Chapter 100

Chapter 100
"Together Again"

It had been two weeks since I agreed to Dr. Rafael Morrow's proposal. That was to accompany him on his search for Catherine Regner. And alone in the pink room, I had already prepared my traveling bags, because today was our departure day.
I knew Carlo was upset by my decision, but I felt that something had to be done to put an end to all that had happened in my life and with Rafael. His voice kept ringing in my head. Monica, you're only postponing your misery and dread. If I were you, I would tell the doctor right away. Don't let him go exploring and spending money in pursuit of you.
All of the protracted doubt and worry ended by simply telling Rafael that I am Catherine.
But there was some type of fear I wasn't ready to face, and I was terrified to confess the truth, even if my mind and heart convinced me to be honest.
I only needed a trolley bag and a backpack for this quest from the past. The uncertainty and fear of being with Rafael was both overwhelming and exciting. Carlo, on the other hand, perplexed me.
Carlo didn't say anything to me when I told him I promised Rafael I'd help him find me. He rarely returned home.
And Rafael summoned one of his distant relatives to take Rafael Juinor. He would not allow his wife to touch the child again.
Rafael had a strained relationship with his wife. According to what I've heard, Madam Mea was always drunk and ended up fighting with her husband, damaging things and cursing. The devil in her had grown madly.
As I reflected on it, I couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was now suffering as a result of the evil she had committed a long time ago. As the phrase goes, karma is real. What you sow is what you will reap.
"So, you're finished packing?" Carlo's hushed, mournful voice could be heard behind him. He was standing at the door, staring at my belongings. His face flushed once again.
"You're drinking again," I moaned as I stuffed my make-up mini kit into my sling bag. "Can't you just be sober when you talk to me, Carlo? I've noticed that you're establishing a drinking habit on your own."
"Is it bothering you?" He gave a forced smile.
"A lot. It worries me a lot, Carlo, since this isn't you anymore," I grumbled. "You never drank before, but you appear to be enjoying it now."
"I didn't drink to have fun, Monica. I get drunk to relieve the gnawing anguish that is killing me." He grumbled and pushed his body into my bed. "How I wish I could lie in this bed with you."
I sensed something was wrong in his thinking that made me afraid of him. I had a feeling something wasn't quite right with him. He got profane in a way I had never seen before.
"How I wish I could make love to you in this bed," he said as he turned to face me. "Why can't I have you?" He gave me a malicious look.
My stomach churned as a result of his attention, and I proceeded to take my bags outside the room.
"And now you're terrified of me, Monica," he added. "What caused this to happen?"
Carrying my things, I moved quickly down the living room. Fears had overtaken the trust I had previously felt for Carlo. When I walked down the hall to the living room, I almost tripped and fell on the floor.
"And now you're avoiding me. Are you terrified of me, Monica?" He followed me downstairs, continuing his rant, "Where was the Monica I'd met before? Where was the bold girl who pledged vengeance and vowed to reclaim her son? Monica, who was both attractive and enticing, was nowhere to be found. I couldn't hear her any longer. "
"Calm down, Carlo. You're making me nervous. "
"Monica didn't know what nervous was," he said as he came to a standstill a few meters away from me, and continued, "She wasn't afraid to die, and she was the most bold, free-spirited woman I had ever encountered."
"I'm sorry if I made you dislike me in that way, but...
"I don't despise you, Monica. I was dissatisfied with your shift in demeanor when it came to the doctor. Why was he so powerful over you?" He grimaced but altered his countenance to address his own query and hissed, "Oh, I forgot, he is the love of your life. And anything he wants from you, he can simply acquire since you are a puppet for him, "he said as he took a step closer to me.
"You've never done the right thing for yourself, Monica. And with that, you will experience the repercussions of your bad decisions. " He took another step forward.
"Stop it, Carlo," I had to say as I took a step back.
"Why are you putting a stop to me? You don't want to hear about your flaws? " He grimaced.
"I don't want to see you alter that drastically, Carlo." You used to support me. What has happened to you now? "
"Ask yourself, Monica, you did this to me. You changed my point of view in life by focusing on you. But what happened? Now that I can’t think of other things except you, you pushed me away." His eyes turned pleading, "Can’t you see what you’ve done to me? I am madly in love with you, but you dumped me. And it hurts. "
"I’m sorry, Carlo. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You know from the very start that my focus is only on my son... and..."
He cut me off, "You lied to me!"
"No, Carlo, I didn’t lie to you."
"Yes, you lied to me many times, and I was a fool to believe that someday you would be mine. But it will never happen because, until now, I know you still love that doctor. "
In his anger, he can’t even speak the name of Rafael. And it was dangerous to see him like an uncontrollable animal, just released from his leash. His eyes were red, not from the alcohol but maybe from tears. He was fierce. And I had never seen him like this before. He let out all his sorrow and pain, and I felt danger coming.
