59. Wife's POV

It had been such a crazy day that I didn't even know where to begin.

First, there was this whole stressful situation in the morning, then the unexpected encounter with Ray, and the surprise of finding out that he was actually a doctor. Then came the old man's visit, followed by everything that had happened between us. And now there was the young neighbor, and then this strange, heated moment with my own husband only minutes later.

I honestly had no words for the day I'd just had.

And yet, somehow, I couldn't say I regretted it. Whatever role I had found myself playing at each moment, even if it was only temporary, there had been something strangely exciting about it. If I had to weigh the stress against the relief, I had to admit the relief won. Somehow, despite everything, I felt more relaxed than overwhelmed.

I walked over to the cupboard and started looking for something comfortable to wear. As I looked through my clothes, my eyes stopped at a small section at the back of the cupboard. Seeing that spot reminded me of the box I'd hidden there a week ago. I moved a few clothes aside, and my fingers brushed against it. I pulled the box out and held it in my hands for a moment.

Hmm... is it time I started wearing these?

I couldn't help but grin at the thought. When I'd gone shopping with Leena that day, I never imagined I'd actually end up buying something like this. But in the end, I did. Maybe somewhere I knew, someday, I might become comfortable enough to actually wear it.

And here I was now, hoping the right moment would present itself so I could finally wear them. And if he ever asks me about it, I'll just play dumb, I thought with a little smirk. Or maybe he'll actually like seeing me dressed like this. Who knows?

The old me would have immediately dismissed the idea. I would have felt embarrassed just imagining myself wearing something so daring. Now, somehow, the thought didn't seem exactly as frightening anymore.

So much had changed in such a short time. Maybe I had changed too.

I looked down at the box in my hand and smiled. I wasn't sure whether I should be happy of that change or a little worried by it. But one thing was certain: I was beginning to enjoy the woman I was becoming.

The moments passed quickly after that. He acted normal, and so did I. I mean, what was there to talk about? That I had actually stood there teasing him, telling him to stop and watching him obey me? That I had kept pushing him, enjoying every second of seeing how easily I could make him nervous and desperate? That I had looked at my own husband and, instead of feeling embarrassed, found myself enjoying the power I had over him?

Even thinking about it now made me wonder what had gotten into me.

And what must he be thinking about me? The question made me a little nervous.

He had seen me behave in a way that probably wasn't what he expected from me at all. I had caught myself enjoying the control, enjoying his reactions, and instead of backing away, I had gone further simply because I wanted to see what would happen.

I was worried that he might actually ask me about it. What would I even say if he looked at me across the table and asked, “Since when did you become like this?”

I wouldn't even know where to begin.

I looked at him again. He was eating normally, talking to me normally, behaving as though our evening had been completely ordinary. If anything, he seemed just as determined as I was to leave the subject alone.

And nevertheless, I had seen a side of him too.

I had seen how readily he responded when I took charge, how quickly he surrendered that control to me, and how much he seemed to enjoy being on the other side of it. Maybe he was embarrassed about that now. Maybe he was sitting there wondering the same thing I was.

What the hell happened to us today?

Because whatever it was, neither of us could really pretend we hadn't seen it.

Maybe there were sides of each other we had never had a reason to uncover before. Sides that had been there all along, just waiting for the right moment to come out.

Somewhere in the middle of dinner, he suddenly told me about the meeting he had tomorrow and how he needed to attend it. I tried to remind him that his health should come first, but he assured me that he would be fine. If he started feeling sick, he promised he would immediately come back home. It was an important meeting, and knowing that, I had no choice but to agree.

After having one of the craziest days of my life, it was finally time to end the day and say goodnight to the world.

I didn't know what tomorrow would bring. For now, I could only wish that life would continue the way it was, letting me enjoy whatever came my way.

Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

The next day arrived, and I woke up a little later than usual, my stomach already growling with hunger. I had barely gotten out of bed when my husband walked in. He had woken up early, and after exchanging a few sleepy words, we sat down together and had breakfast.

