Chapter 1

The woman gasped repeatedly, her hands tied to the headboard of the bed. A bathrobe was the only thing covering her body. She bit her lip as she watched the man who captured her receive a blowjob from a woman dressed in black leather lingerie, wearing a butterfly-shaped mask and high-heeled boots.

Soon, the masked woman quickened her movements, making the man groan loudly as he reached his peak. Seeing this, the tied woman looked away, biting her lip to stifle her own sounds. A strange sensation built up in her lower stomach from what she had just witnessed.

The masked woman then stood up and marched out of the room. The tied woman glanced back at the man—only to find him standing near her feet, completely naked, staring at her with desire.

He slowly crawled onto the bed, and she instinctively pressed herself against the headboard to get away. But he grabbed her ankle, pulling her down, causing her bathrobe to slip, revealing her smooth, fair thighs.

“S-Stop,” she pleaded when he placed small kisses on her leg, moving upward. She gasped each time his lips touched her skin, sending shivers through her body.

“N-No… please…” she whispered weakly, but the man didn’t stop. His kisses trailed higher, his intense gaze locked onto hers, slowly moving toward—

“Excuse me! Can I buy something?”

Evangeline nearly jumped when she heard a voice outside her store. She had been so absorbed in the show she was watching that she almost got carried away. Placing a hand on her chest, she turned to see who was calling. Her face immediately fell when she recognized the person.

“What do you want?” she asked loudly, pausing the video playing on her iPad—a gift from her eldest child. She stomped toward the front of her store, feeling irritated at the interruption. The scene had been getting intense, and for a moment, she had imagined herself as the lead woman in the show. Now, she felt… unfinished.

Outside, a little boy clung to the metal barrier of her store. Even with the wire mesh, there was a small gap where his tiny hands could fit through.

“Ate Vangie, my mom wants to borrow two eggs and a lollipop,” the boy said cheerfully. “We’ll have eggs for lunch, and the lollipop is my snack. The one with bubble gum inside, okay?”

Evangeline sighed and looked at the boy. “I thought you were going to buy something?” she asked, pretending to be strict.

The boy scratched his head and looked away, embarrassed. This always happened whenever she called him out for asking for credit.

“Well… Mama said so,” he muttered, pouting.

“Bibo, tell your mom she needs to talk to me,” she sighed. “The month is almost over, and she still hasn’t paid her balance.”

This was always how it went with Bibo. He would come, pretending to buy something, but in reality, he was just here to ask for credit. She didn’t mind too much, but his mother never showed up to pay. Every time Evangeline went to their house, she was told, “Mama’s not home, Ate Vangie.”

Still, she let them borrow. At least they paid—eventually. Once a month. And not even the full amount.

She grabbed two eggs and a lollipop, placed them in a plastic bag, and passed them through the small gap in the mesh.

“Tell your mom to pay up, okay? Ate Vangie is getting mad!”

Bibo just grinned, quickly taking the bag. “Thanks, Ate Ganda (Pretty Ate)!” he chirped before running off.

Evangeline shook her head as she watched him leave. “That kid… he’s a little rascal.”

Once he was gone, she returned to her seat.

Her store was small but had everything her neighbors needed. Snacks and biscuits hung from the mesh wire using hooks. Below them, candies sat in glass jars. The rice she sold was displayed in a container nearby. On one side was the door leading to the front of her house.

At the center of the store was her desk. She had a swivel chair there, and behind it was a long wooden bench where she sometimes napped in the afternoons. At the foot of the bench was another door, leading to her living room. Wooden shelves lined the walls, holding canned goods, diapers, and other items. Even the ceiling had products hanging from it.

She grabbed her logbook, flipping through the pages to find Bibo’s mother’s name. Seeing Marites on the list, she sighed. Another page almost filled with their debt.

After making a note, she turned her attention back to her show. It was about a woman kidnapped by a mafia boss. The man was obsessed with her and gave her one year to fall in love with him. Evangeline shook her head. If she were in the woman’s position, she would never fall for her kidnapper. She’d feel fear, not love.

But she couldn’t help but feel envious of the lead character. She couldn’t even remember the last time she felt giddy over romance. It had been fifteen years since she and her ex-husband separated. She had forgotten what it was like to love and be loved.

In fact, she barely remembered what a real, live “sword” looked like.

At 42 years old, she was still single.

Her forehead creased when the video suddenly paused. But then she saw the reason—a call from her eldest daughter.

Smiling, she answered.

“Marica, my dear! How are you?” she greeted warmly when her daughter’s face appeared. Evangeline beamed. Marica looked even more like her as she grew older. Of all her five children, Marica resembled her the most, from her eyes to her face shape and even her build.

“Ma!” Marica grinned brightly. “What are you doing?”

She lived in Canada now with her siblings and their father. It had been eight years since he petitioned them to live there. Evangeline never objected, even though it meant being away from her children.

Despite their failed marriage, her ex-husband was a good father.

Her smile widened when two more faces appeared on the screen.

“Ma!” her 17-year-old daughter, Macy, called out. Despite her young age, Macy already dressed like a full-grown lady. “How are you, Ma? I miss you!”

Evangeline’s eyes teared up. Every video call with her kids made her emotional.

“Hello, Ma!” her youngest and only son, Marcus, greeted. He looked exactly like his father—a carbon copy. Even at 14, he was taller than his third eldest sister.

“How are you, my children? I miss you…” she said, her voice shaking as she tried not to cry.

“Oh, Ma… you’re crying again,” Marica said fondly.

“Huh?” Evangeline quickly wiped her tears. “No, something got in my eye,” she denied.

“Sure, Ma.” Marica’s sweet smile showed off her straight, white teeth. “Don’t worry. You’ll be here soon. Just a little longer, and we’ll finally be together again.”

Marica was processing Evangeline’s immigration papers to bring her to Canada. Evangeline had told them she was fine staying behind, but they insisted. They wanted to give her a better life.

“Sorry, dear… I just miss you all so much.” She sniffled. “Are you coming home this year?”

Every year, they usually visited during their barangay’s fiesta. With March already here, the festival was only two months away.

Marica sighed. “I don’t know yet, Ma. The kids want to join a camp. And I don’t have anyone to watch over Samuel.”

“Oh? Where is my grandson? And your other siblings?”

“Oh, he’s with Papa and his dad, tagging along at work. Martha and Mabel went out.”

Evangeline frowned. “Huh? What if my grandson touches something dangerous? Why’d you let him go?”

Her ex-husband worked in construction, and Marica’s husband had become his helper. They often renovated houses or fixed things.

“Papa insisted.”

“Excuse me! Delivery, ma’am!”

She turned to see a man in a white sleeveless shirt peeking into her store, squinting under the sun.

Oh, right! She had ordered supplies last night, and they were scheduled to arrive today.

Looking back at the screen, she smiled. “Marica, dear, I have to go. My delivery’s here.”

“Okay, Ma! Love you!”

“I love you too!”

Hanging up, she turned to the delivery guy—who smiled at her.

“Ma’am, delivery!” he said cheerfully, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

She nodded and stepped outside.

As she opened the gate, she realized something.

This delivery guy was new.

And… he smelled really good.