“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to your work? I still have time, MJ—”
Humalakhak ako nang mahina kaya naputol ang sasabihin niya pa. Umiling ako at napansin siyang sumimangot nang kaunti.
“You don’t want have to do that, love. It’s fine...” sambit ko habang inaayos ang mga gamit ko.
I feel him nearing me kaya napaangat ako nang tingin sa kaniya. Kinuha niya ang mga gamit ko at nilapag iyon sa gilid para makuha ang kamay ko at mahila palapit pa sa kaniya.
He’s hugging me. He’s only hugging me and yet my heart starts beating wildly again inside my chest. Napapikit ako nang mas higpitan pa niya ang yakap sa akin. He buries his face against my neck. Suminghap siya, inaamoy ang leeg ko.
I can feel his light and warm breathing against my neck and I already feel ticklish all over.
“Zac...” I giggle as I try to push him away from me pero hindi siya natinag sa pag-yakap sa akin. Mas lalo niya pang hinigpitan kaya muli akong natawa.
“Tita, I told you! It’s not what you think it is!” sigaw ko dahilan upang matigilan siya. “He’s an investigator, Tita!” pag-amin ko na siyang nakakuha ng buong atensyon niya. “What do you mean, Jade?” aniya. I reach for her arm before speaking up, “Just please, let me explain first, Tita. Sa loob na tayo,” sambit ko sabay hila sa kaniya papasok ng exclusive room kung nasaan ako kanina. Tahimik kami sa loob habang nilalapag ng mga waiters ang pagkain namin sa table. Nang makalabas silang lahat ay saka lang umayos nang upo si Tita Cecil at mariin akong tinignan. “Speak,” she commands. Bumuntong hininga ako at nag-isip saglit kung paano ko ipapaliwanag sa kaniya ang plano ko. I don’t want to tell her about my investigating my husband’s father. But I cannot tell her just the minor details dahil paniguradong hindi niya ako paniniwalaan. “As I said, that man is an investigator I hired from U.S., Tita,” sambit ko. “Why did you hire an
Tahimik ako sa loob ng kotse pauwi sa bahay pagkatapos ng pag-uusap namin ni Tita Cecil tungkol sa investigation na ginagawa ko on my own.She commanded me to stop what I’m doing. She told me to that she’ll keep this a secret only if I do what she told me to do. And that’s to stop this and not continue any further. Pero hindi iyon p’wede. Justice para sa pagkamatay ng mga magulang ko ang nakasalalay rito.I cannot just give this up. I know how dangerous this is. Klaus gave me a heads-up about this and the danger that awaits me if we continue this. Alam ko lahat ‘yon. Pero hindi na ako puwedeng basta na lang tumigil dahil marami-rami na akong nakukuhang solid leads. I cannot just stop this just because it’s dangerous.Dahil sino ang magtutuloy nito kung hindi ako? Ang mga pulis? That’s bullshit. They were the ones who gave up first. They were the ones who told the authorities lies and everything. Maaaring mayroon din sa k
I still cannot believe that Tita Cecil is probably involved with whatever is happening with her husband, his son, and Zachariah Ricaforte. But it’s already right in front me. Kitang kita sa ekspresyon ni Tita Cecil ngayon na may tinatago siya. Hindi kaya totoo ang sinbii ni Klaus na maaari talagang may kinalaman ang ilang mga Salazar sa nangyari sa parents ko? If yes, then I need to find out about it quickly before they learn what I’m up to. Dahil alam kong hindi permanente ang pagtatagong ‘to. Kalaunan ay alam kong mare-realize din nila o ni Tita Cecil na hindi talaga ako tumigil sa pag-iimbestiga. “I still have a lot of paperworks to finish, Tita. I better be going and finish everything, so I can post a memorandum about my taking a break for a while,” sambit ko at tumango sa akin si Tita Cecil. “Y-Yes, please. Take care on your way to your company,” aniya. Hindi ko na ‘yon pinansin pa at dumiretso na lang palabas ng restaurant. Sumakay ako ng sasaky
