Tan's attention shifted to his front, pulling his eyes away from the desktop by the time the door swung open, revealing Dr Janine Crisostomo, the immunologist and the Hospital Director's only daughter.
She marched her way directly to his spot. As soon as she reached him, she laid down a rectangular box on his desk and stared at him with a broad smile on her face.
"I spent almost an hour contemplating whether I should buy this for you or not. Since I haven't seen you wearing any single one that I gave you so far. This time, make sure you're going to wear this,"
Tan smiled shortly. "Thank you." Even though he hadn't unboxed it yet, he knew it contained a necktie.
"Are you not going to ask me how the conference went?"
Tan went back to his monitor. "I know it went well,"
The week-long Medical Conference was held in New York City. Originally, Tan was supposed to be one of the representatives of AMM Hospital, but due to the problem in the company that he was facing, Tan requested Aaron Villegas, the neurologist, to come on his behalf.
"I know you're not interested in the conference. Share a meal with me,"
"I've got tons of work to do for now,"
"I'll be waiting at Caesar's by one," she rose to her seat and walked towards the door to leave his office. He glanced at his wristwatch.
An exasperated sigh escaped from his mouth. He only had a few minutes to spare.
AFTER flipping through each and every page of the tabloids that Anne handed to her earlier this morning, Elaine ended up tossing them to the table. She can't help but sneer internally as she reached for her glass. Those photos were an eyesore. It was a feature article about this beautiful doctor at AMM Hospital. In the other magazine, Tan was also featured there together with this particular doctor. He was recognized as one of the top surgeons in the country.
She decided to spend time at Mr. Chito's bistro after work. There aren't so many customers that night since it was pretty late. Aside from his old age and his often sickness, Mr. Chito barely managed to keep it operational, so he decided to close the shop early. Elaine finally found the time to revisit him after three years of absence. She sure owed them a lot.
Drew picked up the tabloid, poking the beautiful doctor's smiling face as harshly as she could.
"Look at this..." she spoke. "Is this how the media perceives 'beauty' today? This folk has too big front teeth,"
Elaine exhaled deeply.
"They're right. Intellectual women are always more attractive than those who aren't," Elaine muttered to herself. She had heard those words many times over. The more she heard them, the more she believed that it's true.
What advantage do uneducated women have against those who are successful and admired by society? Nothing. She might wanna beg to disagree, but she knew she was right anyway.
Janine Crisostomo. Everything about the woman was perfect. From her beautiful face and body figure down to her flawless family background. Plus, she's the rumoured girlfriend of her ex-husband.
"What plan do you have in mind? How are you going to claim your ex-husband back from this woman?"
"Tan could not bear to lose the Textile,"
Elaine wanted to believe so. However, it's been days now ever since he'd seen Tan. As expected, she'd never heard from him after their last discussion.
"You'd appear as a third party in their relationship. And surely, people would make a dirty perception of you if you carry on with it. As per dispatch, they're about to get married,"
"Tan hadn't confirmed about it just yet," she answered.
"You knew how private he was, right?"
"He didn't keep me as a secret before,"
Drew shook her head, not knowing what to say to her.
"What are you doing here?"
Elaine glanced over her shoulder to the source of the voice. She and Drew rose in unison, seeing Mr Chito staggering his way towards them. He wasn't using the walking crane Elaine gave him a few years ago. She watched the old man taking careful steps forward. His walk unsteady. His hair was all white, his face was time-worn, and he had crow feet under his eyes. He's aged. But just like the last time she'd met him, The old man's eyes still filled with animosity.
"Leave,"
Elaine swallowed hard.
"She had just arrived, Mr. Chito," Drew doubtfully said.
"How are you feeling, Father?" asked Elaine, flashing out a smile
The old man just turned his back on Elaine as if he didn't hear anything from her.
"Get out of here and never come back,"
She just watched him heading his way to his small office. Not even giving her a final glance. Heavy-hearted, she picked up her bag on the counter.
"I'm sorry, Elaine," Drew apologized. A pang of guilt was shown on her face as she gave her a light pat on the shoulder.
A smile crossed Elaine's face. Heading towards the door of his small office, she knocked gently. "I'll be back, Father,"
No response.
She glanced at Drew and waved her goodbye. With a heavy heart, she marched towards the parking lot. As soon as she reached the car, Drew ran after her, panting.
"You left your phone," she said, waving her phone in hand, which she took right away. "Please don't be too upset, okay? These days, he's getting short-fused pretty much easily, probably because of his condition. Just bear with him for a little while,"
Elaine nodded, smiling at Drew's worried face.
"You have my support for Tan. Call me when you need help. Macon and I are here for you,"
She chuckled. "Go back inside. I'm leaving now,"
Drew waved at her once she got in her car. She started the engine and waited for Drew to come back into the bar before she finally drove off her car.
