My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 41: The Story They Never Told

The living room remained silent. Because nobody had recovered from Chris’s confession.

Everyone was staring at the newly announced couple.

Robin looked relieved because at least he wasn’t the only one carrying the secret anymore.

Meanwhile, the Sterling cousins looked as though a heavy burden had finally disappeared from their shoulders.

Aaron pointed toward Chris. Then toward Liliana. Then toward Chris again.

"This is your wife?"

"Yes."

"For five years?"

"Yes."

Aaron sat down immediately. Standing suddenly felt difficult.

River looked even worse.

"Five years?"

Chris nodded. "Five years."

"And you never told us?"

Chris winced. "Correct."

River looked offended. "We lived together."

"I know."

"We traveled together."

"I know."

"We shared hotel rooms."

"I know."

River pointed dramatically. "You watched me complain about being single."

Chris laughed. "I remember."

River buried his face in a pillow. Aaron looked equally betrayed. But Leo looked slightly better.

Only because he had already spent the last hour processing the information. And he wasn’t alone anymore.

Eventually Chris explained everything. About the envelope, photographs, the anonymous sender, the investigation and the possibility that someone had been watching Liliana.

He told them the reason she had moved into the penthouse and why she needed to remain close to him.

The room gradually became serious. The jokes disappeared. The laughter faded.

And for the first time, Aaron and River fully understood the situation.

"That’s dangerous."

Aaron rarely spoke which made the statement feel heavier.

Chris nodded. "I know."

River frowned.."So that’s why she’s here."

"Yes."

"How about everyone? Them?" River pointed at the Sterling cousins.

"They wanted to protect Liliana and the photos from the villa needed to be explained to the public."

The three Pulse members nodded.

"So that’s why you looked like you wanted to fight everyone during the villa trip."

Chris didn’t deny it because it was true.

Eventually Leo crossed his arms. "Okay."

Everyone looked toward him.

"We understand the current situation."

He pointed between Chris and Liliana.

"But that’s not the real question anymore."

Chris immediately became suspicious. "What question?"

"How?"

River immediately nodded. "Exactly."

Aaron nodded too.

"You’ve been married for five years." Leo pointed again. "We need details."

The cousins immediately agreed.

Because honestly, they wanted to hear the story too.

Everyone looked toward Chris.

Chris looked toward Liliana.

Liliana sighed then smiled. "I’ll tell it."

The room immediately became quiet.

"The St. Claires and the Sterlings knew each other long before we were born."

The members listened carefully.

"The Sterling family wasn’t always poor."

A sad smile appeared on her face.

"Actually..." She paused. "We were one of the wealthiest families in the country."

The room fell silent. Meanwhile, the cousins looked down because this part of the story wasn’t easy.

"There used to be a Sterling Corporation."

Liliana continued quietly.

"A very powerful company." She smiled sadly.

"My father built the company and became its chairman."

The atmosphere became heavier, everyone already knew where the story was going.

"Then twenty years ago..." Her voice softened. "My parents died."

Silence. Nobody interrupted. Nobody moved.

"I was four years old." Liliana stared at her hands. "I didn’t understand what was happening."

The memories were blurry. Old. Painful. But still there.

"I remember people crying.".She smiled weakly. "I remember everyone wearing black." Another pause. "I remember Grandma Lucia holding me."

The room remained silent..Listening.

"The company started falling apart almost immediately." Mary spoke quietly. "The board members abandoned the company."

"The investors left." Another pause."The family lost almost everything."

The room became even quieter.

Liliana smiled sadly. "People disappeared overnight." She looked toward the floor. "Friends, business partners, relatives."

Everyone understood. Success attracted people. Failure revealed who stayed.

"But the St. Claires stayed." Her eyes shifted toward Chris. "And Grandma wasn’t alone. We were not alone."

Liliana smiled. The memories weren’t easy for her, but she was still grateful that there was someone who stayed.

Then she laughed quietly. "I remember hiding during my parents’ funeral."

Chris immediately smiled. Because he remembered too.

"I found a small room." Liliana continued. "I didn’t want anyone to find me."

The memory slowly returned.

The funeral house, the flowers, the endless voices, and the sadness.

All of it.

Back then, four-year-old Liliana had hidden beneath a staircase.

