The Secret Lover that I Hate

Chapter 6: A Woman Like Her

Jaokha

"Don't think you can stay here as my wife, because a woman like you is nothing but shameless trash!" A voice full of hatred spoke up on the first day I moved into his house.

"....." I could only bow my head silently because I didn't know how to respond. I didn't understand what I had done to make him hate me, even though he was the one who caused all of this.

"And if you want to keep staying here, you... must not show yourself as anything to me. You have no rights over me, not even a single matter of mine, and I have every right over you. Whatever I order, you must do!" His commanding voice continued relentlessly.

"Yes, sir," I could only comply with what he ordered because I didn't want to reveal myself to anyone either.

"And don't expect a wedding from me. Just letting you stay here is already generous enough!" With that, he walked out of my room.

Yes, it's my room because I have to sleep alone in the guest room, not sharing with him. But that's actually a relief, given how much he seems to hate me. If I stayed with him, I would probably have to endure his harsh words every night before bed.

There were many other things he said to me, including the pregnancy, which he still didn't believe was his, and he planned to do a DNA test as soon as the baby was born. Initially, he wanted to test now, but his mother asked him to wait until the birth. I could only listen silently to his orders.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I asked Aunt Sa-ang, the housekeeper of Phetai's house, after coming downstairs.

"No, there isn't. You should go outside; it's hot in here," Aunt Sa-ang said with a smile.

"Okay," I replied, feeling bored before walking out of the kitchen.

How could I not be bored? Since I moved here, there was nothing to do except walk around and sit or lie down. But don't think it's a blessing, because it doesn't make me happy at all. It only makes me more miserable, as there is always someone to mock me almost every day when he comes home.

I didn't come here as his wife; I'm practically just a tenant. Whenever he comes home and sees me sitting or not doing anything, he always says something mean, even though I've tried to help with the housework. Even though others don't let me do anything, he still accuses me of being useless and worthless. Moreover, living with him is not easy at all because he never listens to anything I say.

"Hooray, we're here!" a boy's voice came from the front of the house, surprising me and prompting me to see who it was.

"Pha Phuean, don't run, dear," a voice called out, making me realize who it was.

"Pha Phuean, you're being naughty!" a girl's voice chimed in just as I reached the front of the house.

"Who is it, Grandma?" a boy's voice asked.

"This is Aunt Jaokha, Uncle Pe's beloved..."

"And Jaokha, these are Pha Phuean and Pha Phang, Phet Thai's children," Mom introduced us to each other.

"Hello, kids," I greeted them.

"Hello, Aunt Jaokha," Pha Phang greeted me with a smile.

"Hello, Aunt Jaokha. You're cute," Pha Phuean greeted and complimented me, making me smile.

"Pha Phuean is the older twin, and Pha Phang is the younger one..." Mom explained further that Pha Phuean, the boy, is the older twin, and Pha Phang, the girl, is the younger.

"This grandchild is such a flirt," Mom said affectionately, and both of them seemed to be around four years old.

"Aunt Jaokha, do you have a baby?" Pha Phang asked, making me smile.

"Yes, dear," my belly is starting to show more and more. If I don't wear very large clothes, it's noticeable. But I didn't think little Pha Phang would notice, being so young.

"Pha Phuean is going to have a sibling, yay!" Pha Phuean exclaimed and jumped with joy, making me smile along. It seems Pha Phuean is more playful than Pha Phang.

"Jaokha, do you know that Pha Phuean is the older twin not because he was born before Pha Phang?" Mom said, as if reading my thoughts.

"Then why is Pha Phuean the older one?" Normally, the one born first is the older one.

"Their parents wanted a boy to be the older sibling, so they decided that even though the sister was born first, they would consider the brother as the older sibling," said the mother. No wonder it seems more plausible for Paphang to be the older one, but Petchthai's idea is quite cute. The brother letting the sister be born first—would you call that a whimsical idea?

***

Several months later...

Now in my seventh month of pregnancy, my belly is noticeably large, causing back and leg pain, and my weight continues to increase.

As for my relationship with Phetai, saying it's unchanged would be too generous. It's not the same; it's worse. Since I moved here, as I mentioned, I only have the right to go out when necessary, which is for prenatal checkups.

And he has never taken me even once. He never asks me anything about myself or the baby. Lately, he rarely comes home, as he stays at his private condo. When he does come back, he acts as if I'm just thin air, invisible to him. He doesn't even bother to look at me, choosing to ignore me every time, but when he does speak, his words are so piercing that I can't forget them.

"I'm back!" came Papeuan's voice, followed by his appearance.

Papeuan and Paphang have been my source of happiness, keeping loneliness at bay. My relationship with them is very good; we're very close, especially Papeuan. When Petchthai and Kanploo are busy, the two little ones stay here. The older siblings are helping their father abroad, so I have these two as my companions.

"How was your day? Was school tiring?" I asked as I went to greet the kids.

"No, it was fun," Papeuan replied cheerfully.

"Papeuan fell off the swing today, Auntie Jaokha," Paphang reported.

"Really? Are you hurt? Let Auntie Jaokha have a look," I said as I checked Papeuan.

"I'm fine. I'm very strong," Papeuan said, flexing his muscles for me.

"Be careful next time, okay? Auntie is worried."

"Okay..."

"Did the baby kick today?" Papeuan asked, placing his hand on my belly. I had let them feel my belly since the fifth month when the baby started moving slightly. They were very fascinated and enjoyed placing their hands on my belly often.

"How is it? Did it kick?" I asked with a smile.

"The baby kicked my hand!" Papeuan laughed with delight.

"Let me try," said Pha Phang, and then she did the same, both of them laughing happily.

"I'll go get some snacks for you. Today, I made a new cake recipe," I said, as they were fond of my cooking and baking skills and often asked me to make things for them. I enjoyed it too, as it gave me something to do.

"Yay! Auntie Jaokha is the best!" Papeuan exclaimed joyfully.

"Okay, I'll go get it for you," I said. Even though my belly was large and walking was difficult, I wanted to move around because my mother said it would make childbirth easier than just sitting or lying down. It was also a form of exercise.

"Okay!" they both said in unison, making me smile before I got up to prepare snacks for the kids.

Today, Mother wasn't home because she went to visit Father abroad for about four or five days. So, apart from the staff, it was just me and the two little ones. I volunteered to handle their school duties, which I often helped Mother with anyway, as their parents weren't around much (but the driver took them to school, not me).

I quickly brought the snacks to the kids in the playroom and sat with them.

"Auntie Jaokha's cake is the yummiest!" Papeun said.

"Really? I'm so glad you both like it," I said, patting Papeun's head affectionately before speaking.

"Auntie Jaokha..."