Dear Devil Husband, I Love You

Five months ago…

"Will you miss me?" Charlie asked as he rested both of his hands on my shoulders.

I tilted my chin to meet his eyes. "Of course," I said, pouting my lips. "My fiance will be away for three months. I'm sure as hell going to miss him badly."

Charlie was my boyfriend, who became my fiancé a week ago. We met each other three months ago in the New York public library.

I couldn't forget the first time we met. I was in the adult section of the library when he approached me and asked for directions. And because I got mesmerized by his face, I accidentally gave him the wrong direction.

A playful smile appeared on his lips. "Would you come with me, then?"

I pouted as I played with his hair. "You know I have work, right?" I was working as a children's librarian at the New York Public Library, where we met.

"Yeah." He chuckled, making his eyes turn into slits. "I'm just trying my luck."

Charlie was half-American, half-Korean. He was so good looking with his mixed Asian and western features.

"Come on, just give your fiancé a kiss."

Fiancé. I repeated the word in my head. Damn. Until now, I still couldn't believe that this handsome man in front of me was going to marry me soon.

Last week, Charlie proposed to me. We were having our late-night walk in Central Park when he suddenly knelt in front of me and pulled out a ring.

Of course, I said yes to him. Who wouldn't? In the three months that I've known him, I was already sure that he's the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Charlie is everything I had asked for. Aside from his charming looks, he's smart, sensible, and kind. On top of that, he's also a good cook. He's like a lead character cut straight from the romance novels that I used to read.

I'd had my fair share of boyfriends over the past years. But this was the first time I had felt this deep connection with someone.

I bit my lower lip as I stared at his handsome face. "We've already kissed back at the apartment."

We were at JFK Airport. He has a flight scheduled an hour from now.

Charlie was a travel photographer. He works with BBC, National Geographic, and other travel magazines. He's used to traveling the world for his work. This time, he'd be gone to India for two months.

He licked his lower lip. "You know, I'd never get tired of your lips."

Before I could react, he had already lowered his head and claimed my lips in a passionate kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his nape and kissed him back.

"I love you," I said, breathless after he let go of me. I bit my lip when I saw the dark glint in his eyes. Those chocolate brown eyes of his were my favorite. I would never get tired of staring at them.

"I love you..." He kissed the tip of my nose. "When I come back, I'll talk to your father. Then I'll bring you to LA to meet my parents."

From my shoulder, his left hand moved to mine. He took my hand and caressed my fingers.

I smiled when my eyes zeroed in on the diamond engagement ring he gave me.

"Looking forward to that, Charlie."

We shared another passionate kiss before he entered the departure area of JFK Airport.

"Oh my God! He has already proposed to you?" I almost winced when Helen's voice filled my car.

Helen was my closest friend. We were classmates at NYU. She moved to Texas when she got married two years ago. Her husband was a Texas rancher.

"Well, yeah." I answered, smiling as I glanced at my left hand on the steering wheel.

It had been an hour since I drove Charlie to the airport. I was now on my way to Portland to visit my father. After my mother died two years ago, it was only my father who was left alone in our house in Portland.

Yesterday, he called me, and demanded that I visit him. I hadn't been able to visit him for the past two months. So, after leaving the airport, I decided to travel to my hometown. I was excited to tell my father the news that his daughter is now engaged.

I heard Helen gasp from the other line. "I did a search on him on the internet. He's a famous photographer for the BBC. And damn! He's successful and drop-dead gorgeous."

I lightly shook my head. I just told her Charlie's name, and it seemed like she already knew everything about him. Well... what could I expect. That's typical Helen. She loves digging up people.

I remembered before, she was the source of celebrity gossip at the university.

I pursed my lips. "I already know that, Helen."

"Did you already know that he's the adopted son of the famous billionaire, Bianca?" she asked.

My brows shot up a bit. I didn't know that about him. All I knew was that he's adopted and his family resides in LA. He only told me his mother was a philanthropist and that his father and only brother were both businessmen.

One of the things I like about him is his being down to earth. A smile curled on my lips when I remembered how we ate Chinese takeout on my apartment's rooftop on our first date.

"He's the son of Amelia and Darwin Henry. Oh my God, Bianca. Your fiancée is freaking rich!"

During our three months of being together, Charlie only mentioned his family a few times. He said his adoptive parents were both nice, especially his mother. He promised he would introduce me to them after he was back from India. But he didn't mention anything about his brother.

"It didn't matter if he's from a rich family, Helen. I fell in love with him because he's Charlie. Not because he's famous or he's successful."

"Well, you're right," she agreed. "His looks are more than enough for me."

I just shook my head and stifled a laugh.