After a few moments, she'd finally crossed her way towards QC. She pulled to a stop when she caught the stoplight. As soon as it switched to orange light, two men stopped by her car. It looked like they were both arguing against each other. Words registered slowly for her since she was in her car. But she knew they're both getting ballistic. After a couple of seconds, their disputes turned into pushing and hurting. Uttered profanities flew around them.
Elaine tried to tear her gaze from them, but she couldn't seem to move her body. This time, the huge guy grabbed him by the collar.
Elaine's knees started to turn jelly. Her hands were shaky. The deafening sound of her pounding heart felt like she'd run out of breathing at any given moment. She took a series of long drastic breaths; her fist was pressed against her chest. Car horns blared behind her, but Elaine remained immobile.
When she finally found her way to push herself to move, her feet reached for the accelerator pedal instead. She held her breath when her car bumped into another vehicle in front of her.
"Just die! Just die!" she heard that familiar woman's voice again from her head.
Her head hit the steering wheel, her eyes broadened. A series of knocks brought her back to her senses. She searched for the two men who just shared a heated argument earlier. To her dismay, they had already gone.
"May I ask for your driver's license, Miss?"
"NOBODY was fighting, Ma'am. How much alcohol have you had?"Elaine exhaled deeply. There's a hint of certainty and emphasis on the officer's voice as he said those words to her face. Even the two MMDA officers had the same testimony about it. She wanted to insist but decided not to especially when she saw a taunting curl on the officer's lips. Besides, there's no more energy left for her to argue.She found out that the owner of the sports car she'd bumped into was the officer himself. SPO2 Marco Figueroa.It seemed like he did not want to negotiate. And now she's facing lawsuits; drunk driving and damage to property. However, what's making her see red was this obnoxious cop. Midnight barely fell just yet and she had a very long day today. She just wanted to go home and take some good rest. But unexpected things kept getting in her way and she couldn't get any more pissed."Can I ju
Life hadn't given Elaine a lot of happiness and moments to cherish. At the age of twenty-five, she could only count the moment she felt the happiest. One was the day Tan proposed to her.It was on the 14th of February year 2016. Right in front of the fast-food restaurant that she used to work at.She could hardly remember how she reacted or how she exactly said "Yes, I'll marry you!" But she could remember how nervous Tan was in vivid detail. The sincere emotions painted in his eyes while bending on his knees, holding a case in hand with an engagement ring in it.After almost four years, Tan was proposing again. But he was not kneeling this time around. Nor was he holding a ring. No sign of nervousness, unlike before. And most particularly, Tan was not there to promise her heaven and earth. No more sincerity. No more respect. There was no love in his eyes either. His cold gaze held thousands of warning signs. As if she h
"C-can you drive me home, Tan?" Elaine managed to say those words to him while trying her best to stand still.She felt a tear fall down her cheeks, Tan was looking at her but he didn't even flinch. Tan would rather think that those tears weren't real. That those were tears out of too much intoxication or maybe because she was throwing up earlier. Elaine blinked, trying to suppress the threatening tears forming in her eyes.Despite the heavy feeling she carried in her chest, Elaine still wanted to thank Tan for thinking that she wasn't weak. He fell in love with her then because she was tough and resilient. He didn't have to know what her weakness was no matter what."Will you?" she added.She slightly reached her car key to him. If Tan would just look at it, he would probably know by now that her hand was trembling badly. But Tan was looking at her straight in the eyes. He put his hands in his pocke
ELAINE'S jaw dropped. Was she hearing things correctly? She turned to face Tan who was staring straight at her. She tore her gaze from him. His gaze seemed like burning her fully. She decided to shift her look at Atty. Ramas who was smiling at them. But there was a hint of guilt in his eyes as he looked at Elaine."As I said over the phone, Tan wants to get married as soon as possible," he chuckled awkwardly.Elaine bit her lips. She didn't expect that the "as soon as possible" could be this literal. From bed to marriage. Nor was she even able to comb her hair. Judge Costanilla handed the marriage contract over to Elaine. Hesitant, she obliged and took the contract."Attorney...""Ah, yes?" Atty Ramas turned to her, but his eyes could not stare at hers directly. He took a folder out of his case and handed it over to her, which her face still flustered by the unexpected matter. For he
Tainted. That was mean. But Elaine does not want to argue with Tan. Nevertheless, they had already tied the knot. Tan was her husband again. And since it was the first day of their second marriage, the last thing Elaine wanted to do was to fight with him.If Tan was waiting to see the pain and disappointment in her eyes, she had to prove him wrong. It was a happy and special day for her. Regardless of how it was carried through. Still, it was held successfully."I'll be alright wherever then. It does not matter," she smiled at him.Tan's jaw jerked as if he didn't believe her."Uh, are you staying for breakfast?" she asked."How about dinner tonight?" she added when she heard no response on the first question."I could drop by in the hospital later on or we could just meet at the nearest restaurant whenever you are free," she told him as she followed him towards the door.
