Married with the Broken Hearted CEO novel Chapter 23

The flashing light entered through the window and reached Chadwick’s sleeping face. His eyelids shook as he frowned before he slightly opened the window of his eyes. 
It’s morning.
Chadwick, who waited all night for his wife’s return, fell asleep on the couch. 
‘I couldn’t believe this.’ 
With morning bed hair, Chadwick looked around the quiet house. He doesn’t know if Adira came back already. 
“What time is it?” he murmured, staring up and then saw the time. 
6:30am. 
If Adira came back before 6 and saw Chadwick sleeping on the couch, then she’s maybe in her room now, sleeping. 
“She should have woken me up,” he complained, yawning then sitting straight.
Chadwick looked for his indoor slippers and then walked towards Adira’s room. He raised his hand, about to knock, but hesitated. 
‘I don’t want to disturb her sleep.’
So, he put his hand down and touched the doorknob instead. 
Even though they are husband and wife, Chadwick clearly told Adira that they should have their private space from each other. However, during their time together for six months, Adira kept on invading his room without his consent. Thus, using that excuse, Chadwick opened the door of her room without the owner’s consent.
He just wished to see her sleeping soundly on bed. Yet when he opened the door, Adira was missing. 
‘She’s not here?!’ 
Chadwick quickly checked the clock again. 
He confirmed that today’s time is really 6:30 in the morning. But his wife is still not home! 
“Does it mean… she stays out again?”  he murmured. 
At that exact moment, he heard the opening sound of the main entrance. Then Adira arrived inside, wearing the same clothes she had yesterday. 
‘She really did not come home,’ Chadwick realized. 
“Did you just come home right now?” he asked. 
Adira stared alternately as her husband and the door of her room. 
Isn’t this the first time she saw him standing in front of her room as if he was waiting? 
‘Wow. I should have taken a picture,’ Adira said in her mind, laughing. 
Last night, she was really in a bad mood. But hanging out in her favorite bar put her mind at ease and now, she feels fine. She thought she would just wash the blanket again and then, the problem is solve. 
“What are you doing in front of my room?” she asked. 
Chadwick’s shoulder moved up then elevated down. 
That’s right. He just realized that he appears like a husband who waited for his wife all night. And the intelligent Adira won’t ignore this. 
“Don’t tell me you waited for me all night?” she teased, moving closer to him while crossing her arms. 
“I… I…” he stuttered. “You got so mad last night so… so it bothered me! That’s all!” he made an excuse while blushing so hard. 
Chadwick is really embarrassed. 
“Bothered you? Since when did my action bother you? You always ignore me,” Adira said. She stopped in front of him and smiled seductively. 
Chadwick doesn’t know if it is because he’s not fully awake yet, but his wife just looks so beautiful today. 
‘I’m crazy!’ he shouted inwardly. Chadwick wanted to punch himself right now, but that will make him seem more like an idiot. So, he did not do that. 
“But last night, you got so angry,” he said in a low tone. “This is the first time you got so angry.” 
The smile on Adira’s lips vanished. 
He’s right. That was the first.
‘And he might misunderstand it,’ she worried while looking at his serene expression. 
“Last night,” Chadwick began to explain. “Isa came here because she said you invited her.” 
Invited Isa? 
Adira tilted her head in wonder. 
‘When did I…?’ 
[“There are days when you suddenly barged inside our house. Didn’t you do it the other night? So, if you ever visit my husband again, who knows, I might change my mind and consider playing with you.”] 
Adira remembered the day when she said those words to the dumb Isa. 
‘So, she came here because of that?’ 
Placing her hand to cover her grin, Adira laughed but without a sound. She could not believe that Isa is dumber that she looks. 
‘She probably thinks that I got jealous and that she out-win me,’ Isa said inwardly. 
The cool wife stared at her apologetic husband and waited for the right time to speak. 
“She came here and waited for you,” Chadwick added. 
‘Instead of guilt-tripping me just because Isa waited for hours, shouldn’t he need to ask me first if I really invited his woman?’ Adira thought. However, she saw the need to eradicate her doubt because Chadwick has been always blinded with love. 
