-=Ram's Point of View=-Who would have thought that the great and mighty Ram Santiago would be this pathetic? If I saw myself like this during the time when I didn't know Atilla, I would definitely be angry with myself for being a martyr, but maybe this is what happens when you love someone so much that even if you're hurt, you still want to be with them—someone who is near but feels so far away because you know that they are no longer within your reach."Ram, are you okay?" I was surprised to hear Atilla call my name, I just remembered that I was in a meeting with some of Henry's company staff, aside from Atilla."I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question?" I calmly asked while looking at Atilla's beautiful face.We've been managing her brother's business for a few days now while Henry is in the United States for his operation.I can say that Atilla is completely different now than she was in the past few days, the way she handles herself in front of other people and the way she deals wi
-=Atilla's Point of View=-My heart pounded so hard and fast when I reached my car. I made sure to lock the car door before resting my head on the back of the seat.I didn't know why Ram's words had such a strong impact on me. When I left Australia, I was sure that I no longer had feelings for him. But after what he said, it felt like the two years I spent trying to forget about him were meaningless."Come on, Atilla, snap out of it!" I said to myself, feeling frustrated. But I was even more annoyed with myself for letting Ram's words affect me so much. Was it really that easy to throw away everything I had worked hard for when Ram was involved?I was surprised when I felt my cheeks turn warm, and when I touched them, I realized that tears were falling down my face without me even noticing. I didn't want to feel weak anymore. I didn't want to rely on anyone, and I didn't want to get hurt.I quickly grabbed my phone from my bag and searched for the number of the person I wanted to talk
-=Atilla's Point of View=-I feel like it was the longest flight I ever experienced in my life, while Ram, the jerk, was sound asleep.I hit his foot as the plane came to a stop, and the pilot announced that we could disembark."OK," he said as I moved away from him, lugging my baggage and hurrying out of the airport to get a taxi, when a man approached me."Are you Ms. Atilla?" he asked, which surprised me because I hadn't expected to be greeted when I arrived in Cebu."Who are you?" I inquired, wary that he might be a terrible person with horrible intentions toward me."I am your driver for today," he said, but I was still unsure.I was still contemplating whether to believe him or not, but Ram suddenly grabbed my suitcase, and I felt my fury boil as I saw his emotionless face loading our bags into the car."Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" I asked, and my left eyebrow rose."Look, Atilla, I hired his service to make our trip to Cebu easier, so you have nothing to worry a
-=Ram''s Point of View=-"I'm scared Ram," Atilla said, and I could feel the fear in her voice, accompanied by the trembling of her body."Don't worry, Atilla. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise," I said firmly.To be honest, I was also very scared at that moment, especially for the safety of the person I loved the most. But I knew I had to stay strong for both of us. I hugged her tightly so that she could feel that I was here for her, but she kept trembling, so an idea came to mind."If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,""What are you doing, Ram?" she asked, surprised."Shhh, just listen, Atilla," I said and continued to sing, even though I knew I had no talent for singing.Atilla was quiet and kept listening to me, and I thought she might have fallen asleep, but it was unlikely because of the noise I was making."Well, it's a good thing you're good at business," she laughed, and her trembling lessened a bit due to the fear."Ouch, you're hurting m
-=Atilla's Point of View=-"Five minutes is up, sleeping beauty," I heard Ram say. I wondered if I had only rested for five minutes, as I felt quite refreshed.I opened my eyes, struggling to breathe as I saw Ram's figure standing in front of me, surrounded by the light of the sun. He looked like a Greek god in his current appearance.I needed to clear my mind to think clearly. I reached out to his waiting hand for support to stand up.Suddenly, I jolted as I felt an electric shock from our hands contact. I saw that Ram also felt it, so I withdrew my hand and locked it with my other hand, feeling embarrassed."Where do you think we are?" I blurted out, unable to look him in the eye, especially as I felt his gaze on me."Well, if my guess is correct, we're still in the Philippines," he said seriously, but I saw the joke in his eyes."Wow, what a guess, Ram, but seriously, where do you think we are?" I asked again."To be honest, Atilla, I don't know, but I think we're not too far from
-=Atilla's Point of View=-We were quiet as we continued to search for something to eat and see if there were other people on the island. We felt awkward because of what had happened earlier.I mean, I almost gave myself to him just like that, while I struggled to give myself to Ang when Ang is my boyfriend and has the right to have me.He walked ahead of me while I followed behind, giving me the chance to admire his broad back and the mass of hair he had because of our recent bath. My face flushed again as I remembered what had almost happened between us.Fortunately, a fruit fell from a tree near the lagoon, which woke me up from a very hot dream."I guess it's just the two of us here, so we need to look for food and shelter while we're on the island. It would be better if we stayed on the beach because we don't know what could be in the forest when it gets dark," I was surprised when he suddenly spoke. I thought he wouldn't talk anymore, and I couldn't help but feel hurt when I hea
