When Rina returned home, she was surprised when Rihito greeted her at the door, "Welcome home!" He smiled at her opening his arms.
"I'm home," Her face broke into a wide smile as she hugged him. He hugged her back and placed a kiss on her head, she breathed a sigh of relief, this was her Rihito, the usual sweet playful Rihito.
She smiled looking up at him, he held her hand entwining their fingers as they walked inside, her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the hall was glittering with the candle lights, "Get fresh and join me for the dinner?" He smiled at her, she nodded with a grin.
After changing when she entered the kitchen, she found him waiting for her at the dining table, she walked to him, she raised her brows at her husband, "What's all this?"
"Spoiling my wife?" he pulled out the chair for her after she took her seat, he took the seat beside her and took her hand in his, he leaned on the table and stared at her lovingly.
"What are you doing?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Appreciating your beauty," He smiled. She felt her face heating up, "Stop staring at me like that," She covered her face with her free hand. She then tried to distract herself, "Let's see what we've got for dinner," She removed the lids and smiled seeing her favorite dishes.
"Hmm, my best friend spilled out more secrets hmm?" Her brows quirked up, Rihito had been holding on to her right hand she tried to pull her hand back but he tightened his grip.
"That's my right hand," She told him.
"So?" His brows quirked up.
"That's my dominant hand," She rephrased it, "I can't eat if you keep holding onto it."
"That's fine, let me feed you," He smiled at her as he served the food on her plate, he held the spoon closer to her mouth, "Say ah!"
"But-"
"Come on," He urged.
"Okay, as you say," She opened her mouth, "Hmm, it's so good," She complimented him chewing on the food.
"thank you," He grinned.
After their dinner, they were cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie, she rested her head on his lap, he ran his hands through her hair, he hadn't been watching the movie at all, his eyes were only at her, "Stop staring, you're distracting me," She complained getting up.
He pulled her back in his arms crashing his lips on hers, she clung to him kissing him back with equal passion, breaking apart he rested his forehead against hers, "I love you," He whispered.
The next morning, Rina woke up to an empty house and with a note, 'I'm sorry,' her worst nightmare had come true, Rihito was gone.
****
Teresa had been meeting with the clients at a hotel outside the city. Just then, she spotted Rihito, she was about to go running to him when she spotted a woman with him, "You better not be cheating on my best friend." she narrowed her eyes at them.
She slowly sneaked up to them, looking at her closely she found out it was the same woman her husband had been meeting in secret.
The woman noticed her and smirked, she then said something and then went away. "What's going on?" She stood there confused. Ryouma had warned her not to go after her so she obeyed and followed Rihito instead.
Rihito entered the bar she went after him, "Hi, bro." She patted on his shoulder. "Oh, Teresa, hi." He looked at her in surprise, "what are you doing here?" He asked. "had a meeting with the clients." She replied.
"What's wrong? You don't look good." She asked as she looked at his gloomy face.
Without a word, he gulped down his drink.
"I can't drink with you but I can keep company." She smiled and took the seat beside him. "An orange juice please," She placed the order.
"So, how's everything?" He asked.
"I don't know." She shrugged.
"What does that mean?" He frowned.
"Your best friend's been hiding things from me and when I got mad about it, he excuses himself by saying he didn't want to stress me out." She complained.
"But there are things we can't tell you guys. Why do you want to know things that'll hurt you?" He sighed.
"You men!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you think that we only want to be protected? How can you expect us to be fine when you're suffering? He comes home and sighs all the time, picks on his food, forgets where he left things, and what's the excuse? I didn't want you to stress out, how can I be happy when he's suffering? Am I that unreliable? That hurts more."
"But what about the things that'll only make you cry? Isn't it better if you don't know them? It's not like you can do anything about it, even after knowing it so just stay clueless and stay away from trouble, isn't that better?" He twirled his glass, the ice cubes hit the walls of the glass making a clink.
"No, it may be frustrating that we can't do anything about it but it's still less frustrating than not knowing it and besides one can't make others happy if they're not happy themselves so what's the point?" She replied.
