Chapter 2

I lay awake in bed, staring into the quiet darkness. Being a bride had been exhausting. My ears were still ringing from the noise and a throbbing headache refused to let me sleep.

Once the reception had concluded, we had rushed to the airport. I had only had enough time to swallow a painkiller and change out of my wedding dress.

After tearful goodbyes, Ace and I had boarded the flight with heavy hearts. The emotional and physical exhaustion had caught up with us and we had barely exchanged a few words during the journey.

I did not clearly remember the sequence of events following our landing in Amoredale. Owing to the overwhelming nature of the situation, I had tuned out my surroundings. I had not been entirely aware of what was happening around me. It had seemed like life was on fast-forward mode.

I could barely recall the maid opening the door to this house and welcoming us inside. There was no image of this house in my mind. I did not remember how it looked from the outside or how its interior looked. I had simply not noticed. I would have enough time to do that later on anyway; it was not a priority right now.

Ace had crashed onto the bed as soon as we were inside our bedroom. I had followed suite after placing my handbag on a couch in one corner of the room.

I laughed softly, remembering how Ace had groggily looked up and asked which side of the bed I wanted. I had told him any side was fine and he had nodded and dozed off immediately. None of us had bothered to change our clothes.

Minutes passed and I could not sleep. My eyelids were heavy but the throbbing pain in my head did not let me sleep.

In the still of the night, I could feel Ace's presence next to me. It was a daunting thought that made my stomach churn. The realization made my heart pick up pace. The fear was a manifestation of my anxiousness and anticipation of the unknown.

Do all brides feel this scared?

Calm down, Dalia, calm down. There is a first time for everything.

I placed a hand on my chest to pacify my heart.

A few more minutes passed, and I gave up on trying to sleep. Turning on one side, I reached out my hand to search for my phone. I remembered keeping it on the bedside table.

Got it.

I unlocked the home screen, wincing at the bright light that pricked my eyes. After reducing the brightness to a minimum, I checked my messages. There were a few messages from Sabrina and a few from mom. After replying to both of their questions by saying that I had reached safely, I closed their chats.

My eyes stopped on a new message from Ace.

Can't believe that we're married already. I want you to know that I consider myself really lucky to have you as my wife. And I will always cherish you.

P.S. You looked absolutely gorgeous today.

I grinned as my heart danced with delight.

Glancing sideways at Ace, I wondered when he had found the time to text me.

With the smile still on my lips, I kept the phone back on the side table and closed my eyes.

A content sigh escaped my lips and sleep slowly pulled me into an oblivious bliss.

In a few hours, the sun would sprinkle its rays upon the night and welcome the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

***

I was told that Ace had left for his meeting early in the morning. He had instructed Irene, the same maid who had welcomed us home last night, to not wake me up.

By the time I had taken a shower, gotten dressed and come out of the bedroom, it was noon.

With the cup of tea that Irene had brought for me as per my request, I sat down in the living room. Then I checked my phone. Not surprisingly, I had two missed calls from mom.

I took a sip of the tea, moving on to check my messages. I had two messages from Ace.

Hey Dalia,

It's morning now but I'm guessing that it will be afternoon by the time you wake up. I had to leave early for the meeting. But I will be back soon. Rest well and enjoy your day.

Oh, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?

I chuckled. How had he known that I would wake up this late?

"Madam, would you like a late breakfast or an early lunch?" asked Irene, coming into the living room.

"Thank you, Irene." I smiled. "But I do not want anything right now."

She nodded and took the empty teacup from my hand. Once Irene was gone, I typed a reply to Ace.

Sure. What time?

Ace was not online. Maybe he was busy with his meeting.

I stood up, deciding to tour the house.

After about half an hour, I had seen the whole house inside out. It was a pale beige colored duplex house crowned with a maroon roof. A lush green garden blossomed on either sides of the paved pathway that led to the main door.

The interior and furnishing followed the theme of rose gold and white. On the ground floor was a lavish living room, a den, a dining room connected to the kitchen and two guest rooms. A spiral stairway led to the first-floor hall. On either side of the hall was one corridor. Each corridor had two rooms.

One of the rooms was a study and I had found all my books neatly arranged on the shelves. Mom had done a great job. Two other rooms were furnished but I could see no use for them. Maybe they could be used as guest rooms too. The last room was our bedroom.

