THE HILARIOUS HUSBAND (LEE BROTHERS #2)

Chapter 62

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO: GIFT

★HOPE RYKER LEE★

Two months later...

Ngayon ang ika-1st wedding anniversary namin ni Elisse. Sa dalawang buwan na obserbasyon ko sa kaniya, hindi ko pa rin talaga ramdam ang pagmamahal niya. Kapag nag-I love you ako sa kaniya sa text or kapag nag-s-s*x kami, hindi siya sumasagot. Love Andrei was dead wrong, and I'm starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, Elisse truly doesn't feel anything for me after all.

Kaya ngayong gabi ay nagdesisyon na akong kausapin siya. Nasa kilalang restaurant kaming dalawa, niyaya ko siyang mag-date para i-celebrate ang una at huling wedding anniversary namin. Ayoko siyang ikulong sa 'kin kung hindi naman siya masaya at kung napipilitan lang na pakisamahan ako. Alam ko rin naman kung bakit siya nagtitiis sa 'kin—dahil sa mamanahin niya rin at sa posisyon niya sa kompanya.

Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya, nakaupo siya sa harap ko. She looks simple but breathtaking, which makes the whole situation feel even more bittersweet. Her dress is a soft shade of emerald green, understated yet elegant, accentuating the natural warmth of her skin. The dress isn't flashy—just a classic silhouette with thin straps that frame her shoulders and a gentle drape that falls just below her knees. Her hair is down, a soft wave framing her face, and she's wearing minimal makeup, just enough to make her features stand out. A hint of blush, maybe, and a natural gloss that catches the candlelight just right.

Her beauty tonight makes it hard to look away. The elegance, the simplicity—it's everything that's always pulled me toward her. But it also makes my chest ache. Because as stunning as she looks, there's still a distance there, an invisible wall she's kept between us.

"Happy first anniversary, dragon," nakangisi kong bati sa kaniya, pero hindi ko ramdam na masaya ako. Pa'no ako magiging masaya kung magpapaalam na 'ko sa kaniya?

Nag-angat siya ng tingin sa 'kin, her expression unreadable. "Congrats sa ating dalawa. Natiis natin ang isa't-isa." May bakas ng pagbibiro sa boses niya pero seryoso ang mukha.

"Ubusin mo na 'yang pagkain mo. Magpakabusog ka. After that, may regalo 'ko sa 'yo," I tell her. Pinilit kong ngumiti bago nagbaba ng tingin sa pagkain ko.

"Ikaw naman, 'wag ka masyadong magpakabusog, lalo at gabi na. Mahina pa naman ang panunaw mo kapag gabi." She paused, then added in the same flat tone, "I have something for you, too, once we're done eating."

After we'd finished everything—from the main course to dessert—and the waiter had cleared our table, I reached into my coat pocket for the papers I'd tucked there earlier.

"Ito," I said, extending my hand. "Regalo ko sa 'yo."

She looked at the rolled-up document in my hand, a frown forming on her face, but she took it anyway. She carefully removed the rubber band holding it together and unrolled the pages. I kept my gaze steady on her, watching as her eyes widened for a split second, only to settle back to that unreadable look once she realized what it was.

"Divorce... papers?" plain niyang sabi nang mag-angat ng tingin sa 'kin. Muling sumeryoso ang mukha niya at hindi ko na naman siya mabasa.

"I already signed the papers, Elisse." Sumikip ang dibdib ko sa sarili kong salita. "Pirma mo na lang ang kulang, and you're free. 'Wag kang mag-alala, p'wede mo na 'yan pirmahan dahil hindi na 'ko pupulutin sa kangkungan. Tapos na ang pagtitiis mo sa 'kin. This is the end of us pretending."

"Pretending?" she echoed, her brows knitting slightly.

"Yes, pretending," I replied, swallowing hard to push down the tension in my throat. "Pretending we're in a real marriage when I'm the only one who seems to want it to work."

Hindi siya sumagot, tinitigan niya lang ako with that same unreadable expression, and I suddenly felt exposed, almost vulnerable. I forced myself to keep talking. "These past months, Elisse... inoobserbahan kita at pansin kong parang... go with the flow ka lang. Ginagawa mo ang mga bagay hindi dahil gusto mo kundi dahil kailangan. And that's all it is for you—obligation." My voice grew quieter. Maski ako ay hindi sanay na ganito ako kaseryoso. Ukin*m. "And I can't keep hoping for more when it feels like it'll never come. You deserve someone who'll make you feel the way I've been trying to make you feel, and I need... I need someone who actually wants me back."

