Chapter 2.

Ryuchen did nothing for an entire night but stare at Chloe's face and kiss her hand, her hand is small and delicate but there is also a small rough part on her palm. Despite the bruises and wounds on her face, her beauty can still seen.

Chloe has been beautiful since they were young, but because of some circumstances in their lives back then, he was unable to appreciate her beauty.

He suddenly heard a knock and one of his bodyguard entered the room, he gave the ointment that the doctor prescribed to be used on Chloe's wounds.

While he was looking for something that he could used to clean Chloe's face before he applied the ointment, he suddenly received a call. He saw Lyka's name on the screen of his phone, but he immediately cancel the call and went back to the chair next to Chloe's bed after he took the wet wipes on the table.

He felt thousand of needles were piercing his heart while applying ointment on her wounds, he wants to take all the wounds, bruises and even the pain that she feels in that moment. He also prays that she will wake up soon, he has a lot to apologize to her. He had a lot to say and questions that only she can answer.

After he washed his hands after applying ointment on Chloe's wounds, he received a call again from Lyka. He ignored it and just let the call finish until he saw that he got twelve missed called from her, he was surprise because he didn't noticed that she was calling him.

A few seconds later, he received a call from Lyka once again, he sat in the chair next to Chloe before answering.

"..."

"Ryuchen?" he frowned as he heard her crying from the other line. "Ryuchen where are you? I... I need you, please."

His face darkened when he heard what she said.

Why does she need him? Nothing bad happened to her and she looks totally fine when he left her apartment earlier, his wife needs someone to take care of her and he prefers to be alone with her at that moment.

"..."

"There... there's some people outside my apartment. I don't know who they are, but they keep banging the door. What if they want to kidnap me again? What if now.... they want to kill me. Ryuchen, help me please, I'm scared."

"Why don't you call the resident management and report them." he said indifferently.

"I did, but the manager left the building-- Waaah!" he suddenly heard a loud banging from somewhere on the other line, Lyka's crying got louder. "Ryuchen they are here again, please help me-- Kyaaa!"

Ryuchen doesn't know what he will do that time, he doesn't want to leave Chloe but he can't ignore Lyka's safety either. She was still a woman, and at that moment she needed his help.

He sighed.

That would be the last time he would go to help her, beside, she's still Chloe's cousin. He knew that when his wife found out what was happening to her cousin, she would also asked him to go there to help.

He also needs to talk to her.

"Okay, stay at your room." he said then cut the call.

He called his secretary who arrived in the hospital after few minutes.

"Watch over my wife while I'm away."

"Where are you going Mr. President?

"To Lyka's apartment, she needs help."

"...Okay."

"Call me immediately once she wakes up."

"Yes, Mr. President."

Ryuchen looked at his wife.

There was no sign that she might wake up at any time, so while she was still sleeping, he's going to talk to Lyka. He didn't want to leave Chloe but he had to, because he have to tell Lyka that they need to end their pretense of being lovers because he has no reason now to break up with Chloe.

He wants to be with his wife now, without Lyka on the scene.

"Take rest, I'll be right back." he said and kissed her forehead before he left.

But what Ryuchen didn't know was that Chloe had been awake for a while, she overheard Ryuchen and his secretary's conversation and almost wanted to cry. Just one call from Lyka and he would leave her immediately.

When Chloe heard the door to her room close, she slowly lifted her body to reach Jason's phone that was on the table next to her bed. After Jason rushed her to the hospital earlier, he had to leave to buy clothes that she could wear so he left one of his phones with her because her phone was missing. She was grateful, because she never thought she would be able to use it.

She looked for Jason's other contacts and called him.

"Jason, I want to go out in the hospital." she said after he answered her call.

"But the doctor said you need more rest Chloe, you will be discharged tomorrow so rest in the hospital tonight."

"But I want to leave now." she said as if begging.

"...Wait, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer and heard a sigh from the other line.

"Okay, wait for me, I'm coming."

She put the phone back on the table and closed her eyes as she lay down again.

Chloe suddenly woke up earlier when she heard someone talking, when she opened her eyes, she saw Ryuchen standing on the side of her bed while talking to someone. Even though his back was facing her, she knew it was Ryuchen.

Her heart filled with joy at the thought of him being by her side, but her happiness fades away in an instant when he heard what he said.

"To Lyka's apartment, she needs help."

Her heart shattered into pieces, and closed her eyes and pretended to sleep when she noticed Ryuchen turning in her direction.

"Just rest, I'll be right back."

She pressed her eyelids to stop the tears that were about to fall when her nose and eyes suddenly become hot as she remembered the kiss he made on her forehead before he left.

Chloe didn't know why the tears wanted to fall from her eyes, she was happy because that was the first time Ryuchen kissed her but she also feels sorry for herself because it was also his first kiss with her in their two years of marriage.

She had no idea why Ryuchen had done that, but she didn't want to get her hopes up because she decided to leave.

-----

When Jason arrived at the hospital, he immediately arranged Chloe's discharge paper and settled all her bills before he went to Chloe's room.

He frowned when he saw Chloe still sleeping on the bed, he couldn't see Ryuchen either.

"Chloe..." he approached her bed.

