Chapter 6 Unrequited Love

It was Lavonne Avila, my bestie. The second I answered, her excited voice came through. "Ralda! I'm back!"

"Really?" These past few days had been dreary, but the news of her return instantly brightened my mood. Ever since Lavonne went abroad three years ago, I'd had no one to talk to or go shopping with. I missed her terribly.

"I've just landed," she said. "I'll go back to freshen up for now. See you tonight!"

"OK!" I beamed.

After I hung up, a realization hit me. My freedom was now limited. If I wanted to go out at night, I'd need Reynaldo's permission. Given how difficult he was now, I doubted he'd agree. I felt a wave of irritation. Forget it, I decided. I'll just wait till tonight.

I went back to sleep and woke up past 6:00 p.m. Madisyn told me Reynaldo hadn't returned. Meanwhile, Lavonne had already texted me the pub's address, saying she was waiting. I wanted to go, but Reynaldo's warning before he left echoed in my ears. I literally couldn't afford to upset my sugar daddy.

After pondering for a while, I decided to ask him when he'd be back. Taking out my phone, I searched for a long time before finally finding our chat interface on WhatsApp. I couldn't recall ever initiating a text to him—not even once. We'd never chatted on WhatsApp; there was only a system notification stating his friend request had been accepted. I wondered if he was even still using this account.

Hesitantly, I sent him a cute emoji. To my surprise, he replied almost instantly. All he texted was a question mark. What did the question mark mean? And was it really Reynaldo? How did he reply so fast?

I texted back, "Reynaldo?"

"Yeah," he replied.

Gee! It was him indeed. Maybe being a CEO wasn't as busy as I'd imagined. I typed, "Can I go clubbing with my bestie tonight?" As I was about to send it, I stopped. Reynaldo had always hated it when I went to pubs and clubs. In the past, he had no say, so he'd just follow me and wait stubbornly outside. Things had changed. If I told him about my plan now, he'd probably kick me out.

After some thought, I texted, "When are you coming back?" I even sent him another cute emoji.

He replied, "What is it? You weren't satisfied last night and want some more?"

His answer made me cough violently. I used to think he was meek and obedient, but now I realized he was actually cold and restrained. And when it came to texting, he could send such flirtatious words so easily? My face flushed uncontrollably as his fierce, greedy demeanor from last night came flooding back. I cursed under my breath, "A wolf in sheep's clothing indeed!"

He called me suddenly when I was at a loss for how to reply. My heart skipped a beat as I answered hurriedly. It also dawned on me: during our three years of marriage, we had never once called each other. It was hard to believe we were a married couple.

"Why did you ask me when I would be back tonight? What's up?" Reynaldo's voice was flat and serious, making me wonder if it was truly the same person who had just texted me.

Clearing my throat, I fawningly smiled. "Nothing big. I wanted to know because I was thinking about fixing something for you tonight." Though I said so, every cell in my body was praying he wouldn't come back tonight.

"Reynaldo…" As I waited for his response, I suddenly heard a woman's voice. I was stunned. Was that his unrequited love? Was he with her?

"No need," he said. "I've eaten already. And don't wait up tonight."

"Oh… OK…" I subconsciously nodded, hearing the busy tone. He had already hung up. Since he was with his beloved, presumably, he wouldn't come back tonight. I was supposed to be happy, but I wasn't. Instead, I felt oddly upset.

Shaking my head, I cast aside those ridiculous thoughts, changed into a sexy long dress, and went out. Reynaldo had his beloved, and I was merely his lover. One day, he'd grow sick of me or find retaliating against me no longer fun, and he'd dump me. So, I shouldn't get any ideas. After reminding myself of my place, I felt much better.

It wasn't even 8:00 p.m., and the bar wasn't at its liveliest yet. Upon entering, I saw Lavonne waving at me happily. She hadn't changed, though it had been three years; she still had shoulder-length short hair, striking features, and always laughed heartily. She always claimed she wasn't the type to catch men's attention. On the contrary, I looked delicate and charming; combined with my curves, I was, in her words, a "men's muse." She had always firmly believed I was good enough to marry the best man in the world. And of course, she was furious when I married Reynaldo, saying I could have married someone much better than him. But now, Reynaldo had become the untouchable rising star in the business world, whereas I was his lover. How things had changed. I couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Ralda, I heard about what happened to your family as soon as I came back." I came over, and Lavonne pulled me closer, saying worriedly, "Are you OK? If you need my help, just let me know."

I smiled at her. "Don't worry. Everything has been taken care of." But she insisted on stuffing a card into my hand, saying there were 300 thousand dollars in it for my allocation. I didn't accept it. I knew her family was rich, but she had a vicious stepmother, and life at home hadn't been easy for her, so I couldn't take her money.

She didn't insist further, fuming, "I heard Reynaldo divorced you. Is it true?" I was stunned. It seemed Reynaldo had already spread the news about our divorce. Nodding, I smiled nonchalantly, "Yeah."

She was seething with rage. "What a bastard! How could he divorce you right after he got rich?"

"Or what?" Amused, I gently patted her back to calm her down. "I was so mean to him. I should be glad all he did was divorce me instead of getting back at me." I didn't tell her Reynaldo wanted me to be his lover, or she'd be burning with rage.

She sighed. "Forget it. I never liked him anyway. Maybe the divorce is a good thing." Speaking, she blinked and grinned. "Hey, do you still have feelings for Winston?"

Before I could say anything, she continued excitedly, "I bumped into him when I got off the plane today. I invited him, and he should be here any second now."

I was stunned. She invited Winston here?

"Ralda!"