Chapter 221 - Swallow His Pride

Two days later.

Mike didn't visit the infinity pool area to avoid bumping into Althea. What happened the other night is simply not what he and Althea expected!

After what happened on that night, he was sure Althea no longer wants to talk to him, expecting that she was furious and disappointed as hell when they were not able to engage in physical intimacy due to his brother's long-distance call.

That night was a nightmare! But a welcome one for him. He was thankful for his brother's call, it prevented him from doing something that would surely pulverize his conscience in the days to come because until now he was still feeling guilty of what nearly transpired back then. It would be easy to jump into temptation but the aftermath would be catastrophic.

Dang!

It's awkward seeing Althea again, but his flight will be tonight. He already books a flight going home the following day after that turbulent night and he just wanted to talk to her for the last time and apologize for their rendezvous that didn't happen.

In fairness, Althea is a nice woman, just a bit aggressive, but overall she is a great woman but not as awesome as his wife Caroline.

Mike exited his hotel suite and went to the pool area.

He saw Althea serving a family of four, he waited when she was near him and called out her name. "Althea..."

The woman in question turned her head and smiled at him. She went to his table. "What's your order, Sir?" she asked, acting as professional as ever.

"Hmm..." he ran his fingers through his hair feeling uncomfortable but also impressed by her relaxed demeanor as if nothing happened between them. "I'm going back to our country, my flight is tonight at 6:00. I just want to say goodbye and apologize for what happened the other night," he said.

Althea smiled brightly and managed to laugh a little. "Ah, about that night," she was shaking her head. Her ponytail hair was blown by the wind. "I guess it was not meant to be...but I'm not feeling bad about it. Looking back that night I keep laughing inside my room. It's no big deal really..." she grinned as if what happened between them is nor worth mentioning.

Mike smiled, liking Althea's chill behavior. "Thank God, you're not angry at me," he said feeling relieved.

"Huh, me?" She pointed a finger at herself. "Of course not, why should I be angry with you? Let's just forget everything. Why don't you give me your phone number, just in case I will go home we can meet somewhere?" she suggested.

"Sure..." Mike said. He wrote his number in the piece paper that Althea gave him.

She smiled looking at him. "Bye-bye, Mikey baby...thank you all for the tips...happy trip...I will never forget you!" she said with a flicker of sadness flashing in her eyes.

"Bye Althea..." Mike said softly.

Althea turned on her heel and went back to the restaurant to resume her duty.

Mike didn't linger in the pool area, he left right away. He needs to do some packing in his hotel room. Althea will be furious if she will try to contact him and yet she can't because the last digit he had given her is wrong, 'coz he changed his mind on the last minute but he already had given his word that he will give his number to her... so he went ahead.

He wasn't even planning to give her his number in the first place, he doesn't have the heart to say no to her.

Althea is one honest mistake that he needs to avoid at all costs.

Back in his hotel suite, he took a long shower, ordered snacks from the room service then began packing his things.

