Amirah turned back to Mr. Watanabe, upon finding him again. "Is there a good cafe near by?" she asked, eyeing him as he cradled the gown towards the cashier.
He looked up from paying at the register with an inquisitive look. "Why? Are you hungry, Mrs. Bancroft?"
Slipping off the high heels she had been trying on, Amirah set them aside. "How about we have some lunch finally?" She stood and smoothed her skirt. "My treat."
A faint smile played across Mr. Watanabe's lips. "Are you finally granting me a wish, Miss Mia?"
She arched an eyebrow but couldn't hide her own amused smile. "Maybe."
After settling up at the boutique, they made their way through the upscale mall towards one of the cafés. As they walked, Mr. Watanabe glanced sidelong at her. "You're either curious about something..." He paused meaningfully. "Or you're finally falling for my charms."
Amirah chuckled lightly. "I guess I'm more curious than anything else."
He nodded sagely as they approached the café, finding an intimate table near the tranquil sound of a bubbling indoor fountain. After setting down his purchases, Mr. Watanabe gestured for Amirah to take a seat first.
Once they were settled with coffee in hand, he fixed her with an inscrutable look from across the small table. "So what are you curious about, Mrs. Bancroft?"
Amirah took a deliberate sip of her drink, staring into the rippling waters of the fountain for a long moment. Finally, she turned her gaze back to him. "You mentioned a divorce before..."
He nodded solemnly when Amirah brought up the topic of divorce. Taking a sip of his own coffee, he let the quiet moment linger before responding.
" Why are you ending things?" She asked.
He paused a moment looking at her, before he repeated the question to himself. "What makes me want to end things with her?" A sardonic scoff escaped his lips as his gaze flickered across the mall, watching children race by.
He stared pensively into Amirah's cup for a beat before meeting her eyes again. "Why? Do you know a good divorce lawyer you can recommend?"
She shook her head slowly, taking another deliberate sip of the steaming coffee. The faint clink of ceramic against saucer seemed to echo in the charged silence.
Mr. Watanabe leaned back in his chair, regarding her with renewed curiosity. "Have you ever been married, Mrs. Bancroft?"
The question seemed to give Amirah pause. She went very still, the mug cradled between her palms as her gaze drifted somewhere into the middle distance. For an endless, suspended moment, the ever-present din of the mall fell away into a hollow void - until fragmented sensory memories began filtering through in fractured vignettes:
The soft sounds of an infant cooing intermittently drifted through the bedroom door, but Amirah barely registered them through the veil of exhaustion weighing heavy on her mind and body. She lay curled on her side, face half-buried in the pillow as tears leaked silently from the corners of her eyes.
"I'm a mess," she mumbled brokenly, voice muffled by the fabric.
The mattress dipped beside her as Hyun-woo settled onto the edge of the bed. He reached out, tenderly brushing the tumbled curls away from her face.
YOU ARE READING
Vengeful Desires
רומנטיקהA devoted wife is arrested and disowned by her in-laws after her young son's tragic death, serving years in prison for his death.
