EPISODE 24
I was still worried about why he had decided to keep me in his house while I spent most of my days doing almost nothing. At first, I thought maybe he would eventually assign me some serious work, but days kept passing and nothing really changed.
So a few days later, I finally gathered courage and went to meet him.
"Please, sir," I began politely.
He immediately interrupted me with a smile. "Stop calling me sir," he reminded me again. "Call me Bongajum."
"I have heard," I said softly. "But I wanted to know my job in this house."
He looked at me for a moment, then smiled in a way that made me curious.
"Your job," he said slowly, "is to wake up early every morning. Before I go to work, you will walk me out to my car so I can see your smile before starting my day."
I looked at him, surprised, but he continued.
"And when I return from work in the evening, you will sit beside me while I eat. The last smile I want to see before I go to bed each night should be yours."
I couldn't help but smile at his sweet words. It sounded more like affection than work. Then he added something that made my heart beat faster.
"It will soon be time for me to tell you the real reason I brought you here," he said quietly. "I don't want any other man to take you away from me. I will do the right thing soon."
Those words stayed in my mind for a long time.
But there was a serious problem I had been hiding from him.
I needed to let him know that I was still a married woman, even though my husband was a runaway fraud who had ruined my life. The truth was complicated, and I did not know how he would react when he heard it.
What worried me even more was that the man I was still legally married to was actually his friend, Tara, the same man who had deceived me and disappeared with my wealth.
Tara was someone who knew how to pretend very well. To many people he looked like a good and respectable man, almost like a saint. But I knew the truth about his heart.
Even though Tara and M.J behaved like partners in trouble, I still believed that one day I would face him and reclaim everything he had taken from me. I had not spoken my last word yet.
And the funniest part of it all was that Tara had no idea the woman living quietly in Mr. Bongajum's house was actually his own wife.
Because of all this, I knew I had to open up to Bongajum soon. I had to tell him that we could not get married, at least not yet, because I was still tied to Tara legally. I could not think about divorce until I had recovered what rightfully belonged to me.
But the big question was when.
Should I tell him before he spoke his mind? Immediately when he mentioned it? Or after everything had already been said?
I was almost certain he loved me deeply. Anyone could see it from the way he treated me.
I kept cooking for him and keeping him company in the evenings. Slowly, we began to grow closer.
One evening, I was sitting in the parlour watching television with him. He loved football very much and was watching an important match. The excitement on his face showed how serious he took the game.
He was supporting his favourite football club and cheering them loudly like a real fan. Because I had started caring about him, I also began to get used to the things he liked.
Unfortunately, during the first half of the match, his team conceded a goal. The other team was leading, and it made him very unhappy.
When the second half started, he was still sad but trying to stay hopeful.
The situation was even worse because their best player was injured and could not play that day. His team kept struggling on the field.
Then suddenly, they managed to score an equaliser through an own goal from the opposing side. He jumped up in excitement and celebrated happily.
But even after celebrating, he still told me, "I don't think they will win this match."
There were only two minutes left in injury time before the final whistle would be blown.
Then something amazing happened.
One of the midfielders received the ball and fired a powerful shot toward the goalpost. The goalkeeper tried to stop it but failed.
It was a goal.
Mr. Bongajum jumped up in excitement and hugged me tightly without even thinking.
For a moment, we both froze in that position.
Before we realised what was happening, I found myself in his arms. Our faces were very close, and it felt like he almost kissed me.
Deep inside, I wanted him to.
But he controlled himself.
He was a true gentleman.
And somehow, that moment was the beginning of something new between us.
EPISODE 25
The next day he told me there was nothing to pretend anymore. He said he understood how close we had become and how much we were already attached to each other. His voice was calm and sincere, the kind that makes a troubled heart feel a little safe.
That evening he took me out for dinner.
It was not just an ordinary outing. The way he spoke, the way he looked at me, I could tell something important was coming. After we sat down and ordered our meal, he looked straight into my eyes and asked me a question that made my heart beat faster.
He asked me to be his girl, and maybe something more in the future.
For a moment I was speechless. After everything I had passed through in life, I never imagined someone like Bongajum would look at me that way. Yet I knew deep in my heart that I loved him too.
So I accepted.
But even as I said yes, something heavy remained in my chest. There was a truth I had been hiding from him, a truth that could easily make him uncomfortable. It was about my past… about my runaway husband, and about the strange path that turned me from a wife into a housemaid, and later into a beggar on the streets.
I feared that once he knew the full story, he might stop loving me.
That was the secret I had been carrying like a stone inside my heart.
The truth was complicated. I had once been married to the same man in whose house I had worked as a maid. Life had twisted itself in ways that still frightened me whenever I thought about it. My runaway husband never even knew why I escaped from the hospital that day.
I ran because I knew that if he saw my face again, he might try to silence me before the truth could ever come out into the light.
But the truth has a way of finding its road.
A lie cannot stand forever, and deep inside I knew I needed someone who would stand by me while I faced my past.
Our relationship continued to grow smoothly. Bongajum treated me with kindness and respect. Yet he often asked why I looked uncomfortable whenever we went out together in public. I never allowed the window of his car to be wound down when we stopped anywhere.
Sometimes I would quickly look away from people on the street.
To him it must have looked strange. I knew I was acting funny, but fear was still living inside me.
Then one fateful day we went out again, this time to a luxurious restaurant in town. It was the kind of place where people came from everywhere. The restaurant also had a section where soft drinks and fresh fruit juice were served, so different kinds of people passed through the place.
Deep inside, I already knew my face still looked almost the same as it had years ago when I was married.
Even though Bongajum was protective and caring, I still felt uneasy because I had not told him my full story yet. I kept thinking about the right time to open my heart to him.
But that day something happened that forced the moment.
It was either I would win his trust completely or lose him forever.
We sat at a table sipping natural fruit juice. I was facing the main entrance of the restaurant while Bongajum sat with his back to the door, looking directly at me.
I could see the way he admired me.
He wore that charming smile that had made me fall for him the very first day he asked to see my face. I felt a little shy under his gaze.
Then suddenly everything changed.
The expression on my face shifted from shy to frightened. My heart jumped in my chest. I had just seen someone I never expected to see again.
My past.
The man at the door also noticed me. The moment our eyes met, he began walking slowly toward my table.
Fear rushed through my body.
Without saying a word, I stood up and hurried out of the restaurant.
Behind me I heard Bongajum calling my name as he ran after me.
"Why are you running out like that? What is it? What is the problem? Did I do something wrong?"
"No!" I said quickly.
"Then why did you leave like that? Tell me what happened."
"I am sorry," I said, still trembling.
"You have done nothing wrong," he said gently. "But tell me, what did you see?"
"I saw my past."
He looked confused. "Your past?"
"Yes," I whispered. "It has come back. I saw him."
"Who?"
His curiosity was growing, and I knew the moment had finally come.
"I have been wanting to tell you about it," I said softly. "But please… take me home first. I want to feel safe."
Without asking more questions, he drove straight to the house.
When we entered the living room, he sat down quietly and looked at me.
Then he said, "Now tell me everything."