Hi guys. Baka isang update lang po ulit ako today. Medyo masama pa rin pakiramdam ko. Bawi na lang kapag feeling better na. Salamat sa inyo. Anyways, hihingi sana ako ng favor kung puwede n'yong i-rate ang story ni Faith at Poppy. Search n'yo po itong story, then sa tabi ng number of views, may rating kayong makikita, click n'yo lang 'yon at puwede na kayo mag-iwan ng feedback. Puwede n'yo sabihin kung bakit n'yo ito nagustuhan or kung ano'ng effect sa inyo ng story, kung napapasaya ba kayo or kung nai-stress at bakit n'yo nagandahan, kung boring ba or hindi. Hehe. Your feedback means a lot to me! Thank you so much everyone! :)
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR: POPPY's MANSIONA week later.✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧AS we pulled up to the grand gates of the Herald mansion, I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and nervousness. The sprawling estate was more magnificent now with its manicured gardens and imposing architecture.Ngayon na ang araw ng pag-uwi ni Poppy rito, kasama ako. Pero naiwan pa ang ibang gamit namin sa bahay dahil hindi naman kasya sa sasakyan. Ipahahakot na lang namin. Tig-isang suitcase lang muna ang dala namin ni Poppy, para sa mga importanteng gamit lang.Poppy's father, Mr. Herald, drove us up the winding driveway, a warm smile on his face. Nasa backseat naman kami ni Poppy, magkahawak kami ng kamay simula pa kaninang umalis kami sa bahay pauwi rito sa mansyon nila. ‘Yong sasakyan ko naman ay bukas ko na lang din kukuhanin sa bahay dahil ideya ni Poppy kanina na sumakay na lang kami dito sa daddy niya para hindi na raw ako bumukod ng sasakyan papunta rito.“Welcome home, Poppy,” masayang sabi ni Mr. Herald
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE: ANNOUNCEMENT✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧NAGISING ako na mag-isa na lang sa kama. Hindi ko alam kung bakit wala na si Poppy sa tabi ko gayong maaga pa. Napilitan na rin akong bumangon at inayos muna ang sarili ko bago lumabas sa kuwarto.No’ng nasa paanan na ‘ko ng hagdan, nasalubong ko si Elena, may bitbit siyang tray kung saan may nakalagay na carton ng fresh milk, pancakes, honey at dalawang baso.“Nasaan ho si Poppy?” tanong ko sa matandang kasambahay.“Nasa labas. Halika, sumunod ka na para masabayan mo na siyang kumain.” Ngumiti pa ito sa ‘kin bago naunang maglakad. Paglabas namin, agad kong natanaw si Poppy at ang daddy niya roon sa driveway. Suot pa rin ni Poppy ang pantulog niya, nakapunggos ang buhok niya pataas, halatang hindi pa sinuklay. May bagong sasakyan sa tabi nila at masaya si Poppy na pinagmamasdan ‘yon.Nang matanaw ako ni Poppy, agad niya ‘kong kinawayan. Lumapit ako, habang si Elena naman ay doon sa garden dumiretso para ilapag sa coffee table na naro
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX: FLIGHT✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧NAKAHIGA na kami ni Poppy sa king size bed sa kuwarto niya. Magkaharap kami at magkayakap. Matapos ang diskusyon kanina, nalaman kong next week na pala ang alis nila papunta sa Australia kaya naman halos hindi ko na siya mabitaw-bitawan ngayon. Sinusulit ko ang pagkakataong katabi ko pa siya at nayayakap.“Faith?” mahina niyang tawag sa ‘kin, nakasubsob ang pisngi niya sa dibdib ko.“Hmm?” I hummed softly.“Galit ka ba sa ‘kin?”“Hindi.”“Bakit parang kanina ka pa tahimik? Pansin ko lang na pagkatapos natin kumain, naging tahimik ka na. Hindi mo na ‘ko masyadong kinakausap,” mahina niyang sabi, may bakas ng pagdaramdam sa boses niya. Hindi ko alam na mapapansin niya 'yon.Oo. Simula kaninang mapag-usapan ang pag-alis nila, hanggang sa makaalis ang pamilya ko, para akong tuliro. Ang daming tumatakbo sa isip ko. Nag-o-overthink ako. What if pagpunta niya ro'n may makilala siyang iba at ma-realized niyang mali ang desisyon niyang pakasalan ako?
