"So, you're saying your mother is a Filipina as well?" he asked after we exchanged some basic information about ourselves. "Yes, she is," I replied. “Wow, really! We do have things in common. I love coffee too, and now we have the same enemy that comes from the name of—” he paused. I didn't think he could talk sensibly at all. He looked rude when I saw him in Felicity’s office that same day, and he seemed like he would kick anyone who tried blocking his way. He sighed, and after leaning his back into the chair, he stared right into my face with awe in his eyes. "You know what, I still can't believe I'm going to meet you here in the Philippines, Elyana." He had said this several times already that night. "Well, me too. With this big world, who would have thought the one who often competes with my ex-husband would be the one I will date tonight?" I paused and slightly grinned before I continued, “Another thing I didn't expect is that you're a sane person even though you gave Felici
Checking my phone was the first thing I did the next day. I was hoping Felicity had already replied to the message I sent him the other night, but I frowned just to discover I hadn’t received a message from anybody that morning. It made me wonder where Felicity had gone, hoping nothing bad had happened to him. I tried to relax my mind by thinking he was just busy, but my brain refused to cooperate. In the end, I chose to call his number again, but I almost threw my phone away when a voicemail informed me that his number was still out of service and that he could not take my call. “Ugh! Where the heck are you, Felicity?” I asked while staring at cell phone in my hand as if that would answer the question. I did remember him telling me he needed to go somewhere when he begged me to date Quintin, but what if something else occurred and that’s why I couldn’t call his number? That negative thought pushed me to find other ways to get to know his whereabouts. I searched for a telephone
Felicity had been gone for three days, and I still hadn't heard from her. I kept trying to call his phone number since the day he vanished, but his number wasn't ringing. When I went to their house, Aunt Eugene didn't seem concerned about his son's disappearance. Their actions appeared normal—as if nothing unusual had occurred—which made me suspicious. I apologized to Lea for what I had said during my previous visit. I gave them the same explanation I gave Felix, and they assured me that they understood my situation and why I acted the way I did. I was glad they didn't hate me for criticizing the girl Felix adored. During those three days, I attempted to rebuild my shattered social life, which I had lost when I got married. I went to a private club to socialize and have a good time. I also decided to get a driver's license and join a well-known gym in Metro Manila for a one-year membership. One step closer to my goal of independence and healing. I also started looking for condo un
The flight from Manila to Caticlan Airport took just over an hour, and from the airport I boarded a van provided by the hotel where I had booked a VIP room, and the driver dropped me off at a port where I boarded a private boat that would take me to Boracay, an island at Malay, Aklan, Philippines, known for its white sand and beautiful beaches. It was a short journey, and the hotel accommodations were excellent from the moment I arrived at the hotel. I tried calling Felix's number to inform him that I was in Boracay, but he was unable to be reached. The Golden Dragon Hotel, where I booked, was an hour away from the island where they were. I couldn't see it as a problem at all. What was important, I would be able to meet the girl Felix told me he liked and the woman who had taken over as my best friend—my only dearest best friend, Felicity. It was already late when I set foot inside the VIP room. I didn’t expect any of the twins to arrive at that hour, so I decided to take that time
I initially texted Felix to explain my reason—vacation and distraction—but when he didn't respond, I called his number right away. It took a while before he finally answered, and he said he was talking to someone, so he couldn't answer my call.It was around 11 p.m. when my mobile phone rang, and to my surprise, he asked for my assistance. He needed help to assist him in the project they were going to start. The project was rushed, and he wanted to ask me before finalizing everything. He only had files that could be copied with the designs that Pretzel picked, and his staff would come the next day.I got used to working on spot projects because that was my job when I was in England. I am a double licensed engineer and architect, and sometimes I also work on interior design.I got hired as his assis
I noticed Pretzel looking intently at me after some time. When our eyes met, she smiled and said, "You look like a Turkish actress." When I was about to reply, Felicity interrupted, "Oh true! I often see it on social media when I post on my wall. I just don't know the girl's name. If that's what you think she looks like, I will agree!" “I guess her name is Bursa Develi,” Pretzel stated. “I’m not sure,” Felicity responded with a frown. I smiled because she was correct, but because Felicity continued talking about other things that were outside of my knowledge, I couldn't get on board with the conversation. I was simply watching them. Felicity was constantly laughing, and when overjoyed, he hit the person next to him. When it got harder, Pretzel retaliated against him, and she would also hit or push him. They looked so close to each other, and that made me feel jealous. Another thing that made me envious was seeing her pregnant, which had always been my greatest dream. Sitting s
