He had so many plans for their future together. When Ethan met Ally, he knew she would play a significant part in his life. He tried to just be friends with her, but in the end, he couldn't help but deepen their relationship.He was happy. They were happy. They loved each other sincerely. So when Ally left him and said that it was only his wealth she was after and that she never truly loved him, he was deeply hurt.He couldnât accept it because he thought Ally was the only true thing that had ever happened to him. So he felt betrayed and used. He believed that Ally had sold their love for twenty million.It was a mistake that Ethan regretted deeply. That was the turning point in their relationship. If he had fought and seen the truth behind Ally's lies, everything might have turned out differently.But what could he do now? Every doctor he spoke to advised him to let go of the woman he loved. That he should just let her rest.But every part of him couldnât let her go. He wasn't ready.
"Mr. E, here are the reports you asked me to prepare," Michael said as he followed him into his office right upon his arrival."Has Ms. Reyes called yet?" Ethan asked while opening his laptop."Yes, Sir. Theyâve already found a match for Angel. Right now, they are determining the best time to perform the operation.""That's good. But what's taking them so long? Put Yanah on the phone," he said, slightly pleased but also a bit irritated by the delay."Yes, Mr. E." Michael immediately complied with his request.A few minutes later, Yanah was on the line."Mr. Montenegro, don't worry. Everything is fine," she said immediately."Ms. Reyes, you know that Angelâs case is very close to me. I want you to do everything you can to save her," he said gently.When he returned to the shelter, he looked for the child who introduced God to him. He found out that she was there by herself. Since she was an orphan and had fallen ill, she was left at the shelter by her mother's sibling.Since then, he h
"Sis, you have a visitor again," Kyla joked, rolling her eyes as she returned to where she had left her, with Ethan, who had just left for work an hour ago. "Let me clean up so you and your suitor can have some privacy," she continued, taking away the dishes."Thanks for the privacy, Ky! What do you want as a reward, in kind or cash?" Ethan chimed in, playfully."You've already paid enough, bro," Kyla said with a sincere smile before leaving them alone.The three of them knew what Kyla meant. With Ethanâs love for her, her mother, and sister alone was worth far more than any payment. He was family.Ethan smiled at her. The kind of smile that made her fall for him repeatedly. Even though he was already her husband, whenever he looked at her, Ally still felt butterflies in her stomach.She still felt giddy even though she knew his eyes were only for her, as if she was the most beautiful in his eyes."Iâm not going to ask if you left anything behind," she rolled her eyes playfully. "I t
"Excuse me! Excuse me!"With only ten minutes left before Allison's first class of the day, she was running and in a hurry. She tried to push her way through the crowd of students along the hallway.With her backpack carelessly slung on her right shoulder, a couple of books in her arms, big black-rimmed eyeglasses covering half of her face, long black hair pulled into a messy bun, and a 3/4 white blouse paired with a below-the-knee black skater skirt, Allison Garcia was not the popular girl in school. In fact, she was in her final year of Accountancy, and she managed to stay in the background. She was the kind of person whom, when you passed by in the hallway, you wouldn't look at again. She was the one who existed without being noticed by the majority.Sure, she was one of the instructors' favorites. Ally was intelligent, a straight Dean's Lister since her first year in college. Because of this, she received a discount, which was a huge help in her studies.During her spare time, you
"Ally, I can't find the Auditing Problems book. Is it on loan?" Kattie asked her.She was sorting through books in the library and tidying up the shelves when her classmate approached.Kattie, the typical nerd with glasses, was a genius in terms of academic grades. She was the one who looked like she was a walking library with a stack of books. However, she was also Allison's trusted friend."It's with Michael," she gestured towards the male version of Kattie, who was busy reading at the second table in the library corner."Oh, that explains it," she excused herself as she headed towards Michael.Ally hoped she could join them, but she was in the library as a Student Assistant to work. She could only read when their instructor was absent, and they spent the entire period there.She sighed as she absentmindedly touched her right arm, which had taken a hard hit during her fall earlier. It was already turning black and blue. Luckily, it was somewhat concealed by the shirt dress she was w
