"What happened?! Okay ka na ba? Sino ang bumaril sa'yo?" sunod-sunod na tanong ko pagkalapit kay Kiel.Ginagamot ngayon ni Dr. Froilan ang ilang daplis ng bala sa katawan niya. Mabuti na lang daw ay hindi malala ang naging tama ng bala. Halos daplis lang kaya hindi gaanong kritikal ang naging kalagayan ng asawa ko."I'm fine, baby. I told you I'll be safe, right?" he smiled, convincing me that he's okay.Nagagawa niya pa talagang ngumiti sa ganitong sitwasyon! Arghh! "I told you to come with us! Hindi sana 'to nangyari," ani ko at marahan siyang pinalo.Dumaing naman siya na akala mo ay nasasaktan talaga. Eh, ang layo ng mga tama niya sa parte ng pinalo ko. He's acting like a kid again. Enjoying all my sermons. "May idea ka na ba sa kung sino ang may gawa?" pag-iiba ko. Umiba rin ang timpla ng mukha niya. Kung kanina ay tila bata siyang nabigyan ng lollipop sa sobrang lawak ng ngiti, ngayon naman ay para bang inagawan mo ng pagkain. Seryoso pero ramdam mo ang galit na aura sa kaniy
"I heard from Kiel you're going to study business management, darling?" tanong ni mommy, habang ginigiya ako paupo sa gilid.Hindi nga kami nagkamali ni Kiel. Mom organized a simple welcome party for me in our company's conference room.Pinakilala rin nila ako sa mga kasosyo nila at ilang mga empleyado, bago simulan ang kainan. Most of the people were welcoming and had a good aura. Kaya ang kabang kanina ko pang nararamdaman ay tuluyan nang naglaho ngayon."Yes mom. Magsisimula po akong mag-aral next month. Kiel organized everything… kaya medyo hindi naman na po ako nahirapan pa. I'm just looking forward to what my college life would be again, now that I'm in a different course," ngumiti ako at saka uminom ng wine. "You sure? You're really going to study business?" pagdududa niya.Alam kasi ni mommy na hate na hate ko talaga ang mga business-related stuff. Kaya paniguradong hindi niya pa rin naproseso ngayon ang mga plano ko."I'm sure, mom. Besides, I also want to help you and dad.
Wala naman kaming naabutan na taong nakatingin sa amin matapos nang naging halikan, kaya nagpatuloy na lamang kami sa paglalakad papuntang conference room na parang walang nangyari. "Ma'am, they are already here," ani ng secretary ni mommy. Sinalubong kami ng ngiti ni mommy at tinanong kung bakit bigla kaming nawala. Nagkatinginan kami ni Kiel. Tila nag-uusap gamit ang mga mata kung sino ang magsasalita. Sa huli, siya rin ang sumagot kay mommy. "May inasikaso lang pong mga papeles, mommy," aniya kay mom.Ngumisi siya pagkatapos. Proud na proud ata sa ginawang pagtawag kay mommy. Panigurado rin na nagkukumahog na ang puso niyan sa saya dahil hinayaan siya ni mommy sa pagtawag nang gano'n. Ikaw ba naman, favorite na favorite ata siya ng mga magulang ko, eh!Napairap ako sa kanyang inasta. Mas lalo tuloy na lumawak ang ngisi niya nang makita ang pag-irap ko. Besides ang pag-irap kong 'yon ay hindi dahil sa naging tawag niya kay mommy, bagkus sa naging palusot niya!My God, mommy. Kung
"Try tracking the gadgets you've got." rinig kong ani Kiel sa kaniyang kausap sa cellphone. We've been staying here at his office for hours. May mga in-assign siyang gawain sa akin para raw masanay na ako at hindi na masyadong manibago kapag pumasok na ako sa business industry.He's given me only simple tasks for the past weeks. Sabi niya ay kailangan ko munang gamayin ang mga simple tasks before going through the hardest ones. I agree with that because it's true, though. We must always not rush things, everything has to go to a process. At sa kabutihang palad, so far, nagagawa ko naman nang maayos ang lahat ng pinapagawa ni Kiel."Fine. Inform me if you have any leads." That's the last word I heard from Kiel before he ended the call.Nang maibaba ni Kiel ang tawag, agad ko siyang nilapitan. I sat on his lap.I heard him groan before kissing my lips."What is it?" tanong niya nang mapansin ang kuryuso kong tingin.I curled my lips, "You look so stressed lately. I'm just wondering if
