Chapter 1

Celeste's POV

It was a fine morning and I was gently stroking my hair in the bright sunlight while sitting in front of my wooden window. The sun was already out and I could feel the warm breeze against my skin. While holding a book, I plastered a sweet smile on my face because of the romance story I was currently reading. It was the chapter wherein the leading man kisses the girl he loves in front of everyone while they were eating inside their favorite restaurant. I got butterflies in my stomach and I giggled a little, feeling my heart flutter inside. 

"Oh my goodness. I couldn't believe that he did that! " I exclaimed.

I then began to flip the next page excitedly to continue reading what would happen next when suddenly the door of my bedroom opened and a masculine figure of man went inside. My father, Don Andres, summoned me and smiled at me before closing the door and facing me.

"Cele, what are you doing? You are supposed to go to the market to buy fresh goods for this night's celebration. " He said it in a soft voice. I looked at my father, who was in his late 60s but still had defined features.His eyes were a soft brown color, similar to an almond, and mirrored mine. He was dressed in his normal white camison and a pair of jeans. 

I sighed, put a bookmark in the book and placed it beside me. I smiled happily at him.

"Dad, I'm just going to read for a few minutes before starting on my chores." I said while approaching him and gave him a soft peck on his cheeks. He simply reached for my cheeks and squeezed them gently. My smile grew wider because of that. 

"I know Hija, but your mother is already yelling at me downstairs and wanted me to tell you that her Amigas are coming to town this afternoon for our 25th Wedding Anniversary." He exclaimed and gave me a warm smile.

I gave a reassuring smile to him. "Don't worry, I will just fix myself and be ready after 10 minutes. "

He simply nodded and then I went to my closet and began looking for a dress to wear when I went to the market in the center of town. I want to wear something comfortable and light. I know that it's hot outside and humid. 

In my peripheral vision, I noticed him walking closer to my bookshelves and then circling them. I just shook my head and continued looking for my dress.

"Hija, How many books do you have here? There are so many. "

I immediately turned around to look at him and started to think of the right answer. My brows furrowed and I stopped where I stood to remember the correct number of my books. It was my collection and I love reading.

"I'd say it's close to 400 or 450 books in total, Dad. Why? "I asked him while smiling. He appears to be interested in my pastime of reading books.

"Have you already read all of this?" He was taken aback by what I had said and asked me. 

I raised my hand and gave him a thumbs up instead of answering. My father chuckled lightly and turned his head from side to side. "Por favor hija, Stop reading so many love stories already because it may give you false hope of love. It's not always full of romance and happiness. It's different from reality. "

I rolled my eyes at him. "But what about you and Mama? How long have you guys been together?" I paused before continuing, "It's been almost 30 years, and I can still see how much you love each other. Just like what I've read in those books. It always ends with a happily ever after, Dad. "

He looked at me and waved at me as a signal to come closer to him. I obliged and walked towards him, holding the dress that I wanted to wear. on my right hand. He looked into my eyes intently and sighed. 

"It may sound like a happy ending for both of us, but not to other people. Happy endings do not always exist if the two of you aren't destined to be together. To some people, it is a tragedy. "

I went silent and I could see a hint of emotion in the eyes of my father, but it instantly went away.

"Just don't forget that we are in the realm of reality. Some things that we've read in books don't always happen like we want them to. "

I smiled because of what he had said. Actually, he has a point. I've also read some books that end with a tragedy. "Yes, Dad. I'll remember that. "

He nodded and tapped my shoulder, and after that, he left my room. I was just looking at him until he closed the door. I just sighed and looked at the dress in front of me. It was a flowy white-strap dress. It was light and not that heavy to wear. I'll just pair it with my strappy sandals so that it will be comfortable to walk later. It was difficult to wear heels and shoes in the market because I knew the floor would be wet and stinky.

I looked at my shelves and smiled happily. I am a huge fan of romance novels. I was so engrossed in them that I sometimes didn't sleep at all in order to finish a book in a day. I'm constantly thinking about this happily ever after, which is why most of the books I've read end with it. Just imagine being married to the man you love and having a happy ending.  Oh my God! It was really a pleasant feeling, for sure. 

I suddenly remembered what my father had said earlier, that happy endings don't happen to everyone. It really hit me. I mean, saying that to someone who loves happy endings feels like a stab in the chest, but I know it's just reality.

I sighed and went to prepare before going to the market.

"Excuse me, how much is this?"

I asked the fish vendor while pointing to the Tilapia. I smiled at her and she immediately answered me. 

"180 pesos for a fresh hija that arrived this morning from the sea." 

I instantly nodded and went to get my money from my purse. "I'll get 5 kilos of this, please. Thank you. "

I saw her happily putting the fish on the scale. My eyes roamed around the wet market. It was crowded with people since it is also the busiest day of the week. Everyone flocked to the meat section to buy fresh meat and new fish for the day. I didn't bother to check the condition of the fish because I knew that it was always fresh. Living in the province is really surreal and simple. The sea was very close, and the people's main source of income was right in front of them.  just need to put in hard work in order to survive in this small town. 

