He has never laugh with me like that

Author’s pov

At first, Aurora was in disbelief, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing. Her first thought was for her husband to swiftly respond and proudly introduce her as his wife. But instead, he hesitated, leaving her to wonder why he was taking so long to answer. Was he trying to spare his friend's feelings because of the disapproving look on his friend's face? It felt like a slow-motion scene from a movie, and all Aurora could do was wait for Lucas's response.

"She is my wife," Lucas finally spoke up.

"Your wife? Fat? Oh no! Lucas," Marian raised her voice, shaking her head in disappointment. "This is why you never invited me to the wedding. You broke my heart, Lucas. Please take me to my room."

"Marian, listen, you need to show some respect to my wife.” He raised his voice. “She is my wife, and I love her. There is nothing you can say to change that," Lucas firmly stated.

As Aurora saw her husband stood up to defend her, the inferior look on her face vanished. Initially heartbroken by his slow reaction, she now felt reassured by his words. It reaffirmed that he was by her side, and her confidence returned. Aurora's legs seemed to move backward, as if she wanted to hurry back to her room after the agonizingly long wait. Lucas, thinking it was Aurora who would accompany Marian to her room, decided to do it himself because of what Marian said.

"Come, let me show you to your room."

As they were about to enter the house, Aurora stayed behind to lock the door. Marian was visibly furious, evident from the forceful strikes of her heels on the floor. Aurora thought to herself,

"She is so arrogant. Hopefully, she will leave tomorrow or the next day."

As Aurora reached the first sitting room on the first floor, she couldn't find Lucas and his friend. Instead of investigating their whereabouts, she hurriedly climbed the stairs and rushed back to her room, eager to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Meanwhile, as Marian and Lucas entered the room he had shown her, Marian said,

“I am disappointed in you Lucas. Would you be forced to marry her? I know you Lucas, you have a kind heart. Did you marry her out of pity? You never love chubby girls during our days of growing up. Even this one is over chubby. You love slim ladies like me. I know your weakness when we were still growing up. Leaving you doesn’t mean you should go for anything. How does she even arouse you in bed?”

"Stop, Marian, stop it," Lucas interjected. "Virtue captured me, and we have been living in peace and love since we got married. Watch your words. The lady you are talking about is my wife, not someone else. I admit I made a mistake by not inviting you to my wedding, but it was you who left in the first place and got engaged. You shouldn't have done that."

"Stop Lucas, before you delve into something you can't handle. For your information, Dennis and I have broken up," Marian revealed. The room fell silent as they looked at each other. They were so close that Lucas didn't expect it, and Marian suddenly kissed him. Lucas was captivated by the kiss, but he quickly regained his senses, pulling away and distancing himself from her. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, the room filled with unspoken emotions.

"You've found a better kisser. You never used to pull away from our kisses. At least let me enjoy a moment since we separated. I broke up with Dennis primarily because of you. No one has ever touched me the way you do, the love we shared in the past. If I had known you were married, I would have settled for Dennis and never compared you in my mind."

Lucas remained silent, causing Marian to feel increasingly uncomfortable. She approached Lucas, but this time keeping a reasonable distance. Her face showed sorrow, and she added, "I'm sorry I followed Dennis, but you know everything, and now is not the time to assign blame. I am truly sorry, please forgive me."

Lucas sensed the weight of sorrow in her voice, and while Marian believed he was still angry, she added again, "I said I'm sorry," her voice lowering as tears streamed down her face. When Lucas remained silent, she wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said,

"Clearly, this isn't the right time. Let me go and stay at my grandmother's place." Marian turned to retrieve her luggage, but just as she was about to turn fully, Lucas reached out and held her right hand.

"Why are you holding my hand? You're married and have no business with people from your past," Marian protested.

"I want you to stay. I'm not chasing you away," Lucas replied.

"If I stay, there will be a condition."

"What condition? How long will you stay?" Lucas became curious.

"Apparently, you didn't hear me clearly when I said I've broken up with Dennis and left him with his company. Right now, I'm single and jobless. I want you to hire me as one of your employees in your company," Marian suddenly smiled and playfully wobbled her hips.

"If you don't want me anymore, I'm sure there will be a hot guy out there who would love to have me as his own and fulfill my desires." She turned around, giving Lucas a glimpse of her slim figure, and stylishly faced him again. "Sorry for asking again, and I apologize if it offends you. But tell me, how does it feel when your friends and business partners see your wife with you? Do you not feel a sense of shame? Oh, sorry, I'm talking too much. Let me go and organize my clothes in the wardrobe." Marian walked over to her luggage, opened it, and began arranging her clothes.

"Oh, I forgot I'm at home now. I need to take off my dress and change," she remarked. Marian returned to Lucas, turning her back to him as she simultaneously unzipped her gown.

"Please unhook my bra. It's something you used to enjoy doing."

Lucas hesitated for a moment but reluctantly unhooked her bra.

"You're acting like you don't want to do it anymore. Oh... sorry, you're married, Mr married man," Marian chuckled as she walked back to the wardrobe to change her dress. Lucas, seeing this, pulled himself away from the wall, intending to leave the room and he didn’t want to be there while she changed her gown.