"WHERE are we heading next? Are you going to pick me up tonight or we'll just meet at your condo, whatever it is just let me know?" Drew asked her as soon as pulled up in front of the Baclaran Church."You have to go to work tonight, don't you ever— And I have to go on a date, so please, spare me,""Yeah right! There were neither wedding vows nor kisses. So if there's no honeymoon, screw him," Drew clicked the tip of her tongue. "Tell me how long did it take or how many rounds did you guys do when we meet tomorrow, alright?" Drew chortled.Elaine burst out laughing. "Jesus, stop,"Shaking her head, she pulled the plastic bag with take-out food she bought for Macon and Mr. Chito and handed it over to Drew."I'll visit some other time, okay?""Sure. Phone me when there's a problem,"At any rate, right after Drew had l
Elaine curled her fist into a tight ball slightly deforming the paper in her hand. She was sitting on the bed while her back leaned against the headboard. The sun is about to surface in a few minutes, and yet there she was, still deep in her thoughts.She already took her medication for insomnia a few hours ago but it didn't kick in just yet. She could not fall asleep after reading the documents that Tan told her to sign for. She heaved out a sigh and put the papers on the table. She adjusted on the bed so she could properly lie down.Conditioning her mind that signing the papers would settle everything was a bad idea. There were some conditions she had to meet Tan, himself made. Tons of them. They will move to a house. This basically means that she won't be living in his mansion. Odd it may seem, Elaine didn't have any violent reactions to it. The best and fastest way to win his heart over is to live with him under the same roof.&nb
Elaine scanned the four-cornered walls of the room. The size was tolerable. There was a double-sized bed pinned on the wooden wall. A normal-sized lampshade sat on the side table. There was also a white traditional built-in closet right across the bed. A thick amount of dust was noticeable even from afar. No windows she could see but there was a split type aircon attached at the corner of the wall a few inches gap from the ceiling. The walls badly needed repainting. Also, the carpet had to be replaced as well as the center table.She rolled her two suitcases aside and stepped out of the room to check the entire appearance of the house. Well, except Tan's room. He went into his room as soon as he gave her the keys. At least the living room looks clean and decent. She was lost for words she didn't notice its entirety a little while ago. There was a decent-sized couch at the center and a TV placed on the wooden rack. Under it was a pile of unarranged magazines and
One and a half year laterTan just finished bathing, although he was in his sleeping clothes, his towel was still on his head to dry his hair after he emerged from the bathroom. He looked at the clock. Eight in the evening. He went home on time as usual. He arrived while Elaine was playing with Sean and Thera’s twins. They ate dinner together with the couple.After eating, Jassy Mikaela started throwing tantrums but turned quiet when Elaine carried and entertained her. They decided to bring her to their room while Lucah Gabrielle was brought to the guest room by Thera and Sean to be put to sleep. It was the second time Sean’s family visited them and stayed overnight.Sean has an important meeting and didn’t want to leave his family at the villa. Until now, the two was making up for the time they were apart. Tan was genuinely happy for them. They deserve to be happy after all they’ve been through.
