Chapter Twenty-three
Hazel
What’s worse than having one bestie who supports you every time, but gives you unhinged advice that can put you in a dangerous position with your fake grumpy husband?
Having two.
Reina isn’t my best friend —even worse, she’s my sister-in-law. Yet, she joins Su-mi in giving me advice that’s against her brother.
I wish I could say that withdrawing forty thousand every week from Rain’s account is my idea, and that I’m enjoying it.
But it isn’t, and I’m not enjoying it.
Tell the truth.
Fine, maybe I enjoy it a tad bit.
I’m curious too.
Curious to hear what Rain will say about me withdrawing a total of one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Curious to see how he’ll react to the changes I’ve made around the house. Curious to whether he’s eating and faring well.
That last part is not me.
After Rain left that day, Angela gave me a few hours to wallow in self pity, before she pulled me down to cook, getting the hint that cooking makes me happy. Again, I’m not grateful for Rain, I’m grateful for the people he gave me.
She then pulled a credit card out of her apron’s pocket and handed it to me saying Rain gave it to her in case —quote, unquote— ‘ Hazel needs anything ’. I don’t know if this is how dramatic men’s moods are, or if it’s my husband who’s underdeveloped. He better be grateful I’ve found an educational podcast for wives on thin threads.
Coincidentally, Reina and Su-mi visited that day and seeing the credit card gave Su-mi this ‘wonderful’ idea of getting Rain’s attention. I refused, knowing executing that idea with Su-mi would get me killed, but Reina and Angela jumped at the idea.
So here I am, a pawn in their game, as Angela withdraws forty thousand dollars into Reina’s account weekly, while the three of them redecorate the house.
I may have given them one or two ideas on what I want removed and added.
Rain is going to be home in less than a week from now —five days to be precise— and I’ve dreamt about his reactions to the things we did. Each one resulted in me falling to my knees in tears, pleading for forgiveness, and pointing his money back at him.
How I can be so scared of a man I call my husband is so beyond me.
Your fake husband.
Even though.
“ Sonnenschein , that much pepper?” (Sunshine)
“It’s not that much. And trust me, I’m a chef.”
“You will be if you send that email.” Angela tuts in disapproval.
So yes, Angela and I have developed a more cordial relationship where she finds me random German nicknames that I have no inkling of their meanings, and she has joined hands with Reina and Su mi to admonish me for still not sending my email to Henri Leclair yet.
I’m just biding time, okay? They don’t get it.
“I’m saying the same,” Su-mi glares at me when I pass her the knife.
“I’ll send it,” I murmur. My chest tightens in shame and I try to comfort myself. I have no excuse other than I’m scared of getting a rejection or another dead-as-night silence.
The bowl of lamb chops is shifted to me by Reina and I pick it up, walking to the sink to rinse.
Reina and Su-mi came over, like they’ve been doing since Rain went on his business trip. After Su-mi got into a fight with a guy and seized his car key the previous week, we decided to have our fun time in the house instead of going out.
The guy had asked for Reina’s number, but she convinced him that she and I were girlfriends. He backed off, but soon returned to propose a threesome. As the situation escalated, he made an attempt to grope Reina, until Su-mi intervened and used her Karate skills on him.
The bar fell silent after seeing the way she handled the guy. I swear she confiscated his car key and mailed it back to his house two days later, along with two adult toys and a note sarcastically suggesting they were gifts for his dream threesome.
Don’t ask me how she found out where he lives.
They’ve been with me all day, and it’s almost time for dinner, so I decide to spoil them with lamb stew, potatoes, and some greens.
Sitting in the chair behind the counter, Reina peels the seasoning cubes for me, while Su-mi chops the cucumber. Angela lingers around because she’s worried I’ll grab another hot pot. She also fears our chatter will distract us from cooking, and we’ll accidentally set the house ablaze.
“Is it weird that I’m so excited for my brother to return home so you can tell me all about his reactions?” Is it weird that I miss him? Even though Rain and I barely talk, his presence in the house gives me some kind of strange reassurance.
