Chapter 99

Chapter 99
Martina entered the living room and saw Susan seated comfortably on the sofa, with Clara and Mitchelle sitting on the soft fur carpet, engrossed in drawing on some sheets placed on the center table.
Martina walked towards them, her eyes scanning the room in search of Luis. She greeted the group. 
"Hello, sorry I'm late. Where is Luis?" Susan turned and responded, 
"Oh Martina, you're back?" 
"Mommy!” Clara stood up and ran towards her mom, hugging her tightly, and said, "Mommy, brother left for school." Martina looked at Susan with a questioning gaze.
"Yes, he left. He said there was a science fair, and he couldn't miss it," Susan explained.
Martina nodded and let go of Clara. She bent over, brushed her palm on Michelle's hair, and asked, 
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, Auntie," Michelle answered softly, then turned back to her drawing.
She sat on the fur carpet with her legs crossed as she drew, but her eyes looked a little sad, though she tried to hide it with a smile.
Martina noticed the sadness in her eyes and asked, 
"Then why are you looking sad?" Michelle smiled and said, 
"It's nothing… Auntie." Martina nodded and stood up. 
"Where is Trey?" she asked Susan.
"He is in the study with Antonio," Susan replied.
"Okay," she said as she made her way toward the stairs, feeling a mix of emotions.
Hurt and anger were at the forefront, but there was also a sense of confusion and disbelief.
‘Why was she feeling this way?’
As she walked, her gaze was drawn to the family portrait hanging on the wall, and memories of her conversation with Trey five days ago flooded her mind.
She had asked him why he wasn't leaving for work, and he had told her that he had scheduled a family photo shoot for them.
At the time, she had thought it was a sweet gesture, but now, with the benefit of hindsight, she couldn't help but feel betrayed.
As she replayed the events of the past week in her mind, she couldn't help but wonder how she had missed the signs that Trey had been acting strangely of late.
He had always been fully dressed, even when they were inside the bedroom, and he wouldn't let her clean his back in the shower.
And then there was yesterday, when they were about to make love, he had flinched when she pushed him onto the bed to ride him.
Martina couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed all the signs earlier.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. 
‘How could Trey keep something so serious from her? They were supposed to be partners, a team. And yet, he had been keeping such secrets from her. That was unacceptable.’ She was fuming with anger and hurt.
However, the mouthwatering, tempting aroma of food that filled the air was making it hard for her to concentrate on her thoughts.
She was so famished that she could eat an entire whale, but she wanted to see Trey first before she thought of food. With that in mind, she climbed up the stairs.
…~…
When Martina got to the study, she casually pushed the door open and was met with Trey sitting on the edge of his desk, bare-chested, with a first aid kit beside him.
Antonio and Diego were standing behind him, with Antonio wearing medical gloves and holding a damp cotton ball.
At the sound of the door swinging open, Trey looked up, and upon seeing Martina, he quickly stood up and said, 
"Jade!? Love," He swiftly rose and approached her, taking her hand and inquired, "Why are you back early?"
But she gazed up at Trey, her eyes narrowing as she asked, 
"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" She looked into Trey's eyes, silently urging him to confide in her, although she already had a sense of what was wrong. 
"I, uh, scratched my back, and Antonio was helping me with it."
Martina nodded, feeling a pang of disappointment. 
‘Was this the first time Trey was keeping something from her?’ She couldn't help but question herself.
“Let me see,” She said, attempting to make a move, but Trey halted her by gently holding her shoulders and reassuring her.
"Jade, it's nothing serious; don't worry." Martina looked up, meeting his gaze, and then struck him on the chest, exclaiming,
"Bastard! What else are you hiding from me?" She hit him again. 
“Jade…” Trey said, holding her hand and cautioning, "Stop, you will hurt your hand."
"I asked you, what else are you hiding from me?" She demanded.
"Jade, I didn't want to cause you unnecessary worry," Trey explained.