While we were having lunch, I couldn’t concentrate on my food. Teasing and laughter filled the air. Felix took such good care of Pretzel, offering her food, putting rice on her plate when it was empty, and even deboning the fish for her.I honestly couldn't take my gaze away from them. I was both amused and envious while watching them. It seemed like I was watching a different Felix at that time, very far from how I knew him back then.He was the rudest among his siblings and the most snobbish in their family, but looking at him at that moment made me wonder how much he had changed over the past few years I had been away in the Philippines. He changed while Felicity stayed the same—still the most talkative, loud, and energetic person I have ever known. The two have had very different personalities ever since, though watching him care for Pretzel was not the man I used to know.After lunch, we continued finalizing the plans. We went to the location where we would be putting the small
Friday came, and Felix drove me back to my hotel. He told me I didn't have to go to the site for the next two days. Or, to put it another way, I don't have to act nice around Pretzel for two freaking days. Felix announced his intention to return home by the weekend, and because of that, Felicity couldn’t leave yet because nobody would look after that annoying pregnant woman while he was away. Work was exhausting, but it was worth it to spend time with my best friend. He made me laugh with his simple words and facial expressions, but I instantly became irritated whenever I saw Pretzel looking at us—whenever she laughed with us. She made my inner brat raise an eyebrow. She was nice to me, though, but her presence irritates me so much, and I hated how the twins looked after her whenever she was craving something. I wanted to grab her hair and push her, but I couldn't.Uff! We arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. I was about to go down when I heard the loud music nearby. I remembered tha
Elyana's POVThat feeling of returning trauma filled my heart with so much fear that Daldalita could do what she said. It was clear to me, in my mind and heart, that of all the people close to me, Felipe, next to my parents and my son, was the person I couldn't live without.'He's only ours. For my son—mine!' My thoughts were accelerating. I was ready to hurt anyone who would try to take Felipe from us. My son needs him. He couldn't sleep without his dad at night. I need him to do that. I need him. My tears continued falling down my cheeks. I covered my face using both my hands and as I did so, I heard whispers in the background that made me feel like they were mocking me. My chest tightened as I heard their whispers. There were so many that I couldn't focus on a single noise.It was deafening, echoing inside my ears. I cried until I could no longer breathe. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, but that stronger urge to do something to make our servant take back what she said was
Elyana's POVWe boarded the plane before nine o'clock in the evening. Mixed emotions were stirring up inside my heart. I was excited that we finally got back home and, at the same time, worried about Helen and that I couldn't get back to her before she got a chance to hold my son, just like she wished for. I wanted to fulfill that as soon as I could. I knew my parents would understand and they would help me sort everything out for Aqui to meet Helen. I was that preoccupied when I saw Felipe staring suspiciously at me. I frowned and he immediately looked away. He took his cellphone out of his pocket like nothing and started scrolling through it. I thought that was it, but it happened a few times during the flight and whenever I caught him, he would try to ignore me. I tried ignoring him as well and pretended it wasn't bothering me until I fell asleep.We arrived in the Philippines before lunch after the plane stopped over in Dubai because Dad asked the pilot to pick up a package fro
Elyana's POV"Thank you so much for coming all the way here to visit me, Ellie. I really thought we wouldn't get a chance to see each other again after all the mess that happened. Despite that, there were things for which I was thankful as well that happened. When you left, I also found the courage to end my ties with Lucas' father. It was the best decision I ever made in life in my entire existence and thanks to you," Helen told me while holding both of my hands tightly. I was touched by Helen's words. We had a long conversation, but those were the messages that my brain couldn't forget the most."Time for your medicine, Miss Helen." We got interrupted when the nurse announced this. I gave them space. I checked my time and saw that it had been more than an hour since Felipe and I arrived. I waited for Helen to finish drinking her medicine before telling her that I would be going. "It's still early. Stay here and I will ask the cook to prepare dinner for you and Felipe," she insis
