7 A Massive Problem

 

Star left the room key and condo keycard on the dining table. This morning, she didn't have to force herself out of bed. She didn't have to force herself to cook terrible food, and she certainly didn't have to force him to eat it anymore.

Her beautiful eyes landed on the bag of Bua Loy dessert sitting ignored in the corner. The petite woman gave a cynical half-smile. She had never even liked it; she only ate it because she thought he did. In truth, she absolutely despised Bua Loy, especially the pungent smell of the ginger syrup.

A strange, hollow ache settled in her chest. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Gathering whatever strength she had left, Star hauled her belongings down from the condo, driving back to her own house to figure out her next steps.

Tham was sitting down, intensely focused on reading through the script for his upcoming project. Since he had skipped out on work yesterday, today was all about paying his dues. The young actor had woken up at the crack of dawn to clear the massive backlog he had created by bailing.

He threw himself into his work with full enthusiasm until mid-morning, finally taking a brief break while waiting for his next scene.

“Tham! We have a huge problem!!!” Bellie, his manager, ran in, panting heavily.

“What is it?” Tham noticed her grim expression as she frantically tapped her phone.

“It’s a disaster.”

“Just spit it out, then.” He hated it when she stammered and danced around the issue.

“Open TikTok right now,” Bellie instructed, her face pale and tense.

Tham opened the app as told. Since he rarely used it, his feed usually didn’t show anything of note.

“I don’t see anything,” he muttered.

“Look at the trending hashtags.”

Tham tapped the search bar. Instantly, he saw his own name sitting firmly at the number one spot on the trending list. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, except for what the hashtag actually said:

#ThamnithiHidesSecretWife_SneaksHerToPrenatalClinic

“What the hell is this!!!” the actor practically shouted.

“Keep your voice down! Just watch the clips first,” Bellie urged. Her expression made it painfully clear that this was not a situation they could easily brush under the rug.

The young star tapped on the video. Although it was filmed from a distance, the man in the clip was unmistakably him. Worse, there were several angles showing him with his arm securely wrapped around the petite woman's waist. Some clips even included perfectly transcribed subtitles of his exact words, clearly showing him loudly claiming to be the father of her unborn child.

Right below the #ThamnithiHidesSecretWife_SneaksHerToPrenatalClinic tag was another one rapidly climbing the ranks: #ThamnithiHomewrecker.

“Is it true, Tham?” Bellie demanded, her eyes narrowing.

“Of course not! We just bumped into each other. If anything, the hashtag should be #ThamnithiGoodSamaritanTakesPregnantWomanToHospital. How did it turn into this mess?” he groaned, entirely baffled. How on earth had a random act of kindness been twisted into a sordid affair?

And he had specifically chosen a highly exclusive VIP hospital to avoid exactly this kind of situation!

“How are we supposed to spin this? Do you at least have her phone number?” Bellie rubbed her temples, a migraine rapidly forming. Tham was the golden boy. He had virtually zero scandals and maintained a pristine public image. This sudden, massive controversy was a PR nightmare.

“How would I have her number? We’re not together! I was practically just a taxi driver who picked her up off the street!” Tham was just as stressed. “Call the hospital! Maybe they can give us her contact info.”

“Are you insane? Hospitals don't just hand out confidential patient records!” Bellie snapped.

“I know you can figure it out. If you can't, then just quit,” Tham shot back sarcastically. He knew he would never actually fire her.

“Ugh! Fine! I'll try!” the manager finally conceded, storming off to perform a miracle.

The actor started scrolling through the comments. He needed to gauge the public's reaction. In several videos, netizens were already dropping heavy hints about the identity of the "mystery woman" in the cream mini-dress.

A sudden pang of guilt and worry hit Tham. She was in the early stages of pregnancy, had just finalized a divorce with her husband, and now she was being thrown to the wolves in a massive public scandal. He genuinely hoped the stress wouldn't take a toll on her health or the baby's.

Yet, looking at the current state of things, it seemed like he was the one taking the biggest hit.

When Parawee woke up, there was no sign of Kajarin. There was no smell of breakfast wafting from the kitchen. It left the young businessman feeling strangely unsettled. He showered and dressed for work, stepping out of the bedroom only to find the bag of Bua Loy still sitting untouched in the same spot.

On the refrigerator, a handwritten note was firmly stuck. He recognized her elegant handwriting instantly. He read the words slowly, taking his time, before glancing around the condo to see what she had left behind.

There were still a few clothes and miscellaneous items scattered about. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with them.

A faint, lingering trace of her signature perfume still hung in the air. He remembered how Kajarin had desperately tried to play the role of the perfect wife. But their tastes and preferences were so fundamentally different that it always ended in explosive arguments.

Silence.

The condo was far too silent.

There was no blaring music. No clattering of pots and pans from her clumsy attempts at cooking. Parawee felt a strange, hollow dropping sensation in his stomach. He had lived with her for three years.

Right, he reasoned with himself. It's just habit. If he had grown accustomed to having her around, he would eventually grow accustomed to her absence.

Parawee brewed himself a cup of coffee and sat down to read the morning news before heading to the office.

The moment he opened the news portal, the very first headline slapped him in the face. It was a massive exposé featuring himself, Kajarin, and that actor.

The tall man nearly choked on his coffee.

Famous Actor Thamnithi Caught Hiding Pregnant Wife!

A few days ago, eagle-eyed netizens spotted the young actor driving a yellow sports car to drop a woman off at a private hospital. Our investigative team has discovered that the mystery woman was there for prenatal care!

But the real shocker? The woman is already married! Does this mean Thamnithi is a homewrecker? Our hearts go out to the famous high-society businessman who caught the cheating pair red-handed!

Parawee's face darkened instantly, his mood turning thunderous.

He was just about to call his secretary to have them shut the story down when his phone rang.

"Wee... I saw the news. Are you okay?" The sweet, gentle voice on the other end asked with genuine concern.

This had to be a massive scandal if even Nicha—who rarely paid attention to gossip columns—was calling him about it.

"I'm fine, Cha. It's nothing. It's not a problem for me," Parawee answered softly, forcing his tone to remain calm and gentle. He didn't want her worrying, so he completely brushed the issue off.

"Okay. I was just worried you might be stressed. I won't bother you anymore, then." Since he assured her it wasn't an issue, Nicha took him at his word. She didn't want to pry and annoy him.

Parawee had thought that once he divorced Star, his life would finally become simple and easy. But he was entirely wrong.

Things were suddenly infinitely more complicated.

He and Kajarin were legally divorced. Technically, it was none of his business anymore. So, should he just sit back and watch it unfold, or did he need to do something about this absolute mess?