THE HILARIOUS HUSBAND (LEE BROTHERS #2)

Chapter 52

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

DIVORCE

❥ ELISSE GARCIA ❥

I waited for Hope to come home, desperate for the conversation we needed to have. He'd promised he'd be back soon so we could have dinner together, but it was already 8:30, and he still wasn't here. Mas nauna pang dumating si Edward.

"Ate Elisse..." Marahan siyang humakbang palapit sa 'kin nang makita niya akong nakaupo sa mataas na stool, nasa kitchen counter ako. Sapo ng mga palad ang mukha ko, my fingers tangled in my hair, which had become a mess from my constant tugging. My eyes were swollen, the result of crying for what felt like hours.

Nasa tabi ko naman ang cell phone kong bumagsak kanina sa sahig, the screen completely broken and useless now—just like everything I thought I knew.

Edward paused, taking in my disheveled state, concern etched on his face. "Bakit?" tanong niya.

Unti-unti akong nag-angat ng mukha sa kaniya. "Alam mo ba?" Hindi siya sumagot, kumurap lang. "Alam mo ba ang tungkol..." Saglit akong tumigil dahil bahagyang nabasag ang boses ko. "Alam mo ba ang tungkol kay Ella at sa Kuya Hope mo?"

His brows furrowed even deeper, confusion replacing the concern. "Ate Ella? Kuya Hope? Bakit? Ano'ng meron?" His voice was laced with genuine surprise, and for a second, I hoped he didn't know—hoped that he wasn't part of this terrible secret.

"Alam mo ba na meron silang... tinatagong relasyon?"

Natahimik siya at dalawang beses napakurap. For a moment, he didn't say anything, but then he ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly frustrated. "Kaya pala..." he muttered under his breath, his voice quiet as if he was putting pieces together in real time. "Kaya pala kakaiba ang closeness nila. Nagtaka rin ako dahil nitong mga nakaraang buwan, kapag may kailangan si Ate Ella, pansin kong si Kuya Hope ang nagiging takbuhan n'ya at bukambibig. Samantalang dati, ikaw o ako."

His words felt like another stab to the chest. Tila naging kompirmasyon pa sa relasyon ng dalawa ang sinabi ni Edward. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, as if that could somehow block out the truth. But it was too late.

Muli kong isinubsob ang mukha ko sa aking palad, the weight of it all crashing down on me again. Edward's observation—what he had noticed but hadn't pieced together until now—was the final blow.

An hour later, with Hope still nowhere to be found, I made a decision. Before I knew it, I was parked in front of the towering gate of Mrs. Stephanie Vivar's mansion— Hope's Mommyla. To my surprise, they opened automatically, as if sensing my arrival.

Ipinasok ko ang sasakyan ko sa loob. Pagbaba ko, may sumalubong agad sa akin na isang housemaid. She guided me into the living room, where Mrs. Vivar was already waiting, sitting elegantly on one of the plush chairs.

"Elisse, iha," she greeted me warmly, a soft smile gracing her lips. Pero hindi ko nagawang gantihan ang ngiti niya. Not tonight. I wasn't in the mood to pretend everything was fine. Bahagya lamang akong tumango at naupo sa katapat na sofa. Once I was seated, I wasted no time. I couldn't. The words were already bubbling up, and I needed to say them before I lost my nerve.

"I want a divorce."

Biglang napawi ang ngiti sa labi niya. Her expression shifting from pleasant to concerned. "Divorce?" she repeated, her voice laced with surprise and disbelief. "Elisse... you know about the contract you and Hope signed, don't you? If you proceed, you'll be removed as CEO. And more than that, Hope will lose his inheritance. He'll be left with nothing, and we won't be able to stop it because it's written in Don Adolfo's last will."

I didn't flinch. I was done pretending. Done hoping for something that no longer existed. "I know," kalmado kong sagot, my voice steady despite the weight of the consequences she laid out before me. "But that doesn't change anything. My mind's made up. I want to divorce Hope."

Ilang sandali niya akong pinagmasdan, her eyes searching for any sign of hesitation, any flicker of doubt, pero wala. Buo na ang isip ko, and no amount of persuasion or reasoning could change it now.

Kung sa ibang babae sana nag-cheat si Hope— someone I didn't know—maybe, just maybe, I could have endured it hanggang sa matagpos namin ang minimum requirement na isang taon bago kami p'wedeng mag-file ng divorce na hindi nalalagay sa alanganin ang mana niya at ang posisyon ko sa kompanya.

But this was different. It wasn't just another woman. It was Ella—my half-sister. The betrayal was too deep, too personal. Tiwala ako sa kanila dahil akala ko ay pamilya lang din ang turingan nila kaya sila naging gano'n kalapit. Pero hindi pala. Now, that trust was gone, shattered beyond repair. They had broken something inside me that no contract, no inheritance, could ever put back together.

"Alam na ba ni Hope 'to? Gusto mo bang tawagan ko s'ya para—"

"No," I cut her off sharply. "He doesn't know yet. And no, I don't want to see him. Let him enjoy his time with my sister, Ella."

"Ella?" Nagsalubong ang kilay niya. "What... are you talking about?"

I swallowed hard, feeling the bitterness rise in my throat as I said the words out loud. "Hope Ryker is cheating on me with my half-sister. Dalawang buwan na."

Her eyes widened in shock, and I could see the disbelief forming. "Elisse, wait." Taranta siyang gumalaw sa upuan niya, clearly rattled by what I'd just revealed. Her instinct was to protect him, to defend her grandson. "I don't think Hope would—"

"Bukas kapag naipagawa ko na ang phone ko, ipadadala ko po sa email n'yo ang mga ebidensya." Sabay tayo sa upuan ko para magpaalam na. Narinig ko ang minsan niyang pagtawag sa 'kin, pero hindi ko na kinaya pang lumingon.

Pag-alis ko sa mansyon ni Mrs. Vivar, imbes na umuwi sa bahay namin ni Hope ay nag-check in na lamang ako sa hotel. Once I settled in the room, tinawagan ko si Edward gamit ang telepono sa hotel—since hindi na gumagana ang phone ko. Binilinan ko siyang mag-empake na dahil bukas na bukas din ay palilipatin ko na siya sa apartment na kukuhanin ko para sa kaniya. Hindi na siya p'wedeng mag-stay sa bahay na 'yon. Dahil oras na maproseso ang divorce paper namin ni Hope ay mawawalan na ako ng karapatan do'n.

"E, ikaw, Ate Elisse? Saan ka mag-i-stay? Bakit ako lang ang ikukuha mo ng apartment?" Edward asked, his voice filled with concern.

I paused for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh before responding. "I'm taking a break, Edward. I'm flying overseas."

"Ibang bansa?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"Oo." Tumango ako kahit na alam kong hindi niya ako nakikita. "Because once the news breaks that Hope and I are divorced, Ella's involvement will come out too. And when that happens, I don't want to be here. It's humiliating, and I can't bear the thought of people pitying me."

The thought of facing the public's judgment—the whispers, the pitying glances—was unbearable. I wasn't ready to be the subject of their gossip, the woman who was deceived by her husband and her own sister.

"Kailan ka babalik?"

"Hindi ko alam. Bahala na, Edward." Muli akong nagbuntonghininga. "Sige na. Kailangan ko nang ibaba 'to. Mag-empake ka—"

"Do you love him?"

To be continued...