10: Lies In Her Eyes Pt.1"Take your medicine before you sleep, Symphony," Manang Anding said while clearing our dining table."H-Huh?"She paused and approached me. I flinched slightly as she placed her palm on my forehead. "You don't have a fever, but why do you look pale?" she asked, puzzled."Just tired, Manang."But I guess she didn't buy my excuse when she continued to stare into my eyes, as if she wanted to read the things that were troubling me."Do you have a problem, Symp?"I looked down. Manang Anding has been with me since I was a child. She practically raised me, so I know she can tell when something is wrong or not. She knows me better than I know myself, so there's no way I could lie to her."I had an argument with Wesley last night," I admitted."Is that why your husband didn't come home?""Maybe... I don't know." I looked up again when she held my hand. She squeezed it gently and smiled—a warm smile that made me feel relieved."In marriage, it's normal to have misunde
10: Lies In Her Eyes Pt.2Years ago, people kept telling me that I was so lucky to have all the privileges in life. They said they envied me because I was raised and provided for with a silver spoon, and I could simply have everything I wanted with just a snap of my fingers.Before, I thought that living a luxurious life was a blessing that only a few people could have. But as I grew older, I realized that having all of this was far from being lucky; it was more of a curse. A curse that kept me from reaching my dreams and hindered me from pursuing the things my heart truly desired.They say money can make people happy, but for me, money was the reason why I was living in hell. Money is indeed a terrible master. It turns people into devils who lust after never-ending wealth and power. Money can blind people. I know because I witnessed how money turned my father into its cruel servant.As I watched Red walking away from me, I couldn't help but blame my father for why we ended up like th
CHAPTER 11.111: Empty Accusations Pt.1"You shameless woman, you even dared to go on a date despite knowing that your child is waiting for you at home?" Wesley uttered through his gritted teeth.My heart was racing. His grip on my arm was starting to tighten."W-Wesley, that's not what you're thinking..." I reasoned out with my shaky voice.He ignored me, his sharp gaze fixed on Red. "Reagan, you know that this woman is married, don't you?"When I looked at Red, he had a serious expression on his face. His eyes traveled down to my arm where Wesley’s hand was. I saw his clenched jaw as he looked back at Wesley, using his death glares."And just because you're her husband, you already have the right to hurt her?" Red responded with a taunting tone.I felt Wesley's grip on my arm tighten even more. I winced. If he didn't stop, he might break my bones into pieces!"W-Wesley, your hand..."But once again, he ignored me. Cocking his head to the side, he continued to stare at his cousin."Y
11: Empty Accusations Pt.2When I was still young, marriage was so magical to me. I thought that two people got married because they loved each other. Being married to the person you truly love will surely feel like heaven, I thought. But as I grew up and became aware of the realities of life, I realized that love is not the only reason for a union.There's this thing called arranged marriage that probably everyone hates. And because I was one of the luckiest humans in the universe, I was fated to have such a setup. A fate that was meant to make me suffer.A moment of silence enveloped us. Wesley continued staring at me as his lips slowly formed into a devilish grin."Annulment, huh? Do you think an annulment is enough to end all of this? You're wrong, Symphony! Because if that happens, you'll be the only one benefiting from it!" I took a deep breath as he once again approached me."Congressman Del Martin is the reason why our company is failing. He fucking did it on purpose! He trapp
12: Little Sacrifices Pt.1"Mommy, can I come in?"I heard Melody knock on my bedroom door as I stood in front of the mirror. I examined my cheeks carefully before answering, "Yes, baby. Come in!"Not even a second later, Melody entered the room, holding a teddy bear in her arms. I noticed her gaze scanning my entire appearance, and her forehead slightly furrowed as she asked, "Mommy, are you leaving? Are you going to work? Are you not sick anymore?"I smiled sweetly at her. "Yes, mommy's going to work, Melody," I simply replied.I shifted my gaze back to my reflection in the mirror and continued what I was doing. I had been facing the mirror for a while, fixing the concealer on my face. I desperately wanted to hide my bruises using make up products. However, because the bruises were on both sides of my face, it took me longer to fix them."Why are you putting on so much makeup, Mommy?" she curiously asked.I paused in applying the foundation and faced her. I slightly furrowed my brow
12: Little Sacrifices Pt.2"I don't want my life to always be in turmoil, Red. I want to be at peace. You understand what I mean, right?" I avoided his gaze, afraid that he might see all the things I've been hiding. My heart is breaking. Red will always be someone who can calm me down. His mere presence can make me feel at ease. I want to be with him. But if him being close to me means losing my daughter, I am willing to make small sacrifices to keep Melody with me. I can't afford to lose her. It would destroy me, for sure."Am I the one causing chaos in your life, Symphony? Isn't it Wesley who hurts you? I'm here to save you from your demon of a husband. Do you think what I'm doing is just causing trouble?" He sounded offended and frustrated, but I kept going."But I never asked you to save me! I'm fine! Everything's well, Red! Just... just please, stay away from... me..."I tried so hard not to shed tears in front of him. I didn't want to give him another reason to think I needed hi