Curled into a corner. Quiet. Alone.

Everyone else was crying. But she wasn’t. Not because she wasn’t sad. It’s just she couldn’t understand why everyone was crying.

Her parents were gone. But her young mind couldn’t fully grasp what that meant.

Then someone found her.

Chris. A seven year old boy.

"What are you doing here?" Young Chris had asked.

Liliana remembered looking up.

He looked annoyed. Mostly because he had been searching for her for nearly twenty minutes.

"Everyone is looking for you."

She remembered staring at him.

Confused. Lost.

Chris sat beside her. Then frowned.

"Why aren’t you crying?"

The question had surprised her.

"I don’t know."

She really didn’t know. At four years old, grief was confusing. Everything felt wrong. But she couldn’t understand why.

Chris had been quiet for a while.

Thinking.

Then suddenly, he moved closer.

"If you want to cry..." He awkwardly pointed at his shoulder. "...you can cry here."

Liliana laughed softly at the memory.

"He looked so serious."

The room smiled.

Chris looked embarrassed. "I was seven."

"You were dramatic."

"I was trying my best."

The room laughed.

"That was the beginning." Liliana smiled. "We became friends."

Then she looked toward Chris. "Very close friends."

The years passed.

Lucia Sterling tried to save what she could from the company. But Sterling Corporation eventually filed for bankruptcy. Everything disappeared.

The money. The businesses. The influence.

Almost everything.

"Almost." One of the cousins spoke. "The ancestral house remained."

Everyone looked toward them. They smiled faintly.

"Because the St. Claires helped keep it." Liliana suddenly blurted.

The room froze. The cousins were surprised. Even Aaron and River looked surprised.

Liliana looked at her cousins. "They couldn’t save the company. But Uncle Matthew made sure we didn’t lose everything."

Their expression softened.

"Grandma Lucia deserved to keep her home." Liliana chuckled softly. "That’s what Aunt Amanda said."

The room became emotional again.

"We never forgot what the Sterlings meant to us." Chris smiled. "So helping wasn’t a burden. You are family."

Grandma Lucia would have cried if she were present.

High school years.

Chris became a trainee. Then an idol.

Liliana grew up. Still dreaming. Still hoping.

"I wanted to become an actress." She smiled. "I really did."

Everyone knew that part already. But hearing it felt different.

Then came her nineteenth birthday. And Chris’s debut year.

"That’s when we were told."

Liliana continued. "The agreement."

Aaron frowned. "What agreement?"

Chris sighed. "Our marriage."

The room froze again.

"Our fathers made a promise years ago." Liliana explained. "They wanted the families connected."

"It was an arranged marriage."

The room stared.

Then River pointed dramatically.

"AND YOU SAID YES?"

Both Chris and Liliana nodded.

Aaron looked confused. "You both agreed?"

"Yes."

Liliana smiled. "I wanted to."

River looked horrified. "Who agrees to an arranged marriage?"

Chris raised his hand. "I did."

Liliana raised hers. "So did I."

The room burst into laughter.

Then Chris’s smile slowly faded. His gaze shifted toward Liliana.

"There was something else."

The room became quiet again.

Chris looked down. "She gave up her dream."

Immediately the room fell silent.

"When Pulse debuted..." His voice softened. "We weren’t popular."

The members and Robin remembered.

The difficult years. The uncertainty. The pressure.

"I was twenty two when we got married. Liliana was nineteen. By that time, it was actually the peak of our career. So if people found out I was married..." He paused. "It could’ve ended everything."

The words hurt because they were true.

"So she chose to stay away." Chris smiled sadly. "She protected my dream and my career. She stayed in the countryside, away from the spotlight so I could shine."

Liliana immediately shook her head.

"It wasn’t just your career, or your dream. It was also mine. Seeing you on stage made me happy. Truly happy."

But Chris knew. And everyone else realized.

It had been a sacrifice. A huge one.

For several moments nobody spoke.

The room felt emotional. Heavy. Warm. Bittersweet.

Chris looked toward Liliana.

Liliana looked toward Chris.

Five years of secrets, sacrifices, promises and dreams.

Everything had brought them here to this living room.

Surrounded by people who finally knew the truth.

And for the first time in a very long time, neither of them had to hide anymore.