Novel-novel oleh EllHopia

Ang sinag ng araw ay pumasok sa mga kurtina, naglalabas ng mainit na liwanag sa buong kwarto. Nagising si Armea sa malumanay na tunog ng lungsod mula sa labas, ang banayad na tunog ng mga sasakyan na dumadaan, at ang tahimik na paghinga ni Van, na nakaupo na sa mesa at abala sa paggawa ng isang bagay. Pinatong niya ang kanyang mga kamay sa mata, ramdam pa ang epekto ng alak kagabi, ngunit determinado siyang harapin ang araw nang may malinaw na pag-iisip.Dahan-dahan siyang tumayo, iniiwasang magkalog, at inayos ang bathrobe na iniiwan niya noong nakaraang gabi. Nagsimula nang mag-ikot ang mga saloobin sa kanyang isipan habang tinitingnan ang kanyang repleksyon sa salamin. Hindi simple ang buhay niya, ngunit kakaiba ang pakiramdam sa bagong kabanatang ito. Ang mga nakaraang araw ay nagbigay sa kanya ng pagkakataong magmuni-muni sa mga bagay na hindi niya akalain na iisipin niya. Tumingin siya kay Van na abala sa mesa, ang presensya niya ay kalmado ngunit may tiwala.Hindi niya alam kun

I never thought ganito ka busy ang ikasal,"sabi ko habang hinuhubad ang aking gown. Masyadong mainit at naka-inom na rin ako.Nakarinig ako ng pagkatok kaya agad ko naman kinuha ang bathrobe at sinuot iyon.Pumasok si Van na halatang pagod rin."Hey, pretty. wanna drink with me?" Tanong sa akin ni Van. Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa laylayan ng bathrobe ng lumapit siya sa akin at nilagay sa lamesa ang dala niyabg wine may isa rin na wine kaya naging dalawang wine ang nasa mesa."Sure, mag-shower muna ako." Sabi ko at agad na nag-shower."Oh, God! What should I do?" sabi ko habang nagsasabon. Hindi naman talaga kami totoong nagmamahalan ngunit gusto ng papa niya na magkaroon ulit ng apo.Wala ang anak ko dito ngayon nasa hotel kami habang siya si Madeline muna ang nag-aalaga.Hindi ko namalayan na napatagal ako sa CR. Kumatok si Van kaya mas lalo akong kinabahan."Langga! Matagal ka pa ba diyan? I'll gonna have a shower." Agad nmn akong napa-suot ng bathrobe at lumabas."Ikaw na," hindi a

Nag- instruct ang photographer sa magiging picturuals "Ang newly Wed muna ang kukunan. Okay Groom humawak ka sa bewang ng Asawa mo." Pinicturan niya kami. Magkatabi kami tapos nakahawak si Van sa Bewang ko. "Good. Next naman. Holding Hands." Ginawa naman namin ang sinabi.Iillang possing pa ang pinagawa sa amin."Last pose, Sa likod ang groom tapos sa harapan ang bride. Parang yakapin mo patalikod Ang bride." Nakakailang naman pero sinabi lang ni Van na go with the flow. " Perfect! ngayon naman ay kukunan ng litrato ay ang bride at ang groom then kasama nila ang anak nila." Saad ng organizer nakapwesto na ang photographer sa harapan namin kasama naman ng anak ko ang tita madeline niya.Sinabihan si Van ng organizer na pumunta sa likod ko at hawakan ang aking bewang habang hawak ko naman ang bulaklak sa kamay ko."Okay yan , mag smile kayo sa camera"Ginawa naman namin ang sinabi ng organizer.Nag thumbs up naman ang photographer na okay ang pagkakuha nito."Hephep wait mas maganda