13: Story’s Other Side Pt.1"Oh my gosh, girls! You won't believe what I'm gonna tell you!" Jovy shrieked. She seemed overly excited about whatever she was going to tell us."If it's about your boys, just forget it. We're not interested," Soffi responded coldly. She even rolled her eyes."You really know how to ruin my mood, Soffi, don't you? You're too bitter. Obviously still not over your ex!" Jovy retorted, and they started arguing again.I was just silently watching them. It's amusing to think that they never really changed. Even though we rarely meet, they still couldn't avoid bickering. Well, maybe they would never change, even when we get older. And I’m with that. I still love them, though."How about you, Symp? How's life? We haven't visited you lately. You know, we're all busy with our careers. Luckily, our free schedules coincided. I missed you!" Jovy moved to my side and hugged me. I smiled. I missed them too. After everything that happened to me in the past few days, I rea
13: Story’s Other Side Pt.2I questioningly looked at him.What's with my father? What does he know?Those were the questions that I wanted to ask him, but there's something about the atmosphere that's keeping me frozen in my position.His mocking grin grew wider. "Come to think of it, Floresca. If you pull me down, your friend will get involved. Is that what you want?" Soffi remained silent, allowing Wesley's smirk to linger."Stop it, Wesley. We're leaving," I said, taking hold of Soffi's hand. When I looked at her, her face was almost contorted as she stared sharply at Wesley."If that woman keeps on provoking me, I can do anything I want right here and right now. Have you forgotten that you're in my territory? And aren't you and your self-righteous friend the ones who came storming in here?" he threatened. I gently pulled Soffi behind me. No, Wesley. You can't touch any of my loved ones. I won't let you harm them.But Soffi became more aggressive and yelled, "You fucking asshole!
16: When Love Returns Pt.2Although I had made sure to keep myself busy throughout the week, I still couldn't resist giving in to what Melody wanted to happen.Right now, we're heading to an out-of-town beach resort. It's about a two-hour drive, so Melody is currently sleeping soundly on my lap, while Wesley is the one driving.We were just silent. No one was talking. The atmosphere felt tense and awkward. I tried to occupy myself by watching the beautiful view outside. We passed by plains filled with rice fields, corn, and various crops. The scenery was refreshing to the eyes, but Wesley's presence spoiled it. I couldn't fully appreciate the beautiful sights because of him.I heard him clear his throat. From the corner of my eye, I saw him glance at me through the rearview mirror. I ignored him and kept my gaze fixed outside. He didn't speak either, so I let it be. It was a good thing. His silence throughout the trip allowed me to breathe properly.After a few more minutes, Melody wo
16: When Love Returns Pt.1SYMPHONYThe faint smell of alcohol and medicine lingered in my nostrils as I slowly opened my eyes. I groaned as I felt the pain all over my body when I attempted to move a bit. When I finally saw the entirety of the room, that's when I realized I was in the hospital. My eyes still felt heavy, as did my entire body."Damn!" I hissed when I couldn't even move without feeling the pain in my back. It was torturous."Finally, you're awake." I flinched upon hearing that voice. I followed its source with my gaze. And there, I saw the devil sitting like a boss on the small couch in the corner.I remained silent. As much as I wanted to speak, my throat felt so dry that I couldn't find my voice.He straightened himself and crossed his arms. "I have to go. I'll just tell the nurse that you're awake."I watched him walk out the door. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I hoped he wouldn't come back.After a while, the nurse entered my room. She checked my vitals and asked ho
15: Love is Not Dead Pt.3"May I know your name, hijo?" Governor Del Martin asked before I could fully sit down."Reagan Dwight Guzman, Governor," I replied. I was on my way home from school when one of his bodyguards picked me up and informed me that Symphony's father wanted to talk to me, so I accepted the invitation."I was told that you're in a relationship with my daughter. Is that true?"I took a deep breath before respectfully answering, "Yes, Sir. We are in a relationship."He took off his glasses and leaned back. He rested on his chair and looked at me again. I maintained a straight posture on the sofa. I didn't know if I was nervous because I was facing the governor of our province or because it was the first time I was talking to my girlfriend's father."How long have you been together?""It's more than a year, Sir."He nodded and clasped his hands, resting his elbows on the armrest of his chair. "You know what responsibilities my daughter has, don't you?"I remained silent
