Liam's suspicious actions

Bill was feeling more and more guilty now that Steffi was crying. He fell silent, with his face lowered, thinking about what he could do to make his fiancée feel optimistic again and be together with him.

"Actually, I was really angry and disappointed, not because I didn't understand you," he said.

"Then why?" whispered Steffi.

"Of course, I was angry because of jealousy... I was afraid that you might change your mind after meeting him and it turned out to be true... you started to doubt me after talking to him," said Bill anxiously. "To be honest, I've been in this position before. Someone I loved distanced herself from me because of another man's influence... and I was so afraid that it would happen to you. Especially because I know that you still love him... I'm just too afraid...."

"But you just left like that..."

"Because I didn't want my emotions to hurt you... you should know that sometimes men need time alone or need to distance themselves from their loved ones or fiancées so they can deal with their emotions on them," explained Bill, still looking at Steffi who had her back to him. "And I came here tonight even though it's not the right time to visit; it's because I miss you... I feel like I've calmed my emotions, and I don't want to stay away from you in a tense situation... I don't want you to leave me," he continued.

Steffi fell silent, trying to understand Bill's explanation.

"I'm sorry... let's continue our plans... I will prove that what Liam accused me of is not true," said Bill pleadingly.

Steffi sighed, wiped her tears, and then sat down and glanced at Bill.

Bill smiled, looked at Steffi's slightly disheveled and puffy face, and then reached out to tidy her hair.

"Don't cry..."

"I know your intentions are good, sincere... I'm just trapped in my own thoughts," Steffi whispered with a sad look.

Bill immediately hugged Steffi from the side, letting her lean on his chest. "Don't be afraid... I will free you from those thoughts... trust me," he said, stroking Steffi's hair.

Steffi looked up at Bill, trying to dispel her doubts.

"Do you know that I bought something for you?" said Bill with a smile.

"What is it?" asked Steffi.

Bill immediately reached into his pocket and took out a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a girl posing like a ballerina.

"It's so cute," he said.

Steffi smiled, took the necklace, and looked at it as if it were made of diamonds.

"I was attending an exhibition of professional carvers... there were many beautiful objects, from antiques to modern pieces, but when I saw this pendant, I immediately thought of you, who loves to dance," Bill said, gazing at the pendant.

Steffi blushed, feeling that Bill already considered her important enough to always be in his thoughts, even thinking of buying a gift for her. 'If he was just playing with me, he wouldn't have done this. And maybe Mom was right, if he was playing with me, he would never commit to me... even get married,' she thought to herself.

"Do you like it?" asked Bill, interrupting Steffi's thoughts.

"Yes, I like it," whispered Steffi.

"Then you have to wear it." Bill released his hug, then got up from the bed. He immediately put the necklace on Steffi's slender neck, then kissed the nape of her neck. "So beautiful...!"

Steffi smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Does that mean you're not angry with me anymore?" Bill asked, sitting in front of Steffi with his body turned sideways.

"We're getting married. We have to try to forgive each other because I'm also at fault here," Steffi answered resignedly, looking at Bill, who had previously confided in her about his past. "Don't worry... Liam's words won't affect me or our wedding plans."

"But you doubted me... that means you're influenced."

"I was influenced for a moment, but after thinking it over and over again, I realized that I should have trusted you more. Moreover, this relationship is not just between you and me, but also involves both of our families... so we have to go back to how it was before. I don't like it when we're just silent and in a cold war. It makes me very dizzy," Steffi explained slowly.

"Sorry... I won't be like that again next time," Bill said, stroking Steffi's cheek with a smile. "You look pale... Have you eaten?"

Steffi shook her head. "Liam and I canceled our dinner because Gea messed everything up."

"Gea?"

"I don't know what kind of coincidence it was, but Gea came to the cafe and caught us having dinner together," Steffi recalled the incident at the cafe. "She got angry at me and accused me of wanting to take Liam away from her... She cursed at me in front of everyone... She acted as if Liam belonged to her, but she was the one who took Liam away from me," she continued with a thin smile.

"She's a real traitor..."

"I didn't expect to have a friend like her," Steffi sighed. "I don't want to talk about them again... they can ruin my mind."

"Then we should eat now," Bill said, immediately getting up. "We can go to the cafe or..."

"No, let's just eat here. I want simple food," Steffi said, getting up from the bed.

"Okay, we can cook together," Bill replied casually, walking out of the room with Steffi.

---

Elsewhere, precisely at Liam's parents' house, Gea woke up after pretending to be sick for a few hours. She chose to pretend to sleep so that Liam's family wouldn't think she was still sick until they called a doctor, which could expose her lie.

Liam intentionally brought her there because he didn't want to leave her alone in the apartment while she was sick.

"Where's Liam?"

Gea looked around, examining the metallic-themed room, which was very empty. She got up from the bed and walked towards the balcony terrace.

The girl stood enjoying the fresh air, suddenly distracted by a car that had just entered the yard.

"Liam?"

Gea frowned as she saw Liam getting out of the car carrying a large black plastic bag and throwing it into the trash can.

"What is that? Why did he bring trash from outside and throw it here?"

Gea was very curious. She immediately returned to the room and sat on the bed to wait for Liam.

ceklek...

The door opened after a few minutes of waiting. Gea saw Liam entering the room and approaching her with a smile.

"Hey, you're awake?"

"I just woke up," Gea said with a thin smile.

"Is your stomach still cramping?"

"No, I feel better now," Gea said, welcoming Liam, who immediately climbed onto the bed and lay down, using her thigh as a pillow. She felt strange, as her lover had done a complete 180° turn from being cold to suddenly sweet to her.

"I met with the photographer who is in charge of our wedding photos and invitations... He said the invitations are almost ready," Liam said.

"Oh, that's good."

"Yeah... we'll be getting married soon," Liam said, then tilted his position to face Gea's belly. He touched her belly, still unable to believe that their baby was growing inside her. 'I will take responsibility, but one day I will leave you,' he thought.

Gea lowered her head, watching Liam's hand touching her belly, then she realized that his hand was a bit dirty, as if covered in dust and oil.

"Why is your hand so dirty?" she asked, reaching for Liam's hand and then smelling it. "The scent... the scent of oil?"

"Uh..." Liam immediately pulled his hand away and got up to sit. "My car broke down in the middle of the road, and I tried to fix it... I forgot to wash my hands," he continued, then headed towards the bathroom.

Gea fell silent, feeling increasingly puzzled by Liam's behavior. he took a plastic bag from the car and threw it into the trash can, his hands now dirty with oil from the car.

"I have to know what's inside that plastic bag," she said with an ambitious look.