CHAPTER TWO

Fifteen minutes later…

Kevin finished washing the dishes and checked his watch,

“This is past five. Lily should be home by now.”

Walking down the hall way, Kevin heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin adjusted his shirt and entered the living room,

“Hi babe, welcome home.”

Kevin greeted his wife, Lily.

Sitting across the couch in front of him, Lily lifted her hands and politely waved.

Staring at Lily’s bright eyes, luscious full lips and smooth skin, Kevin thought to himself,

“I still get butterflies every time I look at her. Lily is gorgeous and her beauty is undeniable but, that’s not why I love her. She is the most patient and hard-working woman I’ve met. I mean, these past few years, her dedication has remained steady as she built and expanded her company.”

He was deep in his thoughts when a sudden, raucous voice snapped him out of his reverie.

“Hey!  Kevin”

The only person that could sound wild like that was Lily’s best friend, Monica.

Kevin nodded to his wife’s best friend,

“Hi Monica, good to see you.”

Sitting next to Lily on the couch, Monica smirked,

“Oh, what an absolutely stunning shirt you’ve got there!”

Looking down, Kevin noticed he had spilled dirt on his shirt and with his cheeks flushed, he replied Monica,

“I was doing the dishes.”

Monica smirked again,

“Awwn… that’s cute. In my house, we pay people to do the dishes.”

She casually responded.

Lily turned to Monica,

“Well, not everyone can be born into wealth like you. Some of us have to work hard to have a good life.”

Looking at Kevin with those bright sparkling eyes, Lily continued

“Some of us even have to try harder and when the hard work pays off, it will all be worth it.”

Lily secretly winked at Kevin.

Kevin winked back as he thought to himself,

“I feel so guilty about hiding my past from her. Maybe she would understand if I just explained it to her but at this point, it might be too late. I mean we’ve been married for two years and Lily is completely unaware that I come from one of the wealthiest family in Veridonia. I hid it from her because I didn’t want her to marry me for my money but then as luck would have it, I literally lost everything the day that we got engaged.”

Closing his eyes, Kevin took a deep breath as he remembered,

“I’ll never forget that day. I called my grandpa to tell him the good news but he interrupted me instead and scolded me for investing my entire trust fund into Sunset Haven group which unexpectedly, didn’t go as planned. I’ll never forget that day when my grandpa kicked me out of the family.”

He remembered the cold but firm voice of his grandpa that fateful night,

“I’m kicking you out of the family Kevin. It’s for your own good. You need to learn the value of money.”

Those words were etched deeply in his heart. He would never forget how he lost everything in a flash and was left with nothing.

But now, that investment with Sunset Haven group is paying off and he now has more money than his entire family combined.

He thought to himself,

“Luckily for me, the investment has paid off and now I’m the richest man in Veridonia! But, how do I tell my wife all these things? She thinks I’m just an unemployed lazy man with no future. I need to be sure I can trust her before revealing my secrets to her.”

Lily stood up from the couch with her long shinning hair flowing behind her gracefully. She pecked Kevin softly on his cheeks and said,

“Kevin, no offense but Monica is right. You look like a complete mess right now, maybe you should go freshen up.”

Turning back to look at Monica sitting on the couch, Lily continued.

“Especially since we have a guest over.”

Kevin nodded,

“Of course. I’ll go change right now.”

After changing his shirt, Kevin walked towards the living room but stopped when he heard Monica whispering to Lily,

“I don’t know how you do it. You’re like this bad-ass boss bitch and your husband looks so pathetic! He is an absolute pro at looking like a walking calamity. Why do you stay with him?”

After a long pause, Lily whispered back.

“He wasn’t always like this. When we first, he was charming and confident. I don’t know what happened to him but I keep thinking that, if I stay with him long enough, maybe he would find himself again. Monica, I really loved the man Kevin used to be.”

Monica scoffed,

“Do you love him now?”

Lily bowed her head,

“I really don’t know. I’d be lying if I say I really do. I mean sometimes, I feel like a caretaker in our relationship. He is so closed-up these days and it feels like the romance is completely gone. I know that if I should ever talk to him about it, I’d loose it even more. I love him, but I don’t know what I’m in love with in him anymore.”

Monica nodded,

“You could have any man Lily. You’re stunning, kind and diligent at your job. I think you should get a divorce. You shouldn’t stay with someone because you pity them.”

Lily’s bright clear eyes were now on the brink of tears, glistening like dewdrops clinging to the delicate petals of a morning rose. Different emotions were swirling within her,

“I don’t pity him, I just wish that he could be the man he used to be. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about this right now. I spent an entire day putting out fires at work, the last thing I’d want to do is putting them out at home as well.”

Monica paused,

“Of course, that makes sense.”

Kevin found it impossible to articulate the thoughts racing through his mind at this moment. His striking countenance, once smooth as a placid lake, now bore the lines of astonishment as if he’d just glimpsed the universe’s grandest secrets.

He experienced a blend of conflicting emotions and he couldn’t express the feelings he felt. He was about to turn around back when he heard Monica whisper again.