LOVE YOU, UNCLE

Ghea looked visibly bored. Since this morning, she had been sitting silently in her room, making her feel lifeless. Accustomed to moving around here and there, suddenly having to take a complete break like this was making her tired. She wanted to contact Joshua or Denisa, but she realized both of her friends were probably busy working.

Continuing to roll around on the bed, Ghea’s bedroom door was heard being knocked. Shortly after, Sandra appeared, carrying a tray with something on it.

“What’s up?” Ghea asked as Sandra entered.

“This is snacks and fruits, Mrs. Ghea. Just now, Mr. Randy called to remind me to bring snacks and fruits for you. He also asked me to keep you company for a while. He’s worried you might get bored being alone in the room all day.”

Ghea smiled. For a moment, she felt grateful for the sensitivity her husband possessed. As if he could read her mind, he knew she was currently bored and hungry, wanting to taste something. Indeed, Ghea thought, there were advantages to having a husband like Randy, a model husband. Attentive and seemingly understanding. So, should she open her heart?

“Thank you so much for going through the trouble,” Ghea said with a happy expression.

“You’re welcome. It’s my duty. But, by the way, if I may say, Mr. Randy seems to be getting sweeter over time. He looks really fond of you.”

Ghea smiled again while taking a bite of the mango in front of her.

“Oh, really? Come on, it’s probably just your imagination.”

“No, it’s not,” Sandra retorted. As a house assistant who had been serving Randy for quite some time, she knew a little bit about his behavior and habits because they met almost every day. “Before getting married, Mr. Randy brought a few women to the house several times. Usually, the ones brought to the house were somewhat special. Or, you could say, close.”

“His girlfriend, then?”

Sandra shook her head. “Not a girlfriend. As far as I know, Mr. Randy doesn’t want to have a serious relationship or go as far as dating.”

“Then what? Who were the ones he brought to the house?” Ghea asked, puzzled. What’s the concept? Not dating, but being close and almost special, even brought home? It was all quite strange.

“Just casual dating. Or you could call it ‘just friends,’ maybe. Despite getting close to many women, not a single one was taken seriously by Mr. Randy. That’s why we were all surprised when suddenly he proposed and got married.”

“But we were set up.”

Sandra nodded.

“We all know about that rumor here. But, to be honest, Mrs. Ghea is different from the others. Because all the women he brought home were generally sexy, mature, from the modeling or acting world.”

“So, you mean I’m not Randy’s type? Or maybe I’m the ugliest among them all?”

Hearing Ghea’s cutting remarks and sarcastic tone, Sandra quickly shook her head. She felt embarrassed and afraid that her words might offend her employer’s wife.

“N-no. I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. The key point here is that the one who became Mr. Randy’s wife is different from the others. And from what we’ve seen, as well as personally, Mr. Randy has never been so attentive, worried, or anxious about his previous female friends as he has shown towards you, Mrs. Ghea. From this, I personally conclude that Mr. Randy really loves and cherishes you. Anyway, Mr. Randy is really sweet now.”

Ghea sighed. Part of her wanted to reject what Sandra said. But on the other hand, once again, she felt flattered that her husband seemed to care for her as Sandra described. She had always said she couldn’t handle praise like this. It immediately made her emotional.

“Enough already. Let’s not talk about this. I might start floating if you keep praising me.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“Yeah, I believe you,” Ghea responded. “Okay, let’s talk about something else, shall we? Not just Randy all the time.”

Sandra laughed. Changing the topic of conversation, she continued to keep Ghea company until the girl became tired and chose to rest for a while.

***

“How are you feeling? Much better now?”

Ghea gave a faint smile. As soon as she came home from work, her husband quickly cleaned up and approached her. He also brought dinner for Ghea to eat immediately.

“I’m getting tired of being asked that all the time. I’ve been fine since this morning.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“It’s just that I’m worried. So, it’s normal to ask. But, if your condition is much better, I’m genuinely happy. Now, have your dinner first.”

“I’ll eat by myself, okay?” Ghea hurriedly said before Randy offered to feed her like he did this morning. Not that she didn’t want it, but Ghea was afraid that if it happened too often, she might actually develop feelings for her husband.

Randy nodded, not bothered by Ghea’s request. After all, his wife’s condition had improved significantly.

“Alright, that’s fine. Just make sure you finish your food.”

A moment later, Ghea slowly began to enjoy her dinner. While Randy initially appeared to sit and watch, after a while, he spoke again, then asked a careful question.

“By the way, if I may ask, since when have you had this fear of the dark, to the point of it being severe?”

