“Please, excuse me.” I looked at Kim, then at the man who sat in front of us. “I have something to take care of.”
Kim gazed back at me, and he looked like he was worried at my reaction.
“I’ll walk you to your office,” he said, standing up ahead of me.
“No need. You’re in a meeting.”
“Your need comes first before others," he said, giving me a zipped smile.
“How sweet! I'm surprised that the love six years ago has never waned," said the man in front of us, chuckling afterward, and Kim glared at him.
“You knew about this ever since, did you? Or else, I wouldn’t have invested much In finding the culprit of her misery,” Kim said, bending over so that only him could hear what he said.
“Of course. I’m sorry that you haven’t found any evidence yet.”
“Not yet for now,” Kim already hissed.
The man scoffed and said, “I admire you for not giving up on this.”
“When you find someone that you truly care and love, you will do everything for her sake. You’ll surprise yourself with your patience, perseverance, and willingness to understand.”
A pang of pain hit me all over. Kim lived a kind of life where everybody respected him. His voice had been the rule to many, and his orders were laws to his subordinates. But despite that high status in the society he lived in, Kim was different towards me. He may have scowled at me every time I brought up Zed’s name, but still, what he showed wasn’t the kindness I expected to see in him.
Furthermore, he didn’t use his power and influence to pursue the case against my presumptive marriage, but he based his moves according to my feelings. He even patiently waited for me to recover my memory and held on to it as his hope of getting me back to him.
I didn’t wait for Kim to end his argument with whoever was the man. Instead, I went out and headed directly to the office. Kim followed after a few minutes and found me sitting on the couch. My thoughts kept playing the scenes that bothered me lately, but I never felt as shaky as before in front of a stranger.
“Your hands are still trembling,” Kim commented. He then sat beside me and reached out for my hand.
“Who is that man? I don’t like him.”
“He’s James, my cousin. And also the one Maezy got into relationship with.
I stared at him, dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe he was in Kim's world. Yet I knew that business always goes on despite personal issues.
“Why haven’t you kicked out the man who fooled you and messed up with your wife?”
“I have told you many times already that Maezy is not my wife. And how many times should you insist?”
“But you’re living together in a house as a couple. So the piece of paper is the only thing that doesn’t bind you.”
“And sex, because I also provide for the needs in the house, including his man's. Isn’t it hilarious? I even pay for his tuition, allowance, and expensive dates he has with Maezy. But that, too, has to end soon.”
Silence fell between us until I broke it. I reached out for his hand and hugged him through his side.
“Kim, thank you.”
He rubbed my head and said, “For what?”
“For what you said to that…to James.”
He furrowed his brows for a moment, perhaps thinking what I meant. He then chuckled and lifted my chin when he got the message.
“Then how do you plan to pay me?”
“Isn’t a ‘thank you’ not enough?”
“I’ll tell you how.”
Before I could react, Kim pulled me in for a kiss. He merely pressed his lips over mine, but in the next moment, our moves became aggressive until his hands roamed over my sensitive areas. Then, somehow, my eyes fell on the door, and I saw that it was slightly opened.
I drew away from Kim and tried to recall if I closed the door. Yet, no matter how many times I thought it over, I could still hear in my mind the sound of a closing door.
“What is it?” Kim asked, following the direction of my gaze.
“Someone opened the door. Did you hear a knock?” I said.
“Of course, I didn’t. But if someone did without knocking first, I won’t tolerate it.”
I rolled my eyes. Anything that disrupts a man on fire would surely upset him.
Perhaps finding me funny, he laughed softly and pulled me in for another kiss. But that time, we went down the line again. Like someone deprived of food for a long time, he didn’t go his usual sensual way. But he surprised me by stripping me of my undies right away and went down on me without foreplay.
I laughed about it afterward. Because however, he may have done it, he always did it most sensually. And in a most satisfying way.
“I’ll go check the camera,” he said after fixing himself.
I nodded and also picked up my bag. “Tell me later what you’ll find. I’ll go ahead.”
He paused for a while and stared at me, but eventually, he sighed and turned away before I went out. After hearing what he said to James, I could already feel his struggle to hold me back for himself. But no matter how we got along in so many ways, I could never afford to hurt Zed. Or I could never be ready to tell him the truth.
While I was on my way home, my phone vibrated. I turned it to a speaker mode and right after I accepted the call, I heard Ara’s trembling voice, asking for help.
“Ar, what’s happening?”
What I heard was her sob. “Just please come and pick me up.”
I crossed the distance in just half of my usual travel time. And as soon as I barged into her room, I saw Ara quivering despite the thick sheet she pulled over to her chin.
I touched her face, but I pulled my hand right away. She’s burning in fever and her teeth clashing in severe chill.
“Ar, you’re so sick. Why do you call me only now?”
I tried to call Tim, but it took an eternity before he picked up. But once he did, his cold response shocked me.
“She’s only acting. You may give her something for fever, and that’s all.”
"Don't you have any plan to come and take care of her?"
I called Zed, and he appeared at Ara’s doorstep in three minutes. And when she saw her shivering in bed, she lifted her in his arms right away and even sprinted down the stairs. That was enough to let me see the contrast between Zed and Tim, and how undeserving Tim was for Ara.