The hall had a balcony that had been converted into a terrace garden which housed a variety of beautiful fragrant flowers.

Irene was working full-time and so she stayed with us. She had her own room on the ground floor. I did ask her to stay in one of the guest rooms, but she promptly denied and said that she was comfortable in her own room.

Overall, I liked the villa. Although it was not as grand as either mine or Ace's villas back home, it was still beautiful in its own way.

My phone vibrated and I saw that it was Sabrina calling.

"Hey," I said, answering the call. "How are you?"

"I should be the one asking that," she said, and I could imagine her chuckling.

"I'm good. But everything feels so new here." I looked around the living room.

"Of course, it does," said Sabrina. "One breath at a time, darling. You will be fine."

I smiled and stayed quiet.

"Are you going out for dinner tonight?" she asked.

I gasped. "How did you know?"

"I just guessed. It's a pretty common thing for new couples." She laughed. Then there was silence for a moment before she spoke again.

"Dalia…" Her voice trailed off, as if she was just realizing something. "I completely forgot to ask you amidst the hectic preparations and ceremonies. Did you buy a wedding gift for Ace?"

I frowned. "What do you mean? I'm supposed to give him a gift?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, you idiot." She sighed loudly.

"B-But—” I was cut off.

"Dalia, if he gives you a gift, which he most definitely will, it is only fair that you give him one too. Guys don't say anything, but they do have expectations just like us. They want to feel special too," she said.

"Now what do I do?" I asked, looking down at my wristwatch. "It's already one in the afternoon and I'm new to this city."

"Struggle." She sounded serious.

"Huh?" I said, waving at Irene and asking her to come over.

"Struggle to get a gift. It will be a special one if you work hard on it," she said, as if it was the simplest thing to do.

"But what will he like?" I asked, trying to recall if he had said something to me which would be useful in picking out a gift for him.

"I don't know. He's your husband. Figure it out yourself," she said. "Okay, I got to go. Take care. I love you."

"Bye." Sighing, I cut the call.

"You need something, madam?" asked Irene.

"Oh, yes," I said, "Will you accompany me to any nearby gift shop? I don't know the way around here and I don't want to rely solely on the maps on my phone. Please."

"Gift shop?" she said, frowning. "Madam, it will take us about half an hour to reach the main city. There is no car and I'm sure you don't want to take a bus."

"What do you mean?" I asked, just then Ace's message popped up on my phone.

Be ready by 6.

"Oh no, Irene, I have no time." I rushed towards the main door and stepped outside the house.

"Madam, we are in quite a secluded area. How will we go?" she asked, following closely behind me.

She was right. I had not realized that the greenery around the house had no boundary. Tall trees stretched on forever on both sides of the road with no end in sight. Besides the chirping of birds and rustling of trees, there was no other sound. Not a single vehicle passed by and not one person was anywhere in sight.

Why on earth is this house located in such a place? What was Ace thinking when he bought it?

"How do you travel around here then?" I asked, eyeing Irene. She was staring at me like as if I was a foolish kid.

"If I have to go to the main city, I take the bus. But it comes only twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. You have to walk for a kilometer or two to reach the bus stand." She shrugged.

I racked my mind, glancing nervously at the deserted surroundings. "I can book a cab. Please tell me the address."

"I tried to do that yesterday," she said, smiling sadly. "But even after trying for an hour, I got no ride."

Defeated, I leaned on the gate. "What do I do now?"

Stupid, Ace. Who told you this location was a good idea? This is so dangerous. If someone murdered us here, then no one would even know.

Wait.

Chocolate.

Ace likes chocolate. I can bake a chocolate cake for him. That would require my hard work and he would know that he is special to me.

"Irene, do we have the ingredients to bake a chocolate cake?" I asked, my voice bubbling with excitement.

"Yes!" She gave me a huge smile, probably relieved that I had dropped the idea of going out.

"Madam," she said, as we went back inside. "You know how to bake a cake?"

I shook my head and grinned at the confused look she gave me. "Forget baking, I don't even know how to cook."

"Then…" Her voice trailed off. Maybe she was wondering what a lunatic I was.

"We have internet, babe," I said, laughing. "Come on. We are definitely baking this cake."