Chapter 2

AKIRA POV

Tommorow

The next day I woke up early because I plan to cook for Sedrick again, even though I know he won't eat what I cooked like the first time I cooked for him, I will try again maybe then he won't be angry.

Flashback

Akira woke up early that morning with a bright smile on her face. The sunlight that passed through the kitchen window made the room feel warm and peaceful. It had been a long time since she felt this kind of excitement.

Today, she decided to cook for Sedrick.

She tied her hair into a loose ponytail and hummed softly while preparing the ingredients. One by one, she carefully cooked his favorite dishes. She wanted everything to be perfect. The aroma of freshly cooked food slowly filled the kitchen, making her feel proud of her effort.

“Sedrick will like this,” she whispered to herself with a hopeful smile.

After finishing, she arranged the dishes neatly on the dining table. The food looked simple, but every plate carried the effort and love she poured into it. She even placed a glass of water and neatly prepared utensils for him.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of the front door opening.

Her heart immediately beat faster.

“Sedrick!” she called softly as she walked toward the dining area, her eyes shining with excitement. “You’re just in time. I cooked your favorite—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Sedrick suddenly stopped in front of the table. His expression darkened as he looked at the food.

Akira’s smile slowly faded.

“Did you cook this?” he asked coldly.

“Yes,” she answered softly, trying to keep her voice steady. “I just thought maybe we could eat together—”

“I didn’t ask you to do this!” Sedrick suddenly shouted.

Akira flinched at the sharpness of his voice. Her hands trembled slightly as she looked at him in shock.

“I told you to stop acting like my wife!” he continued angrily.

Before Akira could even respond, Sedrick suddenly raised his arm and harshly swept the plates off the table.

The sound of shattering dishes filled the room.

Food scattered across the floor, plates breaking into pieces as the meals she carefully prepared were thrown aside like they meant nothing.

Akira froze.

Her heart felt like it had been crushed along with the broken plates.

“S-Sedrick…” she whispered weakly.

But he didn’t even look at her.

Instead, he grabbed his coat and walked straight toward the door.

“I don’t need this,” he said coldly before leaving the house.

The door slammed shut.

Silence immediately filled the room.

Akira slowly lowered her gaze to the floor. The food she prepared with so much care was now scattered everywhere, mixed with broken glass and porcelain.

Her vision began to blur.

She slowly knelt down, her trembling hands trying to pick up the shattered pieces of the plates.

But the more she looked at the mess, the more her chest tightened.

Tears silently fell from her eyes.

She didn’t even notice them at first.

All she wanted was to make him happy… even just for a moment.

But instead, she only managed to make him angry.

Akira held one of the broken pieces of the plate tightly in her hand as her tears continued to fall.

The kitchen that once felt warm now felt unbearably cold.

And at that moment, Akira finally realized something painful.

No matter how hard she tried… Sedrick would never see her the way she wanted him to.

END

Hopefully this time he would accept the food I prepared. But just to make sure that my efforts wouldn’t go to waste again, I only placed a small portion on the table and used plates that wouldn’t easily break.

“Ma’am, let me do that,” Isla offered.

I paused for a moment, but then I continued what I was doing.

“No, Isla. I’m almost finished anyway,” I said with a small laugh. “Just wash the dishes I used for cooking. When Sedrick wakes up later, we’ll all eat.”

She immediately nodded and followed what I said.

A few minutes later, I finished everything and stepped back to look at the table with satisfaction.

“Kyaah, Ma’am! I can’t wait to taste what you cooked,” Isla said excitedly.

“That’s true, Ma’am. It looks delicious,” Manang added in agreement.

“But Ma’am, why is there only a little on the table? Do you want me to bring out the rest of the food?” Lara asked.

There were only three maids in this house. Daddy hired them so I wouldn’t be alone whenever Sedrick wasn’t around. There were also two male guards outside.

“Ah, no need, Lara. I only prepared a small amount so it won’t go to waste,” I replied with a smile.

“Huh? Why would it go to waste? I’m sure Sir will eat all of that. Just looking at it already makes it tempting,” Lara said with a confused frown.

I was about to answer when we suddenly heard Sedrick’s voice. All of us immediately froze.

“Manang, is there any food?” Sedrick shouted irritably.

Even from afar, I could already see the cold expression on his face.

It didn’t take long before our eyes met. I still forced a smile, but he only looked at me with a cold gaze.

“Sedrick, you should eat now. I cooked your favorite dis—”

“You cooked this?!” Sedrick interrupted sharply.

The smile on my lips disappeared instantly. Even Manang and the others lowered their heads before quietly leaving the living room, leaving the two of us alone.

“Didn’t I tell you that I don’t need your cooking?” he added coldly.

Tears finally began to fall from my eyes.

I thought I could endure the painful words he would say to me. But I was wrong. Every time he said those things, my heart shattered even more.

“Sedrick, I just wanted to—”

He cut me off again and suddenly grabbed my arms tightly.

“S-Sed… you’re hurting me,” I said weakly, trying to pull away.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop cooking for me? I don’t trust you!” he said coldly, ignoring my plea.

“Oh, what? Are you hoping things between us will become okay just because something happened between us?”

I squeezed my eyes shut when I felt his nails digging painfully into my arms.

“I was drunk that night, Akira! And you took advantage of me while I was drunk!” he said angrily before pushing me away.

I fell onto the floor.

“Don’t ever hope that I’ll accept you as my wife, Akira. We will never be together! We’re only husband and wife because of a contract, so stop acting like you’re really my wife!” he said finally.

His words felt like knives stabbing my heart again and again.

How long will you keep being a fool, Akira?

How long will you keep accepting the painful words he throws at you?

Will I only stop loving him when there’s nothing left of me?

“Ma’am Akira!” Isla shouted as she rushed toward me.

“That was too much! Sir didn’t even thank you for all the effort you put in!”

“C

"Akira, stop crying,” Manang said gently. “I’ll just keep the food for when he comes back.”

“Ah, Manang, no need… let’s just eat it,” I said, forcing a smile. “It might spoil if we leave it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Manang. I only wanted to see if he would eat the food I cooked. I’m sure he won’t eat it later anyway… so we might as well eat it ourselves.”

TO BE CONTINUE