CHAPTER 25

After he left, I entered the kitchen. I turned on the gas, placed my frying pan on fire, and poured cooking oil into it. Walking over to the sink, I carried out a curve plate, broke my eggs in it then mixed it with the whisk.

       "Having egg this morning? " Nanny Mai asked while gazing at my smoking pan.

       "Morning, Nanny. I'm preparing it for granny."

       "Oh."

       I walked back to the cooker and poured the eggs into the pan. "11:00. 6hrs left." I whispered. Today Rosie's truth would be out. I'll find out what's going on. Nanny Mai quickly turned off the cylinder.

       I didn't realize when what I was frying had started burning. I threw her an apologetic look then brought out the burnt eggs and threw them inside the trash can.

       "He's such a nice man," I whispered. Nanny Mai who seemed to have heard me, threw me a questioning look. I immediately told her that I was referring to Tanya's dad. Compared to Liam, he was a very nice and caring husband.

       After having my cold tea and fried eggs, I kissed Nanny Mai on the cheek, begged her to serve Grandma, and scampered out of the house with my phone in one hand and my purse under my armpit. Taking one empathetic gaze at Paul's usual spot, my heart sank. I didn't realize then how close we had gotten since I moved into Liam's home. Losing him had jeered me to realize how the relationship worked. One didn't need to get too close to someone to miss their absence. I strode around, counting my every step and constantly looking at my wristwatch. For some weird reason, the time didn't seem to be in my favor. "Excuse me," I called out to the security guy munching the last rice on his plate.

       He dropped the plate under his chair and ran up to me. "Yes, ma'am. Is something wrong?"

       "You eat a lot these days." My mouth quirked up. I twirled around then returned my gaze to him. The older man had his eyes down the entire time. "Do you know when Liam would be back from work today?"

       He chuckled as if he envisioned my question. "Missing him already? Love is indeed a crazy thing."

       "Missing who?" I scoffed. It had been gratifying to know he was away and not yelling about his missing 10 million. I twisted my finger as a soft sigh escalated my lips. "I'm just asking. I'll be going somewhere important today and I don't know when I would return." Clearing my throat, I continued, "It's really important. I don't want Liam to get mad that I left his sick Granny alone at home."

       The security guy nodded unconvincingly. His dirty thoughts weren't my responsibility to worry about. He drew his lip between his teeth and grinned maniacally. "Sure. Love is still crazy. Liam doesn't let me know about his schedule. The only time he calls is when he's returning late. I'm sorry. I have no idea." Just as he was about to walk away, he danced back elatedly and added, "Oh well. His mum would know for sure. Or you can ask that ma'am that walks around with him like she's his mistress."

       Did he just talk down on Diana? I have zero interest in this right now. She's accountable for what people perceive of her. I darted around. "Isn't there a way to find out? I don't want to get into trouble again with my family." I paused and looked heavenward. It was the first time I addressed Liam's family as mine. The longer I stayed with them, the more our bond grew. Or maybe it was just me adjusting to them. Neither of them wanted me around. Anna was gone. If only I wasn't so distracted with Lisa and Diana, Anna wouldn't have died so viciously. If there was any kind of love for me in Mrs. Smith's heart, it had died the day her only daughter was buried six feet. "Diana?" My brows snapped. Feigning ignorance was my specialty. "She went shopping. And I don't think she would know about Liam's coming back. I can't believe I have to inquire about my husband from someone else."

       "Right?" Obnoxious wasn't enough to describe the security guy's personality. He had zero idea of how to suppress what he felt. His mouth was faster than his brain. He snapped his finger, not giving two cents about my harsh glare. "It's anomalous. If you want to know about your husband's whereabouts, just call him. I'm sure Boss would appreciate it if you called him. He's going to be pissed off if an ordinary security guard called. I'm older than you and I've seen this world from different angles. And I'm also a man."

       "You ain't married," I said as I walked to his chair and sat down gently. "I doubt you've ever been in love with anyone. It's not possible to know anything about relationships."

      He paused his lips and clenched his fists into tight balls. If only I wasn't Liam's wife, I'm pretty sure I would have been in the hospital or the next person to be buried in that family. My joke didn't seem to sit well with him as he burned and cursed inaudibly. "I have work to do, ma'am." The reticence in the honorific was highly conspicuous. His fluffy cheeks screwed up, eyeballs fixed on nothing specific.

