Chapter 26: Cheating Husband
1258words
'What do you mean, Rose? My husband may have his faults, but he is certainly not a cheat. He would never cheat on me," I defended him over the phone.
'I know you won't believe me until you see it for yourself. Come to the Diamond Chase Hotel. I will be waiting for you," Rose said, then hung up.
I froze, speechless. Rose never liked Juan, but she wouldn't lie about something like this. I placed a hand on my swollen belly. No, Juan would never cheat on me.
Out of curiosity, I went to the Diamond Chase Hotel. Rose stood waiting for me in the parking lot.
'Are you sure about what you saw?" I asked.
'I'm not going to explain anything. Just see for yourself. Seeing is believing," Rose said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
'How are we going to get into a hotel room? Who is going to let us in?" I questioned.
'Leave that to me," she replied confidently.
When we reached the specific door, my heart pounded in my chest. I felt my baby kick as I took a deep breath. Rose inserted the key into the lock, and bam, we stormed in. Juan whipped his head around, startled.
'Hey! How dare you barge in like that?" the woman with him snapped.
The sight before me tore a hole in my heart. Tears streamed down my face.
'See what I told you? You married an asshole," Rose said bluntly.
'Take me away from here," I sobbed.
'Calm down, Kristine. You need to understand what your husband is capable of. Stop crying, okay?" Rose tried to comfort me as we left.
'My heart aches, Rose. I know Juan has his issues, but how could he cheat on me while I'm carrying his baby?" I gasped, struggling to catch my breath as the pain of betrayal gripped my heart.
'You will be fine. I will take you home," Rose assured me.
The stars dotted the sky like diamonds scattered across a velvet blanket. I stood by the window like a sentinel, waiting for Juan. He hadn't called or shown up since I caught him red-handed earlier today.
'Do you see what your dad is doing to us?" I sobbed, caressing my belly.
Just then, the door creaked open, startling me. I turned to see Juan entering.
Without acknowledging me, he headed straight for the bedroom.
'How do you feel about this?" I asked, blocking his path. 'Do you have no shame? How dare you cheat on me?"
He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. 'What's bothering you, Kristine? What's wrong with sleeping with another woman? You didn't think it was a problem when I cheated on your sister with you, did you?" he reminded me of my dark past.
'I' have had enough of you, Juan. Am I the first person to make a mistake? Why do you throw my past in my face every time we argue, as if I was the only one who betrayed someone? What kind of loving fiancé chooses another woman? You were drawn to me like a moth to a flame, and now you blame me? How dare you?" I confronted him.
'I see nothing wrong with cheating, so stop nagging me already," he snapped. 'You don't expect me to stick with just one woman for the rest of my life, do you? Newsflash, dear wife—you are too boring in bed for my taste," he said and pushed me aside, heading into the bedroom. I collapsed into a chair, crying.
'You are a monster, Juan. I regret marrying you."
'You are free to leave," he retorted.
The next morning, bright sunlight streamed through the window, waking me. I tried to escape the light by rolling over, but the crinkling of plastic bags and the slamming of lockers jolted me awake.
'What are you looking for?" I asked Juan, who was rummaging through the closet. He ignored me, continuing his search.
I got out of bed to freshen up.
'Where are my drugs?" he demanded suddenly. I ignored him.
'Are you deaf? What did you do with my drugs?" he groaned.
'Since you refuse to come back to your senses because of your addiction, I decided to help you out," I replied calmly.
'What did you do?" His tone softened.
'I flushed them."
A sharp smack echoed through the room as he struck me, my cheek burning from the impact. My head snapped to the side, and tears filled my eyes.
'Have you lost your mind?" Juan yelled. 'Do you know how much those drugs are worth? Do you think your worthless life can replace them?"
'I hate you, Juan. You are my greatest mistake," I cried.
He slapped me again, sending my head spinning.
'You are going to undo whatever you think you have done, Kristine, or I will kill you and bury you right here. Get my drugs," he commanded, dragging me toward the bathroom.
'Let me go, Juan! What are you doing?" I cried, struggling to free myself.
He shoved me to the floor in front of the toilet. I felt my baby shift uncomfortably inside me.
'Ow!" I cried out in pain as a sharp stab shot through my abdomen.
'I want every bit of my drugs back, just as I left them. Get to work," he said coldly.
'Please, Juan. Ow! My baby," I cried in agony. 'Help me, Juan. My waist hurts."
'I want my coke back by the time I return," he said and stormed out. I lay in the bathroom, writhing in pain and calling for help.
***
After the pain subsided, I ran to where my mom worked.
'Mom!" I shouted.
'Who are you looking for?" one of the security guards asked.
'I need my mom. Her name is Maria. She works here," I said, struggling to catch my breath.
'Let me get her for you," he offered.
'No, you can't leave me here. He is going to kill me," I cried.
The guard took pity on me and opened the large gate. I rushed inside, gasping for air.
I followed the guard to the mansion. By God's grace, my mom was coming out of the house just as I arrived.
'Mom!" I cried, rushing to hug her.
'Kristine? What happened to you?" she asked, pulling away to look at me.
'He is going to kill me, Mom. Juan is going to kill me," I tried to explain. 'I want to divorce him right now."
'You need to calm down. What exactly happened?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.
'I flushed his drugs, Mom. He wants me to replace them, or he will kill me. I can't go back home. He will kill me," I sobbed.
'You can't say that. This place is more dangerous than Juan's house. He won't hurt you, I'm sure, but you need to go now," my mom said, glancing around nervously.
'Did you hear what I said, Mom? I can't go back to Juan's house. He will kill me. I need to stay here with you."
'You don't understand. You can't stay here. My boss won't allow it," my mom insisted.
'Do you want me to die? Who is your boss? I will beg them to let me stay. I'm going to die, Mother," I pleaded, grabbing her hand. 'Don't let me die, please."
'What is going on here?" a familiar voice asked—the same voice that haunted my nightmares. My heart dropped to my stomach, and I hid behind my mom.
