Chapter 7 Everything Was A Dream

• YENEFER
• I knew I was dreaming. I was at a wedding, and I was the bride. I was standing right in front of my groom, but I couldn't make out his face.
• "Achoo!" My own sneeze woke me up. I found myself lying in bed.
• I didn't know how I got up here. The last thing I remembered was being with Franco downstairs. After that, nothing. Why did I feel so dizzy?
• I also felt like I was on fire. I threw off the blanket and tried to get up.
• "Don't move," a stern voice ordered from the door.
• I turned my head and saw Franco standing there. He was wearing an apron. I had never seen him like this before, so I couldn't help but laugh.
• "You caught a cold. Are you hungry? Breakfast will be ready soon," he said. After saying that, he turned around and went downstairs again.
• I struggled to get up and went to the bathroom. After washing up, I felt like my head was going to explode and my knees were going to give in. I crawled back to bed.
• Franco came back before I could snuggle under the sheets. He brought me a bowl of very hot oatmeal.
• The fruits smelled divine, but all I wanted was to sleep.
• "I have no appetite. I don't want to eat," I said.
• "No, you have to. Come on, get up."
• As he spoke, Franco grabbed a pillow and threw it on the headboard for me to lean on. As I tried to get up, my throat itched like hell and I started coughing violently. He wiped my mouth with some tissues.
• "Here. Eat," he said and picked up some porridge to feed me.
• I looked at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief. He had never treated me with such gentleness before. What happened? Did he take the wrong medicine last night, so he wasn't his usual self today?
• I had to stop and check if I was still dreaming. After deciding that I was fully awake, I simply opened my mouth and let my husband feed me.
• Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Christine calling.
• "Hello, grandma."
• "Oh, good, you're awake. Hi, sweetheart. I'm calling to invite you and Franco to dinner tonight. I'll cook for you."
• "Grandma, L..." Before I could explain, I started coughing again.
• "Yen? What's wrong?"
• "I'm feeling a bit sick, grandma."
• "Are you ill? Where's Franco? Is he taking care of you right now? Wait for me, dear. I'll be there."
• I looked at Franco and whispered, "Grandma is coming right away."
• "Everything's fine. Have breakfast first," he said.
• He fed me a little more porridge.
• After finishing my breakfast, I got up, rinsed my mouth, and went downstairs to wait for Christine in the living room. I curled up on the couch. Soon, Alice and Christine arrived.
• "Franco, what happened to Yen? You can handle a big group worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but you can't take good care of your own wife?" Alice asked.
• "Grandma, I had a stomachache yesterday. Yenefer took care of me, but she fell asleep on the couch and
• "He caught a cold," Franco explained as he ushered his mother and grandmother inside.
• "How's your stomach?"
• "Much better."
• "Then take good care of Yen. Take her upstairs. If she's not feeling well, she should rest in bed."
• Listening to Franco's conversation with Christine, I couldn't help but feel moved. So I stayed downstairs and fell asleep. Obviously, Franco carried me to the bedroom. I just couldn't remember. And now Christine was asking him to take me upstairs again.
• "It's alright, Grandma. I can go upstairs myself."
• Christine ignored me and looked at Franco. Then, effortlessly, Franco lifted me up in his arms. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his strong, broad shoulders. He still looked at me coldly, but as soon as our bodies touched, I felt electricity run through my skin and bones. This was the first time Franco had held me so close while sober. I lowered my head and clenched my teeth. I felt warmth all over, but somehow, my cheeks felt even hotter.
• Alice and Christine climbed the stairs with us and saw all my unpacked clothes.
• "What's going on? Why is all your clothes out of the closet, Yenefer?"
• "Grandma... I'm moving out. I found a job." I avoided Christine's eyes.
• Christine gave Franco a sharp look.
• "Is this because of Sophia?"
• "No, Grandma. I just want to go to work. The place I'm moving to is close to my new office," I explained hastily.
• "If that's the reason, then you don't have to get your own place. We have so many houses. One of them must be close to your office. Then, we can all live together, and Franco will move back in with us. The whole family should be together."
• There was a hint of anxiety in Christine's tone.
