On the terrace, Gilbert said while smoking, "I feel so embarrassed."
Ray, trying to console him, said, "It's okay. I've already cleared the misunderstanding. Mr. Navid already left, and Laura is with her—she'll take care of everything. Don't worry."
Gilbert, looking down from the terrace at his dad talking to Rita's father, said, "I am not talking about Rita, but about how everyone looks at me when they find out she is my wife."
Ray, still thinking about their last conversation—you should not look down upon her"
Gilbert replied, "You just witnessed what happened. Whether i look down on her or not, the world does."
Ray never thought his friend would be this difficult to understand. "You are acting childish. What matters is how you treat her, not the world."
Gilbert said furiously, "You think I am acting childish? I was forced to marry this ugly girl. It's easy to give advice until it happens to you."
Ray was shocked by Gilbert's response. It felt like he had never known this side of his friend. "Do you know what your problem is? You always focus on others' flaws."
Ray wanted to leave, but Gilbert stopped him. "If she were your wife, would you accept her?"
Ray looked at him and said, "Yes, I would cherish her because she is a good person who deserves respect."
Laura came to find Gilbert. "Aunt Maria is searching for you."
Ray went back downstairs, leaving both of them alone.
Inside a luxurious room, Gilbert's aunt Martha was showing Rita their family history. Although Rita didn't want to listen about Gilbert, she didn't want to disrespect Aunt Martha either, so she remained polite.
Martha was impressed by Rita's nature and invited her to her villa. Rita accepted but said, "I want to ask Gilbert first."
Martha came and sat next to Rita, taking her hand in hers. "You are so sweet, Rita. Don't worry, he will not say no."
Martha felt the roughness of Rita's hands. "What's wrong with your hands? Why are they so rough?" She then noticed burn marks. "Isn't he treating you well?"
Rita nervously pulled her hands back. "No, it's not like that. There is no chef in our house right now, so my mother-in-law asked me to prepare food."
Martha looked at her suspiciously. "Your mother-in-law never cooked in her life, and now she wants you to cook for her son?"
Rita didn't want Aunt Martha to misunderstand. "No, the chef's daughter had an accident, so he had to leave urgently. Otherwise, my mother-in-law would never ask me."
Martha then asked Rita to bring her a glass of wine.
Marina came looking for Rita. "Martha, where is Rita?"
Martha wasn't happy with Marina's behavior toward Rita and wanted to discuss it. "How can you take advantage of your naïve daughter-in-law? Does my brother know?"
Marina looked confused but didn't have time. She wanted Rita to join her colleagues for dinner. "What happened now?"
Martha didn't like her response. "How can you ask Rita to cook? Can't you hire another chef? Poor Rita—her hands are burned. Do you even care?"
Marina looked at her furiously. "What are you saying? I've never asked her to cook."
Martha was shocked. "You should be grateful that even after all this, she isn't blaming you."
Just then, Rita came back with a glass of wine. Both women went quiet. Marina took Rita outside, held her hands, and saw the burn marks. She looked at Rita with pity. She knew this was her son's doing.
"Tomorrow I will send a doctor. Go inside and take care."
Marina called Jenny. "Jenny, tell me the truth. Why is Rita doing all the work?"
Jenny had always been afraid of Marina. Even if she wanted to lie, she couldn't. "Madam, Gilbert sir asked me to do this."
Marina couldn't even show anger toward Jenny. She had been with them since she was 18, and now she was turning 34.
Marina waited for Gilbert in her room. "Aren't you ashamed of using your mother's name to make her do your house chores?"
Gilbert closed his eyes. He knew she knew everything, but he had no regrets. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Marina slapped him angrily. "How can you lie in front of me? You should be thankful your father doesn't know about this."
Gilbert was shocked by the slap. Marina felt her blood pressure rising. "Oh God, my blood pressure…"
Gilbert helped her sit down. "Do not touch me. I am in this condition because of you."
He handed her a glass of water.
"How could you send the chef and his wife away? Do you know how embarrassed I was?"
She drank the water. Gilbert said, "I thought you were worried about me."
Marina slammed the glass on the table. "When will you stop being a child? You are married now. You have responsibilities. What if Mr. Helianthus finds out? What will we say?"
Tears welled up in Gilbert's eyes. "I am forced to spend my life with someone I don't even like because of you, and you want me to act normal? My life is destroyed, and all you care about is yourself. Do you even think of me as a son?"
Marina slapped him again.
Infuriated, Gilbert went to the parking lot. Laura was waiting outside.
"Hey, where are you going? Let's talk."
Gilbert didn't want her to see him like this. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."
Laura wanted to ask about him and Ray, but he seemed in a hurry. "Okay, take care. And don't worry—I explained everything about us to Rita, so she won't misunderstand in the future."
Gilbert tried to control his emotions, but when he heard Rita's name, he snapped. "Why do you all care about her so much? You've never cared about me."
Laura looked worried. "What happened? We're all worried about you—and Rita is your wife."
Gilbert interrupted, "You know I was waiting for you, but you never came."
Laura thought he might be drunk. "It's okay. We'll talk tomorrow. I'll call a cab for you."
Gilbert took her phone. "We were in a relationship for seven years. At least I deserve an explanation. Why did you leave me?"
Laura snatched her phone back. "You need to think about Rita."
She went back inside.
Gilbert went to a club and started drinking heavily. He saw a familiar face—Navid.
Navid ordered a drink for him. "What are you doing here?"
Gilbert ignored him.
"I want to apologize for earlier."
Gilbert looked at him suspiciously. Navid extended his hand. "Sorry, don't get me wrong."
Gilbert had no interest in his apology. He kept thinking about how Rita might have complained about him to his mother, and now even Ray saw him as the villain.
Before Navid could continue, Gilbert said, "It's okay, I don't care. But if you really want to apologize, then tell me how to get rid of someone."
Navid observed him carefully. "It depends on who you're talking about."
Gilbert replied immediately, "A woman."
Navid laughed. "Break her heart. But can I know her name?"
Gilbert gave him a cold stare. "No need."
Navid continued, "First make her fall for you, then break her heart step by step. She'll never stand up again."