Chapter 5
1486 Words
As Viz entered the large living room, he immediately saw his wife asleep on the sofa. She was sitting with her head leaning on the arm of the sofa. Her skin looked pale in the dim light of the living room. Why didn't Nessa simply go to their room to sleep?
The housemaid approached him, perhaps awakened by the sound of his car outside earlier. “Sir, Ma'am Nessa made you some food. Should I heat it up for you?” She asked.
He glanced at his wife again and sighed. “No need. I already ate out.” He passed by the housemaid and was about to go up the stairs. But just as he was about to hold the railing, he clenched his hand and returned to the sofa.
The housemaid looked up at him, puzzled. She was probably confused as to why he suddenly came back.
“Why did your Ma'am sleep here?” He asked.
“Ah, well, Ma'am has been waiting for you to arrive, Sir.”
“I didn’t ask her to wait for me,” he replied sharply. Groaning, he bent down to scoop her up. His one hand was on her back and the other was under her thighs. Before he took a step, he glanced at the housemaid, who flinched slightly. “Don't tell your Ma'am that I carried her, okay?” He didn't want Nessa to misinterpret his simple act of carrying her. He didn't want to give her false hope.
The housemaid scratched her head. “Uhm, what should I say if Ma'am asks?”
“Tell her you asked another housemaid for help.”
She nodded. “Alright, Sir.”
He climbed the stairs and quietly carried his wife to their room and laid her on the bed. She didn't even wake up. He gazed intently at her gentle, beautiful face. Her red lips slightly parted. He knew well how sweet those lips were and how delightful it was to kiss them.
He shook his head.
After covering Nessa with a blanket, he left and headed to his home office, not because he had work to finish, but because he just didn't want to be next to his wife.
Why did she always find ways to get his attention? She didn't need to wait in the living room until he arrived, but she did it anyway. And what for? Just to get his attention again?
He took his phone and called the investigator he hired to find Neza Gerudes. “Dale, what's the news?” He asked when Dale picked up.
“Mr. Hezron, we still haven't found Ms. Gerudes, sir.”
He clenched his fists. “Why is it so hard to find someone who isn't even trying to hide?” He asked, suspicion lacing his voice.
There was a brief silence before Dale took a deep breath. “I'll do everything I can to find Ms. Gerudes.”
“How much longer do I have to wait for you to find her?” He made his voice firm to show Dale he was serious about finding her.
“One month,” Dale replied.
He sighed. “Alright, one month it is. Make sure you find her within the next month.” He ended the call and put down his phone.
Neza was the woman he wanted to marry, the one he dreamed of being his wife. Neza, the granddaughter of Nana Nita. And Nessa convinced him she was Nana Nita's granddaughter, the one he met at Hospicio Custodio. She pretended to be 'Neza,' acted like 'Neza,' and told stories only 'Neza' would know.
He believed up until their wedding day that he was marrying Nana Nita's granddaughter.
He thought he married the right woman, but in reality, he married a fake.
He found Neza Gerudes' diary among Nessa's things. He read it all and discovered that Nessa Gayla was Neza's close friend from the orphanage. All the letters Neza received from her grandmother were tucked between the pages of the diary.
It was no wonder Nessa found it so easy to pretend.
She knew exactly what to do, armed with all the information needed to pull off her selfish deception.
“I'll never forgive you, Nessa. You'll only earn my forgiveness if we end this marriage and you become my ex-wife.”
Nessa groaned and rolled from her back onto her side. She was slightly awakened. Her forehead furrowed, even with her eyes closed, as her hand felt the soft bedspread. She opened her eyes, puzzled about why she was already in bed.
Who brought her here? She remembered being in the living room earlier and falling asleep on the sofa.
She looked at the part of the bed occupied by Viz. It was empty.
Her husband wasn't beside her; has he not come home yet?
She got up, slipped on her robe, and stepped out of the room. The light was on in Viz's home office, with the door slightly ajar.
She sighed in relief, realizing he had indeed come home.
She approached the door and leaned her back against the wall beside it. She was about to enter to ask if he wanted coffee, but she heard his conversation on the phone.
“How much longer do I have to wait before you find her?”
Nessa froze at the sound of her husband's voice.
He sighed. “Alright, one month it is. Make sure you find her within the proposed time frame.”
Nessa clutched her chest. One month? The investigator said he would find Neza within a month? A chilling cold crept from her feet to her stomach and spine. She suddenly felt dizzy.
Her heart pounded loudly, and with each beat, her hands shook.
A deafening silence enveloped Viz's home office. She decided not to enter that room. She might cry if she faced her husband.
She turned to leave, but Viz's words reached her ears clearly.
“I can never forgive you, Nessa. You will only earn my forgiveness if we finally end our marriage and you become my ex-wife.”
Her shoulders slumped, and a bitter smile crossed her lips. Her throat ached from holding back the sharp sob threatening to escape. She didn't want her husband to know she heard what he said.
"An ex-wife..."
Her husband wanted to end their marriage so bad.
He wanted her to be his ex-wife.
He had no real intention of making their relationship work. He didn't want her; he desperately wanted to be free.
She returned to their room and locked herself in the bathroom. She left the shower running so he wouldn't hear her crying, and the only sound he would hear was the rush of water.
She loved Viz very much.
She had the capacity to give him everything.
But did he really think she never got tired? She got tired too. Did he think she was immune to pain? She got hurt too. She had no valid reason for pretending to be 'Neza' other than the fact that she admired the man just from the stories of her best friend.
When she saw him, her admiration for Viz grew even stronger. Her greed took over. She wanted to claim him as her own. She wanted him to be hers.
When Viz went to Hospicio Custodio, she happened to be there. At that time, she also didn't know where Neza, her best friend, was. Neza had vanished suddenly, leaving everything behind. They had long left the orphanage and decided to rent an apartment. So when she suddenly disappeared, she couldn't think of anywhere else to go but the Hospicio. She was hoping her friend would go there. But she failed to find her. And instead of finding Neza, she unexpectedly encountered Viz.
One month. The investigator said he would find Neza within a month. She knew Dale. She knew he was the investigator her husband had contracted to focus on finding Neza. She had met with Dale before. She paid him to deliberately slow down the search.
The money her husband gave her for her personal needs, she saved and deposited in the bank. She wasn't extravagant and didn't want to buy anything. She was content with inexpensive things and was able to save a lot of money. That's what she used to pay the investigator.
But it seemed there was nothing she could do now to hinder the search for Neza. Viz was starting to notice. He was probably wondering about the slow progress of the work he had assigned to Dale.
One month.
Her heart ached once more.
Just one more month.
Was she ready?
Was she truly ready to let Viz go?
She bit her lower lip hard until she tasted blood. Her lip was already bleeding, but she felt no pain, because the pain in her heart was far more excruciating.
- Writer
