Chapter 33 His Wife

One year later...

Sean closed the book and put it aside after spending half an hour reading it. He could not understand a word about it. He turned to the side and leaned against the window of the plane. He watched the thick white clouds scattered around the air as the plane flew past them.

The duration of the flight from Incheon to NAIA lasted three hours. He had been traveling for months both for business and personal reasons.

Besides traveling in Korea, he had also gone to Japan, Singapore, China, and Taiwan. The neighboring countries were considered the top source for tourists, so he went there firsthand in the last few months.

He just finished his business trip to Korea. He stayed three days in Seoul, two nights in Mt. Seorak, and spent two days and nights in Jeju Island. Just like his prior business deal in different countries, convincing Korea’s top travel companies to tie up with The Palace Hotel was also a success.

Sean did not disappoint. The board and the investors were glad but also satisfied by the way he managed the business. He was supposed to feel the same way, but he felt nothing but sadness every time he'd go back. He felt like there's still a broken piece of him that was missing, and he had no idea where to find it.

Mr. Hernandez's last will had finally been put into effect. Sean became the chairman of The Palace Mall and Hotel— thanks to Thera, who resigned and left for good after giving him her shares.

For good… Sean squeezed his eyes shut. Another ounce of burden was added to his chest just by thinking about it.

Thera was his only ray of light. When she left, everything around him had lost its color. But he knew he had to fight the loneliness and longing he felt for her. He threw all his attention to work by managing Tea Caf and The Palace all at once.

Hoping that it would somehow help him divert from yearning for Thera. There were times when he missed her so much, he booked a flight to go after her. But later found himself telling Eason to cancel the flight the day after he booked the flight.

To pay no heed to the painful past, Thera left the country for more than a year now. Sixteen months and two weeks, to be exact. He couldn't wait to see her again.

What's taking her too long? But at the back of his mind, he would ask himself— who he thought he was to rush her?

He was hoping that one day, she would come back. Even though there's no sign of communication between her and her two assistants, Sean remained hopeful.

She's still his wife after all. Yes. He didn't submit the signed annulment papers to the court. He wanted to keep their marriage unless Thera asked for it in person.

According to Thera, she'd head to Sydney. However, Sean found out that she moved to Finland after a few months. Unbeknownst to her, Sean had figured out that she actually flew to Russia and had moved from one place to another around Southeast Asia.

The main reason why Sean decided to look through each country was to keep an eye on her - he wanted to see Thera one way or another. Just one look or one glance would be fine. He wanted to see for himself that she is smiling and having the time of her life abroad. That way, he could breathe a sigh of relief and lessen the load he's carrying in his chest.

Sean waited to fall asleep briefly when he felt a presence from his side. Then, he felt someone leaned over him, and their faces drew closer. He kept his eyes closed despite the mild racing of his heart.

“I’m sorry I have kept you waiting. It’s been a while. Did I bore you to death?”

Sean held his breath for a little while. Then, a bitter smile formed his lips when he opened his eyes and found that no one was actually standing beside him.

It was his imagination again. His heart ached. It had always been like that in the past year.

Eason had arrived to pick him up at the airport. The man met him at the arrival area, took the suitcase from his hand, and led him towards the exit.

“The car was parked outside, sir,” he told him.

After a few moments of waiting, the black car pulled up in front of them to take them to the office. Ringgo, Thera's former driver, was sitting on the driver's seat. The driver greeted him with a smile.

“Hey, cousin! Look at you, looking so beautiful each day, aren't you?”

“How's my niece doing? Does he know now how to swear?”

Sean's hand hung mid-air when he heard a familiar voice from a distance. He was about to open the car door, but he stood motionless for a bit. The voice was barely audible, but he turned anyway. His eyes flew towards the red car parked a few meters away from them.

He could feel his heart pounding when he saw a familiar figure of a woman getting into the backseat of the car. He went still. Do his eyes play tricks on him again?

No. It couldn’t be.

Aside from hearing the woman's familiar voice, he was sure as hell that he saw Joshua walking around the hood of the car and settled on the driver's seat.

Heart beating too fast, Sean found himself heading towards the red car. His eyes were fixed on the woman he assumed was sitting in the backseat. Much to his dismay, the car had already left, leaving him astounded.

His chest was rocking back and forth, not knowing what to feel. For the first time, after so many months that seemed forever, his face lit up. With a smile, he hurried back to his car and settled in the backseat.

“You didn't attend the victory party just like the last time, didn't you?” Tan asked, pouring whiskey into the glass and passed it on to him. He poured another one for himself.

Sean picked it up, staring into the wine glass. Then, he watched his reflection blankly before turning to his twin. “You know I prefer my own solitude over party,” he brought the wine glass into his mouth and gulped it down all at once.

They prepared a victory party for him, but he chose to ring Tan and invite him over a drink instead. They met in a bar around Makati Avenue; a place where Tan and he used to go. The place held a lot of memories to value.

It was a modern contemporary bar. The interior design looked relaxing yet classy and luxurious. Classical and mellow music played in the background, which he preferred a lot. One thing that Sean and Tan had in common was they both dislike noisy places.

Sean sighed. “When are you going to marry?”

“You did not invite me here for that, didn't you?”

An awkward fit of a chuckle escaped from his mouth. “Mom couldn't wait any longer. She wants a grandchild so bad.”

