03

Chapter 03

"Ang ingay. You can see that I'm married, right? Did you expect me to leave the bride on our first wedding night?" I asked. Since bumalik na ako sa past, I decided I wouldn't remove Phinea from my priority.

Tumalikod na ako and left my manager there. I waved as I walked away and sinabihan siya na kumain muna bago umalis.

We were in the reception area now. Many of the guests were family relatives of the Lawsons and Difabios, along with some of our friends.

On the other side, I saw Peregrine surrounded by his friends who were also invited to the wedding. There were four tables filled with adults, including our parents and Phinea's.

On the other side of the venue were my friends.

In the middle, I saw Phinea sitting at a table with my mom.

"Victor, why did you leave Phinea here?" my mom asked, giving me a light smack on the shoulder.

"Mom, I just went to the restroom for a bit," I replied, rubbing my arm. I was now standing behind Phinea's chair, with my mom next to me, who seemed to have been trying to entertain Phinea for a while.

"How about you take Phinea to your room? She doesn't seem comfortable with all these people," my mom said worriedly. I caught Phinea glancing at me from the corner of my eye.

"Okay, Mom, pero babatiin muna namin ang mga bisita," I told her. Maya-maya lang nagpaalam na mom ko, and I sat down next to Phinea.

"I'll greet the guests and my friends. I want to introduce you. Gusto mo sumama?" I asked, reaching out my hand to Phinea. She stared at me—I just smiled and reminded her that it was her wedding too.

"I don't want them to say anything about you, so let's greet them and then pwede na tayo umalis," I said. Slowly, Phinea took my hand.

I stood up and helped Phinea up. I remembered on our wedding day, I left Phinea to meet the producer and sign the contract for my next drama.

Phinea was quite embarrassed in front of our family relatives because of that my parents were furious and almost remove my name on our family register. Iniwan ko siya sa mismong wedding night namin mag-isa at hindi pinakilala sa relatives namin.

"Hey, auntie," I greeted my aunt, my dad's sister. I kissed her cheek and introduced Phinea to them.

I held Phinea's hand next to me, causing her to look up at me.

My uncles and aunts greeted me and Phinea shyly nodded and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, my wife is a bit shy," I said, wrapping my arm around Phinea. My aunt laughed, saying it reminded her of my mom when she was introduced to us by my dad.

"That's exactly how your mom was when your dad introduced her to us. She looked like a shy sheep."

"Sister-in-law!"

I just laughed when my mom ushered us away. Next, we approached my cousins who were at a big table drinking.

"I thought you weren't going to introduce your bride to us."

"Heh, if I could, I wouldn't bring her here. I don't want her to see the leftovers of the Difabios," I joked. The guys just laughed and introduced themselves to Phinea.

"I really thought you were going to marry Peregrine. We didn't know she had a twin sister. Ang tagal din ng relationship niyo," one of my cousins said. Phinea looked stunned and her hands grew colder.

I forced a smile and told them to stop. It's been a long time since it ended between me and Peregrine, and I didn't want his name dragged into my relationship with Phinea.

"Is she going to be my sister-in-law?"

I froze and turned around. My face lit up when I saw Catherine and I immediately hugged her.

"Sis! You're here. I thought you were on a business trip and next week ka pa babalik?" I said, pulling back slightly. I remembered she went home during our wedding and when we met the next day, we had a fight.

Catherine was also angry with me for leaving Phinea on our wedding's first night and I had said some hurtful things. Isa iyon sa mga pinagsisihan ko dahil after 'non hindi ko na ulit nakausap si ate.

"Of course, it's your wedding and I also want to meet my sister-in-law."

Catherine looked at Phinea, who was beside me. Phinea held onto my sleeve and shyly look down.

"Catherine is nice. Can you please greet her formally? You see? She's the closest to me here and I want you to feel comfortable with her," I whispered to Phinea. Phinea paused and looked at me. Isa si ate sa mapagkakatiwalaan ni Phinea at babae si ate. Even wala maging kaibigan si Phinea nandiyan si ate. Gusto ko maging close sila.

Slowly, she glanced at Catherine, who immediately smiled back at her. Phinea slowly let go of my hand.

"Hello sis—sister-in-law. I'm Phinea—"

"Kyaah! Why so cute!"

I was shocked when Catherine suddenly hugged Phinea and everyone turned to look at us.

"Ate! Catherine, calm down. Phinea might pass out!"

Catherine was more excited than usual, and Phinea looked like a wilted vegetable because she was so surprised by the hug and the shout. My cousins laughed and said I should take Phinea home bago kidnapin ni ate si Phinea at hindi na ibalik sa akin.

"Phinea, pull yourself together; we still have a lot of guests to greet," I said, laughing, shaking Phinea a bit.

I didn't let Catherine follow us and next, I headed to my friends' table. They immediately stood up and greeted Phinea first.

"Phinea, these are my best friends," I said, introducing Kiel.

"Kiel Norman and Robin Lazaro, my childhood friends, and this is Dion Dixon and Jack Lewis, whom I met when I was 18, and we worked together on a drama."

Phinea bowed her head and said hello. I smiled when Phinea started to speak and seemed to calm down a bit after her encounter with ate Catherine.

I held my jaw because it was starting to ache from all the smiling. The next table we went to was Peregrine's.

I didn't know what my expression was after seeing Peregrine but one thing was sure now. If Phinea wanted to leave and didn't want to talk to Peregrine, I would follow Phinea. I would act like I didn't see Peregrine.

I slightly squeezed Phinea's waist and lowered my hand.

"I hope you all enjoyed the food and the party," I said. Peregrine stood up and greeted Phinea and me.

