My Crime 2

My fingers interlocking, I voiced my purpose, embarrassed.

Reynaldo’s eyes darkened. He asked with a smile, “What makes you think I’ll help you?”

I knew this would happen. So, I smiled awkwardly, “Well, forget it, then.”

His response didn’t surprise me at all. My family and I used to pick on him all the time. We were lucky that he didn’t take revenge. How could we expect him to help us out?

It was stupid of me to come and ask him for a favor.

I was so ashamed.

I meant to run. Just then, he said, “Tell me. What are you gonna trade for my help? If it’s worth it, I may consider it.”

I stopped to think about it. What could I trade for his favor?

My body?

Huh. We were married for three years. We lived in the same room every night. If he wanted me, he had tons of opportunities to have me.

But he never touched me in the past three years.

With my head bowed, I said with embarrassment, “Pretend you didn’t see me today.”

Reynaldo suddenly walked over and stood before me. He was a head taller than me.

He slightly bent over and whispered with a chuckle, “Dressed like this, why bother to pretend to be restrained?”

My blood seemed to curdle all of a sudden. This was too humiliating. I wished to run out at once.

Before I could react, he wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled meaningfully, “We were married for three years, and I slept on the floor every night. I haven’t touched your body for a long time. Why don’t you…trade yourself for my help?”

I gaped. Did I mishear? “Wh-What did you say?” I asked.

He stared at me. There seemed to be a vast sea in his eyes, sending my heart racing inexplicably.

Silently, he looked down and gently pulled off the strap of my sundress with his slender finger.

I blushed and shoved him at once.

I snapped, “Don’t help us if you don’t want to. I didn’t expect you to lend us a hand in the first place. You can’t humiliate me like this.”

Reynaldo looked at me. The expression on his face was unfathomable to me. He appeared upset, but there also seemed to be a half smile.

He asked, “You think I’m humiliating you?”

“Aren’t you?”

He adored someone else, but he was being handsy with me. If it weren’t humiliation, what was it?

Reynaldo sat back in the chair. When he raised his head again, the look in his eyes turned cold.

He said, “Your outfit tells me you’re sincere, but your attitude tells me otherwise. In this case, you should go.”

This was what I had anticipated. So, I left without another word.

My parents came to me as soon as I walked out of the office building.

My dad asked anxiously, “How did it go? Will he help us?”

I shook my head.

My dad yelled instantly, “Ingrate! He belittles us just because he’s rich now. If I had known this, I wouldn’t have let you marry him! How irritating!”

My mom was also mad. “I’ll say. He pretended to be polite and submissive. Who would’ve thought he’s so ungrateful?”

I sighed, “That’s unfair. He didn’t use our connections or our money. How is he ungrateful?

“It’s understandable that he doesn’t wanna help us. We were never nice to him.”

My parents pressed their lips and fell silent with a troubled face.

My headache worsened when I saw them like that.

In the evening, Quentin called his buddies, hoping they could lend a helping hand.

They came one quicker than the other when he asked them out for drinks before. Now, however, none of them would take his call.

Quentin smashed his phone out of rage, saying the so-called friends of his were unreliable.

Under the quilt, I comforted him, “Don’t be mad, Quentin. Nowadays, people are selfish.”

My mom cried nonstop aside.

In this situation, it was impossible for our family to make a comeback. We were up to our necks in debt.

Creditors came to collect debt every day. We could hardly lead a normal life.

My dad said, “Ralda, go seek Reynaldo’s help again. He’s rich now. I guess he won’t mind lending you some money.”

My mom put in, “Yes. Even if you two get divorced, you’re entitled to his money, right?”

I curled up in bed. I didn’t tell them Reynaldo and I were divorced and that he didn’t give me a cent. Otherwise, they’d blow a fuse and curse Reynaldo nonstop.

Quentin objected, “Forget it. Ralda can’t go. It’s humiliating. We were horrible to Reynaldo. Now, you sent Ralda to ask for his help. It’s equivalent to asking for humiliation.”

Something occurred to my mom. She asked me, “Did Reynaldo insult you when you approached him in the daytime?”

I shook my head hurriedly. “N-No.”

My mom said to herself, “It makes sense. Reynaldo was honest, and he listened to you. Although we’re poor now, his feelings for you remain the same. He adores you. Why would he humiliate you?”

Surprised, I smiled and said nothing.

My dad sighed. Looking at the open balcony, once again, he said he wanted to die.

My mom cried every time he said that.

It gave me a throbbing in the head.

Money was our priority currently. We would try to pay off our debt little by little.

I got better several days later and went out for job hunting immediately.

Ordinary jobs were low-paying. It would take forever to save up enough to pay off our debt. But I knew wine promoters in fancy clubs were handsomely paid.

When I consumed alcohol with my friends in a club, if I was in a good mood, I’d give the wine promoters a generous tip.

So, I went to the club I frequented before.

The manager knew me. For old times’ sake, he hired me on the spot as a win promoter of the big shots’ private room.

The big shots always gave wine promoters a tip.

Against my expectations, I ran into Reynaldo here.

He had never been to such places before. It was so, at least when we were married.

He used to hate it even when I visited a club. Every time my friends and I went out for drinks, he’d stop me, saying clubs made people degenerate.

Certainly, every time he did that, I’d insult him and ask him to get out of my way.

Come to think of it, Reynaldo had been a good husband.

At this moment, seated in the seat of honor, he had a cigarette between his fingers. With a half-smile, he looked wicked and seductive.

I couldn’t help thinking the warm, meek Reynaldo was just a pretense.

He stared at me quietly. His arrogance made me feel embarrassed.

I wouldn’t have come if I had known he was here.

If only the floor cracked and swallowed me right there and then. Out of the blue, some people in the room whistled frivolously.

I turned my head and found that the men with Reynaldo used to work for Quentin and me.

Damn. They sucked up to Reynaldo now.

They knew I mistreated Reynaldo before. Now, to please him, they’d humiliate me mercilessly.

I’d better go.

Pushing the cart, I meant to leave with feigned composure. Just then, a man spoke.