13
We sneak out from the bar's back door.
On the way home, Lincoln turns on the car radio, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding mine.
The car stops at a red light, and he gently taps on the leather cover of the steering wheel with his index finger, I turn my head to look at his face, half-illuminated by the streetlights.
The radio is playing an old song, "Loving Strangers," with slow guitar chords followed by a soft female voice.
I shift my gaze to the crosswalk ahead and suddenly feel a bit anxious about what's about to happen.
"Do you want some candy?" Lincoln suddenly asks, turning his head toward me.
He lets go of my hand and takes an orange gummy from his suit pocket, handing it to me. "I took this from the bar counter."
"Thank you." I hold the gummy in my hand.
At the next intersection, Lincoln sees the candy is still in my hand, so he takes a strawberry-flavored one from his pocket again. "I was planning to eat this myself, but you can have it."
His fake sad tone makes me smile. I put both candies into my pocket.
The car soon stops in the underground garage, and we take the elevator back to the apartment.
Sandwich wags his tail to welcome us. Lincoln casually tosses him a chew stick and then lightly pats my butt. "Shall we shower together?"
I discreetly touch the two candies in my pocket, not daring to look directly at him.
He touches my hair. "I'm kidding. You first; I'll wait for you."
I look up at him and nod.
I strip off my clothes and walk into the bathroom, still feeling nervous. I run back to my clothes, quickly unwrap the two candies, stuff them into my mouth, and toss the wrappers into the trash before sitting in the bathtub with puffed cheeks.
Later, I lie naked in bed, waiting for Lincoln under the dim light of the bedside lamp.
Lincoln comes to me in a bathrobe, his half-wet bangs obediently sticking to his forehead.
He really resembles my husband with his high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, but at this moment, I suddenly can't remember what Mateo looks like.
Lincoln props himself up on one elbow, pulling my hand to his cheek with the other, very close to me, our breaths mingling.
My fingertips trace his brow bone and lips.
"I told you I'm much better looking than my brother, right?" Lincoln raises an eyebrow and smiles, suddenly pulling me into his arms.
Everything that follows makes me feel flustered, even though Lincoln, unlike his brother, is a gentleman who treats women with respect.
But when he enters my body, I can't help but cry.
Lincoln freezes, his voice uncertain. "What's wrong?"
I cover my eyes with my hand.
"Are you—" His voice is suddenly incredulous.
I nod.
"Does it hurt?" He pulls it out and holds me gently, patting me softly.
I don't dare to hug him back anymore.
Lincoln gently licks away my tears, then says, "Bear with it; you'll be happy soon, okay?"
We make love from midnight to dawn.
I roll into his arms, exhausted, pretending to be dead.
Lincoln wipes the sweat from my nose and asks tenderly, "Did I please you?"
My face suddenly flushes. I cover my face with a pillow.
Lincoln removes the pillow. "One more question. You and my brother—"
"We didn't do it."
Back when Uncle sent a drunk Mateo to the hotel room and Aunt gave me the room card, I walked in to find Mateo sleeping like the dead on the bed. I stripped off my clothes and slept beside him for the night.
"Even in high school, you didn't—"
"I went to an all-girls school."
Lincoln laughs at my answer. He keeps laughing while I keep my eyes closed.
His laughter rings in my ears until I can't take it anymore. I open my eyes and hit him with a pillow.
Lincoln dodges and then says with a smile, "Ali, do you know how many questions I had prepared in my mind for this moment before today?"
"What questions?"
"For example, who is better in bed? me or my brother? "
"And, if my brother and I fell into a river at the same time, who would you save first?"
"...I wouldn't save either of you." I frown slightly.
Lincoln shakes my shoulders, chuckling. "Save me, Ali. Please save me. I'm your first man."
I hit him again with the pillow.
Lincoln holds me, and I fall asleep in his arms. Occasionally, when I have nightmares, Lincoln turns on the night light and holds my hand in his palm.
Since I was eight, no one had given me a sense of security with constant hugs and kisses.
