Black Swan's

The Hand Shake (One Hundred Six)

            “Welcome back Eden!”

            Eden shut his mouth in disbelief when he arrived at his house this morning and found a large banner attached in front of his house. Then from the direction of the living room appeared his servants and also the Sian family who were welcoming him so festively. The first people to immediately get a warm embrace from Eden were Olivia and Sian, because they were very meritorious people in his life as long as he lay weak in the hospital. Then Eden immediately held the little Louise whom he had long missed.

            “Mommy misses you dear.” said Eden gleefully as she kissed chubby Louise's cheeks. Ciara also did not want to miss by tugging at the end of the dress worn by Eden while asking Eden to embrace her.

            “Ciara also misses mommy..”

            “Ohh, my princess Ciara. And the cute Justice, aunty also misses you a lot.” Eden kissed Justice's red cheeks as the tiny baby was playing her mother's hair with her adorable fingers.

            Eden then turned to her children again, hugging her two children full of haru while rubbing a little tears that managed to drip in the corner of her eyes. For more than a week in the hospital, Eden couldn't interact with her son this close. Indeed, Aciel occasionally brought Ciara and Louise to visit him, but her noisy husband more often forbade Ciara and Louise to linger in the hospital because he thought the hospital was the place of the virus, and he did not want his two children to contract the deadly virus carried by the patients. But according to Eden it is too excessive because actually Aciel just want Eden really rest in total in the hospital, so that when he came home later his wife was completely healed.

            “Ed, you're finally home too.”

            Olivia patted Eden on the shoulder slowly, feeling very grateful that she had returned home in a much better state. Then behind him Sian appeared while stretching out his arms to embrace Eden again, but Sian's body was immediately pulled by Aciel to get away.

            “You can't. Even I just can't touch it for a week.” grumbled Aciel annoyed. Sian and Olivia who heard it immediately giggled amused, because they knew what happened to Aciel after Eden realized. The man is currently getting punishment from Eden. Ever since Eden came to her senses from her coma, Eden seemed reluctant to speak to Aciel because she was still upset by her husband's rampaging attitude without listening to her explanation. Though at that time he wanted to tell Aciel if he did not mean to take a pregnancy-preventing pill and in fact at that time he was pregnant, so the pill was completely useless. But Aciel was already angry first and floated terrible words that until now it felt Eden could not listen to him anymore. Too horrible for him. And now

it was time for Eden to punish Aciel because the man had made him suffer during this week in the hospital.

            “Mom, Ciara want ice cream.” Pinta Ciara while tugging at the end of the Eden dress again. Eden nods her head and tells Ciara to pick it up herself in the fridge as she is chatting with Olivia.

            “Take for Justice also dear. Can Justice eat ice cream?” eden asked turned to Olivia. Olivia nodded her head as she stroked the chubby Justice cheek on her lap.

            “But just a little. I'm trying to introduce foods other than porridge to Justice to make the digestion stronger. Yesterday her father had just fed her a slice of lemon.” Olivia's story broke.

            Eden rounded her eyes in surprise. “You're serious? It was very acidic.” moaned Eden while imagining the sourness of lemon in his mouth.

            “It's okay. Justice did react surprised, but after that she was fine.” obviously Olivia relaxed. “So how do you feel now after returning from the hospital?” ask Olivia to start the conversation. Eden seemed so happy with the large number of people who gathered in her house to welcome her home. At least he still has a lot of love from his family.

            “I'm very happy. Look, all the servants present today, and also the other close friends of Aciel, even though their house is located quite far from here, but they want to take the time to come. I'm so happy Olive, it's like I have a lot of love from my family and my colleagues.”

            “Ck, everyone loves you, Ed. You're the only one who never noticed it. Even your handsome CEO also loves you very much.” Olivia's tease while glancing at Aciel. Since one month ago Olivia did give a special nickname for Aciel, which is a handsome CEO, because Aciel is a handsome man who is very valued by many women, even to this day when he had been the husband of Eden.

            “I am still upset with him, during this week I kept silent on him and just spoke as necessary to him. I am still heartbroken by her anger and her dreadful divorce sentence.” snorted Eden upset. Olivia smiled understandably at Eden while stroking Eden's shoulder gently. During the time Eden lay sick in the hospital, no one knew except Olivia and Sian if the cause of Eden had a miscarriage was because she was stressed due to divorce sentence pronounced Aciel. All this time Eden still covered it from the people around him and only replied if he was too exhausted in keeping Ciara and Louise. Eden didn't want his family's image to be bad in the eyes of his co-workers. He knew that Aciel was very respected in his office, and all this time the media also always reported good things about his family. He doesn't want people to be excited if he finds out he's almost divorced from Aciel. But now everything is back to normal. At least Aciel no longer bring up her anger and she also tried to apologize to Eden, and at that time Eden said that she had forgiven her husband, but she still wanted to test her husband's patience in the face of his sudden heartache.

