Contract And Marriage

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“You’re mine! You’re only mine, Sarina!” I couldn’t get those words out of my head. I felt so scared when I heard Jason say that. But why? Why was I so afraid? Maximus said he was my first love and childhood sweetheart, so he’s jealous of my ex. But why do I feel different about him now? Why does he seem like a stranger to me?

I tried to ignore my feelings because I saw how worried my husband was in his voice and face. I didn’t want to add to his worries when he already seemed so burdened by just me, and now we have a child, too. I felt like I wasn’t contributing enough to our relationship. So when he asked me if I wanted to return to work, I said no.

It’s important to me to take care of my family, and knowing how responsible and hardworking my husband is, I wanted to be the reason he relaxed when he went home after a day’s work.

We had fun shopping, and even though I was afraid, I still enjoyed every moment with my husband. He didn’t let me think about anything else but what we were doing then. He kept asking me about the things we were buying and always asked for my opinion on things for our future baby. I couldn’t help but remember our conversation while shopping at the department store.

“Thank you. I’m really happy, my wife.” I frowned as I looked at him. Why does he always have to thank me when I should be thanking him for everything he’s done for me?

“What are you thanking me for this time?” I asked.

“For giving me a chance to do the things I couldn’t do when you were pregnant with Chase.” I almost cried at his words. He looked serious, and I could see how much he meant it.

“Don’t thank me. If anyone should be thankful, it’s me. You’ve done and given everything, not just to me but also to my child.”

“Our child, my love. It wasn’t just you who made Chase. You don’t know how much effort I put in just to make sure all my sperm made it inside you.” I slapped his chest, and he just laughed loudly. Some shoppers and salesladies looked in our direction because of that.

“You’re so naughty and don’t even care where we are!” I whispered to him, but he just kept laughing. He took my hand, kissed it, and said,

“What can I do? It’s the truth.” My cheeks turned red, and I looked around. I felt relieved when I saw that everyone had returned to minding their business.

“Come on,” my husband said as he led me somewhere. “I think this will look good on you.” We were standing in front of a mannequin wearing a maternity dress.

“It’s too big for me, my husband,” I said, looking at the maternity dress. But it looks beautiful, and I can imagine myself in it.

“So what? You never know; maybe our baby will grow fast in your belly, and you’ll be ready. You won’t have to worry about finding something to wear.”

Knowing I couldn’t stop him, I just let him be. Besides, he wouldn’t get poor if he bought it for me. Plus, I’d make sure to save it after I give birth in case I get pregnant again, which seems likely if I go by how playful my husband is.

We went home so happy, but I remembered Jason again and the fear that crept up on me once we got there. I just hope he doesn’t ruin Maximus and my happiness.

“Ma’am, Dona Sol is here,” said nanny Rowena. I was putting away the things Maximus, and I bought the other day in my room. I hadn’t had the chance to organize them because we were so tired when we arrived, and more than that, my husband wouldn’t let me because he said he missed me too much and wanted to be with me.

I wondered why is the old woman was here. I nodded at Chase’s nanny, dropped the clothes I was holding, and started walking out of our room.

In the living room, I saw the old woman playing with my son, Chase, who sensed my presence because he looked at me and ran toward me. “Beautiful grandma, here.” I smiled at my son, nodded, and then turned to grandma Sol, who looked at me as if studying my appearance.

“Rowena, take care of my grandchild. Sarina and I have something to talk about,” the old woman ordered my son’s nanny, standing beside me. Rowena nodded, then took Chase from my arms before heading to the poolside on the right side of our house.

I walked toward Grandma Sol and sat on the couch across from her. “Good morning, grandma,” I greeted politely, but as I expected, she just frowned at me, and I chose to ignore it. I knew it would take a long time for me to win her over, especially since, for years in her eyes, only Midori was good enough and deserving to be her grandson’s wife.

“I came here to check if you’re really pregnant,” she said. I was about to confirm it, but she raised her hand, signaling me not to speak, so I closed my mouth.

“Based on how you look, I’d say yes.” I still didn’t say anything and just let her talk. After all, she hadn’t said anything that would upset me. “Maximus talked to me and told me not to stress you out,” she added with a sarcastic smile. “Me, stressing you out? You’re the one who ruined the life I wanted for my grandson.”

“I’m sorry,” was all I could say, which made her roll her eyes. Winning her over seemed really difficult.

“I’m not a bad grandmother; I only want what’s best for my grandson. For a long time, I believed that Midori was the right woman for Maximus. She’s sweet and always visits me, something you never did.” I lowered my head at her words. Maybe she had been waiting for me to reach out to her.

“Then again, how could you when your relationship with Maximus is just a contract? I didn’t expect it to last this long. You told me I only had to wait six months, and you’d leave my grandson.”

I looked up at her, surprised by what she said. Contract? Is my relationship with Maximus just a contract? “Why do you look so surprised? So, you don’t remember anything, and something happened to you while you were away? Have you also forgotten what you really look like? Wait, are you even the real Sarina, the one my grandson married, or are you just an impostor?” she asked quickly. Still, none registered with me except for the word “contract.” Why didn’t Maximus tell me about this?

I tried to feel what I was supposed to do for my husband, but nothing happened. With everything he had done to me, I couldn’t think of any reason to feel negatively about him. Maybe he just didn’t want to burden me further. The fact that I was the one who told the old woman about the contract means I was in my right mind when I agreed to it, whatever the agreement was.

“It’s indeed, I don’t remember my past, and I’ll admit, I love Maximus. But I didn’t force myself on him. I tried to resist him, thinking I had another husband. But he did everything he could. He discovered everything he needed to convince me that I am his missing wife, Sarina Marcelo, the woman he married and the mother of our child.”

I looked her in the eye before continuing, “I’m not asking you to accept me right away, but I hope you’ll allow me to show you that aside from Maximus, I can also love you as my grandmother. I hope you’ll allow me to show you that you are important to me because you are important to my husband, son, and future child. I hope you’ll allow me to express the love I can give, not just to your grandson, but to you.”

The old woman didn’t speak, but I saw her take a deep breath as she looked at me intently. I had said what I wanted to say, and it was up to her whether she would grant my request which I now prayed to God to touch her heart so that she would accept me or at least give me a chance to get to know her. That alone would make me truly happy.