CHAPTER VII: A TICKING TIME BOMB

EVERYTHING was prepared when she walked into the studio. She was actually thirty minutes ahead of her scheduled call time. She's always been like that because she wants to be well-prepared before filming a show. She proceeded immediately to the dressing room, where she met her Glam Team. She greeted them pleasantly and allowed them to eat first. They have plenty of time to fix her later. She simply requested the script so she could go through it again. She does it all the time to clear her mind.

"I heard about the promotion. Congratulations!"

She was startled when she heard someone speaking behind her. She set down the script she was carrying and turned to face him. It was one of their network's top male journalists, Leandro Castillo. They were batchmates in college and became good friends over time. They were both well-known as young and accomplished broadcasters.

"Hello, Leandro!" she said as she stood up and hugged him lightly.

"I was just in the other studio and wanted to congratulate you."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"Well, I guess you should also congratulate me."

"Oh, why? You got promoted as well? That's fantastic news!"

"Yeah, we'll be on primetime news together."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my God! That's— I'm really thrilled to hear that!"

"Yeah, me too."

That made her feel better. They've also appeared together on a number of news shows in the past. Actually, they worked together for two years on a late-night news show. So, if the two of them are paired together on primetime news, they will be able to quickly establish a connection.

"Well, I'm looking forward to working with you very soon. I believe we'll begin next week, correct?"

"Yup, next week."

"OK, I'm heading back to our studio now. We're just having a quick break."

"Alright! Thanks for dropping by!"

She received a message from an unknown number just as he left.

This person has got nothing better to do with his life. I think I should block him now, she thought to herself.

But first, she took a look at the message he had sent. She knew it didn't matter anymore, yet she couldn't stop herself from looking.

Unfortunately, what she saw had shattered her into pieces. It was simply too much for her.

"Are you okay, Ma'am Elena?" her make-up artist worriedly asked.

"Yeah, I'm OK. I'll use the restroom first, okay?"

She jumped to her feet and dashed to the restroom. She made sure to shut the door before facing the mirror.

"No, no... this isn't right."

Her tears began to fall. She tried wiping them with her palms but eventually gave up. Her tears flowed uncontrollably. She wished she could scream, but she couldn't. Her body trembled with a mixture of pain and anger.

She took another glance at her phone and reread the message from the unknown number.

ARE YOU SURE YOUR HUSBAND IS WORKING?

The message was followed by a photo of her husband with another woman. They were in a nice restaurant, smiling and holding hands. She couldn't see the woman's face because she wasn't facing the camera.

Even though it was evident that her husband was cheating on her, she refused to believe it. She couldn't bear the truth and immediately dialed Miguel's number.

The ache intensified with each ring she heard. He wasn't answering his phone! He was too preoccupied with his mistress to return his wife's call!

"No, no... please... please pick up the phone."

She was going insane with every second that he didn't answer her call.

Her phone call was routed to voicemail.

"Fuck!"

She wasn't the type of person who would curse easily. In whatever crisis, she'd always maintain her cool. But she couldn't manage her emotions at the time. She was like a ticking time bomb about to explode.

She had to find out who the bitch was. She had no choice but to teach that woman a lesson. She had to tell her that no one could ever ruin her family. Her husband should also know better than to cheat on her.

You're not going to get away with this!

In the midst of the anger, she felt dizzy. It was as if her world was spinning until her vision gradually darkened.

***

WHEN she woke up, she was already inside a hospital room. The first thing she noticed was her best friend Carlyn's anxious expression.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, sighing in relief.

"Why... why am I here?"

"You passed out in your studio's restroom. What did I tell you? Just slow down at work. You're working too hard, so you're neglecting your health. You should rest more. Listen to your body!"

She shook her head. It wasn't from being overworked. She passed out because of what she discovered.

And just like that, she was reminded of her husband's infidelity once more. It seemed as though her heart was being squeezed. She had to be tough, though. She was in a difficult situation and being weak wasn't an option for her. She had to fight for her family.

"I-is... is my husband here?"

"He's in the middle of a really important meeting, but he'll be here later."

No, he's not in a meeting! He's busy fucking his woman! she said inside her mind.

Carlyn was taken aback when she noticed her tears welling up.

"Hey, hey, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"

"Carlyn..." Her voice was trembling and she couldn't speak clearly. She was almost hysterical and didn't know what to do to feel better. "...my husband..."

"Why?"

"My husband... is cheating on me."

"Wait, what?!"

"He has a mistress."

"Are you sure? Who? Since when? How did you find out?"

"Our family can't be ruined. I need... I need to protect our family. Peter would be hurt if he finds out his father has another woman. I can't let that happen." She burst into tears again.

"No, no! Please calm down! Your family will not be ruined, okay?!"

"What should I do?" she asked, feeling helpless. She knew she needed to be strong, but she had no idea where or how to begin. "I need to know who his mistress is."

"Yes, we'll find out who she is, but for now, it's more important to resolve matters with your husband first. Confront him and force him to own his mistakes. Make sure you have an evidence because a cheater would rather die than confess easily."

"I've seen a picture, isn't that considered an evidence? Isn't that enough to prove he's truly cheating on me?"

"A photo can have as many interpretations as you like. It's possible that your husband will say it was strictly for business, and he can just feed you more lies!"

Everything she said made sense, which just added to her frustration. The thought of him lying to her made her even more agitated.

"What should I do now?"

"I know a private investigator. We hired one when we suspected that my father had a mistress. He's really reliable and polished to work with. Very discreet."

She never imagined the day would come when she would have her husband investigated. But she had to do it to be certain. She needed a solid evidence to know what she should do next. She couldn't be in a rush. She had to be very careful with this game.

"All right," she said, taking a long breath to settle herself. "Let me think about it."

Miguel, her husband, entered a few moments later. He approached her with trepidation and held her hand tightly. She honestly didn't know what to say. In normal circumstances, she would have been relieved to see him. But all she could feel at the time was rage. She was also disgusted by the fact that he was so good at acting as if he loved her so much.

You lying bastard!

"'Hon, how are you feeling right now? Are you still in pain?"

"I'm... I'm feeling a little better now."

"You should take time off work. You need to be able to relax properly in order to fully recover."

"I can't, 'hon," she said, trying to be normal so that it wouldn't be obvious that she already knew the truth. "I just got promoted, so now isn't the time for me to take a break. But don't worry, I'll slow down and rest more."

"Are you certain you can handle yourself?"

"Of course, there's nothing I can't handle.

And I sure can handle you and your bitch, she added internally.

"Just let me know when you really can't handle it anymore. When you're feeling exhausted, please take a break."

"Sure, 'hon. I'll take good care of myself. Especially now, I desperately need energy for a fight that I will never put off."

She couldn’t help but sharpen her tone. Every time she met his eyes, it seemed like she was slapped by the reality that she was a fool to believe that he was loyal to her. He made her stupid and clueless for a long time.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Ah! What she meant is that, she needs more energy for her new challenges at work. You know, the responsibilities of her job is not a joke," Carlyn replied quickly, looking nervous.

"Oh, I see." He nodded. "Just please make sure not to overwork, 'hon."

"No, I won't."