Chapter 43: Can We See
Marceline’s POV
“Good night, mummy,” Roman said softly as he closed his eyes.
“Good night, baby,” I replied with a gentle smile, watching him drift into sleep.
We got back from Celesta’s house an hour ago—she had insisted we stay for dinner. I sat beside Roman’s bed for a while, making sure he was in a deep sleep before I left his room quietly.
I walked to the living room and sat on the couch, switching on the television to watch a show I had been following. I wanted to relax a bit, but barely had I leaned back when I heard slow footsteps coming down the stairs.
I didn’t bother to turn; I already knew who it was.
It was Philip.
I had seen his car in the parking lot earlier, so I knew he was back. He walked straight to the kitchen without saying anything to me, and that was fine—better that way. But the peace didn’t last long. I soon heard his footsteps again, this time coming toward the living room.
“There’s no food in the kitchen,” he said quietly, but I could hear the annoyance hidden in his voice.
“If there isn’t any food, that means Monica didn’t cook,” I replied calmly, my eyes still fixed on the television.
“So we aren’t going to eat? Don’t tell me Roman went to bed without dinner,” he asked, his tone now louder, edged with irritation.
“Roman and I had dinner before coming back,” I said flatly, still not looking at him.
I had called Monica earlier to tell her not to bother cooking since Roman and I would eat at Celesta’s house. I didn’t think Philip would be back tonight, and even if I had known, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. He had stopped having dinner with us for months now.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then his voice came again, quieter this time. “I’m hungry. Go fix something for me.”
My hand paused on the remote. For a second, I thought I didn’t hear well. My brows furrowed slightly. Go fix something for him?
I turned my head and looked at him. He was sitting on the other couch, rubbing his forehead like he had a headache.
I turned my eyes back to the television without saying anything.
“Marceline,” he called gently, and I turned to see him staring at me. “Go make something for me to eat,” he said again, his voice softer now.
“I should go and make something for you to eat?” I repeated his words slowly, one by one, my eyes meeting his.
He sighed and looked away, realizing how ridiculous his request sounded.
If it were before I found out about him and Anastasia, I would have rushed to the kitchen immediately, cooked something, and served him without complaint. But that woman was gone. I was no longer that same Marceline. I wouldn’t do it again.
I turned off the television and stood up. Without another word, I walked toward the stairs.
I was halfway up when my phone pinged. I looked down and saw the message—it was from Dominic.
A smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it. I opened the message.
"Still awake?" it said.
I walked into my room, locked the door behind me, and typed back," Yes, I am." Then I climbed into bed since I was already in my nightclothes.
Almost immediately, another message came through.
"Not feeling sleepy yet or..."
I smiled softly at the unfinished line and replied, "I’m not sleepy. What about you?"
His message came back quickly.
"Not yet. Got some work to do."
I nodded to myself like he could see me and replied, Alright.
We exchanged a few more messages, short ones, but each made me smile a little more. I wondered how he kept texting back when he said he was busy working.
Then another message came in.
"Are you free this weekend?"
My heart skipped. This weekend was supposed to be our seventh marriage anniversary. I stared at the screen for a while before finally typing back, “Yes, I’m free.”
It doesn’t matter anymore, I thought to myself.
He replied almost instantly.
"Can we see? Please."
I stopped breathing for a second. My hand trembled slightly as I stared at his message. My mind became blank. I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to decline, especially after what happened at Celesta’s house, but another part of me wanted to see him.
After a long pause, I typed, "Okay" and sent it.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds before closing my eyes briefly.
I wasn’t going to hold myself anymore.