He then shut his mouth and clenched his teeth. Grandchild. Clearing his throat, he gulped another shot of whiskey into his mouth. Tan shook his head but didn't say a word.

Sean waited for Thera to contact him. Even until yesterday, he was so sure that she'd call him. But it's been a week now. He received no calls.

He badly needed a drink. The one that could knock him out in bed. He needs to control himself from driving towards Thera's condo. If not, he might storm in there and end up catching her off guard. That's the last thing he wanted to do.

His heart was literally aching to see her. He was missing her like crazy. He thought the yearning would stop once he saw her, even for a brief moment. But it never did. The longing continued.

But Sean would never torture her to be with him if she's not ready yet. He wouldn’t let her suffer again just because of the inconvenience he was feeling. He has to wait until she’s ready. The sign that she had finally forgiven all the mistakes he made in the past.

They continued enjoying their solitude with more shots of wine. As they got more engrossed with their drinks, a lady appeared out of nowhere and leaned towards the counter.

She looked tall and pretty with her outfit. She was wearing a skimpy black miniskirt and red spool heels. She intentionally brushed her skin against Sean's arm, attempting to get his attention.

A smirk curved Tan's lips as he saw it.

It was a fail.

There's no need for him to confirm Sean's reaction, basically. He was certain, his twin didn't feel anything at this moment. She may have brushed her breast against his skin, but it'll be all useless. Sean was completely lost in his own thoughts. Tan exactly knew who was occupying his mind right now.

The lady leaned closer as soon as she got her order. Her eyes fixed on Sean as she smiled as seductively as she could. Then, the woman asked, “Mind if I join you?”

Sean’s eyes dropped to the whiskey. Totally ignoring the woman who was obviously looking for anything more than a drink.

SEAN stormed out of the bar and sat on the bench, circling around the big tree on the sidewalk. Tan had left a few minutes ago. There was an emergency in the hospital, and his attention was called. Meanwhile, he decided to stay for a few more minutes. He phoned Ringgo to pick him up. Though he was sober, he should not drink then drive.

The lady from the bar followed him outside and sat right next to him.

“Can you manage to make it home? I can bring you there if you want me to…” she whispered seductively as she pressed her chest against his arm.

The lady attempted to touch his face, but Sean was fast to catch her hand.

“Leave… Please…”

She was about to make further remarks when a loud car horn interrupted her from doing so. It was a black BMW 7 Series Sedan. The luxury car pulled up at the side of the road— right in front of him.

They all watched as the backseat door opened up. Without realizing it, Sean immediately ungripped the woman's hand. He held his breath. Every sound in the surroundings became a bit quieter. Everything else seemed to be blurry except for the woman who was sitting comfortably in that car’s backseat.

Slowly, he stood from the bench. Even though he could only see half of the woman's face, it was enough to make his heart go entirely crazy.

By the time she turned her gaze to his direction, he felt like his world began to spin very slowly. It almost felt like the world had stopped right before him.

The woman's hair was tied up in a bun. Her face had nothing but lipstick on. However, it didn't hide her natural beauty at all. She was wearing a sexy low-cut tight black dress and black ankle strap heels. She wore a few accessories but not as flamboyant and as lavish just like her usual get-up before. A year had passed, but her aura was still unmatchable. She still carried that I-am-the-queen-of-the-world looks in her.

Then, she got out of the car and took a step forward. Her shoes clicked on the cement as she walked in their direction. Sean couldn't believe his eyes. He just kept staring. Afraid she might disappear right in front of his eyes again.

“And who are you?” the lady from the bar raised a brow at the newcomer.

Lips barely containing a smile, the woman who had recently arrived lifted her left hand. The diamond ring shone in their eyes as the light from the nearest lamp post reflected over it.

Then, with a smug smirk on her face, she replied, “I am Thera De Marco,” she answered, glancing at him with a smile on her lips. “I am this man’s wife.”

Sean could feel his heart pulsating. There was a flood of raw emotions forming in his chest. The woman in miniskirt frowned. She rolled her eyes as she stomped on her feet. Then, without a word, she left the scene.

Thera only gave a shrug. Her eyes shifted back to Sean who was still in shock while staring at her. Her solemn gaze roamed over his handsome face. “I just came from your victory party. I wanted to surprise you, but you didn't arrive.”

Sean couldn't grasp a word to say, so she continued.“They told me that you missed me a lot. Also, I heard from them that you followed me to every country that I've gone to. Is it true or only hearsay?”

Sean could barely make out his response. His gaze ran over her face again. He wasn’t just imagining this. She was standing right before him, this time, for real. Sean's eyes started to well up as he held back his tears.

Thera blinked her eyes. She smiled. Just like him, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

“Y-you don’t need to reply…”

Need not to respond, for sure. His too much longing and love he felt towards her was evident from his eyes. There are no words to express such visible emotions.

Finally, Sean was able to move. He crossed the distance between them. His voice was barely more than a whisper as he pulled her into his arms. “I missed you.”

Thera shut her eyes, returning his gesture. They locked into a tight embrace. It took them a while before they finally let go of each other. Sean’s gaze shifted from her teary eyes to her slightly parted lips. He leaned forward to kiss her. Thera slipped one arm around his neck and returned the kiss. It was a long warm kiss that almost left them short of breath.

The storm had finally calmed. The rain had finally subsided. Thera finally found her way back to Sean’s arms. She was right, she belonged there right from the start.