"My son, you're back," Lillian said, quickly walking forward to hug Ace at the entrance of the villa.
"Yes, Mom, I'm back, and I missed you," Ace replied, hugging her back with a smile.
"You missed only me, huh? You didn't miss me?" Alexander asked, approaching them from behind.
"Of course, I missed you," Lillian said, pulling away from Ace and walking forward to hug Alexander. "But first, go and change."
Despite their differences, Lillian and Alexander knew, loved, and respected each other. Although Alexander could be sarcastic and didn't always understand Lillian, she still saw him as her husband and respected him as the father of their children.
"I missed you," Lillian said, hugging Alexander, who smiled and patted the back of her head.
"I missed you too, dear," Alexander replied.
After meeting his parents, Alexander's perspective shifted. Seeing how his father cherished his mother made him realize he wanted to do the same for his wife. Although he had always cherished Lillian, he hadn't made the effort to spend quality time with her lately. They had been married for a while, and the good moments they shared together had slowly faded away. He no longer took her on dinner dates or enjoyed quiet evenings together.
As he looked at the woman in his arms, Alexander sighed, recalling what others had asked him, including his mother.
"Alexander, why didn't you come with Lillian? I've missed my daughter. You should have brought her instead of leaving her at home," Carrel had asked the day they arrived at the Steve mansion.
"Mom, she doesn't want to associate with people you know," Alexander said, sighing, indicating his tiredness.
"Fine, I'll call her myself and hear from her. Rest well," his mother replied, noticing his exhaustion, and left.
At the party, while Alexander was talking to one of the businessmen, Mr. Andrew, he asked where his wife was, as he hadn't seen her with him. Alexander felt a pang of guilt, seeing everyone with their spouses, chatting and meeting people, while he had left his wife at home. She was more beautiful than most of the women there, and it made him realize he hadn't been good to her, leaving her to feel lonely.
Slowly, he remembered a conversation he had overheard between a woman and her husband. "Love, I miss you so much. You know, all this time you travel around or spend in your office in the other state without me, I feel lonely and bored," the woman said, resting her head on her husband's shoulder.
"It's okay, from now on, I'll be at home and in the state with you, so I'll always come back home," the husband replied with a smile, looking at his wife lovingly.
"But your work?" the woman asked, worried, slowly raising her head to look at her husband.
"Don't worry, even back then, I never thought you'd be lonely without me, as you seemed fine every time I came back. I began to think you no longer needed me by your side, and you were okay," the husband explained.
Alexander wasn't just listening to their conversation; he was observing them from the corner of his eyes. He saw the woman punch her husband's chest playfully and then lay her head back on his shoulder. Her husband laughed at what she did and took hold of her hand, looking at her.
"It's not like that; I just didn't want you to worry about me. We have kids, so of course, I have to be there for them," the woman said.
"And now you want to make me worry?" the husband asked, smiling playfully.
The woman smiled, saying, "No, it's just that I'm tired of holding up, and I want you to know. Don't say I'm fine again. I love you and want you all the time by my side, okay?" She slowly kissed his cheek.
"I love you too, and more, my sweetheart," the husband replied, kissing his wife back on both cheeks.
Back in the present, Alexander held his wife tightly, making Lillian wince as she tried to pull away from him.
"Alexander, I can't breathe," Lillian said, trying strongly to pull away.
Realizing what had happened, Alexander quickly loosened his hold on her and pulled away. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
"Yes, I'm good now. Why did you hold me so tight?" Lillian asked, seeming puzzled, and kept looking at him with a smile.
Looking into her eyes, with a smile on her face, Alexander felt lost. He wondered why he hadn't been paying attention to her and making her smile like there was no tomorrow.
"Let's head in," Alexander said, smiling warmly at her before circling his hand around her waist from behind and leading her in.
The action caught Lillian off guard, and her head shot up, looking at him as he led her into their house. "God, what's wrong with him?" Lillian thought, walking slowly.
Sitting on the bed, Ace picked up his phone from the bedside drawer and scrolled through it, stopping when he saw Aria's number. He kept looking at it and slowly put it back.
"Sorry, love, I'll keep you waiting. Wait till the right time. I miss you, but I can't call you now," Ace said, lying on the bed.
" I will give you a surprise tomorrow,"Ace said with a smile.
Aria sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "Why isn't he calling? Isn't he back yet?" she asked, tears gathering in her eyes as she lay on her bed.
It was close to midnight, but she couldn't sleep, waiting for his call. But he didn't call, and she kept waiting until she slowly drifted off to sleep.
"I miss you so much, Ace. Why won't you call me?" Aria said, her voice barely above a whisper, before falling asleep.