The Divorce

Chapter 93: Arem's Fury

When Samantha walked into the room, Arem felt a sharp spike of frustration—he wanted nothing more than to snap at her right then and there. What time was it already? He spent hours pacing inside the rented room, his worry tightening in his chest with every minute she had been gone. It was clear that she's not intending to come home sooner, and even now that the surroundings were dark and quiet, when she finally arrived, Samantha had chosen to find the landlady first instead of checking on him. As if he didn’t matter at all, left alone inside their rented place while she tended to things that felt so much less important than he was.

It's as if she had forgotten that he's still waiting inside, alone and fretting over her.

He watched quietly as she sat beside him.

He really wanted to ask her angrily what's gotten into her but the moment he sees how quiet she is, how she just shrinks into herself, a sharp ache claws at his chest instead.

Hindi ito ang inaasahan niyang reaksyon mula kay Samantha.

Mas gusto ni Arem na makita itong punong-puno ng buhay. Na kahit na ito pa ang may mali, ipagtatanggol nito ang sarili. Hindi iyong ganito na nakikita niya kung gaano ito ka-guilty.

Ni hindi makatingin sa kanya.

He just wanted her to be her usual self. Like how she would talk a mile a minute, explaining her ideas with this wild, confident recklessness that would always make him stop and listen.

Did she do something outrageous while she was out there? Because if not, why would she react this way, like she had committed a crime he would never forgive?

Arem stared at the woman beside him, his jaw tight trying to figure out why she was acting this way. She’d been stiff since walking in, not even looking at him.

Did she do something totally crazy out there? The thought bugged him.

He trusted Sam.

Malaki ang tiwala niya dito. Pero sa inaasal nito ngayon, hindi malaman ni Arem kung ano ba ang gagawin.

But one thing is for sure, Arem cannot bring himself to get mad toward Samantha. Not now, and not under these circumstances.

Especially when she carries herself in such a manner. She appears burdened by an immense weight of pressure, her shoulders drawn up and hunched forward as if bracing for rebuke. She does not meet his eyes, only looking down while her fingers twist and hold the end of his shirt.

It is as though she's dreading to hear about his frustration or reproach towards her.

It's as if she's already anticipating punishment from him.

Arem presses the area between his brows. Rather than triggering her further, the sight pushed him toward comforting instead of confronting her.

Sinubukan magsalita ni Arem. Pero wala siyang maisip na maganda o maayos na sabihin sa pagkakataong iyon.

Ano ang pwede niyang sabihin na hindi mam-misinterpret ni Samantha?

Before he could even utter a single word, Samantha beat him to it.

"K-kausapin mo na lang ako kapag g-gusto mo na akong kausap. Magluluto lang ako ng hapunan," ani Samantha sa mahinang tinig.

Binundol ng kaba ang dibdib ni Arem. Gusto lang naman niyang amuin siya nito, pero bakit parang sa maling dereksyon sila papunta?

The silence that clings to her after saying those words isn’t peaceful or quiet. It is sharp and suffocating, filled with unspoken fears that seem to swell and fill every empty space between them, leaving him with a gut-wrenching sense that something is breaking deep inside her...and if he doesn’t act fast, he might not be able to put it back together.