"Kiel, can you go with me to the pharmacy later? I'll just buy something," sabi ko habang nakasandal sa dibdib niya.We were lying in bed, parehong hindi pa rin gustong bumangon. Yesterday, I was about to tell him about my possibility of being pregnant. However, I wasn't able to do it, so we ended up making love in bed instead. Pagod na pagod ang katawan ko dahil sa ilang ulit naming ginawa kagabi. He kissed my lips. "Why? Are you not feeling well? We can go directly to the hospital right now," nag-aalalang ani niya habang hinahaplos ang mga kamay ko.Umiling ako. "I'm fine. Promise. I just wanted to make sure of something before telling you." Nangunot ang kaniyang noo sa sinabi ko. Nginitian ko lamang siya. Bumuntong-hininga naman siya sa tinuran ko, at saka ako hinalikan sa sentido."I'll come with you, then," kinagat niya ang kaniyang labi. "Damn, you're making me nervous. What time are we going out?" "By ten o'clock maybe?"Tumango siya. "Okay. I'm gonna prepare our breakfast
I know we are already married pero ibang usapan iyon. We were married before because we needed Kiel for the sake of our business. But right now, we want to be married because we both love each other. At gano'n naman talaga dapat, 'di ba? We should marry someone we truly love because at the end of the day, they will be our companion in everything we do and decisions we make. Sila ang makakasama natin habang buhay. Kaya mahalaga na kung ikakasal tayo, dapat doon sa taong nakikita natin na makakasama natin through ups and downs and until our very last breath. We shouldn't tie ourselves to someone we don't love dahil sa huli, tayo lang ang magdurusa."Don't think I'm marrying you again because I impregnate you. I want to marry you because I love you, Kairylinne. I want to spend my whole life with you," saad ni Kiel sa kalagitnaan ng katahimikan."I know. I just… can't believe it's happening right now," hindi makapaniwalang sabi ko."The first time you ask me a deal to not fall in love wit
Madalas nang magtrabaho si Kiel sa mansyon. No scratch that, in my room. Pumupunta lang siya sa company if it's about meetings that cannot be done online. O kaya naman kapag required ang presensya niya. He's a workaholic to be honest but thankfully, he was able to manage his time. Kaya madalas pa rin kaming nagkikita at nagkakasama.Lalo na ngayong buntis ako. Kulang na lang ay pagtagpiin kami ni Kiel dahil halos buong araw ay magkasama kami. Ayaw niya akong iwan dahil baka raw may kailanganin ako. I told him naman that I can just call some of our maids or bodyguards but he said that he wants to be the one to do and give me what I need. Kahit two weeks pa lang ang pagbubuntis ko, sobrang nagiging maingat din si Kiel sa akin. He doesn't even want me to work nor do things. Kahit 'yung mga simple lang! "You know, I should also try to work or whatnot. Alam ko, nakakatulong din 'yun, 'no," pangungumbinsi ko.Nakahiga ako ngayon sa kama habang kumakain ng pananghalian. Si Kiel naman ay na
Nauna kaming nakarating ni Kiel sa Lila Luna. Sampung minuto ang lumipas nang sunod na dumating ang mga magulang niya. I stand up and come near them, nakipagbeso ako at yumakap. "My parents are gonna be late, ma'am. I apologized for that. They just had an urgent meeting…" I said.Ngumiti nang malawak ang mommy ni Kiel at sunod-sunod na umiling."No problem, hija. Kami naman ang nag-aya at may kailangan sa kanila. We can wait," she smiled, "And by the way, you can call us mom and dad, besides you're my son's wife," she said.I know my face is red right now. It always felt different whenever they would say that I'm Kiel's wife. I always get kilig. Inilagay ko ang konting hibla ng buhok sa likod ng tenga ko. Nahihiya. "Okay po, m-mom and d-dad," I said, shyly. I'm still blushing from ear to ear.Kiel chuckled when she noticed how red I am. He slowly leaned on me, "Don't be so obvious to my parents that you love me that much," he whispered before chuckling. "Feeling mo!" I said jokin
Just like what I have promised, my wife was really surprised. When I noticed symptoms of her pregnancy and my cousin confirmed that it could be really true that she's pregnant, I immediately ask for her help. Napilit ko si Calista na magpatingin sa pinsan ko. And since I can't risk her health, I ask another favor from my cousin na kung pupwede, s'ya na lang ang pumunta rito sa Maldives. Sinagot ko ang airfare n'ya kaya hindi na rin ito nagreklamo pa."I'm staying for one week, right? Libre mo?" Tinanguan ko ang pinsan kong abot-langit ata ang saya. Kakatapos lang n'yang i-check kanina si Calista and we were right. She's pregnant. She became emotional about it. "Kailan ba ang preparation ng surprise n'yo sa asawa mo?" pag iiba n'ya ng usapan.Nakatambay kami ngayon sa labas ng house tent na nirentahan ko. In front of it is a pool at sa malayong parte, matatanaw mo ang napakagandang dagat."I'm actually going to prepare later. I know she's scared right now. She had a miscarriage b
