Chapter 5 I NEED YOU!

"Enough, just pick it up first," David finally spoke as Brent's phone rang for the umpteenth time. The formal language he always used at the office was gone. Now, he spoke not as a colleague but as Brent's only friend.

"He never bothers you like this. Maybe there's really something important," David continued.

Brent shook his head, "She just wants to disturb me," he said, rejecting the call once again.

"Are you two fighting again?"

Brent shrugged, indicating uncertainty. The man then stood up from his work chair and stretched a bit. "For the past few days, her behavior has been annoying. Even though, as far as I know, her monthly visitor is still a week away," said Brent.

He took a cup of coffee offered by David, saying, "Thanks."

"I haven't heard you complain about your wife for almost a few months now. Last time I asked, you said you found a way to live harmoniously with her," David said, putting his right hand in his pocket while holding his coffee with his left.

"I thought so too," Brent said, leaning against the nearest wall. "I thought we had found a way to live together without disturbing each other."

"Then? Where's the problem?" David asked, confused.

"She asked for a divorce, one week ago," Brent said after sipping his coffee.

David was taken aback by his friend's statement. "Are you serious? Alyssa asked for a divorce? Why?"

Brent shook his head, "I don't know the exact reason. You know she's hard to predict. But she reminded me of my promise at the beginning of our marriage, the one I agreed to divorce when the time was right."

"That's foolish," David couldn't help but curse. "You both are unclear, it's no wonder the marriage didn't work."

"I was just thinking of the safest way to avoid conflicts. Agreeing to what she wanted was one way to prevent conflicts in the future."

"And thanks to your safest way, now you have to agree to her wish, right?"

Brent shook his head again, "No, I won't agree."

Brent's answer didn't clarify the situation. Instead, it left David even more puzzled. "Can you speak more clearly? How can you stay calm when your wife wants to separate?"

Indeed, Brent remained calm.

He didn't even have time to dwell on it due to the series of tasks he had to complete. Perhaps he thought he could still control the situation until last night.

"I gave her one condition," Brent said. "Three months, acting like husband and wife." He still remembered the exact words from that night.

"Seriously? No wonder she's annoyed with you now," David said. "And how did she react?"

"You can guess."

"Did she get angry?"

"Well, I got quite an earful."

"No wonder," David remarked. "You deserve to be scolded for a request that I'm sure you didn't take seriously. You just wanted to play with her before she was truly free from you, right?" guessed David. He knew his friend's nature well.

If any of you think that Brent's request was made as an opportunity to win Alyssa's heart, then congratulations, you have become one of the people deceived by Brent's persona.

Didn't Alyssa mention in the beginning that there's a cunning demon behind every move Brent makes? Perhaps every action of that man can touch you, but believe me, the reasons behind all those actions will always manage to bring a smile to anyone.

Brent steps back towards his desk. He nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders. "Just spontaneous," answers Brent. "I just feel that this marriage isn't that bad. So why waste time dealing with a divorce?"

"Maybe not bad for you, but what about your wife?" David retorts.

"I fulfill all her requests. So I think she's pretty satisfied with this marriage."

"Well, she wouldn't ask for a divorce if she was satisfied."

David's words make Brent reflect. "She's impulsive, maybe that's why."

"Or maybe she planned to separate from you from the beginning," David replies. "So my advice is for you to find out why Alyssa wants to leave you. Even if you promised her, there must be one thing you did that eventually triggered her."

"I don't have time for that," Brent says.

Brent directs his hand to the mouse connected to the computer in front. "As long as I have those conditions as a shield, I'm sure this divorce won't happen. Grace won't dare to do all the things she hates just to separate from me."

"You're too confident."

"Everything is under control. Nothing to worry about." Brent then glances at the circular clock on his wrist for a moment. "Cabinet meeting today, what time is it scheduled?" Brent's tone changes, indicating that leisure time is over.

"No wonder your wife wants a divorce. You act as you please," David grumbles in annoyance. How could he not? Just when their conversation is not finished, Brent casually changes the topic.

"Davidson." Brent calls.

"Wait, Sir, let me check first," David responds at last. Reluctantly, he reaches for the iPad he had placed and checks his boss's schedule.

***

Brent arrives home at eleven at night. Although following the usual working hours, Brent could have been home several hours ago. But forget about that, having time to go home is something worth being grateful for.

Brent immediately takes off his shoes upon arriving. He neatly places his shoes on the rack there. For a man, Brent is exceptionally tidy, some even dubbed him a cleanliness maniac because he's always fussy when something is scattered.

One of the people who gave him that nickname is none other than the woman currently lounging on the sofa in insufficient sleepwear. Her gaze is uninterrupted from the show she's watching, while her hands never stop reaching for snacks scattered carelessly on the floor.

Even just one day of Alyssa being silent at home has resulted in quite a mess. Snack wrappers scattered, books strewn about, cooking utensils piling up in the sink. The current condition of her house truly represents the definition of chaos and complete disarray.

Brent tries to restrain himself from reprimanding Alyssa. There have been enough unpleasant incidents in the past few days. Brent doesn't want to give Alyssa more reasons to act as she pleases.

