(Reese's POV)
SILENCE. Minutes of silence passed that made me sighed. Hindi niya sinagot ang tanong ko. Ni hindi nga siya tumigil man lang sa pagtipa.
"Coz..." I trailed of but same result. He remained silent. "I thought you'll going to answer---"
"I saved you." He stopped typing and looked at me. Napalunok ako dahil sa klase ng tingin niya sa'kin. Parang hinahalukay niya pati ang kaluluwa ko.
"Y-You...?" I averted my gaze to my lap and gulped to clear my throat. "From what?" I closed my eyes for a moment before looking at him again. He's looking at me intently. Dumagundong ang tibok ng puso ko kaya kahit nanlalambot ang mga tuhod ko, pinilit kong bumaba sa kama niya at tumayo na lang sa gilid.
He said he saved me. From what? Or from whom? Kanino o saan niya ako iniligtas?
Baka nga kaya siya tinawag na 'monster in business world' dahil sa ugali
(Reese's POV)"WHERE'S Daddy? Nasa loob ba siya?" agad na tanong ko sa Secretary nito nang makarating ako sa harapan ng lamesa niya. Gulat pa itong napatingin sa'kin at agad na tumayo.Tumingin ito sa gawi ng opisina ni Daddy bago ito muling tumingin sa'kin. Ang gulat na ekspresyon niya kanina ay napalitan ng pangamba. May nakakatakot ba? Takot ba ito sa'kin?"Nasa loob ba siya?" tanong ko ulit ng hindi pa rin ito sumasagot sa na-unang tanong ko. I can also see her hands trembling.She remained silent and just looking at me with fear visible in her eyes. I got it. Daddy's not in good mood that's why she's like this."I'll talk to him." And before she can even react, I already walked towards Daddy's office."M-Miss!" she exclaimed then I felt her walked closer to me in long strides just to held my arm and stopped me before I can even hold the doo
(Reese's POV)I froze. I was dumbfounded. My jaw slacked as I stared at him. Shock was an understatement to describe my reaction upon hearing what he said. Tuloy-tuloy lang sa pag-agos ang mga luha ko pero hindi man lang ako nag-abalang punasan ang mga ito. I just kept on staring at my father.The man I looked up to since I was a little girl just told me that I'm not his child. After 21 long years, ngayon niya sasabihin na hindi niya ako anak. Ano'ng aasahan niyang reaksyon ko? Matutuwa ako? Sino'ng anak ang matutuwa kapag sinabi ng nakagisnan niyang ama na hindi siya nito anak?My mind declined to processed what he said. Kahig ako, hindi ko kayang tanggapin ang rason niya. Pinambayad niya ako sa utang dahil hindi niya ako anak. Kaya ba niya ginawa 'yon dahil naniningil na siya sa mga nagastos niya para sa'kin?But no! Hindi totoo ang sinabi niya. I'm his daughter. Tatay ko siya. Magkadugo kaming dalawa. Ramdam ko. Ramdam na ramdam ko. He's lying.
(Reese's POV)Sobrang lakas ng kabog ng dibdib ko habang hinihintay ko na magsimulang magsalita ang kaharap ko. I kept on wiping my hands on my pants because of too much anticipation."Where do you want me to start?"I stared at him for a moment, deeply thinking what would be my answer. I took a deep breath before I speak. "If I'm not your real daughter, then sino ang mga magulang ko?"Gusto kong malaman kung sino sila o kung buhay pa sila. Gusto kong malaman kung bakit nila ako ipinaampon. May mga kapatid ba ako sa kanila? Or did they even planned to visit or just meet me? Na-aalala pa ba kaya nila ako? O baka naman nakalimutan na nilang may anak silang ipina-ampon?Ang dami kong tanong. Gusto kong malaman kung sino ba talaga ang mga magulang ko para ma-itanong sa kanila ang mga 'yan dahil alam kong hindi ito kayang sagutin ng mga itinuturing ko ngayon na mga magulang.He cleared his throat before he started answering
(Reese's POV)Madilim na ang paligid. Mula sa garahe, maliliit ang mga hakbang ko papasok ng bahay ni Coz. May parte sa akin na ayaw magpatuloy pero kailangan ko ng umuwi bago pa niya ma-isipang ipahanap ako. I don't want him to disturbed other people.After the talk with my father, I decided to breath first before going home. Hindi na ako nagtanong pang muli sa kanya after I learned from him that I'm not really married to Coz. I sat there quietly, processing the informations and just staring blankly outside the glass window. I sat there trying to figured out something within me.From his office, I went to the park near our subdivision. I planned to visit the orphanage but I postponed it because I want to clear my mind. Going to the orphanage after the talk with my father will just make me think more.Nanatili ako sa park ng ilang oras hanggang sa unti-unti ng dumidilim ang paligid. Pinanood ko ang mga batang masayang naglalaro habang si
(Reese's POV)I froze. Hindi ako nakagalaw para lumayo sa kanya. Nanlalaki ang mga matang nanigas ako sa kina-uupuan ko at hinayaang lumapat ang mga labi niya sa labi ko.The kissed lasted for about a minute. He slowly gave distance between our lips but before I can even blink, he dipped his head towards me and claimed my lips again. Pero sa pagkakataong 'yon, hindi na lang basta paglapat ang nangyari. Coz was moving his lips and even gently biting my lips.I wanted to moved away from him but his holding my neck to firm me. His other hand was holding my arm to prevent me from moving away.Gusto kong lumayo sa kanya pero hindi ko magawa. This isn't my first kiss. He stole that already. And now, he's kissing me again...in his room, above his bed.He again bit my lower lip, not hard enough to hurt me but enough for me to parted my lips. And that gave him the opportunity to enter his tongue in my mouth and explore the insides.