But Lincoln does. He props his head with one hand and uses the other to smooth my hair. I rub my face against his chest, rest my leg on him, and fall back asleep in his embrace.
The happy days continue.
We make love in every corner of the apartment—the sofa, the bathroom sink, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the dining table, the carpet...
Lincoln gives me the companionship I've long missed. Several times, I almost can't help but say "I love you" just like he does.
But Mateo will always wake up.
Just like at midnight, the ball always ends, and Cinderella always has to return to her shabby attic.
When the first ray of sunlight streams into the bedroom, my phone rings.
It's the butler, telling me my husband has opened his eyes.
After I hang up, Lincoln's phone also rings. The butler is calling him too, sharing the good news.
"I'll go see him first." I get out of bed and give Lincoln a small smile.
Neither of us speaks afterward.
Before leaving, I squat at the entrance and gently pet Sandwich's head. I have a feeling I won't see him for a long time.
Lincoln reaches out and touches my hair.
When I arrive at the hospital, Mateo is sitting up in bed having breakfast. He has lost a lot of weight, his cheeks are sunken, and there is a long scar on his forehead.
"I heard you haven't visited me once these past few days," he says without looking at me.
I look down at the floor, ready with the excuse I had thought of on the way. "I've been very busy with my studies."
"When you graduate, how about I help you start a clothing company? You can have your own brand."
I look up, slightly open-mouthed, unable to believe these words are coming from Mateo.
When we first got married, I would try to find topics to talk about by asking how his day was or if he was busy at work.
He would tell me I was an art student and knew nothing about finance, so I should stop asking.
Then I thought I would share my successes at school with him, but he would either take a work call or flirt with other women.
Eventually, I learned to stay silent in his presence.
Today is the first time he has brought up my field and my future plans.
"You don't have to thank me this way for coming down the mountain to find you," I reply.
After all, if it weren't for Lincoln and his companions, I wouldn't have been able to open the broken car door alone. When the ambulance and police arrived, Mateo would have still been inside.
So the person who saved him wasn't really me.
Suddenly, footsteps sound outside, and a pink figure carrying a Hermès bag rushes in.
"Darling, you're finally awake!" Luna throws herself onto the bed, crying and pulling out tissues to wipe her tears.
She touches her belly as she cries. "Our child almost lost its father!"
I stand aside, like an outsider watching them reunite as a family.
"You're just in time," Mateo says to her, coughing.
"Do you want some water?" Luna asks.
Mateo doesn't answer her question.
"How far along are you?" he asks, looking at her belly.
"Seven weeks."
"That's still early enough for a medical abortion," Mateo pauses, "I'll give you a large sum of money."
"What did you say?" Luna's eyes widen.
"If you want a house, I can arrange that too."
"That's our child!"
"I know."
The tension in the room is palpable.
I don't understand why Mateo wants to terminate the pregnancy. He seems like a completely different person after the car accident, even in his attitude towards the woman he used to spoil.
This shocks me.
I can't help but interrupt their conversation, "I'll go out for a moment."
The breakdown of a relationship is always due to numerous complex factors, both objective and subjective. But I haven't been with them 24/7 and don't know the details of how they got to this point, so I can only give them some time and space.
The room falls silent for a few seconds, and Mateo's gaze suddenly lands on me.
Luna looks at Mateo, then at me, as if she understands something. She points at me with her diamond-studded fingernail and shrieks, "It's you! You seduced my man!"
I find her words rather laughable, considering I'm Mateo's legal wife. But then I think about the nights and days Lincoln and I spent making love behind closed curtains, and I realize I have no moral high ground to judge her.
Just as Luna's gem-encrusted ring grazes my jaw, a large hand suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me back.
I turn my head and see Lincoln has arrived.
The moment Mateo sees Lincoln, his eyes immediately shift into a combat-ready state.
"What are you doing here?" Mateo asks.
"I'm your savior, dear brother. If it weren't for me, you would have bled to death in the mountains. So watch your tone when you talk to me now."
Lincoln crosses his arms and leans against the wall, smiling. "Bro, you're really something, waking up and already having women fighting over you."