Chapter 3

“ARE YOU on your way to the clinic?” Maria asked Kristine from the other line. “What’s Arthur’s reaction? Have you convinced him?”

Kristine pressed her lips together. “I-I haven’t told him.”

“What?!” Kristine can see in her mind that Maria’s brows were furrowed now. “So where are you now? Today’s your schedule of consultation, right?”

“I’m on my way,” she replied and stopped the cab to the playground near the building where the psychological clinic was located. “I told Arthur to meet me here.”

“Kristine, you should have told him first.” She heard Maria sighed from the other line. Her best friend was dragged by her stressful life now. “What if he’s not okay with this setup? What if he doesn’t want to see a doctor? Kristine, I don’t want him to get mad at you. Disturbed husband tends to be violent—”

“Maria, Arthur won’t hurt me physically,” Kristine assured her best friend. “I know Arthur can’t do such a thing to me. He loves me, and nothing could make him do the things he knew could hurt me.”

“Really, huh?” Maria asked sarcastically. “Arthur was no longer the man that you met before, Kristine. It came from you that he has changed since you failed to conceive.”

Kristine continued to walk towards the playground’s entrance. It was located beside the road and can be easily seen by commuters and motorists. “He became like this because of me, Maria. He became the man that I no longer knew after our marriage… And, it’s because I let him be like this.”

“Kristine, don’t say that to yourself. Don’t lose hope. I know how hard it is for the two of you, but you have to be strong, Kristine,” Maria told her from the other line.

Kristine’s tears fell as she lowered her phone. She doesn’t know what else she could do to bring the old Arthur back. She doesn’t want to see her husband suffer like this just because she can’t conceive. Arthur needs her, and she has to stay tough for him, even if it means that she’ll fight for this family alone.

As she turned by the corner to the playground, a man walking fast bumped with her, making her phone fell on the ground. The man quickly picked up her phone and gave her an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t see you coming,” he said and looked at her worriedly. “A-Are you okay?”

Kristine wiped her tears and took the phone from him. “Y-Yes… I’m okay,” she said and forced a smile on her face as she looked at him. “Thanks for asking, by the way.”

She was about to walk past him when he spoke again. “Do you want somebody to talk to? I’m a good listener,” he offered and smiled. “They say it’s better to tell your problems to a stranger than to people who knew you.”

Kristine heaved a sigh. “Thanks, but I’m okay…” she said and went to the park where she will meet Arthur. “It’s better if I’ll just keep it to myself.”

As soon as she sat on one of the benches, Kristine texted Arthur. Her husband replied immediately with ‘okay’ followed by ‘OTW’. Arthur can’t even hide his emotion thru text. Kristine can imagine that he must be reading her text message with furrowed brows.

After waiting for almost twenty minutes, Kristine saw Arthur approaching her direction. Her heart suddenly beat fast just by watching him walking towards her. Looking at Arthur from afar brought the memories back to Kristine. How they met each other and fell in love. Why she married him at an early age and why she’s fighting to bring him back to her now.

Maybe Arthur was far from the man that she admired before. Perhaps the bright eyes and warm smile from his handsome face were now gone. And that he wasn’t the Arthur that used to tell her that everything’s gonna be alright. But, he still the man that owns Kristine’s heart.

“I’m sorry, I was caught in the traffic,” Arthur said as soon as he approached her.

Kristine looked up at the man she fell crazily in love with four years ago and still making her heart flutters up to this moment. “It’s okay as long as it’s you, Arthur.”

Arthur knotted his forehead, then smiled. “What’s up with you, Maddy?”

She shook her head, then raised from her seat. “I just miss you, Arthur,” she said, fighting back her tears. “I miss you…” She hugged him tightly. “I love you, Arthur.”

Arthur hugged her back. “What’s wrong, honey? Is there something wrong?”

She shook her head and snuggled closer to him. “Nothing…” she said. “I just miss hugging you like this.”

Arthur caressed her head. “Do you want ice cream? Maybe you just miss eating ice cream.”

“We’ll go somewhere,” she said and pulled away from him. “Let’s go.”

The Psychology Clinic was located inside the building a few blocks away from the playground. As soon as Arthur saw the signage hanged on the clinic’s glass panel door, he stopped and pulled her hand.

“What are we doing here?” Arthur asked, starting to be anxious.

Kristine held his hand. “Arthur, we need professional advice. I don’t want us to drift away from each other because of the problem that we’re currently facing—”

“We don’t need this, Kristine,” Arthur said in a stern voice. “And why are you deciding without asking my opinion? Am I not important to you?”

“Arthur…” Kristine’s tears started to fall down her cheeks. “Please, just this once, listen to me.”

“We don’t need this, Kristine. Because of this rational decision of yours, you made me feel as if my opinion no longer matters to you,” he said and turned his back at her, but Kristine stopped his arm.

“Arthur, please? Can you do this for me?” Kristine begged him. “I promise this is the last time that I will bring you here.”

Arthur looked in her eyes. “Okay, but you have to keep your promise.”

“I will, Arthur. I promise…” She nodded and pulled him towards the door. She looked up at her husband and smiled lovingly. “We’ll get through this, honey… I promise.”

Kristine took a deep breath before knocking on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened, and a familiar man peeked behind it. She knotted her forehead as she looked at the man behind the door.

“Hi,” he greeted and widened the door.

“Ah, I’m looking for Dr. Edward Yun…” Kristine suddenly felt awkward to the man. He was also the man that she bumped to in the playground.

“Oh, you must be Kristine Saavedra?” he asked with a broad smile and looked past her. “And, you’re Arthur Saavedra?”

Kristine knotted her forehead. “Yes, and we have an appointment with Dr. Yun—”

“Come in,” the man said and welcomed them to the clinic. “I’m Dr. Edward Yun.” He offered his hand to her. “But my clients call me, Dr. Edward.”

***