            “Didn't you guys make up? Ahem, I had a peek at you guys while kissing.” said Olivia in an awkward and demented tone. Eden rounded her eyes in shock and directly hit Olivia's arm slowly.

            “You saw it? My God, it was so embarrassing.” snorted Eden annoyed.

            “At that time I had made up, but suddenly I wanted to be angry with him. So I did this. Action rambling!” eden said casually. From a distance Eden can see her husband looking steal-steal towards her. But he looks indifferent and returns to his chat show with Olivia who is delayed.

            “Once in a while he has to get a lesson because of his careless behavior. What if at that time he was too rash and went straight to court to take care of our divorce? It could be the life of Ciara and Louise who are at stake, I don't want it.”

            Olivia nodded her head understanding what Eden was feeling. Fortunately, her husband had never expressed his emotions until he had given her away. At least Sian is the type of man who prefers to harbor his anger and after that he will take out his uneg-uneg in a funny way typical spoiled man. Ahh...why did she suddenly think of her husband's childish behavior? Olivia shook her head slowly and she again focused her eyes on Eden who had disappeared from her seat.

            “Mommy... Louise hungry.”

            Olivia sees Eden crouching in front of Louise and the woman moves Louise to the dining room. Olivia smiled gently and decided to find her husband and take him home because Justice seemed to be sleepy as well.

            “Aunty, Sleepy Justice.”

            Appoint Ciara to her little daughter who has yawned many times while playing her little teddy, giving Ciara first. Olivia stroked Ciara's head gently and muttered thanks to the little girl for telling her.

            “Thanks princess Ciara, it looks like Justice has to go home. See you Ciara.”

            Ciara waved her tiny hand at Olivia and then she ran at her daddy who was busy chatting with his comrades.

            “Daddy! Uncle!” shouted Ciara loudly while pounding his father's thigh. Aciel lifted Ciara up on her lap while smelling Ciara's face in anxiety.

            “Hahahaha..it's ticklish daddy.” Ciara said while making uncomfortable moves. Ray and Buttler, who are Aciel's coworkers, who also often meet Ciara, also prank Ciara by tickling Ciara's stomach and make Ciara increasingly screaming because she felt amused.

            “Uncle, daddy!! Hahahahhaaa.

            “Where have you been, baby? Busy playing with your friends, hmm?”

            Aciel stopped his tickling action and switched to rubbing Ciara's head gently. Ciara nodded her head while pointing at the group of little children who were the children of her father's co-workers.

            “Henry naughty dad, she snatched Ciara and Louise's toys. So Ciara does not want to play again with Henry.” point Ciara with a pouted bent face. Aciel and his co-workers both turned their heads towards Ciara's index finger and they looked at each other understandably afterwards.

            “Children do often quarrel just because of trivial problems.” Buttler comments casually. It is a pity that his wife has not given him offspring to date due to fertility problems and needs to do therapy to get offspring immediately.

            “Uncle, but at that time mommy also cried because daddy scolded mommy.” said Ciara with his innocent face. At once Ray stares at Aciel with interest and asks the man to explain Ciara's intentions to her.

            “Eden crying? You guys are having a fight?”

            “Ah.. it.. has been very long, now we have made up.” replied Aciel strangely. She looked up at her father with a disapproving face.

            “But mommy is still angry at daddy, mommy herself told Ciara.”

            Aciel gave Ciara the code so that the girl would stop talking in front of her comrades because what the little boy said would really drag her into trouble. And of course, it tarnishes his good name. Especially since the first family always get the spotlight as a happy hamonis family, this problem if it is known to others will be a new scandal that troubles him.

            “This is just a common household issue, not a serious one.” said Aciel finally while closing Ciara's mouth so that the little girl does not babble strangely in front of her colleagues.

            “Home problems we can not avoid, even I still often quarrel with my wife because of disagreements. But you'd better control your emotions when you're fighting with Eden because your wife looks fragile, Ace.”

            Aciel just nodded lazily without daring to comment anything. He was afraid that his comments would reap other problems that were more troublesome. Moreover, he never confessed to people if the cause of Eden miscarriage and coma is himself. He is too afraid of being blamed by people because he has a bad reputation among women since long. Of course her reputation as a lady killer would come back to the surface if her personal problems with Eden were known to others. And fortunately Eden also has not said anything to people even though his wife is currently in a very annoying snack mode.

