Cheating On You

lll

"Who are you talking to?" My body went numb the second I heard his voice behind me. I forced myself to act calm as I turned to face him, holding up my phone to show the caller ID.

"Just my friend Kierra," I said, thank God I was ready for this. But I had no idea how long he’d been standing there so I can't calm down.

He stared at me intently. "And why exactly are you 'making it up to her’?"

"I couldn’t invite her to the wedding, you know our moms didn’t let us have any friends there," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

"Fine then," he said, turning his back on me. "Hurry up we’ve still got a lot to sort out."

I quickly ended the call with Kenji and went inside. We had two maids and a driver staying with us. The house wasn’t huge, four bedrooms plus one for the staff, two stories, and it has a really simple in style. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed all the plants around the place.

"Ma’am, you’ll be eating lunch alone," one of the maids said. "Sir Elijah left he said he’s going to the office."

"Is that so? Don’t worry about making anything for me. I’ll be heading out soon too." I gave her a quick smile and went to our bedroom. Even the master bedroom’s decor and furniture were pretty plain. I found myself wondering who’d picked everything out, if it had been my mom, the place would be full of all sorts of fancy stuff.

I didn’t waste any time getting dressed to meet Kenji. We’d decided to meet at our house. Yes, Kenji and I had built a house together a while back, planning to move in as soon as we got married.

"Love?" I called out as I walked in. "Kenji?"

"Adda!" He came running down the stairs and pulled me into a tight hug. He was in a simple blue shirt and red shorts they looked perfect against his fair skin.

We held each other close, and he kissed my forehead. "I missed you, Ken," I mumbled, burying my face in his neck. "I’m so sorry…" I finally let myself cry in his arms.

"Sshhh, it’s okay. I’m right here." He stroked my hair gently and led me to the couch. "How are you? How was your… honeymoon?"

I pulled back to wipe my tears. "I hate him, Ken. I really do."

"What happened?" He brushed his thumb over my cheek.

"He’s a total jerk. So controlling and dominant, and he doesn’t care about anyone else. He’s just… mean."

"Did he hurt you?" I went quiet. Did he? Could I even call it assault if my body liked what he did? I know I didn’t want it, but I couldn’t stop myself when he did what he wanted.

"N-no…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He pulled me into another tight hug.

"Have you eaten lunch yet?" He stood up and headed for the kitchen.

"Not yet."

"Rest for a bit, I’ll make you something to eat. Maybe you want to check on Nala? She’s in the catio, playing around."

"Yeah, later." I sat down and watched him move around the kitchen. This was why I could never cook for that devil. Kenji never let me. He’d let me wash dishes or give him a massage afterward, but he was always the one in charge of cooking. He said he loved watching me enjoy the food he made.

[From: Elijah

I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.]

"Good. Like I even want to see him," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Hahaha, sounds like you’re really annoyed with him, huh?"

"You have no idea. I want to punch him so bad I just don’t have the guts to do it."

"Come on, let’s eat. You’re way too worked up," he laughed. We ate together and I spent the whole afternoon with him. For a little while, at least, I could breathe again.

We lay in bed with Nala, our cat, curled up between us. "Oh by the way, don’t you have work today? You’ve been here all day, haven’t you?"

"I asked my supervisor for time off. Told them I needed a break."

I nodded. "So you’ve been sleeping here all alone…" Another tear slipped down my cheek. I couldn’t help getting emotional with everything that was happening.

"Hey, stop that, it’s fine. Whenever you need a place to come home to, this is always yours." He smiled at me.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course not. I watched the woman I’ve dreamed of marrying say her vows to someone else. How could I be okay?" He tried to hide his sadness with a smile, but his eyes gave him away.

"Don’t you ever think it would be easier to just leave me? You’re lowering yourself just to be with me, Ken. You don’t deserve this."

"I don’t care about any of that. As long as I’m with you as long as we’re okay, that’s all that matters."

I hugged him tight. "I’ll do everything I can to fix this. I’ll make up for all the mistakes I’ve made. I’ll fight for us, Ken I promise."

We watched a zombie movie before I left. I had such a good time, and for once, I felt a little lighter. I headed straight to my parents’ house next. My mom called me over.

"Mom? I’m here." I set my bag down in the living room and went to the kitchen. "What are you cooking?"

"Hi, baby girl! How’s my baby doing?" she greeted me cheerfully.

"I’m okay," I said, forcing a smile.

"Okay? You should be happy! You just got back from your honeymoon. You’re officially Mrs. Adda Rosario Quirino now!" She was beaming like I just won a trophy for the country.

I sighed. "Why are you making so much food?"

"Oh, we invited your husband too, sweetheart! We’re having our first family dinner to welcome him into the family."

"How kind of you," I said under my breath. "Meanwhile, when it comes to Kenji, you treat him like he’s a stray dog."

"What was that?"

"Nothing—I just said I need to learn how to cook so I can make him meals."

"Good thing you thought of that! I signed you up for cooking classes, Adda. You'll start next week." I just stared at her, speechless.

"Wow, you’re so concerned about your daughter," I said sarcastically.

I left her in the kitchen and rolled my eyes the second I turned around. Kenji gets treated like dirt, but Elijah’s practically a God to them? So infuriating.

I went to my old bedroom and stepped out onto the veranda. I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my bag and lit one, blowing out smoke as I thought of everything. I needed to get Elijah to stop treating me like this. I couldn’t keep letting him walk all over me.

An hour passed, and I was still smoking when a black car pulled into the driveway. The window was rolled down, so I could see it was Elijah behind the wheel. I watched him get out. He was wearing a green polo shirt that clung to his body, paired with brown pants and a black belt. He looked sharp. His eyes drifted up to me, and his brow furrowed when he saw the cigarette in my hand. I flicked off the ash, held his gaze, and took a slow drag before blowing smoke into the air.

It’s time to show you a side of me I kept hidden because of Kenji.