Chapter 2: First Love

Paglabas ni Audrey sa mansion ng mga Villafuente ay nakita niya ang sasakyan ni Lucy sa harap. Her bestfriend rolled down the window and giggled when she saw her. Hindi na ito nakapaghintay at bumaba na sa kotse, tinulungan siyang ipasok ang maleta sa backseat saka siya halos hilain papasok sa loob ng kotse.

Lucy kissed her on the cheek then beamed at her. "Let's celebrate, girl!" excited nitong sinabi.

Napailing na lang si Audrey habang nangingiti.

Iba sana ang gustong celebration ni Lucy. Nais sana nito na mag-party sila sa bar at magpakalasing. But she knew that even the divorce meant freedom from her misery for Audrey, hindi pa rin gano'n kaayos ang mood nito para sa gano'ng environment. Kaya sa isang fine dining restaurant na lang sila kumain. The slow music was relaxing, isabay pa ang mainit na pagguhit ng wine sa lalamunan nila. It was comforting which Audrey really needed at that moment. Malaya itong nagkwento sa nangyari kanina tungkol sa pirmahan nila ng divorce agreement.

Lucy rolled her eyes when she learned the reason behind the abrupt divorce proposal.

"As in dahil kay Gayle? Sino ba siya? Nag-divorce kayo dahil sa kaniya? I researched her and hindi naman siya big deal. Bakit ba baliw ro'n si Lawrence?"

Audrey stared on her wine glass. Dinampot niya 'yon saka saglit na sumimsim bago sumagot. Napatango pa siya sa lasa no'n.

"I don't know. She's his first love so... 'yon ang explanation siguro." Nagkibit siya ng balikat.

Hindi naman niya kilala sa personal si Gayle. Nakilala lang naman niya si Lawrence nang hiwalay na ang dalawa dahil umalis ng bansa ang babae.

Basta't ang alam niya, Gayle was a gentle, smart, and considerate woman. Sobrang bait at understanding. Nang magkaroon nga raw ng away sa pagitan ni Lawrence at ng lolo nito dahil kay Gayle, ang babae na ang kusang umalis at tinulak si Lawrence na makipag-ayos sa lolo nito. That was also probably the reason why Lawrence married Audrey. Hindi natuwa si Lawrence sa pagtulak sa kaniya ni Gayle at pag-iwan so to inspite her, he agreed to his Grandpa's wish and married Audrey. But in the end, Gayle was also the reason their marriage ended.

Napansin ni Lucy na tila walang gana si Audrey pag-usapan ang dalawa kaya binago niya ang topic. She smirked at Audrey. "Pero mabuti ay may nagawa rin siyang tama. He's generous enough to give you a house, a car, and millions of money." Ngunit bigla ay nagbago ang ekspresyon nito at nairita. "But what a pity... Hindi mo naman dapat kailangan ang mga 'yon."

Audrey sighed. Nang mamatay ang Papá niya ay wala siyang alam sa pag-manage ng kompanya na naiwan sa kaniya at bata pa rin siya. They owned a huge winery. Her uncle and older cousin took advantage of her ignorance... nagawa ng mga ito na makuha iyon sa kaniya lalo na biglaan din ang pagkamatay ng Papá niya. And now, they are living comfortably instead of her.

Ang akala rin nang marami ay sa legal na paraan napunta sa dalawa ang winery. Hindi rin kasi gano'n ka-exposed si Audrey sa mata ng publiko bilang anak ni Severino Atienza para maprotektahan siya dati. Kaya rin walang kaalam-alam ang mag-iinang Villafuente sa katotohanan tungkol sa pagkatao niya. Ang alam ng mga ito ay walang-wala talaga siya kaya nga nagkaroon din ng prenuptial agreement noon na ideya ni Thelma para protektahan si Lawrence mula kay Audrey kung sakali na angkinin daw nito ang mga ari-arian ng lalake.

Ngumiti si Audrey sa kaibigan. "Mabuti na rin. I'll accept it. I deserve it after all."

Lucy stared at her intently. Her friend was so beautiful but three years of stress really didn't help her. Napansin pa niya ang t-shirt nito na kupas na. She can't imagine how her friend's life really changed because of the people who took advantage of her.

