Chapter 4 — Don’t you miss me?

Without saying another word to Dallas, Mira ended the call. She looked both panicked and thrilled because she had seen Matteo's fingers move, even if only once. Quickly, she ran out of the room to inform the nurse. A nurse and a doctor came to Matteo's room and examined him.

Mira, waiting outside, couldn't stop praying for signs of her husband's recovery. But God still hadn't answered her prayers. The doctor came out and told her it was just a normal hand movement, not necessarily an indication of improvement.

“So, my husband’s condition is still the same, Doctor?” Mira asked for confirmation.

“Yes, Mrs. Mira, your husband is still in a coma.”

Mira let out a long sigh. She thought Matteo had shown some improvement, but her hope was dashed. She couldn't dwell on her sadness for too long, though, as Dallas kept calling her. Reluctantly, Mira answered.

“Hey, my love, sorry I had to hang up earlier. My husband had an issue,” Mira explained to Dallas, hoping he would understand. But he didn't. Dallas was angry and clearly jealous. Mira closed her eyes, trying to think of a way to calm him down.

“You should have said a sweet goodbye to me, but instead, you—”

“Hope you have a safe trip. Enjoy your time with her, but don’t forget to come back to me,” Mira said softly, trying to sound sweet despite her true feelings. Her effort seemed to work as Dallas softened a bit.

“I’ll be back,” he replied before hanging up. Mira then returned to Matteo's room. She planned to stay with her husband for the next few days, feeling happy to finally have more time to care for him as a wife should.

She hoped that spending more time with Matteo would encourage his recovery. Mira held Matteo’s hand, the one that had moved earlier, and massaged his cold fingers, hoping they would move again. But hope remained just hope; her husband didn’t wake up simply because she spent more time with him.

As night fell, Mira would typically have a romantic dinner with Dallas, but tonight she didn’t even feel hungry. Suddenly, she felt full and not at all thirsty, despite not having eaten or drunk anything since arriving at the hospital. This continued until morning when she chose to sleep while holding Matteo’s hand.

Mira woke up when a nurse entered the room for the routine morning check-up. She asked about Matteo’s condition, and the nurse said his condition was unchanged, but his blood pressure was more stable. Mira smiled with relief.

“That’s because I’m here, darling. We slept together,” she said, stroking Matteo’s forehead. “I’ll make sure to always be here for you at night,” she added. Mira was determined to spend more time with Matteo, but she knew Dallas wouldn’t allow it. As always, Dallas demanded her nights.

Mira took a wet tissue from her bag and wiped Matteo’s handsome face while continuing to pray. His face looked fresher. Then she decided it was her turn to freshen up in the bathroom. In the white-tiled room, she washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pitiful.

“Shouldn’t you also look beautiful for your husband?” Mira heard a voice whispering in her ear, though she was alone. The voice made her realize that not only Dallas deserved to see her looking good, but so did her husband. There was no harm in looking pretty even if her husband couldn’t see her.

Mira locked the bathroom door, took off her clothes, and showered with the cold water. She cleaned every inch of her skin with the soap provided. Suddenly, she smiled, imagining Dallas’s hands touching her. Besides the bed, the bathroom was his favorite place to be intimate with her.

“Does this mean I miss him? He hasn’t even been gone a day,” she muttered. “I guess I’m addicted to you, Boss Dallas.”

Mira didn’t dwell on that thought for long. She focused on cleaning herself and looking attractive for Matteo. Without a change of clothes, she had to wear the same ones again. Once dressed, she applied minimal makeup—just a thin layer of powder and red lipstick—to freshen her face and styled her hair.

Feeling presentable, Mira returned to Matteo’s room. She greeted her husband with a warm kiss, telling him she looked different from last night. Her attention was diverted when she saw her phone light up. She reached for it and saw notifications of two missed video calls and five unread messages, all from Dallas. She read the messages but didn’t want to reply. For the first time, she ignored him.

The consequence was immediate. Dallas called her. She seemed to forget that his demands had to be met promptly or he would get angry. Though she was reluctant, Mira had no choice but to answer.

Dallas informed her that he wasn't going to Germany after all; his wife had changed their plans. “I’m in Singapore now, honey. My plans to explore here got canceled, so I’ll be back tomorrow night. Can you pick me up at the airport? I miss you,” Dallas asked.

Mira thought hard. She had promised to spend every night with her husband, but Dallas wanted her to go to the airport, which would likely lead to spending the night at his place. “Come on, darling, I miss you. Don’t you miss me?” Dallas coaxed. Mira didn’t answer right away.

“I can’t. I need to stay with my husband at night,” Mira declined. “But I promise I’ll see you first thing in the morning,” she quickly added, hoping Dallas would accept her offer. She couldn’t leave Matteo alone at night.

“So you prioritize your husband over me?” Dallas asked. Mira pleaded for his understanding. She just wanted to be with her husband at night. But Dallas, feeling he had control over Mira, believed he could demand her time whenever he wanted.

“I’m sorry, honey, but not tomorrow night,” Mira insisted.

“But I miss you so much, darling,” Dallas continued.

“Who do you miss?” Another woman’s voice was heard before the call abruptly ended.