“It’s not weird at all. Even I am excited,” Angela chimes in, and I shoot her a wide-eyed glance over my shoulder.
“You too?”
She gives a casual shrug and watches me add the lamb chops to the bubbling stew, the fresh aroma of spices and herbs enveloping me. The whole kitchen heats up and smells like my dream restaurant.
Small but known. Small but home.
Unlike what Rain thinks about the end calculations for my restaurant, I hope it’s not more than a couple of hundred thousand. ‘ Do you have a layout already? How much is the end calculation? Hundred million? Five hundred? A billion? ’ He speaks about money as if it’s nothing but papers to him. I can never get used to it.
“There’s finally going to be real drama. I was beginning to think I’d spend the rest of my life in this boring house. Now you’re here to spice things up.” Angela raises the black pepper on the kitchen counter to drive home her pun.
“So you are pushing me into the lion’s den for some drama?”
“Yes,” she replies curtly, not bothering to hide or sugarcoat her insinuation. “Now, cover that stew before the aroma flies out.”
I listen to her, placing the lid back on the pot. I listen partly because she treats me more like her daughter and takes care of me like the mother I never had, and partly because I have no choice.
I’ve seen the way she talks to Rain himself. He only glares at her for a few minutes, before he eventually does as she asked. She’s so scary in her housekeeping mode and we all just surrender to her, to avoid her wrath.
“Don’t worry, he won’t kill you.” I narrow my eyes on Reina, but she just laughs.
“It’s hard to believe. You haven’t seen your brother in his full form, Reina. He’s a scary mon–” I bite my tongue in caution. No matter what, Rain is still Reina’s older brother and I’ve seen them interact together. They seem like the typical doting older brother and annoying younger sister. It’s wrong to make her see him as anything less.
Sadness contorts my sister-in-law’s face and my cheeks flush from embarrassment.
“Trust me, you’re the one who hasn’t seen Rain for who he really is. I know he’s currently a grumpy devil who doesn’t care about anyone –let’s face it, he’s always been grumpy, but he wasn’t a devil, at least. It’s been like a shield for him ever since his—” Her words hang in the air as Angela draws in air through her teeth and gives a subtle head shake for her to stop.
“Ever since his what?” I pester, but she pastes a smile on her face and ignores my question.
“Angela is right, it isn’t my story to share. But just know that my brother has the biggest heart. Love has been very unfair to him in the past, so he’s grasping for every bit of control he can get now.”
I don’t fully understand what Reina said, but it still sends the same message as his Mom’s sent on our wedding day; something made Rain the way he currently is. How will I find out what it is? A lump forms in my throat. If I find out what makes him so … him, then what? Am I foolishly entertaining the notion that I can fix him? Can I make Rain open up to me?
Angela claps her hands, breaking me from my thoughts. “Okay, lighten up. Nobody died.”
“How is the air suddenly so sad and miserable? I need a drink.” Su-mi points out the tension in the room and leaves for the bar.
The kitchen falls silent once more as we resume our tasks. I peel the potatoes, Reina cuts another green, Su-mi focuses on picking a wine from the bar, and Angela stirs the stew for me. It only needs a little more steam to be properly cooked.
Rustling and footsteps make me look around, but the sound isn’t from the kitchen. The footsteps get louder, indicating that the person is getting closer and we all fix our stare at the doorway to know who the new visitor is. If it were any of the staff, they’d come from their quarters instead of outside.
My heart stills when Rain’s custom cocoa cologne fills the room first, and my pulse almost explodes when he appears.
The shock is evident on all of our faces. Reina’s jaw dropped in surprise, Angela’s eyes widened in shock, Su-mi’s lips twitch in amusement, and my heartbeat race in horror.
What is Rain doing at home five days earlier?
I’ve planned to prep myself for his outbursts after we ate dinner. But here I am, standing in front of him with no idea how to defend myself.
My lips tremble and a whimper rips out from my throat. I clamp my hands in front of me and fight back tears.
I’m so dead.