Stuck in The Marriage Pact
Chapter 60: angry to be affectionate again

Chapter 60: angry to be affectionate again

"Let me go!" Hunter shouted, trying to break free from Isabella’s embrace.

"No!" Isabella exclaimed, glaring up at Hunter. "You need to control yourself. She must not see you walking!" she whispered harshly.

Hunter sighed, glancing at Debby, who had already reached the edge of the street and was getting into the taxi that had come to pick her up. He clenched his cane tightly, grinding his teeth, imagining how that woman had called his wife a bitch.

Isabella slowly distanced herself from Hunter, then looked back at the street, realizing Debby was gone. She turned back to Hunter, frustrated, even pushing him.

"You’re such an idiot!" she snapped, then quickly went inside.

"How can you call me an idiot?" Hunter hurriedly followed Isabella, no longer pretending to limp. "I can’t accept what she said, it was outrageous! She acted like Joe was the victim!"

"But she was right!" Isabella turned to face Hunter, her eyes wide. "I look like a gold-digger, marrying for money!" she declared, clenching her fists.

Hunter stood still, staring into her green eyes.

"You can’t accept what she said... Why? It was just a sentence, and there’s a lot of truth in it!" Isabella cried, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "What were you going to do to her? Slap her? Pull her hair?" she asked, puzzled.

"That wouldn’t change anything; it would only put you in danger. She would see you walking, uncover all your lies... Everything would fall apart!" Isabella exclaimed again, sighing and turning away. "She spoke the truth... I was so eager for Joe to propose that I didn’t understand his situation, and that’s my fault... I was tempted by you and ended up hurting him!" she continued, walking toward the sofa.

Hunter took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, damp with sweat from the anger burning inside him, his face flushed. He put his hands on his hips, staring at his wife, who was now crying on the sofa.

"I’m so tired!" Isabella pushed her hair back, looking up at Hunter through her tears.

"I feel like I have the right to make my own choices after so long, after feeling stuck in place... I thought I could find a change, but why?" Isabella asked in frustration, shaking her head. "Why am I the one to blame?"

Hunter sighed again, quickly approaching Isabella and pulling her into a hug.

Isabella’s sobs grew louder, wetting Hunter’s black shirt.

"I know how you feel, love... You’re too kind, unable to be selfish for your own happiness," Hunter whispered, furrowing his brow, and stroking her hair. "It’s normal to feel this way... You’ve been close to them for years, and your decision has made them angry, made them hate you. But this isn’t your fault... You’re just doing what’s best for yourself... after being so patient. This is your right, love, it’s your right," he continued softly.

Isabella pulled away from Hunter’s embrace, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"Are you not angry anymore?" she asked.

Hunter gave a small smile. "I’m not angry with you, but with that woman. She should respect your decision, understand your feelings... Not mock you. I can’t accept that," he said, furrowing his brow.

Isabella looked down again.

"I can’t forget how you stood there, unable to respond to her words... You didn’t seem good at arguing, or maybe you just felt too guilty..." Hunter sighed. "But I couldn’t just stand by... It hurt so much when she called you a bitch."

"But it’s true," Isabella whispered, leaning back against the sofa.

"You don’t deserve to be called that because you’re my wife, and you’ve served me as my wife... And honestly, all the money I’ve given you isn’t payment for being my wife, but because I want to give it to you... You deserve it," Hunter said anxiously, standing up. "I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s making me angry!" he added in frustration.

Isabella just sat there, pouting, glancing at Hunter.

"Come on, let’s go to the kitchen. I’ve cooked for you," Hunter said, offering his hand to Isabella.

Reluctantly, Isabella took his hand and stood up. She followed him toward the kitchen, passing through the small living room, with doors leading to other rooms and a door to the side terrace.

"I made chicken steak for you," Hunter said with a smile as they reached the kitchen, which was connected to the dining area.

He quickly pulled out a chair and gestured for Isabella to sit, facing the table where two plates of chicken steak with a reddish-brown color were already set, along with two green cans of drinks.

"Did you make that sauce?" Isabella asked, smiling.

Hunter blushed slightly and sat down. "I... I found the sauce in the fridge and used it. I added pepper, sliced chili, and onions, and sprinkled some sesame seeds. But... when I fried it, it got a bit burnt," he said nervously.

Isabella chuckled, shaking her head.

"Sorry, it’s my first time cooking," Hunter said, handing Isabella a knife and fork. "But if you don’t like it, we can just order something."

"It’s okay, I’ll eat it," Isabella replied, still smiling at the strange-looking steak, and quickly cut into it. "I think it’s cooked perfectly."

