Agreement Behind Her Marriage

Lauren arrived at Drew’s residence with her four-year-old kid a few minutes after he left for his office. Lily was the one who welcomed his friend.

“Hi!” said Lauren.

Lily was a little surprised when Lauren gave her a kiss on her cheeks before introducing the adorable young child. “He is Felix, my son. Baby, kiss your Aunt Lily.”

The boy pouted his lips and moved closer to her. Again, Lily has never gone through anything like this. Even though she had only known Lauren for 48 hours, she felt a sense of familiarity and friendship towards her.

“We are here to pick you up. By the way, how are you?” Lauren asked.

“I’m fine. Come in!” responded Lily. Because she had never had a visitor before in her entire life, she was a little puzzled. She has no friends. How would she keep Lauren entertained as a host of this home? How could she be sure Lauren wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with her?

Lily, she visited you here to make sure you were fine.

“Tsk! Are you sure you’re okay here?” Lauren questioned as she winced and looked at the gym equipment that nearly filled the entire room. “That jerk!” she exclaimed, referring to her husband, “didn’t even bother to fix the place before marrying you!”

Lily offered the kitchen area instead.

“I’m fine. D-do you want coffee or juice?” Lily asked. Being that it was her first day in the house, she was still a little uneasy. No matter how many times Drew said that she already lived there and that it was hers, her body continued to reject it.

“Juice, please.”

She smiled when she saw her son begin to play in the gym.

“Baby, behave, okay?” said Lauren.

“Yes, mommy!”

For her two visitors, she poured beverages while saying, “Sorry about the stuff. The next time you come, I’ll make sure this house is in order.”

Lauren smiled. “I’m sorry if we bothered you; I don’t want to appear gossipy or meddling in your married life. I just want to make sure you and Drew are okay because things didn’t go well at your wedding, and you suddenly disappeared from the gathering.”

Lauren must have been concerned about her, she concluded. “I should be the one to apologize. I really appreciate that you took the time to check on us, but there is no need to be concerned as Drew treated me well all day yesterday. We went out and bought some things for my bedroom.”

“Your bedroom?” It surprised Lauren.

“Ah…” Lily scratched the crook of her neck. Lauren must have been confused as to why she was mentioning a room other than Drew’s. “He gave me time to… you know…”

“That’s great to hear! You won’t like him unless you get to know him. Drew is arrogant and conceited, but he’s a nice guy; just be patient with him.”

She could not bring up that Drew was the one who was quite patient with her. It embarrassed her.

“You said before that he doesn’t trust women,” asked Lily. Does Drew believe in her?

Again, Lauren frowned. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not that he doesn’t trust women; it’s just that his last girlfriend cheated on him, and she accused Drew of assaulting her sexually to get money.”

Lily’s eyes grew wide. When she heard the word “sexual assault,” she felt a little uneasy.

“It happened four years ago. There’s no need to worry because nobody believed Drew would do it. He used the money to quiet his ex-girlfriend in order to spare the Walton Family any embarrassment. The thing is, it’s obvious that’s what she’s aiming for. As a result, accusations about your husband getting a woman pregnant, experiencing sexual harassment at work, and so on, were common. Because Drew had a bad reputation and was therefore an easy target, they were all aiming for him.”

Lily felt a little sorry for her husband. Was that the main reason he preferred to rent a woman rather than be in a relationship?

***Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

At half-past five in the morning, Lily went downstairs, wearing jogging pants and a cotton shirt that she and Lauren purchased the other day. However, she didn’t expect Drew to be ahead of her.

When he saw what she was wearing, he groaned. Perhaps it’s because she seems sluggish and skinnier while wearing her attire. Lauren emphasized repeatedly that she should get a classy workout outfit from Kori’s store. But Lily felt self-conscious about her appearance and thought those expensive clothes wouldn’t flatter her frail frame. Furthermore, she didn’t want to reveal to Drew the horrific scar on her back.

Grabbing her attention, he muttered, “I will be strict with our training, and I want you to follow my rules, Lily.”

Even though they hadn’t begun, it made Lily nervous.

“Get ready! We will run outside.”

She nodded. They left their home and began their running workout. Later, just as they had dashed a few meters away, she already appeared to be running out of breath.

“Faster!” Drew shouted.

Even if her knees were about to give out, she compelled herself to follow. Her legs began to feel numb after a short time. She was sweating and on the verge of losing all the air in her chest. After they finished the tour and returned to the house, Drew organized extra activities for her.

Her body wanted to give up, but she couldn’t complain.

“I am doing this for your sake, Lily,” she recalled him stating. Who was she to say no if he did this for her benefit? She didn’t want to appear inconsequential to her husband.

Drew offered to prepare their breakfast. When it was over, she was handed a large plate filled with various foods. Because he tired her out, and the food appeared tasty, she finished the meal.

