Sweet Surrender: The CEO's Second Wife

Clara went home to the Mystic Bay Twin Tower to confront her husband. She slammed the door behind her prompting Hector to look in her direction. He was sitting on the sofa watching television in the living room.

"Wife, where have you been? Why didn't you answer my phone calls?" he asked worriedly.

Clara sighed deeply, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I just come from seeing Susan your mistress!"

"What-?" Hector's said aloud, the color drained out of his face.

"I said, I just talked to your mistress Susan awhile ago in her office!" she repeated in an agitated tone.

Shocked, Hector stood up abruptly looking at her wife's face, disbelief in his eyes.

"Y-you know about S-Susan?" he stammered, dreading the words he was about to hear.

Clara gritted her teeth in anger. "I know everything, I'm not stupid!" she shouted at him. For the first time in their marriage life, she raised her voice on her beloved husband. "I know that John is your love child with Susan!" she shouted into his face. "She visited the venue where the baptismal party was held. I paid someone in the Land Transportation office to locate the owner of the vehicle's plate number I saw in the parking area, that's how I found her," tears glistened in her eyes.

Hector was stunned, his wife knows his dirty secret all along and yet she kept everything to herself? Through the years she didn't say anything to him. He never knows how badly she suffered inside trying to pretend their marriage is perfect in all aspects. He was wrong!

"Wife, I'm so sorry..." he said in an emotional voice. Sadness clouded his features as tears shone in his eyes. Tears of shame and guilt were all over her face. "Wife, let's talk about the past," he pleaded.

"No. I don't want to talk right now. Just leave me alone for a moment please," she said and entered their room and locked it inside.

Clara sat on the edge of the bed crying her heart out.

Why does the ghost of the past keep hunting her? She thought she has already forgotten about her husband's infidelity. She thought she already buried everything behind them when they left Cebu and went to stay in Manila for good.

But why Susan had to come back in their lives?

Why!?

Why Susan has to come back to threaten the peace of mind that she cultivated so hard to achieve in her marriage life.

Why now?

Maybe it's already too late to save everything. She opened the door and allowed her husband to enter.

"Since when did you and Susan start seeing each other?" she asked in an icy tone.

"We meet accidentally at the airport, then we meet again twice to discuss John. Trust me, we didn't do anything wrong. Susan and I didn't rekindle our past! I made the mistake once and deeply regretted it. I'm so sorry for hurting you wife," he was trying to convince her that he will never betray her again.

Despite everything, Clara saw the sincerity in her husband's eyes. "I will leave the country to forget things for a while," she finally said in a cold hard voice.

Hector fell sad. "Are you going to leave me alone here? I will go with you! I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Wife, please forgive me for betraying your trust. I'm so sorry."

Clara wiped the tears from her face. "I want to go away...alone...I don't want you to follow me," she made up her mind already.

Hector's breathing becomes rugged due to the pain of losing his wife. He was wrong to believe that he can just sweep the past under the rug and forget everything as if they never happen. Now that the ghost of the past is attacking the foundation of their marriage he must be strong for both of them.

"I will follow you abroad. You don't have to see me every day. I just want to be there when you need someone to talk to or you finally want to see me and talk to me again. I will be near you, I won't abandon you because I love you so much, wife," said Hector in a heartfelt voice.

Clara glared at her stubborn husband. "I said don't follow me!" she clenched her fingers. "Get out! I want to sleep alone!" she screamed at him. The dam of hatred poured out from her face. The long-forgotten hatred she felt for her husband and his mistress has resurfaced after a long time. She went to his side and slapped him hard on his face, twice.

Stunned, Hector can only stare at his wife's face in shock.

He looked at his wife feeling so guilty and ashamed of his dirty secret.

He exited the master's bedroom and went to the next room to sleep there tonight.

...

Back in the master's bedroom, Clara power on her laptop and booked a flight bound to Thailand that was scheduled the next day, she will stay in her sister's house for the time being. She just wants to stay away from everything and sort out her turbulent emotions.

She cant understand herself, why all of a sudden she just exploded and feeling bad, upset and deeply bothered with the past?

It would have been much better if Susan no longer resurfaced in their lives so that she can continue pretending that she had a good life, but now that Joseph is gone, and John already meet his biological mother and his husband was seeing her mistress again behind her back...then what's the point of continue living with them?

She has to go...to find her place under the sun.

To find her peace.

And maybe one day, she will be strong enough to face her family again.

...

The next day.

Clara didn't leave the master's bedroom.

Hector ordered foods to be delivered into the condo. He set up the table, prepared the foods and knocked at the door. "Wife, breakfast is ready. Please...get out of the room...let's eat," he said.

Clara didn't reply.

Hector knocked at the door again.

"You eat first. I will eat later," finally Clara's voice can be heard outside.

"Okay, the food is ready in the table. I will go now to the office. See you later," he said.

Hector eats breakfast alone in the dining room. Then he waited for his wife to exit the room.

One hour later, Clara still holed up in the room, she's determined to stay in the master's bedroom the whole morning.

Hector finally left the house to go to the Infinity Jade Tower to talk to his son regarding Clara's finding the truth about Susan.

...

At 11:00 in the morning, Clara exited the bedroom and did not see her husband anywhere the condo. She went to the dining room and eat her breakfast, then after eating, she cleared the table and washed the dishes in the kitchen sink.

She then arranged her clothes and other important belongings into the two traveling bags she would like to bring with her outside the country.

Done preparing her luggage.

With one last look, Clara roamed her eyes around the room to double-checked if she forgot something.

She's ready to go.

A few minutes later, she exited the condo and hired a taxi going to the international airport, her flight will be at 3:00 in the afternoon.