(Reese's POV)AWKWARD. Pagsapit ng umaga, gan'yan kaagad ang bumalot sa buong kusina ng pumasok si Coz at nadatnan akong kumakain ng almusal. Napatigil pa ako sa akmang pagsubo pero hindi ako nag-angat ng tingin sa kanya. Nanatili lang akong nakatingin sa plato ko. And when he walked towards the chair adjacent to mine, I held my breath for a second but went back to my reverie immediately. I don't want him to know that I'm feeling different towards him.Halos tunog lang ng aming mga kubyertos ang siyang naririnig dahil walang umiimik sa'min. Walang gustong magsalita dahil ano nga ba naman ang sasabihin namin?I don't want to think about what happened last night anymore. But seeing him this early made me remembered it clearly. Ang linaw ng imahe ng mga pangyayari kagabi. Para na nga akong nanonood ng sine.That kiss was... I don't know. I don't know what to say about it. It shouldn't happened in the first place. Funny how I repeated countlessly
(Reese's POV)I asked but he didn't responded. I waited for him to talked but he didn't, even after a few minutes. I let out a sigh of defeat. Here we go again. He'll tell me to ask him but he'll just remain silent when I asked him. This is the main reason why I was having a second thought of coming here and talk to him. Mananahimik siya o kaya naman ay iibahin niya ang usapan. He's good in doing that and it's so annoying like hell.I was about to get up from the chair and ready to leave the library when he suddenly broke the silence."I saved you."One of my brows raised high before I rolled my eyes. There goes the 'I saved you' excuse again. Why do they kept on using that to me everytime I asked them that question? Mahirap bang sabihin ang sagot? O baka naman sadyang ayaw lang talaga nilang sabihin ang mga bagay na gusto kong malaman?I wanted to know the truth. Deserve ko naman sigurong malaman dahil ako ang labis na na-aapektuhan, 'di
(Reese's POV)HIS jaw dropped and his eyes widened upon hearing me said those words. And that's the moment I truly realized what I just said. I instantly averted my gaze because of embarrassment and then mentally scolded myself.What the actual hell, Reese? Really? Those kind of words?"Y-You..."I looked at him, wearing my poker face to hide the embarrassment. "Forget about what I said," agad na sabi ko. "I was just... Just forget about it."Why did I even said those things after all? At kay Coz oa talaga? Okay lang sana kung sa mga kaibigan ko dahil sanay na sila sa bardagulang usapan, but with Coz? Ang bobo ko talaga.He stared at me for a moment. "I didn't expected you to say those kind of words." I glared at him. Sinabi na ngang kalimutan na niya ang kung ano mang sinabi pero nagkomento pa talaga.I kept silent. He waited for me to respond but I din't. He looked mad at me for doing that but I didn't cared at all. Th
(Coz's POV)PINANOOD kong unti-unting nawawala sa paningin ko ang kabaong ng kapatid ko. Just the thought of not going to see her again smiling made me clenched my fist. Bakit siya pa? What did she do wrong for her to suffer these things? She don't deserved to be in this position. Whoever the reason behind this will pay...big time.Dumiretso kaagad ako sa opisina pagkaalis ko sa sementeryo. I have lots to do and I want to know who did that to my sister. I'll make that person's life a living hell. Hindi siya makakatakas sa ginawa niya.After some minutes, my Secretary entered together with someone I really know. Kaagad itong may inilapag na envelope sa lamesa ko. Sinenyasan ko ang Secretary ko na iwanan muna kami na kaagad namang sumunod."Nand'yan na po lahat ng gusto niyong malaman sa pinapaimbestigahan niyo, Sir," aniya.With gritted teeth, I opened the envelope and pulled out the documents. My eyes squinted at the words I'm reading. He's right. Narito na lahat ng kailangan kong m
