I could never understand why everyone was so attached to Liara that they always prayed for her happiness. When Ms. Davis made her way toward me, I wondered whether I looked that bad, but she never stopped praising me for my looks. Occasionally, I took a glance at Liara and saw her minding her own business.

"Whether or not you like me, your family loves me," I said after I walked toward her. "You have plenty of people in the room to irritate. Why bother irritating me when I'm busy?" She asked as she flipped the pages of the accounts book of the orphanage. Her and her business mind.

"Irritating you is fun," I admitted. She remained silent the entire ride to the orphanage and did not interact with any child that came to her. It was as if she had something else in her mind and wanted to distract herself very badly.

"Will you please leave me alone? I'm working here." She snapped without even looking at me. "This is not the way to talk to your husband, princess." I heard Dima as she entered the office. Liara stood up and held the books close to her chest. She expects up on her nose. She glared at me and walked out of the room, not bothering to talk to Dima either.

"I can't imagine the pain she is going through. Today is the toughest day of her life." Dima said, wiping the tears.

"You shouldn't have raised your voice at her." I pointed out as I was habituated by her behavior.

"She shouldn't have talked to you like that," Dima retorted, and I zipped my mouth, as arguing with her would be no good.

"I wish the day would end quicker," I admitted. I felt a strange heaviness in my heart the moment I knew what day it was. Normally I don't get affected but the pain she went through, the hardships she faced, it all flashed in front of me as I was part of it. If just knowing her, I felt like this, then I just can't imagine how painful it would have been for her.

I threw people away and tortured them. Killed people for my benefit and would do it anytime in a heartbeat but, my heart fluttered every time I saw her sad. An unimaginable pain, as if I could relate to her, surfaced in my mind. When I thought I went through so much and blamed nature for it, watching her fight every day, every second, made me wonder how she was even surviving.

"I think I should go check on her," I suggested. Leaving her alone was good, but if someone was left alone for a long time, they become distant from the world. Liara has distanced herself from the world and until I was in her life, I thought to make sure to never leave her alone.

"Please take good care of her." Yeah, this must be the hundredth time I heard anyone say. Has she been through so much? Has her rudeness been the reason behind her suffering? Of course, she made a wall to stop someone from hurting her like she already was hurt badly.

"I will, Dima," I said, wondering if I was the right guy to do that? I already made her suffer twice. It would be better if we ended our contract.

"I'm so glad that she chose you to live with her entire life." Dima, you don't even know how unsafe she was with me. I thought to myself and smiled at her. Shaking my head, I walked towards the corridor, searching for her.

Taking a turn towards the backyard, I covered my eyes due to the sharp sun rays in the mid-afternoon. The backyard was full of flowers and had a serene view. A peaceful environment for kids to play. Thinking about kids, Lilly's face flashed in the back of my mind. She would have loved this place had Liara not sent her to join a school.

"Liara," I called for her but did not see her anywhere. Walking a little further, I saw a small pond surrounded by barricades. The lotus blooming in the middle of the pond and the barricades, beautifully painted with contrasting colors gave the area a very attractive view.

"This feels peaceful," I murmured as the land next to the orphanage was empty so that the sundown looked immensely beautiful.

"Ah no." I heard a voice followed by another voice. I was sure I knew who that was. My legs involuntarily moved towards the sound. Slowly, I pave my path toward the other side of the pond. I heard her giggle again and picked up my speed.

"You have to paint it blue." I heard her say. There was a kind of pleasure in her voice, different from the tone she used before.

"Liara." I blurted as I saw her sitting on Anthony's shoulder and painting the tree close to the fences.

"Yeah," she said, not bothering to look at me. Watching her like that, my blood boiled and Anthony slowly brought her down.

"What is it?" She asked, still focusing on the painting.

"What were you doing?" I asked as I felt as if a thousand ants were biting me in every corner of my body. I glared at Anthony, but he avoided me, too.

"I'm painting the fences." She said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and attached paint to her face in this process.

"Why did you do that? We could call someone to-"

"She likes to do a few things of her own." Anthony butted in, cutting me from speaking about anything else.

"I'm talking to my wife," I said through gritted teeth and closed my palm into a fist. His audacity to be so close to my wife and pretend that it's alright.

"And he is the closest person to me. So he knows me better." Liara said, not bothering to look at me.

"It's sunny outside. You need rest." I said changing the topic as arguing with her was a complete waste of time and energy. On the other hand, Julie kept on calling me continuously, so after finishing this up, I had to go check on her.

"He is right. You are still healing and have been painting the fences for a long time now. You should take some rest." Anthony suggested and Liara just like that threw the brushes at him and walked towards the hall.

