CHAPTER 93: CHEATED

"Likewise, don’t hide things from me, even if they are unpleasant. I will try to understand you. We would have avoided all of this if you had told me your plan from the beginning," she retorted, squeezing her face in disagreement at his decision. All of this was his fault, and any other woman would have reacted the way she did, if not worse. The only reason she went to the birthday party with him was because she wanted to help, so she didn’t see why he hadn’t come clean with her.

"I promise...down to the way I bathe, with details," he responded, causing her cheeks to flush. A small smile crept onto her face, and he took that as her forgiveness.

"That’s not necessary. Just don’t hide important things from me," she replied, earning a chuckle from him.

"Does that mean you won’t be divorcing me anymore?" He asked, and she smirked, making him furrow his brows as he wondered what she meant by that smirk.

"We shall see. It all depends on how well you behave," she said, then winked at him with an evil grin, making him uneasy. For some reason, it made him want to know what she meant by how you behave, but given the circumstances, he probably guessed it meant cheating. As long as he didn’t cheat, she was not going to divorce him.

"I suppose I will have to be a good boy so my wife does not leave me," he joked, and she burst into laughter, clearly enjoying that childish side of him. It was funny how they went from misunderstanding each other to talking again.

"I suppose I can have my kiss now." Leaning in, he was about to seize her lips when his phone rang, startling Patricia, who pulled her mouth away, completely frightened.

Bringing out his phone, Roman groaned irritably when he saw it was Silas. He lifted his hand to reject the call but was interrupted by Patricia, who quickly shouted, "No, take it! I have a feeling it might be Zara giving Kay and Silas a hard time trying to look for me." Her expression was both worried and afraid. Given how angry Zara had been earlier, she might think Roman had forcefully taken her away, and though he had, it was not the way Zara imagined.

"The only thing hard here is me," he teased, and she smacked his chest playfully, urging, "Take the call." That prompted him to finally accept the call and bring it to his ear.

’There’s a problem. Our informant stationed at the airport just reported seeing Syres. I think he is here for the wedding, or do you guys still hang out here?’ When the call connected, Silas didn’t even give Roman a chance to speak before he began. Roman’s gaze darkened at the mention of Syres, and he leaned away from Patricia, his jaw tightening. Knowing Syres, there could only be one reason he was here...to torment him. And to do that, what better way than through Eve? He must have realized the only way to get through to him was by striking his weaknesses. That was why he had gone after Patricia at first, but when his plan failed, he turned to Eve.

’No, where is he headed?’ Roman pressed, and Patricia began to worry, because Zara was a she, not a he. Roman wouldn’t look that troubled or annoyed about Zara, there was definitely something else going on. She adjusted her seat and sat upright, her gaze fixed on him.

’They really can’t say. He just keeps moving, but they suspect he knows they are on his trail, so he’s purposely toying with them,’ Silas explained, earning a deep sigh from Roman.

’He’s doing it to get under my skin. No matter what, they are not to stop following him. I am guessing he’s here to use Eve as a pawn to reach me,’ Roman muttered.

’Would he actually hurt Eve to provoke you? He might not have admitted it, but we have all seen how much he loves her. I found out he saved her from being taken advantage of at a bar a few days before she left home. Could he really do that to someone he claims to hate?’ Silas pressed, his tone relaying genuine doubt, which left Roman silent for a while.

’He might not be able to hurt her physically, but emotionally? He’s been doing that for years. Make sure Eve doesn’t know of his presence,’ Roman ordered firmly.

’Or should we tell him about Paul? He might finally come back to his senses,’ Silas suggested cautiously.

"No. I don’t want him marrying her out of pity. Eve would only hate us for it. I can live with her hate, but can you?" Roman countered, rendering Silas speechless.

’I will try my best. But we need to hasten our plan and end this marriage as soon as possible,’ Silas finally said before cutting the call.

"What’s wrong? Did something bad happen?" Patricia asked at once the moment the phone left Roman’s ear, worry etched across her face.

Roman turned to her, quickly masking his anger with a smile. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I am afraid my kiss will have to wait. Syres is here, and I don’t think he’s come to congratulate Eve," he admitted.

"What?!" Patricia exclaimed, her eyes widening. Would Syres go this far just to torture Roman?

"Maybe it’s time you come clean with him. Let him know you didn’t do it, so he can stop blaming you for his brother’s death," Patricia suggested, her voice edged with genuine worry. Now that she knew Syres had intentionally approached her to strike back at Roman, she feared he might go even farther.

"I know Syres well enough to say words won’t move him. You can’t sweet-talk a master manipulator. I need evidence to convince him," Roman replied, a small chuckle escaping him.

"But what about Eve?" Patricia asked softly, wondering how he planned to protect her. Coming clean might save Eve from this marriage, perhaps even mend their family bond. Who knows, Syres might believe him and join hands to confront their common enemy.

"He has to realize his mistakes himself. Forcing him will only work temporarily, and Eve would not want that," Roman said, drawing a frustrated sigh from Patricia. The more she listened, the more determined she became to speak to Eve alone. Somehow, she believed all these misunderstandings could be untangled with words. Eve hated her brother because she thought he killed their mother and ruined her chance at love. Syres hated Roman because he believed he killed his brother. If only they knew he hadn’t done it, that he was framed, then perhaps things would get better.

"Alright." She spoke hesitantly, looking away, though deep down she was nowhere near alright.

Roman started the engine, and soon they were on the road.

One morning...

Patricia and Zara were enjoying their girly talks, sitting by the poolside as they basked in the morning sun.

"I mean, what are the odds of stumbling on a skilled photographer like me? It would be thrilling to threaten them for once," Zara declared, rolling her eyes dramatically before sipping from her cocktail. Patricia burst into laughter, caught off guard by her best friend’s boldness.

"So what will you do when you quit?" Patricia asked curiously.

"Maybe open my own studio with a loan and try to secure as many contracts as I can. If God favors me, I might even host exhibitions afterward," Zara replied, earning an agreeing nod from Patricia. She had always wondered why Zara hadn’t opened her own studio, given her gift for photography. Back in college, she had won countless awards, and everyone thought she would be a big shot by now, yet she chose to work under someone else instead.

"I was hoping you would do this back when we left college. Wonder why it took you so long to decide," Patricia pointed out.

"I didn’t want fame. It’s boring when everyone likes you. I would rather be disliked," Zara said with a heavy exhale, her gaze drifting toward the sky.

"True," Patricia agreed softly, nodding as she too looked up at the sky.

"What about you? Will you keep working at his hospital?" Zara asked, tilting her head toward her friend. Patricia smiled, her thoughts wandering.

"You know, I once thought I would be happily married by now to Collin, living in the countryside and running a small hospital there. He was willing to leave everything behind so we could have a blissful marriage," she answered at last. Her words immediately caught Zara’s attention, who leaned off her chair and turned to face her.

"Speaking of Collin, he’s finally getting married to your sister next week. Are you going to the wedding?" Zara asked, her eyes widening with curiosity.

"Next week? Wow, that was quite fast." Patricia leaned in as well, shocked by the revelation.

"You didn’t know?" Zara asked, frowning in confusion. How was it that she knew, yet Patricia was completely unaware?

"No. Which means I am not invited. It is probably a good thing." Patricia muttered, her voice laced with quiet relief. Watching her sister marry the man who was once supposed to be hers would have been unbearably uncomfortable. Not that she could blame Collin, since technically she had been the one who cheated. Still, as long as he was happy, she was happy for him.