EPISODE SIX.
MY HUSBAND’S SECOND WIFE
(That which you seek, you shall find in abundance)
At the Gym
“Here, have some water.”
A well-muscled man in his mid-thirties handed a bottle of water to Winnie. He had been a regular at the gym and had seen many women come and go, but the moment Winnie stepped in, she caught his attention.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one who noticed her. With her long, elegant legs, it was hard for anyone to ignore her presence.
She wore black gym shorts paired with a matching black singlet, her earpods snugly in place. Unlike some of the other women who came in with full faces of makeup, Winnie’s face was bare, yet effortlessly beautiful. Her neatly weaved hair framed her features perfectly, but there was something about her demeanor—calm, focused, and uninterested in attention.
She wasn’t here to impress anyone.
He had been watching her for the past hour, noticing how she lifted heavy weights without taking a single sip of water. So, the moment he saw her pause for a brief rest, he seized the opportunity to start a conversation.
Winnie wiped the sweat off her face with her towel before briefly lifting her gaze to him. However, her eyes barely lingered for a second before she looked away, completely ignoring both him and the bottle of water he offered.
Christian was slightly taken aback. Did she just ignore him?
This was the first time in his thirty-something years of life that a woman had outright ignored him. In fact, he never even needed to make advances—women always approached him first. But this woman, the one who had just brushed him off without a second glance, intrigued him. A slow smile spread across his lips.
“I was just being friendly, no need to act so cold,” he said with a chuckle. Then, glancing at the untouched bottle of water in his hand, he added,
“You’ve been working out without taking any water. That’s actually bad for your health. Hydration is important when exercising—that’s why everyone here has a bottle.”
Without looking at him, Winnie finally spoke.
“Are you a fan of Aproko Doctor?”
Stunned by her unexpected response—especially when he had assumed she wouldn’t even acknowledge him—Christian chuckled and shook his head.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve been rambling about the importance of water for the past few minutes,” Winnie replied calmly, leaving him momentarily speechless.
“Oh! Well, I am actually a fan,” he admitted with a grin. “I like the guy’s sense of humor when giving medical advice. So, would you have taken the water if I was his fan?” he added, raising a curious brow.
Winnie tilted her head slightly, this time letting her gaze linger on him for a full two seconds before finally taking the bottle from his hands.
“Thanks,” she muttered, twisting the cap open. She took a small sip, then closed it and resumed her workout, leaving Christian watching her with admiration in his eyes.
“So, is this your first time at the gym?” he asked again once she paused to rest.
Winnie barely spared him a glance before replying, her expression unreadable.
“Did you come here to work out or to poke your nose into other people’s business?”
But Christian was far from annoyed. In fact, he was actually enjoying their conversation.
“I’m here for both—to work out and poke my nose into other people’s business,” he said with a teasing smile. “So, are you going to answer me?”
“I’m here to work out, and I’d like to focus on that,” Winnie replied flatly.
Still not giving up, he continued, “Well, if it’s your first time, don’t overdo it unless you want to wake up unable to move tomorrow. Your body needs time to adjust to the muscle strain. Although, if you ask me, I’d say your body is already in great shape.” His eyes briefly swept over her frame in subtle admiration.
Winnie, however, seemed unfazed. “I used to be a regular at the gym when I was younger,” she said absentmindedly. As a teenager, she had her entire life planned out—never once had she imagined that she would end up in this situation.
Her words made Christian chuckle softly. “You don’t look old to me.”
Winnie finally turned to face him fully and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Christian,” he replied with a small smile.
Winnie’s clear, dazzling eyes locked onto his as she slowly emphasized each word:
“Well, Christian, I don’t like handsome men. I’m not interested in them. In fact, I detest them.”
Christian, who had been about to take a sip of his water, froze mid-action. For a brief moment, he simply stared at her, then, with an amused smile, he lowered the bottle and screwed the cap back on.
“Every normal lady loves handsome men,” he finally said after a beat of silence.
“Well, then, I guess I’m not a normal lady,” Winnie replied coolly.
“You’re very strange, and I like that. At least you acknowledge that I’m handsome,” Christian said, his usual smile returning.
“Liking me is a mistake. There are plenty of young ladies here sending you signals—go for them,” Winnie replied, taking a small sip of her water.