“Then when you came, you saw me wrapped a blanket around Isa. And you got so mad. I don’t understand what made you so angry. It’s impossible that you… you…” 
“I got jealous?” Adira continued what he wanted to say, then pointed herself. “You think I got jealous?” 
“N-No.” 
“You’re right.” 
“Huh? You got jea…” 
“I did not get jealous,” Adira cleared. 
Chadwick shut his lips and listened. 
“Just like I said before, I really don’t care whatever you do with your other woman. Hug her, kiss her, bring her inside and love her. I don’t care, my husband.” 
Adira said she’s okay seeing him hug, kiss or love another woman. These didn’t bother him before. But now when he tried to put himself to her shoes… 
‘If I see her hug or kiss another man, I don’t think I can stay still.’ 
Because she is his wife. 
Chadwick keeps telling himself that he only feels this because a wife is a wife. 
“Then why? Why did you get so angry?” he asked. 
Sighing, Adira replied, “It is because the blanket you used is the birthday gift from the most special someone.” 
Chadwick’s eyes widened and rage consumed him. His blood boils the word ‘special someone’, whom he thought is another man. 
“Who is that someone? Who is that bastard?!” he subconsciously. 
“Bastard?” Adira repeated. Then she laughed, “If the kids from the orphanage heard you calling them bastard, they will hate you so much, Chadwick. Kids tend to remember those who were bad to them when they were young.” 
Chadwick’s brows which were clouded with an angry scowl have calmed down. 
“S-So the k-kids gifted that to you? For your birthday?” he asked at a slow pace. 
“Yeah. It is really important gift since it is the first birthday gift I got after long years. And you dared to use that before me. How evil~” 
Adira called him evil, even though she was laughing. And that smile made Chadwick feel so guilty. 
‘I did not know. I did not know that it was gifted by the kids,’ he wanted to say this to Adira, but he could not. 
Chadwick knew that he did not have the right to say those, because he never tried to understand or hear Adira out.
‘I guess I am really a villainous husband.’ 
He bowed his head down, taking deep breaths. 
“But I can wash it again, don’t worry,” Adira said. She tapped Chadwick’s shoulder then murmured, “And don’t act like a jealous husband. It does not suit you, honey.” 
Adira walked pass at him and entered her room for a quick nap. 
----------------------
Chadwick went to his company and started his work half-hearted. 
He could not focus because until now, he’s thinking about his wrongdoings to his wife. Not only did he wrap a blanket around Isa in front of his wife, but he even used the first birthday gift Adira received this year. 
‘But I am the first one who bought her a gift.’
Chadwick did buy her a gift but he never had the chance to give it. 
Seated in front of his desk, Chadwick stared at the paper bag underneath his table. He brought his gift to Adira just in case. 
[“And don’t act like a jealous husband. It does not suit you, honey.]  
He remembered again what Adira said to him a moment ago. 
‘Me? Jealous?’ 
He scoffed. 
Chadwick does not want to admit it but yes, he’s indeed jealous of the courageous kids who gave Adira their gift, while he is a coward husband who just hides his gift for quite a long time. 
‘I am getting weird as day passed by.’
Chadwick shook his head. Then he tried to focus back to his work. 
On the other side, Neil is watching his boss trying so hard to focus when he keeps on sighing while looking at the paper-works. 
He saw Chadwick halting from working and staring at the blank space for multiple times today! 
Neil can guess why. 
‘He and madam had a fight last night. I am sure of that,’ he thought. 
“Neil,” Chadwick called. 
“Oh?” Neil answered with lacked enthusiasm. 
“What is our schedule for today?” 
Neil fetched a sigh. He grabbed his notebook and checked his boss’ schedule. “Today you need to finish checking all the documents needed to be signed. And this afternoon, you have a meeting with Mr. Lanceil Hendrix. In the evening, we will go check the venue for the SLR project.” 
“Right. We have so many things to do,” Chadwick murmured without looking at his secretary. 
“Yes, sir. So, if you can finish all of those, then we c…” 
“Cancel everything.” 
“Yes, right. We have to canc… Wait. What?” 
Finally, the CEO who keeps on slacking off, stared back at Neil. 
“I will go to Crimson Meadow company. So, cancel my schedule for today.” 
“Why would sir go to Crimson Meadow?” 