The silence stretched between us, thick with everything we hadn't said. She looked down at the papers again, her fingers lightly tracing the edges, almost absently. Kasunod ang paglunok niya nang madiin. Then she finally looked up, and her expression softened, if only a little. "Ito ba talaga ang gusto mo?"

Walang alinlangan akong tumango. "Yes."

"Kung gano'n..." She placed the divorce papers on the table beside her, her expression hardening. "I only have one request."

"Ano 'yon?"

"Burahin mo ngayon LAHAT ng mga pictures ko sa phone mo, pati na rin 'yong video nating dalawa," matalim niyang sabi. Maging ang tingin niya ay matalim din. "Ayokong 'yan pa ang maging dahilan para mahawakan mo 'ko sa leeg kapag hiwalay na tayo."

Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa sinabi niya. Ang akala ko kung ano na. Akala ko hindi siya papayag sa divorce at makikiusap na bigyan pa namin ng chance ang pagsasama namin. I should've known better.

"Gano'n ba tingin mo sa 'kin?" ganti ko sa kaniya. Nang hindi siya sumagot, agad kong dinukot ang phone ko sa bulsa ng pants ko at inabot sa kaniya. "Open it. Birthday mo ang passcode. Go ahead, check my gallery."

Napakurap siya. Halatang hindi niya in-expect na birthday niya ang passcode ko. She lowered her gaze to the screen and began scrolling through my photos. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Where did you save them?" she asked, still scrolling through nothing.

"They're gone." She looked up at me, surprise clear on her face. "Lahat ng pictures mo na kinukuha ko, hindi ko pinagtatagal sa phone ko. Pagkatapos ko 'yon titigan, binubura ko rin agad. Gano'n din 'yong video. Isang beses ko lang pinanood tapos binura ko na."

Napalunok siya. "Sigurado kang wala kang ibang pinag-save-an no'n? Or pinagpasahan?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Bakit ko naman 'yon ipapasa sa iba, e, naro'n ang pagmumukha ko? Kapag ginawa ko 'yon, baka madamay pa mga kakambal ko lalo't iisa wangis namin. And no, wala na 'kong pinag-save-an no'n. Mamatay man ako."

Bahagya siyang tumango. "Okay. Fine." Binalik niya sa 'kin ang phone ko at muling binalingan ang papel sa harap niya. "As for the divorce... I'll think about it."

"Think about it? Why? Weren't you the one who wanted this from the start?"

"Yes," she said, one eyebrow lifting as well, challenging me. "Pero na-realized ko na ang dami kong na-be-benefits sa 'yo, kaya kapag naghiwalay tayo, ako ang mawawalan sa ating dalawa."

I couldn't help but chuckle, the sound bitter as I leaned back in my chair. "E 'di lumabas din ang totoo. Ginagamit mo lang ako kaya ka nagtitiis sa 'kin."

Agad niya akong ginantihan. "And you?" Her voice was sharper than I'd ever heard it, her eyes piercing. "Don't act like you're not doing the same. You've used me however you've wanted, even going so far as to record yourself... while having s*x with me. Pero may narinig ka ba sa 'kin? Did I ever make you feel guilty for it?" Her voice softened for a split second, but there was something raw, almost wounded, beneath the surface. Her eyes reddened slightly, a sheen beginning to form that she quickly blinked away, holding her ground.

I'd caught that flash of emotion, like a crack in her armor. For the first time, I saw the anger, maybe even hurt, in her expression, but she pushed it down, her gaze hardening, locking me out with a coldness that cut even deeper than her words.

"Elisse..." I said her name softly, unable to hide the worry creeping into my voice. Dahil sa unang pagkakataon, may nakita akong luhang pumatak sa pisngi niya. Pero agad niya 'yon pinahid, na parang hindi niya rin in-expect na lalabas 'yon.

"Give me a month and I'll sign this." Kinuha niya 'yong papel sa mesa, her expression firm. "Not now. Think about how your family would feel if we just ended things on the spot."

I stared at her, taken aback as she stepped away. Since when did she care about my family's feelings? Before, she'd always seemed reckless, making decisions without much thought to the fallout or who'd be hurt in the process. But now, this...

To be continued...