Bucket List

Chapter 8 A Nightmare Of The Past

Alliah can't help but recall the nightmare of her past...

It has been said that the end of the world will come a long way by 2000. Alliah was already 24 then and working as a Professional Medical Representative in Manila. She was afraid to be alone and wanted to be married already. She met her whirlwind romantic boyfriend and within the second month became her husband, Arthur, who was in the same profession as hers.

Alliah, being a provincial girl, and Arthur, as a City boy, had difficulties when they stayed together. Having no foundation for a friendship or getting to know each other, they used to argue even about small things.

Alliah used to keep her mouth shut to not prolong the arguments. Twelve years passed by and they hadn't been blessed with a child yet. She had suffered two miscarriages due to the hardships and difficulties of their relationship. She was always blamed for not giving a child to her husband, who happened to be the only son of the Perez couple.

Knock! Knock!

Alliah opened the door. It was her husband, Arthur, who was drunk.

"You are drunk," Alliah told him.

"And so," Arthur replied with a sarcastic smile to Alliah.

Alliah was already used in Arthur's character.

"I'll prepare a coffee for you," Alliah started to make a black coffee for Arthur when he pulled her to the table.

"Ouch!" Allison couldn't help but cry when her body hit the corner of their table.

"Get out of my sight! I don't want to see your face," he shouted.

Alliah almost lost the color on her face after hearing Arthur's words.

"What have I done?" she asked him with confusion.

"What have you done? Nothing? You are useless," Arthur exclaimed.

Alliah cried, hearing Arthur's loud voice.

"Give me a child. That's the only thing you can do but you can't deliver!" Arthur's loud voice almost filled their house.

Alliah sobs. Every time Arthur got drunk, he used to remind her of being a useless wife.

She did everything to conceive a child, but it was always a failure. She has had two miscarriages and two dysfunctional uterine bleeding already. There seemed to be a problem in her uterus, making it hard to conceive.

"You are useless," Arthur punched her jaw. Alliah collapsed because of the high impact of Arthur's fist on her jaw.

Arthur ignored her and went to the bathroom instead.

When Alliah's consciousness came back, she found herself still lying on their floor while Arthur was already sleeping soundly on their couch.

Arthur's temper is really hard to read. Lately, he used to beat Alliah every time he went home. Alliah has suffered several physical pains already. Sometimes she used to put some conceiver in the corner of her eyes to hide the marks of Arthur's fist on them. She used to put on concealers as well, with her exposed skin on her neck and the upper part of her body, as Arthur used to leave marks after he used her body.

He seemed to treat Alliah not as his wife anymore, but as a punching bag already. He used to sleep with her by force every time he wanted to use her. He wanted to have a child and Alliah couldn't give it to her. It's already twelve years now and now heir on his part. He was almost laughed at by his colleagues, and he couldn't accept. He didn't want to be a laughing pig by anybody.

He had several girls whom he slept with already and Alliah knew about it.

Alliah became a battered wife and kept her situation from her family. She doesn't want them to know, especially her parents, to know what's happening to her. She knew she had made the wrong decision about her married life.

Things seemed to get worse each day as they were living together. Alliah's body and soul suffered a lot. Arthur turned out to be a beast in Alliah's eyes as he used her as his punching bag and forced her to sleep every time he got drunk.

Alliah used to cry and felt how dirty she was every time Arthur toyed with her in bed. She didn't expect these things to happen to her.

She even begged every time Arthur beat her, but he seemed to be like a monster who wanted to torture her prey most of the time.

He even took a video every time he molested her and seemed to enjoy it every time she screamed.

"Stop it, Arthur, I beg you," she cried, begging him.

Arthur gave her a hard punch in her stomach, making Alliah cry so loudly.

Alliah's life became so miserable that she used to pray to God not to wake her up every morning.

Her colleagues noticed her marks behind so many concealers she put on her skin. Some advised her to inform her family already or send Arthur to jail for physical injuries. But Alliah loved Arthur so much and didn't want her family, especially her parents, to worry about her.

She kept it for years.

Until she felt something different in her tummy and got worried. She went to the doctor and did some laboratory tests.

"Congratulations Alliah, you are 4 months pregnant already," Dra. Santos, her OB-GYNE doctor, who is also her friend, informed her after checking all the tests on her desk.

Alliah doesn't know how to react. She was happy and yet quite afraid to know that she already had a life inside her tummy when Arthur beat her stomach.

She told Dra. Santos asked to conduct an ultrasound to check her child inside.

The doctor immediately conducted a transvaginal ultrasound with her to check the physical status of her fetus.

"He's alright. It seemed to be that the life inside you is a survivor and a fighter in the making. He is healthy," Dra. Santos informed her and gave her prescriptions for the best drugs and vitamins to support her pregnancy.

Alliah then smiled and cried at the same time.

She needed to inform Arthur about her pregnancy. He might change. Alliah is hoping for a better relationship to repair.

Unluckily, when she got home, Arthur was already there and there was a woman on his lap and intimately kissing her husband.

"Arthur...." she dropped the pregnancy result as she was so shocked by what she saw.

"Your maid is already here honey," the girl said to Arthur.

"You go home first," Arthur sweetly said to the girl and kissed her even if Alliah's presence was there already.

The girl gave her a sharp look before she left.

"What is it this time, Alliah?" Arthur irritatedly asked her.

Alliah cried while telling him,' I'm already pregnant."

Arthur's temper changed and became more aggressive.

He immediately approached Alliah and gave her a hard slap," Who's the father of your bastard?"

"Ha? You're my husband, so definitely you are the father," Alliah couldn't believe that this would be Arthur's initial reaction.

"You can't fool me, Alliah. I know you have boyfriends in your work area," Arthur told her, and punched her in her stomach. Alliah's instinct was so quick that it made her turn back and the punch landed on her back.

"Aaaaah," Alliah endured the pain. "I need to go out of this place. My child won't be safe here," she told herself while still crying.

Arthur left and locked Alliah inside their house.

Alliah couldn't open the door. She started to pack her things and would look for the best time to leave.

These memories made her cry aloud, these were her nightmares that she couldn't easily forget.