"I didn’t lie to you, Carlo! I told you how much I love him, and you didn’t listen. Instead, you offered me comfort and safety by marrying me. And now, you change your mind. That is what happened. I haven’t changed, but you are! " I yelled at him.
"I want a piece from you, Monica!" He retorted and grasped my hands.
"Oh, please, Carlo. Don’t do this to me, "I begged.
"You made me a fool. You didn’t try to forget him, not a bit, " He pulled me into his chest and he hissed. His breathing with alcohol touched my nostrils, and he was so strong that I couldn’t unhook myself from him.
"Carlo, please, let’s talk about your problem in a decent way," I begged.
"I’ve talked with you many times. But you have a stone heart and can't share a single thought with me. And I was such a fool for waiting for the time to come. When can you see me as important as the doctor? And I’ve done waiting. "He tightened his grip on me.
Fear wrapped me and made me immobile. He was adamantly focused on his grief and sulking. And he was more than aggressive; he more likely became possessive.
"I need you, Monica, and you have to grasp what I'm saying now." He grabbed me tight, and I fought to loosen his grip, but he was powerful, like a steel man. And he started kissing me fiercely. He stroked his unshaven chin and mouth against my neck and into my lips. He was violently kissing me and tormenting me with his tightened hold.
"Carlo, please let go of me," I pleaded. "You can't do this to me, Carlo! "
"I can because I am your husband and you are my wife." And that means I can do whatever I want with you, "he kissed me again.
"No, Carlo!" I yelled, crying and struggling. Please, please, please! "
But he didn't listen to my plea; instead, he shoved me down to the floor and viciously tore my shirt. He was trying to rape me.
I kicked him, but he moved too quickly to punch my lap, causing me to groan in pain.
Carlo continued to harass me until he was struck with a kick and stumbled away from me on the floor.
It was Rafael who kicked him and yelled, "Are you assaulting your wife?"
Carlo’s face became pale from Rafael’s sudden intervention. He didn’t expect him to come at that very hour. But he pulled his last card.
"She is my wife, and I can do anything to her!" He barked.
Rafael retorted, "No. You have no right to force your wife to do something she despises! And stop this violent act before I call a cop, Carlo! "
Carlo froze, as if he had been awakened from a nightmare. He knew that Rafael was not bluffing. In fact, he was holding his cell phone ready to call the cops.
"Look at your wife. She bleeds on her lips. What had you done to her? You’re acting like you're out of your mind, Carlo. What happened to you? "
I covered my breasts with my torn shirt, and it made Rafael angry.
"Carlo, was this how you treated your wife? You are abusing her rights as a woman. And that makes you answerable to the law." He was scolding him.
Carlo rose to his feet, but didn’t show any regret for what he had done to me. Instead, he hissed at us.
"Both of you go to hell," then he ran to the door and out of the house and slammed the door on our face.
We were silent for a few minutes before Rafael picked me up from the floor and laid me down on the living room couch.
"What happened here?" His voice was husky and angry, and he groaned, "Let’s go to a doctor and file a complaint."
I distanced myself from Rafael. "No, please, this is a couple’s conflict. Don’t let it flare into more complications. I don’t want you to get involved with us. "
"Why was he raping you?" His concern was visible.
"Maybe I should not go with you to the island, because...
He cut me off, "Everything had been arranged." And I need to go to that island and see Catherine. "
Tears were racing down my cheeks. I can’t cancel our trip. That means he will discover my secret soon.
Why can’t I just tell him now? If only I had the guts to tell him.
"I don’t like what I saw," he said gravely. "Why was he raping you?"
"No, he was not," I said defensively.
"As I saw a while ago, you were screaming and he was tearing your shirts, which means he was trying to rape you, and don't try to mellow the scene I just witnessed," he snorted. His voice was ominous. "And you are crying. How would you explain that? Did you really understand what was going on between the two of you? "
"I do. We had some disagreements, and...
"What kind of disagreement?" He asked.
I cleared my throat to conceal my anxiety. That was the most stressful moment of my life, involving two important men in my life.
"He was against my coming with you to Jiao Island," I finally said.
Rafael didn’t respond right away. He did some deep thinking before he said, "But he can’t stop us from going, right?"
"Maybe we should postpone this trip," I suggested.
"As I had said, all is ready for this trip. We need to get to that island and look for Catherine. Is that clear? "And after that, you can freely come back to your jealous husband. " His voice had a threatening tone.
I sighed and said, "Okay. But I can’t guarantee you that you will see Catherine on the island. "
"I must see her. And you couldn’t separate yourself from me until I found her. "
I was taken aback by his statement.
Maybe I should tell him now that I am Catherine. Or maybe invent another lie.
Rafael then said, "We are running out of time." Our flight is waiting. Change your clothes and leave a message for your husband. Tell your husband that I will never touch you." He snorted and added, "I’ll be waiting at the car." He grabbed my bags and went outside the house.
Oh God, what will happen on the island?