Tan looked back at Elaine who’s catching her breath and leaning her hand on the tree he just passed by. He smiled when she looked at him. She waved and signalled for him to go ahead. But instead of doing so, he went back for her.Tan took the insulated water bottle from his bag’s side pocket, opened it and handed it to her. He took the back she was carrying. Elaine wanted to protest but she didn’t have the strength. She knew it wasn’t heavy because she made sure to put just a first aid kit, one hundred ml mineral water and some crackers in it before they started to climb.Tan hired a guide and porter to carry their bags and tents for them. Elaine brought a lot of stuff... From ready-to-eat food to sleeping gear. While he just brought a survival kit and first aid kit aside from clothes good for two days of camping.The climb was easy, he realized. They had to cross a somewhat deep river with big rocks a while ago but since the current wasn
Handcuffed(Continuation of Chapter Thirty-Six)Tan didn’t remove his eyes from Marco since the time he approached the bar counter to order a drink and even when he went to the two-seater table he occupied. He sighed when the police started pouring alcohol into two glasses served by the waiter slash bartender a while ago.He wanted to refuse the guy’s offer to ride in his car but aside from the fact he left his car in the Fuego mansion when he was taken by the police a while ago, he also wants to hear directly from the police’s mouth what was his real intention for getting close to his wife.They were in The Hub, Marco chose the place which made him wonder. The table they occupied when they came in was for two and in the corner. It was Tuesday and the bar was almost empty.“I’m treating you for a bottle of whiskey. But you don’t even know how to drink,” he said, He pushe
Elaine felt a slight tightening of her chest while her and Marco’s eyes were still holding each other in a gaze. She didn’t want to lose a friend but she also didn’t want him to keep hurting because of her.The fear and worry she heard from his voice a while ago, wasn’t just concern of a guy for a friend. She wasn’t that stupid not to feel that. And she was not selfish to make him hope only to be hurt in the end. Marco was a good person. He deserved someone who would love him wholeheartedly.Elaine swallowed the imaginary lump in her throat when Marco smiled and started to talk.“Whenever I see you sad, whenever I know you have a heavy burden, whenever you’re crying and hurting but you try to hide it, those were the times I wanted to take you away from your husband, Elaine. But on each of those times, I was a fool who keeps restraining myself because I know whatever I do, whatever I give up, no matter how I try to dry yo
But Elaine's broken smile started to change into a mischievous grin. Along with the intentional hardness in the expression on her face, Elaine slouched a little to level their gaze.“Why not? If you’d come and visit me every day again?” she said in a soft voice but enough for her to hear.Mrs. Crisostomo gasped. She went literally still as if her neck would screech if it turned towards her.Elaine straightened up. Guilt crept into her heart when she saw her slightly shaken. But Mrs Crisostomo needed to taste a dose of her own medicine.Mental health problem was not a character failure just like what she wanted to imply. Sandra kept telling her that and she tried to put that in mind many times. She was glad she was able to voice it out now, unlike before she was scared to admit it even to herself.Perhaps she was a little different but she was still worthy of respect and of dignity. Her painful family background and her past experi
Elaine woke to the penetrating sunlight in Tan’s room. Her eyes opened wide when she realized the time. It was past nine in the morning, said the clock that was hanging on Tan’s bedroom wall.Her original plan was to wake up early so she could prepare breakfast for Tan. But as she was about to get up, she was stunned to find Tan’s huge hand around her shoulder.She looked up to Tan who was still sleeping. She took few deep breaths to calm the beating of her heart. This was her favourite sleeping position. Lying on Tan’s chest and clearly hearing his heart beating.For a long while, it was just last night when she truly felt peace, security and love again. She fell asleep fast and slept easy on his arms. After all the nightmares that passed and tested their life, she felt as if she just truly awakened last night.Carefully, she removed herself from Tan’s embrace. She sat by the side of the bed and watched him sleeping. She was
Elaine stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was glowing, it wasn’t obvious that she was nervous and anxious while parking her car inside their rented house. She could call Tan to let him know she was coming home but she chose to just wait for him there.She has a lot to say and explain to her husband. Sandra called. She admitted everything to Tan. Though the clever doctor laughed in the end saying she doesn’t have the right to file a case against her because she only told the immediate family.Elaine was thankful though. It’s as if a heavy weight was lifted from her chest. No matter how hard she tried to work up her courage, she couldn’t bring herself to admit everything to Tan if not for Sandra’s help.She was always scared that her husband might not be able to accept her. The person she loved might leave her because she was unacceptable- she was lacking and she was not whole.After the terrible things that happ
“Ma’am…”Elaine opened her eyes. Anne was in front of her with an uneven smile. She looked around her surrounding. She wasn’t in Tan’s rented house but inside Ainsdale. Tan wasn’t there as expected. So it was just a dream.“I was hesitant to wake you, but your phone keeps ringing. It might be important.”She moved. Locating the cell phone in the handbag.“Sorry, I must have dozed off. What time is it?” she asked while going through her bag.“I must have dozed off.”Elaine was surprised to hear herself say that. She never once felt sleepy while on the job.“Almost closing time, Ma’am. Seven o’clock.”She slept for almost half an hour. She was waiting for Tan for almost eight hours already. According to Drew, his husband would certainly ask her to eat out. But why until this time, he hasn’t shown
Elaine walked for several minutes while Tan quietly followed on the opposite side of the road. Tan had mixed emotions in his heart and he cannot remove her from his sight not even for a second.The wind softly blew Elaine's hair and the hem of her blouse follows her every step. Just like before, everything she wore fit perfectly to her slender body. The same body he’d adored and worshipped.Tan came to a realization that for the last three years, he had never gone an entire day without longing for her. The yearning was deep and strong it was consuming him. And maybe, he intentionally traded those feelings with anger.Why- it was the question that was too painful for Tan to ask and the answers to that ‘why’ scare him ever since their paths crossed again.Why did Elaine leave him? Why was it so easy for her to forget and throw his love away? Why the span of three years, she didn’t see him even once. Didn’t she miss him