“What do you mean by that, Marissa.” Instead of Valerie, Rafael asked her, “Naturally! She is my wife, and she is the one who is supposed to stay with me. Who were you expecting by the way?”

His voice might be friendly, but the dangerous undertones suggested, he would not listen to a word against his beloved wife.

“Excuse me,” His mom Nina Sinclair held Marissa’s elbow, “I can take care of this,” she said with a forced smile and guided her rigid figure out of the hospital room, “What’s the matter with you, Marissa? Can’t you see? It’s just three days to his surgery. He is watching the world after three damn years. Don’t you create any drama!

Marissa found herself speechless for a moment. This was the same woman who begged her two years back to marry her son and now she was … acting so weird.

“B…but mom. You know I am his wife and…”

Slap!

“Are you fu*cking out of your mind, Marissa?” Placing her hand on her stinging cheek, Marissa stared at her mother-in-law dumbly, “Are you so much after his name and wealth that you have forgotten the fact that he might be hurt once he comes to know about our arrangement?”

Marissa couldn’t believe that she was double-crossed. However, she wasn’t giving up on her love without putting up a fight.

She pushed passed Nina Sinclair and went back inside the room to talk to her husband.

“Marissa! Stop!” Nina came after her pleading, but Marissa walked up to Rafael and stopped just close to Valerie.

“Rafael. I need to talk to you. Alone!” The way she talked to him, he couldn’t help but wonder how confident she had gotten after getting her education and exposure from abroad.

“No such thing is happening,” her own mom Vicky Aaron hissed from the corner of the room, “this is a happy moment for the family, and we must give Valerie and Rafael some privacy. Now let’s go out.” She said with a smile and for the first time Marissa felt the urge to kill her mom.

“I’m not going anywhere, Mom,” Marissa challenged her mom stubbornly and turned her gaze to Rafael, “I’m NOT leaving this room until we have a word in private.”

“Behave yourself, Marissa.” Nina Sinclair tried to speak gently this time. Before Valerie could say something, Rafael spoke,

“Alright. If she needs to talk. Then we better get some privacy.”

“But, darling. I don’t want to leave you right now,” Valerie placed her arms around him with a pout, “Can’t you talk to her later?”

Rafael kissed her hand and gave a gentle shake to his head, “Just a few minutes, my love.”

Marissa felt her heart breaking into tiny pieces. She was the love of his love. Not Valerie.

While leaving the room, she didn’t miss the evil glint in Valerie’s eyes but ignored her. Right now, her mind was on no one, but her husband, the love of her life. Father of her unborn kids.

“What is it, Marissa?” Rafael’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. She opened her mouth to speak but he raised his hand to stop her from speaking.

“Listen, little Greene. I know you always had a crush on me.” The revelation left her tongue-tied.

“Yes. I have always known since we first met. And that’s not a bad thing, Marissa. I always took you as a caring sister-in-law and nothing else. You were always like a little sister to me and that’s it. I respect you as Valerie’s little sister but if you think that you can own me by creating this drama then you are in for a surprise. I don’t give a damn about you. Got it?”

Marissa stood there like a fool not knowing what else to say.

“All this time…” she started, “all this time I was the one who stayed beside you… I’m your wife and …”

“Enough, Marissa.” She could hear annoyance in his voice and that hurt her like anything. For the last two years, he had been her lover and best friend, and now…

Now he was treating her like a stranger. Like she was nothing but just trash.

Their families started coming back inside. Looking at them curiously, Valerie at once darted towards Rafael, “Honey. Are you alright? What does she want from you?” she then turned her hateful gaze to her sister and shrieked in anger, “Shame on you, Marissa. You have turned our happy moment into an embarrassing one.”

Marissa didn’t want to give up. Not so easily. What would she tell her kids? That I gave up on your father without even putting up a fight?

“I was the one who married you, Rafael,” She managed with a sob. His hand that was going to hold Valerie remained there in mid-air, “I was the one who married you and stayed with you for the past two years, Rafael. I know everything…I know everything about you. You also know me like no other man. You… you touched me … I… I gave you my virg*inity.” She came out of the trance when heard surprised gasps around her.

“How shameless you are!” her mom held her arm and gave her a wild shove, “how dare you talk to your brother-in-law like that.”

Despite people’s whispers in the room, her eyes kept gazing at the face that used to lean on her for kissing and licking her face.

“Please …” she joined her hands, “please don’t kick me out of your life just like that, Rafael.” Closing her eyes she let the tears fall on her face.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Valerie shook her head and stepped back from Rafael.

“Valerie!” Rafael’s eyes at last moved to his beloved, “Please…”

“Just get your hospital discharge, hubby. I’ll wait for you at home.” Valerie planted a soft kiss on his cheek and left the room without a backward glance.

“I was mistaken, Marissa.” He chuckled, “I thought that you were a kind-hearted girl with morals. I guess I was wrong. Your mom was right. Have shame and leave the room. Now!” he roared making everyone in that room jump in fright.

Marissa pursed her quivering lips. There was no use in fighting the battle that she had already lost.

Turning on her heels, she got out of the room.

“Marissa.” She halted in the hospital’s corridor when heard her mother-in-law’s voice. A glimmer of hope came into her heart.