I open my eyes and a white ceiling immediately cover my vision. I blink and I feel like I drank a lot of alcoholic drinks. Para akong may hangover paggising ko. I can’t even remember what happened. Did I fall asleep? When and where? I can’t remember anything.Nanatili akong nakahiga dahil manhid halos ang buong katawan ko. My head still hurts and it feels it’s being ripped open. I groan and move my hand lightly. May natamaan ako sa gilid ko kaya napabaling ako roon.Someone’s sleeping beside my bed. Malabo pa ang mga mata ko dahil kagigising lang kaya hindi ko gaano maaninag kung sino ‘yon. But then I notice my hand and there’s an IV injection attached to its back and I immediately realize that I’m in a hospitalPero hindi ko alam kung paano nangyari iyon. Why can’t I remember anything that happened before I woke up here? Did I collapsed again like before? Zachary was the one who found me at the time. Was he the on
It has been months since that day in the hospital. I started wearing hearing aids again but I would remove them whenever I’d meet my family. I started working behind the scenes while my cousin is competently leading the company. I also started seeing Tita Philomena every 2 weeks in a month for my sessions. We just usually talk about my anxiety and how it started and why it started attacking again. She was also my psychiatrist back in States so she already knew how to deal with my trauma. It just started coming back, so I really needed her help again. Pagkatapos ng session with Tita Mena, I go back to my house. Sa bahay ng mga magulang ako umuuwi simula noong nakalabas ako ng hospital. Zachary suggested it because he knew that he’s one of the many reasons why I’m anxious and annoyed. But he’d still visit me at home from time to time only to receive such cold treatments from me. Lumipat sa Manila ang tagapangalaga ng bahay namin sa Davao na si Manang Lucinda da
I look at my reflection in the mirror as I prepare for the party later. It’s Zachary’s birthday and his parents prepared a grand party for him. Today is also our 6th monthsary as married couple. Ngayon ko lang din na-realized na birthday niya na pala. Back when we were still fakely dating, I wasn’t aware of his birthday kahit nabasa ko naman ‘yon sa nakuha kong information tungkol sa kaniya, so it just passed by us. However, for some reason, he knew mine and even gave me a gift for my birthday. Ngayon ko lang siya mabibigyan ng regalo. And since our 6th monthsary is just the same as his birthday, I just decided to really gift him the contact lenses na pinagawa ko sa ophthalmologist ni Daddy. I’m not sure if he will wear it, pero bahala na. Basta nagbigay ako ng regalo at wala na akong utang sa kaniya. Pero napapaisip din ako kung bagong salamin na lang kaya ang pinagawa ko? Since he always uses one talaga. He has a poor eyesight that’s why he wears glasses. A
I wake up at the feeling of my hair being caressed softly. Ramdam ko ang mararahang halik ni Zachary sa buhok ko habang nakaunan ako sa kaniyang dibdib. I can hear his soft breathing. And I can feel his calm heartbeats.They are everything I want to always wake up to. But I know I cannot just wish for something like that because it’s unattainable. It’s too good to be true. And I know, deep in my heart, that he deserves something more.Gumalaw ako nang marahan at mas lalong dumikit sa kaniya, trying to savor every minute of us in this position. I feel secured, safe, and happy. But I also know this is only temporary. This will never last. Thinking about this so early in the morning is ridiculous, but I should at least remind myself of how undeserving I am of him before I start to become more selfish and just claim him mine... even though I knew clearly like the morning skies who actually owns his heart.Maybe I just own his body for now... but his hear
Nanatiling tahimik na nakatingin sa akin si Klaus. Hindi ko na mahinuha ngayon kung ano ang iniisip niya. But what I said is the truth. Between the two of us, mas marami siyang tinatago sa akin. I know I keep things from him, too. But those aren’t even important to our investigation. Mas marami pang importanteng bagay tungkol sa kaso na kailangan namang pagtuunan ng pansin. The things I know are just minor details and I’m not even sure yet if these things might really help. Dahil sa ngayon, sinisigurado ko pang may halaga iyon sa mga plano namin o wala. At malakas ang kutob ko na wala naman. Kaya hindi ko sinasabi sa kaniya ang mga ‘yon. And I know for sure that the things he’s keeping from me are way more important what I’m keeping to myself. Suminghap ako bago muling nagsalita dahil mukhang wala siyang balak umamin. “You are my cousin’s friend, Klaus. Right now, I cannot trust my cousin. I can’t even trust my uncle. How sure am I that you aren’t con
