Sometimes Marcus feels that his wife really wants to avoid him for whatever reason. Finally, one day, he intends not to go to work. He feels like he needs to address the issue at hand with his wife.

Hour after hour passed, Marcus purposely stayed at home. And that's when he noticed that his wife has an ongoing painting. That makes him confused because, as far as he knows, Daniella never mentioned to him that she was into painting or drawing. He fell into a deep thought but eventually pulled away after a few seconds because their main door opened.

Marcus immediately looked towards the entrance. "Daniella? Have you come?" he asked.

Deianne, who wasn't expecting that Marcus was already home, got a surprise and swiftly pulled the tie of her hair off.

"How could you be so careless, Deianne? You should never let anything trivial be in the way of you getting caught!" she berated herself.

"Marcus? Why are you home this early?" she asked.

The man approached her instead of answering her question.

 "Marcus? Don't you usually umphhh—" Deianne didn't get a chance to finish what she was about to say because Marcus suddenly kissed her. This time, it wasn't just an ordinary kiss or a peck, but a small kiss on her lower lip. Deianne was gradually losing herself in the man's passionate kiss until she forgot about the role she had to portray.

Without her knowing, Marcus pulled her closer into him and hugged her waist tightly, almost rubbing her sensitive part against hers. And that was when her inner warning system rang. She realized what was going to happen, so she quickly pushed the man away from her.

"Why?" asked Marcus, surprised by Daniella's behavior.

Seeing the man's reaction, Deianne hastily thinks of a reason.

"I-I'm tired..." she said weakly as she moved away from Marcus.

"Wait!! Stop right there." Marcus ordered, "Daniella, what are you really doing? What is this? You seem strange lately. Also, I didn't even know you were interested in painting." He added.

"Painting? Did you do something with it?" Deianne asked. She tried her best not to sound too panicky. In her heart, she was cursing herself for being too stupid. She should have put the painting in a secluded place. Daniella doesn't have any interest in any kind of art.

"I didn't do anything, don't worry. But as far as I know, you don't enjoy art. I remember you mentioned that you are more into stocks and the business side." Marcus said it in a flat but serious tone, or perhaps it sounded like an interrogation tone.

"I-I started to have an interest in it since I saw how it made my twin sister happy." Deianne replied before she went upstairs and left Marcus in the living room, who was still puzzled.

*****

The twinkling lights decorated the city like stars in the night sky. Slightly different from the situation at the residence of Marcus and Deianne. It looked dark there, even though at that time, neither of the two had fallen asleep yet. They were in the same bed, but their backs were facing each other. Every now and then, Deianne moves to correct her position or to find a more comfortable position.

Marcus's cell phone then beeps, a sign that a message has come in. The man grabbed his cellphone with his left hand, which was on his bed table.

From: Executive Max

I apologized to the president. They requested you to attend tonight's meeting. Thank you.

Marcus then took a deep breath. Even when he takes time off, his presence is still needed in meetings. Apparently, there was an incident that happened on the site, and he needed to take care of it. He turned on the lampshade on his side, went to the bathroom, and quickly changed his clothes.

"I wonder where he is going this late?" Deianne thought in surprise.

A few moments later, she heard Marcus open the bathroom door. She quickly closes her eyes and pretends that she's in deep sleep. 

On the other hand, Marcus put on his office clothes and then approached his wife. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Daniella..." He said, shaking Deianne's shoulder lightly to wake her up.

Deianne squirmed softly. "Enghhhh," she moaned and rubbed her eyes as if she had really just woken up. "Why?" she asked.

"I'm going to a meeting. It's urgent and I need to be there now. I'll be back by tomorrow night. Are you okay with me staying a day?" The man asked.

"Of course, company matters are important, so you can." she replied.

They stayed in their position, with Deianne still laying on the bed and Marcus sitting on the edge, and they looked at each other until, out of the blue, Deianne suddenly had the urge to hug Marcus. 

And she did it before she said, "Take care."

"Take care of yourself, too. It won't be long," Marcus answered as he returned the hug from his wife. Somehow, that gives him hope that they can still find a way to work their marriage out. He would still like to believe that his wife is still in an adjustment period.

Marcus then kissed his wife's forehead, and Deianne closed her eyes reflexively. After that, the man proceeded to rub his nose from his spouse's forehead to the tip of her nose before he tilted his head a few degrees. Marcus also wiped the distance between his lips and her lips. The seconds drew closer until their lips met. Crush after crush appeared, and the sound of mixed saliva squeaking filled the quiet room.

He started to think. Well, he once thought, since when the taste of Daniella's lips was different, but to be honest, he preferred his wife's lips now. The lips he was kissing now really made him really addicted.

It was Deianne who broke the kiss. "You're going to be late, go!" she told him as she lowered her head in shame. If only the room was as bright as daylight, maybe a tinge of red would appear on her chubby cheeks.

"Alright," Marcus said, before he rose to his feet and walked towards the door of their room. As he closed the door, he mumbled, "This is just the start. I will do my best to fix whatever barrier you had planted between us and make what we have now work once I come home."

*****