My Husband is a Stranger! (English Version)

Chapter Twelve: Dilemma

Lyndsay’s body suddenly trembled. It had been a long time since she last saw Marcus. The last time she had seen her ex-boyfriend was the day they ended their one-year relationship. Short maybe… but enough to melt her heart in pain.

Marcus was a huge mistake. If only she could turn back time, she wished she had never accepted him when he was still courting her. She was only eighteen years old when they became a couple.

During their relationship, she truly felt respected by him as a woman. In fact, he never forced her to do anything intimate. Usually, they only shared kisses and hugs… and on that one occasion when she felt that something “possible” might happen, he still did not pressure her.

But even so, from then on, she felt that there was something lacking in her.

Well… was it wrong to protect her purity?

She was still very young at that time. All she wanted was for him to wait until she graduated from college before they settled down and got married.

But why did he cheat on her?

Why did he juggle two women at once?

Was refusing to have s*x enough reason to be replaced?

Maybe in today’s generation, it is no longer a big issue.

And what she could not understand about herself was why she had never been able to fully give herself to Marcus, her boyfriend back then… yet now, with Tristan — a man she barely even knew — she gave in so easily.

In short, she gave away her innocence to a stranger.

And that was why she was here now… trying to fix everything. She married Tristan even though she had no idea where their relationship would lead. She wanted to start a new life, especially for the sake of the child.

And just when she had finally begun focusing on the life she entered into, fate decided to make Marcus her brother-in-law.

Life was truly ridiculous.

Sometimes… all you could do was wonder what kind of destiny was waiting for you.

Lyndsay knew everything between them was over, and now they both had spouses of their own, but it still felt awkward.

She really was not comfortable being in the same place as her former lover, especially since their breakup had not ended well.

“Ah, hija… how are you? Please feel at ease in this house. Feel free, okay? If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We are one family now…” Loisa suddenly spoke from behind her, startling Lyndsay.

At the moment, Tristan was still inside his grandfather’s room.

It seemed the two of them had gotten deeply absorbed in conversation. Lyndsay wanted to follow him inside, but she felt hesitant since she was still new to the mansion.

That was when Loisa noticed that Lyndsay had been staring at the large family portrait hanging on the wall.

“Oh… you’re probably wondering who the other man in the portrait is, aren’t you? He is my youngest son, Marcus Gabriel. He’s not here right now because he’s attending a business meeting in Batangas at our sugar plantation, but he’ll probably be here tomorrow or the day after. His wife and child are with him too. Oh dear, that family is always together. They really can’t be separated,” the older woman said with a soft laugh.

“You know, Vanessa — Marcus’s wife — is very clingy! She never wants to leave his side and insists on accompanying him everywhere. Tsk, tsk… she’s just so jealous. Well, I can’t really blame her, but still… sometimes we need to do things alone, right?

That’s why they often end up arguing,” the woman continued at length, clearly worried. She did not even realize she had already shared so much despite only meeting Lyndsay today.

Lyndsay secretly smiled to herself.

It seemed she and her “mother-in-law” would get along well.

Ironically, even without looking for gossip, she had already heard some.

So Vanessa was strict and possessive when it came to her husband — the same woman who stole the first man Lyndsay had ever loved.

She could not explain it, but somehow she felt a strange sense of revenge against her former boyfriend.

After all, she knew Marcus well. It was never his personality to constantly have someone following him around, especially during work.

Marcus had once mentioned that they owned a house in Quezon, but she had never met his family because they broke up before their relationship became serious enough for that.

Who would have thought that the man she would eventually marry was actually Marcus’s brother?

She simply smiled at the older woman after noticing that Loisa had been staring at her for quite some time now.

Perhaps the woman had been waiting for her reaction.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry for talking so much about my youngest son and his wife. I know I probably shouldn’t have said all that. Forgive me, I’m just too talkative,” Loisa said with an embarrassed laugh after realizing she might have overshared Marcus and Vanessa.

“It’s okay …”

“Mama… call me Mama,” the woman added warmly.

“Okay, Mama… m-mama,” Lyndsay replied sweetly while gently holding the older woman’s hand.

“Oh my, hija… you know what? I feel like we’ll get along very well. I don’t really have anyone to talk to around here aside from Papa. And now, I finally have another daughter.”

Suddenly, Lyndsay felt a soft warmth touch her heart.

It had been such a long time since she had called someone “Mommy.” Ever since her mother Linda passed away, she had never had another mother figure in her life.

It felt comforting.

The thought of having someone she could call “Mama” again felt wonderful.

She only hoped Marcus and his family would not return to the mansion yet. She is not yet ready to live under the same roof with her ex-boyfriend.

She was also unsure whether she should tell Tristan about their past.

But Tristan was the father of her child… and now her husband too.

So perhaps… he deserved to know.

What a dilemma.

She no longer had feelings for Marcus — she knew that much of herself. But the pain he caused still remained in her heart.

That was why Lyndsay was confused about whether she should tell Tristan or simply keep their past a secret, since it had nothing to do now.

If possible, she did not want to add more worries to her husband’s mind.

Don Manuel was ill, and she wanted Tristan to focus on him first.

“Hays… what is wrong with me? The way I’m thinking right now, it’s as if I’m already acting like a real wife who genuinely cares,” she thought to herself. She suddenly felt quite nervous — as though she was beginning to develop real concern for the husband she only married on paper.