"It's always like this." Kabir rubbed his face.
In his mind, he was only trying to protect his wife. Kharisma was his responsibility. He then left the room, his eyes scanning the area. His wife was sitting on the sofa. She was sulking, as usual.
When Kabir approached and sat beside her, the woman immediately pulled away and went into the bedroom. All Kabir could do was rub his chest and encourage himself to remain patient.
Half an hour later, the bedroom door opened.
Click!
Kabir was still sitting on the sofa. He turned around, while Kharisma looked away when their eyes met.
"Babe, we need to talk! Listen to me!"
Kabir chased after Kharisma, who was carrying a small bag in her hand. But the woman paid him no attention at all and continued walking toward the exit.
"I have plans with my friends, Babe. I'm leaving for a while."
Kharisma's new phone, which she was holding, kept ringing. Again and again. But the woman still didn't answer it.
Kabir noticed this and began to feel suspicious.
"Who's calling? Why aren't you answering?" he asked.
Kharisma pretended not to hear him and kept walking.
"Answer it now and put it on speaker!" Kabir ordered.
"I-it's no one, Babe. That's enough, okay? I'm leaving. My friends are already waiting."
Kharisma tried to keep walking, but Kabir quickly blocked her path.
"No. Pick up your phone. Now!"
Kabir's voice began to rise. His patience was slowly running out.
But Kharisma remained still. She deliberately let her phone keep ringing, with no intention of answering it.
"Give me your phone!" Kabir suddenly snatched it from Kharisma's hand.
"Don't, Babe!" Kharisma immediately panicked. "That's my privacy! You can't just take it like that!"
"Since when do you get to set boundaries with me?" Kabir shouted. "I'm your husband. Did you forget? I'm your husband, Kharis!"
Kabir's loud voice echoed throughout the house. Several household staff members who were in the kitchen even secretly peeked out from behind the door, curious about their employers' argument.
"I said don't! Give me my phone back, Babe!"
Kharisma tried to snatch her phone back. But it was useless. Kabir was much taller and stronger than she was. Every time Kharisma tried to reach for his hand, Kabir easily lifted the phone out of her reach.
Kabir then looked at the phone screen.
His eyes narrowed when he saw the name displayed on the incoming call.
"Mohan?"
Kharisma immediately fell silent.
Her face, which had initially been annoyed, slowly grew tense. The nervousness was clearly visible in her eyes.
Kabir raised his head and stared sharply at his wife.
"Who is Mohan?"
Kharisma swallowed.
"He's no one, Babe."
"No one?" Kabir repeated in a deep voice.
He held the phone up between them.
"If he's really no one, why are you so determined not to answer his call?"
Kharisma fell silent.
Kabir moved even closer. "Who is Mohan?" he asked again, this time more firmly.
"Answer me, Kharis!"
"He's... he's my friend, Babe. Yeah, my friend."
"A friend?" Kabir repeated, eyeing her suspiciously. "Is he a man or a woman?"
"A man, uh..." Kharisma stammered. "A woman."
Kabir immediately furrowed his brow.
"Which is it? A man or a woman?"
Kharisma was silent for several seconds. Finally, she let out a slow breath.
"A man, Babe. But he's just a friend. He's a friend who often helps me make content."
"And?"
Kharisma tried to smile, though her face looked tense.
"Yeah, I'm going to meet up with my other friends now. They must already be waiting for me. I'm leaving, okay, Babe?"
"Answer it!"
Kharisma immediately fell silent.
"Okay, Babe."
Kabir handed the phone back to her. Kharisma accepted it with hands that were trembling slightly. She stared at the screen for a moment before glancing at Kabir.
The man was still standing in front of her, his gaze sharp.
"What is it?" Kabir asked. "Are you hesitating?"
Kharisma hurriedly shook her head.
"He's not just your ordinary 'friend'?"
"It's not like that, Babe." Kharisma tried to calm herself. "Yeah, I'll answer it now."
Hesitantly, Kharisma pressed the button to accept the call.
"H-hello..." she stammered.
A man's voice immediately came from the other end.
"Hey, baby. Where have you been? I've been calling you forever. Why haven't you picked up?"
Kharisma immediately froze.
Kabir, who was standing not far from her, was shocked as well.