The sound of the apartment bell snapped Adaline back to reality. Instantly, she pushed Altezza's chest, realizing what they were doing. However, her push was too weak, as Altezza didn't release his embrace at all.
"S-sir," Adaline said with a soft whisper, her voice husky with desire and command.
"Hmmm..." Altezza responded flatly, paying no attention to Adaline's attempts to push him away and choosing instead to tilt her face up so he could kiss her freely.
Ding dong... Ding dong...
This time, with all her strength, Adaline kicked Altezza's shin. "Ow! Ma'am! What are you doing?!" Altezza snapped, grimacing. His hands rubbed his leg where Adaline had kicked him.
"There's a guest!" Adaline replied, pointing towards the door.
This time, aside from pressing the doorbell, the guest could be heard impatiently banging on the door.
"Who's visiting here?!" Altezza grumbled. Clearly, he didn't want to be disturbed. And whoever disturbed him would...
His threat was forced to halt as he looked at the intercom screen. Altezza pressed the unlock button and let his guest in without a greeting.
"Why did it take so long?" his mother grumbled as she barged in. Unwilling to answer, Altezza chose to return to the kitchen, where his wife, who now looked neat again, stood with a surprised expression she couldn't hide.
"Mamma?" she asked softly, torn between confusion and surprise at their presence.
"Darling, are you okay?" Delila Quirino approached her daughter-in-law. "I tried to reach both of you and wanted to ask if you two had safely returned to Manhattan. Considering yesterday you left the party abruptly, and Altezza looked pale."
"But both of your phones were off. So I contacted the office. And Duncan said you didn't show up and asked him to request sick leave for Adaline." Delila glanced at Altezza suspiciously before turning back to her daughter-in-law with concern.
"Sorry, Mom, it seems my phone battery died. Adaline forgot to charge it. But I'm fine, it's Altezza who's sick." Adaline looked at her husband, who was sitting on the sofa with a disgruntled expression.
"He's sick? But he looks perfectly fine. His face just looks grumpy like a duck that hasn't been fed for a week," Delila teased indifferently.
"Actually, since Friday night, he hasn't been feeling well, Mom. He had a fever after returning from Sir Antony's house. Then on Saturday, after returning from the party, his fever came back until yesterday morning," Adaline answered honestly.
"You should be more understanding, Darling. Your husband is getting old, so even a little fatigue can make him sick. Late meals, illness. Too many meetings, illness," Delila teased again.
"Mom, I'm not a weak person. I rarely get sick. Don't be so harsh," Altezza retorted curtly. "Besides, why did you come here alone? Where's your faithful bodyguard?"
"Your father is busy. On a Monday like this, he must be working, unlike you who's just lazing around," Delila replied sharply, causing Altezza to roll his eyes. He was already tired of responding to his mother. "Have you had lunch? I've ordered lunch from the restaurant downstairs, maybe it will be delivered here shortly."
"Just because you have a daughter-in-law, you only care about your daughter-in-law. Do you no longer care about your only son? Do you want me to report you to the child protection commission?" Altezza muttered, sounding more like a threat.
"The child protection commission?" Delila repeated her son's words. "Do you think they care about taking care of an old man like you? You should report to the elderly care center." Delila replied sharply. Altezza was about to respond to his mother's words, but the apartment bell rang again, and he was forced to open the door once more.
"I actually cooked, Mom," Adaline replied as Altezza walked away. She returned to the kitchen area followed by Delila.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I thought you were really sick," she said, concerned. "What did you cook?"
"Not much," Adaline listed the menu she made while transferring them onto serving plates.
"Your cooking looks more tempting than the lunch I ordered," Delila said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Adaline's dishes.
"Please, have a seat. I'll set everything up on the table," Adaline said, to which Delila nodded. As the middle-aged woman sat down, Altezza placed his mother's order and opened the food she had ordered.
"Don't open it, just leave it. I'll give that food to someone else. I'll eat your wife's cooking," Delila commanded, for a few seconds, Altezza responded with a raised eyebrow. However, he didn't say anything and just obeyed his mother's wish.
Adaline returned with both hands carrying their lunch menu. "Let me help," Altezza offered as Adaline returned to the kitchen. The kitchen, separated only by a bar table, showed Altezza forcing Adaline to accept his help, which ended up adding more trouble for Adaline.
"Enough, just sit down. I can handle it myself," It was not a request. Adaline ordered her husband to return to the dining table and stop bothering her. But her husband ignored her.
"Altezza Quirino! Come here and sit down! You're just making your wife tired," his mother commanded in her characteristic tone.
Altezza turned around, glared at his mother, but then complied when he saw Adaline's pleading look. The three of them finally ate hungrily, leaving nothing on their plates.
Some time later, Adaline sat quietly on the closed toilet seat. Several times she took deep breaths in and out.
Disappointed? Yes, she was actually disappointed when she saw the brownish lines on the panty liner she used.
Failure. She whispered to herself. She was undecided whether she should tell her husband about this or not. After all, Altezza wouldn't actually know because he had just left town. His plans were to go on a business trip for a week. And by the time he returned, Adaline would be clean from her menstrual cycle.
For the past two weeks, every night they cuddled and wrestled in bed without exception. They had even tried almost every room in their apartment to fulfill his wild fantasies.
And indeed Adaline admitted she enjoyed it. Every time he touched her, she accepted it without reservation. He even refused offers to stay over from his parents-in-law, claiming he didn't want their 'baby-making process' to be interrupted.
And now? Adaline sighed in disappointment again. What would his reaction be if he found out that Adaline failed to get pregnant? Would he be disappointed?
Adaline brainstormed. Should she consult a doctor about ways to get pregnant quickly? Perhaps the doctor could calculate the right time for intimate relations, foods that could increase fertility, and other things. Adaline snapped her fingers. Maybe that's what she needed to do.
Adaline returned to her room and prepared to work with renewed vigor. She couldn't afford to be disappointed. She had to be able to give Altezza a child as he desired.