One More Chance
Chapter 45: Scumbag-jerk-cheater of a husband

~~~I can't believe what I just heard, could it be true? And were you ever what you seemed or was I a fool who fell in love with my own dream? How do you heal a broken heart that feels like it will never beat this much again? Oh, no, I just can't let go. How do you heal a broken heart like it will never love this much again? Oh, no, tonight I'll hold what could be right, tomorrow I'll pretend to let you go~~~

-Chris Walker-

"Why didn't you go to them?" Jack's question when we find a bench to sit on.

I remained silent, looking at the San Francisco skyline that seemed to be proud standing and pointing above the now brilliantly red and orange sky. Their lights began to blink and shine through the blue water under the Golden Gate Bridge of San Fransico. My tears have already stopped falling, but the pain still exists. How I wish to become a child again, that anyone would give me a piece of candy, the pain would easily vanish... and when the tears stop falling, my simple and childish problems stop as well. "Why didn't you show up in front of them? Why did you just run? Why didn't you talk to them and give your scumbag-jerk-cheater of a husband a powerful kick on his ass and his mistress a stinging slap?"

I glanced at her slowly and then sighed.

"I wish I could..." I shook my head. "...but I couldn't. I can't."

"Why not? You are his wife, I mean his legal wife and Cherry was just his mistress, his number two, his fucking slut!"

I closed my eyes tightly upon hearing that name.

"She's not just his slut." I weakly said.

"And she's his what?"

"She's the love of his life. For him, she is his everything."

"Jesus Christ, Samantha! What the hell is going on with you? Are you just going to sit there and do nothing while they were happy, playing romantically as if they were mice that suddenly broke free from their cage?" My head snapped towards her.

"What do you want me to do, Jack, to start a fight? You want me to introduce myself in front of him and ask him 'hey, my dear husband, what are you doing? Why are you kissing her? Are you cheating on me?' or do you want me to throw all the drinks on their faces or smash the glass on the floor?' Are those the things you want me to do?"

"Yes! Those are exactly the things I want you to do and I would be happy if you could do more, instead of sitting here, crying like a baby because someone took her candy! I want you to show them that you are strong! That you are his wife! That even if you are just his plain housewife, he shouldn't have treated you as if you were 'nothing' and that he shouldn't cheat on you! Samantha, grow up! Have a fucking bones even just for once!"

I gritted my teeth as I couldn't help the tears to form in my eyes again. I felt hurt by what she said, that I was just a plain housewife who had no bones to stand on my own.

"Do you think that if I do that, the truth will change? Will it erase the scene that has already been registered in my head?..."

I stopped as I was choked by my own sobs.

"...Will it change what happened and return my husband to me? Will it change the painful truth that he never learned to love me? Will they, Jack?"

"No, nothing of what you said will change and I'm not telling you to fight for him, but it's your right to do all those things..."

She paused for a few seconds and I waited for her next words.

"...even cut his balls!"

A slight chuckle left my lips when I looked at her. I was crying and smiling at the same time.

"I-I don't know where to start again, Jack, and you know what it hurts me the most?"

I took a deep breath to let go of the ache that formed in my chest.

"He fucking lied to me and to C-Cali. What is it that I don't have, Jack? Because I don't understand why he had to do it and why he had to return to her?"

"Actually, you are fine, you are completely fine. It's just your husband who couldn't see that thing about you as he had to go back to his ex-girlfriend which is now his mistress."

A faint smile painted on my lips.

"I was thinking of how to tell my daughter the truth and so far, I still don't know how to do it. Is she gonna hate me---"

"And why would she hate you?"

"Because I let her father be with someone else. I let her father get stolen from us."

"Haist, Samantha!" She pulled me into a hug. "It's not your fault. Actually, even if you chained your husband, if he's going to cheat, he would cheat."

***

I tried to call him the following day, but I only got disappointed as he never answered any of my calls. Tears always ran down my face every time I thought about what I saw... the way they held each other and the things they keep doing at the moment.

When the night came, I tried to call him again... which honestly, I couldn't remember how many times I dialled his number, but my calls simply go straight to his voicemail. So even though I hate to inform my daughter, I have no choice but to tell her that there's a possibility that her daddy may not be able to get to her birthday.

It's not that I'm sure he wouldn't come, but I don't want my daughter to expect and be disappointed in the end. For me, it's better to give her an idea, so that if my intuition was right, she wouldn't get hurt much, if it happened.

"Huh? But why, mommy? I thought he said he would come to my party?"

"Hey, uhm... actually, mommy is not really sure if he can get to your party tomorrow, but I think---"

"He promised me he would come."

I bit my lip when she started pouting.

"Don't worry, baby, he's just busy, but I'm sure he would make it."

But she didn't move in her spot. She was just hugging her Elsa doll, pouting.

"Ahh... my baby is so cute when she's sulking, come here." I opened my arms, motioning her to come closer to me, and when she did, I hugged her tightly and peppered her light kisses all over her face that made her giggle.

We spent a little moment together while watching Rory, Elaine, my two mothers and Jack laughing and having fun while they were decorating the whole garden.

"Where is your husband, Sam? He should be here helping us to decorate your garden. It's his daughter's 4th birthday tomorrow."

I held my breath for a second when my mother-in-law asked me the most sensitive question.

"Uhm..." Jack and I shared glances before I could finally able to collect my words. "He still has an Asian meeting, mom, but I'm sure he would make a way to attend his daughter's party," I said, pretending to be the most understandable wife in the world. Well, that was me then, but not anymore...

"Haist, goodness! I can't believe my son to be a business-minded as that."

-'Business-minded'- the golden word. Yeah, he's really busy doing 'business' with someone else right now... with his ex-girlfriend.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him to lessen his workload in the office. That's why he has an assistant and secretary to help him manage the documents, meetings and cover some of his appointments."