***

A day between them became a week, and eventually a whole month. Watching her health is no joke. She wanted to give up numerous times because of how challenging Drew’s demands were. She was, however, more inspired when she realized that Drew had more patience to show her that level of care. He expected nothing in return; all he wanted was for Lily to be healthy.

Until she became accustomed to their morning ritual.

“You may now get ready for school because your class starts in a month,” Drew stated with a smile.

“Thank you!” Lily’s cheeks were red as she responded. The living space is the only part of their home that she hasn’t finished fixing in a month. She had only managed to paint one section of the wall. At first, she was worried, but Drew didn’t scold her about it.

“By the way, I’m on a business trip to Italy next week,” informed Drew.

The spoon came to an abrupt halt in front of Lily’s mouth.

“Do you want me to buy you something?” he added.

“Nothing. I just want you to be safe,” she replied simply, before taking a bite of her food.

And then come back soon, so I won’t miss you too much…

Her cheeks grew hot as his lips parted, not expecting her response.

“Is there a problem?” inquired Lily.

Drew grinned after shaking his head. “You are different, Lily.”

Different in a good or bad way?

Even though she had completely conquered her nervousness and terror for her husband, she had still not yet become accustomed to his attention.

“If I have the opportunity, I would like to take you with me, but your passport and visa are not ready. Please continue your workout training; I’ve only been gone for about a week. Don’t worry, I’ll call a friend to come here and watch over you.”

“I’m fine. I will also be busy fixing this living room,” she replied. She had painted the wall nearly halfway through-they were colorful lilies.

Drew smiled as the direction of his gaze went there. “Surprise me more, Lily.”

Her cheeks once again flushed. She was not going to fail Drew. Their talk was cut short when Drew’s phone, which was sitting next to him, rang.

“Sarah?” said Drew. “Huh? Okay, I’ll check…” Her husband went to the kitchen wall-mounted television and switched it on.

On their television, breaking news showed that a restaurant on a mall corner was on fire. The Waltons owned that mall, which made Lily gasp.

The female television news anchor announced that “Something exploded inside the building and is currently on fire at the Italian Club restaurant branch in the south. The cause and origin of the accident are still being investigated.”

Before he pressed the end button, she overheard Drew say, “Call a lawyer and let him be the one to speak with the owner of the Italian Club.”

“Is everything okay?” Lily asked Drew.

“Everything is great! You don’t have to worry,” he replied. There’s something wrong with his behavior because instead of appearing frightened, Drew’s mood seems to be more enthusiastic. Isn’t his mall on fire?

When Victor appeared on television for an interview, Lily’s eyes grew wide. “While we remain thankful that no staff members got hurt and were present in the restaurant, we will conduct investigations into what transpired.”

“H-he’s the owner of the restaurant that’s on fire?” Lily asked.

“Yes!”

Drew took a drink of coffee. Lily turned her attention to Drew and then to the television. She summoned the guts to ask him, despite her anxiety. “You… are you the one w-who did that?”

Her husband looked at her deeply and then simply answered, “Yes.”

Lily felt uneasy about it. What if Drew got caught? What if he went to jail? What if Victor learned about it and came back for them? What if-

Drew asked, adopting a serious tone, “Aren’t you happy?”

“Should I be happy?”

Drew kept quiet. The thing he did was obviously not funny. Soon, his expression became nasty.

“You’re weak,” he whispered.

“What?” she exclaimed. What she heard made her feel like her chest wanted to explode. Who is he to declare her weak? He does not know what she went through!

“I said you’re weak, Lily! I told you I’m a troublemaker! If this was only the beginning and you’re acting in that way, how about next time?”

Lily’s fist clenched. She approached Drew and then punched him in the chest. She was stunned but also believed there was no going back. “I’m not weak!”

He annoyed, exclaimed, “Tsk! You are! I didn’t even feel your punch!”

“I said I’m not weak!” she cried, yelling, along with the punches she threw at him.

“Harder!” he growled.

She repeatedly struck him hard, causing numbness in her bones. “I hate you!”

Lily sobbed, and then her punches slowed down because what he told her made sense. She was pitiful! She’s pathetic and weak! She cried as if her strength had run out.

Drew tenderly cradled her to his chest before brushing her hair. The pain she experienced subsided slowly. She felt safe inside his arms. Every stroke of his fingers through her hair gave her a sense of security.

“Shhh… I’m sorry.”

“This should be my battle, but I’m too pathetic to fight. I’m afraid you might go to jail because of me, and I don’t want that to happen. What if the investigation shows that you were involved in what happened?” Lily remembered that the people around her, helping her, often got hurt.

“I won’t, Lily. And I didn’t just do it to cause trouble; I did it because…”

She looked up and met his eyes. Her chest pounded because she was so close to him. She had something to say, or perhaps she was rendered wordless by her husband’s gaze, penetrating her.

“I don’t know either,” he mumbled before lowering his face to capture her lips.