"Yes, I'm the foolish one here, always sharing everything with you," Martina said bitterly. 
"You don't fucking tell me everything, Jade. You never mentioned anything about your life after you left. I only found out when Antonio visited. You fucking didn't tell me when you found out the kids were taken. I didn't make a fuss then, and this situation is no different."
Lisa's eyes widened in surprise at his words, and she instinctively took a step backward, taken aback by the intensity of his statement. 
It had been years when Trey had spoken to her with such a tone, and him speaking to her with such a tone now, brought back memories of the time when his words made her feel scared.
When he mistreated her.
"No, no, Jade?” Trey said, passing his hand through his hair, "I didn't mean to raise my voice at you," he said, his voice softening as he reached out to gently encircle Martina's waist with his arms.
He recognized the familiar, unmistakable fear that had once driven Martina away from him in her eyes.
The last time he had seen that fear in her eyes, she had left him for years. 
The thought of her leaving him again and the thought of losing her filled him with a deep sense of dread.
"Let go of me," Martina said, struggling in his arms.
Trey tightened his grip and said,
"No, I won't. I'm sorry. Please, just listen to me first." 
"I said let go of me!" Martina yelled, pushing him hard on the chest.
"Trey, please let her go for now; it's best to give her some space right now. You can talk to her once she's feeling calm. It's important to take care of your wounds first before they open up again," Antonio stated firmly as he approached them.
"No, I need both of you to leave us alone," Trey asserted.
"But boss, your wounds need to be treated first," Diego persisted.
Trey, feeling annoyed by Diego's statement, raised his voice, and angrily growled, 
"Get out!!" 
After Antonio and Diego left, Trey looked down at Martina and let out a deep sigh.
"Jade, I'm sorry. I'm just upset with myself. I didn't mean to lose my temper,"
Martina didn't say anything.
She struggled in Trey's arms, and he loosened his grip on her. 
She freed herself from Trey's embrace and went to stand behind him and check on his wounds. Then she turned and walked into the bathroom in the study to wash her hands.
When she returned from the bathroom, she calmly retrieved two gloves from the first aid kit and pulled them on. 
Trey silently made his way to the desk and perched on the edge, his expression unreadable.
Martina carefully cleaned the wounds with antiseptic and applied a thin coat of antibiotic ointment to promote healing and minimize scarring. 
She then carefully covered the injuries with gauze, securing it in place with delicate paper tape.
After disposing of her gloves in the nearby trash can, she neatly arranged the supplies back in the first aid box and locked it.
However, as she turned to leave the study, Trey reached out and gently grasped her arm, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"Jade..." he began, his voice hesitant.
"What is it?" she inquired, her tone guarded.
"Jade, I, um... there's something I need to tell you. l kille…" Trey started to speak, wanting to confess about Lucas, but Martina cut him off.
"I don't want to hear anything from you. I'm hungry. I'm going downstairs to eat," she declared, attempting to free herself from his grip. 
"Alright, I haven't eaten either. Let's go to the bedroom, and I'll have the staff bring us some food there," Trey proposed. 
Martina let out a weary sigh and nodded, her furrowed brow revealing her inner turmoil.
She couldn't fathom the conflicting emotions bubbling up within her when she should be solely focused on Trey's well-being. 
Her emotions had been in disarray since yesterday, leaving her feeling utterly perplexed by her unexpected surge of emotions.
"Trey, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I was worried when I found out you got hurt but didn't tell me. But I'm mad and feeling hurt somehow. I felt betrayed, and I began to question myself. Was this the first time you've hidden something from me? I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I hate you, and I love you, and I need a break from you, and..."
Martina poured out her conflicting emotions, but before she could finish, Trey lowered his head and kissed her, silencing her.
"You're tired. You've been busy with everyone throughout the week. Let's go inside; I will feed you, and then you can rest. We'll talk after you wake up, okay?" Trey spoke gently after breaking the kiss, and Martina, feeling a sense of relief, nodded in agreement as they made their way to their bedroom.