"Where's your mom?" I asked my 10-year-old son, Ethan."She's in the kitchen, dad. Preparing our food," he answered politely.As Ethan grew up, mas kapansin-pansin lalo ang pagkakahawig namin. Naalala ko noong nakalipas na mga taon. Tuwing imbitado kami sa mga events ng pamilya ko at ni Calista, they never forget to point out how me and my son looked alike. Kaya naman madalas, ito ang ginagamit ko sa asawa ko kapag gusto ko makita ang inis at pikon sa mukha niya. Regardless of what she feels, she always look beautiful. Kapag inis siya sa akin, para ko na ring nakikita kung paano o ano ang itsura ng isang diyosa kapag galit. Throughout the years, I still can't forget the things I did to her. Kaya naman, siniguro ko sa mga nakalipas na taon at sa mga susunod pa na gagawin ko ang lahat sa aking pamilya, hindi lamang dahil sa tingin ko obligasyon ko iyon, o kaya naman ay bilang pang bawi, bagkus ay dahil sa pagmamahal na gusto kong iparamdam sa asawa't anak ko.I walked silently to clos
"Have you prepared everything?" tanong ko kay Calista nang makarating sila sa parking lot kung nasaan ako ngayon.When we've settled everything, we decided to live at the mansion where we used to live. Dashiell was so surprised of how big our house is. But, I'm glad he loved it."Yup. Everything's here," masiglang sabi n'ya sabay nguso sa dalawang maletang hila-hila niya.I chuckled at her and then told them to sit inside the car already at ako na ang bahalang maglagay ng mga gamit nila sa compartment.I decided that we should go to Boracay. We will have a two weeks trip there.... Our first family trip. Gusto kong masulit ito at makabawi sa kanila ng lubusan kung kaya't ginawa kong two-week trip ito. And after that, I'm planning to bring them to Siargao. If ever they still are not tired.Because our two-week trip in Boracay will be full of activities. Siniguro kong masaya ang magiging bakasyon namin doon. Hindi rin naman na kami namoblema sa masasakyan dahil may private plane naman k
Mommy's death made daddy surrendered to the prison and bringing Mr. Guineva with him. I contacted lawyers to make sure na mabubulok sa kulungan si Mr. Guineva.I'm just glad that my dad was able to do it dahil mas napadali ang proseso sa gusto naming mangyari.I also tried rebuilding the Sarmientos business and decided to become their shareholders. Pinagawan ko rin ng cosmetics business si Calista and I also build a toy business as a reminder for my son Ethan.Its been five years since Calista left me. I busied myself into taking care of our businesses. Though at times, hindi ko rin talaga maiwasan, lalo na gabi-gabi ang maalala si Ethan. Sa tuwing uuwi ako ng bahay at doon gagawin ang mga papeles ko, lagi kong naaalala si Ethan. His remains on the jar that Calista gave me was always on my desk. Whenever I feel like crying and breaking down I tend to hug it. At dahil hindi ko maiwasan ang hindi ma-stress sa opisina, I decided to transfer Ethan's jar on my office table. I feel comfort
"Kiel, narinig kong planong umalis ng mga Sarmiento, alam mo ba iyon?" napatayo ako sa narinig kay daddy mula sa telepono.I know I've been a bad husband lately. I wasn't always there for Calista. Napapabayaan ko na s'ya ng anak namin. And instead of making her at ease. I'm just causing her too much pain."Dad, hindi ko po 'yun alam. Paalis na po ako," huling sinabi ko bago tuluyang pinatay ang tawag.Agad kong pinaandar ang kotse at tinahak ang daan papunta sa bahay ng mga Sarmientos. At muntik na akong masiraan ng ulo nang pagkarating doon ay naabutan kong pinaliligiran ng mga tauhan ni Mr. Guineva ang mga ito! Mr. Guineva himself was also there! Damn it! Calista, baby... Ethan my boy... I'm sorry. Inihanda ko ang aking baril at ginawa lahat ng aking makakaya para hindi masaktan ang mga ito. But too late tho, I saw how messy everything was. Mr. Frederick trying to punch Mr. Guineva. And when I was about to go near them I heard Calista's mother screamed, only to found Calista collap
