My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 19: The Best Day

The noodle restaurant was crowded. Not excessively crowded. Just enough that nobody paid attention to the people around them.

Which was exactly what Chris wanted.

No reporters. No cameras. No screaming fans.No managers reminding him about schedules.

Just food. And Liliana.

For the first time in years, Chris felt strangely relaxed. They sat across from each other near the window.

A waitress arrived with menus.

Chris picked it up.

Liliana immediately lowered hers. "I’m getting the beef noodles."

Chris blinked. "You didn’t even look."

"I already know what I want."

"You’ve been here before?"

"Three times."

Chris looked offended. "You came here without me."

Liliana stared. "We weren’t dating."

"Still."

The waitress struggled not to laugh.

Liliana sighed. "I’ll order another bowl and you can stop being dramatic."

Chris considered it. "Acceptable."

The waitress finally walked away.

The moment she disappeared, Liliana laughed.

Chris smiled.

There it was again. That smile. The one she rarely showed other people. The one that somehow made his entire day better.

"The owner of this place is an old couple. And their customers are mostly elderly, so I think they don’t know you."

Chris nodded. "Should I remove my disguise?"

Liliana laughed again. "You call that a disguise. I could easily know it’s you even from afar."

"Really?" Somehow he felt happy.

"Yes. I have known you since we were kids. Even in the dark I could find you."

"You’re a true fan then." He chuckled.

Liliana laughed gently.

For a moment Chris simply watched her.

Liliana noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You’re staring."

"I’m appreciating."

Her cheeks immediately turned pink.

Chris looked very pleased with himself. Unfortunately, his victory lasted only a few seconds.

Because Liliana asked...

"So how many girls have you taken here?"

Chris nearly choked on air. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I’ve never been here before."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Chris placed a hand over his chest. "You wound me."

"Answer the question."

"Zero."

"Really?"

"Really."

Liliana studied his face. Then nodded.

Apparently satisfied.

Chris looked relieved. "Good."

"What?"

"I passed the interrogation."

She laughed again.

Chris decided that making Liliana laugh might be his new favorite hobby.

A short while later, their food arrived. The aroma immediately filled the table.

That’s when the waitress realized who the man was. Her eyes widened.

"Chris St. Claire?" She whispered, then looked at Liliana and at Chris again.

Chris immediately gestured to keep quiet which the waitress agreed immediately.

The waitress nervously but quietly returned to other tables after giving them their order.

Liliana’s eyes brightened.

Chris saw it. Then smiled. "You really like noodles."

"I do."

"More than steak?"

"Absolutely."

"More than lobster?"

"Without question."

Chris stared.

His wife was impossible. Most people would choose luxury food.

But Liliana chose noodles without hesitation. Somehow, that made him like her even more.

As they ate, the conversation flowed naturally.

No awkward pauses. No nervousness. Just comfortable companionship.

They spoke about everything.

The village.

His concerts.

Emily’s latest chaos.

Grandmother Sterling’s gardening projects.

Random childhood memories.

Things that would sound completely boring to everyone else. Yet neither wanted the conversation to end.

At one point Chris found himself laughing so hard that nearby customers turned to look.

Liliana looked equally surprised. Because she rarely saw this side of him.

The public version of Chris was charming, confident and charismatic.

The man sitting across from her now was different. More genuine. More relaxed. More real.

And she liked him. Far more than she probably should.

After lunch, they left the restaurant. The afternoon sun painted the city in gold.

Chris glanced toward her. "Want to go somewhere else?"

Liliana nodded immediately. "Yes."

He smiled. "Good."

For the next several hours they wandered through the city.

A bookstore.

A small park.

A street market.

An ice cream shop.

Nothing extraordinary.

Yet somehow everything felt special.

At the bookstore, Chris remembered their high school days.

"You still love reading books?"

"Yes. It kills time.

Chris stared at the stack in her arms.

"There are enough books here to start a library."

Liliana hugged them protectively.

"They’re important."

"Why?"

"They help me calm down."

Chris blinked.

"What? Are you okay?"

She chuckled. "You know. When the internet talks a lot about you."

"Oh, maybe I should try that."

She laughed. "You should."

Chris immediately bought every book she wanted.

Liliana argued but Chris ignored her.

The cashier witnessed the entire exchange. And quietly decided they were adorable.

A few blocks away, Victor Reyes was having a very different afternoon.

He sat inside his hotel room.

Staring at the photograph. Again. And again. And again.

The image wasn’t perfect.

Chris wore a cap, dark sunglasses and casual clothing.

But Victor knew celebrity photographs. He had spent years analyzing them.

Their height, posture, body language and everything matched. It was Chris.

Most importantly, the man matched.

Victor enlarged the image.

The same woman. The same face.

The same person from the festival photograph.

The same person from the supermarket reflection.

The same person from every clue.

His pulse accelerated.

The pieces were coming together slowly.

But he still lacked confirmation.

Without confirmation, nobody would publish the story.

Victor leaned back.

Thinking.

Then suddenly froze.

A memory surfaced.