"My sister is a bit of an introvert, please take care of her. You see? We take good care of her at the mansion because she's naturally weak and sensitive," Peregrine said sincerely. If I had heard that before, I would have considered what he said; now, I wouldn't.

Phinea is healthy, and yes, she is sensitive, but that's because of all the people around her.

'I confirmed that the Lawsons emotionally abuse Phinea, especially Peregrine. The Lawsons don't treat Phinea well and favor Peregrine, who is the one benefiting from the Lawsons.'

I forced a smile and held Phinea's hand, thanking her. I called Peregrine my sister-in-law and drew a clear line between us.

I turned around and led Phinea back to our table.

"Do you want to go back to our room?" I asked, looking at Phinea. She looked pale and seemed like she might pass out at any moment. Medyo nag-aalala ako.

When I saw Phinea's parents with my parents, we excused ourselves.

"Mom, we're heading to our room," I said, wrapping my arm around Phinea. Phinea's complexion wasn't looking good, and I was starting to worry.

"Okay, you two should rest. Victor, take care of Phinea," my mom said. I pouted and asked her who her child was between us. Mas priority nila well being ni Phinea like kahit noong first life ko ganoon sila kay Phinea. Anyway, hindi na din naman masama and naiintindihan ko sila. Cute si Phinea at sobrang bait.

"Stop talking nonsense, son. You two should rest."

I led Phinea out of the venue. I loosened my necktie and took off my coat.

"Put on my coat. It's late, and you're just in a dress," I said, draping it over Phinea's shoulders. A moment later, Phinea said she was uncomfortable and told me not to come closer.

When she said that first, I was really offended. She was the first person to say she felt uncomfortable around me and that she didn’t want me touching her.

"Can you endure it for once? We're husband and wife now, so you should get used to my presence. After our first night, we'll be living in the same house."

Phinea paused and looked at me. I laughed and pointed to my face.

"You'll see this face every day for life, so it's more convenient for you to get used to seeing me and endure my presence next to you."

I had no intention of taking my eyes off Phinea or leaving her alone, no matter what she said. I wouldn't let her endure everything alone. Mananatili ako sa tabi niya sa ayaw niya at gusto.

It didn't matter if I went back to the past or if all of it was just a dream—one thing I realized when Phinea was gone was that the best actor award wasn’t enough to ease the pain I felt when I lost her.

'You... You are sick. Don't... Don't move too much.'

I lay on the bed as Phinea reached for my cheek.

There were times when I lost hope and broke down despite Phinea's indifference to everything, and she would always step in when she saw I couldn't take it anymore and would be the first to extend her hand to me.

'This... This is my favorite flavor of candy. Don't... Don't cry.'

It didn't matter if I was acting or really sad; Phinea always wanted me to get better and comfort me.

'You idiot, I was just practicing,' I said, laughing, showing her the script I was holding. Surprise flashed on Phinea's face as she sat next to me. We were sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed.

Sometimes, I used my acting skills to get Phinea to pamper me and she always fell for the same trap.

A cold breeze blew, and I leaned a bit closer to Phinea. The backs of our hands touched. I felt warm.

"Let's hold hands, and do you want to take a walk before we go back to the hotel?" I asked, raising my hand.

She automatically held my hand and nodded. I was happy to hold it tightly as we headed to the beach.

Because of the sand, Phinea's heels got stuck, and we stopped walking. I laughed and let go of Phinea for a moment to kneel down.

Phinea slightly pulled back, but I held her ankle and told her she'd hurt herself if she insisted on walking in those heels.

"Wait, I'll—"

I pulled Phinea, and she sat on my knee. I was behind her, trying to remove her locked heels.

"It's fine. Don't move too much."

When I finally got Phinea's heels off, I put my shoes on her.

"Here, you'll be more comfortable in these."

Phinea looked down at the shoes she was wearing. I laughed as I held her hand after picking up her heels and led her to walk.

"Phinea, what's your favorite color?" I asked her randomly.

"Bl-blue," Phinea whispered. I paused and looked at her. Just then, she was looking at me and I greeted her with a smile.

"That's one of my favorite colors. Is that your only favorite color?" I asked. She nodded.

"What about your first, second, and third colors that you think are pretty and cute?" I asked. Phinea found it confusing. I laughed because I could see it in her expression.

"Whi... white and... purple."

"I like red, black, and purple."

"We have two colors that match in taste," I said, laughing, looking at the other side of the beach. I could see the vast ocean and the reflection of the sky.

"There are so many stars in the water. Ang ganda tingnan."

We stopped walking, and I led her closer to the water. From there, we could see the reflections of the stars and I sat down to look at them closely.

"Do... Do you like stars?" Phinea asked. I smiled when she started to ask questions. I looked up and saw Phinea looking at me. When our eyes met, I just smiled and answered yes.

"How about you, Phinea?"

Phinea looked up at the sky. I followed her gaze and saw she was looking at the brightest star in the sky.

"I... I like the brightest one."

"Then you specifically want the brightest one?" I asked, standing up. I fixed my gaze on a star twinkling not far from their direction.

"Every... Everyone likes them. They are the prettiest," Phinea whispered. I laughed, causing her to look at me.

"Then I'm not like everyone else. I like stars, and it doesn't matter to me who's prettier or the brightest."

She asked me why. I looked at her and smiled.

"They're prettier when there are many of them."

I pointed to the sea where the stars were visible. Phinea paused when she looked at the sea.

"Being pretty for everyone and special is not the real thing."

Because of the moon, the reflections of the stars in the water shone even brighter. It was more luminous and beautiful.