Pagkababa namin sa parking lot ay hila hila niya akong pinapasok sa kotse niya. “What do you mean by us, Gil?” I asked him as he put his seatbelt on. His jaw was clenched hard and he didn’t answer me so I called him again. “Gil, please. I can’t let anyone know more about this. They might kill Klaus. I don’t want people dying on me anymore.” “And I can’t have you dying on us, Jade!” he exclaimed. “We’re gonna figure this out, together.” I sighed and covered my face with my hands. I was still trembling but I was lucky enough that I wasn’t having a panic attack right now. I couldn’t have myself losing my sanity right now. I need to save Klaus. We arrived at the place. It wasn’t a restaurant, though. It was my grandfather’s private property. Agad akong lumabas ng sasakyan ni Gil pagka-park niya nito. He was behind me when I was about to call for him. “What are we doing here?” I asked him. Malalim ang kaniyang buntong hininga at mariing tumingin sa akin. “I told you, we’re going t
I’m not sure what time Zachary left, but by the time I woke up. He was already gone. I felt him kiss the top of my head, though. And I felt him leaving the room but I was too tired and too sore to even get up or wake up. We had a rough night. We made love until we’re both exhausted.I sat down and stared at the door. After a while, I decided to get up already because I still need to work. I took a bath and did my morning routine. Then I went downstairs and ate the breakfast Zachary made for me before he left. I was smiling the whole time I was eating.Maaga akong nakarating sa office ko. I immediately started all the paper works left on my table. I also read a lot of proposals for a new project the company is planning. Not a single one fit my plans so I rejected all of it.“Jade, Lolo told me to invite your for dinner later sa bahay niya...” Gil appeared by the door of my office. Nakahilig siya roon habang nakatingin sa akin nang seryoso.“Hindi pa rin siya umuuwi ng States?” I asked
I cooked and prepared our dinner for tonight. Zachary messaged me that he’d be home by nine in the evening. Pagkauwi ko galing office kanina ay nagpahinga muna ako bago magluto ng hapunan. I was happy. I enjoyed cooking for us. For him. I hope he'll love the food. Iniwan ko ang nakahandang hapunan sa hapag at tinakluban iyon para hindi mapanis at masira agad. I went to my room and continued the preparation I’ve been doing since I decided to continue my investigation. But before I fully continue this, I wanted to find Klaus first. Wala pa rin akong balita galing kay Klaus and I still couldn’t find the right opportunity to ask Gil about him. I really want to find Klaus, but I don’t know where to start. I tried going back to the hotel where he was staying before but I found out that he already moved out. I don’t know where else to find him. If I ask Gil about Klaus, he might find out what we’ve been doing behind his back. Ayaw kong mag-isip ng kung ano ano, pero hindi ko mapigilan ang
“You can’t hear me?” Zachary said something again but I couldn’t understand it. Hindi ko iyon marinig. His lips were moving and I knew that he was speaking. Pero hindi ko iyon marinig. My ears are acting up again. It has been a while since something like this happened. I thought I would be okay but I was wrong. I forgot that I wasn’t fully healed yet. And now, it’s starting again. “What are you saying?” I asked despite not being able to hear what I said. “I’m sorry, my ears. I can’t hear...” I could feel my lips trembling. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin. I didn’t bring my hearing aids. Zachary came to me. Lumuhod siya sa harap ko. His eyes were worried and bloodshot. He looked like he’s pitying me. I suddenly felt awful. “I’ll rest now. I wanna be alone while I rest. You can sleep in the guestroom,” I told him. “MJ...” I read the movement of his lips. He was close to me which was why I was able to understand what he said. “I can’t leave you alone. Why are you asking me to leave you?
