Dating My Ex's Uncle

SAMANTHA

How long has it been? It feels endless to be lying on my queen-sized bed. I was almost lost in time had I not glanced at my left side where my calendar rested on the side table. It’s February 20 and it has been six months since I have been lying on this bed with an illness called kidney failure.

“I prepared your favorite milk, sweetheart.” A soft and endearing voice emerged as the door creaked open. My fiance, wearing a business suit, entered my room with a glass in his hand. There’s a smile plastered on his face, making me wonder if it’s genuine or not, since I have been fooled by the same smile several times already.

“You going to work?” With a weak voice I asked as he helped me get off my bed.

He nodded and said, “The company is a little busy today. I need to help…” His gentle voice ensued.

“But it’s Saturday…” I spoke with disappointment hinted in my voice.

“I know, right? Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the sun sets.” He assured me and kissed my forehead. With that, he bid his farewell and left me alone in the room again. 

It has been months since I’ve been in this room, yet I still couldn’t get used to the feeling of loneliness that crawls in me, even though David visits me from time-to-time. But then, I thought, it shouldn’t feel new to me, since David, my fiance, has been making me feel alone in our relationship.

However… I hold onto the hope I made for myself, a hope that someday David is going to be the material fiancee–no, soon to be husband, to me. Somehow, the hope I made worked. Today is one of the days of the result–that he’s paying attention to me.

Now that I’m all alone with the maids who know about my real condition, I left my room to get something to eat downstairs. I was at the table with the food I craved that I couldn’t eat when David’s around. I was enjoying and savoring it to the fullest, when I suddenly saw my assistant rushing toward my direction.

“Is there any problem?” I asked in my normal voice as I lifted my head to her. Chantal didn’t say anything. Instead, she grabbed something out of the inner pocket of her jacket. In her hands contained printed photographs.

The moment she laid it on the table, my stomach curled. I lost the appetite to eat.

“W-What’s… the meaning… of this?” Shocked, I asked as I belatedly looked at Chantal who remained a straight face, contrary to mine. I feel like I have lost the color in my face as if the fake pale look I did when David was around became real on me. I couldn’t look at these photos at all–no, I don’t want to. 

“As your usual order, Ms. Louis, I followed Mr. Palma when he left. This is where he stopped, in a villa house with a pregnant woman.” Chantal summarized what I have to know. I sat there, cold and crashing.

It wasn’t only my being that crashed, but also my plan that has been going around for six months. No matter how much I don’t want to look at these photos, I always find my blurring gaze looking at them. The photos depicted how the pregnant woman welcomed David with open arms taken by shots–that also includes the way their lips collided as David held onto the woman’s tummy. Worse, it was the same woman he cheated on me the first time he did it.

I looked at David’s face in the photo. Out of instinct, my hand lifted up to caress that face that smiled for another woman. Is… this actually real, though? It’s not like my assistant would lie but–I need to see it for myself.

“Let’s go there.” I spoke with a voice I couldn’t recognize at all. Chantal froze, as though she couldn’t believe she had heard it from me. But when I looked at her, Chantal was freed from the freeze and walked ahead of me.

But maybe… I shouldn’t have said that. By the looks of it, it looks like they are buying furniture for the house with the truck outside. It made me easily barge inside with the gates open, and what greeted me was David shamelessly kissing that woman’s tummy, like a proud father he is.

“David…” breathlessly, I spoke as I didn’t notice my eyes welling up with tears. As if my voice was a command, David quickly got up to his feet as he and the woman looked shocked to see me here. “Is this… how busy your company is?” I didn’t know what got into me to blurt out those words. I was just reminded by his lies.

“Samantha… why are you here–” Wide eyes, he looked at me and then glanced at his woman. “Wait, let me explain–” 

“Is that… your baby?” I didn’t let him complete his words and said the words I needed to say. I averted my eyes to the woman and her tummy, only for my eyes to tear up more. David couldn’t answer me–which is already an answer to me.

I don’t know what to feel… but… I feel… empty. It feels like the hope I made for myself was exhausted to emptiness. Fuck, I don’t even know what to pay attention to anymore–my plan that failed or my shattering heart that’s like a glass of shards tightening around my chest.

“So… you’re still not over it…” He still cheated on me… after several promises he assured me and after… several times I forgave. Perhaps, I was the fool for believing him for the second time around he hurt me. “Why didn’t you tell me…?” low voice almost a whisper, I asked with my greasy face. I bit my lip hard to avoid myself from sobbing.

“I-I’m sor–”

“You could’ve just told me that you fucked and impregnated a woman! You could’ve just told me so I don’t have to cling for these fucking hopes I made for myself!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Why can’t you just… be honest?” I tried to keep myself together despite these tears, but when David came to me to supposedly give me a hug, I finally crashed out.

“For six fucking months, David! I cling to this hope that you’d finally change since you’ve been giving me the attention I need!” I pushed him away and shouted at him. “The attention that I had to earn by pretending to be sick!” And I lost it. I cried. Hard. As if the world only has me.

David gasped as well as the woman. The shock on their faces was audible. But that’s not what matters now.

“Samantha, you–you did what–” David spoke and it sounded like he couldn’t believe what he heard from me just as I’m in disbelief to see this fucking mess. I didn’t let him finish his words, again, and slapped him on the face as hard as I could–as if I spent the time and strength from resting for six months on that slap.

“Don’t you fucking dare say that to me.” I said with emphasis as I pointed him my index finger. “I’ve already had enough, David. Let’s stop this charade now.” I remarked as I pulled out the ring on my finger and threw it on his face.

I’ve seen enough. There’s no point of me staying long here, so I turned my back around to walk away. But what greeted me was a man blocking the gate. I darted a sharp glance at him before I walked past him. I had to make him move with my shoulder before he completely stepped aside.

He must have enjoyed the drama, huh?