Third-Person's POVThree knocks on the front door interrupted Lucas, who was working on his laptop in the living room. He frowned as he wondered who was outside at around two o'clock in the afternoon when he was not expecting anyone that day. It had been a month since they moved into that house and only a few trustworthy people knew that location. He concluded it was their cleaner, but she had already gone there to clean the other day. He had no choice but to check who it was because they didn't have a servant around after he sent her and the driver to get their groceries. He went to the front door. When he was a few steps away from the door, the person outside tried knocking again. Lucas opened the door and his eyes widened when he saw who was outside. A short silence went in between the two. He could not believe he would be seeing her again after visiting the Philippines a few months ago. He couldn't hide how much he was captivated by how much she had changed since then, and beca
Third-person's POV Elyana's parents agreed to her plan to visit Lucas' mother, Helen. The old lady had been kind to their daughter since she first stepped into Wilhem's household. They both knew how close their daughter had become to the lady, and they did not want Elyana to have any regrets about not seeing her for the last time. "I heard you're leaving." Elyana was in the nursery, busy with the book she hadn't finished yet. Her parents were both in an online meeting, which is why she was the one giving Aqui company at that time. She was so caught up in her reading that she did not notice that Felipe had already entered the room. When Elyana turned to look at him, she saw a gloomy expression on his face. She wanted to ask why, but the question he asked already had the answer. "Yes, I will tomorrow. Dad has already fixed everything; a private plane will take me there to make it hassle-free for me, so there is nothing to worry about," Elyana replied. She went back to reading aft
Elyana's POVOf all the people in the mansion, Dad was the one who couldn't hide his anticipation of Felicity's decision to change. He was trying to change his entire self by altering his way of talking and walking and avoiding the gestures of his hands when he spoke. He also wanted us to call him Felipe instead of Felicity since that day, which I found quite suspicious because I often caught him talking seriously to my dad in different parts of the mansion before that happened. The only problem was that I didn't get a chance to know what they had been discussing all those times. They kept choosing places where it was hard to eavesdrop. I already asked my mom if she knew anything about what they were discussing, but she told me she had no idea.My curiosity grew because of the answer I got from her. A few days before his transformation, I caught them in the garden again when I went outside the veranda after deciding to continue reading the novel I started.I changed my plans and imm
Elyana's POVI couldn't be deceived. I looked sharply at him again from head to toe to take one last scan. I was sure he wasn't wearing a contact lens to fool me like that."Ellie? What are you doing? Why are you looking at Felix like that?" My mother panicked right after seeing what I was doing. "Did both of you have a misunderstanding again?" Mom continued, but I didn't have a plan to answer any of them.I just stared at him. He also did the same. I knew he was the one who would eventually give in. I wouldn't let him win anyway.I started counting in my head, and when I was only halfway from reaching ten, I saw the man in front of me grin before laughing out loud. "I really can't fool you. Hmp!" I knew it! He lost it. He returned to his normal shrill and slurred-crazy voice in no time."W-wait...what's going on here?" My mother asked us in confusion."Oh, come on, Auntie! Don't be too slow," Felicity told my mom. My mother's eyes widened as she realized what was happening."Oh,
Elyana's POV "I was calling you. Why were you not answering? You made me so worried." I thought I was hallucinating that I was hearing Felicity's voice, but he was truly there. Felicity carried me, laid me back on the bed in a more comfortable position, tucked me in, and gave me painkillers. He was scolding me while he was doing those, but the pain I was feeling was too much and I couldn't focus on anything he was telling me aside from what he said he heard me scream; that's why he knocked. I couldn't say anything while he was firing me with words. I was too dizzy at that moment to respond to him. As I waited for the medicine to take effect, I heard Felicity cleaning the broken glass on the floor. I had no choice but to stay on the bed while hearing my son cry from the next room; however, I couldn't do anything at that moment. I waited for a few more minutes before the pain truly vanished. Aqui had already calmed down, but I was still bothered so I decided to get out of bed.
Elyana's POVMy day went fast, but the night seemed so long. Felicity didn't come home just like he said, but without Bakla around, the house was like a different place.It seemed I was searching for his presence and Aqui, who got used to spending the night with him, kept on waking up from time to time, crying. He might be searching for him too and even though Dad was the one hugging him to sleep already, he still wasn't satisfied.Around eleven that night, we all woke up when Aqui cried so loud. My parents were the ones who slept in the nursery and I'd pumped enough milk for him to drink the whole night. I wasn't supposed to go to the nursery to check on him because I knew my parents did know what to do, but his cries were bothersome.I rushed over to see why he was crying. My parents were attempting to put him back to sleep. Dad was the one carrying him and rocking him gently in his arms. Mom was the one singing him a song, yet my son didn't want to hush.I want to take him and try