"Really?" Hunter said, excited.

"Yeah... You must have watched a YouTube tutorial; it’s not that bad," Isabella said, taking a bite of the chicken steak.

Hunter swallowed nervously, watching Isabella chew, his heart pounding, worried that it might taste as bad as it looked.

"Umm..." Isabella glanced at Hunter.

"How is it?" Hunter asked softly.

"It’s not bad," Isabella said, continuing to eat. "It’s different... I mean... I’ve never had chicken steak with such a unique seasoning, and there’s sesame in it too."

"Are you serious?" Hunter asked, furrowing his brow, staring at Isabella intently.

"Yeah... It’s really good, honestly!" Isabella said, cutting another piece of the steak, but suddenly she started choking.

"Baby..."

Hunter quickly grabbed one of the cans and handed it to her.

"Be careful!" he said, frowning.

Isabella took small sips from the can, then sighed and set it back on the table.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, seeing her red eyes.

"I’m fine," Isabella nodded.

"But you choked, is my food not good?"

"It’s good... Trust me," Isabella reassured him, seeing Hunter’s concerned eyes. "You just put too much pepper, so it’s easy to choke, especially when I’m talking and eating."

Hunter stared at the food in front of him, then stood up. "In that case, let’s throw it away, and I’ll order something better for you." He took the plate from in front of Isabella.

Isabella grabbed the plate back. "Hunter, don’t..."

"But it could make you sick!"

"It’s okay, I’ll be fine!"

"No!" Hunter insisted, frowning, leaving Isabella momentarily stunned. "You choked because it’s too spicy for your throat, and it won’t be good for your stomach either... Please, don’t eat it. I don’t want you to get a stomach ache!" he pleaded.

"But you worked so hard on it... You put in so much effort," Isabella whispered, her sad eyes looking at him.

"It’s okay..." Hunter smiled, placing a hand on her head. "I’d rather throw this effort away than see you get sick."

Isabella stayed silent, watching the steak, then suddenly stood up.

"It would be a waste to throw it away; I’ll rinse it off, get rid of the sauce, and cook it again," she said, grabbing the plate of steak.

"Love... Don’t!" Hunter dodged her hand and quickly grabbed the other steak. "Let’s just buy new food." He hurried toward the trash can near the pantry.

"You’re going to throw it away?"

Isabella crossed her arms, resigned as Hunter tossed the food into the trash. She sighed and shook her head, watching as he moved to place the dirty plates in the sink.

"Sorry," Hunter said.

Isabella approached him, noticing the mess from his cooking efforts—the dirty utensils and the cluttered counter from his failed attempt.

"I’ll order food from the restaurant we liked last night," Hunter said, walking toward her with his phone in hand.

Isabella grabbed the phone, placed it on the pantry counter, and then wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at his handsome face.

"Don’t," she whispered. "Don’t order food," she added.

"But..." Hunter bit his lower lip, feeling her hand creeping up his waist and under his shirt. "You need to eat, love. I don’t want you to skip lunch."

"I want you," Isabella whispered with a teasing smile.

Hunter immediately blushed, pouting as he turned his face away.

"You were just crying, we just went through an emotional moment, and now you’re disappointed because my cooking wasn’t good," he said, shaking his head. "So how can you suddenly want me now?" he asked.

"Because that’s what happened, that’s what I feel right now," Isabella replied with an intense gaze, then pulled her hand away from Hunter’s shirt and moved to caress his chest. "This is something I can’t control... Your gentle demeanor always calms me in an instant... It makes me always want you... I admire you... I can forget everything when I see you... When I see you caring for me so much. You... You are the most beautiful gift from God after so long of feeling exhausted without anyone to comfort me... I feel like God sent you to me after I was truly desperate to face everything without my father," she continued.

Hunter smiled, cupping both of Isabella’s cheeks and then kissed her lips softly for a moment.

"I love you," Isabella whispered. "I’ve fallen in love with you... I feel it," she continued with her eyes closed, letting Hunter rest their foreheads together.

"I love you too, darling... It happened the first time I saw you," Hunter replied, closing his eyes, and remembering the moment he saw Isabella approaching him at the altar. "The first time I saw you, really saw you in person, I already had the thought of making our marriage last forever..."

Isabella opened her eyes, then kissed Hunter’s lips while wrapping her arms around his neck.

Hunter returned the kiss, slowly, until suddenly they heard the doorbell ring. He immediately stopped their kiss, looking toward the door along with Isabella.

"Who’s coming?"