6: See The Sun Again!

The following day, Sherry was still sleeping when Axel entered the master's bedroom to check on her. He was deeply bothered that his wife was looking miserable last night and he has to see her this morning to see if she is okay.

He went to the bed and observed Sherry's breathing. Thanks to God, it's normal and although her long, messy hair was plastered all over her face, she looks fine.

He no longer tried waking her up; instead, he grabbed the blanket and draped it over his wife's body. "I'm going to work. Take care of yourself," he said softly.

He walked to the door and exited the room.

Sherry, who was already awake during those times, opened her eyes and looked at the door. Fresh tears trickled from her eyes. She's tired of crying, so she got up from bed and went to the bathroom to start her day.

When she finished in the bathroom, she went to the closet and donned a cotton top and shorts.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Ma'am, breakfast is ready. Should I bring food here?" Mae asked outside the room.

"Yes, please," she replied, going to the dresser table to brush her hair.

"Copy, ma'am. I'll be back in a minute," Mae said, heading back to the kitchen to get the food.

A few minutes later, Mae returns to the master's bedroom carrying the food tray. She put the tray on the table, arranged the dishes, and then said, "The table is ready, ma'am. Enjoy your breakfast."

"Thanks, Mae," Sherry replied, lowering herself onto the chair and picking up the utensils.

"Ma'am, do you want to swim in the pool or visit the garden?" Mae asked.

Sherry looked at the maid for a few seconds; she had almost forgotten that there is a pool in the house and that she swims almost every day before things changed between her and Axel. She said, "Yeah, why not? I'll swim in the pool later."

'Success!' Mae smiled.

Before Sir Axel left the house, he instructed her to persuade his wife to leave the room and visit the pool and garden to get some fresh air.

"I'll be back later, ma'am." Mae said, heading to the door.

"OK." Sherry began eating.

Half an hour later, Sherry finished eating, and Mae returned to the room to get the dishes.

Sherry looked at the maid. She knew the woman's history because she was the one who interviewed her and hired her. Mae was a single parent with three children. Her husband fell in love with another woman and asked for legal separation, but she refused, and her husband disappeared from their lives completely, leaving her as the sole provider of their children. "Mae, how did you manage to survive when your husband left you?"

Her question surprised Mae. "Ma'am, it's very hard in the beginning. I cried nonstop, and I thought I would die from the pain and depression caused by my husband's infidelity. But as the days went by, I learned to let go of my pain quickly because I needed to focus on finding work to provide for my children and my mother as well. She was the one taking good care of my children after I left the house to find work."

"How many days do you feel sad, lonely, and depressed?" Sherry asked.

"I have no time to dwell on the pain much longer because it will only make me weaker, sadder, and depressed. I need to be strong for my children and my mother. And I bounced back from the pain faster. I'm fine on day two and I just keep the pain inside and cry silently until one day my heart has already gone numb from the pain. I no longer think of my husband anymore," Mae said, misty-eyed.

Sherry realized that the maid is much stronger than her because she was able to fight back depression quickly; unlike her, she feels like she is dying every second and every minute.

In so many ways, she felt that she was luckier than the maid. She does not have a money problem and she has no children to worry about. Therefore, she is in better shape compared to Mae, although they have similar situations.

She doesn't want to poke deeper into the maid's personal life but she was just curious about how the woman survived the pain of separation from her husband and accepted the painful truth that he had already found somebody else to love. "I'm sorry I made you remember your pain," she apologized.

Mae smiled. "It's okay, ma'am. It doesn't hurt anymore. When I think and talk about my husband, there is no pain anymore because I have already moved on."

"Did your husband contact you lately?" Sherry asked.

Mae shook her head. "Not anymore, ma'am. We lost contact with each other. I don't know where he is right now. But I'm sure that he is currently with his mistress and living a happy life with her."

"Do you hate your husband?" Sherry asked.

"In the beginning, I hated him so much, but as time goes by, the pain fades away and you just learn to forget and forgive people even if they don't ask for forgiveness because it's the only way to move on and heal yourself," Mae said in a serious tone filled with wisdom.

Mae was dying to ask if the couple was planning on divorcing but she knew that the topic was very sensitive so she just kept her mouth shut. The lady of the house keeps crying and things between the couple are not the same anymore. From an outsider point of view, things are changing.

Something has definitely changed, and the fact that the lady of the house asked about divorce already gave her a hint that the couple was about to separate soon. That is why the wife is crying all the time.

She put the dirty dishes on the tray and said, "Ma'am, the pool is ready."

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," Sherry replied, heading to the bathroom and going inside.

Mae looked at the bathroom door, shaking her head, pitying the lady of the house. She picked up the food tray, left the room, and went back to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Sherry emerged from the bathroom door, already wearing her black and white stripe swimsuit. She donned the bathrobe, left the bedroom, and went downstairs, looking forward to swimming in the pool.

Sherry arrived at the pool and smiled brightly. Seeing the sparkling water, she quickly discarded her robe. She dove into the water and frolicked in the pool. She had almost forgotten how good the water was in the pool. She has to thank the maid for reminding her about it. She was so depressed these past few days that she stayed holed up in the master's bedroom.

While enjoying the water, she was already planning on visiting her best friend Nancy tomorrow. She needs someone to talk to regarding her current problem or else if she just keeps her problem inside, she will go crazy.

She enjoyed swimming in the water once again, seeing the blue sky, hearing the birds humming above the trees and looking at the flowers nearby. She realized how beautiful the world is but why has she become so depressed? Because her husband cheated on her!

