Chapter 4. Explanation

Rachel couldn’t help but imagine what she had just seen. She never expected Mario to change clothes in the room instead of the bathroom.

Once Mario finished getting dressed, he sat down and ate some snacks that had been prepared by the housekeeper, considering he would be coming home late.

Rachel remained under the covers, feeling suffocated. She then peeked out, creating a small gap to see Mario eating on the sofa.

“Why are you peeking?” Mario teasingly asked Rachel, aware that she was spying on him.

“I thought you weren’t dressed yet,” Rachel replied. She then opened the blanket, sat on the edge of the bed, and said, “Because you woke me up when you came home, I can’t sleep now.”

“I’m sorry. With the afternoon shift, I’ll be coming home late. But if it’s the night shift, I’ll leave at ten in the evening,” explained Mario.

Rachel took a deep breath. As a recent college graduate, she had yet to find work and was unsure about what to do. Even when she was still in a relationship with Michael, they had agreed that Rachel would stay at home while Michael would provide for her needs, given that he worked at her father’s company. However, everything changed so suddenly, leaving Rachel confused about what to do, especially now that she was the wife of a doctor.

“Why are you silent? Don’t you like my profession?” Mario asked.

“Why did you agree to marry me, even though I don’t love you at all?” Rachel suddenly asked.

Mario approached Rachel on the bed and explained the concept of arranged marriages in the past. He didn’t regret marrying someone who didn’t love him. He believed that as they got used to each other, feelings of love would gradually develop.

“So everyone knew about this except me? Am I the only fool you all took for granted?” Rachel protested, feeling disappointed about what had happened to her.

“No, it’s just a matter of time. Your father loves you so much and wants you to fall in love with the person you marry,” answered Mario.

“After being on cloud nine, it feels like I’ve been dropped from the rooftop of my father’s company building. My life has been turned upside down,” Rachel said, tears streaming down her face. She felt foolish. She was being treated like a puppet. “I have no one I can trust.”

“You have me now. You can trust me, Rachel. I made a sacred promise to make you happy,” Mario said confidently.

“I don’t need you to play the hero! I don’t need that. I have no one. Only my mother is in my heart, even though she’s no longer with us. Maybe I should just go with her,” Rachel replied.

“No, Rachel. Don’t say that! I’m sorry if I said something to hurt you. I don’t want to see you in pain. We’re in this together,” Mario said sincerely.

“What’s the point? My wounds haven’t even healed yet, and you say you don’t want me to get hurt? That’s too much drama,” Rachel said, lying back down and covering herself with the blanket. She had had enough of the lies. She didn’t want any more drama. As far as she was concerned, her father was a bad person.

***

The next day, Lea and Michael suddenly returned from their honeymoon. Rachel happened to be watering the flowers in the front yard and didn’t notice their arrival.

“Rachel, what are you doing?” Lea asked.

“Can’t you see? I’m watering the plants,” Rachel snapped, continuing her task.

Lea decided to go inside the house with Michael. Her father welcomed their return. “You’re back already? Why so fast?”

“Yeah, we’re done. I was thinking about Rachel and Dad. It seems like she still hasn’t accepted the marriage,” Lea replied.

“Yes, it’s not easy for her. But you know that your sister has a soft heart. Hopefully, Mario can melt Rachel’s heart,” Mr. Hans said.

“No need!” Rachel interrupted abruptly.

Rachel overheard her sister’s conversation with her father, and everyone turned to look at her.

“Rachel?” Michael called out.

“What? Are you happy with your choice? You’re such a hypocrite. How could I have fallen in love with you only to find out that you made a deal after our marriage, and you knew you would be marrying my sister?” Rachel felt annoyed hearing her sister’s earlier words.

“Rachel, this is your destiny. I don’t want you to overthink things that are unnecessary. I want you to find your soulmate,” Mr. Hans tried to mediate.

But Rachel smiled bitterly. “So this is fate. What kind of fate is this? You never mentioned any of this before. I’m the only one who didn’t know about your well-thought-out plan.”

“Rachel, don’t talk to your father like that! He is your father. Speak to him respectfully!” Mario suddenly appeared from inside and shouted.

“So you’re defending him too? Everyone is defending him. Nobody cares about my feelings. It’s as if I’m just a pawn in this family. I’d rather leave,” Rachel said, then ran to her room to gather herself and prepare to leave the house.

“Rachel, where are you going? You’re coming with me, aren’t you?” Mario ordered.

“No. I can go alone. You take care of yourself and the people here,” Rachel said.

While Rachel was packing her clothes, she heard Lea’s voice from downstairs, shouting, “Help! Let’s take Daddy to the hospital!”

Rachel’s heart softened as she realized the state of her father. At that moment, Mr. Hans had collapsed, and Lea had already called for an ambulance.

“Let me check,” Mario said, examining his father-in-law’s condition.

Soon, the ambulance arrived, and Mr. Hans was taken to the hospital. Lea and Rachel got into the ambulance while Mario and Michael followed behind.

On the way to the hospital, Mario and Michael began talking.

“Mario, can you handle Rachel? Her behavior is like that of a child. And you’re older than her,” Michael asked.

“I’m doing my best. Rachel is a good person; she just expresses herself differently. Besides, she cares about her father,” Mario answered.

“Yes, that’s true about Rachel. That’s why her father insisted on her marrying you,” Michael said.