I've been purchasing goods and meat for about 2 hours now. I could feel my hand go numb because of the weight of my purchases. The sun is also out, which causes a hot and humid feeling. As a result, I felt it on my brow. Fortunately, I brought an umbrella and an eco-bag with me to place my purchases. It was heavy, but I could handle it until I went home. I was quite happy because I was given a discount by the vendors in the market. I have got to save a lot of money. 

While holding the eco-bag in my right hand and the umbrella in the other hand, someone bumped into me and the umbrella fell to the ground. 

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I saw my eco-bag fall to the floor. I worriedly looked at them and went to pick them up. I sighed in relief because the vegetables and the meat didn't fall from the eco-bag. It would be a waste if it did. My money is just enough to cover today's purchases. 

"Please be careful next time." I said to the man who bumped me without looking at him. I just felt his presence in front of me and he also stopped walking.

After I picked up the bag, I glanced at the man. I was taken back when he was intently looking at me.My brows immediately furrowed when I saw that he was wearing a black suit and black shades. When you're in a wet and noisy market like this, normal clothing is out of the question. It looked like he was a tourist in this town, I guess. I haven't seen a single person wearing a tux in my entire life here, especially in a place like this.

The man just stared at me and didn't say a word, but I just saw how his fingers were fixed on something in his right ear. Instantly, my eyes widened in disbelief when I saw that it was like an earpiece. 

"I'm sorry for my mistake," the man said and gave me an intense glance before he left.

I just found myself standing there and not moving. I was just watching the man, who was now walking towards the market's exit. He was walking quickly, as if he was in a hurry.I was lost for a moment and I had no idea that I was being bumped by several people, but still, my gaze was still fixed on the man who was now sitting in the driver's seat of the car.

Being intrigued and being a curious cat, I walked a bit closer to the exit and saw the man in the driver's seat speaking to someone inside the car. I don't know why, but I was drawn easily.  The volume of the people around me does not match the pounding of my heart. I'm not sure why, but it suddenly began acting strangely.

I suddenly shifted my gaze to the person in the backseat and, suddenly, I felt anxious. I couldn't clearly see his face because he was wearing a hat, but I could feel his intense gaze in my direction. It sent shivers up my spine while also making me feel strange.

My mouth hung open when I saw him smile in my direction. Wait? Is he smiling at me? To act like an ambitious woman, because what if he smiled at other people and not at me? So I started looking around to see if anyone else was looking my way, but I didn't see anyone. It's only me. My gaze returned to the previous location of the car, but it was not there. It was gone. 

I didn't realize that I was already holding my breath at those moments. I instantly decided to go home immediately at that same hour. My head suddenly ached, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest, as if it was being stabbed. 

And that man inside the car? I have absolutely no idea who he was, but that was weird. 

"Baby, are you okay?"

I turned to face my mother, who stood in front of me. I had just got home and she saw me clutching my chest while breathing heavily. My head was literally aching so bad that I had to take medicine. My mother approached and sat beside me. Her face was worried. 

"I'll just get you a glass of water."

I nodded and took a rest on the couch. Maybe I have just been tired and fatigued these past few weeks. It was also because I had a hectic schedule because I was hired by several parties in my town. I didn't have time to rest because, every night, I couldn't sleep well. It was really my problem, just like before. 

"How many times do I have to remind you that you don't have to work? You can just stay here," my mother said as she handed me a glass of water. I just gave her a smile as I stared at her. Dona Saffira Marcon is my mother. Our family was one of the most respected families in our province. She was in her late 50's, but she still looked pretty and young for her age. People really respected my mother so much, because she was also very kind and very helpful to others. I always look up to her as my inspiration for everything I do. I just smiled to ease her worries.

"It's okay, Mom. I like what I am doing and, besides, I'm not a kid anymore. I wanted to earn my own money at this age. "

She just sighed and asked me to take a rest in my room. The party will be later in the afternoon. I immediately walked upstairs and went to my own room to take a nap. Just to relieve the stress and headache that I've felt. 

After taking the medicine, my head was still aching, but it had got a lot better than before. I laid on my bed and just stared at the ceiling. I suddenly felt empty inside. Every single day of my life, I just like this. Staring at the ceiling is like searching for the unknown. I suddenly felt empty all of a sudden and didn't know or understand why. I felt like my mind was inside a black space and it was like my head was light. 

I touched my cheeks and was shocked to see that I was already crying. 

Why am I crying?

I had a complete family, a job I enjoyed, and the stable life I had always desired, but what more could I have asked for? I just wiped the tears from my cheeks and took a deep breath.

I shouldn't be feeling like this. This is not normal. Why would I cry over something I don't even know about?

I was just chilling inside my room when I suddenly remembered the man who I had seen earlier. My heart suddenly started to beat so fast. I felt that the man was familiar to me, but I swore that I had not seen him in all my life. Not even once. 

I clutched my chest and I could still feel its erratic beating. I'm not sure why I'm feeling this way. This was my first time doing it. I remembered how he looked at me, which made me nervous.

I shook my head to stop thinking about that unknown man. I held my head and forced my eyes to close in order to sleep.