• "If Franco isn't treating you the way he's supposed to, just tell me, sweetheart," Alice said, taking my hand.
• "Grandma, Mom, I appreciate your kindness. But I..."
• Before I could finish my sentence, Christine interrupted me.
• "We can talk about this another time, Yen. For now, you need to rest a bit. We'll leave now. I'll send someone to bring dinner here. I'll make your favorite apple pie."
• Originally, I thought it would be easy for me to move out, but I was wrong. There were many twists and turns I had to go through. Franco then took Alice and Christine home. I got into bed and instantly fell asleep.
• FRANCO
• "Franco, the most important thing you need to do now is to make Yen happy so that you two can prepare to have a baby. Your grandfather, your father, your mother, and I will help you with the business matters."
• "Yes, dear. You're not getting any younger. You should think about starting your own family."
• As I drove them home, my mother and grandmother bombarded me with reminders. I knew that the longer I waited to tell them about the divorce, the higher their expectations would be, and that would only worsen the situation.
• "Grandma, Yenefer and I are not meant for each other. We've talked about it. We're getting a divorce."
• The confession had just slipped out of my tongue. I didn't expect it to be so easy to talk about something that had been simmering inside me for a while.
• "What? What did you just say, Franco River?"
• "You must be joking."
• And there it was. Every time my mother and grandmother got angry with me, they would
• They called me by my full name. Now I was realizing that it was a bad idea to tell them while in a moving vehicle that I was driving. This was not a good place for grandma to have a heart attack.
• "Stop the car! I want to get off! I'm telling you, young man! If you divorce Yen, I will ask your grandfather to change his will!" Cristina shouted.
• "I will call Burton to pick us up and ask him," Alice murmured.
• I had no choice but to pull over to the side of the road and endure another round of verbal attacks from my mother and grandmother. Both were boiling with anger.
• "You want to divorce your wife for that woman Sophia, don't you? I knew it. That scheming bitch! I knew she was a terrible person from all those horrible movies she starred in! And she used to date men even older than your grandfather! Are you crazy, Franco? No. You can't be with Sophia. Over my dead body!" Christine gasped as she spoke. I quickly grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.
• "What the hell are you doing, son? Yen is the best wife any man could wish for, and you're going to throw her aside for some low-cost actress?"
• I simply sat there and remained silent. I didn't bother defending myself. I just let them scold me for a long time until their anger subsided.
• "Sophia has cancer," I finally blurted out. At first, I wanted to divorce Yenefer and marry Sophia because I wanted to make Sophia's last days happy.
• Mom and grandma were stunned by my revelation.
• "I'm really sorry to hear that, but anyway, Yenefer shouldn't be the victim in this scenario. Yen is our family, Franco. We've known her since she was a little girl. She is your wife. She should come first."
• After a while, Burton arrived and picked up my mother and grandmother.
• "Reconsider your decision, Franco."
• After Burton took mom and grandma home, I sat in the car for a long time before returning to the villa. When I arrived home, the house was as quiet as a tomb. I climbed the stairs and gently pushed open the bedroom door.
• Yenefer was still in bed. Her hair was slightly messy, and her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
• We had never slept together. She pouted her lips, which I found a bit cute.
• Looking at her so closely now, I realized that I had never properly appreciated her beauty.
• I married her three years ago, but I had never touched her. But now, seeing her sleep, I had a strange feeling. In fact, she had told my mother and grandmother in advance that she wanted to move out. But no, I wouldn't allow it.
• I wouldn't let her leave my life and separate from my world. Because deep in my heart, I didn't feel like I could live in a world where she and I weren't somehow tied together.
• Suddenly, Yenefer turned over and slightly opened her mouth as if she was murmuring something.
• Except for that quick peck at our wedding, I still hadn't kissed her. And now, looking at her lips, I found myself wondering how it would feel to kiss her deeply and passionately. Had she kissed Pierre? Damn it!
• The next thing I knew, I was leaning towards her until we were close enough to share our breath.
• Then, suddenly, Yenefer's eyelids fluttered open. She looked at me with wide, deer-in-the-headlights eyes.
• I gazed deeply into her eyes, and time and the world stood still.