The Woman He Married

01. Day Out

Zane sighed as he stepped onto the weighing scale. After a few seconds, he looked down and shrugged, "That's better."

Over the course of five days, he had gained a few pounds despite working as hard as any other day. He found out just yesterday about him gaining weight and decided to go to the gym to shed a few pounds, even half a pound would have been nice at that rate. It wasn't until he stepped into the kitchen after that Saturday morning when he found out the root of his problem.

"Kate," he called, glancing at the English breakfast she prepared for him.

And for some reason, the woman always seemed to have a startled reaction whenever he walks into the kitchen, almost as if she was hiding something. She placed his coffee on the tray and looked at him, "Yes, Mr. Williams?"

"I appreciate your diligence, but..." He paused, finding the right words to address the issue. He pursed his lips, "I love the foods you make, but maybe we can try salads next? Not tomorrow, but maybe next week?"

Mae cocked her brows, "Oh, do you prefer vegetables?"

"No, but I need to lose some weight," Zane replied.

"Huh," Mae checked him out casually, "I think you look fit."

"Thank you," he chuckled, "But I just realized I gained a few pounds since you're here."

"Oh..." Mae gasped, "I'm sorry...?"

"Don't be. I should be the one to apologize," Zane hummed, taking a seat and took a sip of the coffee. He then frowned, "Has my wife ever came home?"

"Uh..." Mae adverted her gaze for a second before nodding, "Occasionally."

"Occasionally?"

"Yeah, she's around... Just not all the time," Mae said clearly.

"Please tell her this is not a hotel," Zane grumbled. He then looked at Mae, "Do you know where she went? Why is she always away when I'm home?"

"She's... Working."

"Working? Interesting. As what?"

"Freelance."

"She's a freelancer? How come I've never heard about this?"

Probably because you never asked, Mae thought to herself. "I'm not sure," she replied, "As far as I'm concerned, you two are married. Aren't you supposed to know her backgrounds...?"

Zane munched on the food, which he usually had delivered to his study or his bedroom. He sighed, "It's an arranged marriage. I didn't even get to see her face at the wedding because something came up and I had to leave."

He had three chances to meet her: the engagement day, dress fitting day, and the wedding. He did not show up to either. Mae cleared her throat, "Something more important than the person you're going to have a future with?"

"Future?" Zane scoffed, and Mae knew where she stands in his life by the single scoff. "I don't think there is going to be a future beyond three months at maximum. I'm pretty sure she thinks the same, that's why she is never home. I mean, why else would she agree to marry a complete stranger? My mother must've offered a huge amount of money for her to agree in the first place."

All assumptions, no facts at all.

Mae heaved a breath, then smiled, "Well, Mrs. Westbrook knows a lot about you. She recognizes you. She knows what you like and what she thinks you would hate. In fact, she's making sure you're eating well every single day."

Zane nodded absentmindedly, "If anybody had made sure that I eat well, it's you, Kate. Mae Westbrook is never here. It's almost as if I married you, not her. In fact, I've met you more than I've met her, and that accounted for zero meetings with Mae Westbrook."