FIFTY SEVEN
=ASHER’s POV=
Peripartum (postpartum) depression or Psychotic depression. There is no difference in schizophrenia. That’s what happened to Ashley today. She shut her mind and isolated herself. She created her own World in her mind. The world where she can hide.
“Ashley.” I caressed her face. She’s peacefully sleeping. I brought her to our house and no need to bring her to the hospital. I can take care of her alone. I could pour into her everything I knew. As a doctor and as a husband.
“Asher, they’re waiting on you,” Agatha said.
I looked at Hailey and Eugene outside the room. I don’t know how I feel right now. I want to clear everything and want to know what really happened to my wife.
After Ashley left earlier. In everything she did, I know, as a husband and as a doctor there was something wrong with her. Only now have I also realized that in the past she was not behaving normally. I noticed that but I ignored it because I was angrier to punish her. So even though I noticed that something was wrong with her I chose to let my anger.
“What do you know, Agatha?” But instead of answering, she said something else.
“I’ll take care of her, they’re waiting on you,” she just answered. She knew something but she didn’t want to talk. Anyway, I can’t force her. For sure she doesn’t know that much either.
I left the room then closed the door. “To my office, Ley,” I said then walked straight to my office here inside the house. I noticed that only Ley followed me. When we got inside she closed the door. I noticed she locked it as well.
“Where’s Eugene?”
“He just lately found out the truth so I’ll be the one to talk to you.”
“What happened to my wife?” I asked but she remained silent. “Fuck Ley, tell what happened to her?”
“Are you ready to know the truth? Are you ready to face the truth? Even if it hurts? Even if it makes your brain mess up? You can handle it?” she asked me.
“I’ve accepted that when she went with the others, Ley, what could be more painful than that fact?”
“What if everything you know isn’t true?” she asked then walked closer to me. “What if he didn’t really trade you for another man. What if the Charles she was referring to was ——” she stopped. Hesitation is in her eyes. “Charles is her son.”
“What?” Her son. But —-
“Yes, her son.”
Her son?
He is not my wife’s lover? But how did she got pregnant with Charles?
Who is the father?
I look at Ley with astonishment.
“Ley, is he my son?”
“No,”
What was the reason for her to leave me and hide the truth from me?
I am already confused by what Ley is saying
“How, How could it happen? Did she really cheated on and get pregnant so she left me?” Is that the reason? But she shook her head and remained silent.
When I left for work did she go with another man and get pregnant so she left?
“Fuck Ley! Tell me the fucking truth. I am not a fortune teller for fuck sake to guess what’s on your mind!” I couldn’t control my anger so I shouted.
She cried and bent her head and I also saw his shoulder shrug.
“Ley, please.” I’m confused. I am confused and I want to know the truth.
“Please tell me the truth.” She looked up. She walked over to me and took my hand. She took a deep breath as the tears continued to flow.
“She’s been abused, on her way home from the mall to buy decorations to surprised you, she was kidnapped, and raped by four men.”
What?
Is she said kidnapped and raped?
“Those marks on her back, she took those from the hand of those fuckin rapists who abused her. I knew that you saw it.” I backed away and then sat on the floor.
What she said didn’t sink into my brain so I hold my head. I try to accept and understand what Ley says.
“Ash,” she calls to me.
“That’s not true,” I said but Ley just continued.
“It’s true, you’re going home. She wanted to hide what happened to her from you. Her back can be had a derma. But sad to say, before her plan to have a derma happened, she discovered that she’s pregnant.” I was shaken and did not want to accept what she was saying. NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
“Ley, you lied, you’re just saying that to make me feel guilty for what I did to her, aren’t you? I admit it’s my mistake why she left me. I admit I have shortcomings as a husband. I accept it. But don’t do this to me, Ley, don’t lie to me just to hurt me too much and make me look worthless. I accept that she left because I’m worthless. But that kind of thing —— please, take it back, please,” I said while begging her and crying.