15: Love is Not Dead Pt.2RED"Why don't you focus more on your studies, Reagan? Why do you prioritize playing music over studying diligently?" My mother lectured me while I kept my head down. I wanted to explain to her that music was an integral part of my life. That it wouldn't leave my system, but I didn't want her to get even angrier with me. I didn't want her to be mad at me."Didn't I tell you that you need to study hard? You need to finish your education. You need to become a professional engineer so that your father's new family won't look down on us anymore. Reagan, do you understand me, son?"I clenched my hands when I heard her mention my father. I knew that she wanted me to finish my studies and become a professional just to prove to my father that she could provide for me good education even though he left us for his new family.It hadn't been easy for my mother to support my education up to college. Ever since my father left, my mother had worked tirelessly just to provi
15: Love Is Not Dead Pt.1I was just staring at them with wide eyes. For the second time, I witnessed how Wesley and Red nearly killing each other. But this time, it was different. It was as if they really wanted to kill each other. No one was talking. They were just aiming to hit each other's faces with powerful punches.In fear that they might end up dying right in front of me, I quickly approached them and forcefully pulled Wesley away from Red, whose face was now covered in blood."Wesley! Wesley, stop! Leave Red alone!" I screamed in horror as his fist once again landed on Red's face. "Wesley, what are you doing?!" I turned to Wesley's companionsmen, who were just watching them like it was a show. What the fuck are they doing? "What?! Are you really going to let them kill each other here?" I shouted at them. They all turned to the biggest guy among them. I saw him nod at them, which prompted the others to move and stop the two from fighting.Even after they were separated, both o
14: Caged Pt.3I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by complete darkness. I immediately panicked. I sat up abruptly and strained to see my surroundings. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized that I was in my own room.I stood up and headed towards the light switch. As the room brightened, I quickly scanned my surroundings. The wall clock indicated that it was ten minutes to 4 am. I sighed. What happened to me?I tried to recall what had happened earlier, but I couldn't remember. I winced as I felt the pain at the back of my head. Oh, right. I got this when my head hit the wall after Wesley pushed me onto the sofa.The sudden thought of Wesley made me remember exactly what had happened last night. I quickly left the room and looked downstairs. I groaned when I saw numerous men guarding the house. They were stationed in almost every corner. He's really serious about keeping me here, huh?I glanced at Wesley's room. I walked slowly towards it, examining if he was there. When I turne
14: Caged Pt.2People envy me simply because I am a Del Martin. They say that the name given to me fits me so well, as they all believe that I am living a harmonious life. Just because I am the daughter of Gregorio Del Martin, they think I am enjoying a life free from all the difficulties in the world. But little did they know that my name was the complete opposite of the life that I have.Symphony Del Martin...Carrying that name, made me live a life that is full of agony, discomfort, and misfortune. My life is a shattered melody... It is extremely chaotic.I stared at him and tried to match the intensity of his gaze. I'm tired of always losing. I'm tired of being pitiful. I let him hurt me before because I didn't want to shatter Melody's belief that we were a happy family. I didn't want to hurt my child. But now that she's gone, taken away from me by her demonic father, I need to defend myself.With all my strength, I gave him a hard slap. I made sure to exert enough force that it c
14: Caged Pt.1SYMPHONYIt felt like I suddenly went deaf because of what he said. My brain tried to process what I heard, and I found myself struggling to catch my breath. "W-What?" Amidst the chaos in my mind, those were the only words that came out of my mouth."I know you heard it clearly, Symphony," he hissed.I suddenly became alarmed as I fully realized the meaning behind his words."N-No... Melody will stay with me, Wesley! You have no right to make decisions for my daughter!" I started to get hysterical. The thought of my daughter living away from me was driving me to the brink of insanity. "It's not possible, Wesley! I am Melody's mother. I have more rights to my child! I am the one who gave birth to her and raised her! What gives you the right to make arbitrary decisions?!"I slapped his shoulder multiple times. I tried pushing him away from me. I needed to get out of here. I needed to go and get Melody from Wesley's mother. There's no way I would let them take away my daug
13: Story’s Other Side Pt.3WESLEY4 YEARS AGO..."For fuck's sake, Wesley! We're about to get married, right? Everything is ready, isn't it? But why is it like this? W-Why?"My whole system feels numb, not because of the hard slaps and punches she threw at me, but because of the thought that I had hurt her. That I am the fucking reason for her tears... and that I am breaking her. Charitee's continuous sobs, lingering in my ears, are the most painful sounds I have ever heard in my entire life."Charitee... b-babe..." I tried reaching for her hands, but she took a step backward. It was as if I was some kind of disgusting thing she wanted to avoid. It's fucking painful! "Babe, I'm sorry. That was just a mistake. It wasn't my intention. Cheating with another woman is the last thing I would do to you--""But you did it! You got her pregnant, didn't you? Tell me, Wesley, why? Why did you do that? B-Because she's more beautiful? Because she's from a wealthy family? While I grew up in an orp