Boy, what place is this? "This is Laguna, ma'am. Why don't you know where you are?" the young man asked her, confused. "Ah, well... I was robbed. I don't have my cellphone or money. Could I borrow your phone to make a call?" She noticed that he hesitated, as if checking if she was telling the truth. "Oh, ma'am, I don't have a cellphone either. I only borrow from my brother. You know, life is tough..." While she was talking to the boy, she saw Fernando limping as he walked, as if looking for her. He glanced around nervously... She quickly lowered her head and prayed he wouldn't see her. "Boy, can I sell you my watch? It's a Rolex, very expensive... I just need money for my fare home." "But ma'am, I really don't have money. I don't even have a cellphone, and now you're trying to sell me an expensive watch?" the boy replied, sounding sarcastic. "Even just a thousand pesos, just enough to get home. You can have my Rolex... You could sell it for around 800,000 pesos." "Really, ma'a
"How dare you, Clarisa!!!" Reed shouted, pointing at her.She fell to the floor, holding her cheek from the pain of the slap. Her cheek felt numb."What did I do?" she asked her husband through her tears. She was still holding her cheek, confused. This was not the welcome she had expected."Are you not satisfied with me? Are you willing to ruin our family because of one man???""What are you talking about?" she said, still crying on the floor."You even lied to Grandpa that you were going to visit me in Batangas, but instead, you went to meet that man??? " Reed’s voice thundered through the house."What? I don’t understand what you’re saying!!!""Look! It’s all over social media... you’re such a shameless woman!!!"He threw his cellphone at her. Trembling, she took it and looked at it.It felt like she was doused with cold water upon seeing what was on the screen... The video showed her and Fernando eating on the bed, looking very sweet. This was the time when she was trying to get al
She heard someone shouting but ignored it. She knew they were calling her. She was the only one walking around at that time. “Ma’am!!!” the man shouted again. She turned towards the direction of the shout. It was the driver who had taken her from Laguna to the mansion. She stopped walking when she saw him approaching her. “What happened to you? Why are you walking out here at this hour? Didn’t I drop you off at your house?” Her tears started to flow again, as if her heart was about to burst. “I was kicked out of my house... Huhuhu!” “Why, Ma’am?” the driver asked, concerned. She looked at the man to see if she could trust him... He seemed kind. “The reason I was in Laguna earlier is because I was kidnapped by a man... He wanted to rape me and use me. I was just trying to get along with him so he wouldn’t kill or hurt me, which is how I managed to escape, but I didn’t know he was recording us with my phone...” “I escaped because I stabbed his dick with a fork, so this is proba
“Tomorrow, I’ll go back to the mansion and tell my husband about this!” she said with hope… She just hoped Reed would believe her. She turned back to Anton and smiled. “I believe you’ll be a great lawyer someday! You give such good advice!” “I hope so, Ma’am… Helping others is really in my nature, so I won’t charge you for my attorney’s fees right now, haha…” She smiled at Anton’s joke. “Where are you heading now?” she asked the young man. “To school…” He leaned on the motorcycle. It seemed their conversation had taken longer than expected. It was nice talking to him. She briefly forgot her problems. “Aren’t you going to rest?” “I just take short naps at the convenience stores I pass by… I don’t have time to rest properly.” She felt sympathy for the hardworking young man… Her heart ached a bit. She took off her pair of earrings and bracelet and handed them to Anton. “Keep these… sell them and use the money for your studies. They’re diamonds, so they’re worth about 70
At eight in the morning, Clarisa came down from her room. She hadn’t slept at all. It felt like she was just waiting for the morning to return to the mansion. She took a shower… Fortunately, she still had some of her things in her room. When she came downstairs, her mother wasn’t around. She went straight to the kitchen to make some coffee. Her head was pounding from lack of sleep and stress. There was hot water ready in the kettle… her parents had probably just finished their coffee. While she was preparing her coffee, she heard her mother talking to someone outside the house. Her mother’s voice was unusually loud, which puzzled her. Her mother usually spoke calmly, so she was curious about who she was talking to. She hurried outside. “It’s not true!!!” She found her mother shouting at their neighbors, who were holding cell phones. It seemed they had seen the video Fernando spread last night. Her father stood quietly beside her mother, but there was visible anger in his eyes. It w
When she reached the waiting shed, a taxi arrived just in time. She hailed it, and it stopped in front of her. She first peeked inside the taxi to see if she recognized the driver—what if it was Fernando again? It seemed like her phobia was getting worse... she was starting to doubt everyone."Miss! Are you going to get in or just stand there staring?" the irritated driver called out to her.After making sure it wasn’t Fernando, she got into the passenger seat."Where to, miss?""To the Villaruel mansion, please..."The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror... it seemed like he was trying to recognize her when she mentioned she was heading to the mansion.She already knew what was going through his mind. He had probably seen the video too... She could only sigh in frustration."Sir, are we leaving or are you just going to sit there staring?" she asked coldly."Ah, sorry miss... It's just that you look like the woman from that video I saw. I just can’t believe it’s really y