-=Ram''s Point of View=-I woke up early the next day and immediately felt the pain in my body because I fell asleep while sitting. To be honest, I didn't intend to sleep because I wanted to keep an eye on the fire, especially since I didn't know what dangers the island held when night fell, but sleepiness overcame me.I quickly got up and shook off the drowsiness that I still felt. Suddenly, I smiled when I saw the woman I love sleeping peacefully. I knew I should be worried now because I had no certainty about what would happen to me, but I felt the opposite because I was with the woman I loved most.I had decided not to bother her anymore, even after what happened between us in the lagoon. I knew she would feel guilty if something did happen to us, and I didn't want her to feel that way.I decided to get some food from the forest so that when Atilla woke up, our breakfast would be ready.I felt the coolness brought by the morning dew, but that didn't matter to me as long as I could
-=Atilla's Point of View=-I woke up in the afternoon with a smile on my face as I looked at Ram's peaceful sleeping form beside me. We had just made love in a beautiful paradise, and he made sure to pleasure every inch of my body. I could feel the soreness in some parts of my body, especially in the lower region, but I felt good like I never had before.I tried to move away from Ram's embrace, but his arms tightened around me. I saw that he was still asleep, and as much as I wanted to stay in his arms, I needed to think clearly. I carefully removed his arms from my body and slowly got up.I chose to walk along the beach to clear my head. The water was clear and pristine, but it couldn't wash away the guilt I felt for betraying Ang, the person who did nothing but love me. Despite my conscience nagging at me, I couldn't deny the strange happiness I felt because of what happened between me and Ram.Although I felt the heat from the sun, I didn't mind it because of the sea breeze. I had
-=Atilla's Point of View=-"Lord, I pray that he finds the peace he needs, and I hope he forgives me for everything," I whispered in prayer. It hurts me to lose him, but I have to let him go.How do you let go of someone who has been a big part of your life, someone who has been there for you in times of need? I can't help but cry because of the pain I feel.I just hope he finds the peace he deserves."Come on, Atilla," I heard my best friend Nicole call me. I can see that she's affected by what I'm going through, but we need to let him go.Nicole and I walked together towards the room. My feet felt heavy as we walked because, even though I've decided, it still hurts me to lose him.I took a deep breath before I opened the door to the room, and a wide smile appeared on my lips as I saw that he was awake. When he saw me, he returned the smile."Atilla..." Ram said as he kept his gaze on me. I could see the love in his eyes.Honestly, it felt like I died when he lost consciousness in my
-=Atilla's Point of View=-The family decided to take Anthony home and hire two private nurses to take care of him 24/7.Everyone is still in shock over what happened, the accident, and the possibility that Anthony may not wake up.Ang was the most affected by the events, so I couldn't leave him, especially with what he's going through. I made a decision, even though it hurts me, but Ang needs me more, and it hurts me to let Ram go.Just thinking about Ram has already made my eyes water with emotion. It feels like my heart is going to explode from the pain I feel at the thought of losing Ram, the man I love the most.It has been two days since we took Anthony out of the hospital, and I haven't received any news from Ram yet. I know I need to tell him my decision, but I don't think I can meet him in person. So, even though it's not right, I decided to call him and let him know.Hello, Atilla, how are you?" I heard him say it on the other end. He answered my call immediately, which mean
-=Atilla's Point of View=-Hours passed as Anthony remained in the operation room; no one spoke amongst us; our thoughts were focused on the patient whom the doctors were attempting to save.Perhaps the procedure lasted more than six hours before the doctor emerged, exhausted by what had happened."How's my husband?" Miranda asked the doctor as she approached him."The operation was successful, but he's not yet safe; the next forty-eight hours will be critical; he must wake up within that time or else he may end up in a coma," the doctor said. I could see the sadness on the faces of the patient's family, especially Miranda's, who appeared really concerned.Anthony was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) following the procedure for thorough monitoring. Ang and I decided to keep an eye on him because their mom appeared to be overburdened. Despite her protests, Ang's stepfather refused to let her continue watching over her son."Everything will be okay, Ang, and you need to be strong
