"Right. Over there." I bite my lower lip, watching as the house staff members help me put the balloons on the ceiling of the living room.
A grin of satisfaction spreads across my lips as my eyes scan the decorations.
Ian steps from the dining room and travels his gaze around the room with a knowing smile. "You really turned this space into a whole different atmosphere. He'll be surprised."
I giggle. I don't know whether Aiden likes this kind of surprise or not, but I must admit that all these birthday decorations make his place more lively.
"It's about time that this house gets a girl's touch," Ian says with humor -- he can't hide the happiness in his voice. "It was getting boring. Too cold. Too stagnant. Sometimes I wondered if I was inside that castle in the Beauty and the Beast movie."
His comment makes my eyebrows rise. Even though Ian was only joking, I can't help but picture Aiden in that kind of castle.
All this time, Aiden has been surrounded by lovely people who care about him, but the thought of him ever feeling cold and lonely in this house makes my heart sink.
He was a man who chose to forget his sorrow by burying himself in work. He had those nightmares that he wished he could forget. But I hope that it's all over now. No one should continue living with such pain and loneliness.
When my eyes dart to Ashton, I frown. Despite this exciting birthday celebration for Aiden that Ian and I are really looking forward to, Ashton looks somehow distracted. He's sitting on the stool at the kitchen counter with his eyes glued to his phone.
He looks restless, involuntarily shaking his legs like he's desperately waiting for something to be done. His expression is a mixture of anger and... disappointment? What is going on?
"Ashton," I call, causing him to snap his head toward me. "Are you alright? You seem restless."
I wonder what's bothering his mind. I see the nervousness in Ashton's expression when he shakes his head. "Nothing. It's just--" He takes a deep breath. "Something about work, about the business." Before I can open my mouth to ask more about it, Ashton cuts me off, "It's not something that can't be settled, though. It's just taking longer than we expected. Aiden is taking care of it, and I think it will cause him to come home late."
Ashton is avoiding my eyes, as though he feels guilty, when in fact, he shouldn't feel so.
"Did he tell you when he'll be here?" I ask.
Aiden hasn't answered my texts for hours. It's unusual for him to do that because we always check on each other throughout the day, but I know that he's busy. Maybe Ashton knows something.
"No." Ashton swallows before he looks up to see me again.
My mouth drops open because of the sadness lingering in his eyes, as if it's killing him to speak to me about it.
"In fact, I'm really sorry to inform you that he may not make it tonight. He may have to spend a night in LA."
My shoulders sag, and I feel my stomach drop, but then I quickly compose myself. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed. But it's not Aiden's fault. I'm the one who wants to surprise him.
Ian shakes his head and blows a sigh. "The man forgot about his birthday. Again."
A sigh leaves my mouth too. I didn't expect that Aiden wouldn't come home tonight because he told me earlier this morning that his trip wouldn't take long. He'd said he would be back at night.
I take out my phone and frown when I notice that he still hasn't contacted me. I only wish he could have told me.
"That's okay." I shrug, plastering a small smile as I talk to Ashton and Ian. "He'll be here for the surprise anyway when he comes home." I chuckle lightly. "And we can store the food I cooked for him until he's back."
My gaze falls to the floor. My smile turns into a sad one. I wish I could wish him a happy birthday in a special way, but since he's not returning anytime soon, I may only have the chance to wish him from afar.
I'm going to call him to check on him. That's if he picks up my call.
My stomach churns at that thought.
Aiden didn't pick up my call.
I huff, trying to calm my mind as I lay down in my bathtub. It dawns on me that Aiden has been ignoring me the whole day.
I just hope that whatever business problem his company is facing will be fixed. It's not easy to manage one of the biggest corporations in the country. I wish Aiden could at least tell me that he's alright because I'm worried about him.
Carefully, I get out of the tub and dry myself with a towel. It feels good to be able to take a long hot bath after all the preparations I've done to surprise Aiden. I've spent most of the day cooking and decorating the living room.
After wrapping my body with the towel, I step back into my bedroom. The sound of the newscaster from the TV echoes as I flop onto the bed. I sit on it, noticing that the TV is airing news about business and the economy.
I don't really like watching the news, but ever since I started living with Aiden, I finally understand why he likes to watch it. It keeps us updated about what's going on in the business world, especially about the competitors and what's in the market.
Since I'm more in the mood to watch something light and funny tonight to relax and ease my mind, I grab the remote. I'm about to switch the channel when the screen shows something that makes me freeze in an instant.
There before my very eyes, I see Roman and Olivia back in the country. In LA, precisely.
I almost missed it, but the words presented as the headline and the newscaster's voice make it clear that they're talking about the two of them.
I'm too shocked to absorb what's happening. My heart hammers in my chest. My eyes follow the two of them moving on the screen.
The footage is from a few days ago. Roman and Olivia were trying to avoid the paparazzi roaming around them at the airport, but it wasn't that easy.
Two years haven't changed how they look. Olivia is still as gorgeous as I remember her, and Roman is still as commanding as ever. He spoke something to the paparazzi angrily and never let go of Olivia's hand when they walked away.
It's a quick report telling that people are still waiting for Roman's family business breakthrough, and before I know it, the newscaster has shifted the news to something else.
I don't even realize that my fingers are shaking when they touch my parting lips.
Did Aiden know about this?
Did he know that they're back?
A sudden horrible feeling stirs inside me.
Somehow, I'm having this fear that makes me want to deny what I just found out. I know that I'm not thinking clearly, and it frustrates me that finding out about them coming back affects me this much. It's crazy how much the two of them have control over my emotions and sanity.
I reach for my phone lying on my nightstand. I can't help but try to get more information about them. The news on the TV didn't give me all I want to know, but there have to be articles about them on the internet.
Why did they leave Switzerland?
Did they finally realize that they couldn't hide forever?
Did they miss their home country?
Or is it only because there's a change in Roman's business plan, just as the newscaster said?
After typing the keyword on Google search, I scroll through my phone. It only takes a few seconds to find a picture that makes my heart almost stop.
The picture is fresh, taken today. Both the image and the article title crush my heart until I feel like I can't breathe anymore.
Olivia Stone is spotted with her ex-fiance, Aiden Klein, entering a hotel in LA.
My eyes instantly water as they scrutinize a photo of Aiden and Olivia walking into the hotel lobby. A sudden lump in my throat makes it hard to swallow.
I tap the link with my trembling finger. There's nothing much on the page, mainly because the paparazzi weren't allowed any access into the hotel, and they only managed to snap pictures of them outside. The rest of the article only tells that the hotel itself is owned by Klein Enterprise, and that they walked so close to each other, that we all can guess what's going on between them inside the hotel room, and whether Roman knows or not.
I shake my head in denial, involuntary dropping the phone that it clatters on the floor.
No, I don't know what happens between them. I can't let myself think about it. Please tell me that this is just a nightmare.
But it's not. This is the reality. The truth has revealed itself, so clear and unavoidable.
My chest heaves up and down as great agony shatters my insides. I don't want to believe this. I don't want to know about what they did inside that hotel room, what they might still be doing.
My tears are falling so quickly that everything becomes blurry. I clutch my chest, wishing that I could just disappear because I can't bear this pain.
Just as Ashton said, Aiden is spending a night in LA. I just didn't know that he was with her.
It all makes sense now. Aiden is not answering his phone. He hasn't come back home as he promised me, on the night we should be celebrating his birthday. Instead, he is spending a night with Olivia.
Of course. Now that she's back, what are the chances of him choosing to be with me?
He would find his way back to her.
She's the woman he gave his heart to all those years ago. She's the one who always owns his heart.