Devoted Love, Mr. Hayes’ Darling Wife

Estrella Berrocal soaked in the warmth of Adán Rouco’s body, lifted her little face from his chest and said, “Would you take Paulita with you for a few days tomorrow?”

Adán Rouco frowned a little, he was not happy. “Christmas Eve is next week, we’re going back for sure, what’s the point of bringing that troublemaker.”

Bringing Paulita would mean he might not have sex for days. He might not even have the opportunity to simply sleep with Estrella Berrocal in his arms.

I had moderate chronic insomnia, and sleeping with Estrella Berrocal would be a great relief.

But if Paulita were to come, she would clamor to sleep with Estrella Berrocal.

Estrella Berrocal looks at him amused: “How can you talk like that about your daughter when Paulita behaves so well? I haven’t seen her for days and I miss her”.

Adán Rouco’s cell phone suddenly rang.

Looking at the caller ID, the man’s eyebrows furrowed, “Speaking of silver.”

Estrella Berrocal stood on tiptoe to see him, “Is that Paulita?”.

Adán Rouco picked up the phone and a milky little child’s voice came on the line: “Hello, daddy~”.

“Why are you still up so late?”.

“I’ve missed you! Dad, where is Estrella?”.

Adán Rouco growled under his breath: “If you really missed me, you would have said a few words to me and asked about Estrella…”.

Estrella Berrocal looked at his somewhat serious expression and laughed, “You’re not kidding.”

Paulita said, “Daddy, I hear Estrella!”.

Adán Rouco passed the phone directly to Estrella Berrocal.

“Paulita, did you miss me?”.

“Mmm! Yes! Star, do you miss Paulita?”.

“Yes, Estrella especially misses you.”

Adán Rouco watched the mother and daughter talking on the phone and, without much interest in listening any longer, went to the study to take care of some mail.

Half an hour passed before Estrella Berrocal entered the studio with Adán Rouco’s cell phone in her hand.

As soon as he entered the studio, he saw Adán Rouco working on his laptop screen with his silver-rimmed myopic glasses.

It was the first time Estrella Berrocal had seen Adán Rouco wearing glasses and she found it very refreshing.

“Why are you wearing glasses all of a sudden?”.

Adán Rouco replied: “I have been working a lot lately and my eyesight has deteriorated a bit.

Estrella Berrocal asks, “By the way, the phone is about to run out of battery, where do you have the charger?”.

Adán Rouco points down and Estrella Berrocal walks over to the socket and puts the phone away to charge it.

“Have you been talking to Paulita for so long?”.

“Well, she was in bed and I stopped by to tell her a story and put her to sleep before hanging up.”

Estrella Berrocal sat in the man’s arms as she moved closer to him, Adam Rouco’s dark eyes boring into hers. “When are you going to muster that spirit to spoil me?”.

“…”

Estrella Berrocal blushed slightly and glared at him: “You’re not three years old! You’re rather spoiling me…”

Adam Rouco’s thin lips came close and brushed her ear, his deep voice sounded warm, “You know I’m always the one cajoling you, when will it change, hmm?”

Estrella Berrocal froze, it was as if he had always been the one cajoling her from the beginning, especially since they had established their relationship and he was always the first to bend when she was the one doing what she wanted.

Estrella Berrocal wrapped her arms around his neck, teary-eyed gazing at his handsome face, and suddenly remembered what Shoshana Duque had said this afternoon, that if she didn’t bother to whitewash the world, the world would end.

If the world were to end tomorrow, Adán Rouco would take her under his wing.

“Adam, have you ever wondered what you would do if suddenly one day the world ended?”.

Adán Rouco looked at her with a sullen look and a playful smile in his eyes, “Mrs. Rouco, is that all you think about all day?”

“What if it’s the end of the world and a biohazard in a comic book movie, what’s the first thing you’d do?”

Without thinking, Adán Rouco said, “Take you to the safest place, of course.”

Estrella Berrocal stared at him for a long time before finally letting out a laugh, but one that contained absolutely no mirth.

“I thought you were the type who dreamed of being a hero, I thought you were going to say you were going to be like one of those heroes in the Marvel movies, representing humanity or superhumans to save the world.”

Adán Rouco removed his rimmed glasses from the bridge of his nose and pinched the bridge of his nose with his long fingers, “I’m not that middle-aged.”

“But it’s the end of the world, where would there be a safe place to be?”.

Adán Rouco, not knowing if it was superficial or if he had given it serious thought, said: “There is always a safe place”.

He paused for two seconds, stared at her with unusual solemnity and added, “If the sky falls, you don’t have to worry, I am much taller than you and I will hold you up.”

Estrella Berrocal reached out and touched the bridge of his nose, where a slight red mark had emerged from his rimmed glasses.

“You look very slim and handsome with the glasses, but you look even better without them, so you’d better wear them in the future in front of other women.”

Estrella Berrocal picked up the pair of glasses on the table and put them on her face.

“Is this Mrs. Rouco’s way of hiding Mr. Adam’s handsomeness?”

“Cover up a little bit. Hey … these glasses still look a little better, you should get a pair of all-black frames.”

Adán Rouco got a smile at the corners of his eyes.

After Estrella Berrocal helped him put on his glasses, she patted him on the shoulder and got up: “I’ll leave you to your work, I’m going to bed, good night”.

Adán Rouco drew her back, sat down in his chair and said: “Estrella, I am a very selfish person, I do not have the virtue of sacrificing myself so that others may be whole, nor do I plan to have it in the future, sacrificing myself so that everyone may be whole, making those who love me suffer because of my sacrifice, is not worth it, I do not care what people think of me, even if they think I am selfish and indifferent. I don’t care what people think of me, even if they think I’m selfish and indifferent, I don’t want you and Paulita to lose me. Those heroes who save others, there will always be someone who will rush to do it, it doesn’t have to be me, but the only one who can give you and Paulita a peaceful life is me.”

Estrella Berrocal stood in front of him, leaned down, pulled his glasses off the bridge of his nose and planted her lips on his.

“You just have to be my hero, I’m not going to be stupid enough to turn you in to save some world.”

She didn’t like the comic book movie heroes I was given, she just liked an Adam Rouco like this one who would take her to a safe place to hide in times of danger.

In the eyes of an adoring Estrella Berrocal, Adán Rouco might have that kind of power, but even if Adán Rouco saved the world and she lost it, what would the world mean to her, even if she lived?

But if the world turned its back on them, she would not be willing to let him accompany her and be despised by the world.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She knew perfectly well what would await her and Adán Rouco if their origins were revealed.

Adam Rouco was so good, so good that there was not a single blot in the dictionary of her life, and if, because of her, he was knocked down by everyone, or even choked with spittle, then she would be heartbroken and distressed, and could not forgive herself for having been so selfish as to drag Adam Rouco down with her in her degradation.