"Forgetting so quickly that you were the first guy I let unhook my bra, the one who broke my virginity after prom night when we were both scared to see blood," Marian giggled, expecting Lucas to respond. However, all he did was smile and say,

"My wife deserves an apology for what you said to her at the doorpost." He closed the door and left the room.

At this moment in Aurora and Lucas' bedroom, Aurora had been standing in front of the mirror. She touched her cheeks and noticed they were fuller, and her hands showed signs of weight gain. She had always been naturally chubby when Lucas first met her, but staying at home and eating whatever she pleased had caused her to gain more weight.

"Is this why Lucas didn't want me to go out and work? Is it that he doesn’t want his staff to see me apart from his friends who come here?" she wondered, observing her fuller breasts. "What does he expect from me when he asks me to stay at home? Once he comes into this room, I will suggest to him that I want to work in his company.”

When Aurora heard Lucas's footsteps, she quickly got up from the mirror and sat on her bed and then Lucas entered her room.

"I didn't like the way your guest spoke to me," she said, frowning.

"Didn't you see how I confronted her? She definitely won't apologize to you," Lucas replied.

"When is she leaving?" Aurora asked.

"Are you trying to chase her away? She hasn't even spent a night here, and you're already asking when she's leaving. I understand how you felt about the way she spoke to you, but she will apologize," Lucas reassured her, but the thought of telling him her heart's desire bubbled in her throat.

"Darling... What is preventing me from working at your company?"

"Are you bringing this up because of Marian? What did I tell you earlier?"

Lucas stormed out of the room in anger, heading straight to his own room where he sat on the bed.

"Why does my wife insist on reminding me of my past that hurts?" He stood up and entered the bathroom, his heart pounding uncontrollably. He quickly emerged from the bathroom, went to the shelf, swallowed two anxiety pills, and sat down again, lost in thought.

"My mother was a victim of rape many years ago at a business meeting, which led to my birth and her death out of depression. Despite being born from that without knowing my dad, I am still searching for the perpetrator. My mother deserves justice. Every time Aurora expresses her desire to work, it brings back painful memories. How can I effectively convey to her that I have no desire to entertain her request any further, considering the harm inflicted upon my mother at a business meeting?

The following morning, Marian noticed Aurora descending the stairs. Marian hastily stood up, surprising Aurora, who detected a hint of mocking remorse in her eyes.

"Mrs. Lucas, I sincerely apologize for how I spoke to you yesterday. I was upset because Lucas didn't invite me to your wedding," Marian said.

Aurora could see the insincerity in her eyes and walked toward the kitchen without responding. It was a forced apology.

During breakfast, the three of them sat together for the first time, but for no specific reason, Aurora wasn’t happy, and before Lucas left the house, he kissed Aurora, unaware that Marian was watching from a distance and her eyes filled with jealousy.

In the evening, they both returned, and when it was time for dinner, the three of them sat down together again. Lucas and Aurora sat on one side, facing Marian. Lucas was the first to take a spoonful of food, which he promptly spat out.

"What happened?" Aurora asked, concerned.

"What did you prepare?" Lucas looked at his wife. It was then that Marian took a spoonful of her food and repeated the action, locking eyes with Lucas.

"It's so salty!" she exclaimed.

At this, Aurora took a bite from her own plate and didn't react the same way Lucas and Marian did.

"It's okay," she calmly stated.

"Okay?" Lucas and Marian said simultaneously, puzzled.

"Taste what you served me," Lucas pushed his plate of food towards Aurora. When she took a bite, she quickly spat it out.

"I didn't add much salt," she said immediately.

"Then who did?" Lucas's anger was already brewing.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me," she stood up and replied politely.

"Then who did it? This is deliberate..."

"No, no, no, let's not argue over this. Lucas, please, it must be a mistake. Speaking as a woman, let me quickly prepare your favorite dinner," Marian interjected, trying to diffuse the tension. Meanwhile, Lucas had already started walking towards the stairs, heading to his room. The scene became awkward with plates of unfinished food on the table. Marian shrugged and, receiving no response from Aurora, she went to the kitchen while Aurora climbed the stairs to meet Lucas in his room.

"I'm sorry, but please believe me, I didn't do it," Aurora pleaded as soon as she entered Lucas's room, tears already welling in her eyes.

"It's your denial that's making me angry. Marian said she apologized to you this morning, and I didn't want to embarrass you in front of her. Why would you do such a thing? You were the one who cooked the food, who else could it be? I know you're upset with her, but she apologized," he insisted, causing more tears to stream down Aurora's face.

"Hi..." Marian knocked on the door. "Lucas, the food is ready."

“So fast or she wants Lucas to join her in the kitchen the way he normally joins me?” Aurora thought.

Lucas stood up, wearing a dissatisfied expression as he stared at Aurora, and then he left the room to join Marian. As he closed the door behind him, Aurora collapsed onto her husband's bed, sobbing even harder.

About fifteen minutes later, she suddenly heard laughter coming from downstairs—it was Lucas and Marian, laughing heartily at the dining table.

"Lucas has never laughed like that with me since we got married," she thought in tears.