Jason was surprise to see Chloe's eyes open quickly when she heard his voice like she was waiting him, she immediately stood up from bed and began to remove her hospital gown.

"You're only wearing pajama." he said worriedly. "Wear something--."

"Ms. Chloe, I... I didn't know your awake."

Jason turned and saw Ryuchen's secretary standing near the sofa in the corner of the room, he looks flustered.

He raised his right eyebrow as he felt slightly annoyed, he understand now why Chloe wants to leave the hospital, it occurred to him that Ryuchen had left and brought his secretary to watch over her.

His face darkened with anger.

"Where's Ryuchen?" 

"Mr. President has something important to attend to." the secretary explained, he looks calm now compared earlier when he saw Chloe woke up, which made Jason more irritated. "I will call--."

"MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS WIFE?!" he shouted furiously.

"Jason, calm down." Chloe said and smile bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Sir Jason." the secretary apologized. "Mr. President just left for a while and will be back soon, I will call him to inform that Ms. Chloe is awake. I will also prepare something to eat while you are waiting for him." he said politely and took his phone to call Ryuchen.

"We're leaving, so you don't have to." she said.

Chloe started to walk out of the room when she saw that the secretary was stunned, she doesn't want to stay in the hospital and she didn't want Ryuchen to see her there anymore.

She was few steps away from the door when the secretary suddenly stood in front of her, restless.

"I... I'm sorry Ms. Chloe, but I can't let you go... Mr. President will fire me when he finds out that you left the hospital." he said anxiously.

"Don't worry, he won't." Chloe replied.

"But Ms. Chloe, please understand--."

"Let's go, Jason." she said, ignoring the secretary.

"Ms. Chloe!"

She started walking again to get out of the room.

Chloe couldn't help but smile bitterly while walking in the hallway.

Ms. Chloe...

She felt sorry for herself.

Even Ryuchen's secretary doesn't considered her as Ryuchen's wife or Mrs. Ajero, even though he knew that they were married.

Chloe was surprise when she suddenly felt something warm on her shoulder, she turned to her side and found out Jason put the coat he was wearing on her.

"It's cold outside." he said and smiles at her.

A genuine smile curved on her lips for the first time that day, she's glad that she has a friend like Jason who's always ready to accompany and help her all the time. She didn't know what would have happened to her without him by her side.

----

Meanwhile, Ryuchen arrived at Lyka's apartment and got irritated when he didn't see anyone outside her apartment.

He knocked when he reached in front of her door.

"...It's me." he said to informed Lyka that he was arrived.

When the door opened, Lyka immediately hugged him.

"Finally, you're here." she said happily and dragged him inside her apartment.

His right eyebrow raised in annoyance, there's no trace of fear can be seen on her face. Instead, she looks lively, she even managed to wear a nightgown in such situation.

He pulled back his arm that she was hugging.

"What's going on?" his face darkened.

"What do you mean?" Lyka asked innocently.

"I didn't see anyone outside your apartment!" he said angrily. "Are you lying to me, Lyka?"

"No, no, no Ryuchen." she hugged his arm again but he pulled it back in an instant. "I don't know why there's no one outside, but please believe me. They keep banging the door earlier before you arrived."

Ryuchen sighed, he couldn't believe that he was still able to fall into her trap.

He had a feeling that she was lying for the first place, but because she's a woman and Chloe's cousin that's why he still went to her apartment to help. He thought that Chloe will be worried if something will happen to her, or he just thought so. 

"Anyway, since you're already here, why don't you join me for--."

"LYKA!" he shouted furiously.

How shameless!

Lyka froze when she heard Ryuchen shout, she had never seen him get angry at her let alone yell at her. At that moment, Lyka felt terrified when she suddenly thought that Ryuchen might already know about her lie. That she only hired two men to banged her door so that he would go to her apartment.

She was restless ever since he left her apartment earlier, because he suddenly decided to go and find Chloe. She was afraid that he might investigate about the kidnapping and find out that she was the one behind it.

It was her idea to hire men and ordered to kidnap both of them, she included herself to make it look like Chloe was the one behind it. She even paid them a huge amount of money to rape and torture Chloe after Ryuchen rescued her.

"Anyway..." Lyka flinch when she heard Ryuchen firm voice.

She swallowed her saliva when she saw his serious face, a sudden goosebumps rushed throughout her body as she waiting for what he will say next.

"Since I'm here, I just want to tell you something before I leave."

Lyka was relieved to hear that there was no hint of suspicion in his tone, and he seems he just wanted a simple conversation.

"W-what is it?" she asked, nervous. "Let's eat then while we're talking."

"There's no need, I also need to go."

"...Okay."

Lyka could feel the strong beating of her heart up to her ears and her palms are sweating, she didn't know why she feels like she wouldn't like what he was about to say.

"Let's stop pretending we're lovers."

She was confused, she didn't understand what he meant.

"W-What do you... mean?"

But she was overwhelmed with joy when something suddenly came to her mind, is what she had been waiting for had finally arrived, that their relationship would be real and not a pretence.

But her world collapsed when she heard his answer.

"I want to be with my wife, so let's stop pretending we're lovers."