Chapter Twenty-one
Hazel
Rain sat for breakfast in the morning.
I’m not sure if the reason is related to our little moment in the home theatre last night, but I’m embarrassed to say that after he left for work, Angela and I squealed in the kitchen like little girls who got Barbie doll houses for Christmas.
Rain does have the power to ruffle everyone up, because there’s a visible positive shift of energy in the house.
Last night was surprising, and while I hope we can do it again sometime, I doubt it. Rain’s moods shift faster than a pregnant woman, so it’s hard to predict him or his actions.
I was happy enough to grab my bag and insist on going to work. Su-mi was shocked to see me and she gave me an earful as to why I didn’t rest. I had to remind her that it’s nothing but a small burn. The pain has reduced, plus Angela made sure I took pain relief.
During our lunch break, Su-mi pulls me to the corner table, pointing a sippy cup of Iced Americano at me. I take a sip of the chilled coffee and belch, scrunching up my face at the bitter taste. “I still don’t know how you drink these, but thank you, I’ll pass.”
Su-mi laughs and takes the cup from me, staring me down with fake anger. “Don’t shame me for what I truly enjoy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I check the registry.” Her voice drops low as she swiftly changes the discussion without prior warning, and my heart skips a beat as I wait for her to continue. I’ve been on edge waiting for the result, and it’s even more disturbing that the suspect is not at work today.
“And?” I lift a brow in hope. I can’t tell if I want him to be on it, or not, I only want an answer.
Su-mi locks her eyes on mine and shakes her head. “He’s not on it, Hazel.”
I feel a wave of relief that’s followed by a pang of guilt. “Are you sure you checked um … everything?”
“I did. I checked all the databases.”
“I can’t believe I misjudged him when he’s just a shy boy like you said.”
“I didn’t ‘say’ it, I guessed it. But yeah, I guess he’s a shy boy that just likes you but doesn’t know how to express it, other than stare.”
I nod sadly, my thoughts wandering to how hard his life must have been all because he’s an anxious boy who counts his words.
“You’re starting to beat yourself up over it, aren’t you?” She sighs at my silence. “You haven’t done anything wrong. God forbid a woman feels unsafe and wants to check things to be sure? You’re just looking out for yourself, and I’m even proud of you for noticing that something about him is different from the other men you’ve met.”
I smile and nod, grateful to her for validating my feelings.
“Speaking of other men, how’s that husband of yours?”
A blush creeps on my face at the mention of him, memories of the home theatre and this morning flooding my brain. Nothing romantic of the sort happened between us, and while I wasn’t expecting any, I now have hope that since we sat together and both made it out alive, then we can be close acquaintances, if not friends.
“Going good, I can tell.” Su-mi laughs, and I join her, preferring that to talking about why my face is flustered.
I see Rain’s car parked in the garage when I get home, and I raise my brows. Why is Rain home in the afternoon? Is he sick?
My feet are wobbly when I make my way into the house. I hear silent arguments—mostly Angela’s voice—as I walk through the foyer, but it stops when I enter.
Angela smiles at me as she walks over to welcome me, but even a blind person can tell it’s a forced one. I have no idea what’s going on, but the air is tense, and fear soon starts to grip me.
What is going on?
“Welcome back home, Mrs Dacosta.”
“Thank you.” Even after Angela called my name, Rain still didn’t lift his head from his phone. I walk over to him. “Hi. You’re home early today.”
“Yes, he is.” Angela cuts through air with her hard-as-stone voice. I turn to her briefly before returning my attention to Rain.
I frown at how he keeps ignoring me, but I decide to keep my anger at bay.
Don’t kill him yet. Give him one last chance.
“Is something wrong at work?”
“No,” Rain replies. Instead of a detailed explanation, he pockets his phone and looks at me with the steely gaze I’ve come to recognize, while I brace myself for the jerk-version of him. “I’m going on a business trip to Philadelphia for a month.”
My heart tightens against my chest. From the corner of my eyes, I see Angela shake her head and purse her lips in disapproval.
Going on a trip to Philadelphia? Then what about me? Do I really not matter a tad to him at all? I know he said it’s just a business deal, but do my feelings not exist in the contract?
“What?” My voice involuntarily dips.
He has the nerve to repeat it. “I’m going on a one month business trip to…”
“No,” I say before I can stop myself. Angela gives a muffled sound that I can’t quite make out at the moment through the anger screaming in my ears.
Rain lifts his eyebrow and gives me that stupid dry look of his. That stupid look that loudly says ‘no?’, that stupid stupid look that screams ‘are you going to tell me what to do?’
Well news flash, Rain Dacosta. Today, I’m going to tell you what to do.
“No, you’re not going anywhere. Are you a child? Can you not communicate like a normal person? Please, even children communicate. Animals communicate. How do you pack your bags today and proceed to go on a trip without telling me? Without telling anybody! I thought we’re past this now. I thought we–”
I thought we had a moment last night when we talked in the home theatre. I thought we were friends when you sat to eat the breakfast I prepared. I thought you’re human now. I want to scream at him.
“I’m telling you now,” Rain growls. “I don’t owe you any explanation.”