"That's right, Yanna. Take his money, spoil yourself. Ibalik natin 'yung dating ikaw, higitan pa natin. So you can exit those evil Villafuente's life beautifully," she said then giggled. Then she paused when she realized something. "But... may plano ka na bang gawin pagtuluyan ng naputol ang koneksyon mo sa kanila? What is your plan for your new life?"

When Audrey heard that, she fell into long silence. Para siyang nabingi. Her mind went blank.

She studied for a double degree when she was in college. Music and Psychology were her courses. Nahinto siya nang maagaw sa kaniya ang kompaniya na naiwan sa kaniya ng ama niya no'ng pumanaw ito. That's when she met the Villafuente family kaya ang tingin ng mga ito sa kaniya ay mahirap at walang tinapos. They thought that she didn't finish college and she's an ordinary woman. Tanging ang lolo lang ni Lawrence ang nakakaalam nang totoo niyang estado sana sa buhay.

Pero bago siya maikasal kay Lawrence ay natapos niya ang college dahil isang semester na lang naman ang kulang niya. She was not able to attend the graduation but she received both of her diplomas. But it became useless because she became a full-time housewife for three years.

At dahil biglaan ang divorce nila, she never thought that she would have a life aside from being a Mrs. Villafuente. Now that she's back as Miss Atienza, ano nga ba ang gagawin niya sa buhay niya?

Inabot ni Lucy ang kamay niya saka marahan 'yon na pinisil. She gave Audrey a gentle smile. "It doesn't matter right now, Yanna. You have a lot of time to think about what will happen to your life after you leave that evil family. Ang mahalaga ngayon, mag-shopping tayo after dinner. My treat! Then after the next few days, I will take you to the car racing that I was talking about!"

Lumaki ang ngisi ng matalik niyang kaibigan at nagsalita muli. "Balita ko, the ever mysterious Regan will be there."

For a while, Audrey was surprised by what she heard from her bestfriend. Regan Amadeus Vasquez is the young master and sole heir of the real estate tycoon Vasquez family. His worth is unimaginable and he's always been enigmatic, rarely seen by the public eye. That's why it was surprising to learn that he will be there, in a car racing contest.

However, Audrey was only curious for a moment, and soon the idea dissipated.

Matapos ang celebration nila ni Lucy ay wala siyang gana para sa shopping. Nalungkot man ang kaibigan ngunit naintindihan siya nito at nagsabi na bibilhan na lang siya nito ng mga damit at bags.

Bago sila maghiwalay ay may sinabi sa kaniya ang kaibigan. "By the way, Yanna, hindi ko nasabi sayo dati dahil ayokong madagdagan ang stress mo. Now that you're free, I can tell you this na. Professor Henry has not been in good health recently. I think, you should go and see him as soon as you can."

It made her heart filled with so much worry. Si Professor Henry ay naging guro niya sa college. He was her Psychology professor. It was safe to say that she is his favorite student and he made her apprentice back in those days. With a heavy heart, she rode a taxi to bring her to her small apartment.

The apartment was her temporary shelter while looking for a decent apartment near Lucy's house. Pwede naman siya makitira sa bestfriend niya pero gusto niyang maging independent mula ngayon. Malaki na ang naitulong sa kaniya ng pamilyang Rodriguez.

Unexpectedly, pagbaba niya sa taxi ay napansin niya ang kotse na naghihintay sa harap ng apartment niya. Bumukas iyon at nakita niya ang paglabas ni Lawrence. Bumukas din ang pinto sa may passenger's seat at mula roon ay nakita niya ang isang babae.

The woman looked very graceful and had a charming appearance. Her soft and delicate eyebrows were noticeable as it made her look so innocent and kind.

Audrey stared at the woman and her heart moved slightly. It was indeed the kind of woman Lawrence would like.

Agad lumapit ang babae kay Lawrence at kumapit sa braso nito. The woman then looked at Audrey and with a gentle smile, she waved at her softly.

"Hi, Audrey. I'm Sophia Gayle."