MY FAKE HUSBAND

CHAPTER 6: THE FIRST STEP TOWARD FREEDOM

The following morning, I woke up with a decision weighing heavily on my heart.

I could no longer spend my days waiting for Rod to explain himself. I had already heard his excuses, his apologies, and his promises. None of them could change the truth.

But knowing that I needed to leave and actually leaving were two very different things.

I had four children to think about—three daughters who depended on me and a baby growing inside my womb. I could not simply walk away without knowing where we would go or how I would provide for them.

So I decided to begin with something small.

I would find a way to stand on my own.

After preparing breakfast for my daughters, I sat at the kitchen table with my notebook. The list I had written the previous night was still there.

Find a safe place to stay.

Save money.

Arrange support for my children.

Prepare for the baby's arrival.

I stared at the words for a long moment before adding another line.

Find a way to earn my own income.

It was a simple sentence, but writing it made my future feel a little less frightening.

I had spent so much time believing that Rod would provide the security we needed. Now I had to learn how to build that security myself.

I did not know where to begin, but I knew I could not remain helpless forever.

---

Later that morning, I visited a small shop in the neighborhood.

The owner, a woman named Aling Nena, had known me for some time. She had occasionally seen me buying groceries with my daughters and had always greeted us kindly.

When she noticed me standing outside, she waved me over.

"Why do you look so worried, hija?" she asked.

I tried to smile.

"Just thinking about a few things, Aling Nena."

She studied my face for a moment.

"Sometimes, talking helps. You don't have to carry everything alone."

Her words almost brought tears to my eyes.

For days, I had kept my pain to myself. I had been afraid that telling someone about Rod would make everything feel more real.

But perhaps keeping the truth hidden was only making me feel more alone.

"I may need to find work," I finally said. "Something I can do while taking care of my children."

Aling Nena nodded thoughtfully.

"What kind of work can you do?"

"I can cook, clean, and help organize things. I can also look after children."

She considered my answer.

"My sister sometimes needs help at her small food stall. The work isn't easy, and the pay isn't much, but perhaps you could talk to her."

For the first time in days, I felt a little hope.

"Do you think she would consider me?"

"I can ask her."

I thanked her, holding tightly to that small possibility.

It was not a solution to all my problems. It would not immediately provide a new home or erase the pain Rod had caused.

But it was an opportunity.

And I was beginning to understand that freedom did not always arrive through one dramatic decision.

Sometimes, it began with asking for help.

---

When I returned home, Rod was waiting for me.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I went to see someone."

"Who?"

I put my bag down.

"Aling Nena."

His expression changed slightly.

"What did you tell her?"

I looked at him, surprised by the question.

"Why does that matter?"

"Because I don't want people talking about us."

There it was again.

Even now, he seemed more concerned about what other people might discover than about what his dishonesty had done to me.

I took a slow breath.

"I didn't go there to ruin your reputation, Rod. I went there because I need to think about my future."

"Our future," he corrected.

I looked at him.

"Is there still an honest future for us?"

He fell silent.

I continued before he could change the subject.

"I need to find work. I need to save money. I need to know that my children will be safe, whether you stay in our lives or not."

"You don't have to do all that," he said. "I'll take care of you."

I wanted to believe him. A part of me still remembered the man I thought he was—the man who had made me laugh, listened to my worries, and spoken about building a family together.

But I could no longer separate those memories from the truth.

"You said you would take care of me before," I replied. "You promised me a future without telling me you already had a wife."

"I know I made a mistake."

"And I know I cannot keep depending on promises."

He stepped closer.

"Are you planning to leave me?"

I looked down at my hands.

"I'm planning to make sure my children and I have somewhere to go if I need to."

His face tightened.

"So you don't trust me anymore."

I met his eyes.

"How can I trust you when I am still discovering the truth about you?"

He had no answer.

For once, I did not feel the need to fill the silence.

---

That afternoon, my eldest daughter approached me while I was folding laundry.

"Mom?"

I turned toward her.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

She hesitated before asking, "Are you and Rod fighting?"