Ethan watched as Ally entered her classroom. She wasn't his classmate in that subject since they had different courses, although they were both in the same department. "Bro," someone tapped his shoulder, grabbing his attention. It was Zion, his best friend. The only person he could be comfortable with. He was also friends with Leio, but Zion was someone he'd known since time immemorial."Hey.""What, you're already walking Ally to her class, huh?" Zion teased."You know me. I always do that," he shrugged. "--to anyone.""To anyone who has got interest in you. But Ally? I doubt that," Zion shook his head."She likes me. Everyone does.""Ally's a good girl," Zion tapped his shoulder again before walking ahead.It was a warning from a friend, wasn't it? He wondered why he escorted Allison. Why did he go out of his way to find out her name after she initially refused to reveal it? It was unlike the other girls who gave their names willingly, which he wouldn't even care to remember.It was
Allison set her phone on silent mode and threw it carelessly on the empty chair beside her. It had been ringing persistently for a while. Since only the number appeared, she ignored it. She didn't talk to strangers, and if it was important, the caller could send a message. She preferred answering calls only when she knew the caller and their purpose.She opened her Taxation book and multitasked reviewing with eating. She had a long test in the next subject, so she needed to multitask. With a spoon in her right hand feeding herself, her left hand held a calculator, computing examples from the book.It was 3:10 p.m., and she was deeply engrossed in her activities. Unbeknownst to her, an irritated Ethan had taken a seat in front of her."Why didn't you answer my calls?" he demanded, and Allison was genuinely surprised to find out she wasn't alone in the corner of the canteen.She looked up, meeting his angered eyes. Ethan's eyebrows were almost touching, revealing his annoyance."What ca
"Ally," Ethan whispered, calling the young lady's attention. They were in the library, where Allison was organizing books on a shelf. Ethan was behind her, vying for her attention through the gaps between the books."Ally!" he repeated a bit louder."Ssshhhh," scolded the Chief Librarian, Ms. Alonzo. She paid no heed to Ethan, who had been following her and intentionally catching her gaze for a while. She didn't care, even though his eyes were captivating.Unperturbed, Ethan approached her as they neared the end of the shelf. When she turned, he blocked her way. "Why are you ignoring me?" he complained."I'm working," she evaded, trying to walk past him, but he blocked her again."Why are you so grumpy? Do you have--?""What do you need?" she hissed, earning a wide grin from Ethan, who even acted cute."Lunch? Later?" he suggested."I'm busy," she said, sidestepping him, but he followed."In your free time," he persistently walked with her."I don't have free time.""Come on, Allison
"Sis, you have a visitor again," Kyla joked, rolling her eyes as she returned to where she had left her, with Ethan, who had just left for work an hour ago. "Let me clean up so you and your suitor can have some privacy," she continued, taking away the dishes."Thanks for the privacy, Ky! What do you want as a reward, in kind or cash?" Ethan chimed in, playfully."You've already paid enough, bro," Kyla said with a sincere smile before leaving them alone.The three of them knew what Kyla meant. With Ethanâs love for her, her mother, and sister alone was worth far more than any payment. He was family.Ethan smiled at her. The kind of smile that made her fall for him repeatedly. Even though he was already her husband, whenever he looked at her, Ally still felt butterflies in her stomach.She still felt giddy even though she knew his eyes were only for her, as if she was the most beautiful in his eyes."Iâm not going to ask if you left anything behind," she rolled her eyes playfully. "I t
"Mr. E, here are the reports you asked me to prepare," Michael said as he followed him into his office right upon his arrival."Has Ms. Reyes called yet?" Ethan asked while opening his laptop."Yes, Sir. Theyâve already found a match for Angel. Right now, they are determining the best time to perform the operation.""That's good. But what's taking them so long? Put Yanah on the phone," he said, slightly pleased but also a bit irritated by the delay."Yes, Mr. E." Michael immediately complied with his request.A few minutes later, Yanah was on the line."Mr. Montenegro, don't worry. Everything is fine," she said immediately."Ms. Reyes, you know that Angelâs case is very close to me. I want you to do everything you can to save her," he said gently.When he returned to the shelter, he looked for the child who introduced God to him. He found out that she was there by herself. Since she was an orphan and had fallen ill, she was left at the shelter by her mother's sibling.Since then, he h
He had so many plans for their future together. When Ethan met Ally, he knew she would play a significant part in his life. He tried to just be friends with her, but in the end, he couldn't help but deepen their relationship.He was happy. They were happy. They loved each other sincerely. So when Ally left him and said that it was only his wealth she was after and that she never truly loved him, he was deeply hurt.He couldnât accept it because he thought Ally was the only true thing that had ever happened to him. So he felt betrayed and used. He believed that Ally had sold their love for twenty million.It was a mistake that Ethan regretted deeply. That was the turning point in their relationship. If he had fought and seen the truth behind Ally's lies, everything might have turned out differently.But what could he do now? Every doctor he spoke to advised him to let go of the woman he loved. That he should just let her rest.But every part of him couldnât let her go. He wasn't ready.