Five years ago.

A marriage.

Matthew St. Claire.

Sterling Village.

Victor’s eyes widened.

"What if..."

Immediately he grabbed his laptop.

Within seconds he began searching through public records.

Marriage licenses..Property records. Archived documents. Anything.

Everything.

Somewhere there had to be a mistake. One tiny mistake. One overlooked detail.

Because secrets survived through perfection. And perfection rarely existed.

Back in the city, Chris and Liliana arrived at a small riverside park.

The crowds were thinner here.

The atmosphere was quieter. Peaceful.

They sat on a bench overlooking the water.

For several minutes neither spoke. And the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It never was.

Eventually Chris broke it.

"Are you having fun?"

Liliana looked at him.

The answer was obvious.

"Yes."

A soft smile appeared.

"Thank you."

Chris blinked.

"For what?"

"For today."

She smiled.

Something warm settled inside his chest. Unexpectedly warm.

The kind of feeling that made him forget every exhausting schedule.

Every rehearsal, interview and every pressure that came with fame.

For a moment he simply watched the river.

Then spoke quietly.

"I should have done this sooner."

Liliana looked surprised.

"What?"

"Take you on a date."

Silence.

A gentle breeze passed between them.

Chris lowered his gaze. "I spent years being busy."

Liliana immediately shook her head. "You were working."

"Still."

He laughed softly.

"Five years."

His voice carried a trace of regret.

"Most husbands would’ve done better."

Liliana stared at him. Then reached over.

And lightly touched his hand.

Chris froze. Not because of the contact. Because she initiated it.

A rare event.

Liliana looked away, embarrassed.

But she didn’t let go.

"You did your best."

Chris felt his heartbeat accelerate.

"You think so?"

"Yes."

Her fingers tightened slightly.

"Besides..."

She hesitated.

Then smiled.

"You’re here now."

The words struck harder than she intended. Because Chris suddenly realized something.

She never expected perfection. Never demanded luxury. Never asked for expensive gifts. Never complained about the years they lost.

She simply appreciated the moments they had. And somehow that made him love her even more.

Neither noticed the elderly couple walking past them.

The old woman smiled knowingly. Then whispered something to her husband.

The husband nodded. Both laughed quietly before continuing down the path.

Because to everyone watching, Chris and Liliana looked exactly like a young couple in love.

The irony was that neither had officially confessed yet.

As evening approached, city lights slowly illuminated the streets.

Chris checked the time, then regretting it immediately.

Their day was ending.

Too quickly.

Liliana noticed. "What is it?"

"We should head back."

Her smile weakened slightly. "Oh."

The disappointment lasted only a second.

But Chris saw it.

And strangely, that tiny reaction made him happy. Because he felt exactly the same way..Neither of them wanted the day to end.

The drive home felt shorter than before. Almost unfairly short.

Soon Sterling Village appeared again. The familiar roads. The familiar houses. The familiar calm.

Chris parked outside the Sterling home.

Neither moved. Neither opened the door.

Several seconds passed.

Chris sighed. "Should I stay here tonight?"

Liliana laughed. "You know this is basically your home, right?"

Then they both laughed.

"We’re doing it again."

"What?" Liliana frowned

"Not wanting to say goodbye."

Liliana immediately looked away. Which confirmed everything.

Chris smiled. "I’m staying tonight."

Liliana’s cheeks suddenly felt warm.

She nodded. "Then, we should head inside."

But Chris reached into the back seat then handed her a small paper bag.

Liliana blinked.

"What is that?"

"Your books."

"You already gave them to me."

"I know."

He handed over another item.

A single sunflower.

Bright and cheerful.

Liliana froze.

Chris suddenly looked nervous. Far more nervous than he had all day.

"I saw it at the market."

She stared at the flower. Then at him. Then back at the flower.

Her heart practically exploded.

Because again, it was the first time he gave her a flower.

Chris scratched his cheek awkwardly. "If you don’t like it—"

"I love it."

The answer arrived immediately without hesitation and without thought.

And for a brief moment, both simply smiled at each other.

Neither realizing that this date might soon become another headline.

Because in a car parked a few meters away from them, Victor Reyes had just got another photograph.

Chris entering the two-storey house with the same woman from all the previous pictures. And it didn’t appear that Grandma Sterling was home.

It was just Chris and the woman.

For many reporters, it was the perfect story. A scandal.

The world’s biggest international idol. One of the most sought-after bachelors on the planet was seen entering a countryside home with a woman instead of a luxury hotel.

Perfect. The public would devour it.

But Victor Reyes knew there was something deeper hiding beneath the surface. And he had no intention of publishing an incomplete story.

Victor stared at the photograph.

Then suddenly he realized something.

Perhaps he had been focusing on the wrong person all along.

His gaze shifted toward the house.

A cozy two-story home surrounded by colorful flowers.

Even from the outside, it radiated warmth. As though someone had spent years turning it into a home.

Not a hiding place. But a home.

Victor wondered if the mystery wasn’t Chris St. Claire.

Perhaps the real mystery was the woman inside.