No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 40- Trapped love

Adrian scoffed, shaking his head. "Clear your head?" His laugh was humorless. "You saw her, didn't you?"

I froze.

He didn't wait for me to answer.

"You saw Mikha."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Adrian-"

"Don't," he snapped, his patience running thin. "You think I didn't notice? The way you looked at her? The way your whole goddamn world stopped the moment you saw her again?"

I clenched my fists under the table. "This isn't about her," I lied.

"Don't fucking lie to me, Aiah!" His voice rose, echoing through the room. "It's always about her. Ever since the beginning. Ever since our marriage."

Silence.

He let out a bitter laugh, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "You can't let her go."

I didn't answer.

Because he was right.

And we both knew it.

"Putangina, Adrian!" I snapped, slamming my hand against the table as I stood up. "Alam mo naman 'to simula pa lang, 'di ba? Alam mong hindi kita minahal, hindi kita pipiliin kahit kailan! So bakit mo pa 'to sinasabi ngayon?"

Adrian's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he took a step closer. "Because I'm fucking tired, Aiah."

His hand shot out, gripping my jaw tightly, forcing me to look up at him.

"Tigilan mo na 'yang drama mo. Stop looking for her, stop thinking about her. You chose this life. You chose to leave her," he hissed, his fingers digging into my skin. "At wala ka nang babalikan."

My nails dug into his wrist, trying to pry his hand away, but he only tightened his grip.

"Let me go, Adrian," I spat, my voice shaking from anger, from frustration, from the suffocating weight of everything I had lost.

His lips curled into a bitter smirk. "Bakit, masakit? Ganyan din yung sakit na binigay mo sa kanya, Aiah. Ganyan din siya nadurog nang iniwan mo siya para sa akin."

My breath hitched.

"You think she's still waiting for you?" he sneered. "She has a man now, Aiah. She's happy. At ikaw?" He tilted his head, mocking. "Wala kang ibang alam gawin kundi magpakalango sa alak at kaawaan ang sarili mo."

I gritted my teeth, hatred bubbling in my chest. "At ikaw, ano? Nasaan ang saya mo, Adrian? Kung masaya ka talaga, bakit ka nandito, sumisigaw sa akin, hinahawakan ako na parang gusto mo akong sirain?"

For a second, something flickered in his eyes-guilt? Rage? I couldn't tell. But then, just as quickly, it was gone.

He let go of my jaw with a sharp shove, making me stumble slightly backward.

"I'm warning you, Aiah," his voice dropped, quiet but threatening. "You're my wife. Act like it."

Then he turned around and walked away, leaving me standing there, my chest heaving, my hands trembling.

I lifted my fingers to my jaw, feeling the lingering heat of his grip.

My eyes burned, but I refused to cry.

Because no matter how much pain Adrian inflicted on me-

Nothing could compare to the pain of losing her.

The moment Adrian left, I felt my knees weaken. I gripped the edge of the table for support, inhaling sharply as I forced myself to stay standing.

I won't cry.