(Wedding Day)"Ang lamig ng kamay mo girl ha" saad ni madeline sa akin nandito kasi kami sa kotse ngayon nag-aantay lang kami na makapasok lahat ng tao sa simbahan bago kami pumasok.Lumingon ako sa mga puno sa tapat ng simbahan may nakita ako na nagpalaki ng mata ko kaya nilingon ko si mads at kinalabit "Mads tingnan mo si brent ,"Tinuro ko ang kinaroroonan. Niya ngunit wala na siya doon"Wala naman ah guni-guni mo lang ata yun nuh" pagtataray niyang saad sa akin "Sure ako si brent iyon " Tiningnan niya ulit yung puno na tinuro ko"Wala namang tao doon armea ah , nako hindi si brent yun" umiiling niyang saad "Si brent talaga kasi iyon ""Mea , calm down hindi iyon si brent guni-guni mo lang iyon dahil for sure na guilty ka sa gagawin mo , pero mea huwag muna siya ang isipin mo, isipin mo ang anak mo ha guni-guni mo lang iyo" guni-guni ko lang ata talaga iyon pero may nakita talaga akong tao malapit sa puno kanina eh."Ma'am pwde na po kayong bumaba" saad ng babae.Inalalayan ako

"Manang teresa tulungan na kita diyan," "Nako maam huwag na po, pupunta naman ang ibang katulong dito" nandito kami sa dinning room kakatapos lang namin na kumain, ang anak ko ayun dinala ni van sa taas nag volunteer na siya na daw magbihis sa kay andro at magpatulog inaantok na kasi iyon."Nasaan po ang ibang katulong?""May pinaasikaso si sir van sa kanila para po sa engagement party niyo maam,""Ah ganun po ba"kumusta po ang pag-aasikaso sa kasal?" Tinulungan ko siya sa pagdala ng mga ginamit na pinggan patunggo sa lababo."Ok naman manang ang yaman nila nuh ang daming koneksyon ang dali lang para sa kanila""Sinabi mo pa, may sariling pera na ang mga anak ni maam vanessa" sinimulan niyang hugasan ang mga pinggan."Nasan na po ang mga anak tita?""Yung panganay niyang anak na si Vion Andrillo may sarili ng companya dito lang sa manila.Ang pangalawa ay si sir Van tapos ang pangatlo si Vin Arnold business man ,yung nasa ibang bansa na pinuntahan nila maam yung naaksidente tas yung

Ibinigay nila sa akin ang brochure, binuklat ko iyon may isang gown na bumihag sa mata ko."Ito po" tinuro ko sa kanila ang napili ko isang Floral Petite wedding dress with Removable sleeves."I also like that iha pinili ko yan kanina," saad ng mommy ni van "That's our top selling wedding gown kaya marami kaming stock niyan at sa halagang five hundred thousands may wedding gown ka na." Nagulat ako sa persyo na Five hundred thousand sa gown na yan mas mabuti pa na mag renta na lang ng gown kaysa bumili eh ang mahal talaga eh half million sayang ang pera."Tsskk ano ba naman yan off-shoulder tapos may slit hanggang Hita. Ayaw ko niyan masyadong reviling" "Wag kang oa anak hindi naman ikaw ang susuot.""Ehh. Tita masyadong mahal" Hindi pa rin ako sanay na tawagin siyang tita gusto nga niya tawagin ko siyang mommy pero saka na lang pagkatapos ng totoong kasal namin ni van."No iha , don't mind the price, also we can buy that gown ako naman ang gagastos.""Bahala kayo" saad ni van.May

She rolled her eyes and walked toward their car. As she's infront of the backseat, her phone buzzed. A message from Sandro. Sandro: How’s the trip so far. She hesitated before typing back. Hezekiah: It’s going well. Just had dinner with the investors. Exhausted. Sandro: Aw Atleast it's done for today. I miss you, babe. Her heart clenched. Hezekiah: Yes, I miss you too. Another message came through. Sandro: By the way, how’s Darius’s girlfriend? Did you two get along? Her fingers froze over the screen. Her stomach twisted. She had lied to him, told him Darius’s girlfriend was coming along to keep him from worrying. But now he was asking details she couldn’t give. She forced herself to type back. Hezekiah: Yeah, she seems nice. We haven’t talked much, though. Her chest felt tight as she hit send. She hated lying to him. “You know, you’re really bad at lying." Her head snapped up. Darius was leaning against her car, smirking as he watched her. “What?” she asked, forcing h

