Chapter 62: CHAPTER 61

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Lilith’s child. It felt like a knife piercing my heart, watching that little girl bury her face in Manang Hilda’s shoulder, her entire body trembling with sheer terror. She wept silently, her wide, panicked eyes locked onto her mother, who was currently locked in a fierce confrontation.

“Mommy!” Amethyst let out a sharp, shattered cry, a sound heavy with trauma and desperation.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Before everything completely collapsed and before the two women resorted to physical violence, I tightly gripped Isabel’s arm and yanked her away from the scene.

“Let go of me, Aeros! I said let go of me!” she shrieked, struggling against my grip. She pounded her free hand against my chest, desperately trying to break away.

“Stop it, Isabel! That’s enough!” my voice thundered, unleashing the anger I had been suppressing all this time.

Before she could create an even bigger scene in front of the crowd, I suddenly scooped her up and carried her out of the building. Ignoring the staring onlookers, I shoved her into the car, slammed the door shut, and immediately locked the entire vehicle.

“Let me out of here! Aeros, open this door!” She faced the window and furiously hammered against the glass. Her face was flushed crimson, the veins on her neck bulging from the strain. I started the engine right away, flooring the gas pedal to pull us away so she could no longer escape the situation.

“Damn it! You bastard, Aeros!” she screamed in pure rage, punching the dashboard repeatedly. I let her throw her tantrum, letting her vent all her fury inside the deafening confinement of the car, hoping her anger would eventually burn itself out. But her entire system was in chaotic disarray; she was shaking with intense hatred.

“Aeros, if you don’t stop this car and let me out, I’ll jump! I’ll kill myself!” she threatened, her trembling, sweaty hand already gripping the door handle.

My brows furrowed deeply, and my grip on the steering wheel tightened to a white-knuckle hold. “Fine, jump! But remember this, Isabel: if anything happens to our child because of your madness, we are done. I will never forgive you for the rest of my life!”

She froze. The cold, lethal edge in my voice hit her like a physical slap. “Lilith really matters more to you…” she whispered, her fierce facade completely crumbling. Her rage was suddenly replaced by a torrent of tears cascading down her cheeks. “She matters more to you than your own wife and child.”

“You are the one who matters to me!” I forced my voice to calm down, even though my own chest felt like it was exploding from exhaustion and pain. “I am thinking about you, Isabel! That’s exactly why I dragged you away from her because I don’t want to see you like this! I don’t want the two of you hurting each other!”

“Stop the car…” she commanded, her voice cracked and broken as she squeezed her eyes shut.

I exhaled a long, heavy breath, feeling a suffocating weight press down on my heart. “Okay. If that’s what you want.” I pulled over to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching harshly against the asphalt. “Go ahead. Leave.”

She suddenly fell silent, seemingly caught off guard by how easily I was letting her go. She immediately threw the door open and hurried outside. But I couldn't just abandon her. I waited until she managed to flag down and board a taxi before I slowly trailed the vehicle from a safe distance, keeping a watchful eye on her until we finally reached the house.

The moment she stepped through the front door, she violently flung her bag onto the sofa. She whirled around to face me, her entire face flushed, every corner of her cheeks drenched in tears.

“Why didn't you defend me earlier?! I am your wife, Aeros! But you let me look like a piece of trash in front of that woman! You stopped me… I didn’t even get to pay her back for everything she did to me!”

“If I hadn't pulled you away from there, Isabel, do you really think your anger would have led to anything good?” I took a step toward her, straining to use every ounce of my remaining patience to make her understand. “Something terrible could have happened to you… and to the baby you’re carrying. Is that what you wanted?”

She glared at me with intense malice and accusation, her eyes burning right through me. “I don’t believe you! Just admit it, you didn’t want your precious woman getting hurt! You didn’t want Lilith to get a scratch because up until now, you’re still in love with her! She’s still the one occupying that heart of yours, isn't she?!” She broke down into heavy sobs, her knees completely giving out as she collapsed onto the edge of the sofa, suffocated by consuming jealousy.

“Okay. Fine. Say whatever you want to say. Curse me if you wish. But I’m not going to argue with you.”

“And why is that? Because I’m telling the truth?! You can’t argue back because I hit a nerve?!”

