Stuck in The Marriage Pact
Chapter 34: The situation is becoming uncertain

Chapter 34: The situation is becoming uncertain

A thunderclap roared, and the climate grew cold, waking Hunter. He glanced around the brightly lit room, with the main light still on. He sat up, turned off the AC using the remote, got out of bed, and put on his underwear, which was scattered on the bed, along with the messy blankets and clothes.

"Where is she? Is she still in the bathroom? How long was I asleep?"

Hunter wondered, recalling how Isabella excused herself to the bathroom before he fell asleep. He walked toward the bathroom, passing through the spacious walk-in closet filled with both his and Isabella’s clothes, shoes, bags, ties, watches, and other accessories.

"What happened?" he hurried toward Isabella, who was sitting on the floor near the bathroom door, deep in thought. "Why are you here? I mean... why didn’t you come back to bed?" he asked, crouching in front of her, noticing her puffy eyes, as if she’d been crying.

"It’s okay," Isabella whispered, then stood up.

Hunter stood as well, watching as Isabella quickly left the room. In silence, he kept wondering why his wife seemed sad, especially since she had been so happy just moments before, enjoying their time together.

"Maybe she regrets it again," he said under his breath, exhaling sharply.

He quickly cleaned up in the bathroom, then returned to the closet to put on a gray sweater and grabbed a blue blanket. As he walked back into the bedroom, he saw Isabella standing by the glass window, looking out at the gloomy weather and heavy rain.

He placed the blanket on the bed, gathered the messy clothes, and moved them to the sofa. Then he approached his wife, hugging her from behind.

"Don’t tell me," he whispered, gazing out of the window. "Don’t tell me what’s making you sad... I don’t want to know."

"Yes... You don’t need to know, because it’s not about being husband and wife," Isabella replied, wrapping her thin robe tighter around herself, though the warmth of Hunter’s embrace made her feel comfortable. "Thanks for understanding me," she added.

"I don’t understand you at all because I don’t want to understand you."

"That would only complicate things," Hunter murmured, kissing Isabella’s shoulder. ’Honestly, I’m very curious, but asking you, to be honest, might just make you even more sad,’ he thought worriedly.

"I like the rain," Isabella said, resting her head against Hunter’s chest. "It always brings a sense of peace, calm... but there’s also sadness."

"Why is that?" Hunter asked.

Isabella remained silent, her mind drifting back to childhood memories—her father, her mother, their old home, all of which made her feel overwhelmed.

"Before everything fell apart, my dad, mom, Loraine, and I used to spend time together during rainy days. We’d stay home, watch TV, and eat mom’s homemade cookies... Sometimes Loraine and I would draw, and Mom would grade our work, and Dad would reward us. The reward wasn’t material; he’d pretend to be a horse, and we’d ride on his back as he crawled around the table," Isabella said with a small smile, wiping away a tear. "And when we got tired, they’d carry us to bed and read us bedtime stories until we fell asleep. I’ve always missed that."

"That sounds warm," Hunter replied. "If I ever have kids, I’d make sure to create beautiful memories for them... I wouldn’t let them suffer or go through trauma."

"Yeah... We wouldn’t want our children to have a sad fate like ours."

Hunter frowned, glancing at Isabella. ’We? Does she mean me and her? Is she thinking about starting a family with me?’ he wondered.

Isabella broke free from Hunter’s hug, turning to face him and looking up at his now-fresh, warm appearance.

"You still owe me an explanation," she said.

"About what?" Hunter asked.

Isabella smiled, then grabbed his cheeks hard, making his lips pout.

"I didn’t think you were old enough to be senile!" she exclaimed.

Hunter smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I just... I forgot. I’ve been too worried about you," he admitted.

Isabella pouted, pushing Hunter away as she walked toward the bed.

"You said you didn’t want to know what’s making me sad, so don’t worry about me," she said.

"Yeah..." Hunter followed her. "But I’m curious. You cried, even though we just had fun. It made me think that..." He sat down, watching Isabella as she lay down with her back to him.

"I thought you regretted what we did," he said again.

Isabella stayed silent, remembering Joe’s message.

"I hope it’s not because of that," Hunter whispered, reaching out to massage her calf. "I didn’t mean to make you sad... I..."

"It’s not because of that," Isabella interrupted, turning to face Hunter with a frown. "Please don’t feel sad because of my behavior. I don’t want to seem cruel... I don’t want my actions to affect you... That’s not right. You need to stand your ground... Don’t think that if I’m sad, you have to be sad too... No... I don’t want that. My life is my life, not something you should worry about!" she continued firmly.

