THE HILARIOUS HUSBAND (LEE BROTHERS #2)

Chapter 54

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

EXPLANATION

❥ ELISSE GARCIA ❥

I had no idea what time it was, but I was deep in sleep when a sudden, loud bang at the door of my hotel room jolted me awake. My heart immediately raced, my chest tightening as the sound echoed through the room. Napabalikwas ako sa pag-upo, my pulse pounding in my ears, pero bago ko pa maproseso kung ano'ng nangyayari, nasundan ulit 'yon ng isa pang kalabog—louder and more aggressive than the first.

Gusto ko sanang isipin na hotel staff lang 'yon, but it wasn't the polite knock of hotel staff. It was harsh, urgent, and unsettling. At ang unang pumasok sa isip ko ay... si Hope?

I swallowed hard, my body tense, as I tried to decide whether to open the door or stay where I was. Ngunit napilitan na akong tumayo dahil may sumunod uli na kalabog. Mukhang walang planong umalis ang nasa labas hangga't hindi ko ito pinagbubuksan.

Matapos kong i-unlock ang pinto at kabigin pabukas, ang mataas na bulto ng cheater kong asawa—hinihingal na akala mo'y nag-marathon papunta rito—ang bumungad sa 'kin. Ngunit imbes na makitaan ko siya ng pagsisisi, his brows were furrowed, his gaze sharp as if he was the one who had the right to be angry.

Dahil masama ang tingin niya sa 'kin, nakipaglabanan din ako ng tingin sa cheater na 'to—who had the audacity to look at me like I was the one at fault. My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stand my ground, unwilling to let his presence shake me any further.

"Mag-usap tayo, Elisse." 'Yong boses niya, hindi nanghihingi ng permiso. Nag-de-demand. Aba!

Napairap ako. "Tomorrow, Hope. Hayaan mo muna 'kong matulog at magpahinga. Pagod ako." Pagod sa lahat.

"Wow! Sana all makakapagpahinga kahit na ganito ang sitwasyon. Ako kasi, hindi. Hindi ako papayag na ipagpabukas pa natin 'to. Pa'no kung bukas iwanan mo na 'ko at lumipad ka na papuntang ibang bansa? Dragon ka pa naman, may pakpak, kaya madali lang sa 'yo ang lumipad."

"Hoy! Teka!" Hindi ko siya napigilan nang bigla siyang pumasok sa loob ng hotel room ko. At dahil hamak liit ko sa kaniya, nagawa niya akong lagpasan nang walang kahirap-hirap. He made his way to the foot of the bed, not even looking at me as he shrugged off his coat and loosened his tie. That's when I realized—he hadn't changed. He was still wearing the same clothes from earlier when we were at the company.

Ibinalibag niya sa gitna ng kama ang coat niya bago siya naupo sa paanan. Nakaharap na siya sa 'kin ngayon. His expression was unreadable—exhausted, maybe, but there was still that simmering frustration in his eyes.

"Magtanong ka na. Lahat-lahat. Lahat ng nasa isip mo, itanong mo sa 'kin at sasagutin ko nang totoo," he said, his tone firm, almost challenging.

I blinked, momentarily thrown off. Sa sitwasyon na 'to, I should've been the one confronting him, demanding answers, but here he was, as if he'd come all this way to confront me instead.

"You want me to ask you questions?" I finally said, matalim ang boses ko at masama ang tingin sa kaniya. "How about you explain first—why you're here, why you think this conversation is happening on your terms?"

Tumitig siya sa akin nang matagal, parang pinipilit akong maniwala sa kaniya, bago siya huminga nang malalim. "Dahil wala akong ginagawang masama, Elisse. Misunderstanding lang lahat ng 'to."

I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me. "Misunderstanding? I saw the messages, Hope. I read them myself. Si Ella na mismo ang nagsabi—"