âYouâre doing this only because you donât love her as much as you think you do. Youâre simply acting in your own best interest and choosing power over her, you hypocrite.â
Our negotiation ended on a sour note because I splashed a glass of wine on his face.
The prenuptial agreement and fake marriage may seem like a good idea to others, but to me, it only illustrated that it was in his best interest to compromise. In my opinion, married men would flirt around only when their love for their partners wasnât deep enough.
They wanted control over everything; they wanted power and love. However, one could not sell the cow and drink the milk. Had I done the same thing, I would be no different from these people.
I couldnât accept it. I truly love Christopher and was willing to give up everything for his sake. Why would I want to throw away my most precious treasure for material things especially when I already had so few things to begin with?
I truly believed that Christopher and I were on the same page. He gave up so much for me back then. We would have split up a long time ago if we didnât put so much effort into our relationship. Accepting Tobeyâs terms would be humiliating Christopher and belittling our love.
I returned to our home, opened the door, and was about to clean up the house when Christopher suddenly walked over and pulled me into his arms.
âWhat happened?â I asked worriedly as I stared at the thunderous look on his face.
âWhere did you go? I tried calling you multiple times but you didnât pick up. I went to the Goldsteins to look for you but they said you left yesterday. Iâve been really worried about you ever since you failed to come home last night.â Christopher tightened his embrace and scolded. âYou should have told me you were going out. Donât make me worry.â
I took out my phone from my bag and noticed it was turned off. âIâm sorry, I didnât know that my phone battery died. Donât be mad,â I said innocently.
âThen tell me where you went last night.â Christopher harrumphed. âIâll be really mad if you lie to me.â
âGosh, youâre not suspecting that I cheated on you, are you?â
I shrugged nonchalantly and smiled. I then stood up, pecked him on the cheek, and dragged him over to a mirror. I pointed at the mirror and said, âLook at this rich, handsome man with broad shoulders and long, slender legs. He is good in bed and is my idol. I would have to find someone as good as he if I wanted to cheat, wouldnât I? I couldnât be interested in anyone inferior to him.â
âYou have good taste. Remember to tell me where you are going next time.â Christopher broke into a smile after hearing me out. He let me off. âAt least inform Sabrina where you are going next time. I was really worried about you.â
âIâm not a child anymore.â I pouted. I wasnât upset; I was simply being coquettish. I was elated to know that Christopher cared so much about me. After giving it some thought, I decided to tell him about Tobey while withholding parts of the conversation that would hurt him. I simply told him about Tobeyâs plan and the girl he loved. I made myself clear by repeating the latter point in case he became jealous once again.
âDuh, why should my wife marry someone else and keep our relationship secret? Are you kidding me? Whatâs there to hide?â Christopher lifted his chin snobbishly and pointed at his reflection in the mirror. âThis man here is an idol. And as an idol, I will never compromise.â
After some dilly-dallying, we headed over to the kitchen to prepare lunch. I really enjoyed being with him and just doing the little things together with him. I felt the sweetest love in our ordinary, everyday lives.
I flipped through my calendar after washing my hands and suddenly realized that today wasnât just an ordinary day. I fell silent.
âWhat special day is it?â Christopher glanced at my calendar. I had specially put a marking on todayâs date in case I forgot.
âToday is Lyleâs birthday. Sharon used to insist that we head to her place to visit her on this day every year.â