Once a Wife [English Version]

Chapter 19

Breakfast was almost over, but Raven and Huffle still hadn't come back. Maricar kept glancing around, hoping to catch sight of them.

"You okay?" Maricris noticed her sister's searching eyes. "Do you want to lie down in the room for a while?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine... I'm just looking for Raven."

"Oh, right," Maricris said. "I bumped into them earlier—they said they were just going for a walk. Signal's a bit weak around here."

She let out a breath of relief.

"Mommy, let's go to the beach!" Slyther shouted, clearly excited.

"Yes, My! It'll be fun!" Gryffin added, just as Dominic stepped out of his room and walked over to the boys. "Ready, Dad?"

"Let's go!" Dominic grinned, inviting them along, but Maricar politely declined. "If you need anything, just call room service, okay?"

"Noted!" Maricris answered for her, chuckling. "Have fun!"

They watched the three boys run off to the shore, tossing a ball and laughing. Hearing her children's laughter made her smile.

At least for today, her kids were happy.

While the boys were enjoying the water, Abby approached them and invited them to join in. She seemed like a sweet and charming girl. Maricar didn't feel any bitterness toward her. Just like her own children, Abby was blameless for what happened in the past.

"Abby, how old are you?" Maricris asked, catching Maricar off guard with the question.

"Uhm... fourteen," Abby answered, a bit unsure, but still smiling. "Turning fifteen this December," she added before running off to her dad.

A moment of silence passed between them. Maricar sighed deeply.

"Huffle was four when Dominic got Cynthia pregnant, right?" Maricris asked, her gaze now on Abby.

Maricar nodded. "Yeah."

Maricris' brows furrowed. "If Abby is fourteen now..." Her eyes widened in realization, and she cursed under her breath. "That means Dominic was already cheating on you back when Slyther was born? That's around the time he rarely came home, right?"

Maricar nodded again. She'd never forget that year—2001. It was the worst year in Dominic's career. He barely came home, and they ended up fighting constantly. He never laid a hand on her, but emotionally, they both inflicted deep wounds.

Their relationship only started getting better after she got pregnant with Huffle. He still came home late, but not as often. Maybe because she was pregnant at the time.

Things seemed okay after that. At least for her. But in 2006, the truth came out. He left their family—for them.

"I don't care anymore," she muttered, turning her eyes away. "Fourteen or fifteen—it doesn't really matter. He cheated on me. I've accepted that." She looked at Maricris. "I just don't know how my kids will handle it. Especially Raven."

"Trust your children, Icang," Maricris said gently. "You raised them well. They may not fully understand now, but they will—eventually."

⸻

Maricar spent most of the day inside the room, drowsy and tired. She was thankful Maricris was there—she didn't have the energy to fight these symptoms, and honestly, she didn't mind. If sleep was what her baby needed, then she was more than willing to give it.

"What time is it?" she asked her sister when she found her outside the villa, watching the kids.

Maricris smiled. "You've got two lives now. So double everything—even sleep hours. Take advantage of it while you can. You know when that baby gets bigger, you'll be begging for sleep."

That was true. She remembered struggling to sleep during her third trimester before.

She was actually excited to go through it again. She wondered what tricks Tristan would use this time to help her sleep. Back then, when it was Dominic—

She shook her head. Why was she thinking about Dominic again?

"Where's Kuya?" she asked about her brother-in-law. "Wasn't he supposed to follow?"

"The kids were too tired. They called me instead—they knew if their dad called, I'd scold them."

Maricar chuckled. "You really got him wrapped around your finger, huh?" They both laughed. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make it seem like you still love each other so much. Actually... it seems like you love each other even more now."

"Icang, where is this going?" Maricris faced her. "If you're starting to wonder if it's your fault that things didn't work out with Dominic, stop right there."

It was as if Maricris could read her mind.

"To be honest, I don't even know what to say to you right now," Maricris continued. "But don't put me and Eugene on a pedestal. We have our rough patches too. We get tired of each other sometimes." She sighed. "What you're thinking? That maybe it was because of sex? That's shallow. That couldn't have been the only reason Dominic left you..."

"Then what? He just fell out of love?" she bit her lip. "Was that it?"

"I don't know what his reason was," Maricris said honestly. "But whatever it was, it doesn't excuse what he did. It'll never be valid."

She reached for her sister's hand. "But you know what I realized? If he didn't leave, none of this would've happened. There would be no Wizards. You wouldn't have met Tristan—the kind of love you deserve. And that little angel in your tummy..."

Maricar placed her hand over her still-flat belly.

"You got hurt. Your kids got hurt. But I've learned that not all pain is bad. Sometimes, you need the pain to grow."

"Do you think... I've learned enough?" she asked softly.

Maricris smiled. "You know, I've never told you this before—but I really like who you've become. If none of this had happened, you wouldn't have learned to love yourself."

Maricar felt something heavy lift from her chest.

She looked into her sister's eyes—and she knew she was right. Everything that had happened... all the pain, all the tears... led her to this moment.

She didn't just grow older.

She grew up.