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN: HONEYMOON✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧SINCE Poppy left for Australia, I’ve been overwhelmed by a deep sadness and intense longing. Umalis na rin ako sa mansyon at umuwi na lang muna sa ‘min sa pag-aakalang malilibang ako. Pero hindi. Because every corner of the house felt emptier without her presence, and each day seemed to stretch endlessly. I threw myself into work, hoping to distract myself from the void she left behind, but nothing seemed to fill the space she occupied in my heart.Sobrang hirap pala kapag nasanay ka nang kasama ang isang taong naging sobrang halaga at malapit na sa puso mo tapos biglang malalayo sa ‘yo. Nights were the hardest. Kahit papa’no kasi kapag araw, nagagawa ko pang libangin ang sarili ko sa trabaho. Pero kapag gabi na, doon ko mas lalong nararamdaman ang pangungulila kay Poppy. The bed felt cold and vast without her beside me. I often found myself staring at the ceiling, memories of our time together replaying in my mind. Her laughter, her sm
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT: ONE YEAR LATER✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧I WAS buried in paperwork, my mind focused on the endless tasks at hand, when the door to my office swung open. Colleen, my secretary, stepped in, her face a mix of urgency and excitement.“Sir Faith,” masaya niyang tawag sa ‘kin, her voice slightly breathless, “nakita ko sa news na nakauwi na si Poppy at Mr. Herald dito sa bansa.”Agad akong nag-angat ng tingin sa kaniya, shock washing over me. “What? Are you sure?”Colleen nodded, humakbang pa siya lalo palapit sa ‘kin, holding up her phone to show me the news article. There it was, clear as day—Poppy and his dad had indeed come back.A whirlwind of emotions hit me. Poppy hadn’t mentioned anything about returning, and it had been a month since we last spoke. Nitong nakaraang buwan, natigil ang pagtawag niya sa ‘kin at pag-ch-chat. Whenever I tried to reach out to her, she would send a brief message saying she was busy and had a lot to do. Dahil do’n, medyo nagbawas ako sa pang-ii
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE: DISCONNECTED✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧I STOOD there, frozen, as I watched Poppy and Nathan interact. My mind raced, wanting to approach her, but my feet felt like they were cemented to the floor. Bago pa ‘ko magkaroon ng lakas ng loob na lapitan siya, may ilang bisita na nakakilala sa ‘kin, nilapitan ako at binati. They chatted animatedly, and I found myself briefly engrossed in their conversations, my attention momentarily diverted.As I wrapped up the small talk and turned my gaze back toward Poppy, I noticed she was now seated at a round table with that man—Nathan. The sight of them together was unsettling, pero ilang sandali pa ay tumayo ang lalaking ‘yon dahil may ilang bisitang tumawag sa kaniya. Naiwan si Poppy sa table, mag-isa.With Nathan momentarily absent, I gathered my resolve and made my way to the table. My heart pounded as I approached, feeling a mix of nervousness and determination. I quietly took a seat next to Poppy, my hands slightly trembling.“Hi, Po
CHAPTER SEVENTY: UNSPOKEN EMOTIONS✿ SUMMER ✿PASADO alas siete na pero hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin kami nakakarating sa mansyon nila Poppy gawa nang matinding traffic kanina. Mabuti ay medyo humupa na ngayon at dere-deretso na ang takbo ng sasakyan.As we drove towards the Herald mansion, I looked out the window, watching the city lights flicker by. Kuya Hope and Kuya Love were chatting in the front seats, but I was lost in my own thoughts dahil excited na ‘kong makita ulit si Poppy.Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar figure on the side of the road. “Wait, is that Kuya Faith?” I murmured to myself, leaning closer to the window. Hindi masyadong mabilis ang pagmamaneho ni Kuya Love kaya nakilala ko si Kuya Faith. There he was, walking alone with his coat draped over his shoulder, looking so lonely.“Kuya Love,” I called out, turning to my brother who was driving. “Did you see that? I think I just saw Kuya Faith walking by himself.”Saglit akong sinulyapan ni Ku
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE: DINNER✧FAITH ZEICAN LEE✧I WOKE up early, my mind still tangled in the restless thoughts that had kept me awake for most of the night. Hindi ako pinatulog ng pag-iisip ko kay Poppy. The stark reality of her change in behavior haunted me, and I couldn’t shake off the gnawing worry. Kaya madaling araw pa lang ay nag-shower na ‘ko at nagbihis, deciding to head to the company much earlier than usual.The office was eerily quiet at this hour, a stark contrast to the bustling environment it would soon become. Pagpasok ko sa sariling opisina, agad akong naupo at inabala ang sarili ko sa mga trabahong naghihintay sa ‘kin sa table ko, sa pagbabaka sakaling malibang ako at makalimot sa nangyari kagabi sa party. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, my focus kept drifting back to Poppy.Her image was etched in my mind—so different, so confident, and so distant. Summer's words from last night played over and over in my head. According to her, Poppy had seemed fine at the party. N