We ate togethe, talking casually about nothing in particular. Once he was finished, he got ready for work and headed out, leaving me alone in the house.

I went back to my usual routine, keeping myself busy with the little things around the house. Everything was peaceful for a while… just for a while.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Hmm? A knock?

…

No way...

…

is it the old man again…?

Just the thought made me skittish. I slowly walked toward the door and looked through the peephole. My eyes met a familiar face. It wasn't the old man.

It was Ray.

I felt myself lightenen up slightly, though I couldn't help wondering why he was here.

…

Maybe he's here to check up on my husband's injury.

I opened the door.

Ray greeted me with a warm smile, and I returned it naturally.

“Sorry to bother you. I was just in the area and thought I'd check in on your husband. See how he's doing.”

“Oh, he just left for work,” I replied. “He had an important meeting today.”

“Oh, if it was important, then it can't be helped.” Ray nodded casually. “So, how is he? Does he seem better?”

“Yes, certainly. He's much better than yesterday.” I smiled. “And thank you so much again for yesterday. You really helped us.”

“It's nothing,” Ray said with a friendly smile. “I'm a doctor. Helping people is part of the job. If someone needs help, you don't exactly think twice about it.”

I nodded, but before I could say anything else, Ray looked at me a little more closely.

“By the way, has something happened?”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You seem different.” His eyes inspected me for a moment as he looked me over. “There's a different kind of glow about you.”

O-Oh... really? I asked, a little taken aback.

I wasn't sure how to respond. And, it wasn't like he was wrong. I could feel that glow too. There really was something different now, and maybe it was more visible than I thought. Still, hearing someone else actually point it out caught me a little off guard.

“Thank you,” I replied, as politely as I could.

“There you go,” Ray said almost immediately.

I looked at him, slightly confused. “What?”

“You're smiling now.”

I blinked and instinctively straightened my expression. Was I smiling…? I hadn't even noticed.

Ray gave a quiet chuckle. “You don't have to hide it.”

“Hide what?”

“That.” He gestured lightly toward me. “Whatever it is that's making you smile.”

“Ha-ha...” I laughed, trying to play it off as casually as I could.

Ray glanced around the house before looking back at me.

“You know, this neighborhood always seemed a little dull to me.”

I smiled faintly. “Dull?”

“Yeah. But lately, it feels different. More lively somehow.” He gave me a knowing grin. “Maybe it has something to do with you. You're becoming quite the star of the neighborhood.”

I felt my cheeks warm slightly.

The star of the neighborhood…? Sure. I guess you could say that, I thought with a mischievous little smile.

”There it is again,” Ray pointed it out immediately. “That smile of yours.”

I didn't bother hiding it this time. I let the smile stretch as much as it could.

“Good,” he said with a small nod. “See? That looks much more better.”

I gave a little laugh. “Oh, it's nothing like that. The neighbors are just...”

“Nice?” he finished.

“Yeah,” I replied,casually. “They are.”

Ray smiled. “Nice, friendly, and always ready to make you feel...”

“Feel?”

My heart thumped. I could feel my blush deepening before he finally finished.

“...welcome.”

“Oh.”

Ray noticed my reaction and gave me a curious look. “Why? What did you think I was going to say?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The blush only got worse, and somehow that only made it more obvious that his words had landed too close to whatever had been going through my mind.

“And I suppose they're good company too,” he added casually.

I hesitated for just a moment before nodding. “Yeah... you could say that.”

Ray gave me an amused smile.

“Then I guess you've got a pretty lively neighborhood after all.”

Ray smiled. “Well, I was just checking up on your husband, but it seems he's doing much better than before. That's good to hear.”

He started to leave, then paused and looked back at me.

“And that glow I mentioned earlier...” He gave me a thoughtful smile. “I'm still not sure what kind of glow it is.”

I looked at him, slightly puzzled.

“Sometimes a person can have a glow that comes from somewhere bright,” he continued, “and sometimes it comes from places a little harder to explain.”

His smile faded slightly.

“But either way, a glow is a glow. What matters is that you're enjoying it.”

With that, he gave me a small nod and walked away.

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