[ Zachary’s Point of View; A Flashback ] I was there when my sister died. I failed to notice her struggle and pain because I was too busy studying so I could gain our father’s approval. My little sister, Zoe, was my comfort. The very reason why I wanted to become a doctor. I wanted to cure her illness. But before I could even do that, she died. And it was because of my own negligence. “I’ve had enough of your defiance, Zachary. For once, I need you to do as I say. Marry the woman I want for you and I will let you continue your career. Defy me, and I will do everything in my power so you can never set foot in the medical field again!” That was my father’s bargain when I first told him that I would still continue my residency and my research. I didn’t want that. All of my life, I tried everything to make him proud. Even if it’s not from the field he wanted for me. I thought that if I became the best in my field, he would finally acknowledge all
“We can stay here for a few minutes more if you want…” Zachary said as he held my hand with his.Pinagmamasdan niya lang ako ngayon habang nakatingin pa rin ako sa puntod ng mga magulang ako. Ngumiti ako at bumaling sa kaniya. Then I shook my head a little.“I already told them what I wanted to say. We can go now. I want to rest,” sabi ko.Tumango siya at mas hinigpitan ang hawak sa kamay ko.I feel so lucky to have him beside me. When he hugged me, I felt safe and comfortable, I never want to let go.When my parents died, I never experienced such a comforting love again. But with Zachary, I knew it was more than that. It was more than the love I felt when my family was still complete. Kahit ramdam ko ang kulang dahil sa pagkawala ng mga magulang ko, Zachary was able to easily fill its gaps with his gentleness.The day was over before we even knew it. Zachary and I rested the whole night and slept peacefully. I
“Are you sure you’re okay now? We can visit them tomorrow instead,” Zachary said as he helped me get inside our car, his voice like a fire that calms my soul in the midst of a cold winter. It was enough to soothe my heart. More than enough. “I’m okay. Let’s just go.” I smiled to assure him that I’m really fine. Habang walang tigil ang pag-iyak at paghikbi ko kanina sa office ng Daddy ko, Zachary was just there embracing me. He was like a soft pair of large wings that protects me from pain. And I realized that I became more and more dependent of him. I really have no idea if it’s a good thing or bad one. For once, I wanted time to stop. I wanted to stay in that moment. To keep him close to me. Before closing the door on my side, Zachary leaned down to touch my cheek, caressing them. He was looking at me with so much affection in his eyes I couldn’t help but want to drown in them. Pinagmasdan niya lang ako at hinayaan ko siya. I held his gaze as
We arrived at the airport. Kinuha ni Zachary ang mga gamit namin bago kami lumabas. There was an SUV waiting for us outside and we immediately hopped in.Tahimik kaming dalawa sa byahe. It was probably because of what we discussed back in the plane. We talked about my parents and his family. I told him that there was something I still wasn’t telling him. He respects everything. Ang galit ko sa kaniyang ama. Ang gulo sa isip ko tungkol sa mga hindi ko sinasabi sa kaniya. He respects my pace. He respects me.I don’t really know if I should allow myself to be this dependent on him. He’s not asking anything in return. It was so natural to him. Ang pakisamahan ako. Ang intindihin ako. Our differences were mode defined this time. I felt like I’m taking him for granted. No… I really am taking him for granted.Simula pa noon lagi niya na akong iniintindi. He was so good at putting up with me and my shortcomings. I was so high-maintenance I
We were both panting after doing a lot of make love rounds. My body was already exhausted even before we stopped but I just couldn’t get enough of him. I was lying on top of him, still panting. I also could feel his heavy breathing. Nakayakap siya sa akin habang marahang nilalaro ang dulo ng buhok ko. “Thank you…” he whispered. “For coming back to me.” I looked at him and kissed him again on his lips. I licked his lips and urged him to open up for my tongue. I kissed every corner of his mouth and he did the same. “We should shower and eat breakfast.” I chuckled after our kissing. Tumango siya at bumangon sa pagkakahiga, dala dala ako. Then he lifted me up and carried me all the way to my bathroom. Pagkatapos naming maligo ay dumiretso na kami sa baba para magluto at kumain ng breakfast. Zachary was busy cooking some fried rice with spam and egg. Nagluto rin siya na hiwalay naman ang spam at egg sa fried rice. After cooking, he placed t