Chapter Six

Maaga kaming nagising ni Felix kinaumagahan. Nabalitaan nalang rin namin na maayos na natapos ang party kagabi kahit na maaga kaming umalis sa venue. 

"May nakapansin ba? If anyone finds out I'm pregnant, your Grandma will be furious." may katabangan kong banggit habang sinusuklay ang buhok ko sa harapan ng salamin. 

Mula sa repleksyon ni Felix sa salamin ay nakita ko ang malamlam nitong titig saakin.

"I'm sorry about that, Veronica," he says, his face flushed with guilt. "My family is too dramatic and complicated, I'm sorry I'm dragging you along with me," he apologizes once more.

I can feel his guilt everytime na nakakaranas ako ng difficulty sa grandma niya. At isa ron ay ang paglilihim ko ng pagbubuntis ko. Walang sino man ang pwedeng makahalata na buntis ako bago pa maganap ang Kasal. Two months palang ang tiyan ko kaya madali pang maitago dahil parang bilbil palang.

Ang gusto ng Lola ni Felix ay lumabas na nabuo ang bata pagkatapos ng Kasal. Iniiwasan nila ang issue na kaya nagpakasal si Felix ay dahil nakabuntis ito. 

"It's fine, this much.... is fine." sagot ko.

Mas mabuting intindihin at sundin ang grandma ni Felix kaysa makipagtalo pa ako rito. I don't want to have a more complicated relationship with her. She'll be my child's family, so as long as it's acceptable, I'll cooperate with their demands.

Lumapit ako sa upuan nang makita ang jacket ni Felix, nang malanghap ko ang pabango roon ay hindi ko na napigilang singhutin ang jacket at yakapin.  For some strange reason, I want to wear it, so I turn around and look at Felix, who is staring at me, confused.

"Would it be okay if I borrowed this?" I ask, watching his expression change from confused to worried.

"Of course it's fine, let me help you in putting it on."

Lumapit siya sa akin and assist me in putting on his jacket, which nearly covers my entire body.

"Do you feel cold?" he asks as he brushes my hair with his long, cold fingers.

"No, I just want to put it on because it smells like you." mahina at nahihiya kong pag amin sakaniya. 

"I can just let you hug me kung gusto mo akong maamoy Veronica." he joked, using his hoarse voice.

Parang biglang umikot ang fetus sa tiyan ko matapos marinig yon. Kahit fetus kinilig dahil sa gwapong-gwapo nitong boses. 

"Your jacket is enough," he laughed as I rolled my eyes at him, avoiding his dangerously tempting face.

——

"This will be our home from now on; please let me know if you want anything changed or if you want a bigger place than this."

Nilibot ko ang mata ko sa buong bahay. Magkahalong puti at asul ang disenyo ng dalawang palapag na bahay, sobrang laki na para sa dalawang tao. 

"Be careful," he says as he holds my hand and guides my back.

"Hindi ba parang masyadong malaki to para sating dalawa?" 

May flower garden at maliit na fish pond sa bungad ng bahay bago mo marating ang pintuan ng mismong bahay. In fairness, the atmosphere here is refreshing because of the garden.

"It's not, this is rather small; I'm sorry, I'll find a larger house." nangunot ang noo ko.

"This is large enough Felix, and this house has a relaxing atmosphere; you don't need to look for another house; I'm fine here."

"I'm the one who dragged you in here, I know everything happened was just too fast for you Veronica, so even in things like this, I want to provide everything for you, so please accept everything," he said as he opened the main door.

"Okay, thank you," I had no choice but to agree with him after seeing how his eyes looked at me. "Wow," I exclaimed after seeing the inside.

Because of the white and cream paint design, it appears spacious and clean. In the dining hall, there is a simple yet classy sala set. 

"I asked them to put a carpet in the staircase, but please be careful when going up and down," he said, pointing to the stairs. "And the Sala and dining are close by, so you won't have to walk far to get something to eat or drink," he explained repeatedly.

Nakaramdam ako ng kakaibang tuwa nang mapagtantong lahat sa loob ng bahay na to ay pinasadya niya para maging komportable at safe ako. 

Nang malaman kong kailangan naming tumira sa iisang bubong, I'm uneasy because all I've wanted since leaving my parents' house is to live on my own, but seeing how much effort he put into this house makes me feel better; I hope we get along well.

"Let's go upstairs," he said, pulling me closer to him and holding me up.

Pagkarating namin sa itaas ay may apat na puting pintuan akong nakita. 

"My room is through this door at the end, and yours is through the next door." binuksan niya ang pinto and I saw a fully furnished room for me. 

So we'll be using a different room, huh? Well, our marriage is just a trick, so there's no need to act like a married couple when no one is looking.

I felt a light punch of pain in my chest. He's so caring and sweet that I almost forget this is all a game, that our marriage is just a cover - up to keep the Cortezano's image safe.

Kaya lang siya' ganito kabait at maalaga sa akin ay dahil nakokonsensya siya na nabuntis ako at napilitang magpakasal sakaniya. Mabait siya' sa akin para hindi ako umalis at patuloy na sumunod para mapanatili ang malinis na imahe ng pamilya nila. 

 

"Are you okay Veronica? Bakit natahimik ka bigla may hindi ka ba nagustuhan sa kwarto mo? Just tell me I'll change it." I shook my head and gave him a half-hearted smile.

"Let's continue the tour," I said, turning around and sighing as I exited the room.

Ang dalawang natitirang kwarto ay magiging guess room..May mga rooms din daw sa baba na para sa mga darating na helpers na magiging stay in, probably helpers that already aware about our situation. 

"Are we done for the day?" walang kabuhay-buhay kong tanong sa kanya. 

"Y-yes, uhm... are sure you're okay? May kailangan ka ba? Are you hungry? Do you want me to buy you something to eat?" he continually asks. 

"I'm okay, I'll eat later. Magpapahinga lang ako." I said in a bitter tone. 

As I walked past him, I noticed how puzzled his expression was.

"All right... your things will be here later; if it's already here, I'll knock and call you" 

Walang lingon akong tumango. Bago pumasok sa kwarto ko. Humiga ako sa kama at marahang pumikit at pakalmahin ang sarili ko. 

"Please don't let yourself fall too hard, Veronica." mahinang bulong ko sa sarili.

Kinapa ako ang bulsa ng pantalon ko para sana kunin ang cellphone ko pero agad akong napatayo nang maalalang naiwan ko yun sa loob ng sasakyan ni Felix. Lumabas ako ng kwarto para bumaba ng hagdan, Hindi ko nakita si Felix ng makababa na ako kaya diretso ako sa paglabas ng pinto. 

Napahinto rin ako agad nang marinig ang boses niya na tila may kausap. Pagsilip ko ay agad kong nakita ang malapad na likuran ni Felix, nakatalikod siya  mula sa pwesto ko at nasa tainga ang cellphone. 

"I'm free tonight. The wedding is done at nakalipat narin kami dito sa bagong bahay—yeah, haha shut up man, it's just a show for the elders— " 

Mabilis akong tumalikod at umakyat pabalik sa itaas upang muling magkulong sa kwarto. 

Pagsara ko ng pinto namalayan ko nalang ang tuloy-tuloy na pagbagsak ng mga luha sa mga mata ko.