My hands stopped moving.

Children noticed more than adults wanted to believe. They might not understand every word spoken between grown-ups, but they could feel the tension in a home.

I put the clothes aside and sat beside her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you don't smile like you used to."

Her simple observation broke something inside me.

I pulled her gently into my arms.

"Sometimes, adults have problems they need to work through," I told her. "But I want you to know something. None of this is your fault."

She looked up at me.

"Are we going to be okay?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I am going to do everything I can to make sure we are safe and cared for."

It was the most honest promise I could give her.

I could not tell her exactly what would happen. I could not guarantee that our lives would remain unchanged.

But I could promise that I would keep trying.

She hugged me before returning to her sisters.

I watched her walk away, and my decision became clearer.

I could no longer measure my choices by how much they might upset Rod.

I had to consider what my children were learning from the way I lived.

I wanted my daughters to know that love was not supposed to make them afraid to ask questions.

I wanted them to understand that honesty mattered, even when the truth was painful.

And I wanted my son to grow up knowing that responsibility meant more than saying the right words.

It meant standing behind them.

---

That evening, Rod came home carrying a small paper bag.

"I bought something for the baby," he said.

Inside was a tiny blue blanket.

I touched the soft fabric, and for a moment, my heart ached with the memory of the future I had once imagined.

I had pictured Rod holding our son for the first time. I had imagined my daughters gathering around the baby, laughing as they welcomed their new brother.

I had wanted us to become a family.

But the blanket could not erase the lies.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

Rod sat beside me.

"I want you to know that I care about this baby."

"I hope you do."

"And I care about your daughters."

I looked at him.

"Then you need to understand that caring for us means being honest with us."

He rubbed his hands together.

"I don't know how to fix everything."

"Neither do I," I admitted. "But I know that pretending nothing happened will not fix it."

He looked at the blanket.

"I never wanted things to turn out this way."

"Maybe not," I said. "But your choices brought us here."

His eyes filled with regret, or perhaps with the fear of losing the life he had built with me.

I could not know which.

And for the first time, I accepted that I did not need to understand every feeling inside him before I could make decisions for myself.

"I need time, Rod," I told him. "And I need you to respect that."

He nodded slowly.

But I had learned that a nod was not the same as change.

Only his actions could show me whether he understood.

---

The next morning, Aling Nena brought me good news.

Her sister was willing to meet me about the work at the food stall.

"It's only part-time for now," she explained. "But if things go well, perhaps you can work more hours later."

I thanked her repeatedly.

After she left, I sat down and wrote the details in my notebook. I would need to arrange childcare, calculate transportation costs, and make sure the work would not put my pregnancy at risk.

There were still so many things to consider.

I was frightened of failing. I was frightened of having too little money. I was frightened of facing the future without someone beside me.

But beneath those fears, something new had begun to grow.

Confidence.

Not the kind that made me believe I could solve every problem overnight.

The quieter kind that reminded me I could take one step, then another, even when I did not know where the road would lead.

I looked at my children playing together in the next room.

They were laughing over something small, their happiness untouched by the worries filling my mind.

I wanted to protect that laughter.

I wanted to give them a home where they would not have to wonder whether the people they loved were telling the truth.

And I wanted to become a woman who could look at herself in the mirror without feeling that she had abandoned her own worth just to keep a relationship alive.

I picked up my pen and added one final sentence to my notebook.

I cannot control the choices Rod makes, but I can choose the life I build for my children.

I read it twice.

Then I closed the notebook.

I was not ready to walk away that day.

I still needed time, money, and a safe plan. I still carried feelings for the man I had once believed Rod to be.

But I was no longer standing still.

For the first time since discovering his secret, I had taken a step toward a future that belonged to me.

It was small.

It was uncertain.

But it was mine.

And somewhere deep inside, I knew that once a woman began to believe she deserved better, it became harder for her to accept a life built on lies.

My journey toward freedom had begun.

And this time, I would take it one step at a time.

— End of Chapter 6 —