Caught In His Wife's Trap (Tagalog)

Kabanata 4

Hindi ako napigilan ni Kiara sa kagustuhan kong pumunta sa party ni Jered, pero si Draven halatang ayaw.

Pagkauwi ko kasi ay mahigpit niyang hinawakan ang braso ko at padarag na hinila agad papasok. I can hear the weight of his breathing—deep, uneven, and strained, as if he's struggling to contain the fury simmering just beneath the surface. Each inhale feels controlled, deliberate, like he's forcing himself not to explode. The tension in the air is palpable, thick with unspoken anger, and I can almost feel the heat of his restrained rage radiating off him.

"A-Aray! Draven! Masakit!" Reklamo ko nang makaramdam na ng sakit dahil sa kapit niya, agad naman niyang napansin iyon at marahas niya akong binitawan.

"Bakit ka pumayag?!" He's pertaining to Jered's invitation, obviously.

"Ano naman ba kung pumayag ako?" malumanay na tanong ko.

"Hindi ka bagay sa lugar na 'yon," alam ko pero tulad ng sabi ko kanina, iba ang pakay ko.

"Asawa mo naman ako, kahit sa papel lang may karapatan din naman akong pumunta, saka inimbita ako ng kaibigan mo, nakakahiya naman kung tatanggihan k—" he cut me off.

"Shut the f**k up, Mavis! Naiirita na ako sa iyo! Sa school, dito sa bahay pati ba naman sa birthday ng kaibigan ko nandon ka pa rin?! Hindi ka pupunta! " Something catches in my throat, a tight, uncomfortable feeling I can't shake. He definitely wants me gone—I can see it in the way his jaw clenches, in the flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He just doesn't know how to say it, or maybe he's waiting for me to leave on my own.

"F-Fine, kung ayaw mo akong makita, hindi ako magpapakita, basta pupunta ako," Pagkasabi ko noon ay agad na akong naglakad at nilampasan siya. I also need an excuse, kailangan wala ako rito sa bahay at dapat alam niya para hindi siya maghinala.

"Don't let me see your face in Jered's house, then. If I even catch a glimpse of you—even a single strand of your hair—you won't like what I'll do, Mavis."

Why is it so hard for him to even look at me? Am I really that unbearable in his eyes? Tch.

Tulad ng nakasanayan ay nagluto ako ng dinner. Naramdaman ko ang mga yabag niya papasok sa kusina at akmang dadaan na siya para dumeretso sa fridge ng tila magpatintero kami, kung saan ko kasi pinipiling tumabi ay do'n din siya at iiwas nanaman ako ay gano'n din siya.

"Aish tabi nga!" Malakas niya akong hinawi na muntik ko nang ikasubsob sa sink. Inambahan ko siya ng suntok at agad ding binawi ng lumingon siya saka ako sinamaan ng tingin.

"Ang sakit no'n ah!" Reklamo ko.

"Haharang harang ka kasi!" Gusto ko mang sumagot ng pabalang ay pinagpasensyahan ko na lang at kumalma.

"Kumain ka na, nakaluto na ako," Sumandal siya sa sink at tinitigan ako mula ulo hangang paa saka umiling at naupo sa mesa. Himala tinupak siya.

Matapos ko siyang ipaghain ay nagulat ako ng tumunog ang phone ko, pareho kaming napalingon doon. Mabilis ko iyong kinuha at walang sabi-sabing lumabas ng kusina at dumeretso sa kwarto ko upang sagutin ang tawag. Siniguro ko munang nakalock ang pintuan bago nagsalita.

"What the f**k, Amanda!?" Iyon ang bungad ko sa kaniya at narinig ko ang nakakaloko niyang tawa na halatang nasisiyahan pa.

"What?"

"How long do I have to be like this?!"

"So you want to quit?"

"No, hindi ko lang maatim itong—f**k! Paano ako magugustuhan ni Drei nito ang pangit ko?!"

"Ano bang importante sa 'yo? Tawag ng pag-ibig o tawag ng sinumpaan mong tungkulin?" Sumeryoso na ang boses niya.

"Parehong importante sa 'kin alam mo 'yan."

"Iwan ko ba naman kasi sa 'yo Red, bakit ba kasi nahulog ka sa isang 'yan, kung sana hindi 'yan 'yong crush mo edi sana ngayon hindi ka nagrereklamo?" Mariin akong napapikit, here we go again. Hindi ko rin naman inaasahan na mapupunta ako sa sitwasyon na 'to.

