Chapter 12 You’re Still My Wife
He climbed the stairs to the bar’s upper floor and glanced around, quickly spotting a table of familiar faces. With a smirk, he walked straight to them and slapped a hand on Michael and Lorenzo’s backs.
“Brothers! Let’s raise a glass to all the weeks you missed me.”
Michael rolled his eyes, leaning back with a glass of whiskey. Lorenzo didn’t bother responding and quietly drank from his glass, the same amber liquid in hand, his posture relaxed, eyes half-lidded.
Larry slid into the seat beside Michael and glanced over at Lorenzo. “Didn’t you get divorced recently? How’s life now? Better? Happier?” He smirked and grabbed a glass of whiskey off the table.
Lorenzo turned to him with a cold stare. “What’s it to you?”
Larry frowned, clearly offended. “What’s it to me?
Seriously? We’ve been friends for years, man.
You didn’t even let us meet your wife—and you were married for two years!
That’s not a small thing. Now she’s your ex, and we still don’t know what she looks like.
” He put his glass down with a thud, leaned in across the table. “Alright. At least show me a photo.”
Michael had met Krystal briefly when he visited Lorenzo at home, but he didn’t mention it—didn’t want Larry losing his mind over it even more.
Lorenzo let out a slow, irritated breath. His jaw tightened. After a beat, he stretched his legs out, slid a hand into his pocket, and pulled out his phone.
He started scrolling through his gallery. Hundreds of her photos were still there.
Krystal loved taking pictures. Whether they were going to a fancy dinner or just picking up snacks, she’d find a reason to capture the moment.
"I want to remember every day of my life," she’d say, laughing.
His thumb hovered over a photo where she was smiling brightly at him, that same look he hadn’t seen in a long time. The ache that surged in his chest caught him off guard.
“What’s taking so long?” Larry reached a hand across. “C’mon, let me see.”
Lorenzo’s hand tightened around the phone.
The thought of Larry—or anyone else—seeing her, seeing that smile, made something cold and territorial coil in his gut. His thumb gently brushed over her face on the screen.
Then, without a word, he locked the phone and slid it back into his pocket.
“I don’t have any,” he said shamelessly.
“Bullshit,” Larry snapped. “You were literally staring at one. You hiding even her photo now? What, is she ugly or something?”
“Shut up and drink your damn whiskey. Stop bothering me.” Lorenzo muttered, grabbing his glass and finishing the rest in one go.
Larry scowled, but didn’t push it further. He slouched back and reached for his own drink.
“What an annoying brat,” he grumbled, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
“We didn’t even get to see the woman that the mighty Lorenzo Moretti lost his virginity to—what was it, in a damn car?
And now you marry someone, divorce her, and still won’t show us her face?
Can you at least let us meet the next one you marry, for God’s sake? ”
Lorenzo set his glass down on the armrest and muttered, “I might never marry again.”
“What?” Larry nearly choked. “Are you serious? Come on. What kind of woman did you divorce that made you give up on marriage entirely?”
Under the table, Michael kicked Larry in the shin and leaned closer, speaking low. “Shut it,” he muttered. “If you get him angry, I’m not saving you when he punches your teeth in.”
Larry kicked him back with a glare. “Anyway, speaking of marriage,” he said, turning back to Lorenzo, “I think I might be getting married soon.”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “You’re dating someone?”
Larry shook his head, dreamy. “Nah. But I just had a love-at-first-sight moment. Right out there, in the parking lot.”
He let out a lovesick sigh and leaned back on the couch, gazing at the ceiling like the woman’s face was still floating above him.
“She was gorgeous,” he whispered. “No joke, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m telling you—she’s the one. My soulmate. I’d go to war for her. Even now, my heart’s still racing.”
Lorenzo and Michael exchanged a glance and started laughing under their breath.
Larry opened his eyes and glared at them. “Hey, I’m serious. Don’t laugh at me. I’m telling you, you haven’t seen her. If you did, you’d agree.”
“You fall for someone every other week,” Michael said, barely holding in a laugh.
“I get crushes, yeah,” Larry admitted. “But this was different. This was real love. I swear.”
He downed another drink like it was water, shaking his head as if to clear it.
Lorenzo and Michael chuckled again.
Lorenzo raised his glass for another sip, but paused as his eyes scanned the bar and suddenly, his entire body went still.
He straightened immediately, his eyes locking onto a familiar figure entering the bar. Krystal—wearing a slip dress that hugged her curves just right, one shoulder exposed with the fabric slipping off delicately, and her hair cascading down her back.