Hezekiah sat at her desk, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of her. The usual hum of the office felt distant, muted by the thoughts racing through her mind. How was she supposed to tell Sandro? Would he be upset? Would he understand?She exhaled sharply and reached for her phone, hesitating before finally typing out a message.Hezekiah: Hey babe. I have to go on a work trip. Leaving tomorrow morning for Boston. Three days.She hovered over the send button, her stomach twisting, before finally pressing it. Within seconds, her phone buzzed.Sandro: Wait… what?Sandro: This is sudden. Since when?Sandro: Why didn’t you tell me sooner?She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy. She typed quickly.Hezekiah: Just found out today. Darius told me last minute. I don’t have a choice. Sandro: Only the two of you? I'm not thinking something else but still....It makes her think, what should she say to him? She needs to find a better excuse or solution.Hezekiah

As Sandro opened the car door for Hezekiah, she hesitated for a moment, a strange feeling washing over her. It felt like someone was watching them.“Babe, you okay?” Sandro asked, noticing her pause.She forced a smile. “Yeah… just tired.”Just as Sandro was about to get in the driver’s seat, a voice interrupted them.“Well, well. Didn’t expect to see you two here.”Hezekiah stiffened. That voice. She knew it too well.Sandro turned to see a man standing a few feet away, dressed sharply, hands tucked into his pockets, his dark eyes assessing them.Sandro frowned slightly. “Hey… do we know each other?”Darius’s expression didn’t change. If anything, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “No. But I know her.” Sandro glanced at Hezekiah, confused. “Babe?”Hezekiah swallowed hard, forcing herself to keep calm. “This is Darius… my boss.”Sandro raised his eyebrows. “Oh, right. The one you always complain about?” he teased lightly, trying to ease the tension.Darius chuckled, but

A woman—probably in her mid-thirties—hurried over, relief evident on her face. “Sweetheart, you can’t just run off like that.”“Sorry, Mommy,” Arielle said, standing up and dusting the sand off her dress. She turned to Hezekiah. “This is my mommy.”The woman looked at Hezekiah with a warm yet apologetic smile. “I hope she wasn’t bothering you.”“Not at all,” Hezekiah assured her. “She’s very sweet.”The woman ruffled Arielle’s hair. “She has a habit of talking to strangers if she thinks they’re sad.”Arielle nodded enthusiastically. “Mommy, she’s like a princess who needs saving!” The woman laughed before turning back to Hezekiah. “I don’t know what’s on your mind, but I hope things get better for you.”Hezekiah was taken aback by the woman’s kindness. She nodded with a grateful smile. “Thank you.” As Arielle and her mother walked away, Hezekiah sat there for a few more minutes, watching the waves roll in and out. Maybe Arielle was right. Maybe she did need saving.But she couldn’t wa

Hezekiah’s eyes snapped open to the shrill sound of her phone ringing. She quickly grabbed it, still feeling disoriented, and saw the caller ID — her boss. Darius. Her heart skipped a beat as she checked the time. It was already past 9:00 a.m., and she should have been at work an hour ago.She quickly answered the call. "Good morning, Sir Darius," she said, trying to mask her disorientation."Hezekiah, where are you?" Darius's voice was sharp. "You're late, and there's a mountain of work waiting for you.""I apologize, sir," she replied, her mind racing. "I'll be there as soon as possible."Darius didn’t ease up. "Faster, Hezekiah. Don’t waste any more time." The line went dead.Hezekiah sighed, rubbing her temples. She had overslept after spending the night at Sandro's condo.She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. How could she have overslept like this? She needed to get it together.As she pushed herself out of the bed, she noticed the emptiness around her. Sandro was nowhere i

Hezekiah tried to shake off her unease as she drove to Sandro’s condo. His message earlier, saying he had cooked dinner for them, had caught her off guard. She hesitated at first but eventually agreed, knowing she couldn’t avoid him forever.As she parked her car and made her way up to his unit, the weight of guilt pressed harder against her chest. She couldn’t stop thinking about the night she’d spent with Darius. It haunted her—the way she’d betrayed the man who loved her so deeply.When she entered the condo, the smell of freshly cooked pasta greeted her. Sandro was bustling around the kitchen, setting the table with a content smile on his face."There you are," he said warmly, looking up as she entered. "Perfect timing. Dinner’s almost ready."Hezekiah forced a smile. "Smells amazing, Babe. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.""It’s no trouble," he replied, waving her off. "You’ve had a tough week, and I wanted to do something special for you."Her heart ached at his w