"Just to remind you, Red, a mission is a mission. Hinayaan ka ni Meast na magmahal, hinayaan ka niyang sumaway sa isa sa patakaran, so if you want him safe, do the mission and keep on pretending as a nerd in that way no one will recognize you," if I am not one of them, sigurado akong matagal na akong umalis sa pagiging nerd. Pinalaki man ako ni tiya sa pagkamanang pero may alam naman ako sa mga usong fashion, hindi ko lang ma-apply dahil sa sekretong trabaho ko.

"Fine."

"Good," makapagsalita, 'to kala mo siya ang leader at mas mataas sa aming dalawa.

"You're not coming with me this time?" Dati kasi ay nasama siya sa akin, kahit madalas na solo ko lagi ang mission.

"No, binigyan nanaman ako ng ibang gawain."

"Okay."

"Bye Red, good luck," hindi na ako sumagot at pinatay ang tawag bago nanghihinang naupo sa kama.

Never in my entire life have I faced a mission that rattled me like this. It feels as if logic itself has turned its back on me, my carefully crafted strategies unraveling like threads in the wind. I stand at the edge of uncertainty, grasping for answers that refuse to come, and for the first time, I am completely and utterly lost.

Frustrated. Mabilis kong inayos ang sarili at bumaba, naabutan ko pa si Drei na patapos nang kumain.

"Sinong tumawag sa 'yo?"

"Si tiya," pagsisingungaling ko, tumango siya at nanahimik na.

Pretending has been second nature to me ever since I took on my first mission—deception, after all, is a skill I've long since mastered. But this... this is different. This isn't just another role to play or another mask to wear. This time, the lines between the lie and the truth blur, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to believe anymore. Masyadong mahirap magpanggap kapag 'yong taong mahal mo na ang kailangan mong protektahan.

Drei is, without a doubt, my hardest mission—not because of the danger or the risks, but because I have to endure his cold, unrelenting attitude toward me while bound in this marriage. Every glance, every word, every silence screams how much he despises me. And the worst part? I have no choice but to accept it.

Pagkaalis niya ay ako naman ang nagsimulang kumain, pagkatapos ay hinugasan ko na rin ang pinagkainan namin. Nang masiguro ko nang malinis ang kusina ay dumeretso naman ako sa pintuan para i-check ang lock ng pinto.

"You're always checking that every night," Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat ng magsalita si Drei. When I lifted my gaze, my breath hitched.

There he was—leaning against the safety rails on the second floor, his posture relaxed yet his presence imposing. The dim lighting cast shadows over his sharp features, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Was he watching me out of curiosity? Contempt? Indifference?

A strange weight settled in my chest. No matter how much distance stood between us, his presence always felt suffocating, as if he could strip me bare with a single glance. And yet, I couldn't look away.

"Para masigurong locked, uso pa naman magnanakaw ngayon."

"Are you nuts? There are security guards roaming around to keep the perimeter safe. Do you really think a thief could slip past them just to break in here? You're being paranoid." naiiling na sabi niya saka niya ako tinalikuran at pumasok na sa kwarto niya.

Nang umakyat ako'y napansin kong hindi iyon nakasara ng maayos kaya malaya ko siya nakita sa loob. He's busy solving something. Sa kabila niya ay isang parisukat na table at nagkalat doon ang mga lapis at iba't ibang klase ng ruler. He's really passionate about his course. Kagaya ng kung gaano ko kagustong maging arkitekto.

Napigil ko ang paghinga ng biglaan siyang humarap sa direksyon ko at kunot noo akong tiningnan habang nakatayo at naiwan sa ere ang pagikot sana kanina, napatitig siya sa akin na tila nagtataka at naroroon ako at maya-maya ay agad rin namang pinagpatuloy ang pagpihit kaya tanging likod nalamang niya ang nakikita ko.

Marahas akong bumuntong hininga at marahang naglakad papasok sa aking kwarto.

Remember, Mavis, this is only a temporary marriage—a means to an end. Sooner or later, you'll have to let him go, file for divorce, and walk away as if none of this ever mattered. This is just a mission. Rules are rules. No attachments, no exceptions. And when it's over, no matter what lingers in your heart, you must set him free.

Bumigat ang dibdib ko sa naisip, hindi ako pwedeng manatili. I used to think that the hardest part of marriage was staying in it without knowing what the future holds—no guarantees, no certainty if you'd make it to the end together. After all, the future isn't promised, and no matter how much you love each other, things can change.

But I was wrong. It's even harder when you already know exactly how it will end, even before it begins. When the outcome is set in stone, and the expiration date is carved into fate itself. A marriage built not on love, but on a mission. And one that will end for the same reason it started. Sa huli, alam ko na agad na masasaktan lang ako, or worst. . . kaming pareho.

Bakit kasi sa dami, si Draven pa?

. . .