I DISGUISED AS A WAITRESS AT MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT PARTY BECAUSE HE DIDN’T INVITE ME. WHEN I SAW A GIRL HOLDING HIM, I THOUGHT WE WERE OVER—BUT WHEN MY HUSBAND SPOKE, I BROKE TO MY KNEES IN CRY.

I’m Carla . My husband Roman and I have been married for three decades . Roman is a Chief Executive at a large company. His whole life, he’s been working. He’s often away from home, always on business trips, and always busy.

When he said he was retiring, I was happy. Finally, I could be with him.

But a week before his Retirement Party , he told me:

“Hon, don’t go to the party on Saturday, okay? That’s boring. Only board members and employees . Spouses are not allowed. Strictly for employees only .”

I was surprised. It was a retirement party. Usually, with family. Why wasn’t I allowed?

That’s where my suspicions started. Is he hiding something? Is there another woman in the office that’s why he doesn’t want me there?

Since I was restless, I came up with a plan. I talked to my cousin who owned the catering service that was hired for the party. I begged to be included as one of the servers or waitresses.

“Okay, Insan. But wear a mask and a cap so you won’t be recognized,” my cousin said.

It was party night. Wearing my black uniform, face mask, and hat, I entered the Grand Ballroom .

There were so many people. The surroundings were shining. I saw Roman. He looked so handsome in his barong. He was laughing, shaking hands with his colleagues.

I moved a little closer, carrying the wine tray , to hear the conversation.

I heard a group of employees on the side.

“We’re going to miss Sir Roman so much,” said one.

“Yes, of course. But you know, I admire that. His wife always says things like, ‘My wife Carla this, my wife Carla that.’ He loves Ma’am very much.”

I was stunned. Is he talking about me? If he loves me, why am I not here?

I was going to take what the employee said as a plea for mercy, but suddenly the wind changed.

I saw Roman at the end of the stage. A girl approached him .

The woman is very beautiful. In her early 20s , sexy, with long hair, and wearing a red dress that attracts attention.

I saw Roman smile at her. A smile that seemed… like they were too comfortable with each other .

I felt even colder when I saw the woman place her hand on Roman’s shoulder. She caressed it gently, and whispered in my husband’s ear. Roman nodded and took the woman’s hand on his shoulder.

My world collapsed. I dropped the tray I was holding.

MILD!

The glasses broke.

Everyone looked at me. I immediately bent down and picked up the glass, my hands shaking. It hurt. That’s why I’m not allowed. Because his girlfriend is here. That’s why he’s going to retire, to go with that kid.

I wanted to run, but Roman had already spoken into the microphone.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” panimula ni Roman. “Thank you for coming.”

He remained standing on the stage. The woman in red was next to him, holding a large folder .

“Many of you are asking why I am retiring early. I am still strong. I can still work.”

Roman looked at the woman next to him. He smiled at her.

“But there was one person who made me realize that time is money. And that person is not here tonight because I deliberately didn’t let him come.”

I clenched my fist. That’s it. He’ll admit it.

“My wife, Carla,” Roman said. “For 30 years, she was just a ‘second priority’ because of my work. I often left her. She was often alone. I told myself, I’ll get back to you.”

Roman took the folder from the woman in red.

“I can be with Ms. Anjanette tonight…” he pointed at the woman. “…is because for the past six months, we have been secretly working on this project.”

Roman opened the folder and displayed its contents on the screen.

A photo of a beautiful beachfront resthouse in Palawan.

People gasped.

“Anjanette is the Architect who designed my wife’s dream house,” Roman explains. “Carla always says she wants to grow old by the sea. So for the last six months, instead of playing golf, I’ve been meeting with Architect Anjanette to finish this house.”

My eyes widened behind the mask. Architect? Not a hook?

“The reason he held my shoulder earlier,” Roman laughed, “was because I was crying backstage. I told him, ‘I’m nervous, Carla might not like it.’ And he said, ‘Sir, she’ll like it. You love her so much.’”

“And that’s why I didn’t invite Carla tonight… because I wanted to come home later, wake her up, and give her this key when it was just the two of us. I wanted to tell her: ‘Honey, I’m done working. It’s time for the two of us to travel. Let’s just go all the way.’ ”

Roman held up the key.

“This is for you, Carla. Wherever you are right now… I love you.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I burst into tears in the middle of the ballroom. The sound of my crying echoed throughout the room.

Roman looked in my direction. He saw a waitress kneeling on the floor, crying, surrounded by broken glass.

Roman got off the stage. He approached.

I took off my hat and mask.

“C-Carla?” Roman asked in surprise. “What… what are you doing here? Why are you in uniform?”

I stood up and hugged her tightly. Her clothes were soaked with tears.

“Sorry, Roman! Sorry!” I cried. “I thought you had a girlfriend! I thought you were cheating on me! I was jealous of your architect! I was so stupid!”

The people laughed. Architect Anjanette came over and laughed too.

“Ma’am Carla!” Anjanette greeted. “It’s you! Oh, Sir Roman is so loyal. Every time we meet, he always says, ‘The kitchen must be perfect, Carla loves to cook.’ ‘The garden must be beautiful, Carla loves flowers.’ “

Roman touched my face. He didn’t have any anger, just love.

“Silly woman,” he whispered. “I don’t have any other woman. There’s no one more beautiful than you. And now, no one will take my time for you.”

In front of all the employees, Roman kissed me.

That night, I resigned as a “waitress” and began my new career—as the queen of Roman’s life, in our new house by the sea. My false suspicions were replaced by the sweetest truth: that every moment he was away, he was thinking about me.