My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 5: Coming Home

Three days later, the internet exploded again.

Liliana discovered this while peacefully watering her roses.

One moment she was admiring a particularly healthy bloom. The next moment her phone nearly vibrated off the garden table.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

"What happened now?"

She set down her watering can and checked her phone. The answer appeared immediately.

Pulse’s agency had officially announced the next leg of the world tour. And as expected, Aurelia was on the list.

Not only that. The concert would take place in the capital city in exactly two weeks.

Liliana stared at the announcement. "Two weeks. Only fourteen days left."

Her heart skipped. "Chris was really coming home."

A smile slowly appeared on her face. Then she immediately hid it. Even though nobody was around.

Old habits. Five years of keeping secrets had turned caution into instinct.

Her phone suddenly rang. The caller ID displayed Emily.

Liliana sighed.

’This could not possibly be good news.’

But she answered anyway.

"Hello?"

A loud scream nearly destroyed her eardrum.

"LILIANA!"

Liliana held the phone away.

"Why are you yelling?"

"PULSE IS COMING TO AURELIA!"

"Yes."

"YES?!"

Emily sounded personally offended.

"How are you so calm?"

Liliana glanced at her roses.

’Because her husband was one of the members.’

Unfortunately, she couldn’t say that aloud.

"I like their music."

Emily gasped dramatically. "Like?"

"Yes."

"You have thirty-seven photo cards displayed in your living room."

Liliana froze. How did Emily know that?

"You counted?"

"I got bored last time I visited." Emily continued. "We’re buying tickets."

"We?"

"The cousins."

Liliana immediately sensed danger. Danger with a capital D.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You’re coming too."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

Liliana pinched the bridge of her nose. The conversation continued for another ten minutes. Unfortunately, Emily won. As usual.

By the time the call ended, Liliana had somehow agreed to attend the concert with her cousins.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

She was going to attend her husband’s concert while pretending she didn’t know him.

Nothing about that sounded stressful.

Not at all.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Chris sat inside a private conference room.

His manager stood near a projector screen while discussing upcoming schedules.

The members of Pulse looked exhausted because the world tour had been relentless.

Concerts. Interviews. Flights. Photoshoots. Fan meetings.

Then repeat. Again and again.

The manager cleared his throat.

"After Aurelia, we’ll have a two-week break."

The room immediately became silent.

Then chaos erupted.

"What?"

"You’re joking."

"Two weeks?"

"That’s illegal."

The manager sighed.

"You people need rest."

One member looked ready to cry. Another started thanking every deity he knew.

Chris remained quiet. Yet a small smile appeared on his face.

Two weeks at home with Liliana. The thought alone made the exhausting tour feel worthwhile.

Unfortunately, someone noticed.

Leo, the group’s leader, pointed dramatically. "There!"

Everyone turned.

Chris immediately erased his expression. But it was too late. The damage was done.

The members exchanged knowing looks.

"Oh no."

"Not again."

"It’s the smile."

"The mysterious smile."

Chris closed his eyes. He regretted everything.

Leo leaned across the table. "Okay."

"No." He frowned.

"We haven’t asked the question yet."

"You don’t need to."

The group ignored him. One member raised a hand.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

Another member raised his hand.

"Boyfriend?"

"No."

"Secret family?"

"No."

"Hidden child?"

Chris opened his eyes.

"What is wrong with all of you?"

The room burst into laughter. Even the manager looked amused.

For the next twenty minutes, Chris endured increasingly ridiculous theories regarding his personal life.

Fortunately, nobody guessed the truth. Not even close.

Because the truth sounded far more unbelievable.

The world’s most famous idol had been secretly married for five years.

That evening, Liliana finished organizing the last of Chris’s gifts.

Most people would have kept them inside a closet. But Liliana preferred order.

Everything had its place. The handbags occupied one shelf. The shoes occupied another. The dresses hung neatly according to color.

And the result looked like a luxury boutique.

She was admiring her work when her phone vibrated. A familiar message appeared.

Chris: Busy?

A smile immediately appeared.

Liliana: Finished cleaning.

Chris: The gifts again?

Liliana: They needed organization.

Chris: They were already organized.

Liliana stared at the screen. The audacity.

Liliana: They absolutely were not.

Chris: I disagree.

Liliana: Your opinion is wrong.

Three dots appeared.

Then:

Chris: You’re cute when you’re serious.

Liliana froze. Her brain stopped functioning. Completely. Utterly. Entirely.

The message remained on the screen. Unmoving. Unchanging.

Chris had called her cute. The word echoed repeatedly inside her head.

Her face turned bright red.

After nearly a full minute, another message appeared.

Chris: Did I break you?

Liliana immediately typed.

Liliana: No.

Chris: You took sixty-three seconds to reply.

Liliana stared in horror. He counted?

Chris: I definitely broke you.

Liliana buried her face in a pillow. This man was impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

Several days passed, the excitement surrounding Pulse’s arrival only continued growing.

Every news station talked about it. Every social media platform discussed it. Every fan seemed determined to count down the days. And with every passing day, Chris grew closer to home.

Until finally, the day arrived.

The private jet landed at Aurelia International Airport. Hundreds of reporters waited. Thousands of fans gathered behind barricades. Security personnel struggled to maintain order.

The moment Chris stepped outside, deafening screams filled the air. Camera flashes exploded. Reporters shouted questions. Fans cried.

The arrival quickly became national news.

Meanwhile, several hours away, Liliana sat comfortably on her living room sofa. Watching the entire thing unfold on television, a smile tugged at her lips.

He looked tired. But healthy.

"That was good."

The reporter continued speaking excitedly.

"Pulse has officially arrived in Aurelia ahead of their sold-out concert this weekend—"

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

A message appeared.

Chris: I’m home.

Just three words. Simple. Ordinary. Yet her heart immediately warmed.

Liliana: Welcome home.

The response arrived almost instantly.

Chris: I’ll see you tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

For a moment, Liliana simply stared at the screen.

Four months. Four long months apart.

Then tomorrow...

Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone. A strange nervousness appeared. Excitement. Anticipation. Something else she couldn’t quite name.

Because tomorrow she will finally see him again. Not through a screen. Not through a video call. Not through photographs. But in person.

A soft smile appeared on her lips.

Outside, the evening sun slowly disappeared beyond the hills of Sterling Village.

Inside the quiet house, Liliana looked toward the empty chair across from her dining table.

Tomorrow it wouldn’t be empty. Tomorrow Chris would be there.

Eating breakfast. Drinking coffee. Existing in the same space again.

The thought made her chest feel strangely full. Neither of them realized it yet. But after months apart, seeing each other again would change something.

Something subtle. Something dangerous.

Because distance had allowed them to ignore their growing feelings.

But once they were together again, ignoring those feelings would become much more difficult.