In front of the vanity mirror integrated with a holographic touchscreen, Andien was busy smoothing foundation over her face. Her makeup was only about twenty percent finished. Her fingers nimbly tapped a nano-tech beauty blender against her skin, creating a flawless finish, when suddenly her sense of smell caught a deeply familiar scent.
Sandalwood blended with bergamot and a touch of masculine musk—luxurious, elegant, and commanding. It was Bisma's custom-made cologne.
Andien turned toward the reflection, her eyes widening slightly. Bisma was already standing near the doorway of their walk-in closet. The man looked absolutely perfect. A dark navy slim-fit suit hugged his broad frame, with an immaculate white shirt beneath it, paired with dress pants and gleaming black leather shoes. His hair was neatly styled, giving him the charismatic aura of a young CEO.
Seeing that her husband was one hundred percent ready, a small wave of panic hit Andien. She hurriedly reached for her eyeshadow palette and makeup brush.
“Baby, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I thought you were still taking forever to pick out your clothes. Just wait a little longer—I’ll be done in fifteen minutes!” Andien called out as she tried to apply color to her eyelids as quickly as possible.
Seeing his wife panic, Bisma smiled faintly. He approached with calm, long strides, then placed both his large, warm hands on Andien’s shoulders. He gazed at his wife’s face in the mirror’s reflection.
“Hey, take it slow,” Bisma said in his soothing baritone, as if pouring cold water over Andien’s panic. His hands moved down, stopping Andien’s fingers as they held the makeup brush.
“But Baim must be starving out there, and our restaurant reservation—”
“Let the restaurant wait for us, not the other way around,” Bisma interrupted gently. He bent down and kissed the crown of Andien’s head with affection. “You’re beautiful, and beauty takes time to be celebrated. Don’t rush just because I’m already dressed. I can wait for you until tomorrow morning if I have to. Relax, okay? Enjoy your makeup time.”
Bisma’s sweet treatment and the way his words always put her comfort first melted Andien’s heart. Her husband was such a green flag that sometimes Andien wondered what good deed she must have done in a past life to end up with a man like Bisma. Andien nodded, smiled, and went back to doing her makeup at a more leisurely pace.
About ten minutes later, Andien’s face was perfectly made up. She rose from her vanity chair and loosened the towel that had been covering her body while she changed clothes. She turned to retrieve her innerwear from the drawer.
When the towel slipped slightly at her back, Bisma’s gaze, which had been fixed on his wife all this time, instantly sharpened. His previously relaxed stride suddenly quickened.
“Baby, wait.” Bisma’s voice turned serious. He approached Andien, gently held her shoulder, then lifted the remaining edge of the towel slightly from the right side of her back.
There, against her smooth, pale skin, was a purplish bruise the size of a baseball.
“Oh my God, Andien. What happened?” Bisma’s voice carried deep concern. His brows drew tightly together. “Did you fall? What did you hit? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Andien, only now realizing what her husband was talking about, let out a small laugh, though she winced slightly when Bisma touched the area around the bruise very, very carefully.
“Oh, that... oh, gosh, it was so ridiculous, Baby,” Andien replied, holding back a laugh as she remembered what had happened that morning. “You remember I played padel tennis with my friends earlier today, right? Well, when I tried to smash the return, I mistimed it. The ball got past me, bounced really hard off the acrylic glass wall behind me, then came flying back and smacked! It hit my own back.”
Bisma fell silent. He stared at his wife in disbelief, caught between wanting to laugh at the ridiculous story and feeling far more concerned.
“Baby, that’s not funny. The bruise is this dark purple,” Bisma said softly but firmly. His index finger brushed the air just above the bruise, unwilling to press against her skin. “We’re going to the hospital tonight, after we eat.”
“Huh? Don’t overreact, Bisma. It’s just an ordinary bruise. After dinner, can’t we just stop by the clinic out front and buy some pain-relief ointment?” Andien tried to bargain.
“No, Andien,” Bisma refused flatly, leaving no room for argument, though his eyes held such tenderness that Andien grew flustered. “The clinic will only give you topical ointment. I want your back scanned at the hospital. I need to make sure no muscles are torn and no nerves have been injured. If you’re in pain in the middle of the night, I’ll be the one who feels most guilty for failing to protect you.”
Andien was stunned. Bisma’s words felt like a warm embrace around her heart. He never dismissed even the smallest thing that happened to her. At last, Andien sighed in surrender with a small smile. “Okay, okay. My possessive husband wins. We’ll go to the hospital after dinner.”
Bisma smiled in satisfaction and briefly kissed Andien’s unbruised shoulder. “Good girl. Now get dressed, my lady.”
After Andien put on her elegant evening gown, which gracefully revealed the curves of her beautiful body, they stood side by side in front of the enormous closet mirror.
“Mirror, photography mode. Three-second countdown,” Andien commanded loudly.
The mirror’s surface instantly emitted the glow of an automatic ring light. Bisma possessively wrapped an arm around Andien’s waist, while Andien rested her head against her husband’s broad chest.
Three... Two... One... Click.
The mirror screen displayed a perfect shot of the well-matched couple, which was immediately saved to their family memory cloud.
The two of them walked out of the bedroom. In the living room, Baim, their only son, was sitting cross-legged on the thick carpet. The little boy wore a pout, gripping a holographic controller as he played Stich Tendo, the latest game console, aggressively because he had been waiting too long.
Andien immediately went over to her son. Her maternal instincts took over. She knelt beside Baim, straightened his bangs, then kissed his puffed-out cheek.
“Sorry, sweetheart. Mama took too long getting ready, huh? Your tummy must be really hungry, right, my love?” Andien coaxed in the gentlest voice she had, fully understanding her son’s frustration.
Baim turned toward her, intending to sulk, but seeing his mother looking so beautiful and hearing her soothing voice, his irritation began to fade. “Yeah, Mama... Baim’s huuungryyy.”
Before Andien could answer, Bisma was already crouching behind his son. Without warning, Bisma’s powerful arms slipped under Baim’s armpits and swiftly hoisted him into the air, then settled him onto his broad shoulders.
“Whoa!” Baim yelped in surprise, but a second later, his delighted laughter burst out.
“Because Captain Baim has been waiting too long, the Super Bisma Jet is flying Captain straight to the car tonight!” Bisma announced. The sharply dressed man stretched one arm out to the side like an airplane wing, while his other hand held Baim’s leg securely.
“Jet ready for takeoff! Neee-owww!” Bisma jogged around the sofa, imitating the sound of an airplane engine and filling the entire apartment with Baim’s laughter. The boy’s frustration vanished without a trace.
“Faster, Dad! Come on, turn left toward the exit doooor!” Baim shouted excitedly from his father’s shoulders.
Bisma complied, maneuvering like a real airplane toward the main doorway, leaving Andien standing frozen in the living room.
Andien watched her husband’s sturdy back, still dressed in his immaculate suit, willingly acting like a silly airplane just to bring their son’s smile back. She watched Baim laugh freely and without a care. The sight was so beautiful, so perfect, that Andien’s chest felt full of emotion.
As she followed the two most important men in her life, Andien closed her eyes for a moment. In her heart, she offered up her most sincere prayer.
God... thank You for this extraordinary happiness. I ask for nothing else in this world, except that You allow me to protect their smiles, grow old with this man, and hold on to this happiness for a very, very long time.
Andien smiled and followed her husband with a light heart, unaware that fate sometimes had cruel ways of testing a prayer.