"I'm coming tomorrow."
"What? What? What can I do now? Damn it, how can I tell him I'm married? There's no hope between us now. Oh God, what should I do? I'm afraid. What if Edward finds out? Damn it, damn it."
"Calm down, calm down," I told myself. "I'll tell him that I'm married and also ask him to leave the city. If Edward finds out he's here, he will kill him. Tomorrow... I will tell him. Yes, now I need to calm down."
I started crying.
"But why? Why in this world can't I marry the man I love? I started loving him when I was only eighteen. And now... why is this world so ruthless? No, the people living in it are much worse. They only care about themselves. Just like Edward—he married me because he loves me, but he never asked if I love him. He's crazy."
I wiped my tears and said to myself, "I need to be strong. Be strong."
After that, I started working. At around 7 p.m., Edward's secretary came to my office and told me that Edward was calling me to his office. I nodded, not wanting any argument, and went to his office.
His office is very large. It's simple but beautiful. The royal blue paint with white accents, and the beautiful white tiles with blue lion paintings in the center of each tile, give it a rich, modern, and majestic vibe. A modern table and chairs are in the middle of the room, with some sofas on one side and large windows on the other. It really feels like a dream.
I went in and saw he was sitting in his chair. "Why did you call me?" I asked.
"Come here," he said.
"No, I don't want to."
"In a deep and dangerous voice, he said, 'Will you come on your own, or should I come to get you?'"
"No, no, I will come on my own," I said, slowly approaching his chair.
He took my hand and placed me on his lap. "What are you doing? Let me go! Hey!" I protested.
He said in a deep voice, "Stop now, or something might happen."
I immediately stopped moving. He hugged me from behind and said in a low voice, "Honey, it's really hard to control myself. I want to make love with you in every corner of our home and office. Honey, tell me why you work so late. I've been waiting for you. If you don't want to do anything, then don't. Anyway, don't force yourself to work hard. It's 7 p.m.; let's go home. I want to eat what you cook, and you're not allowed to cook for anyone else—only for me, not even for my family."
"Okay, let's go," I said.
He smiled, and after some time, we arrived home.
"Honey, you go inside first and freshen up. I'll come after parking my car."
I went to my room and freshened up. After that, I came downstairs and started preparing dinner. I wanted to make something good so that if I asked him to let me go out alone, he would allow it. I had just turned on the stove when he came and said, "Honey, you seem tired. So, I told my secretary to bring us something to eat from outside. Don't cook. I'm going to freshen up."
After ten minutes, our dinner arrived. We ate, and then we went outside for a half-hour walk. We didn't talk, but he held my hand during the walk. It was really hard to endure his hand, but I had to be patient if I wanted to go out tomorrow. After that, we just went to sleep. He hugged me, but I didn't ask him to let me go because of tomorrow. Still, somewhere in my heart, I felt secure when he hugged me. I've gone mad.
The next day, I woke up and checked my mobile. I received a message from Ali at 5 a.m. that he was coming next week due to some problems. I was really happy. I didn't know why I should be sad, but well, forget it.
One week passed. Our relationship was developing well. He also didn't force me to do anything I didn't want to. He just hugged me every night, but I still couldn't love him. I love Ali. Tomorrow is the day when Ali is coming.
I got up in the morning. He was arriving at 10 a.m. As usual, Edward made a light breakfast—toast and fried eggs. I grabbed a pair of black jeans, a purple short top, and a black leather jacket. After my bath, I changed into these clothes. After we ate breakfast, we went to the office.
Now I'm sitting in my office, thinking about an excuse for going out. He will never allow me to go out alone. I said to myself, "Forget it, forget it. Just go. What can he do if I'm gone? I'll just tell him my friend got into an accident."
It was 9:30 a.m. now. I got up, took my bag, and sneaked downstairs by the lift. I called a cab and went to the airport.
I got there at 9:55 a.m. I entered the airport and started waiting for Ali.
At 10:15 a.m., I was tired and about to call him when I saw him coming. He came and hugged me. I stiffened for a moment, not expecting this hug since he was quite shy.
I said in a low voice, "Why did you come so late? I'm tired of waiting for you."
He said, "The plane was late. Were you waiting for a long time? I'm sorry."
"Sigh, I thought... never mind. Let's go." He nodded, and after we got into a cab, he said, "Let's go to the hotel first. I'll drop my luggage there, and then we can go eat something delicious."
After we reached the hotel, he placed his suitcase in his room and said, "Let's go eat something."
I nodded, and we went to a restaurant.
He ordered many things. "Hey, Ali, that's too much."
"Come on, start eating. I'm hungry," he said sweetly.
"You didn't eat on the plane?"
"No, I didn't like the plane food," Ali said.
We talked during lunch. After we finished, it was time for me to tell him about my marriage. But how? How can I destroy his hopes? I still love him, but I have to tell him.
Damn it, what to do?
I was about to tell him when I received a notification on my mobile. I opened it and saw a message from Edward: "Where are you?"
I sent a message back saying, "My friend got into an accident, so I'm at the hospital now. I'll be coming home soon."
I better go back now. What if Edward comes here?
"Ali, it's late, and I need to go. We'll meet again. I have to tell you something very important, but next time. Bye."
"Okay, bye, Neha. Take care."
After saying goodbye to Ali, I got into a cab and headed home. Sigh, what is he thinking about me? He came after several years, and I didn't even get to have a proper talk with him.
I reached home and entered the house. I saw Edward sitting on the couch, looking at some pictures.
After I said, "I'm home," he stood up and threw a picture at me.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
I picked up the picture and was shocked. I was shaking in fear. The pictures were of Ali and me from the airport to the hotel—all the pictures...
Question: Who sent the last message on Neha's phone that said, "I'm coming tomorrow"?