I cannot pinpoint where the confidence is coming from, but I know for a fact where it’s taking me.
You still have time to shut up and apologize.
I’ve started, might as well just finish it.
Rip the Band-Aid off.
I take a step closer to him and raise my chin up. “I demand respect from you. If you still want to do this … whatever this is between us, you’ll treat me with nothing but respect. You have to get married for real one day, learn! You suck at being a husband.”
Amusement —and something mixed with admiration?— dances in his eyes and he takes another step closer, invading my nose with cocoa and spice, making us so close that I almost fall on my knees and apologize for being stupid.
Except, I’m not the one being stupid.
“Stop me.”
Shit.
Is this a bad time to say that his ‘stop me’ is sexy?
Yes, it is. Stop being a whore, we hate him.
We hate him? I mean yes, we do.
I force a smirk and tilt my head to the entrance that leads to the servants quarter. “Frank,” I call on our butler who comes in almost immediately as though he has been lurking around.
“Yes, Mrs Dacosta.”
“Return my husband’s bags to his room. His trip is canceled.”
Hardness contours Rain’s face and I bite my tongue, looking everywhere but him. It’s the first time I’m calling him ‘my husband’ to his face.
“You want me to lose a forty million dollar deal for you? Okay then.” He ignores my widened eyes and faces our butler. “You heard my wife , Frank. Return the bags upstairs.”
“No wait,” I mumble incoherently. Forty million?
“Keep walking!” Rain orders Frank. “It’s just forty million, right? Surely I can survive without it. I mean, I have so much money already, I should be able to miss Forty. Million. Dollars because my wife wants me to stay at home and do … what?”
A frown falls on my face and anger grips my heart. “Why are you trying to make me feel guilty?”
“Because you should be guilty. I don’t remember which part of my rules included you telling me where and when to go out of my own house.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” I snap. How dare he twist my words and make me the bad guy? “I asked you for respect. How hard can it be to tell me beforehand that you’ll be going on a trip? It’s the least you can do. Why are you such a horrible human being?”
Angela lets out a small cough, reminding us that she’s still there. “The fish is knocking.” She scrams out of the living room before I can make sense of her sentence.
Embarrassment should clutch me. I don’t think I’ve ever shouted at someone in front of other people before. I don’t even think I’ve ever fought with an opposite gender, but I’m too mad to care. Especially since Rain still looks at me like I’m not making sense. He still doesn’t understand how wrong he is.
Why is he still so calm? Why isn’t he apologizing? And why am I even expecting an apology from him?
“I don’t want to fight with you.” He breathes out as if I’ve exhausted him.
“ I want to fight with you. Fight with me. Stop acting like a spoiled child. Fight! I’m someone’s precious daughter too, you can’t just treat me anyhow.”
He scoffs. “Okay, Principessa . ”
Principessa ? Dat all him have fi say? I don’t need a translator to tell me it means Princess. Did he just mock me because I said I was someone’s precious daughter?
“You … you should be grateful for the kind of father you have. He loves you so much you have no idea. No one would ever marry you unless you’re offering something in return. Quit that, no one would even date you otherwise.”
Something sparks in Rain’s eyes and he recoils as if I physically slapped him. It’s a slight movement, but it doesn’t pass my eyes because my attention is solely on him.
How did the conversation escalate so quickly? I just wanted him to know that he should have told me about his trip. As his wife. Don’t I deserve that?
He smooths his suit, breaking eye contact with me. “Thank you, Sherlock. Your astute observation is noted.”
Frank returns after dropping the bags in Rain’s room. The latter fixes his cufflinks and orders the poor man again. “Put my bags in the car.”
Our butler returns into his boss’s room without an argument or a crease on his perfectly stoic face and I take it they’re all used to his psychopathic behavior.
It happens so fast.
Frank deposits Rain’s bags into the car while we both stand in the middle of the large sitting room. Me, staring at him and hoping he doesn’t leave. He, completely ignoring me because I don’t matter to him.
“It’s all in, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Frank dismisses himself and disappears into the lobby.
Rain takes a step and I subconsciously walk in front of him, my heart constricting. “Don’t go.” Just when I think I see Rain’s expression soften, it vanishes when I blink.
He dodges me and walks past somewhere else. He’s only halfway through the door when my voice stops him again. “If … if you go, I’ll–” I struggle to find the right threat. “If you go, I won’t be accountable for my actions.”
After what seems like an hour, though it’s just a few seconds, my husband opens the door and leaves.
I stand all alone in the sitting room, eyes stinging, lips wobbling. I don’t know why I feel so betrayed. Maybe it’s because I count too much into the little actions he does, and I end up being reminded that it’s just a transaction. Or maybe it’s because despite it being business, I still see it as a marriage, and I believe in its sanctity. In our case, we’re not bound by love, but we should be, by respect.
My fingers curl tightly around the strap of my purse, and I take a deep breath, the sound of my breath echoing in my ears. I don’t know how long I stood alone until Angela walks back in, a sorry look on her face.
“Mrs Dacosta–”
“I’m okay.” I rush into my room, wishing nothing more than to eat and sleep my shame and anger away.