…. a few years later…
He was about to eat the food when he noticed the newly arrived customer. Her eyes widened and she could not move in her seat. He could not be mistaken or deceived by his eyes because Rachel was really what he saw. It included a brusque man and a child. His eyes followed where the three sat and he secretly envied what he witnessed. Brett bit his lip hard as he watched the woman from a distance.
When the boy grabbed her attention, she asked herself if Rachel had really loved her before or was she just forced to marry him? If her prediction was correct, since Rachel left the house, she immediately moved into another man’s lap and became pregnant. His will was so angry that this fool had made him!
But she was the one who wanted him more, Brett reminded himself!
Whether he loved her or not, he could not accept to himself that he had immediately replaced her. Is this the woman’s way to repay him? To expose her child to other men in their province?
This is a great shame! His mouth twitched. But he couldn’t face the woman. The wound left by Rachel was still fresh when it suddenly disappeared like a bubble.
The woman knew how important her freedom was to him. It’s like a religion to him but things turned out differently after Rachel cornered him into marrying her!
“Sir, excuse me, here is your bill,” said the waiter.
Brett stopped his flashback when the waiter suddenly approached him. He checked the bill and handed two thousand pesos for his payment. When his eyes widened again at the table occupied by Rachel and her colleagues, he could no longer see the three. “Excuse me, did you notice where the customers sitting at that table went?” Brett pointed to the table Rachel had occupied earlier.
“They have already left sir, because they bought it for take-out.”
Brett nodded and he quickly stood up to leave. He heard the waiter calling but he couldn’t wait for the change. He just motioned to the guy to keep the change. Fortunately, he was in a hurry because he caught up with the three in the AA parking lot. “Hmmm nice car,” she said into the air when she noticed the type of car Rachel’s boyfriend was driving.
Brett ran towards his Mercedes and followed them. He could not miss the chance to meet the woman again. He had many questions for Rachel and only the Lord had an idea of what could be done to the woman in her infidelity in their marriage.
Brett called his friend Collin because although they were still friends, the latter was closer to Rachel. He did not know how the young man fell in love with his wife even though he did not like women since he lost his beloved wife and child.
“Guess what? I saw Rachel but she was with another man, Collin!” He immediately told Collin about the woman they had been looking for since it disappeared.
“Wow, that’s good to hear, Brett. Finally, your love life will have a happy ending!”
“Happy ending? She was with a man when I saw her and they had a child!” He was in a heavy mood as he told Collin about Rachel’s son.
“Oh, that’s kind of bad news. But don’t forget that you’re the real husband. You can adopt the child,” Collin continued to joke on the other line.
And when he heard the man on the other line laugh, Brett’s anger flared up and he reprimanded Collin for teasing him. He then cut off the call without saying goodbye and staggered to follow his target.
“Damn!” Brett gasped as he got stuck in traffic and his distance from the vehicle followed.
*****
Meanwhile, inside the white Jaguar, Carter and Rachel are talking happily. He’s everything to her, so she wanted it to be fun on her upcoming birthday. He’s turning six years old next month!
“Mom?” Carter called his mother.
“Yes, son. What’s that?” Only now did he see that the child was not sure what to say. Usually, he’s very talkative and tactless. Is he sick? She touched Carter’s forehead and felt if its temperature had risen. “Hmmm, is there a problem?”
“Is Daddy coming home for my birthday?”
If only she didn’t lie about Brett, then, she wouldn’t have to worry about lying again. But even in her imagination, she couldn’t kill Brett. She asked her friend, Francis for help on what she would answer to the child.
“Pumpkin, your Mommy will call Daddy when we get home, okay?” Francis answered her son artfully.
She was grateful for Francis’ intervention but instead of helping, her problem seemed to have gotten worse. How could she call someone who has long been out of her life? She glared at her friend but he just ignored her.
“What’s wrong, Rachel?”
“Nothing. I am just worried,” she replied without giving further details about her predicament.
“Okay, I hope he’s not too busy with work and I can talk to him, Mom.”
Rachel’s chest tightened when she heard what her son said. She also lied to the child for several years so she could not talk to the father because he was too busy. “Sure, baby,” she just said that because what else would she say but that?
“I almost forgot to ask you. Did you notice that super-hot guy before?”
Rachel frowned because she hadn’t seen a man based on Francis’ description. “Where?”
“In the restaurant. As in, how many times have I caught him staring behind you,” he stated.
Rachel rolled her eyes and glanced at the man who’s always by her side. Francis was her support during the times when she was overwhelmed by loneliness and poverty. He nurtured her, clothed her, and fed her. And most of all, he acted as her son’s father.
“Do you think he’s still handsome?” Rachel asked Francis about Brett.
“Who? The cheater? Oh Rachel, don’t waste your energy on that bastard,” he replied. “I wish he would just die along with that bitch!”
“Are you mad?” Earlier she noticed that the gay man’s voice was loud and she didn’t know if it was him or Brett’s anger.
“No! Just explaining, it’s you, your stubborn stubbornness! You should have arranged the annulment of your marriage then, yet, you waited a few more years! ”
“Anyway, you’re right. I hope you talked to me deeply before,” Rachel said to Francis.
“Ah, so I’m still at fault now? Am I the one who insisted on freeing Brett because you want Bettina to be forever? Am I hiding from Brett? Answer me!”
“Stop overacting, Francis, and focus on the road. Have you noticed the car that has been following us?”