Chapter 162: Just wait a little longer [Flashback]
Thunder cracked through the clouds, jolting Anna awake. Her eyes fluttered open as the steady rattle of rain against the window filled the silent room.
"What time is it?" she murmured, blinking at the dim glow of the clock on the wall.
Half past eleven.
Her chest sank.
She remembered Mariam telling her that Daniel would be returning home tonight — and like every other time, she’d prepared dinner, waiting with quiet hope that maybe this time would be different. That maybe he’d show up.
But the untouched dishes on the dining table told her otherwise.
"Maybe... like every other time, he changed his mind," she sighed softly, her voice carrying a trace of disappointment she didn’t bother to hide.
She stood, brushing her hands over the tablecloth to steady herself.
"Madam—" Mariam started, taking a tentative step forward.
"Ask the maids to take the food back," Anna interrupted gently, not turning around. "I don’t think your master will show up tonight."
Her tone was calm, but Mariam caught the faint tremor beneath it — a disappointment far too familiar.
As Anna turned to leave, the sound of rain grew louder, merging with the hollow ache in the room. Mariam hesitated, sadness flickering in her eyes as she gestured for the maids to start clearing the table.
But just then—
Bang!
The front door slammed open, the loud crack echoing through the hall.
Both women froze, their eyes snapping toward the entrance.
There, in the doorway, stood Daniel — drenched from head to toe, water dripping from his hair onto the marble floor. His chest heaved as if he’d run through the storm itself to get here.
For a long second, none of them spoke. The rain roared behind him, and the thunder rolled again — but the silence between them was louder than either until he stumble.
"Mariam, prepare honey water for Master," Anna called out as she rushed toward Daniel, who barely looked like himself.
This was the first time she had ever seen him this drunk—so far gone he could hardly stand.
"Daniel, let me help you," Anna said gently, wrapping an arm around his waist to steady him. His arm instinctively flung over her shoulders, and though he leaned heavily on her, he didn’t protest.
Mariam nodded and hurried off to the kitchen, leaving Anna to guide Daniel to his room.
They were married on paper, bound by signatures and family expectations, but never by heart. Daniel had never once called her his wife. And yet tonight—this man who rarely spared her a glance—rested his head against hers as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You were waiting for me?" he murmured, his words slurred, eyes bloodshot yet strangely tender.
"Mariam said you’d be home tonight," Anna replied quietly, trying to ignore the sting in her chest. "But it seems you had... quite a lot to drink."
Daniel wasn’t a heavy drinker. Seeing him like this made her uneasy. Was something wrong at the company? He never shared his burdens, always carrying the world on his own shoulders.
When they reached his room, Anna helped him sit on the bed. "I’ll get your water ready. You need to shower and rest," she said, turning to leave.
But before she could take a step, his hand shot out—strong despite the alcohol—and caught her wrist.
She stumbled, falling back slightly. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on his lap, their faces only inches apart.
Her heart skipped violently as his gaze locked on hers. There was something raw in his eyes—something she’d never seen before. It wasn’t the cold, distant Daniel she knew. Tonight, he looked at her as though she was his anchor in a storm he couldn’t escape.
"You can help me sober up, Anna," he whispered, his voice rough, tired, and heartbreakingly sincere. "I want to forget everything tonight."
Anna froze.
Since their wedding, the only kiss they’d shared was the one demanded by the ceremony—a formality, nothing more. Daniel had always been too composed, too controlled for gestures of affection.
. She had dreamed of something different—a love like the ones in the books she adored: gentle, slow, full of quiet devotion and shared laughter. But Daniel was a man carved from ambition and precision. Business came first. Emotions had no place in his world.
Yet here he was, vulnerable and undone.
The alcohol might have loosened his restraint, but the sincerity in his tone tore through her defenses.
"Daniel, you’re not in the right state of mind," she said softly, her voice trembling as she tried to stand.
But his grip tightened, firm and unyielding.
"No," he murmured. "For once, I know exactly what I’m doing."
Before she could respond, Daniel leaned forward and claimed her lips.
Time seemed to shatter—sound faded, reason dissolved.
His kiss was desperate, searching... almost pleading. And against every warning her mind screamed, Anna found herself responding, her hands trembling as they reached for him.
It wasn’t perfect—it was messy, hungry, and laced with emotion neither could name. But for the first time since their marriage, Daniel let her in.
That night, the walls between them fell away.
For Anna, it was the night her paper marriage finally felt real—a fleeting, fragile dream where she was cherished, wanted, and loved as she had always hoped to be.
And just before sleep claimed her, Daniel’s voice echoed faintly beside her, heavy with longing and pain.
"I love you, Anna," he whispered against her hair. "Just wait a little longer... I’ll come to you."
[Present]
Anna’s eyes snapped open, her heart pounding as those words echoed in her mind on an endless loop.
’I love you, Anna... Just wait a little longer... I’ll come to you.’
For a moment, she lay still, her breath uneven, caught between dream and reality. But then the faint glow of sunlight slipped through the curtains, squinting her eyes as she slowly adjusted to the morning light.
And then it hit her—what she had just seen wasn’t real. It was a dream. A haunting replay of that night.
But before her thoughts could spiral, something struck her—an instinct, a fear and her head shot to the side.
Her anxious eyes softened immediately when she saw Daniel lying beside her, still fast asleep, his features relaxed in the quiet of dawn. There was a small pout on his lips, almost boyish, and for a fleeting second, she smiled.
It reminded her of that morning—the morning after their consummation—when she had woken up to find him gone. The empty space beside her had felt colder than she’d ever imagined.
Now, as she watched him sleep, those words returned, faint yet achingly clear:
’I love you, Anna... Just wait a little longer... I’ll come to you.’
"Had he really said that?"
Propping her head on her knuckles, Anna studied him closely, her thoughts tangled between memory and longing. She remembered drifting off in his arms that night, her mind hazy from exhaustion and warmth, and just before sleep claimed her—she had heard him whisper something.
At the time, she thought it was her imagination.
But now, with the same dream replaying in her mind, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
Was it truly my imagination, or did he—
Her thoughts broke off when a hoarse voice cut through the morning quiet.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I might start thinking you’re inviting me, wifey."
Anna blinked, startled, and her gaze shot toward Daniel’s face.
He was awake now, watching her with a lazy smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. To match her posture, he turned onto his side, propping his head on his knuckles, his elbow resting casually against the headboard. The sunlight streaming through the curtains kissed his face, making his eyes gleam with a teasing warmth that was impossible to ignore.
Instead of feeling flustered or annoyed—as she usually would—Anna felt something unfamiliar stir inside her. A quiet, unexplainable happiness unfurled in her chest, light and dizzying.
Just yesterday, this man had confessed his feelings to her. Just last night, he had asked—no, begged—her to give their relationship a chance.
Her heart fluttered as the memory resurfaced, soft and uncertain.
’Was she ready?’
She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure if she could trust what they were building—or if Daniel’s words from the night before were born of love or fleeting emotion. But one thing she was certain of: she wasn’t ready to walk away.
Not yet.
Not when her heart still beat a little faster every time he looked at her that way.
Not when, despite everything, she still wanted to believe him.
"What if I was?" she said, her voice low but steady, catching Daniel completely off guard.
For a heartbeat, his brows lifted in surprise, his usual composure faltering. But before he could even process her words, Anna’s fingers slid up the back of his neck—firm yet trembling—and she pulled him closer.
Then, without hesitation, she closed the distance and captured his lips.