Substitute Mother

Chaptre 60. Chaos

Hannah throws her eyes at the door that Johnny suddenly opens. He just looked flat at his manager, then continued his activities of polishing makeup.

“Did you forget how to knock on the door?”

Johnny cleared his throat. “Maaf”

“What else now?”

It feels like Hannah is fed up with Louis' orders being handed over through Johnny. Why didn't the stranger tell her directly?

Johnny puts down a paperbag Hannah never needed to guess again, which must have contained an accursed outfit she had to wear to dance in front of her boss.

“Start tonight, you don't have to dance on stage”

The movement of Hannah's hand that smeared the lipgloss, immediately stopped. “You mean?”

“Mr Louis ordered me to make you a special dancer for him. And what I mean is, you can only dance for her. Not by anyone else, including on stage the usual”

“But does that mean my income will be cut?”

Johnny shakes. “For income, you don't have to worry. Nothing has changed, maybe even your income will increase. Especially if Mr. Louis is getting fond of your dance”

Hannah breathed a rough breath. Among happy because there is no need to dance in front of dozens of pairs of eyes, but also sad because of being a special dancer for Mr. Louis. That means the duration of her dancing will increase, and the longer she is in a closed room with the man scaring her.

“Listen, Hannah. I know you don't like situations like this. But you'll have to hold on in a minute. The rest of your debt will decrease if Louis gives you a bonus. And if it happens periodically, then the sooner you're free of Victoire. So my advice.do your best, give your best to Mr. Louis”

Hannah looked at Johnny, a tall man who actually had a good heart that she had considered like an older brother that she never had. But since being under the confinement of Mr. Louis, Johnny became a strange figure that sucks.

“Did he order you to ban Mark from entering?”

“I think you know the answer”

Hannah nodded. “I'll give you my best, but please don't let Mark know. Let me tell her myself”

“I'll do as I can. Change, Hannah. You've been awaited”

Johnny is out leaving Hannah who has resigned. Hannah covered her face, at a time like this she missed Judith and Renatta. If only they were still there and accompanied him as before, at least he didn't feel so alone. It's true he now has Mark, and he's grateful every day to be loved by a man as good as Mark. But Hannah is still not ready to open up, telling Mark every detail of her life. He is afraid, afraid if the response is not a good response. He was afraid that Mark would leave, which would leave him alone.

**

Jeffrey heard the rumors. Not from the words of others who directly talk to him, but from the results of stealing to hear people. Jeffrey did not know how at first, when rumors of an affair between his wife and Darren spread widely throughout the hospital. They become the subject of heated chatter between medical personnel who then view him as a hurt husband, while sneering at Tyona and Darren as traitors.

He knew last night that Tyona and Darren had indeed come home and stopped by to eat together, because his wife sent him a message that he could not reply. But when he left this morning, he didn't know at all. Jeffrey knows the two are close, and Darren has more feelings for his wife. But Jeffrey is convinced that Tyona will not dare to play behind him.

Jeffrey couldn't help but smile, realizing it all felt so easy without having to bother with fouling his hands. If all pairs of eyes are on Tyona and Darren, then he can make them as scapegoats, while he steals time to meet with Renatta and their future baby.

Jeff's daydream was disturbed when the door of his apartment opened, revealing the tired face of his wife who was taking off his shoes. She does go home first, while Tyona is still busy in poly kids.

“You've eaten? If we haven't ordered it yet, I'm tired once”

Tyona passed through the living room where Jeffrey was sitting, seeing the magic, Jeffrey assures Tyona has not heard the rumors. Soon he got up following his wife to their room.

“You think I can still think of food after hearing that gossip?”

“Oh, don't you know? it was so crowded until I heard it. Gossip that you were playing with Darren behind me”

Tyona nodded indifferently. “What kind of cheap gossip is”

Jeffrey leaned his body against the door, his hands folded in front of his chest. “You left with him this morning? Why didn't you tell me?”

“I forgot. My intention to leave by taxi but the operator is busy, I'm almost late if I don't cross paths with Darren”

“They said you guys kissed in Darren”'s car

The activities of Tyona who was putting her accessories in the first place, stopped. Looking at the husband from the reflection of the dresser glass. “He just helped me take off the seatbelt. For others, the position may look strange, especially if viewed through the opposite angle”

“But I noticed you guys have been close lately huh?”

Tyona sighed. “The three of us have known each other since the beginning of college. Of course I was close to him, just like I was close to Jeanno Alexander”

“Should I believe you, Anna?”

The woman turned around, stepped up to face Jeffrey. “Aren't I the one who should have said the same thing to you, Jeff?”

“You mean?”

“Our wedding ring, why can it be in your snell pocket? Then why is there a foreign perfume smell there? Last night, were you really staying at my mom's house?”

Jeffrey's jaw is hardened. He forgot to put on his ring when he visited Renatta yesterday. “The ring I took off because I fell while I was washing my hands. And the perfume you smell is the perfume of a teenage patient crying in my arms, she has PTSD”

Tyona threw away her face, realizing all of Jeffrey's preposterous answers. Did he think that the size of their wedding ring did not fit on the finger of the man? hasn't Jeffrey ever taken it off even in the shower? And as for the patient's perfume, Tyona knew Jeffrey not for a year or two. She understood how her husband was very close to the patient, especially to accept a patient fell into his arms.

Tyona wanted to argue, but was too tired to do so. Instead, he stretched out his hand to frame Jeffrey's handsome face. Swiping his cheeks slowly so that his hard jaw loosens.

“Jeff, we... are still fine, right?”

Jeffrey's mouth shut. Seeing how the pretty face looked at her gently and loving gaze that never changed. Slowly, her hands lifted, grabbing Tyona's fingers framing her face. He peed it a few times. Wish he said ‘Ya’. But in fact, they are shaky. The house he built was cracking its foundation, which, ironically, he himself was the one who damaged it.

Tyona smiled sadly. Bringing her lips to kiss the tip of her husband's lips. His heart ached to see how Jeffrey felt so hard just to say they were okay. Tyona turned her face away, finding Jeffrey still staring at her with a look she could not understand. As if to be sure, she kissed her husband again. Now the pink ranum he was targeting. The lips that kissed her when they finished the sacred promise. The lips that he had always longed for, were either still his, or had been shared by others.

Tyona moves, luring Jeffrey to avenge his every move. But all Jeffrey did was stand still. Making Tyona is like making an inanimate object. Feeling unexpected, Tyona distanced her face.

“I take a shower first, later we eat together”

Tyona distanced her body and turned towards the bathroom. While Jeffrey in his place is no less chaotic. His mind is divided and his feelings are distorted. In the middle of the silence, his phone rang. Appears the name of the doctor William, whom he deliberately named so as a disguise form of Renatta number.

“Ya?”

“Jeff, I'm bleeding!”

It took no time to think about making Jeffrey in the fog grab his jacket and car keys, leaving Tyona who would have been confused to find her whereabouts.

**