"But I’m your husband," Hunter whispered anxiously, lowering his head. "Like you said, we don’t need to discuss anything other than being husband and wife... I accept that. But just now, I saw my wife sitting there, sad, alone, after giving in to my wishes... Of course, I’m worried," he added.

Isabella sighed, reaching out to hold Hunter’s arm.

"You’re a good husband," she said with a warm smile. "There’s nothing for you to worry about. Trust me..."

Hunter remained silent, gazing at Isabella.

"Come here... Let’s cuddle. It’s so cold," Isabella pulled Hunter to lie down, wrapping her arms around him. "Please tell me about your mother. I’m really scared to meet her... She’ll probably scold me again about that photo."

"I manipulated everything," Hunter lazily replied.

Isabella frowned, looking up at him as she imagined his meeting with Juliana Brown, a mother-in-law who always terrified her.

"I told her I was angry at you... I mean... I said that I was mad at you," Hunter explained, staring at the ceiling. "I’m going to act cold toward you whenever she’s around... I don’t want her to think you’re comfortable with me."

"But why?"

Hunter looked down at Isabella. "To protect you, of course, what else? I don’t want her to treat you like she treated Sarah!" he said, raising his eyebrows.

Isabella pouted, sensing Hunter’s frustration with her, and his explanation left her disappointed.

’He doesn’t want to show that he likes me to protect me, which is the right thing to do, but it’s also cowardly. What if, in the future, his mother still hates me even if I accept him as my husband forever... He’ll always obey her... Is this something wrong?’ she wondered.

"I’m hungry," Hunter said, sitting up.

Isabella reluctantly let go of her embrace, watching as Hunter walked away. The atmosphere became cold, and distant, making her feel like a wife who wasn’t truly wanted.

"Argh!" Isabella tugged at her hair in frustration. "Isabella, don’t go crazy... Don’t be too confident! After all, this isn’t your plan. You shouldn’t expect too much from him; you shouldn’t take his sweet behavior as a sign of love!"

"He’s perfect, handsome, rich... Of course, he’ll discard you when you keep disappointing him. That’s what’s happening now... He’s discarding you; he’ll never truly want you!" she warned herself angrily, throwing whatever was beside her.

...

Elsewhere, in a monochrome-themed apartment with mostly white and gray furniture, Loraine looked at Kate, who sat next to him, about 50 cm apart, as if she didn’t want to be near him.

"I’m leaving my job here, and I might go to Canada to join my mom," Loraine said.

"You said you hated her, but now you’re going to rely on her," Kate replied coldly. "You’ll always be like this because you don’t have the confidence to succeed on your own. You’ll always use others to make your life easier!" she continued, irritated.

Loraine nodded. "That’s because I’m not sure if my skills can lead to success. I’m just a mechanic... I don’t have many connections to get into good companies... If I approach my mom and my stepdad, maybe I’ll get some help... Even if I don’t like them... I’ll do it because I need it," he said, pouting.

"And when you’ve got the job, when you’re successful enough, you’ll leave them?" Kate guessed. "That’s sneaky... You might even leave me... You’ll always choose whoever benefits you the most... Maybe if you meet a prettier girl there, and she likes you, you’ll ditch me! You’ll discard anything that doesn’t serve you!"

"Babe..." Loraine shook her head. "Why would you say that? Of course, that won’t happen. The reason I want to succeed is you, to make you happy, to be worthy of being your partner forever..."

"That’s nonsense!"

"But that’s the truth. Have I ever cheated? Have I ever gotten close to another girl, even though I had plenty of chances?" Loraine asked.

"No... But the situation is different now. You’ve seen how your sister doesn’t like me... You’d think twice before taking our relationship seriously!" Kate replied angrily, recalling Isabella’s face. "I’m even starting to think about it now. How can I have a sister-in-law who dislikes me? She even accused me of taking advantage of her... It’s insane. She acts like she’s the best... but what she’s doing now is nothing more than selling herself like a slut!"

"Kate!" Loraine glared immediately. "You can’t say that about my sister. What she’s doing is a sacrifice!"

"You’re defending her now?" Kate squinted her eyes.

"Of course, I’m defending her... she’s my sister. I can’t accept it when you say she’s a slut... no. She’s not!"

"But she did... She gave herself to Hunter and then got a lot of money. What else would you call that if not a slut? And it turns out Hunter isn’t even disabled... I’m sure he’s become her sex slave!"

Loraine stood up quickly and slapped Kate, looking at her with pure hatred.

"You..." Kate held her cheek, which felt hot, glaring sharply at Loraine.

"We’re done... I can’t understand you anymore... I can’t stay with someone who belittles my sister. I’m disappointed in her, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stay silent when your filthy mouth insults her!" Loraine shouted, then stood up and left Kate without wanting to listen to her anymore.