"Can you walk with me for once?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

'' I don't need to." She said and walked away with the paint sticking all over her body.

"But you have to,'' I said as I saw Anthony making his way towards us. I held her hand and brought her near my body. "You are still healing. You shouldn't move a lot." I said, justifying my behavior. I watched her face for any reaction but found none. A sheen of pink formed on her cheeks because of standing on a sunny day for a long time. Sweat trickled down from her forehead to her collar. Her hair was in a messed-up bun.

"As if you care. Stop this act." She suddenly pushed me away, maintaining a gap between us. I nodded at her and felt maybe she was uncomfortable with us being so close.

"I care. So does Dima." I said when I saw Dima waving at us from the other end of the hallway.

"Don't bring her in between conversations. You have no right to." She glared at me and sped up walking towards Dima. I sighed as she behaved way too strangely today compared to yesterday when she suggested I come out.

"What a mysterious woman." I shook my head as I saw her face brightening as soon as Dima touched her face and wiped off the paint. She looked like a child getting pampered by their parents.

"She is mysterious to those who aren't worthy of her." I heard Anthony as he stood by my side. My head whipped in his direction and saw a pleasant expression on his face. When I followed his line of sight, I saw him looking affectionately at Liara.

"I love it when my wife is mysterious. It increases the chances of romance in married life." I replied, shoving my fist inside my pocket. I grew angry as I saw the affection in his eyes. They say they have been friends since childhood and watch his behavior. I felt it may be more than that.

As if not caring about what I just said, he made his way toward the ladies. I hurried behind him, as I felt weirdly angry whenever I found him close to her.

"Are you guys done? We need to leave. You have made them wait for too long." Anthony said, glaring at Liara. She shrugged her shoulders as if she was innocent.

"They? Who?" I asked, curious about their secrets.

"Some friends," Liara said and focused her attention on Anthony and started bickering with him. I swear I could have landed a few punches on him, as he was acting way too cooler than usual.

"Why don't you take Zearo with you if you are going to meet your friends?" I heard Dima suddenly cutting them.

"What?" I and Liara exclaimed at the same time.

"You said you were going to meet your friends. Introduce your husband to them." Dima repeated.

"I have somewhere else to go, Dima." I rushed too fast, refuting Dima's suggestion.

"I'm going to discuss business with them, Dima." Liara butted in.

"Let him see your office. He mustn't have seen it." Dima said. I raised my eyebrow as I saw her office and which office was she referring to?

"I've been to SAMS before, Dima," I said, furrowing my brows.

"No, not that one. She has another office near the club you work in." Anthony explained.

"You do?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah?" she shot back, and I shrugged my shoulders as I should have expected that. Such a successful woman would have over one office.

"Well, then I don't mind joining you. Only if you don't get disturbed." I raised my hands as I surrendered letting her know it was Dima who suggested it.

"It's decided then! Anthony will take me home and join you both later. You guys can go." Dima said and smiled at me, showing thumbs up. I looked at her astonished by her behavior and Liara saw that too. Through my peripheral vision, I saw her closing her eyes in frustration and giving a tight-lipped smile to Dima.

Walking out of the orphanage, I asked, "If you don't like it, just drop me at my house. I haven't been to my house for a day." Thinking that Julie would wait for me or more so she might be tense about the situation she was in.

"Forget it. She will ask my employees over there if you have arrived or not," Liara said, waving her hand, dismissing my proposal.

"I'd maintain low key then," I suggested, and she remained silent.

Drive to the office was in pin-drop silence. Liara focused on the road as if life depended on it, but I was sure that's not the reason. She never let me drive her Lykan, and in this injured state, she drove everywhere herself.

"If you are in pain, then let me drive," I suggested as I saw her furrowed eyebrows and her biting her lips.

"I'm good." She cut me short and took a sudden left turn towards a vast building. I've seen this building before but never knew that she owned it.

"This is right in front of Shimmers," I whispered as I saw the bar just a mere distance away from the building.

"Hm." She nodded and parked the car in the main door, handing keys to the watchman.

"Do you own the entire building?" I asked curiously, as the building was huge and everything looked so luxurious.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" She asked as she selected the top floor number in the elevator. Reading her expression, I was sure that something was bothering her.

"You've got to tell me what's exactly bothering you for me to figure out the solution," I said.

"What did you think?" She asked. I looked at her, confused, as she took a deep breath and spoke again.,"I suggested something yesterday. What did you decide?"

"I've yet to think about it," I said as I couldn't find time to think about it thoroughly.

"We have little time left." She said, and I looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" I asked, and the elevator signaled we had reached our destination.

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