Past midnight, the gates of the Xu Estate opened to let Xu Wenyang's car enter the premises. It pulled to a stop in front of the mansion and from the rear door, Xu Wenyang stepped out of the car.
His commitments and meetings took longer than expected. He watched as the car disappeared into the driveway of the garage at the back of the mansion. Xu Wenyang felt bad that his old driver was also forced to work on a hectic schedule to accommodate him.
Fortunately, the man had been understanding and was still willing to work overtime for extra pay. Xu Wenyang decided that once this month's schedule had been cleared up, he would let his driver-slash-bodyguard have a week off from work.
When he entered the mansion, he noticed the lack of lighting on the ground floor. While he could afford to lit up the whole mansion, Lin Qianrou had once told him that it wasn't necessary to spend more than they needed. Something he liked about his wife. She wasn't a frivolous woman, unlike her cousin, who used to be his girlfriend before meeting Lin Qianrou.
By this time, he assumed that his wife was already asleep. Lin Qianrou never stayed awake too late at night, not that he was bothered by it. He walked up to the stairs leading to the upper floor where the master bedroom was located. His steps were the only sound that could be heard within the mansion.
The night light was the only thing that illuminated the massive bedroom suite. The room was big and at the center of it was the huge bed he purchased as soon as he had married Lin Qianrou.
He removed his shoes and sauntered towards his sleeping wife to place a kiss on her forehead. Lin Qianrou was curled up on her side, looking weak and vulnerable as she slept. She was so beautiful in his opinion.
He then moved to their walk-in closet and shed his clothes before taking a quick shower and brushed his teeth in the bathroom next to it. As soon as he dried his hair, he suddenly remembered that he'd forgotten to return his wife's call earlier.
He cursed himself for being stupid. It was too late to talk now. He should've spared her a few minutes to know what she wanted from him that morning.
He slipped next to his sleeping wife and Lin Qianrou instinctively moved on her side to curl next to him. Xu Wenyang's eyes softened at her actions and brushed the stray locks away from her beautiful face.
Didn't she know how much he wanted to spoil her? To pamper her?
Her happiness was important to him, but lately, there were times when he couldn't help but feel her dissatisfaction with him. Whenever he asked her what she wanted or what was wrong, Qian would always find a way to evade his question, smiling back at him as if nothing was wrong, yet he felt that she was growing tired of him.
Uneasiness spread in his entirety as he realized how close he was to losing his wife.
"Qian, I love you." He whispered into her ear, hoping that his words would reach her even in her sleep. A small frown appeared on her brow and he kissed it.
Xu Wenyang wished that he didn't need to work so much that he could spend more time with her. If he could, he would, but he also knew he needed to be in charge of everything at work to ensure that nothing unexpected would happen.
They would be celebrating their third wedding anniversary soon and he was anxious with anticipation. His calendar was filled with appointments and work schedules, but he also thought he and Qian deserved a break from everything to celebrate their anniversary.
He knew he should make amends to his wife and spend more time with her, but his job was keeping him too busy and wouldn't allow him to take any time off.
—-
The next morning, Lin Qianrou woke up and frowned when she realized that her husband came home late again and she woke up alone in their bed. If it wasn't for the slight indent on the pillows and space next to her, she wouldn't even know that Xu Wenyang came home last night.
She groaned and decided to sleep more. Her patience on him was running thin already. She didn't think she would be able to endure to live like this when there's a new life involved with it.
If this persists, she wouldn't have any other choice but to divorce her husband!
Xu Wenyang didn't care that much about her as his wife, no doubt he would still remain the same after she gave birth to their child. She obviously loved him but his constant absence was starting to drive her insane. No amount of money or lavish gifts would suffice to make up for his absence.
She needed a husband, not a bank account with a bottomless balance. Xu Wenyang kept giving her gifts that she really didn't need. On her last birthday, he wasn't able to make it to her party and gave her a private yacht to compensate. Lin Qianrou didn't know what else to say but an awkward 'thank you'.
She didn't marry him for money for fuck's sake. Was it really too much for her to ask for his time?
It was already past lunchtime by the time Lin Qianrou woke up. She guessed she'd been sleeping more these days because of her pregnancy. She made her way to their walk-in closet.
Several designer clothes hung on racks, some of them Li Qianrou knew she could never afford in this lifetime. She was, after all, a daughter of a poor mechanic. When her father lost his job and her mother died, Li Qianrou was adopted into Meng Yanran's family, her cousin, which coincidentally was her husband's ex-girlfriend.
More expensive clothes and shoes were on display, some she hadn't worn yet. Countless women would have killed to trade places with her, and yet Lin Qianrou's heart would never be content with these materialistic gifts from her husband.