Chapter 11

A month later…

Mrs. Mitchell had fully recovered and now, Roselle's duty was over. She was currently in her occupied room packing up all her basic necessities and the rest of her stuff.

Since that night, Roselle has tried hard to distance herself from Oliver because she felt that he wasn't into her but the guy seemed to be oblivious to it. He always approached her and even took her somewhere to dine during her day off. She was left with no choice but to give in over and over again. She was enslaved with her heart's desire and there's nothing she could do to prevent it from getting escalated. They formed a vague bond which couldn't be counted as a couple but they indulge themselves to their heart's content. Masaya siya whenever they were together and Oliver appeared the same. The problem was, both of them remained tight-lipped and neither of the two of them tried to emphasize on what they actually are. Lovers or bed partners? These questions always bug her off when she's alone but nonetheless, she remains patient giving all of herself to him.

It has confused her to the point that she wanted to talk to him and asked him about it but she refrained herself so as to not inflict any suspicion that she might be after him because of his lifestyle. His money theoretically. She is not a gold digger but he might have misunderstood her if she kept on pressuring him to tag their relationship. She thought that perhaps if she waited for a little bit more time then he would eventually confess to her about how he actually feels about her.

Habang nagliligpit ng mga gamit niya ay biglang tumunog ang kanyang mobile phone sa may nightstand, kinuha niya ito at bigla siyang napangiti. Oliver was calling her…

"Oliver," she answered eagerly.

"Rose, I'm sorry. I can't pick you up right now. I have an urgent business trip in the nearby city. Can you make it home without me?" He inquired.

"No problem. I can handle myself." She mumbled nonchalantly.

"Good. I'll see you soon. Gotta go. Take care." He seemed to be in such a hurry that he abruptly cut off the call without saying goodbye or something that would make her heart feel at ease. She sighed and shoved her mobile phone in her bag. She then went out of the room and walked slowly towards the living room.

Mrs. Mitchell was smiling at her while sitting on her wide and comfy couch. "I will miss you, dear." She muttered, standing up. She threw herself on Roselle's arms and sniffed lightly. "If you need anything, please call me. I'll be there to help you." She mumbled softly.

"I will, Mrs. Mitchell. Please don't cry. Oliver might be sad if he saw you cry—..." She was about to pacify her former client but a beautiful lady happened to enter the wide door with a huge smile on her face. 

It was Sofia Castillo coming into the living room. She was wrapped in a customized while off-shoulder gown, hair is braided neatly and face was apparently dolled up elegantly. She also wears an expensive designer pair of shoes which completely matched her outfit. All in all, she was strikingly beautiful and attractive in everyone's eyes.

"Hi tita, I came here to pick you up. Ollie wants you to witness the ceremony." Sofia grumbled with a smug smile dancing on her lips.

Roselle slowly loosened her hold on the older woman's body and straightened up. She eyed the lady in front of her carefully. With a confused look, she darted her questioning gaze to Oliver's mother in silence hoping she could get a little information about the woman and the certain ceremony that the latter was talking about.

Mrs. Mitchell's face slowly drained in color. Her eyes darted sharply to the smug-looking woman as her mouth gaped in shock. Unable to gather her thoughts, Sofia took the opportunity to introduce herself on behalf of her.

Stretching out her slender hand, she blurted out enthusiastically. "Hello, you must be my mother-in-law's caregiver, isn't it? My name is Sofia Castillo and I am Oliver's fiancee…" 

Roselle's face suddenly turned pale. Shocked and dumbfounded at the sudden revelation that was slapped right on her face, she failed to move and left Sofia's hand hanging in  the air. Her voice seemed to leave her throat and she couldn't get herself to speak. She suddenly felt dizzy, her legs had turned to jelly and in just a matter of seconds…

Thud!

Roselle suddenly lost consciousness.

"Elle!" Mrs. Mitchell managed to act fast and catched the poor woman's head before her body completely fell to the concrete floor.

"Manang! Tulong!" Sofia was also alarmed by the lady's sudden unconsciousness and couldn't help yelling out for some help.

***

Makalipas ang kalahating oras, marahang minulat ng dalaga ang kanyang mga mata. She glanced around and found that a maid was fanning and looking after her worriedly. She smiled to her and said, "Taman na yan, Linn. I'm fine now." She mumbled weakly as she slowly rose up from the couch. She was currently in the living room with Linn and the surroundings seemed to be so quiet. "Bakit mukhang tahimik yata ang paligid?" Tanong niya.

Linn took hold of the glass filled with water and handed it to the lady. "Uminom ka muna. Nagulat ako sayo! Bakit ba bigla ka nalang hinimatay ha?" Nagtataka na tanong sa kanya ng babae.

Roselle massages her temples soothingly. "Hindi ko rin alam eh… Pero, don't worry. Okay na ako." Saad niya kay Linn. She also felt strange about herself and she decided to visit the clinic for a whole body check-up the following day to know her possible illness. Losing consciousness never happened to her before therefore, she was certain that there must be something wrong with her body and she had to know how to cure it before everything turned out late.

"Ikaw ang bahala…" Saad ng housemaid. "Anu? Ipapara na ba kita ng taxi?" She asked.

"Ahm, yes please…" Pagkasabi ay tumayo na siya at binitbit ang kanyang bag. Tinulungan naman siya ng kaibigan palabas ng villa at pinanood habang papalayo while waving her hands in the air.

It was then that Roselle's tears finally streaked down her pale face when she entered her cozy home. She locked her door, dropped her bag and went to her room, crying her eyes out. 

What caused her to fall unconscious earlier strikes back on her mind. Now, she finally realized why Oliver never said something about their intimate bond to make it official. He already has someone in life and they were about to get married! She was being played and she was such a fool to believe that he has a thing for her. She was expecting too much from him and it was all her fault that she kept on tolerating him. She failed to distinguish his shown gesture towards her.

***

Roselle wasn't aware when she had fallen asleep from too much crying but when she opened her eyes, she caught sight of the sunrise peering on her slightly ajar curtains. She stirred into another position but a sudden wave of nauseous feeling instantly hit her. She jumped out from her bed in a hurry and rushed towards her bathroom. She puked and puked on her toilet bowl but nothing but enormous saliva came out from her mouth. Her eyes were now blurred with tears as she tried to throw up more but her stomach couldn't until she gradually felt weak and her throat felt dry. She has to drag herself back to her bed to take a rest after gargling some water from her faucet.

She had just closed her eyes when her mobile phone began to vibrate on her nightstand. Nanghihina man, she still rammed her hands to get and answer it.

"Yes, Roselle Ventura, speaking…" She weakly greeted her caller.

"Roselle, I'm back bitch! Where are you?" It was her best friend Andrea calling her.

"Good morning too, Andrea." She grumbled hoarsely.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" Andrea sounds alarmed on the other end.

"Can you come and accompany me to the hospital later? I need to go for a checkup. I'm feeling awful." Paliwanag ni Roselle sa kaibigan ng marahan.

"Sige, pupunta na ako. Wait for me."

"Salamat, Andrea. Please buy me a bottle of chocolate drink along the way. I'm craving it." She emphasized.

"Chocolate drink? Since when did you change your nature, huh? Hindi ba coffee lover ka?" Andrea interrogated her friend suspiciously.

"Just do as I say. Please… I feel like I'm dying right now…"