What can her husband do to her if she refuses to cooperate with the divorce?

He can't do anything; he can't force her!

If that is the case, why torture herself?

She smiled brightly; for the first time, she felt alive after discovering her husband's infidelity.

Half an hour later, Mae came to the pool and put the tray on the table.

Sherry got out of the pool and went to the sun lounger to rest. She looked at the maid. "Thanks for reminding me that the pool is waiting for me to use it," she said in gratitude.

Mae smiled. "Ma'am, the person you have to thank is Sir Axel. He is the one who instructed me to persuade you to swim in the pool. Your husband really cares for you, ma'am."

Sherry sighed. If only the maid knew about her problem. She picked up the glass and sipped the refreshing cucumber margarita.

"Do you want to eat something, ma'am? Like fries, burgers, or fried mac and cheese balls?" Mae asked.

"Just bring me fried mac and cheese balls," Sherry responded, sipping her margarita.

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute, ma'am." Mae left the pool.

Sherry looked heavenward and saw the blistering sun above, thankful for the wide umbrella above her head protecting her from the harmful rays of the sun. She looked at the water for a moment and then she realized that she hadn't started investigating Meghan yet and what she looked like.

The only thing she knew about her husband's mistress was that they were lovers before she and Axel got married. In short, the woman is the one that her husband truly loves and if the arranged marriage hadn't happened, Axel and Meghan would have been married by now.

It bothers her deeply that somehow she was the reason why the couple got separated in the first place.

If she only knew that Axel had a girlfriend, she might have found a way to escape the arranged marriage, but the truth is that the moment she saw her husband for the first time, she was already attracted to him, and the feelings intensified the moment they became husband and wife.

After Axel got married, Meghan probably found another man to help her heal her broken heart, but she was not happy with the replacement. That's why she returned to Axel with the intention of getting him back.

She took a deep breath.

Despite what she knows about Meghan, no one can deny the truth that she is still the legal wife and the woman Axel married in the church and no one can dispute that.

Meghan should have stayed with her live-in partner. Now that she has resurfaced in Axel's life, her presence has caused her so much pain and distress, destroying her marriage in the process.

She bit her lower lip as tears sprang from her eyes. She fought hard to stop the tears from falling on her face. She doesn't want to cry anymore; it's becoming tiring.

Good thing Mae returned to the pool in time and put the platter of fried mac and cheese balls on the table.

Sherry looked at the maid and said, "Mae, be ready in two hours. You will accompany me to the mall. We'll go shopping."

Mae smiled. "Okay, ma'am."

Sherry helped herself with the delicious, creamy fried mac and cheese balls.

Mae replenished the cucumber margarita and said, "Anything you need, maam? I'm going back to the kitchen," she said.

"Nothing. I have all I need. You may go now." Sherry responded with a nod of her head.

Sherry enjoyed her stay in the pool and at 4:00 in the afternoon, she stopped swimming and returned to her room to get ready to go shopping.

At 5:00 in the afternoon, Sherry and Mae were already onboard the car going to the mall. When they arrive at the Blue Town Mall, it's already dark; the evening is about to start.

They left the parking area and entered the shopping mall.

After strolling and scanning the stores, Sherry was no longer in the mood to shop. She already had everything she needed: expensive bags, shoes, clothes, accessories, and jewelries. What more could she ask for? If she adds more to her collection, she won't even enjoy them anymore. She has lost the joy of shopping and acquiring material things now that she is facing a marital crisis. That's how badly the divorce had affected her.

She looked at Mae and said, "Let's go to the children's clothing department. We will buy clothes for your children and your mother."

Mae smiled happily. "Thank you for your generosity, ma'am. But can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" Sherry said.

"Instead of buying clothes for my children and mother, can I have the cash equivalent instead?" Mae asked shyly.

"Why?" Sherry asked, confused.

"Because the roofs of our house are already leaking and every time there is a heavy rain, water comes in, pouring into the rooms and the whole house will get flooded with water. Instead of buying clothes, I would rather use the money to pay for the repair of our leaking roofs," Mae explained.

"Ah, okay, no problem. I'll give you the money then. So how much do you want?" Sherry asked.

Mae shook her head. "I won't dare say the amount, ma'am."

Sherry pondered Mae's request for a moment. "Would $20,000 be enough for the roof repairs?" she asked nonchalantly.

Mae nearly collapsed due to the large amount. The currency equivalent of the said amount of money in her country will surely make her an instant millionaire. "Ma'am, that is too much!"

"Okay, I'll just give you $15k..." Sherry said.

Mae shook her head. "That is still too much, ma'am. I can't accept such a huge amount of money."

"Okay, I'll just give you $10k and don't complain anymore. Consider it my gift to you and your children because you have been through so much already and I understand your pain and suffering," Sherry said compassionately. She put the cash into the brown envelope and gave it to the maid.

"Thank you so much, ma'am! My mother and my children can finally enjoy a leak-free house with your help!" Mae said. Tears of happiness shone in her eyes as she put the money in her bag.

"You're welcome." Sherry murmured and smiled brightly. If she can't make herself happy today, at least she can make another woman happy.

In the end, Sherry only bought five tubs of ice cream with different flavors and five boxes of her favorite almond chocolate.

They continued their window shopping, ate in a Mexican restaurant and then went home.

That night, Axel didn't return home. Sherry felt sadder than ever.