(Reese's POV)WE'RE ENGAGED. It was an epic engagement but it's worth it. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala sa pinili kong desisyon. Sumugal ulit ako kahit walang kasiguraduhan na hindi na ako matatalo. Pero gano'n naman talaga kapag sumugal ka, hindi mo alam ang magiging resulta. Sana lang ay mapunta sa akin ang swerte at hindi ako matalo bandang huli.We're not perfect. Be both have our own red flag. But we're both working on that. He never ffailed to tell me how much he loves me every single day. At sa bawat hindi ko pagsagot, kita ko ang sakit sa mga mata niya pero agad din namang nawawala at napapalitan ng pagmamahal. Hindi ko intensyon na iparamdam sa kanya ang gano'n at hindi rin ako naghihiganti sa ginawa niya.I was back to my reverie when someone snapped in front of my face."Kanina ka pa tulala habang nakatingin sa singsing mo, marecakes," nakangising saad ni Audrina. "Nang-iinggit lang ang peg?"I chuckled as I caressed it. "Hindi pa tuluyang nagsi-sinc in
(Reese's POV)THE night of the surprise came. He told me to wear something comfortable. Kahit hindi naman niya sabihin, talagang 'yon ang gagawin ko. I'm into jeans, not dresses. Shoes and not heels. Ni hindi na nga rin ako naglagay ng make-up at basta na lang sinuklay ang buhok ko.When I went out of the room and walked down the stairs, his attention went to me. May kausap ito sa cellphone pero ang atensyon niya ay na sa'kin. That made me smile. I believe him.I talked to his mother last night. She explained what happened after I left. She made me realized lots of things. And I was shock that their love story was almost similar to ours. Tito also fooled her—her words, not mine. Hindi raw niya ako pipiliting paniwalaan lahat ng sinasabi ni Coz. Ang tanging gusto lang daw niya ay subuan kong intindihin ang mga rason niya. After this night, kung hindi ko pa rin daw kayang tanggapin muli si Coz, desisyon ko na raw 'yon at wala na siyang magagawa.Ilang oras akong nag-isp kung ano ang da
(Reese's POV)PIGIL NA PIGIL ko ang sarili kong matawa sa itsura ni Coz. He looks confused but he still managed to nod his head. That made me smile. Tumayo ako ng maayos bago kinuha ang cellphone sa bulsa ko at may tinawagan."Where the fuck are you?!" kaagad na bungad nito pagkasagot sa tawag ko. "Matinong sagot ang kailangan ko, Rose Destiny. Bigla-bigla ka na lang aalis ng walang pasabi kung saan ka pupunta. Letse ka talaga!""Relax, Olivia!" I said with a smile on my face as I stare at Coz who's still confused as to this moment. "I'm with him." There's no need to tell who I'm talking about. Alam niya kung sino ang tinutukoy ko. "I'll stay here for awhile. Don't worry about me.""Loudspeaker this phone right now!" she demanded like she's the boss of me. "Right now, Reese!""Chill. I'll do it," I said then did what she wants and put the phone above Coz's table. "She wants to talk to you." I mouthed to Coz and he just nodded."I know we're not that close, Taylor, but I want you to
(Reese's POV)WHAT he said caught me off guard. My eyes almost popped out as I stare at him looking at me softly. I can't believe that I'm seeing fondness in his usual cold eyes. Is this for real?Mapakla akong natawa. Mahina sa umpisa hanggang sa unti-unting medyo naging malakas. Hinila ko ang kamay kong hawak niya at tumayo. "Y-You..." Napa-iling ako habang natatawa pa rin. "T-That's a good joke," sabi ko.He pressed his lips as he stared at me. "I'm serious."Pinahupa ko muna ang pagtawa ko bago siya sinagot. "It didn't look as a joke to me." Seryoso siya? Mahal niya ako? Hindi ko alam kung nagpapatawa ba siya o nanggagago na naman para utuhin ako.I know it's not right to judge a person pero iba kasi pagdating sa kanya. I should be happy right now hearing him say those 3 words and 8 letters to me pero hindi. Sino ba naman ang hindi matutuwa kapag narinig mo mismo sa taong mahal mo na mahal ka rin niya? That your love for that person isn't unrequited after all?Every woman deserve
