Novel Palace
Chap 72
“And I looooove you soooo much too, Mrs. Flavia Quirino,” he replied, then kissed the top of Flavia’s head.
“Whatever happens in the future, you have to believe that I truly love and cherish you. Do you believe me?” Flavia chose to bury her face in her husband’s chest. Gladwin tensed.
“What’s wrong?” Gladwin nudged Flavia’s body, urging her to look up without a sound. His eyes, once sleepy, now narrowed sharply. “What’s going on with you? I’ve been hearing you say things like this lately. You’ve been apologizing to me too. What’s really going on? What are you planning?” Gladwin’s voice carried a hint of fear in every word he uttered.
Flavia smiled reassuringly. “Have you forgotten, dear? Husbands and wives should always ask for forgiveness before sleeping. Why? Because we never know when the Angel of Death will come. And a wife’s heaven lies in her husband’s pleasure. A wife who’s angry with her husband will be cursed by angels until morning. And some say, a wife will enter heaven if she dies and her husband is pleased with her. I want that too.”
“But I can’t bear it if you leave me first. If necessary, it’s better for me to die first, then you. I don’t know if I can handle it if you leave me. I might go insane if that happens.” Gladwin tightened his embrace even more, and so did Flavia.
“Please don’t go insane, Honey. If you go insane, it’s like you’re not accepting God’s will,” Flavia replied again. “Whatever problems we face in the future. No matter how heavy they are, we must believe that there is a God who will help us. I always pray that our marriage will be happy forever. You should pray for the same thing, right?”
“Hmm..” Gladwin murmured softly. His eyes were closed, but the drowsiness had completely vanished.
“And one more thing. You must always trust and believe in my feelings. You must agree with every step I take so that I am safe and always protected by angels. And I promise, wherever I am, I will never betray you. I will never cheat on you. Do you believe me?”
“I always believe in you.”
“Thank you. I love you more and more.” She said.
Gladwin finally surrendered. He rose from his bed, propping himself up with his elbow and gazed at his wife with a mischievous look. “In that case, tonight we’ll have one more round, okay?” Gladwin suggested. Flavia looked at her husband, a smile appearing as she nodded. Gladwin didn’t waste any time. He immediately pinned down his wife and silenced her mouth with his lips.
That night, they filled it with passion once again. Gladwin didn’t dwell on anything his wife had just asked. Until dawn, he reached for the bed and felt the coldness on his wife’s side of the bed.
“Honey?” He called out. Gladwin tried to listen. If she wasn’t in the bathroom, then she would be in the pantry.
Gladwin got up, choosing to enter the bathroom to clean himself up. After coming out of the bathroom, he saw that the bed was still messy. Gladwin left the room and headed to the pantry, but it was empty. Where was his wife? Where was Flavia?
An uneasy feeling crept into his heart. Gladwin searched the apartment, looking for Flavia’s whereabouts. Abigail’s room, the laundry room, the balcony, he searched everywhere, but there was no sign of Flavia.
Gladwin tried to calm himself down. He searched for his phone and intended to call Flavia. His phone must be on the nightstand, where Flavia usually placed it after charging. Sure enough, his phone was there. Right on top of an old diary that Gladwin recognized.
The diary was covered in leather with the initials “F. Q” carved on it, specially made by a craftsman acquaintance of his. The paper inside was also custom-made at his friend’s printing press, featuring butterfly illustrations with the initials “F. Q” beautifully drawn in the bottom right corner. Gladwin believed there was no other diary like it because he had made it specifically for Flavia as a seventeenth birthday gift.
His heart pounded so hard. Why was this seven-year-old item here? Gladwin took a step and reached for it. Once again, he felt uneasy. Gladwin opened the diary, and an envelope fell near his feet. Gladwin looked at the open page in front of him. His wife’s handwriting was there, with her name written at the top of the page.
Dear UncleText property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Dear Uncle,
I return this Diary to its rightful owner. It has been in my embrace for seven years, accompanying my days filled with longing for you. Don’t be jealous of this Diary because it has stayed with me longer than you.
Dear Uncle,
The magnitude of love I feel for you allows me to do this cruel thing to you. But please don’t see it as revenge, for I swear, there has never been any anger in my heart towards you. Believe me, the feeling in my heart for you is only love and affection.
Dear Uncle,
I entrust my heart to you. Like the promise I made last night. Wherever I am, my love is only for you. I will never turn away or replace you with someone else. Never.
I know this will hurt you. Because as much as you love me, that’s how much I love you. But I have to choose between two options. And I swear, I will never agree if you marry another woman. Especially marrying that woman.
Believe that my departure is not forever. But during my absence by your side, I hope you can prove to everyone that my trust in you is true. That in your heart, there is and will never be another woman besides me.
Dear Gladwin Hampton, my Husband,
Pray for your wife to always be in goodness. Accept my departure, so that angels will always be by my side, guarding me in every step I take. Because that’s what I need as your wife.
With love and affection always,
Your wife