Chadwick stood up and grabbed the paper bag. “I had to give something to their CEO.” 
Adira Hale McElroy is the CEO of Crimson Meadow company. Although Neil disagreed at first, he will push his boss to meet  Adira first and fix their problems. 
‘Because if boss stays like this all thorough the day, there will be more problems in the future.’ 
Neil thought he should rather cancel the schedule than let his boss make many mistakes because he’s too unfocused. 
And so, Chadwick went to the Crimson Meadow company to meet his wife.
Carrying the paper bag, Chadwick passed through security. He told everyone not to inform Adira, and they let him do what he wants. He is her husband, everyone knows that. 
“Oh my gosh, did you see the president’s husband? He’s so freaking hot,” one of the employees, who saw Chadwick waiting outside the elevator, said to her co-worker. 
Her co-worker whispered, “You’re right. I envied our president.” 
The elevator opened with a clang and Chadwick entered inside. The door closed. 
“Envious of Adira?” Chadwick repeated what he just heard a moment ago. 
He bit his lower lip and swept his bangs upward. 
Chadwick is indeed handsome and sexy. But he is still the bastard who wronged his wife multiple times. 
“Ahhh,” he groaned, roughly brushing his palms onto his face. He is so embarrassed he wanted to just disappear. 
‘But I can’t back down. I am already here so let’s meet my wife.’ 
Ting~ 
The door opened. 
Chadwick walked in the hallway, the path leading to his wife’s office. 
He went inside the first door and did not see the secretary.
‘But they said that Adira is inside her office.’ 
Which means, both Adira and her secretary are inside the main office. 
Passing through the empty room, Chadwick stood in front of the second door and is about to knock. 
“Your husband brought the woman he loves in your house?!” 
Chadwick’s hand halted when he heard the loud woman’s voice from the inside. 
“P-President, how did you… I mean, w-why… I get it that you and him only married for business purposes. But this is too much. He’s too much.” 
The grip around the paper-bag has tightened. 
“He is disrespecting you, Ma’am!” Hansel added. 
‘That’s right. I must accept that I disrespected Adira,’ Chadwick regretted silently. Even if Adira annoyed him for forcing him to have a sex with him, being with Isa and letting her inside their house is disrespectful for his wife. 
So, he is ready. 
Chadwick is so ready to hear Adira curse him to her heart’s content. 
“Hansel,” Adira’s voice was heard from outside the door. “The most disrespectful thing is the situation.” 
Hansel stopped complaining, and Chadwick frowned while standing behind the closed door. 
“I was all alone and happy to be alone before I married him. However, we were forced to get wed even though he is so deeply in love with another woman. Who disrespected us? The situation did. Someone like me would never understand how crazy it feels to fall in love. But I am sure my husband felt so devastated after our marriage. So, I can’t blame him. I can’t blame a person who can do something I cannot do.” 
“S-So, you can understand your husband?”
“Maybe? And I probably saluted him for being loyal. I guess true love does exist. Even though it did not visit me for long years. Cupid must be so lazy when I was born.” 
Chadwick rolled his fingers into balls of fury. He wanted to barge and say that he doesn’t like Isa as much as he did before! 
Then who does he like right now? 
‘The person I like is… She is…’ 
Chadwick held his chest. 
After hearing Adira’s sincere words, his heart ached so much that it throbbed loud and fast. There’s only one answer why he’s been thinking of her lately; her kiss, her face, and her feelings. 
And that must be because…
‘I am having a crush on my wife. Damn it.’ 
He realized it right now and was in despair. 
Six month ago, he vowed to heaven that he would never fall in love with his wife. But look at him, getting all teary and f*cked up after finding out that Adira is such a crazy wife who can moved him with words. 
She made him feel guilty and damn worried. 
‘And all those weird emotions are because I am starting to like her.’ 
He wanted to just drown himself in alcohol. 
Chadwick moved away from the door. He could not give his gift again. HE CAN NOT. 
But the moment he turned around to escape, a woman blocked his way. 
“Oh?! Sir Chadwick Mc Elroy!” the reporter called his name loudly. 
Chadwick turned to the door where Adira  is inside. 
‘Sh*t! Did she hear my name?!’ 
Yes, Adira did.