My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 12: Three Days

The next morning, they realized that the plan had worked. Too well.

In fact, far too well.

Chris’ phone had not stopped ringing since six o’clock.

Fan clubs.

News outlets.

Sponsors.

His manager.

His mother.

Mostly his mother.

Apparently, Grandmother Sterling had become an internet sensation overnight.

Chris stared blankly at his screen. Then showed it to Liliana.

She immediately started laughing.

The article headline read:

"Nation’s Favorite Grandma Reveals Secret to Perfect Fried Chicken."

Chris rubbed his forehead. "She never revealed anything."

"I know."

"They interviewed her neighbor."

"I know."

"The neighbor doesn’t even know that Grandma never cooks."

"I know."

Liliana laughed harder. While Chris looked betrayed.

Across the table, Grandmother calmly ate breakfast.

Completely unaware that she had somehow become more popular than several celebrities.

Emily entered the kitchen.

One look at Chris’s face and she immediately understood.

"The Grandma Cult is growing."

Chris closed his eyes. "The what?"

"The Grandma Cult."

"Please stop calling it that."

"No."

Emily sat down happily. "It has a nice ring to it."

"It doesn’t."

"It really does."

Chris looked toward the ceiling. Perhaps this was his punishment for something. He wasn’t sure what. But clearly he had offended the universe.

Unfortunately, things became worse.

Because around ten in the morning, Chris’s manager arrived with new instructions.

Everyone gathered inside the living room. The manager looked very exhausted. With the expression of a man who had not slept.

Chris immediately became concerned. "What’s wrong?"

The manager looked at him. "The statement worked."

"Good."

"Too good."

Chris frowned. That sounded familiar.

The manager pointed at his tablet. "The public loves Grandma Sterling."

Nobody knew how to respond to that.

The manager continued. "The company wants to maintain the narrative."

Emily immediately burst out laughing. "Narrative."

The manager ignored her.

"For the next three days, Chris needs to be seen spending time with Grandma."

Silence.

Chris blinked. "Three days?"

"Yes."

"Before I return to the city?"

"Yes."

"For concert rehearsals?"

"Yes. And you have to stay in the Sterling Ancestral house."

Chris sighed.

Three days.

Only three days remained before he returned to the capital.

Three days before another separation.

Three days before months of schedules, concerts, interviews and endless travel.

And somehow, he would be spending those three days in another house pretending to be Grandma’s favorite grandson.

Liliana understood immediately. She had waited four months for him so the disappointment was difficult to hide. Now his remaining time was disappearing too.

Chris noticed her expression.

Of course he did. He always did.

Their eyes met briefly. Neither spoke. Neither needed to.

Emily suddenly pointed at them.

"No."

Everyone turned.

"No what?" Chris asked.

"No sad staring."

"What?"

"I can literally see the sadness."

"There is no sadness."

"There is absolutely sadness."

Grandmother nodded.

"There is sadness."

Chris groaned.

"Liliana should come as well. She just had to stay away from cameras." The manager said.

Chris and Liliana sighed. But neither complain.

The first public appearance happened that afternoon.

At the village supermarket.

The moment Chris stepped inside pushing a shopping cart beside Grandmother, chaos erupted. Not because of reporters. But because of the villagers.

Everyone stared. Some secretly took photos. Others openly took photos.

One old man nearly crashed his cart into a display of cabbages while staring.

Grandmother remained completely calm. Chris was less calm.

"Do we really need twenty eggs?" he asked.

"Yes."

"For what?"

"Cooking."

"But you never—"

Grandmother looked offended.

Chris immediately regretted talking.

Meanwhile, several meters away, Liliana secretly watched from another aisle. She wasn’t supposed to accompany them. The company wanted the focus entirely on Grandma.

Unfortunately, watching her husband push a cart while carrying Grandma’s grocery bags felt strangely amusing.

Then it became annoying. Because everywhere they went, people kept praising them.

"Such a good grandson."

"What a respectful young man."

"Grandma raised him well."

Liliana nearly laughed. Grandma had not raised him. She never fed him. There was a difference. And they actually just met a few days ago.

Emily appeared beside her. "Jealous?"

Liliana nearly jumped. "No."

Emily looked unconvinced. "Sure."

"I am not jealous of my grandmother."

"She’s my grandmother too and I’m jealous. And I’m just a fan."

Liliana narrowed her eyes.

Emily grinned.

The next day was even worse.

Because Chris was sent to buy eggs. Only eggs. That should have taken ten minutes.

Instead, it took almost two hours.

Everywhere he went, people wanted photographs. The bakery owner gave him free bread. The fruit vendor gave him free apples. One grandmother tried introducing him to her granddaughter.

Fortunately, Chris escaped immediately.

When he finally returned home carrying three cartons of eggs, he looked exhausted.

Liliana accepted the eggs.

"Rough day?"

Chris stared at her.

"An old woman proposed marriage."

Liliana blinked.

"What?"

"Not for herself."

"Oh."

"For her granddaughter."

Liliana immediately laughed.

Chris looked offended again.

"She gave me a résumé."

That only made her laugh harder.

For several seconds, Chris simply watched her. Smiling.

The laughter slowly faded.

Their eyes met. The world seemed quieter. Smaller. More peaceful.

