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 her, everything was just too hard to process one at a time.
She turned to glance at Tan upon reading what's in the paper.
Prenuptial agreement.
"I am not finished preparing for my wedding dress yet," she mouthed quietly.
"What for?"
"I thought..." she stopped in mid-sentence.
"I thought... you would let me wear a wedding dress somehow..."
But she refrained herself from speaking so.
"C-can I at least change?"
"No. Let's get this over and done with. Fast," Tan said firmly. He lifted his hand to lend her a pen he was holding.
Tan faced her after giving her a few moments to stare at the paper.
"What's the problem? Isn't ten million big enough for you? For a six months contract, the offer isn't that bad, is it?"
"That's not it,"
"Then what is it?"
"Can I at least brush my teeth?"
"What for? I am not going to kiss you at this wedding anyway. Don't bother yourself,"
Elaine shut her mouth. Awkwardness grew thicker as the judge shifted glances at them. Did he do this kind of set-up on purpose? To humiliate her?
He for sure knew that he would look like a mess guessing from the encounter last night. Nor was she able to get dressed or gargle. But is there anything she can do about it?
Elaine carefully cleared the mess on the table and placed the folder there so that she could give her sign. Biting her lips, she signed the prenuptial agreement with a heavy feeling.
As Judge Costanilla told earlier, there will be no wedding ceremony that's going to be done. Right after the signing of the marriage contract, Tan stood from his seat. So did she.
Attorney Ramas cleared his throat. "I need a photo. For documentation."
"One is enough right?" Tan asked the lawyer.
"Of course," he readied his camera and gestured to them to move closer to each other. "Three, two..."
Elaine wanted to protest but Tan quickly grabbed her waist. Their skin touched. She held her breath for seconds. It was as though her world stopped spinning around all of a sudden. Tan's familiar natural scent assaulted her senses. Just like that, she forgot to worry about her appearance in an instant.
"...one and smile!"
Elaine wanted to look happy in the photo so she broadened her smile. Then they heard the low flickering of the camera. After that, Tan immediately let go of her. As if he got himself burned whenever he would touch her.
Meanwhile, Judge Costanilla confiscated the papers on the table and slid them back in the suitcase before she stood from the sofa. She turned towards Tan and for a closing handshake.
"I wish you the happiness you both deserve. Congratulations," she greeted with a smile and offered her hand to Elaine this time, which she accepted for a formal adjourn.
She heard Tan addressing his thank you to her before ushering them towards the door. Elaine's expression was still blank. She was still trying to process everything that just happened. They're married again. And it happened like a bat out of hell.
A bitter smile curled on Elaine's lips. Like a branch fell on a tree, she let herself drown as the river flowed. But how could she fight the stream? She loves it more than her life.
Elaine fixed her hair once she heard the click on the door, indicating that they had already left.
Her eyes darted to the full-body-sized mirror in the living room. She caught her reflection in the mirror. She's a complete mess. Her hair was disheveled. Her clothes were wrinkled. She was too drunk and she wasn't able to get herself dressed. She crawled on the bed last night wearing the same clothes she wore in the bar. She just wanted the earth to swallow her up.
Tan headed back in the living room with his hand in his pocket. Elaine cleared her throat. For the second time, they got married but for her why does it feel so awkward?
"When should I move in? Was our room back in the mansion still in good condition?" she managed to ask him.
Tan's mouth twisted in a wry smile.
"Mansion?" he mimicked her. "A tainted wife doesn't deserve a good home."
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
Pesky and over-talkative. Those are two words that best describe Marco. He was talking nonstop in the backseat and Elaine couldn't help but listen in silence. He said he was staying temporarily with his uncle since the station he was currently assigned to happened to be near there. He also added that it was just two blocks away from Elaine's new house. He went for a jog that morning when he saw her coming out of the house to look for the nearest convenience store.Elaine pulled to a stop right in front of the gate of her house. She then turned to face Marco, gesturing to him to get out of the car."Are you not taking me home?"Elaine rolled her eyes. "I am absolutely not a taxi driver to drop you off at your front door. Get out of my car."Marco pouted his lips but followed as told so. Elaine locked her car before rushing towards the trunk to get the grocery bags. However, Marco already had them in h
BEFORE they could slap Elaine on the wrist, she managed to storm out of the restaurant, not even glancing back at them. The two of her superiors were left to watch with a flushed face. Kyla was almost ready to throw insults at her but Elaine continued walking out unconcerned.By the time she reached outside, a familiar face of a man startled her a bit. He seemed to wait for her there for who knows how long."Why are you still here?" she asked, walking past him."Waiting for you," he replied, catching up on her steps. He then cleared his throat. "You got chewed out?"The corner of her lips curled up. She just lost her job. But she had no regrets whatsoever.
ELAINE stared at the pet bottle placed on the bedside table. She then took a glance at the alarm clock that stood right next to it. The clock read ten in the evening. Tan had not returned yet. From time to time, she would peek at the gate, waiting for him to finally get back home soon. Well, she would know once he arrived anyway. She could just stay still and wait until she heard his revving car coming in. But she didn't have any idea why she was feeling so antsy.That felt like a deja vu. This used to happen to her while she kept waiting for Tan to come back from work. Even though she had already received his text message informing her he'd be late, she still waited for him to arrive. She stayed awake all night waiting for him just for nothing.Perhaps, she was used to being in his arms wrapped around her body until she could fall asleep. Now, she had a hard time sleeping without him. She'd fall asleep right a
Elaine stood staring absently at the cooking pan sitting on the burner. Like a fool that had come to her senses, she realized she was actually about to fry an egg. Yet, there she was frying the chopped onions. She put them back on a plate and proceeded to crack an egg on the pan. She needed to hurry before noon.She looked over her shoulder to stare at her husband's bedroom. Setting the fire in low heat, she walked in that particular direction. Elaine tried to clutch the doorknob but to her dismay, it was locked. She went back to the kitchen with her crushed hope. She was thinking about when she will ever get the chance to eat with him at the same table. A sad exhale escaped from her mouth. Definitely. But it will take time.Once the sunny-side-up was done, she put it on a separate plate and placed it down the table. Elaine sat on the chair. However, her appetite to eat was ruined. She was staring at it for a little while before finally forc
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