       "I'm,"

       "And, one doesn't need to be in love to know about it. I've read a lot of romance magazines, articles, and even short stories. I'm better than most people who are in a relationship and still don't know the definition of love." Folding his hands like a resisting child, he continued this time more sternly and unpretentiously. "I'm going to fall in love someday. I'm just waiting for the right time and person. The moment I find true love, I'll quit this job."

       "Then I hope you never find true love." Gesturing with my hand to explain what I meant, I continued, "If you do find true love then I don't think Mr. Smith and his family would be able to find a replacement. No one can do your job the way you do it. I admire your passion and commitment, Sir."

       His hand slid sensuously down his pocket and a broad smile spread across his face. Without being told, I could tell from that smile, broadened shoulders, and bright eyes that he felt proud and elated. He fancied his job more than anything and unmistakably loved being acknowledged for his hard work. Often I wondered if he didn't get affected by Mr. Smith's constant yelling and cursing. Nobody knew how to tolerate being insulted better than him. It felt as though he was deaf. At first, I thought he couldn't hear until I discovered he just didn't pay attention to any of the rude remarks and affronts said to him. "I'm glad someone recognizes my hard work." He coughed. "It's really heartbreaking when you're doing so much and no one's seeing your efforts. They keep asking for more without appreciating anything. I've been working here since Liam was a kid. I can't..."

       "That's great news!" I leaped to my feet and embraced him tightly, not minding our status. The moment my eyes took in the sight of paparazzi lurking outside our house, I pulled away and adjusted my hoodie. "Over there."

       His eyes traced mine to the guy peeping through the gate. He grabbed his stick and ran towards him, yelling and pointing. The paparazzi guy took off without a word or protest. He returned and apologized then asked why I got enthusiastic about his years of working with Liam's family.

       I walked around him in circles and almost stopped to tell me. Why stress myself? He might not know anything. And even if he did, he was only a security guard. I couldn't afford to make the innocent guy lose his job. His eyes stared into mine, going around in circles. He wasn't just intelligent and hard-working, he was also humorous and cute. He twirled around in every direction I went, ears highly sensitive to every sound. His undying interest motivated me to speak up. Taking in a deep breath, my mouth parted ways, and began speaking uncontrollably, "About Diana. If you've been here for that long it means you've known Diana for years too. Please I need your honesty here."

       "Yes. I recall the first day Liam brought that sweet innocent girl back home. Do people really change? It's like ever since you guys got married, a new demon possessed her something. At first, I thought she was jealous but she's changed for real." He sat on his chair, pulled out his bottle of water, and gulped down slowly. "I didn't know her that well then," He dropped the empty bottle on the floor. "But I'm pretty sure she's nothing like what she is now. You must be going through a lot. Not everyone is gallant enough to live with their husband's ex-girlfriend. You're a nice lady, Hannah Smith."

       Look at him being too casual. This is why people don't get too close with their workers. Hannah Smith. I spoofed. "It's not that I'm nice or too good. It's just, Liam doesn't love me and our marriage was primarily a contract. I can't get in between the both of them. He loves her and not me. That alone has been established a dozen times." I'm sick of hearing it at this point. Nobody understands my pain better than me.

       "He doesn't love you but her." He stroked his chin continually. He crumpled up his face, feet tapping loudly. "I see. If it's okay by you then I would like to know if he still treats you the same way he did when you two got married."

       Never in a million years would that question have trudged up my preoccupied mind. My brain was too busy thinking about how to expose Rosie and win Liam's love that I didn't pay any attention to his changed behavior. He was still coarse and pathetic as always but his cold and irksome attitude towards me had reduced over the past few days. "He does. But not like when we first met." I stuck my nose in the air. "I seriously don't know how to explain this. He's a jerk but not a big jerk. He's changed a little bit though. But he still spends almost all his time with Diana."

       "That's because you permitted them to spend time together."

       That hit hard; maybe harder than Liam's cold attitude. Was he saying the truth? Did I just let my husband get closer to his ex-girlfriend? No matter how hard I tried to ignore our security guard's words it felt like he was right. A part of me agreed to everything he said without protest.