Therefore, as he takes a step, Brent's only goal is to enter his room, now located on the ground floor. Oh, a little side note, since the unintentional incident involving Brent, he has decided to sleep in the guest room right next to his workspace on the first floor. The reason is undoubtedly to minimize the chance of such incidents happening again. Brent also doesn't want to endure Alyssa's curses at any given moment. Once is enough for him to stay silent against unfounded accusations from that woman.

Just a short distance from his room, Brent's steps come to a halt. The door to his workspace is open, and upon looking inside, his neatly arranged books are now scattered everywhere.

Without needing to think, Brent can already confirm the culprit. So, he strides directly to where the perpetrator is relaxing.

"You entered my workspace?" Without preamble, Brent immediately admonishes Alyssa.

On the contrary, Alyssa, who is being scolded, appears casually getting up from her nap and changes her position to lean on her knees, facing Brent.

"Uh, when did you come home? Why are you suddenly here?" Alyssa asks with an innocent expression. "Wait, what time is it? Why did you come home so early? Are you slacking off?"

Her hand attempts to reach for her phone lying in the corner of the sofa. Her expression looks surprised when she sees the time displayed there.

"Crazy, it's already eleven at night? I thought it was still afternoon. Seriously, time doesn't feel real when you're slacking off like this." Alyssa rises from the sofa, causing crumbs of her snacks to scatter on the floor. "I thought you were blind to the clock, coming home so early," she says lightly.

Brent briefly closes his eyes, attempting to contain himself amid the chaos. Then, with a deep breath, he repeats the same question, "Did you enter my workspace?"

It takes a few seconds for Alyssa to respond. "Oh, right, I almost forgot, I borrowed your books!" Alyssa remarks, pointing to the books unfortunate enough to be lying on the floor alongside her snack wrappers.

Brent only just realizes that those books are his, given their unrecognizable state.

"Seriously, your books, not interesting at all," Alyssa says while walking towards the pantry. "If it's not about business, it's ancient histories. Really not captivating," she concludes.

"I never gave you perion to enter my workspace." Instead of responding to Alyssa's comments, Brent chooses to assertively address the woman.

"Yeah, I know," Alyssa responds indifferently. She then takes a sip of the water she just poured into a glass. "That's why I called you several times to ask for perion. But you just ignored it. So, I decided to break in." From her manner of answering, it's clear that Alyssa doesn't feel guilty at all.

"That's not a reason to justify your actions, Grace."

"Well, at least I made an effort. Besides, this is also your fault. Because of your damn macaroni, I couldn't work. Do you think I enjoy being stuck at home all day?" Alyssa turns the blame back on Brent. "And you act all sulky about it. Come on, yesterday I was just joking."

Brent is perplexed. He wonders what language he should use to make Alyssa stop belittling all actions he dislikes. Brent distinctly remembers addressing cleanliness issues. He had explicitly stated that he didn't mind if Alyssa messed up her own room but not the entire house. No part of the house should be dirty, especially the kitchen.

Brent had also informed Alyssa not to make sexually suggestive jokes, as it was unethical and highly improper for someone from an esteemed family like Brent. However, what irks Brent is that Alyssa's immoral jokes from yesterday keep replaying in his mind, disrupting his focus for the entire day.

The man doesn't respond. He adjusts the bag he's been holding before walking away towards his room.

Seeing this, Alyssa doesn't stay quiet. She runs a little and grabs Brent's hand as he attempts to leave. "Ugh... don't go yet, I've been waiting for you," Alyssa whines while shaking Brent's hand.

Brent, of course, ignores this. He continues walking, forcing Alyssa to follow him.

"Seriously, you've been avoiding me since this morning. Just because of my jokes, you're this mad?" Alyssa asks, displeased.

Still, Brent doesn't respond. He even removes Alyssa's hand from him. This infuriates Alyssa. "Brent!" she calls.

The man stops in his tracks. He turns around and looks at Alyssa, "What do you want?" Brent asks.

"I need you," Alyssa says. "Help me apply the ointment."

Brent snorts, "You can do it yourself."

"I can't..." Alyssa turns around, showing her upper back, which is quite exposed due to the tank top she's wearing. "Look, the bumps here are still very red, my hand can't reach," Alyssa says.

Alyssa isn't lying. There is a lot of redness on Alyssa's upper back. Unlike some other faded red areas, the redness on Alyssa's back is still vivid. It clearly indicates that Alyssa hasn't treated it properly yet.

Brent sighs softly. He could choose to ignore Alyssa's request, but taking care of the woman has become his responsibility. And certainly, a person like Brent would never shirk responsibilities, especially when he has promised it to Alyssa's parents.

So in the end, Brent says, "Grab those books and follow me." Without giving Alyssa time to respond or protest, he turns around and continues walking.

"Wait, wait, where are you going?" Alyssa asks, puzzled. "Brent!" With no other choice, Alyssa eventually follows Brent's earlier instructions. She quickly runs to pick up some books scattered on the floor before catching up with him.

To be continue...