KIEL'S PO It was so hard for me to find ways on how to court her. I really want her so bad pero hindi ako maka tyempo dahil hindi ko alam saan at paano ako magsisimula. Wala akong maisip.But it seems like destiny really are making its way to make us meet. Years later, I just found out about the status of Mr. Frederick's business. Agad kong inutusan ang aking tauhan na imbestigahan iyon. I found out that they are looking for someone who could help them. Nagkaroon din sila ng internal problem dahil nga mukhang ang isa sa mga shareholders nito ang may plano sa pagbagsak ng kumpanya.Muli, ipinaimbestiga ko sa tauhan ko ang lahat ng mga dapat malaman tungkol kay Mr. Guineva. And there, I found out about my father. He was working with Mr. Guineva. At that moment, litong-lito ako kung hahayaan ko na lamang bang bumagsak ang kumpanya ng mga Sarmiento dahil ayaw kong mag away kami ni Dad! But he's doing something wrong!I wonder if mommy knows about it. To find it out, I tried asking mommy
Kiel's POV"Do we really have to attend?" I asked my mom. I sounded irritated.I'm not used to attending parties. But since I grew up having parents working in the business industry, mukhang hindi ko na nga maiiwasan pa iyon. Dagdagan pa ang katotohanan na I will soon manage the company. I need to learn how to socialize."Of course, anak. Do you know whose party it is?" mapanuksong tanong ni mommy.Sinimangutan ko siya."It's the Unica hija of the Sarmientos," she answered her question.Mr. Frederick Sarmiento is well-known as one of the business tycoon in the industry. Marami silang koneksyon sa iba't-ibang tao. 'Yun nga lang, I think it would also be one of their problems. He has too much connection... too much people who might soon betray him.Who knows? People can do gruesome things for their own sake. That's why, ayaw kong makilala ako o ang makipag halubilo sa kung sino man. Siguro naman I can still manage to make our business grow without having to pull some string of socializa
Hours later, we decided to go to the balcony para doon mas mapag-usapan pa ang mga nangyari noon. We don't want to disturb Dashiell's sleep.Ipinanghila ako ng upuan ni Kiel nang makarating doon. As we sat and look at the view in front of us, I smiled. Iba pala talaga sa pakiramdam kapag nailabas mo na ang lahat nang nasa loob mo. I felt happy and at peace.Naramdaman ko ang mga titig na ipinipukol ni Kiel sa akin kaya nilingon ko ang gawi n'ya."I love you," he whispered.My lips immediately formed into a smile. And I can feel how red my cheeks are right now!"I'm sorry if I startled you. We will take everything slowly, hmm?" muling sabi n'ya nang hindi ako tumugon sa kanyang sinabi kanina.Sa katunayan, wala naman iyon sa akin. Nabigla lang din talaga ako dahil akala ko, hindi ganito ang magiging relasyon namin agad. Lalo na ako! I thought it would take months before I would finally forgive him pero mukhang ngayon pa lamang, napatawad ko na s'ya. Maybe it was the madness kaya noon,
Pagkalapit sa akin ni Dashiell, agad ko siyang binuhat at kinausap. Hindi nga lang sa akin nakatutok ngayon ang atensyon n'ya. Higit sa lahat, mukhang hindi man lang narinig ang mga sinabi ko. Pokus na pokus ang kanyang atensyon kay Kiel, who has a confuse look right now.I don't know what to feel now that I'm looking to the both of them. Nakatulala si Dashiell sa kanyang ama. And I know by now that he recognized Kiel as his biological father! Dahil noon pa man, marami na akong picture na ipinapakita sa kanya tuwing itinatanong n'ya ang tungkol sa daddy n'ya.Meanwhile, Kiel on the other hand, was like trying to figure out who the kid was in front of him, staring!"D-Dada..." Dashiell muttered, enough for us to hear it."Baby, let's get you some food, hmm? Are you hungry?" pag-iiba ko. Though yes, I wanted them to meet already and know their relationship to each other pero kabadong-kabado ako ngayon. Wala naman akong planong i-deny kapag nagtanong si Kiel. It's just that, I'm waiting