       "I get the fact that you're trying to prove your husband is innocent." He continued, without waiting for my reply. "But don't get lost trying to do that while another woman is giving your husband the time and attention he needs. This is a vital time when a husband needs his wife's support more than anything and you ain't there. Hannah," His mouth set in a hard line. "I hate to break this to you but I'm a man and I know a thing or two about the heart. Liam's love for Diana isn't like what it used to be before you two got married. But, love is absurd and illogical. If you keep drifting farther and allowing another woman to do your job for you, in no distant time, Liam would see a reason why he should be with her and not you. And if you successfully manage to prove he is undoubtedly innocent, Liam would be very grateful to you. But that's where it ends. He would think the best gift to give you is alleviating you from this limitation called marriage and after that, he would go back to Diana. You'll just end up being a hired detective paid to resolve a case."

       "Sir," I shut my heavy eyes and blinked twice before opening them. He had a point. I never saw it from that perspective not even once. I recalled how Diana stood by Liam after Anna died and she was doing the same for Granny. I had been too immersed in trying to clear his name that nothing else mattered. Love was definitely beyond the countless sex we had. I needed to win him over but how? That answer wasn't something I was going to get from a security guard old enough to be my uncle. Even if he knew a thing about love, it obviously wasn't the 21st-century kind of romance. My helplessness got the better of me as I shamelessly ignored my pride and asked, "How do I make Liam love me? It's not like I don't know, it's just, all my life I had been locked up in my room, reading novels and Bible. I worked in a coffee shop, I didn't know a thing or two about love and then suddenly one day I was asked to get married to a ruthless and undeserving man. I've always seen things from my point of view and maybe played the victim unintentionally and also allowed myself to be a puppet and that's because I'm puerile and fatuous."

       "No, you ain't." he took my hand in his. At that point, it felt as though I was talking to my dad. The comfort in his aged voice melted my miserable heart. I could feel the ease and sincerity as he spoke in a fatherly tone, "Not knowing something doesn't make you stupid. You just don't know it. Do you realize how many people are ignorant of many things and they feel like they are the smartest?" I shook my head and smiled reminiscently. "Yes. I didn't know how to prepare pasta at the age of 30."

       "Sir," I cracked up, almost forgetting my pain. "Are you kidding?"

       He shook his head in response. "Nope. I didn't feel bad even for a day. I went to Mrs. Smith and begged her to teach me. By the way, your mother-in-law isn't a horrendous person, she's just bad at new relationships. You do not have any idea how many years it took me to please this lady."

       I do. She might not be a terrible lady but I'm confident she despises me like hell. After everything that's happened to Anna, she would never forgive me. I hate myself already for that day. I punched my forehead with my palm. "Even if Liam falls for me, I don't think a day would come when that angry bird lady would ever like me. She's been looking for reasons to hate me and I gave her one."

       "You can't make Liam love you without befriending him first. Every successful relationship started with friendship."

       Friendship? My face went blank and my mouth fell open. Didn't he know his boss that well? He already claimed he saw him grow up and he was asking me for the most difficult thing. He didn't let me express my refusal when he dropped a piece of paper in my hand, instructed me to call the number if I needed relationship advice then picked up his empty dish and walked into the security house.

       I took out my phone and checked the time, it was already 10:40 AM. I tossed the car key in the air, feeling like a little kid who had just opened a Christmas present then opened the door and entered the driver's seat. Waving goodbye to the Security guard whose name I was yet to figure out, I drove out speedily, humming my favorite love song. Sooner or later everything was going to be alright. "Stupid car. We need to get a driver as quickly as possible. I can't continue to drive this huge car." I swirled the car around, stopping in front of a restaurant. The signboard outside read, 'Eat and Merry. Life Is Too Short To Save All Those Money.' I cracked up. For some reason everything my eyes saw became funny. Maybe it wasn't those things but what our Security Guy had said. The journey of my love was about to start. I had only realized I wasn't putting in enough effort to win a guy that wasn't mine, to begin with. "Seaweed salad?" Gross. I signaled to the restaurant lady to withdraw the order. I couldn't afford to taste seaweed if I needed my plan to be successful. Just as I was about to turn the steering, Max jumped into the car.