She wanted to continue her workout, but her body was still healing from the miscarriage. The doctor had warned her not to overexert herself, so she was pacing her recovery. Although talking to this persistent stranger wasn’t exactly helping her regain her strength, ignoring him entirely would make her seem rude. And she wasn’t the type to be rude—at least not to someone who hadn’t wronged her.
The man acted as if he hadn’t heard her rejection and continued, “I’d like to be the judge of that. And as for those ladies, they’re not as interesting as you.”
“Well, suit yourself then,” Winnie said indifferently.
“Then can I take you out for a drink sometime?” he suddenly suggested.
At his words, Winnie furrowed her brows slightly. It had been a long time since she’d heard such an offer from a man. Instead of replying, she calmly opened her bag, took out her wedding ring, and slipped it back onto her finger.
“I’m a married woman,” she said flatly. “And my husband is a bully—even to his wife.”
Christian stared at the diamond ring and smiled. Is she trying to shut me down with this? he wondered but decided to push further.
“How long have you been married?”
“Nine years,” Winnie replied.
He was stunned. She had been married for that long and still maintained such a great shape?
“How many kids?”
The question made Winnie pause as painful memories washed over her. Her mind drifted to the babies she had lost. She had married young—at just twenty—and never imagined she would go through such heartbreak. She had spent seven years searching for a child, only to lose three in the span of two years. The first at six months, the second at five, and the last at just four months.
A sad smile crossed her lips as she raised her brows and looked at him.
“I had three,” she said quietly, “but I never got the chance to see them.”
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Christian speechless.
Seeing the pain in her eyes, Christian furrowed his brows deeply. At that moment, he realized he didn’t even know her name. But from the look on her face, he could tell she was a deeply wounded woman. What could have happened to her? he wondered.
Determined to find out more, he rushed out of the gym, hoping to catch her before she left. But by the time he got outside, her car was already pulling away. He sighed in frustration, watching as it disappeared down the road.
By the time Winnie got home, it was a few minutes past eleven. She parked the car and stepped out, tossing her keys to the driver who was standing nearby.
The driver caught the keys, greeted her politely, and returned to washing the other cars.
Winnie gave him a slight nod before walking inside. She was exhausted and wanted to freshen up before fixing herself some breakfast. But just as she stepped into the living room, her husband’s cold voice sliced through the air.
“Where the hell are you coming from?”
She paused and turned to see Solomon sitting angrily in the dining hall, his table still empty of food.
“From the gym,” she replied indifferently, making her way toward the stairs when he stopped her.
“Don’t tell me you dressed like that to the gym! A married woman like you!” Solomon thundered, standing up and walking toward her, his anger palpable.
Winnie narrowed her eyes slightly at his words. “Forgive me, my husband, but next time, I’ll ask your mother to lend me some of her wrappers, and I’ll tie it to the gym.”
“Don’t you dare play word games with me, woman!” Solomon barked, his eyes blazing with fury. Anyone who knew him well would recognize the warning sign — he was about to raise his hands.
In the past, this expression would have made Winnie tremble, but not anymore. She took a step closer to him, her posture aloof as she replied coolly, “Solomon, do I look like I’m in the mood for jokes?”
The two locked eyes in a deadly stare-off, neither willing to break the tension.
Seeing her deadly gaze, Solomon was slightly taken aback. The Winnie he knew would have been trembling by now whenever he was in this mood. So why was she now challenging him instead of cowering like before?
“Why wasn’t my breakfast served this morning?” he barked, his voice carrying less weight than before. “And what happened to the gym we have here? Did you dress like that to go look for men outside when we have a gym in this house?!”
Winnie’s expression remained cold as she responded, “Not everyone is like you, my dear husband. As for the gym you have in this house, I don’t want to exercise there, because that would mean sharing the same space with the mu*derer of my children, and I don’t want that.”
With a chilling smile, she added, “As for your breakfast, your fruitful wife should handle that.”
She turned to leave, but Solomon suddenly grabbed her arm, his jaw clenched tightly in anger. “Listen to me, woman. I’m still your husband, and you shall do as I say. You will go in there and prepare my breakfast!”
Winnie stopped, her eyes narrowing as she met his gaze. “Are you sure you can eat my food? I might just po*sion it…”
Hmmmm