"If she loves you, she'll do anything for you. That's a simple test."This was how Louisa tried to make herself look better than Leena, by indicating that she'd do everything for Kevin. Louisa was well aware that Leena was stiff competition.
"So you're okay if your husband lies around all day and never does anything for you? You'd keep loving a guy like that?" It was normal for a husband and wife to share household chores. But how could Louisa think Leena was lazy and averse to housework? Kevin was furious.
"Depends on the work he's doing. If he does what you do, I wouldn't complain. I'd keep the house nice for you, so when you come home you could relax. Not like her." Louisa spat the last word, and indicated Leena with a tilt of her head.Actually, Louisa was baring her heart to Kevin rather than making small talk.
You just don't know Leena. She's grown a lot since we first got together. Besides, she completely changed how I felt about rich kids. She's a wonderful sweet girl, despite having the potential to be really stuck up."Kevin smiled amiably. He had already noticed Leena's many virtues. There was more to her than just a pretty face.
"Of course. She grew up a Cinderella girl. And now she's rich after marrying you," said Louisa ironically.Louisa didn't understand what Kevin was talking about. There was no way this gal was from wealthy family. Her bearing, her cloying innocence, no way! She firmly believed that Leena must have married Kevin for the money.
"It's not like that. Leena is the one with the family and the money -- never mind. Why am I even explaining this to you? Here's the elevator. I'll see you out. Goodbye," said Kevin.Kevin pushed the elevator button, and shook his head helplessly. He found it ridiculous to have to tell Louisa how it was. His married life was his private business. She should have never tried to intrude.
"Yeah. See you later," answered Louisa disappointedly.She never thought Kevin would blow her off like that. She had been expecting more from gentle and caring Kevin. But instead she felt let down and frustrated. She used to be proud and privileged all her life. She cursed under her breath, 'why did I come here in the first place, just to be humiliated? Ugh, the nerve of that man!'
Kevin waved goodbye to Louisa, turned around and left. He kept rejecting her advances, and Louisa refused to take the hint and kept flirting with him. This time she'd gone too far, going to his home and accusing Leena of being a bad wife. He hoped that Leena wouldn't be annoyed.
Leena sank into the couch, as she needed to think while Kevin did his duty and saw Louisa off. She was frustrated by the fact that Kevin once loved Daisy, but today another woman came between them. Although Louisa hadn't been a threat to their marriage yet, she certainly would be a pain in the ass. How could Kevin even let things go that far?
"What's on your mind, babe?" asked Kevin anxiously. Kevin entered the drawing room and saw his wife sitting there, staring blankly, as if in a trance.
"Nothing.Did Louisa make it out alright?" Leena regained her composure, raised her head and put on a forced smile.
"Yeah. Do you need me to explain all this?" Kevin asked out of curiosity and guilt.He sat on the couch beside her, and rested one hand on her shoulder.
"Explain what?" Leena was confused and had no idea what Kevin meant.
"About Louisa." He was never personally involved with Louisa. However, he would give Leena an explanation if she needed one. He owed her that much. It was a giant mistake, a huge misunderstanding, and now it directly involved his wife. How could he do any less?
"Is there a particular reason for you to explain your relationship with Louisa?"Leena's face blushed scarlet because Kevin was sitting beside her, and she could even feel his breath. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
Nope. At least not like you're thinking," answered Kevin briefly.Kevin's conscience was clear, because he had no secrets from his wife, and obviously he had done nothing wrong or shameful. He knew that if he had done anything wrong, Leena would pick up on it. He couldn't lie to save his life.
"Then, are we cool?" said Leena.Leena was not a paranoid wife, or even a jealous one. Even though she was annoyed by this little episode, she'd never force Kevin to reveal something he didn't want to. She knew that he was honest to a fault, and she trusted him completely.
"Aren't you curious about what just happened?" Leena's silence astonished Kevin. Other men's wives would have been pissed off by this. It almost looked like he had cheated on her, which he absolutely would not and did not do. Other men's wives would have hysterically demanded an explanation. However, Leena remained preternaturally calm, as if nothing had happened.
"I think I've been introduced to her already. She's the daughter of your commander, right? So she just dropped by to have a chat. It is nothing wrong for her to visit you, right?" Leena knew that Kevin got acquainted with Louisa before their marriage. She knew she had nothing really to worry about. Soldiers were brothers in arms, sharing a special bond that no outsider could ever touch. Even outside the military, they remained good pals. She was just the daughter of one of those friends.
"Do you really think Louisa's all that innocent?" Kevin frowned, and thought that Leena was unusually reasonable. Was it normal for a loving wife to respond this way? Had he gotten her all wrong? 'Maybe she doesn't love me as much as I thought. Otherwise, why would she not care that another woman came to her house to steal her hubby?' thought Kevin bitterly.
How do you want me to react? Scream? Yell? I'm not that kind of woman! What? You think of me as a country bumpkin too?" Leena looked at her husband in bewilderment. She had been well-educated since childhood. Although she was a bit naive, she certainly would never allow herself to be provoked that way. She was a lady of refinement, elegance, and grace, despite her youthful exuberance. Flying into a rage was beneath her.
"I thought you hadn't been bothered at all. Obviously I was wrong.You do take her seriously, don't you?" Kevin couldn't help smiling. Leena's calmness and indifference had made him think that she was delusional and just pretended Louisa didn't exist. It turned out that she did care about him, at least as much as a devoted wife was supposed to do.