-=Atilla's Point of View=-It was as if I were frozen in place while looking at the pain etched on Ang's face. I never knew he would find out this way.Yes, I have already made my decision, and I will follow my heart. Even though it's hard for me, I have to be true to Ang. I hate to hurt Ang because he is very kind to me, but I don't think I can deceive him and myself anymore, although not in this way."Atilla, what does this mean?" He asked in a trembling voice. I could see the bitterness in his eyes when he found out that I was being unfaithful. It breaks my heart to see Ang like this.Ram quickly stepped in to protect me from Ang, but I immediately pushed him away because I knew that Ang wouldn't hurt me. He's such a kind person."Ang... I just want to say..." but I was interrupted by the sudden sound of his cell phone ringing. Ang didn't want to answer it, but it kept ringing, so he had no choice."Anthony... I don't have time right now... Who is this?" He asked, sounding surprise
-=Atilla's Point of View=-The following day, I woke up with a smile on my face after learning the good news about Henry's condition.My chest felt lighter now that I knew he was improving. I went immediately to the kitchen, where my breakfast was already cooked, but dining alone was extremely depressing, so I only ate a small amount. It didn't, however, dampen my spirits, especially since I knew Henry was on the mend.I didn't need to go to the office early that day because I had meetings in the afternoon, so I decided to call Samantha to let her know of my plan. However, being a workaholic, I couldn't resist opening my laptop and checking my emails. I received various documents that didn't need urgent attention, so after making sure there were no important emails, I turned off my MacBook.I turned on the TV in my room, but I couldn't find anything I wanted to watch, so I turned it off after a while.I took some time to think before deciding to take a bath. I filled the bathtub with
-=Atilla's Point of View=-Until now, I am still shocked about what I learned about Miranda and Ang. I mean, who would have thought that Miranda's husband is actually Ang's brother, Anthony? I haven't met the guy yet, even though Ang and I have been in a relationship for over a year. I felt Ang's love for his brother even though he never said it.If I'm not mistaken, Miranda has been married three or maybe four times since marrying Anthony. I'm not sure about the details because I don't like to gossip, but it's inevitable to hear about these things from other friends.Miranda's last marriage was with a wealthy Filipino businessman who died suddenly. His wealth went to Miranda, leading to rumors of foul play in his death. Miranda was blamed, but it was never proven.Ang remained quiet during our drive, and his expression was the same when he saw Miranda. I didn't want to ask questions and add fuel to his already raging fury.I still can't believe that Miranda is a gold digger. She's al
-=Atilla's Point of View=-Even though a lot was going through my mind, I had to go back to work because I promised Ellaine that I wouldn't neglect Henry's businesses, and that's what I intended to do.It had been three days since we returned to Manila, and I had not seen Ram for three days. I missed him so much. During those three days.Ang had not left my side and continued to take care of me. I feel that I don't deserve Ang because he is such a good person, and he deserves someone who loves him wholeheartedly."Are you sure you want to go to work? Your brother will understand if you need to rest for a few more days," Ang tried to convince me, and I could see the concern on his face as he looked at me.I was already dressed for work when I entered the office. I informed my temporary secretary that I was now in charge of Henry's businesses. I couldn't afford to be absent because I was sure that there were piles of papers that needed my attention and signature.He couldn't do anything
-=Atilla's Point of View=-I was greatly surprised when I saw Ang getting off one of the boats I saw earlier not far away. Actually, I just woke up to get some water when I noticed the five boats approaching the island. I thought they might be coming for us after realizing Ram and I were missing, but I didn't expect to see Ang with them, considering I knew he was still in the US."Oh my God, Atilla!" Ang exclaimed, hugging me tightly as he reached me. His embrace felt nice, but I didn't feel any special connection from it. However, I admit I missed him a lot because we haven't seen each other for so long due to recent events.Honestly, I didn't know what to say at that moment because I was still in shock that we were finally found on this island. I let myself be embraced by Ang, feeling like I could always count on him no matter the situation, but I was surprised when he released me after a while."You must be Ram," I was surprised to hear Ang say that, and when I turned around, I saw
-=Ram''s Point of View=-"Please don't do this, Ram," she begged me with pleading eyes when I didn't let her move away from me, because I wanted to hear from her once and for all that she still loved me.I tried to stand my ground, but eventually I gave in."Well, I guess I don't have any choice but to wait. I waited for almost two years, and it will not kill me to wait for a few more days, weeks, or even months, what's important is now," I said seriously, and when I noticed that she wasn't comfortable, I smiled at her.We went back to the beach to share a meal together. I had followed her earlier, when I noticed that she had been in the forest for quite some time, and to my surprise, I saw her swimming in the lagoon without wearing anything. That was when I decided to join her, and the inevitable happened between us.To be honest, when we made love for the first time ever since we arrived on this island, I didn't know how to treat her, especially since I knew she would feel guilty af