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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Outsider in My Own Marriage: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

"What's wrong, Preston? What happened?" my father's anxious voice sounded through the phone.I, Preston Jameson, glanced at the people in the room before replying calmly, "It's nothing. I'll explain later. Just don't bring them over."Then, I hung up.My wife, Sophie Caldwell, immediately exploded."What do you mean by that? It's just some apples. Are you really going to make a fuss about that? Julius already has it hard enough. Can't you give him a break?" she pressed. "Our whole family feeds you and takes care of you. Is this how you repay us?"I silently stared straight into her eyes.The silence made her realize that she had gone too far. Her tone softened as she grabbed my hand and started coaxing me instead."I was just anxious, that's all. Besides, when you're out working, Julius is the one running around taking care of everything at home. If you act like this, you're making all of us look bad."Then, she shifted the topic again. "Apologize to him properly later. Transfe

Chapter 2

The absence of my presence these past few years had made me accustomed to compromising in front of Sophie and her family.Even when Julius replaced me in the family portrait, or when every New Year's dinner table was filled with dishes Julius liked, I endured it.I even comforted myself by telling myself that things weren't so bad if someone could stay by their side in my place.I thought that as long as the family was happy, nothing else mattered.But today, a single apple gave me a wake-up call. If they already saw me as an outsider, why was I still trying so hard to belong?I scoffed, "I don't want anything. I wish you and your family a lifetime of happiness."With that, I turned and went to the bedroom to pack my things.Sophie followed me into the room and slapped me across the face."It's New Year's! What kind of attitude is that? It's just an apple. Do you have to turn the whole house upside down over something so small? Julius already feels awkward in this family. After

Chapter 3

My in-laws used to say, "No matter how old you are, Preston, you'll always be a child to us."In just a few years, everything had changed completely.I was no longer a child who needed to be cared for.I looked up at Sophie. "I'm sorry you ended up with such a jealous, unreasonable husband. But it's fine now. I'm not your husband anymore."Sohpie's face turned ashen. "I've already tried to talk you down. What else do you want? I've really spoiled you all these years!" she exclaimed.I chuckled, "From now on, we go our separate ways."I continued packing after I finished my declaration.Sophie stared at me in disbelief and grabbed my arm. "Preston, have you lost your mind? How could you say something like that? We've been married for years. When have I ever mistreated you? Now you want a divorce over an apple? Have you lost it?""If you walk out like this, you'll make me a laughingstock amongst our relatives!" she said, shaking my arm. I shook her off. "You were the ones who m

Chapter 4

Margaret suddenly dropped to the floor with a thud and burst into tears."Just what have we done for Sophie to marry an ungrateful wrench like you? I can't live like this!" she cried, lunging toward the corner of the table as she tried to slam her head against it.Everyone rushed to stop her.Sophie's eyes were bloodshot. "Preston, are you determined to tear this family apart?"Margaret kept threatening to kill herself, so the others hurriedly dragged her out of the room.Only Julius and I were left in the room."Preston, I really didn't expect that such a small grievance of mine would make your whole family stand up for me," he said, faking concern. "If you're angry, be angry at me. Stop making a scene. Mom and Dad can't handle this kind of stress."Then, he leaned close and whispered into my ear. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of them for you. After all, I understand what they like better than you, their actual son-in-law."They even said when the house gets relocated, and

Chapter 5

I opened my eyes. My dad, Alan Jameson, had grabbed Sophie's wrist mid-swing and flung her to the ground. "How could you treat Preston like this?" he roared.Amelia snapped out of her shock and lunged at him, but he kicked her aside.Olivia tried to help her, but none of them were a match for him. One by one, the Caldwells were knocked to the floor.Tommy saw fury in Alan's eyes and hurried to me instead."Preston, stop your dad! They're your family! Are you just going to let him beat them up like this?""Did any of them treat me like family when they were hitting me just now?" I scoffed.Julius was terrified.He scrambled across the floor and begged, "Preston, it was all my fault! Please make him stop! I won't do it again."I punched him square in the face. "It's too late for that."Julius hadn't expected me to hit him, so he froze in disbelief.Before he could react, I swung again."This punch is for me," I said coldly. "Since you like acting so much, I'll tell my dad to

Chapter 6

"Look, you hit Julius, too. You've vented your anger, haven't you?" Tommy reasoned. "We're family. Let's each take a step back, sit down, have dinner, and talk it out."I felt like I'd just heard the biggest joke of the year."Do you really think I can sit at the same table and eat with you?" My gaze swept across every single one of them. "From today onward, I'm done with the Caldwells. Dad, let's go."Dad supported me and glared at them. "This isn't over. We'll get a full injury assessment for Preston. You'd better pray it's nothing serious."Then, he helped me out of that suffocating house.Behind us, I could hear Sophie's hysterical crying and James's furious screaming. Julius' fake attempts to calm everyone down sounded especially hollow.None of it mattered anymore.…The hospital smelled sharply of disinfectant.The doctor examined my wounds.I needed two stitches in my chin and had a bruised cartilage in my knee. There were even multiple soft-tissue injuries across my

Chapter 7

"Liv, same place tomorrow? Miss you. We can talk about the relocation compensation, too. Margaret said it's almost finalized," the message from Julius read.Tommy's head buzzed.Same place? Relocation compensation?His fingers trembled as he opened the chat history. It was empty. Everything had been deleted on purpose.He suddenly remembered the way Olivia seemed to lean on Julius and how fiercely she defended him without hesitation. A terrifying suspicion took shape.He said nothing, but he started paying attention to her.The next day, Olivia claimed she had to cover a shift at the company and left.Tommy hailed a cab and followed her. The ride ended in front of a remote branch of a budget hotel chain in the city.He watched as Olivia walked into the hotel.Minutes later, Julius appeared in a sharp suit. They entered the lobby separately, then went into the elevator one after the other.Tommy felt as if he'd been struck by a hammer. He felt his blood turn cold.He didn't r

Chapter 8

The shrill wail of an ambulance tore through the quiet neighborhood.James had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage brought on by extreme anger. Margaret, on the other hand, had gone into cardiac arrest triggered by severe hypertension. Both of them were rushed into emergency surgery.Sophie, Olivia, and Amelia stood outside the operating room with their heads lowered.Julius had already slipped away during the chaos.His phone was turned off, and messages went undelivered. He had vanished without a trace.By the following afternoon, James and Margaret were finally declared out of danger and transferred to regular wards.James was partially paralyzed, and his speech was slurred.Margaret's heart was severely damaged. She would need long-term recovery and constant care.When the doctors explained the cost of surgery, hospitalization, medication, and the need for a full-time caregiver, reality crushed whatever dignity they had left.Sophie and Olivia began arguing over who would pay a

Chapter 9

"Preston! Preston, please save us! The hospital bills are piling up! Julius took all the money and ran…" Olivia said.Sophie stood beside her, rubbing her hands anxiously. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. "Preston, I'm sorry. I'll repay the money, I swear. Just lend us something so we can pay the hospital, okay? They're about to stop the medication!"I stared at her calmly. "The 43 thousand dollars—where is it?"Her face turned red. "The house and car can't be sold overnight! Help us get through this. Once we sell them, we'll pay you back immediately!""Then there's nothing to discuss."I turned to leave, but Sophie grabbed my arm.With a thud, she dropped to her knees. Tears streamed down her face."Preston, I'm begging you to help me for the sake of all the years we've loved each other. Are you really going to watch them die?"People had begun to stare at the scene outside my office building.Dad stepped forward and stood in front of me. "You loved him? Where was sai

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