"Look at you, you're so beautiful, Allison," Shanna said happily as they both looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had prepared Ally for her wedding to Ethan that day. Just a few days after his proposal, they were already getting married.Ally wore a simple white dress, comfortable yet presentable for a wedding. Even though the event was private, her groom was still the gorgeous billionaire, Ethan Montenegro. It would have been unfair to him if she didnât make some effort to look nice, considering her condition.She was thankful to God for allowing her to live until this day. Just waking up that morning was enough for her. Despite feeling weak and aching everywhere, she kept it to herself.Today was supposed to be happy, and she was indeed very happy. She didnât want to spoil the mood by revealing her discomfort. She was marrying Ethan Montenegro, which should be enough to overshadow her physical pains.âThanks,â she managed to smile.âAlly, everyoneâs waiting upstairs,â Kyla
Ally never expected Ethan to take his proposal seriously again, especially with a ring in hand. But this was Ethan Montenegroâwhatever he says, he will do. The hardest part for her was receiving a marriage proposal when she was on the brink of death. She didnât deserve it, especially when she felt so close to the end. Each day seemed dimmer; she knew it, she could feel it.Ethan didnât deserve to marry someone who might die at any moment. He deserved someone who could grow old with him, not someone who felt like she was just waiting for the final signature to her departure. She couldnât bring herself to hurt Ethan like that.âCome on, Allison. Give him some credit. Heâs not thinking about that. He just wants to marry you. And if you pass away before the marriage is registered, itâs not the end of the world,â her mind argued.It wasnât wrong to grant his request. It wasnât wrong to let herself and Ethan be happy for whatever time was left. It wouldnât be selfish to marry him, right? Ev
âAlly, did you know that this woman is already engaged? She didnât even give us a heads-up! If Mr. Montenegro hadnât asked, she wouldnât have bothered inviting us to her wedding!ââMichael!â Kattie scolded, her eyes wide at their male friend.Allison laughed. Even though they were just on a video call, Kattieâs blush was clearly visible.âIs it true, Kattie?â Allison asked, genuinely excited.Kattie had always been known more for her love of books than for having a boyfriend. Who would have thought that just a few years after graduation, sheâd already be engaged?âWell, itâs not exactly like that,â Kattie explained. âThe situation is different. Iâd be deported if I donât marry my friend here.ââHmm, illegal stay?â Allison guessed.Their friend was currently in America.âNot entirelyâââSo, whenâs the wedding?â Allison changed the subject. She didnât want to embarrass her friend. âWe need to watch it, okay? Even if itâs just online like this.ââOf course, Ally! Michael and I have alrea
âShe was in and out of consciousness last night, Mr. Montenegro. And today, sheâs not waking up yet. Itâs almost past two PM.âEthan nearly sped his car to the shelter.He was in the middle of an important meeting when Yanah called. Just seeing her name flash on his silent cellphone had sent his heart racing. He let his phone ring while abruptly wrapping up the meeting. He lost focus and fervently hoped nothing bad had happened to Allison while he wasnât by her side.And now, Yanahâs words felt like a knife twisting in his heart.âPlease, be well, Ally,â he whispered as his vision blurred while he drove well past the speed limit.He just hoped he wouldnât get pulled over. Just this once. He needed to be beside Ally immediately.âWait for me, pleaseâŠâWhen he arrived, he almost ran to her room. The tightness in his chest was palpable as he saw her sitting on the bed while talking to Yanah. The inexplicable joy of seeing her like this made him tear up.He calmed himself and dried his te
âMama,â he called to get his motherâs attention, who was standing near the glass wall of his office.Andrea Montenegro turned around and gave him a reserved, cold smile. Sometimes, he wondered if his mother even knew how to be a mother.She lacked any warmth.âWhat brought you here?â he asked.âIs that how you welcome your mother, son?âHe felt like rolling his eyes. She was the one lacking emotion upon seeing him.âIâm just asking, Ma.â He approached Andrea and kissed her cheek.That simple gesture surprised his mother, though her expression only changed momentarily.âWell, I felt obliged to pay you a visit,â Andrea said as she took a seat, not breaking eye contact with him. âA Director raised a concern that youâre always unreachable. Whatâs going on, Ethan?ââAre you asking me, Mama, because you donât know yet? Or do you need confirmation?â He knew her well enough to understand that she likely already knew why and who had been occupying his time.âWhy are you not listening to your m
âHave those two not developed feelings for each other yet?â Ally asked, amused, as she watched Leio and Shanna joking around with other patients at the shelter.âWell, about that, Iâm not sure I want to entrust my cousin to Leio,â Ethan said, affectionately adjusting the way her head rested on his shoulder.âWhy not? Isnât Leio your friend? One of your two best friends, actually.ââYes. And so I know how he treats women. I donât want my cousin to end up on his list. You know, Shanna is very dear to me. Sheâs like my sister,â he explained.âItâs not like thereâs a zero possibility that Leio will change,â Ally said, chuckling a bit. âI still think they look good together.ââAh, donât encourage them!â The man laughed a little. âOn a serious note, if those two do end up liking each other, I think it would be fine. Shanna is being picky. She doesnât seem to like any of her admirers.ââMaybe Leio is actually the right one for her.ââIf Shanna hears you, youâre in trouble,â Ethan joked.âIâv