(Reese's POV)GULAT ako sa nakikita ko at hindi ko napigilang umawang ang mga labi ko. Pero pagkaraan ng ilang segundo, nakabawi ako at naging blangko ang ekspresyon ng mukha ko."What are you doing here, Mr. Taylor?" I asked in a business tone like he always do every time he's talking to someone. "What's the visit for?"And the brute just smirked at me. I gritted my teeth and stopped myself from smacking his face. Wala akong pakialam kung gwapo pa rin ito kahit na basa na siya ng ulan. Alam na ngang malakas ang ulan, naglakas-loob pang lusungin ito. Akala mo naman ay waterproof ang hudyo."I'm here to pick up my wife," he simply said like he's just asking for a water."Maling lugar ang pinuntahan mo kung asawa mo ang hinahanap mo," walang emosyon na sagot ko. "Wala dito ang hinahanap mo, Mr. Taylor," dagdag ko pa. Bakit ba kasi ito nandito?"Wala?" Mapakla siyang natawa. "Why don't you let me in—""Gago ka ba?!" hindi ko napigilang isinghal sa kanya. "Let you in? Bakit, aber? Sino
(Reese's POV)MY MIND tried to processed what she said but it's declining everything. Naguguluhan ako dahil bakit ako ang dahilan? Ano ang kinalaman ko sa kanya? Ilang buwan na kaming walang communication kaya bakit ako damay?"H-Hospitalized?... L-Last week?... B-Because of m-me?" putol-putol na paninigurado. I can't formulate the exact words that I want to say because my mind was in chaos. "Narinig mo naman ang sinabi ko, 'di ba?" medyo iritang sagot niya pero binalewala ko na lang."W-What happened? Is he okay? Na-discharge na ba siya?" Sunod-sunod na tanong ko. Wala na dapat akong pakialam sa kanya, kung ano ang kalagayan niya, pero hindi ko maiwasan. Dapat kinakalimutan ko na siya pero hindi ko magawa.What happened? Ano na naman ang dahilan kung bakit siya naospital? Ano ang kinalaman ko? Okay lang ba siya?"Bakit ka nagtatanong ng gan'yan? Dapat kinakalimutan mo na siya, 'di ba? Bakit may pakialam ka pa sa kanya?""May pinagsamahan naman kami—""Pero niloko ka niya!" inis na p
(Reese's POV)"KANINO galing?" I asked Audrina after she handed me a box of doughnuts from Autumn's."Sa'kin malamang. Ako nagbigay, 'di ba?" She rolled her eyes."Kung isampal ko kaya sa'yo 'to?" I countered and acted like I was about to slapped the box to her. "Ano?" hamon ko pa.Instead of answering, she turned her back at me and even flipped her hair."Pikon ka talaga kahit kailan, Aurora." pang-aasar ko pa gamit ang nickname na ibinigay ko sa kanya."Tangina mo! Audrina ang pangalan ko, hindi Aurora, gago!" sigaw niya mula sa kusina na ikinatawa ko.Sa mga nakalipas na panahon, mas naging close pa kami. Minsan nga ay nagseselos na si Olive dahil mas madalas kong kasama si Audrina. Sabi nga ni Desiree, malapit na raw kaming magkamukha dahil halos kung nasaan ang isa, nando'n din ang isa."Tumanda ka sanang dalaga." aniya ng bumalik ito sa sala habang may hawak na tasa na sigurado akong kape na naman ang laman."Kape now, palpitate later." sabi ko nang maka-upo ito sa kaharap kong
(Reese's POV)AFTER knowing the news, hindi ko alam kung paano ko kinayang makauwi ng ligtas. I was shaking and nervous. Umiiyak ako dahil sa labis na pag-aalala.The news said it was not his fault but he was injured. At hindi nakatulong na hindi man lang binanggit kung ano ang tinamo niya. Nabalian ba siya? Nauntog ba? Wala. Walang nabanggit.The last thing I remembered before I fell asleep was that I cried so hard upon reaching my bed. Gusto ko siyang puntahan. Gusto kong malaman ang kalagayan niya. Pero wala akong ibang magawa kung hindi umiyak na LANG. Umaasa akong maayos ang kalagayan niya. That he's not severely injured or something.When I woke up, I found Desiree peacefully sleeping beside me and holding my left hand. Dahan-dahan akong umalis sa kama para hindi siya magising. When I checked the time, it was already 9 in the morning.I went to the kitchen as I scrolled through my social media accounts, trying to find some news about him. Medyo nakahinga ako ng maluwag nang may