"Good morning, Nana."

"Good morning, dear. Are you feeling alright now?"

"Yes, Grandma. You don’t need to worry about me anymore."

"That’s good," she said warmly. "I got tickets for a concert, so I saved them for you and Alexander."

I sighed inwardly. Nana was definitely trying to play matchmaker again.

"Nana—"

"No excuses," she cut me off. "I’ll talk to Alexander. He can’t refuse. I’ve already sent the tickets to you, so just get ready."

I smiled helplessly. "Okay, Nana. We’ll be there."

"Good. Take care, alright?"

"Bye, Nana."

After the call ended, I checked my messages and saw the tickets. The concert was near the mall.

I went downstairs and found Alexander already seated at the table.

"Good morning," I said quietly.

"Morning."

There was a brief silence before he spoke again.

"The police have caught the people from the lake incident. They want you to come and confirm everything."

I paused, then nodded. "I understand. I’ll go after breakfast."

"Why didn’t you tell me something like that happened?" he asked, frowning, concern evident in his voice.

I looked up slowly. "Tell you what?"

"That you were threatened. That something like that happened."

I held his gaze.

"It wasn’t important."

His brows furrowed. "Not important?"

"What would telling you change?" I replied calmly.

"Alicia—"

I cut him off, my voice still quiet—but sharper now. "where were you when it happened."i questioned.

Silence.

Something flickered in his expression.

. "Why do you always shut me out when I’m trying to care for you?"

I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

"During the celebration, you left because of one call from Lilian," I said, my voice tightening. "You had the whole night to call me, to check on me, to show even a little concern—but you didn’t."

I looked straight at him.

His jaw tightened. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"You had the whole night," I said, my voice starting to tremble despite myself. "One call. One message. That’s all it would’ve taken."

Nothing.

"You didn’t even think of me."

The words hung between us.

Heavy.

"I’m sorry," Alexander said at last, his voice low. "Were you hurt... aside from falling into the water?"

I shook my head. "Why does it even matter if I was?"To Alexander, I was nothing more than something kept in a gilded cage—only noticed when convenient.

The words from those women echoed in my mind.

"Do you think Alexander actually cares about you?"

"Girls like you are just... temporary."

Maybe they were right.

A girl from a small family like me never should have become his wife.

And yet, here I was—facing the reality of it.

Silence filled the room.

He seemed about to explain, his voice softening. "That day... Lilian was ill—"

He stopped mid-sentence, his expression turning distant.

A thought crossed my mind. Could her illness have something to do with the day I saw them at the hospital?

But after checking her social media yesterday, nothing seemed unusual.

Alexander seemed to notice my confusion.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you to the police station," he said.

"No need," I replied immediately. "I can go alone."

"No. I’m going with you," he insisted.

"I don’t need you to. I already have plans," I said, continuing my meal.

He suddenly stood up.

"Meet me by the car when you’re done," he said, grabbing his coat and walking out before I could respond.

I finished eating at my own pace before standing up and heading upstairs to get my bag.

By the time I came back out, Alexander was already in the car.

I got in, and Jim drove off.

For a while, no one spoke.

Then Alexander broke the silence.

"Did Nana talk to you about the concert tonight?"

I turned to look at him. "You agreed to go?"

"Mm."

I frowned slightly.