Do you want to swim?

Letta slowly blinked as the sunlight disturbed her sleep. She glanced around the room. Of course, she was in the spacious bedroom she occupied every day. What confused Letta was not finding Marco around. Usually, when she woke up, Marco would always be right by her side. Whether they both just woke up or he was already dressed for work, he would be there. But this time, the room was truly empty, so Letta finally sat up.

She looked at the clock on the nightstand, which showed 6:00 in the morning. Letta got out of bed and decided to wash her face first because she had to find Marco immediately. Waking up without her husband felt a little strange to Letta. Without cleaning herself, Letta left her room and crossed paths with one of the servants who was cleaning around her room.

"Have you seen Marco?" Letta asked, making the servant look around.

"I saw the Master in the gym earlier," the servant said, prompting Letta to nod. She continued walking while gently caressing her round belly, exchanging smiles with some of the servants she passed by, before heading to the gym where Marco was supposed to be. However, Letta once again didn't find her husband in the room. It looked empty, with only neatly arranged exercise equipment.

"Has he finished working out?" Letta murmured, then turned back. The size of the house made it a little difficult for Letta to find her husband, as Marco could be in another corner of the house. Finally, Letta decided to head towards the garden, where there was a swimming pool. Welcoming the morning sun seemed like a good idea. Perhaps Marco was exercising outside, Letta thought, slowly making her way to the garden. Once again, Letta's steps stopped when she heard the sound of splashing water not far from her. She squinted as she saw someone swimming in the pool.

Letta still couldn't see who that person was. However, she was sure that it was none other than her husband, as it was unlikely that any servant or guard would dare to swim in the pool reserved for them. Eventually, Letta's smile widened as she saw Marco emerge from the water's surface. Likewise, Marco greeted Letta with a broad smile.

"Are you awake?" Marco asked, making Letta nod.

"Be careful, don't walk too close to the edge, it might be slippery," Marco said as Letta approached. Letta chose to walk on the grass next to the swimming pool.

"I was looking for you in the gym earlier," Letta said softly, making Marco wipe his face as the droplets from his hair obstructed his view.

"Yes, I went swimming after exercising. Why?" Marco asked, reaching out to help Letta sit by the pool, being very careful. Letta immediately dipped her feet into the cold water.

"I was looking for you when I woke up because you're usually by my side. But the big room felt empty earlier," Letta said, making Marco smile gently at her.

"I'm sorry. Don't you usually take an extra hour to get out of bed? And isn't it still too early?" Marco replied, making Letta nod.

"Yes, I thought so too. I don't know, I felt like I had a very sound sleep last night," Letta said again, making Marco fall silent. Perhaps it was because of the effect of the medicine he gave her, Marco thought. They fell into silence. Letta observed her handsome husband, his face glistening with the fresh water, and she couldn't help but smile. Marco seemed to realize that his wife was looking at him intently.

"Why, is there something strange on my face?" Marco asked, and Letta shook her head.

"No, it's just that you look handsome," Letta said, making Marco grin.

"Did my wife really sleep soundly last night? Why is she praising her husband so early in the morning?" Marco said, and Letta shook her head.

"I'm serious, can't I praise my own husband?" Letta asked, making Marco smile in response.

"No, it's just that you rarely praise me," Marco said, making Letta fall silent again. She eventually reached out and caressed her husband's strong jaw.

"So from now on, I should praise you more often. Yes, I will do that," Letta said, making Marco pause his hand movement, then kiss the palm of her hand.

"If you keep being sweet like this, I might just lock you up and take you wherever I go," Marco said, making Letta smile.

"That's okay, in fact, that's my main goal. I don't want to be far from you," Letta said, making Marco somehow fall silent. Marco didn't know if all this was real. Whether everything Letta said was truly what she felt.

"Why?" Letta asked, noticing Marco's silence.

"Do you like me?" Marco suddenly asked, causing Letta to stop her smile.

"What kind of question is that? Of course, I like my own husband. Didn't we get married because we liked each other?" Letta asked, making Marco fall silent before nodding his head. It seemed that Marco was too entangled with Letta's forgotten past.

"Why?" Letta asked again, making Marco shake his head.

"No, it's just that this morning my wife praised me too much. I'm afraid she might ask for something that I can't grant," Marco said, making Letta smile again.

"No, it's not like that. I just want to praise you. I rarely see you swimming like this," Letta said again, making Marco finally reach out, gently embracing Letta's waist, before kissing her pregnant belly.

"Look, this early morning your mother has made me completely defenseless," Marco said, as if he were talking to the fetus in Letta's womb, making Letta reach out, gently stroking Marco's hair.

"I'm afraid that she's being nice like this, maybe she'll ask for something I can't grant," Marco said again, making Letta finally reach out and pinch both of her husband's cheeks.

"I won't ask for anything. I just want you to stay by my side, that's all. Is that too much?" Letta asked, making Marco look up, catching Letta's gaze as she sat in front of him, while he was still immersed up to his chest in the pool.

"No, that's a very easy thing. Even without you asking, I'll still be by your side," Marco said.

"Do you promise?" Letta asked, making Marco nod again.

"Yes, of course. Whatever happens, even if you ask me to leave your life, I will still be by your side, no matter how much you resent me," Marco said, making Letta fall silent.

"I could never hate you. Why should I hate you?" Letta said again, making Marco fall silent once more.

"Yes, you're right, you'll never hate your husband, and I will make sure of it," Marco said, making Letta smile. Letta then looked around, feeling the warm sun on her skin, and she could only tilt her head back, enjoying the warmth. Until Marco reached out and caressed the side of Letta's face.

"Do you want to swim?" Marco asked, making Letta look around again at the expansive pool in front of her, unsure if she could swim or not.