To Love and Avenge

Chapter 44

Weeks had passed, and Dauis’s ecstatic change of attitude worsened. It hurts me. It hurts me like hell, knowing that I have done nothing to compromise our relationship. So, maybe, our little game is over now, and we are back in our old lives. The difference was that I had already fallen for him.

I wanted to laugh at my naiveness. Such a cruel reality.

How foolish I had become when, in the first place, it was very clear to us, and especially to me, that everything we put on was just an act. To think that I have personally set all those agreements before. Yet, I'm here, feeling hurt and devastated, falling on my craziness.

Feeling so down and stressed out lately, most of my investigations failed as I couldn’t concentrate any further. Thus, I even end up being exhausted to the point that I sometimes feel sick. Something that I sometimes feel like throwing and feeling dizzy.

I wondered what it could be, so I made a mental note to have myself checked by our family doctor.

I was about to cook dinner when I remembered that I should call Dauis first to ask if he was coming home for dinner, because, at previous times, I ended up wasting the food and throwing it away as he didn’t eat the food I prepared. He just said that either he would be late or couldn’t go home for the whole night.

His phone had kept on ringing for quite some time now. I was just about to hang up when he picked up the phone.

“Yes, anything wrong?” he asked without any emotion. It was so flat that he seemed to be talking with nobody. But ain't I?

“Oh, everything is okay—” I was cut shut when he interrupted.

“So you call for nothing? You know that I am busy, right?” he scornfully said.

“I– uh, sorry, I forgot. Never mind.” I stammered. I was hurt by his coldness, so I ended the call immediately. He was very far from the Dauis I had for the last few months.

I was hoping that he would return a call knowing that he had hurt me, but he didn't. So, I sat on the chair nearby helplessly still staring at my phone blankly as my tears started to fall.

I know somehow that, sooner or later, I will lose him too, but I love him and I don't want to lose him. I was so lost in his love that I started to forget who I was before I got married to him.

Funny, how independent I was before, yet now I have become the total opposite of that woman. I can barely even recognize myself now.

Feeling drained, I decided not to just cook, instead head to our room and sleep my weariness away when my phone buzzed.

I took it right away in the hope that it was Dauis who called me, but ended up disappointed.

It was Daven.

“Hello?” I answered cheerfully, masking my gloomy feeling. Hiding it thoroughly so he cannot hint at my sadness.

“HI, how are you?” He asked.

“I’m fine, what’s up?”

“Are you free tonight? Let’s go and hang out at Dauis bar. Allen and Shiela will be there too, so take Dauis with you if it’s okay?”

“I’m free, sure I’m coming, but I’m afraid Dauis can’t come over. He has been busy lately and he said that he probably can’t be home tonight either.”

“Is that so? What kind of husband is he when he can’t go home to his wife? That’s absurd.” He complained.

Hearing him say it, my tears fell freely again. I wanted to wail, but I couldn’t make them worry about me. So I tried my best not to sound one, concealing it by my waves of peals of laughter.

“Hey, it's okay. I understand him.”

“Okay, I will pick you up at 7?”

“We'd just met there, I was so out of the way.”

“But—”

“There is no need for you to pick me up, okay? I can drive.”

After talking about some nonsense, I ended the call and headed upstairs to get some rest.

At the bar, Daven, Shiela, and Allen were already there.

When they saw me, Daven's face brightened up and he waved his hand to me.

“Hi, guys, what’s new?” I greeted them one by one and sat next to Daven.

“Nah, what else could be new? We just want to chill and relax. How about you?” Allen asks gleefully.

“Well, the same as usual, I guess. I’m bored all the time, given that I stayed home for the whole day. While Dauis’s at work,” I explained.

“Oh, what’s up with him lately? He seemed to be very busy, he barely even showed himself to us.” Allen pouted his lips childishly, and I smirked at him for that.

Just as I was about to speak, when I caught Shiela’s restless glances from here and there. She even looks so anxious.

Confused by her action, I furrowed my brows and asked,

“Shi, what’s the matter?”

“I just thought I saw someone I know but I was wrong. They were just a bit similar,” she responded nonchalantly.

If I hadn't known her any better, I would just have believed her. But geez, I was trained to read about people’s behaviors, And I can say that she’s not telling me the truth.

I followed her train of sight but there was nothing unusual around, so I dropped my

Dubiousness towards her current actions.

“Ale, how are you and Dauis coping this fast few months?” She asked later on to divert my thoughts.

“Well, we're doing great, he has been a good husband,” I said, skipping all those parts when he treated me coldly and his constant absence at home.

“That’s good then. I just hope that you always will. And under some circumstances, you will listen to what your heart says and trust him in the process. Can you promise me that?” hearing her words, I already knew instantly that she might have known something that I didn’t. Something that she was not telling me.

“Got it.” I just said.

Vacating my senseless conversation with Shiela, we started to enjoy the rest of the night having a drink all by Allen.

Allen was Dauis’s partner too, so that was basically the reason why I knew Dauis was lying to me that night.

I am not so fond of drinking hard liquors, but given my current state, I exceeded my limitations and started to get myself a little dizzy. But my mind is still crystal clear so I didn’t worry too much.

I was laughing hard at some of Allen’s corny jokes when Shiela stood up and excused herself to use a comfort room. Daven later asked me to go and dance, and I, of course, was a little bit tipsy wholeheartedly and happily accepted his invitation.

We were dancing wildly like we own the whole dancefloor. I don't care, I want to go wild and be free even for just a short period. Just like that, I was dancing like there would be no tomorrow, shouting and jumping up and down. Realizing the madness– fortifying my inner darkness.

I was so lost that I didn't notice a very familiar person coming in from the entrance door when I had not seen Daven’s gloomy face.

“Hey, what’s with the ill-lit face? Come on let's enjoy it!” I said in a very loud voice in the hope that he would hear me clearly despite the loud music.

He turned to me and smiled awkwardly and said,

“Ale, let’s take a seat first, let’s have a drink.”

Looking at his bothered face and darkened aura, I argued no more, still dancing as we moved back to our table.

Allen and Shiela weren’t there, so they were probably on the dance floor too. I just didn't see them due to the number of people dancing.

While at our table, Daven assisted me to take a seat and pour me something to hydrate myself, but I refused to. Instead, I took the bottle of Martini, took it to my mouth, and drank all the way from it.

“Woah!” I exclaimed after sipping almost the remaining contents of it when Daven snatched it from me. Slamming it on the table.

“What are you getting yourself into?” he shouted at me.

I smirked at him while saying left and right and shouted back.

“ Having fun, brother!” and I propped myself up again unsteadily this time.

“Your problem?”

“Problem? Uh. I don't have any. E-except that the WOOORLD is still TURNIIIING!”

Realizing that I couldn’t stand still straight, I sulked back in my seat and cried.

I started a soft sob until I was wailing. No one notices it except Daven, who at the moment is taken aback by my sudden outburst.

He didn’t meddle with my dramas. He just let me cry and cry out whatever I was holding.

After realizing it all, I started to laugh again. This time it makes me look crazy, laughing and crying at the same time.

Just then, I realized that Daven’s attention was no longer on me, instead, he was hooked somewhere from a distance. Out of curiosity, I followed his eyes and…

“s**t!” I cursed. Was that Dauis? I asked myself, feeling sober when I saw him.