Taming My Husband (English)

Chapter 7: Unwell

“WELCOME TO BERGEN City!”

Daphne couldn’t help but smile after hearing the woman’s voice again. It was clear she wasn’t used to speaking English. But what really made her smile was how she pronounced the name of the city. It sounded different from how she said it, so it made her laugh a little.

Bergen was actually the second-largest city in Norway. This was her first stop since she had seen it on a postcard her mother owned when she was a child. But now that she was older, she couldn’t find it anymore among her mom’s things. At least now, she had an idea where to begin. Her mom didn’t know that she was aware of this place. She had made sure to remember it well.

She’d waited months for this trip. She had already taken note of the people she needed to see. There were quite a few, but she was willing to go through the whole city just to find her father.

“What do you think?” the apartment staff turned to her.

She wasn’t fluent in English either, so she gave a short reply. “Very nice hybel,” she said.

They called dorms ‘hybel’ here. What was great about them was that they came fully furnished. This was probably the only one with a small kitchen. She had no idea how BK managed to get it when it was usually just for students. Apartments here were pricey, so she told him a dorm would do. She was alone anyway, so this one suited her best.

The first month’s rent had already been paid. She told BK she’d start looking from here. So, it was just daily food expenses she had to worry about. The food here was cheaper compared to other places. This was meant for students, after all. She chose this place herself; he’d shown her a list of dorms.

She refused BK’s offer to stay at a hotel. It was too expensive. She didn’t come here for a vacation. But if she found what she was looking for right away, she’d try to enjoy the sights—even if she was staying in a dorm.

The woman left her after explaining the do’s and don’ts.

Her phone buzzed. It was a message. If it wasn’t BK, it was probably her friend Amelie. Her mom didn’t use social media.

She ignored the chat and kept herself busy unpacking. She planned to rest today so she could spend the whole day searching tomorrow.

Her clothes were neatly folded inside the suitcase, so transferring them into the cabinet was easy. She figured she’d be here a while. Her only tool for communication was a translator app. She’d say something in English, and the app would convert it into Norwegian. But from what she knew, most Norwegians could speak English anyway.

After tidying up her small room, she lay down. She’d go outside later when the day turned to dusk. The woman said the view here was beautiful. Hopefully, the northern lights would show up. It would be lovely to see them reflected over the water.

Her phone rang again. She shook her head as she declined BK’s call. Cecelia really knew how to time things with her period. She didn’t go home the next day and clung to BK instead. She kept ordering her around as if she were BK’s real wife.

Once she was done with this search for her father, she’d really say goodbye to BK. She couldn’t bear seeing him with another woman anymore. She didn’t understand herself. Maybe it made her feel less of a woman. Maybe BK’s exes thought she was being a martyr. If only they knew the reason.

She was fine with BK having a woman. But to be bossed around by one? That wasn’t okay with her. There was a reason she was in her current position, and serving his girls was never part of the deal.

She got so annoyed that she didn’t let BK take her to the airport. Good thing she was the one who got the call saying the flight schedule had resumed. She still had time, so she booked her own ride to the airport. She didn’t bother BK—he was busy being sweet, anyway.

And now, he wouldn’t stop messaging. He was shocked when she texted yesterday that the plane was about to leave. He got mad. What would his mom say now? he asked that. Ugh. Always about his mom. She didn’t even reply. The only one she chatted with was Amelie. She told her to let her mom know she’d arrived safely.

She slept for over two hours. Then she checked her list. There was someone nearby, so she quickly got dressed. The woman earlier said there were bikes for rent. She hoped to visit at least one person today.

She smiled as she fixed her pullover sweater. It was thick. Underneath, she wore two more layers. She didn’t want to freeze. The climate here was different. It was spring, but winter still lingered, so it was freezing. At least for her—it was totally different from the Philippines.

Once outside, she looked around. Dusk was setting in. No northern lights, but the place was beautiful. The colorful houses along the water reflected on the surface, making the view stunning. She took a photo before heading to the bike shop the woman mentioned. She was ready. She had a compass, notebook, tablet, and a phone with the translator app. GPS was on. She brought everything she could. At the moment, she was wearing a backpack.

She had only asked two people so far, but she already felt like giving up. They didn’t know anyone named Alvis Frost—her father. His name sounded unique, so she was sure she’d find him. The people gave her some directions, though, so she took notes even if it was far from her location.

She got home past eleven that night. Her phone was full of missed calls from BK. He really was something—about to drain her battery with all those calls. Couldn’t he see she was in the field—well, outside—looking for her dad, and he kept calling?

She finally answered once she got inside her room.

“You’re too much, Daph!” BK blurted out right away.

What did he mean, ‘too much’? Couldn’t he understand she was just busy? She paused to think of what to say.

“I didn’t come here just to video call you, BK. I’m here to find my dad. Get it?” she snapped in frustration.

“Okay, I’m sorry. But I’m mad at you too.” Wow. The nerve. Well, she was mad too.

She frowned at him. “Why are you mad?”

“You left without saying goodbye!” he added a curse after that.

She shook her head. “You still haven’t moved on from that. How could I say goodbye when you were too busy in your little nest?”

“What nest?” He even leaned closer, his wrinkles showing.

“Your room, duh! Look, BK, I need to rest. If you only knew how long that trip was.” She lay flat on the bed, face down, but still looked at the camera on her phone.

“What time is it there?” he asked instead of replying.

“Eleven at night.”

“You stayed out that late?!” She pulled the phone away when he shouted.

“Yes. Is that a crime?” she snapped again.

“Yes, and it’s dangerous! Please take care of yourself. You know you’re alone out there, and now you’re staying out late! You’re not in the Philippines, Daph.”

“I can take care of myself. So just calm down. Focus on your girl there, and if you get caught—especially you…” She saw him pause slightly. “Anyway, I’m ending the call now because I’m super sleepy. I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.” She leaned in toward the camera, showing her eye.

“Alright, just sleep. Don’t end the call. I want to see you fall asleep…” That was the last thing she heard from BK before sleep completely took over her.

Just as she expected, the search was hard. She was now on her third week with no good news. Others were right—what if her father was already dead? It had been over two decades, after all. She was starting to lose hope.

She coughed a bit. She’d had a cold and cough for days. It looked like she was getting sick. She often skipped meals. All she ate were cinnamon buns and she drank water. It was like Bergen was putting her on a diet—almost all the food here seemed like diet food. She needed strength. She rarely found places that sold heavy meals in the areas she visited.

She planned to rest tomorrow. Just one day. She’d probably sleep the whole time.

She drank water before lying down. She briefly checked her messages to see who’d reached out.

She hadn’t even finished reading BK and Amelie’s messages when she suddenly felt freezing cold. She touched her neck—it was burning.

She quickly looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot. She looked like she had a fever. Maybe she was over-fatigued from her search for her father. She really pushed herself recently. Just a few more people on her list, then she’d move to a new area. She’d even gone to every police station she could. At least they promised to notify her if they found anything.

She answered BK’s call eventually. As usual, she just fell asleep during it—not from tiredness this time, but from feeling really sick.