Ghea, who was previously enjoying her meal, stopped abruptly. She lifted her face and looked at Randy.

“It’s been a long time. Since I was a child, maybe.”

Randy nodded.

“Why are you afraid of the dark? What caused it in the first place?”

While spooning her food, Ghea responded. However, she didn’t share much of the story.

“It’s a long story. It’s because I was frequently locked up in a dark place.”

At that moment, Randy was stunned. Was Ghea serious about what she just said? Did she experience trauma from being frequently locked up? So, someone intentionally confined her in a dark place, causing her prolonged trauma?

“Locked up? By whom, Ghe? How could that happen? Why would you be confined like that?” Randy bombarded her with questions. He was increasingly curious about the person who intentionally caused his wife to have this phobia.

“Later. I’ll tell you. Right now, I’m not in the mood for sad stories. Is that okay?” Ghea said while staring intently at Randy. Her eyes seemed to plead, asking Randy to give her some space or time before delving into the story further.

“Alright. I won’t force you. When you’re ready, I hope you’ll be open and tell me. After all, I’m your husband, Ghe.”

“Yes. I know.”

A few seconds later, a knock was heard on the bedroom door. Shortly after, Sandra appeared, seeking permission to deliver some information.

“Excuse me, Sir. Sorry to disturb, but I wanted to inform you that Mr. Alvin is here, and he’s currently waiting for you in the office. He mentioned that there’s something important he wants to report.”

Randy nodded. Rising from his seat, he then turned to Ghea.

“You continue eating. If you feel sleepy, just go to sleep. I’ll finish up some work first.”

As he left the room, Randy took big strides to quickly reach his office. Once inside, he was handed an important file that Alvin had brought specifically for Randy to review immediately.

“It seems Mr. Randy needs to know about the information I have this time. As I mentioned earlier, this important news comes from a reliable source and should not be doubted.”

Without saying much, Randy immediately reached for the file Alvin handed him. After reading for a while, he looked wide-eyed, as if he had just discovered a fact that was entirely unexpected.

“Ghea has been subjected to violence by her stepmother since childhood?”

Alvin nodded.

“According to the senior house assistant who worked there, ever since moving to the Donovan family residence, Ghea has been treated unfairly by Mrs. Clara. Ironically, she always engaged in violent acts when Mr. Magnus was not at home. According to this house assistant, Mrs. Clara also made threats, one of which was locking Ghea up in a dark place. Even if the girl didn’t obey or made a minor mistake, Mrs. Clara didn’t hesitate to hit her and withhold food. Among Mrs. Clara’s children, Giselle behaved similarly to her mother. And according to information, only Mario always defended and treated Ghea well when their father was not around.”

“Oh God, what kind of devil is that? Is it true that stepmother stories really happen in this world? But why so cruel? If she didn’t like her, why not just return her to the orphanage? No wonder Ghea experienced such severe trauma.”

Alvin nodded in agreement. It was heartbreaking to imagine the violence that Ghea had to endure when she was still young. While other children enjoyed a happy and loving childhood, Ghea had to endure pain because she was often tortured and subjected to violence that she shouldn’t have experienced.

“There’s another fact that Mr. Randy needs to know,” Alvin continued the previously unfinished information. “Just so you know, Ghea was intentionally threatened to accept the arranged marriage yesterday by Mrs. Clara. She deliberately got rid of Ghea in a subtle way so that Ghea wouldn’t receive any inheritance from Mr. Magnus.”

“Meaning, Ghea was intentionally discarded? Like that?”

“Exactly, Sir,” Alvin nodded repeatedly.

“Outrageous!” Randy exclaimed. His hands clenched, and his heart felt turbulent, holding back the sudden anger that surged within him. For some reason, it was painful just to imagine the innocent Ghea having to endure such terrible things.

“But it’s good that Ghea finally got married and immediately left that hell, Vin. Otherwise, she might have continued to be tortured until now.”

“Yes, Mr. Randy is right,” agreed Alvin. “It’s best that your wife leaves that house. And I think, Mr. Randy should do something about them. Teach them a lesson, for example.”

Randy fell into deep thought. Then he pursed his lips. Suddenly, an idea struck him, something he needed to do right away.

After Alvin left and after finishing dinner, Randy decided to return to the room exactly at 10 p. m. Upon entering, he found Ghea already fast asleep. She looked so peaceful and serene. Randy reflexively approached, then chose to sit right beside her.

“Ghea… I promise that as long as you’re by my side, you’ll live happily. I will make those who have mistreated you regret what they have done all this time.”

Randy then leaned down, kissed Ghea’s forehead, pulled up her blanket, and joined her in sleep right beside her.