When we got home, Celine took off her coat and sat on the couch. I wanted to watch TV and reached for the remote under her. Celine jumped away as if she was facing a formidable enemy.
Seeing my surprised expression, she immediately switched to a dejected look, "Sorry, honey. I've started my period. I'm afraid I won't be able to give it to you this week. Also, I've had some discomfort in my lower abdomen lately, so you'll need to bear with it for a while."
She thought my gesture was an attempt to be intimate with her.
Hearing her lie so casually, without a hint of guilt, a sharp pain pierced my heart. Ah, Celine, you really put a lot of effort into covering up one lie with multiple lies. Are you afraid I'll discover traces of another man on you?
Seeing me remain silent, Celine immediately took a gift box from her bag and said, "I brought this back for you on a business trip." I opened it, a Patek Philippe watch.
But instead of feeling surprised or delighted, I was overcome by a sense of anger, as if I were being toyed with. Two months ago, I had seen this same watch in Jericho's social media post, something he had dismissed as an unwanted freebie.