“You go out first and eat the mango. I’m going to take a shower,” Alea said after Drew’s laughter died down. She quickly snatched up the clothes on the bed and ran out.
Drew let out a long sigh as he rubbed his face. How could he possibly walk out of the room with his head held high after his mother-in-law had caught him red-handed in such an embarrassing position?
Drew sat on the edge of the bed, right beside the small wooden nightstand. His gaze accidentally caught on a thick, leather-bound book with an intricately carved floral pattern that looked worn with age. He reached for the diary. A small combination lock was attached to its side. Then Drew remembered that Alea’s phone PIN was the date of their marriage. He tried turning those numbers on the diary’s lock.
Click.
The lock opened easily.
Drew opened the first page. A date—day, month, and year—was written clearly at the top, from several years ago, back when Alea was still in high school.
There was a little trouble on the way home from school today, teenage Alea’s neat but slightly shaky handwriting read. A few thug-like students stopped me in the hallway and demanded my lunch money. Then a very handsome student came and scolded them until they ran away. But I didn’t get a chance to ask his name. He hurried off with his two friends.
Drew furrowed his brow, reading line after line as curiosity slowly crept over him. He turned to the next page.
I finally found out his name. He really shone on the basketball court today. He’s even more handsome and charismatic. But I only dared to thank him in my heart. And I… will keep secretly watching him from afar.
Drew’s breath caught.
He quickly turned to the next page, wanting to know more.
But before his eyes could catch the next sentence, the bathroom door creaked open. Alea hurried inside. The moment she saw the leather-bound book open in her husband’s hands, her face went deathly pale.
She ran over and immediately snatched the book from Drew’s grasp. “Don’t look through other people’s private things, Drew!” she shouted in a panic, clutching the book tightly against her chest.
Startled by the sudden ambush, Drew could only stare at her blankly. “I… I only read three pages, Alea.”
Inside, Alea leaped for joy as she patted her chest. Thank goodness… thank goodness I hadn’t written his name in the early pages from high school.
“I’m sorry. I read it without permission,” Drew said honestly, feeling a little guilty when he saw the panic on his wife’s face.
Alea smiled stiffly and swallowed with difficulty. “It’s okay… It’s just a bunch of trivial things I wrote back in school.”
Drew narrowed his eyes, studying his wife. “You didn’t have any love stories at all as a teenager?”
Alea laughed hollowly, trying to steady her trembling voice. “No! I never had a teenage romance. Back then, my parents wouldn’t even let me cut my hair. How could I have secretly dated someone or fallen in love?”
A mysterious smile played at the corner of Drew’s lips. Inwardly, he thought, You just denied it terribly, Alea.
“I never dated anyone in college either,” Alea added quickly, trying to convince him.
Drew raised one eyebrow. “Why not?”
“Because… I hadn’t found the right person.”
“Or maybe your standards are too high?” Drew prompted gently.
Alea fell silent. She stared blankly at the wooden floor for a moment. Maybe… because my heart had been tightly locked away since long ago, already belonging to someone far too mesmerizing. How could anyone else take his place? Alea thought bitterly.
Seeing the prolonged silence, Drew stared intently into his wife’s eyes. His intense gaze made Alea fidget and lose her train of thought.
Awkwardly, Alea climbed onto the bed and pulled the thick blanket over herself up to her chin. “It’s late. I’m going to sleep first.” She squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.
Meanwhile, Drew remained seated on the edge of the bed. His mind was filled with a thousand questions. Who was the man so deeply adored in that dusty diary? *
The next day, Alea’s busy routine took hold once again. At her wonderfully fragrant flower shop, she stood behind the register, occupied with trimming stems of red roses with a pair of special shears.
Suddenly, the phone on the counter gave a short ring. A message had arrived from an unknown number. When she opened it, her eyes immediately fixed on the string of words glowing on the screen: “Next week is my birthday. I really hope you and Drew can make time to come. —Ishara.”
Alea froze. Her husband’s first love was throwing a birthday party? Why had that woman invited her? Was it to flaunt their past in front of her?
If she flatly refused, she would look like a coward who was afraid. But if she went, she would have to steel herself to witness how close they were.
With slightly stiff fingers, Alea finally typed a reply: Okay, I’ll come.
Her thoughts and heart were thrown into turmoil by the invitation, and Alea’s concentration immediately scattered. When she went to cut the next rose stem, the shears in her hand slipped.
A stifled cry escaped her lips. The rose’s sharp thorn sank deep into her index finger, drawing fresh beads of blood that immediately seeped across her skin. *
Elsewhere, inside a car moving slowly through traffic, Drew’s phone rang loudly. Ishara’s name appeared on the screen.
With an irritated frown, Drew answered the call. “What do you want now, Ishara?”
“Come to my birthday party next week, Drew,” Ishara’s voice sounded coy yet insistent from the other end.
Drew replied coldly, “I’m married. It wouldn’t be appropriate for a married man to attend a private event like that.”
Ishara laughed softly on the other end of the line. “But you don’t love your wife, do you? Even now, I still can’t believe you really don’t have any feelings for me anymore.”
“My feelings are none of your business, Ishara,” Drew hissed sharply.
“Or… are you actually afraid your wife will get the wrong idea?” Ishara deliberately baited him. “Relax. I already sent her a personal invitation, and your wife just replied… She agreed to come.”
In an instant, Drew’s expression changed completely. His jaw tightened until the muscles in his cheeks stood out. His breathing quickened.
Ishara continued in a triumphant tone, “If you don’t want to come see me, let Alea come alone. I have plenty of interesting things to tell her. I’m sure your wife is very curious about our past.” *