“Because even if I were to kneel in front of you and swear that I no longer care about her, you still wouldn't believe me,” I said, my tone serious and cold, profoundly exhausted by the endless suspicion that was slowly killing us. “So, what’s the point? What good does it do to explain myself when your mind is already closed?”

“I just want to hear it from you… I just want to be sure that I’m the one you love…” she sobbed in confession, clutching her chest as if she was struggling to breathe.

“Okay, you want the truth? Who was the one who insisted on coming down to this province for a vacation? Wasn't it you?” I knelt in front of her, staring straight into her tear-filled eyes. “At first, I wondered why you were so desperate to come here when we don't have any relatives or acquaintances in the area. But the moment I saw Lilith… that was when the pieces finally fell into place. You knew they were here, Isabel. That’s why you forced me to come. For what? To torture yourself? To rub it in my face that she already has a family and that there's no hope left for us?”

She averted her gaze, unable to answer, while quickly and harshly wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I didn't know they lived here…” she defended weakly, her voice trembling from a lack of conviction.

“Let’s stop playing games, Isabel. I know you. You knew they were here because you’ve been monitoring Lilith’s every move,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face reality. “You wanted to test if I still felt something for her. You wanted to see if I would lose my mind or run back to her the moment our paths crossed again. That’s the truth, isn't it? But you don't have to worry… because there isn't a single shred of love left for her in my heart. Exhaustion has consumed it all.”

Gradually, the anger and suspicion faded from Isabel’s face, replaced by shock and a thin ray of hope. “Is what you’re saying true, Aeros? You don't love her anymore? Not even a little?”

I nodded. Slowly, I lifted my hand and cupped her trembling cheek, brushing away the remnants of her tears with my thumb. “Isabel, wasn't it enough that I helped you bring her business down? If I still loved her, do you honestly think I would do that to her? Do you think I would ruin her life just for you?”

She fell silent. She bowed her head, finally waking up to the immense sacrifice and proof I had given her. “Okay… I believe you now. I’m sorry… I’m sorry I let my anger and jealousy get the best of me. I’m just so afraid of losing you.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the last of the suffocating weight lift from my chest. “There's no reason for us to stay in this place anymore. Pack your things. Let’s go back to Manila, and we’ll raise our child there in peace, far away from any trouble.”

“But… I like it here,” she pouted slightly, though the malice was entirely gone from her voice.

“If our baby’s safety matters to you, you will listen to me, Isabel,” I pleaded, softening my voice as I gently stroked her disheveled hair. “We are leaving for your peace of mind. If we stay here, you’ll only be constantly stressed and angry. I don’t want your pregnancy to be affected, and I don’t want my child to be put at risk.”

She took a deep breath and nodded slowly, her stubborn resolve finally yielding. “Okay. Maybe it really is best that we leave this place.”

I let out a sigh of gratitude and relief before pulling her into a tight, fierce embrace. I poured all the terror and anxiety I felt earlier when I thought she would jump out of the car into that single hug. “Do you want me to cook your favorite meal?” I whispered, burying my face in the crook of her neck.

I felt her give a gentle nod against my chest. “Yes, please?” Isabel replied softly, the ice in her heart completely thawed.

A genuine smile broke across my lips. In a sudden movement, I scooped her up into a bridal carry.

“Ah! Aeros! Put me down!” she squealed. She was startled, but a hint of a light laugh danced in her voice as she quickly wrapped her arms around my neck.

My smile widened, finally seeing the spark of life return to her eyes. “Don't squirm, or I might drop you,” I teased as I walked toward the kitchen, deliberately slowing my steps so she could feel my hold on her.

“Just be careful, don't squish the baby,” Isabel reminded me, burying her face into my neck, holding onto me tightly with newfound trust.

I gently laid her down on the bed, forcing every movement to be tender even as my mind fought against it. Afterward, I stepped out of the room to cook, hoping I could escape the strange heaviness weighing on my chest. But I had only taken three steps when her voice shattered the silence.

“Aeros!”

I froze. I turned around with a forced smile. “Why?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she stood up and slowly approached me, her eyes probing mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down while staring at me with sheer pleading. “I want you,” she whispered, before sealing it with a passionate kiss.

I closed my eyes. I responded to her lips, but the moment I shut my eyes, a face violently forced its way into my mind—Lilith. My chest felt like it was about to burst with guilt and confusion. Why was it that every time my lips touched Isabel’s, it was the ghost of the past that I yearned for?