By 4:00 in the afternoon, he checked out from the hotel, going back to the Singapore Changi Airport to board the plane back to the Philippines.

~~~0~~~

Meanwhile in Allison's mansion.

Caroline was sitting on the bed, her back was pressed comfortably on the headboard watching a variety show on TV.

She's been doing some body stretching and pacing back and forth inside the room as part of her exercise regimen every day.

She was looking forward to visiting Angeles Pampanga again, Allison does have a nice beach house there. A nice ocean view will cheer her up.

She was also planning to visit a mall to buy some comfortable maternity dresses if she has the opportunity.

She's excited to call her sister, unfortunately, Allison hasn't returned her phone and tablet yet. Well, she can always buy a cheap cellphone anytime if she happened to see a store selling cell phones. Then she will call her sister Catherine to inquire how everyone is doing while she was away.

That's why she needs to go to Angeles Pampanga as soon as possible!

Hours went bay.

Outside, it's getting darker, the night starts flooding the surrounding.

Finally, the evening comes.

Owen entered the room bringing Caroline's dinner. "Get ready dear, 'coz tomorrow morning after breakfast we will start traveling, going to Madam's beach house in Angeles Pampanga," he said.

"Thank you, Owen," she replied.

Owen nods his head and exited the room.

Caroline was thrilled to hear the good news. After being imprisoned inside the room for more than a week, she was getting bored out of her mind.

She wanted very much to breathe fresh air and see the ocean and the world outside!

She went to the table and began eating the dishes that Owen brought for her. After eating, she put back the empty dishes in the tray. Then she began packing all her things in the traveling bag.

Two hours later, she was done packing and just resting in the bed.

She caresses her tummy and sang a lullaby for her unborn child, she also includes some nursery song that she always plays for her daughter baby Cathy.

Her face softens... imagining her husband Mike holding their baby in his arms. She was hoping that she can go back to his side one day, in peace. She's very much afraid that he would shun her presence, but even if that happens, she will still insist on staying by his side and deliver their baby, then she will distance herself from him if he can no longer accept her.

She will leave the baby to Mike because he can give their child a better future compared to her. She doesn't know yet what tomorrow holds for her since she's a murderer and Allison's was holding her future in her hands.

She will go to prison anytime and if she can't prove that she killed Brenda for self-defense then she will surely go to jail and serve her sentence.

What a dark future she was facing right now, she was gone from being optimistic about being depressed and losing hope in the next minute.

But for the sake of her baby, she will try to project a positive mindset even if it's far from reality.

Her mind drifted to her husband...what he is eating right now? What is he doing? Was he still living alone in the Blue Bell Residences or he went back to his mother Susan's house?

How about her mother Thelma, her siblings Lily and Jacob? And her daughter baby Cathy? She misses them so much!

God, she badly needed to talk to her sister Catherine soon! She's been dying to hear about them.

Fresh tears shimmered in her eyes.

She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. She can't sob again. She's tired of crying.

"Husband, please wait for me! Wait for our baby, I want to give birth to our baby while you're standing beside me holding my hand watching me going in labor, please don't forget me!" she uttered loudly inside the room.

She wasn't able to control the tears from falling on her face. She ended up crying in bed.

~~~0~~~

While at Blue Bell Residences.

Mike has just returned from his long vacation in Singapore. He called his mother and informed her that he will visit his residence in Blue Bell and stay there for a few days.

And now he's here.

He turns all the lights, went to the bedroom, and set aside his traveling bag in the corner.

He can hear Caroline's laughter, her voice, and see her face everywhere he look around him, her memories are everywhere. He felt like crying as loneliness and deep longing squeezed his heart tighter.

Tomorrow, he will go back to his mother's house. There's too much memory of Caroline here and it only makes the pain in his heart more suffocating.

He can endure this pain tonight, but he doubts if he can endure the pain for many days. He needs to escape Caroline's memory inside this house, he will only come back here again if she finally returns to his life.

As for now, he needs to sleep and shut his eyes and pretend he is back in his hotel suite in Singapore.

Then he remembered Althea...

He had given her the wrong phone number!

Damn! She might be cursing him right now if she tries to call him.

He felt bad for doing it to Althea, but then it's better that way, she will be free to pursue and enter a new relationship to anyone deserving of her time and attention.

He's just not the one for her, besides he is already a married man.

All he wanted right now, is for his wife to come back to his side. If that happens one day, he will try not to make her life hard. He will try to ask her gently and not yell at her.

As much as possible, he will try to be the kind of husband who put his wife's feelings first above his own. He will become Bernadette's husband so that they can have peace in their marriage regardless of what happened to them.

It will be hard for him to swallow his pride, but just for the sake of their marriage, he will try to control his anger so that Caroline can come back in peace.

That's what he is going to do...

He just hopes that he will be able to act with patience and understanding the moment Caroline refused to answer all his questions. And if Caroline will confess to him the reason why she disappeared, he hopes it was not about a third party, because he will never be able to accept her again.

He won't accept a woman who abandoned her husband just for another guy!