Just for a moment.

Then—

"OH MY GOD."

Emily’s voice shattered everything.

Both jumped apart instantly.

Emily stood in the doorway. Pointing dramatically.

"I KNEW IT."

"You knew what?" Liliana asked.

"The eye thing."

"There is no eye thing."

"There is absolutely an eye thing."

Chris sighed.

Emily was becoming a problem. A very large problem.

The third day arrived far too quickly.

And unfortunately included a doctor’s appointment. Grandmother insisted she was perfectly healthy. The doctor disagreed.

Chris had been ordered to accompany her. So now he sat inside a clinic waiting room beside the old woman.

Wearing sunglasses. A cap. And a mask. A disguise that fooled absolutely nobody.

The nurse looked at him. Then looked again. Then whispered to another nurse.

Within minutes, the entire clinic knew.

Chris gave up.

Grandmother patted his arm. "At least they’re polite."

"That’s not helping."

"It should."

"It isn’t."

The old woman laughed.

Then...

"Do you regret coming to the village?"

Chris was surprised by the sudden question. He straightened his back and smiled.

"No. At least I got to see her. And you."

Grandma Sterling chuckled. "You’re still the same boy from twenty years ago."

Chris widened his smile. "I never changed. At least to Liliana and you."

Later that afternoon, photographs from the clinic appeared online.

Fans immediately declared him the perfect grandson.

Comments flooded every platform.

"Protect Grandma Sterling."

"Chris helping her to appointments is so sweet."

"Can Grandma adopt me too?"

"I want her fried chicken recipe."

By evening, the internet was completely distracted. Exactly as intended. The rumors about secret girlfriends had nearly vanished. And the crisis was finally under control.

For the first time in weeks, Chris’s manager looked relaxed. His parents looked relieved. And the company was satisfied.

Everything was working. Everything should have been perfect.

That night, as the sun disappeared beyond the hills, Chris stood alone outside the house looking across the countryside.

Tomorrow, he would leave. The thought sat heavily in his chest.

The front door opened quietly. Then Liliana stepped outside.

Neither spoke immediately. The evening breeze moved gently through the trees.

Finally, she walked over and stood beside him.

"You leave tomorrow."

"Yeah."

The single word felt heavier than expected. Silence followed. Comfortable but painful.

After a while, Chris smiled faintly.

"We spent my entire vacation babysitting a public relations campaign."

Liliana laughed softly.

"We did."

"Not exactly the reunion I imagined."

"No."

"Kind of terrible."

"A little."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

They simply stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the stars slowly appear above Sterling Village.

Neither wanted the night to end. Neither wanted tomorrow to arrive.

Then Chris suddenly broke the silence. "Will you come to the concert?"

Liliana turned toward him. "The concert?"

He nodded. "I’ll have tickets prepared for you."

A playful smile appeared on her face. "Are they free?"

Chris looked at her in disbelief. "They’re my tickets."

"That doesn’t answer the question."

A laugh escaped him. "Yes. They’re free."

"Good."

"Good?"

Liliana nodded seriously.

"Then I want seven."

Chris stared at her. "Seven?"

"Seven."

Chris shook his head, already amused. "And who exactly is getting these seven tickets?"

Liliana pretended to think about it. "Definitely not Grandma."

Chris laughed. A genuine laugh. The kind that only appeared when he was around her.

Liliana smiled.

"Emily wants to go. Then there are my cousins. They’ve been talking about your concert for weeks. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I promised Nico and Nathan." Chris nodded thoughtfully. "Seven tickets it is."

"Front row?"

"You drive a hard bargain."

"Front row?"

Chris sighed dramatically.

"Definitely."

A grin immediately spread across her face.

"Thank you."

The smile lingered. So did the silence that followed. But this time, it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful.

Chris looked at her for a moment.

The moonlight illuminated her features. The same face he had missed for four long months. The same person he would miss again tomorrow.

His expression softened. "Will you miss me?"

Liliana froze. The question caught her completely off guard.

Chris rarely asked things directly. That was what made it dangerous.

She looked away first. "I’ll be busy."

Chris raised an eyebrow.

"That’s not what I asked."

She stubbornly refused to look at him.

"There are crops to harvest."

"Liliana."

"And Grandma needs help."

"Liliana."

"And Emily keeps causing problems."

Chris laughed quietly.

Then he stepped a little closer. "Will you miss me?"

This time, there was no escape. Liliana could feel her cheeks growing warm. Annoyingly warm.

Finally, she sighed. "A little."

Chris smiled. "A little?"

"A little."

"You’re lying."

"I am not."

"You are."

She finally looked at him. "And what about you?"

Chris didn’t even hesitate. "I’ll miss you."

The answer came so naturally that it stole her breath away.

For a brief moment, neither looked away. The distance between them suddenly felt very small. Closer.

But then the front door burst open.

Again.

"LILIANA!"

Emily’s voice echoed through the night, stepping outside carrying her phone.

Both immediately jumped apart. She looked between them suspiciously.

Then narrowed her eyes. "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing," they answered simultaneously.

Emily gasped dramatically.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Grandmother Sterling’s laughter could already be heard.

Tomorrow Chris would return to the city. And both of them wished the night would never end.