Chapter 7

It was my best friend, Darcy Yalden. Darcy's voice, bubbling with enthusiasm, rang out once the call connected. "I'm back in the country, Ari!" "Do you mean it?" I squealed in return, all the sorrows plaguing my heart vanishing at once. Darcy went abroad three years ago. Since she left, I had nobody to confide in or go shopping with. I had missed her with every fiber of my being. "I've just got off the plane and am heading home to get some rest. Let's hang out later tonight." "Absolutely!" I answered eagerly. It was only after the call ended that I snapped back to reality. Oh, right. I was no longer single, meaning I needed Zane's approval to go out tonight. Zane had also become difficult to converse or negotiate with. He would undoubtedly say no to me. My chest tightened with suffocation at that thought. Forget it. I would only worry about the problem later tonight. … Time seemed to pass faster whenever I slept because it was already past 6:00 pm when I woke up. I learned from Mary that Zane wasn't back yet. Meanwhile, Darcy had already texted me the bar's address and said she was waiting for me there. I thought about leaving just then, but I recalled the warning Zane had given me before he left. He was now my financial backer, so I couldn't risk offending him one bit. After pondering the matter briefly, I decided it was best to ask when he would return first. I brought out my phone and searched for ages before finding his Facebook. Reflecting on the past, I realized I had never been the first to contact Zane. Our chat history was practically blank. There was only the app's official notification that our friend requests had been accepted. It was unclear whether he was still using this account. I gave it some thought before texting him a cute sticker. What I never imagined was that Zane would respond in seconds. However, he only replied with a question mark. I had no clue what he meant by that. Plus, the speedy reply made me question whether the person on the other end was actually Zane. As I pondered, I sent the message. "Zane?" I asked. Zane: "Yeah, it's me." Holy cow! It really was him. I can't believe he had so much free time even after becoming the ​​president of a company. He even replied to my Facebook message in seconds. I had already typed the message which said, "Can I go out drinking with my best friend tonight?" However, I deleted it at the last second. I couldn't send him that. Zane had always disliked me going to places like bars or clubs. He couldn't stop me from going out to have fun back then. So, he would follow me to those places and wait like a statue outside until I came out. Now, things were different. He would kill me if I said I wanted to have fun at a bar. I thought it through before asking him, "When will you be home?" I even added a cute emoji at the end of the sentence. Zane: "Why? Are you asking to get screwed again because you weren't satisfied with how I screwed you last night?" I nearly choked to death upon reading his reply. He looked so tame and honorable back then. But he was now cold and lust-driven. How could he speak of such bawdy things amidst our casual conversation? A crimson flush crept onto my cheeks as I recalled his wild and aggressive thrusts last night. I cursed him out in my heart, calling him a wolf in sheep's clothing. Just when I had no clue on how to reply, I received a call from Zane. My heart inexplicably skipped a beat while I answered his call in a panic. Gosh. I couldn't recall him and I ever phoning each other in the three years of our marriage. Now that I thought of it, we didn't resemble a married couple at all. "Why are you suddenly asking what time I'll be back? What's the matter?" Zane's dull, solemn tone rang out. He sounded formal yet slightly stern.