She never wore revealing clothes like this before. Always covered up, cautious. Seeing her like this caught him off guard. But she didn’t glance his way. She walked confidently over to a couch a few tables away from his.
Lorenzo’s sharp gaze followed her every step. Larry and Michael caught on, turning their heads to see what had caught Lorenzo’s full attention.
Larry straightened on the couch, nudging Michael’s shoulder and nodding toward Krystal, eyes bright. “Looks like God’s on my side this time,” Larry said, grinning. “That’s the girl. The one from the parking lot. She’s the one I’m gonna marry!”
Lorenzo’s eyes snapped to Larry and darkened. His hand clenched around his whiskey glass so tightly his knuckles whitened. Larry, oblivious to the sharp glare, kept talking eagerly.
“So... should I go over and try to win her? You think she’ll say yes?”
Lorenzo, already simmering, answered icily, “You can try.”
Larry shot up, already moving toward Krystal with that eager grin. Michael almost winced. Lorenzo’s ‘you can try’ was like a warning from the depths of hell.
“Dude, sit the hell down!” Michael hissed, having already recognized Krystal.”
But Larry was already straightening his jacket and walking confidently over to her.
As he reached her table, Krystal turned her face toward him.
“Hey, beautiful. Remember me?” Larry grinned, leaning casually on the table with his hip. “We met in the parking lot.”
Krystal turned her chair fully to face him, a slight smile playing at the corner of her lips. She nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
Larry’s grin widened. “Now we’ve met twice. That’s gotta be fate, right? I’ve never met anyone twice in one day. You must be something special. How about we follow each other on Instagram?”
Krystal’s smile didn’t fade, almost teasing. “Wanna be friends? I have to ask my boyfriend first.”
Larry’s face fell, the smile dying instantly, replaced by a sudden disappointment.
“Weren’t you saying in the car you are happy being single?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
“I was… until two minutes ago,” she said sweetly. “We just made up.”
Before Larry could say anything else, Damion appeared behind him and slid onto the couch next to Krystal. Having overheard the conversation, he looked at Larry coolly.
“Sorry, I don’t like my girlfriend adding strangers to her friend list.”
Krystal sighed with relief, still smiling.
“Ah... nice,” Larry said, forcing a dry laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. Devastated, he muttered, “Yeah... uh, have fun.” Then he turned and shuffled back to his table.
Damion smirked at Krystal. “Had fun turning guys down while waiting for me?
Krystal rolled her eyes, muttering, “Don’t ask.”
Just then, a waiter brought cocktails and whiskey. As they started drinking, Damion told her about Esther’s sudden seizures at the hospital.
Finally, Krystal nodded.
“I want to be a doctor at your hospital for a few weeks.”
“That’s great news,” Damion said immediately, fingers curling around his whiskey glass as he took a sip. “You coming to Bristen is probably the best thing the hospital will experience this year. Your work’s phenomenal.”
Krystal smiled at the compliment.
Damion sipped his whiskey and asked, “But why Bristen? You seem to be doing pretty well on your own.”
She hesitated, then answered, “Because Esther’s here. She’s connected to something that happened to me two years ago. I want to find out more.”
Damion nodded in understanding, offering his hand with a warm smile. “Welcome to Bristen. You can join anytime you want.”
She smiled back, leaning into her chair and sipping her cocktail.
At the other table, a defeated Larry slumped back on the couch, head down, heavy sighs escaping him like punches to his chest.
Lorenzo had watched him closely from across the room, observing every step Larry took toward Krystal, every second he returned without her.
After a deep breath, Larry looked up, voice thick with sadness, “She rejected me.”
Lorenzo’s lips curved into a slow, satisfied smirk as he leaned back, a deep breath releasing the tension. He raised his whiskey glass to his lips, savoring the sip.
‘I knew it,’ he thought, pride simmering beneath the surface. ‘I’m still in her heart. How could she connect with anyone else?”
Michael, on the other hand, snickered loudly.
Lorenzo, feigning innocence, asked with a calm drawl, “Why? What happened?”
Larry lifted his eyes to meet Lorenzo’s, his voice slow and flat. “She’s taken. She has a boyfriend.”
Lorenzo’s body, which had been relaxed just moments ago, shot upright on the couch. His calm, unreadable eyes instantly turned sharp and stormy.
His voice dropped, tight with disbelief. “She said that herself? That she has a boyfriend?”
Larry gave a slow nod, his expression gloomy. “Yeah, she said it herself. She was talking to me, and the guy showed up. They looked… close. Real close.”