Sarina
“Let’s talk,” Maximus said firmly as I stepped out of the bathroom.
“I’m not in the mood to talk,” I said before turning my back on him; he grabbed my arm, spinning me around to face him.
“I want to know what’s going on, Sarina.” That’s what he called me now, Sarina. I stared at him, and he met my gaze, waiting for an answer.
“Nothing is going on, Maximus.”
“Then what was that downstairs? Why did you suddenly get so angry?”
“Chanden chased Chansen, and he fell. What do you want me to do about it?”
“Is that how you correct the kids when they make mistakes? And besides, they’re just kids. It’s normal for them to play and get hurt sometimes.”
“You know what? No matter how much I try to explain, you’ll never understand me.” I tried to walk away again, but he wouldn’t let me.
“Talk to me, Sarina. Tell me what’s really going on. I don’t believe this is just about correcting the kids.”
“I told you, nothing’s wrong!” I blurted out. Maximus stared at me intently as if trying to read my soul. “I’m sorry. Just forget it. I was just shocked by what happened.”
“Sarina, you know it’s not just about that.”
“I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve explained myself, but you’re looking for something else. Why don’t you tell me what you want me to say, and I’ll repeat it to you?”
“That’s not it. Do you hear yourself? I just want to talk about whatever’s bothering you.” I could see the confusion and frustration on his face. Maybe he was annoyed, trying to figure out something I couldn’t give him.
“And I told you, I don’t have a problem. You’re the one insisting. What do you want to happen?”
“Damn it, Sarina!” he shouted before staring at me for a long moment. Then he shook his head and stormed out of our bedroom. That’s when my tears started to fall, and I collapsed onto the floor, overwhelmed. What am I supposed to do? What’s happening to me? I don’t even understand myself anymore.
Maximus didn’t return to our room, and I later learned from Lisa that he had left the house. I couldn’t eat dinner, lost in my thoughts about my husband, who hadn’t come home. I busied myself with the kids and silently settled them down for bed.
In our room, I waited for Maximus. I knew I was partly to blame. Knowing it wasn’t healthy, I didn’t want to prolong this argument. Even though I had my doubts about him in the past few days, I never confronted him because I was scared of starting a fight. But here I was, the one losing control.
I kept glancing at the clock on my phone while lying in bed. The night deepened, but the door never opened to signal his return. Worry gnawed at me, so I grabbed my phone and called him, but he didn’t answer.
I got up and paced the floor, trying to avoid thinking of any bad scenarios. I kept checking my phone, hoping it would light up with a message or a call from Maximus, but nothing came up. Midnight came and went, and I was left waiting, sleepless and dizzy.
The next morning, I dragged myself to the kitchen, exhausted. Lisa greeted me.
“Good morning, Ma’am Sarina.”
“Good morning,” I replied weakly, and she looked concerned.
“You should go back to your room and sleep, ma’am. Your eyes look tired. It seems like you haven’t slept.”
“Huh?” I touched my face, feeling the exhaustion. But I couldn’t leave my kids unattended. I ignored Lisa’s advice and helped her prepare breakfast and the kids’ packed lunches. Soon enough, they all came down.
“Good morning, Mom,” Chastity greeted hesitantly.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” I smiled at her, kissed her, and hugged her tightly. She happily took her seat. Chase followed, casting a cautious glance my way. I smiled at him first, and he returned it. He kissed me, and I embraced him tightly. I still felt guilty about my outburst the other day.
Soon, Channing, Chanden, and Chancy arrived in the room with their two nannies, who were with Chastity. “Good morning, sweethearts.” I opened my arms, and they ran to me crying. “I’m really sorry, Mommy. I promise I won’t chase Chansen again. I won’t let my younger siblings get hurt.”
“It’s alright, sweetheart. I’m sorry too for shouting and hitting you.”
“I love you, Mommy!”
“I love you too, my Chanden.” We hugged for a long time, and I felt the children’s mood lighten, allowing me to breathe easier.
They ate breakfast and got ready for school. That’s how it was in our house-breakfast always came first. I didn’t like leaving it until the last minute, worrying they’d rush through it and miss something important. After all, breakfast was crucial for their activities throughout the day.
Once the kids left for school, I told the nannies to take care of the younger ones and returned to our room.
I grabbed my phone immediately, disappointed to see no messages or calls from Maximus. I couldn’t wait any longer, so I called him again, but it kept ringing. Over and over, I dialed, but still, no answer. Nothing bad happened to him, right?
His phone was still on and ringing, which meant he hadn’t lost it. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I kept telling myself he was okay, that nothing had happened to him. Yes, he was fine.
Around eight in the morning, I could no longer reach Maximus, so I called Aries.
“Ma’am, Sarina?”
“Is Maximus at the office yet?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Okay, thank you. Bye.” I didn’t wait for his response and ended the call. It seemed Maximus was mad at me, which was probably why he didn’t answer my calls and turned off his phone.
That’s when I decided to visit him at the office to surprise him and bring lunch. I hurried downstairs and told Lisa my plan. She nodded enthusiastically and seemed excited to cook.
I headed back to our room and started picking out an outfit. It had been a long time since I last visited the company-years, in fact-because the kids kept coming one after the other, making it hard to get out with them all in tow.
I also stopped attending company events, feeling embarrassed about my appearance. I didn’t want Maximus to be criticized by his business associates because of me.
I was sure Maximus would be surprised to see me. Hopefully, his anger-or annoyance, if there was any-would disappear when he saw me.