I accepted that she traded me for someone else. I will still accept him even if she cheated on me. But not this kind of painful word.
“How I wished it was like that. I hope so. But no, when she got pregnant she chose to raise her child. Yes, she didn’t want it to happen. But it’s still her child. She knew you would be hurt, so, she chose to walk away without letting you know the truth. Because it hurts more for you when you find out the truth. She chose to be evil in your eyes, and accept your anger. Rather than both of you suffered by the nightmare of what happened to her.”
“You lied, Ley, it’s all fucking lie. Right?” I insist while crying.
But she did not answer. I wait for her to say yes. That she is lying but what she is saying seems to be true.
I banged my head against the wall because I was annoyed with myself.
Fuck! After all these years, I thought she traded me for someone else. I thought she betrayed me. I thought she lost her love for me.
I thought,
FUCKING I THOUGHT!
“Ley, why? Why did you hide the truth from me?” I was in pain and I felt like I was going to die of pain.
“Because she doesn’t want to hurt you, she doesn’t want you to blame yourself that you did not protect her. When she found out she was pregnant, she went home to her daddy. When her dad found out the truth, her dad felt sorry for what happened to her. He can’t accept that he couldn’t protect her Unica Hija. That’s the reason why Ashley’s daddy died. So her desire not to tell you the truth intensified because she didn’t want what happened to her daddy to happen to you. Hunter doesn’t know anything. I and only her nana knew at first.”
“Why didn’t she come back to me, Ley? Doesn’t she want to sympathize with me? I am not important to her she so doesn’t want me to be with her?”
“She doesn’t want you to come back to her out of pity. He’d rather you be angry with her for thinking she went with someone else. Until the day comes you can forgive her.”
All the pain I went through then I feel has become ten times more now in the truth that I have found out. The woman I love and treasure just made someone else’s toy. I hurt her, instead of sympathizing with her.
How can I make up for Ashley now?
“Charles?” I quickly asked Ley. “I want to take Charles. I’ll take care of him. I’ll take him and take care of him. I will be a good father to him. Where is he?”
Yes, I will take care of Ashley’s son. I don’t care how he was formed. Ashley loves her so I will love him too. In Ashley’s condition, she could no longer take care of Charles. So I am Charles’s parent now. I will do everything I can to prolong his life.
“He died.” I looked straight at Ley. “He died last night. We buried him earlier. Ashley delivered him out with a hole in his heart, with a liver and kidney defect. His body couldn’t take it anymore.” I was even more discouraged because of what Ley said.
“The money that she borrowed on you, she used it for his medication.”
What have I done to my wife?
Why is this happening to us?
We are not bad people but why did this happen to us. We just love each other but why were we given this test.
“Ley.” The only word I could say while continuing to cry. Ley hugged me while caressing my back.
“She needs you. You can help her to heal, you did it to me so you can do it to her either. Please help her.”
I will, everything I know about being a psychiatrist I will pour into her.
“Where are those assholed who made her like this.” She stopped caressing my back. “Ley,” I called when she did not move.
I want them to pay for what they did to my wife.
“Three are dead. Only the leader is left alive.” Then she slipped out of the hug.
“Who is he?” I ask. I want to know that idiot is. It’s a sin against God, but I want that animal’s life to end in my hands. I can if I will. I will make him suffer like hell in my hands until he himself ends his life.
“His name is Kranky. But he’s not the one you should face. It’s the person who ordered him.” Hatred and angry are in her eyes while saying that asshole’s name.
Kranky?
That’s what Ashley called me earlier. That’s why she was so scared back then.
“Ley.” If before pity and sadness were in his eyes. Now, this anger seems to be igniting. Ley knows something. And I’m sure she knows a lot.
“Just watch out for the news. They’ll both come out tomorrow.”
I was nervous about what Ley said but it disappeared immediately. Whoever you were who did that to my wife and also you who ordered. I hope you all go to hell together.