When I felt her hand boldly crawling downward, sliding inside my briefs, I felt as if I had been burned. I stopped immediately and pushed her away, gently but firmly.

“Why?” UTter disappointment was etched all over Isabel’s face, mixed with a hurt tremor in her voice.

“We can’t have sex while you're pregnant. It might endanger the baby, it might complicate your pregnancy,” I excused myself, avoiding her gaze.

It was a massive lie. The truth was, I was terrified that in the heat of our intimacy, another name might escape my lips. That I might cry out Lilith’s name.

“Why?” Isabel asked again in bewilderment, her tone gradually shifting to suspicion. “Didn’t your OB-GYN forbid us from sleeping together?”

“But the baby's grip is strong! It won’t affect the baby even if we sleep together, Aeros,” she insisted, stepping back toward me.

I shook my head, hardening my voice to mask my hesitation. “I am not having sex until our child is born.” I turned my back before she could see the guilt in my eyes and finally walked out of the room.

I went straight to the kitchen. My hands trembling, I scooped a glass of cold water and chugged it down, hoping it would cool my burning conscience. As I heavily went through the motions of frying the steak, the sound of my cellphone suddenly broke through the kitchen noise.

“Hello,” I answered sharply, as if venting my frustration through the word.

“Sir, I have important news for you regarding Lilith Falcon,” my secret agent said on the other end of the line. That name alone was enough to make me freeze in my tracks.

“What about her?”

“Miss Lilith Falcon... is a single mom.”

“What?” My world seemed to crumble at those two words. Shock and confusion consumed me.

“The man in the photograph you showed me is the husband of Miss Falcon's best friend. The man has nothing to do with the child.”

My heart hammered against my ribs, like a drumbeat making my entire being anxious. I didn’t know whether to be happy or angry.

“Is what you're saying true?”

“Yes, Sir. But I don't know who the real father of her child is yet. They say Lilith arrived in this place with only her old maid. Even the people here have no idea who the father is... Apparently, many men visit Miss Falcon's house, so they can't pinpoint who it is.”

Many men.

It felt as though my heart was being wrung at what I heard. I gripped my cellphone so tightly it almost crushed, mirroring the shattering of whatever remaining trust was left in my chest.

“Okay, thank you. Just continue investigating her. I’ll just send your payment,” my voice cracked before I harshly hung up the call.

“Fuck! She still hasn’t changed!” I whispered to the air, alongside a single tear of anger that I immediately wiped away. “Even now, she’s still a flirt!”

If I had even a shred of pity left for her earlier, now it was completely swallowed by rage and resentment. Furiously, I continued cooking, channeling my anger into every stab of the fork into the meat.

“Isabel, I need to go back to Manila to take care of my business. I have a lot to do there, so you’ll have to stay behind for now,” I said seriously once we were facing each other at the dining table. My voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

Isabel froze, slowly setting her utensils down. “You’re going to let me stay here? Alone?”

“You don’t want to leave, so I have no choice but to leave you here temporarily.”

“I don’t want to! I won’t go with you, but I’m not done getting revenge on Lilith yet!” The tremor of rage was audible in her voice, and in the intensity of her emotion, she pressed her fork down so hard on the steak it almost dug into the plate.

“In that case, I will leave you here for now. I’m returning to Manila tomorrow. My decision is final.”

“Don’t you feel even a little bit of pity for me, Aeros?” Tears streamed from her eyes—tears I no longer knew were real or just her weapon. “You’re going to leave me all alone when you know very well my pregnancy is delicate?”

“I invited you to come back to Manila with me, Isabel. But you were the one who refused.”

“I don’t want to come because I’m not satisfied with how much I've made Lilith suffer yet! I won’t leave her alone!” Her tears continued to flow, but there was a sharp edge in her eyes. “If you love me, you won’t leave me here. Just let someone else handle whatever important things you have to do there!”

I stared at her for a long time, my mind utterly exhausted. “Do you hear what you're saying, Isabel? We are talking about my business here.”

“Yes! Because I want to be with you! I’ll be lonely, I’ll go crazy if you’re not by my side!” she pleaded, grabbing my hand across the table.

I took a deep breath, forcing my hand free from her grip. “I can't give in to you. I am returning to Manila tomorrow.”

I went back to eating, forcing the food down along with the emotions that were slowly suffocating the both of us.