Adaline smiled gratefully at the person who had just placed the documents on her desk. She resumed her work without opening the files she had just received. When Tessa reached for a document on her desk, the woman waved a brown envelope in front of her.
"What's this?" she asked, curious.
Adaline furrowed her brow. She didn't know she had received an envelope. There was no sender's name on the A5-sized envelope either.
Curious, Adaline opened it. She almost dropped all the photos inside if it weren't for Tessa who held them back. Her hands were remarkably quick.
"Is this?" Tessa opened each photo in her hands. She mentioned a date. It happened three days ago.
Three days? What was Altezza doing three days ago?
Adaline reached for her phone in the drawer. She opened a chat application and scrolled to three days ago.
Husband:
Madam, it seems I'll be coming home late. There's some urgent matter... (15:12)
Adaline:
(15:20) I understand.
Husband:
I'll be back late. No need to prepare dinner. Don't wait up. Get enough rest, Madam.
Adaline:
Is it really that urgent that you have to come home late?
Husband:
Yes. I'm sorry, Madam.
Adaline:
It's okay. Be careful on your way home.
Husband:
Alright, Madam.
And as Adaline remembered, her husband didn't come home that night because of the bad weather. It was pouring rain and the thunder even made Adaline herself scared to look out the window.
Adaline tried to calm herself. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the photos. There was a picture of Altezza entering a house through the side door. Then there was also a photo of Altezza helping Jovanka and laying her down. Another photo showed Altezza feeding the woman.
That was it. But it was the remaining photos, those without marked dates, that made Adaline want to cry.
Photos where Altezza was so intimate with Jovanka. There was even a selfie where Altezza was kissing Jovanka. And vice versa.
There were also selfies taken on the bed where both of them appeared topless, covering only the lower part of their bodies with a blanket. There were also intimate photos of them vacationing abroad.
Her chest felt tight. Adaline felt like she was losing oxygen to breathe. Her head throbbed with pain. She bit her lip to suppress the long groan she wanted to let out.
Why would Altezza be so heartless to lie to her?
Why couldn't he be honest?
Wasn't it him who said he wanted to mend their relationship? That he wanted to make this marriage a real one?
But why would he deny it?
"Adaline?" Tessa reached for Adaline's shoulder. The woman's panic only made Adaline panic too. "Adaline, are you okay?" she asked again.
Adaline lifted her head and smiled. Not a genuine smile. But a calming smile.
"I'm fine, Tess. It's ok." Adaline put the photos back into the envelope and placed it in the drawer.
"I'm still confused. How could they...?"
"I'll tell you later. Get back to work." Adaline gently pushed Tessa's arm, who still looked puzzled.
Until it was time to go home, Adaline didn't say a word. And that made Tessa even more panicked.
Adaline was accustomed to silence when there was a problem. She preferred to solve everything herself. Unless she really couldn't handle it anymore, then she would ask for help from others.
Tessa could only stay silent. Regardless, this was an internal matter. She didn't have the right to question the marital affairs between Adaline and Altezza.
Upon reaching the apartment, Adaline acted as usual. She cooked, then bathed, and prepared for dinner. Just as the sunset, Altezza came in.
"Good evening, Madam," the man greeted as he kissed Adaline's forehead.
Adaline smiled and returned her husband's greeting as usual. After praying together, they had dinner. Adaline still didn't bring up the envelope. She chose to wait. However, by the time it was bedtime, her husband hadn't said anything.
The next morning, Adaline went about her usual routine, preparing breakfast and her husband's clothes. However, every time her husband tried to touch her, Adaline avoided it.
Altezza didn't mind. He thought Adaline's behavior was due to her pregnancy hormones. His mother had warned him that pregnant women had unpredictable moods. So Altezza tried to understand.
"Would you like to have lunch together later?" Altezza asked after they finished breakfast.
Adaline shook her head. "No, thank you. I already have lunch plans with Tessa," Adaline politely declined.
She cleared their dirty plates on the sink, not washing them as usual. After that, Adaline excused herself and left Altezza. The man was left staring at his wife's departure. Something was off, and Altezza could feel it.
Adaline arrived at her office with her driver. Since she found out about her pregnancy, Adaline had been commuting between the apartment and the office with a driver. That was if Altezza happened to be unavailable to drive her. If Altezza had free time, he would be the one to drive Adaline.
Seeing Adaline's expression, Tessa knew her friend hadn't resolved her issues yet. She chose to stay silent and just accompany Adaline.
And suddenly, Tessa and Adaline heard something unpleasant.
They had just finished lunch. Tessa and Adaline were in the restroom area of the cafeteria.
"The one from the finance department?" a woman's voice echoed in the women's restroom. Adaline, who was about to leave the restroom stall, suddenly canceled her intention.
"Yeah. The petite one. The cute pretty-faced one."
"Really? Where did you hear this gossip?"
"I don't know either. I heard it yesterday from the marketing department. They said she's pregnant out of wedlock. They even said she's having an affair with one of the directors' staff here," the second voice continued.
"You shouldn't talk without facts. Adaline seems nice, you know. From what I know, she never had any relationships with anyone in the office. She's very modest. I don't think it's possible for her to do something like that."
"Don't be fooled by appearances. Didn't you see what happened a while ago when she was seen with Sir Gian? Her face may look innocent, but her actions? She seemed... What if that baby is Sir Gian's?" The first woman's voice sounded startled.
"Don't jump to conclusions. They might have known each other for a long time. Their ages probably aren't that far apart either," the second woman defended.
"Don't be ridiculous. I know which university she graduated from, and Sir Gian only recently moved back from America. So, it makes sense why she doesn't have relationships with other employees because her target is probably those with more money," the voice faded away.
Then everything fell silent. Adaline looked up at Tessa, who was standing in front of her, pulling the restroom door wide open. Tessa returned her gaze.
"Am I wrong to suspect that the person they were talking about is me?" Adaline asked, more to convince herself.