-00-

            After Eden's welcoming party was over, Aciel's residence looked deserted again. The atmosphere inside the house looked quite quiet as Ciara and Louise had already fallen asleep in their respective rooms due to exhaustion.

            Eden closed the door of her youngest child's room slowly after more than an hour she accompanied the fussy Louise. The boy was too tired to play, so he was quite fussy because his body was exhausted. When Eden was at the door of his room Eden saw that Aciel was walking towards him. The man seemed to be going into his room as well, but suddenly he stopped his steps and seemed hesitant to continue his steps when Eden was at his doorstep staring at him in horror.

            “Are you still mad at me?” ask Aciel slowly. He is not a husband who is afraid of his wife. But he felt quite guilty about Eden. What he did to Eden really crossed the line, and he regretted it. If Eden was not a strong woman, maybe now Eden has left because according to Laila the bleeding of Eden at that time was quite severe. Even Laila gave six bags of blood to Eden.

            “Do you think?” ask Eden cynically. Aciel exhaled slowly and seemed to not want to comment anymore. The man turned and left Eden. But his slow steps were immediately stopped by Eden with his indifferent-sounding question.

            “Where are you? You don't want to sleep?”

            “I'll sleep with Louise or Ciara. Good night, Ed.”

            Aciel walked away from Eden, but his steps were immediately stopped by Eden.

            “I'm not that cruel wife, come in, Ace.”

            Eden opened the door of her room and went inside her room followed by Aciel behind her. The man seemed to have made no comment and was completely silent as he walked towards his bed.

            “Until when will we be like this? I'm bored.”

            “Until I don't get upset with you. I still feel hurt by your words at that time.” replied Eden ketus. Seeing his wife re-establish their quarrel made Aciel unable to say anything. He himself was too aware that he was wrong.

            “Sorry. I can only say that to you because I really feel guilty. At that time I didn't mean to say it, it was all purely out of emotion. I can't possibly divorce you after my long struggle to get you. So, I'm sorry. Let's go shake hands.”

            Aciel extended her hand towards Eden who instantly got a probing full gaze from Eden.

            “You sure? Tumben.” comments Eden sucks. But Aciel tried to be patient with a gentle smile towards Eden.

            Actually today he is quite embarrassed by the behavior of Ciara and Henry. When the two little boys quarreled over a toy, the little boy immediately made up by shaking hands with each other. Henry apparently realized that he had made Ciara angry, so the little man immediately approached Ciara before returning home and shook Ciara's hand full of sincerity. Aciel who saw his son's behavior became aware that all this time he had not formally apologized to Eden. He just said sorry and felt sorry but he had not shaken hands with Eden like Henry to Ciara, so he thought to imitate the behavior of the little boy who he thought was worthy of imitation. Because what Henry did managed to make Ciara melt, and he hoped that Eden would also be destroyed because a little bit of Ciara nature decreased from Eden.

            “Let's make up. I'm tired of this cold war. I've been punished by God for treating you harshly. So please don't make me more tormented.” said Aciel with the face of frustarsi. Eden seemed to want to laugh with the expression of her husband's face that did look slumped. It seems to have gone too far.

            “Alright, let's make up.”

            Eden welcomed Aciel's hand joyfully while smiling sincerely at her husband. Aciel immediately hugged Eden and gave a kiss on the cheek.

            “Yakk, why directly kiss!” eden shouted annoyed as Aciel began to kiss her cheek and seemed to be doing it again on her lips.

            “I just imitated Henry, he also kissed Ciara after shaking hands.” said Aciel as is.

            “But you will also kiss my lips. There's no way Henry kissed Ciara's lips, right?” dengus Eden was upset. But Aciel grimaced a little with a snort of Eden.

            “In that case, I improvised. Come on, Ed, it's been over a week I haven't touched you. You think I don't miss you.” protest Aciel childishly. Eden immediately glanced at Aciel annoyed and he felt sorry to have shaken hands with Aciel because it turned out that the man was having hidden intentions.

            “Sleep Ace, and you should remember my words well. I won't be able to touch until a month to come, so get ready to fill the bathtube with cold water.”

            “What! You think I can be lied to? Remember, I'm more experienced than you.” said Aciel annoyed. But Eden continued to push Aciel's body away from him and he began to lay his body on his back to Aciel.

            “Yes, you are experienced but you are not smart enough to treat me well!” eden said ferociously and immediately covered his body with a blanket. While Aciel looks so lethargic while imagining his fate for the next month who will spend his nights in the bathroom to soak.