"Oh, how come you already got home?" Paula asked as William opened the door. Because of the noisy frying oil sound, she didn't even hear his car drive into the yard.
Unfortunately, Paula's question was answered with a burst of laughter.
"Oh, look at you!"
Her husband laughed so hard he rolled over on the couch.
"Shit! What's wrong with you? I asked you nicely, why do you laugh at me?" Paula ranted as she flipped the food on the pan.
While continuing to laugh, William pointed at Paula and said, "Oh, Paula! You look like an astronaut, you know!"
Paula studied herself. Right now, she was indeed wearing baking gloves, a thick jacket, and also a helmet. The chopsticks she used to flip the fries looked like ninja weapons.
"Well, I can't help. I'm afraid the fried tempura will explode. Prevention is always better than cure!" Paula replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah, but you look so funny. I can't help chuckling until forever," William teased her more.
"If I don't use safety stuff, my skin is threatened with hot oil. RIP my smooth skin!" Paula insisted as she lifted fries through a sieve.
William was amazed to see the fried shrimp tempura, yellow sweet potato, pumpkin, and purple eggplant. All sliced thinly. The delicious smell of the tempura tempted his nostril, making him drool over the food.
"Hmm… what is this dish called?" William asked enthusiastically. His hands were ready to grab the pumpkin tempura. However, Paula swiftly dismissed it.
"Wash your hands first!" Paula rebuked. "The ten-don can wait for you!" Paula snapped, mentioning the name of the dish she served at the dining table.
William and Paula, who were now dressed neatly, enjoyed their lunch voraciously. Lately, Paula was often cooking at home. This made her husband lazy to eat out. He was always waiting for what new dish Paula would make for him.
"So delicious, huh! This is the first time I've eaten ten-don," William moaned in joy. "It turned out to be like fried meat and veggies eaten with rice," he praised the food again.
"You rarely eat Japanese food. The ones you eat are mostly ramen and sushi!" Paula teased and giggled. "Lea was taking her master's degree in Japan. Then try asking her to cook for you."
Hearing Lea's name being mentioned, William suddenly felt bad. He suddenly lost his appetite.
"Oh! You haven't answered my question before. Why did you come home early?" Paula asked, taking a bite of her eggplant tempura. "Don't you miss her? It's been a long time since she left the state, no?"
William looked down, not wanting to answer Paula's question. He couldn't understand how Paula could ask about Lea so casually—nonchalantly—as if she hadn't done anything to his relationship with Lea.
"Hmm… yes. I think Lea still wants to spend some time with her sisters. So I was going home first," William replied with a forced bitter smile.
Paula nodded as she ate the food with chopsticks. "Alright. Then, we have some time to play, no?" Paula whispered with a wink. Coquettish.
***
"Why do you stop?" Paula asked as her husband stopped after giving her climaxes. "You don't want to finish what you started?"
The woman's eyes looked at her husband pleadingly. She knew this must be something to do with Lea.
"I know where this is coming from. Do you feel sorry for your girlfriend?" Paula asked, stroking William's sweat-drenched bangs.
William rubbed his face. He got up from the side of the bed, got dressed, and headed straight for the kitchen to get some drinks.
He took a sip of cold mineral water from the bottle and leaned his back on the chair. He snorted in annoyance. He felt more and more anxious from time to time.
On the one hand, he couldn't possibly let Paula roam around doing one night stands with strangers just to satisfy her needs. What if their parents found out about this? He would be the one to be blamed.
On the other hand, William felt very guilty for having had sex with a woman other than Lea. Even if that woman was his wife. But, for some reason, he felt like he was cheating on Lea.
He saw it coming. But, really, the problems were taking a toll on him.
"William, do you feel guilty?" William's thoughts were broken when he heard his wife's voice. She was following him into the kitchen.
William nodded with a sigh, revealing a troubled face. Paula took a chair and sat closer to him.
"William, you're not in the wrong relationship. We're a legal couple. Why are you feeling so guilty about that?" Paula's eyes stared at William seriously, as if scolding a child who felt guilty for choosing to study over playing with his friends.
"I feel guilty, Paula! I feel like I was cheating on her! I've become an unfaithful lover!" William's voice rose. He didn't understand why Paula kept insisting that she had done nothing wrong.
Paula was furious. "William! Stop it! Think logically!"
"Y-"
"Who do you think should feel cheated on in this situation? I'm your lawful wife! If you love another woman, then you are cheating on me!" Paula's eyes were red, inflamed, and burned. She gritted her teeth, disbelieving her husband's behavior. "Legally, that's how it is. I have more rights over you!"
"Paula!"
"You should feel grateful that I was able to compromise this far! I'm only asking for your inner and outer support, not your feelings!" Paula stood up violently, sending her chair back, falling backward, and making a slamming sound that was enough to make her heart beat faster. She immediately stepped off the side of the table, leaving William with a surge of anger.
However, on the way back to her room, she stopped and said with a stern look on her beautiful face, "If you feel guilty, act like a man. We're getting a divorce as soon as possible!"
Paula didn't want to waste her time arguing with William. It was useless for her to follow William's way of thinking, which she thought was too emotional. Something that Paula did not expect from her husband.
Meanwhile, William was left dumbfounded in the kitchen, trying to understand her words. Indeed, from the start, she treated their marriage like a business.
William, who felt guilty, came to see her in the bedroom. He thought she was crying in bed, but instead, he saw his wife at work checking the monthly financial statements that seemed to have just been sent by her assistant.
"Paula, I'm sorry," William said in a low, hoarse voice.
"That's okay. We can get a divorce as soon as possible so you can be free," Paula said flatly without turning to William.
"That's impossible right now. My mom's health couldn't bear our divorce," William whispered. He walked over and sat at Paula's bedside with a resigned face.
Paula stopped working on her laptop and turned to William. "You should know the consequences if you don't divorce me."
"...."
"I'm still going to keep asking you to fulfill my needs and forbid you to do the same with other women. Including Lea! Got it?" Paula's eyes narrowed. He is very serious about his words. "No cheating on our marriage!"
William's eyes popped out. There was no feeling attached to their marriage, yet Paula took it so seriously.
"Marriage has consequences. I don't want my family to be like the people out there who cheat on each other. That feels so wrong for me even if we're not involving our hearts in this marriage."
William's mouth opened wide, got to say something. However, he did not have time because Paula grabbed the opportunity.
"That's my condition. Don't you mind?"
William rubbed his face. Then smiled faintly. "This is the first time I've met a strange woman like you!"
"Sorry if I'm not a gentle and kind woman!" Paula replied, pursing her lips.
"You're like a police officer!" William commented, laughing in amusement.
"I don't care!" Paula replied, still annoyed.
"Come on!" asked William, enthusiastic.
"What?" Paula asked in confusion.
William came closer to his wife and hugged her from behind. "Let's continue where we left off!"
"You were the one who ruined it!" Paula said dryly, reminding him that he was at fault. "I'm not in the mood right now. I'm in a bad mood."
"Hmm, weren't you the one who said that I can't do it with other women?" William whispered as he brought his face closer to Paula's.
"Do you think I can get wet from this sexy foreplay?" Paula smiled sarcastically. Of course she didn't mean that their argument was a sexy dirty chat.
"I will make it up. What do you want?"
"Then get my mood back."
"Where do you want to be touched, Mrs. Montgomery?"
William then did her requests. They both continued where they left off. It's not a difficult task to do because their bodies were used to each other. Their rhythm had been in sync. Soon, he buried himself inside her. Before long, only moans and groans of joy could be heard from their love nest.