"Hmm..." He stared at her. "You've matured." He patted her head.
"What do you expect? In a few months, I'll be giving birth to two cute Lil' babies, can't be a kid in front of the kids now. I'll be a mom." She smiled.
"you'll be a good one." he smiled back.
"I don't know that, I don't know how a mother is, I'm new to that, I don't remember much about my mom just learning a few things from my mother-in-law. But I'll try my best, I'll make sure that they get all the love and care which I couldn't get from my parents."
"I see, we're similar in a way." He nodded.
"Hmm?" She raised her brows.
"We both don't know what is parental love. You don't have a mother, I don't have a father, your father never cared until recently and my mom... oops, sorry, let's not compare her to your father, that'll be an insult to him."
"No, that's fine. Just because I forgave him doesn't erase the fact that he couldn't be a good father, whatever his reasons were no parents are allowed to treat their children like that." She shook her head.
"No, your father is far better, my mom she literally threatens me, she can't even stand a sight of me." His voice trembled. "but I still can't imagine to harm her, why? coz nothing can change the fact that she's my mother."
"Yes, the fact that he's my dad I couldn't erase it no matter how many times he ignored me that was one of the reasons why couldn't hate him and sought his attention, today, I love my dad, I do but there are things that can't be erased, the things he did were wrong. Your mom, my dad, we chose to forgive them but honestly, I'd never want my children to ever face what I've faced." She shook her head.
"We can forgive them but they won't forgive us. I don't even want her forgiveness anymore I just want her to leave me alone but she says she won't let me live in peace." He buried his face in his hands.
"wait, you have a mother?" She blinked at the news.
"No one told you?" he frowned.
"Wow, lots of people are keeping secrets." She laughed humorlessly.
"That's no secret and let me tell you my mom's horrible, don't you ever come in front of her 'kay? Who knows what she might do to you, so just don't, be hidden, kay? Wait, go hide somewhere if she sees you with me, she'll go after you too." He gulped down another glass. "My mom, she's not a secret but if you want to know a secret, hmm? Let me tell you one. Me and Rina, we're not married." He blurted out. "Now that's a secret." He laughed.
"What?" She cocked her head to the side. "what does that mean?" She asked.
"So, I shouldn't bottle things up and tell her what's bothering me, hmm?" He nodded. "I see."
"Oi, Not married? first, tell me what does that mean?" she asked again but Rihito wasn't listening anymore. "he's totally wasted." She shook her head. "I need to interrogate Rina now." She narrowed her eyes as Rihito gobbled down another glass of drink.
"but there's also another problem." He looked at her.
"What?" Her brows quirked up.
"I don't deserve to be happy so I ran away," He sighed.
"Says who?" Teresa clenched her fist.
"My mom. She says that I messed up her life so how can she let my life be smooth, she says I don't deserve to be happy but I can't help but be happy when I'm with Rina, okay fine I won't be happy anymore but I want her to be happy and you just said it 'One can't make others happy if they're not happy themselves' so that means I need to be happy first to make her happy. Wait, wait this is so confusing and tiring. what am I supposed to do?"
"Let's go and beat that mother of yours, how can she say such things to her own child? Those all human rights people say that even the worst criminals have basic human rights, even they deserve to be happy, so who the hell is she to tell you you don't deserve to be happy?" Teresa gritted her teeth.
"Hey, Can I ask you something?" He looked at her.
"Yes? what is it? beat your mother up? I'll do that even if you say no."
"Can you please take care of Rina? See that she doesn't cry?"
"Why? You did something to make her cry?" She glared at him.
"Yes, I made her cry." He began to cry.
"Hey, why are you crying? now I can't even beat you up for making her cry. What man?" She frowned.
He laughed. "Please take care of her, I might not go home for few days, I ran away."
"Oi, now you're scaring me. Why won't you go home? What does it mean? You guys fought? What did you do? Why did she cry? Hey!" She shouted but none of those reached up to him as he dropped down, dead drunk.