Reed was lying on their bed… his shorts down, while a woman was performing a lewd act on him. They both froze, startled by the sudden opening of the door. The woman looked up, her eyes locking with Clarisa’s.It was Diana—the woman she had always been jealous of, the same woman who had gotten pregnant by Reed. They were in the middle of something, right there in the bed she shared with her husband. It seemed like they had just started, as they weren't completely undressed yet.Both Reed and Diana quickly scrambled off the bed. Clarisa remained standing in the doorway, unable to move. She couldn’t tell if it was she who should feel ashamed for barging in without knocking or if it was them for being caught in such a vile act."W-what are you doing here?!" Reed shouted, hurriedly pulling up his shorts.She didn’t respond, her eyes fixated on Diana, who was straightening her clothes, wearing a smug, taunting smile."Oh, so the dirty woman came back? Why are you even here? Haven’t you had
"Why did you come back, Diana?" Reed asked angrily. Only the two of them were left. Clarisa was gone."I saw the video of Clarisa, and I wanted to comfort you. I hadn’t shown up for a long time because I was planning to step aside for you two... I had decided to raise our child alone and not disturb you, but what did Clarisa do to you? She just deceived you... she messed with your head!"His jaw tightened at her words."Tomorrow, I’ll bring our child here... we’ll live here so you won’t be alone, and someone can take care of Blue. Poor Blue, without a mother... Don’t worry, Reed, I’ll take care of Blue as if he were my own."She grabbed his shoulder, but he shrugged her off. "You can’t live here..." he replied simply."But why? Your child has rights here... he’s your flesh and blood!... He’s also a Villaruel!" Diana insisted."Give me a DNA result for him... Prove that he’s really my son.""Of course he’s yours! What do you think, that I’m like Clarisa?"It wasn’t that he was a bad fa
CLARISA: She woke up with a throbbing headache. She was lying in bed and had fallen asleep. Glancing around, she realized it wasn’t her room, but she was still in the hotel where the convention was being held. The setup of this room was identical to hers. She tried to recall what happened before she lost consciousness. Her memory was hazy, but she distinctly remembered Albert giving her wine, and then everything went black. She bolted upright. Where was she? She looked for her cellphone. She knew she had put it in her pocket before passing out. "Good, you're awake," Albert said, stepping out of the bathroom, freshly showered. "What did you do to me? Why am I here?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion and fear. "Did you think I would just forget what you did to me? I won’t let anyone else have you, not even your ex-husband! I’ve been waiting for you for so long, only to find out you have a family here in the Philippines?" "What are you talking about, Albert? I neve
REED: Reed was excited to see Blue and Clarisa together again. He was determined to join them this time. In his mind, he kept thinking about how much he wanted to see his wife again. He had already talked to Blue, who promised to help him convince Clarisa not to return to America. He just hoped she’d agree and give him another chance to win her back. He had been chatting with his wife earlier, pretending to be Blue so she would respond. Every time his phone chimed, his heart fluttered, knowing it was Clarisa. God, I missed her so much! Even though they had just seen each other yesterday, he wanted to run to her and hold her tightly. For two years, he had lived in worry and search, unsure if she was alive or dead. Why had it never crossed his mind that she might have returned to America? He recalled seeing her for the first time yesterday... He was speechless. She was even more beautiful now. Her once straight hair was now curly. He didn’t mind—it suited her. But there was somethin
CLARISA:She was getting ready to sleep when suddenly, there was a knock on her door. She frowned. Who could it be? She didn’t order room service, and she and Blue had already eaten at the restaurant earlier.She checked the peephole before opening the door. It was Albert, and he looked drunk.She opened the door slightly but kept the chain lock in place, allowing only a small gap. If he tried anything inappropriate, he wouldn’t be able to enter her room.“What are you doing here, Albert?” she asked.“Let’s talk, Clarisa! You led me on... I thought you just weren’t ready to answer me, but it turns out you’re married and have a child?!” he exclaimed, raising his voice due to his drunken state.“I never led you on, Albert. Not once did I give you any reason to think you had a chance with me! You don’t know my reasons for keeping my marriage and child a secret, so you have no right to talk to me like that!” she retorted angrily.“But you know I love you, Clarisa! I’ve loved you for so lo
REED:His jaw tightened as he watched his wife with another man holding her. He wanted to run over and punch him... No one could take his wife away!“Daddy? Is he Mommy's boyfriend?”“No, sweetheart... didn’t Mommy say he’s not her boyfriend?”“Why didn’t you kiss Mommy earlier? Are you two fighting?” Blue asked him. He never thought his child would be so observant at such a young age.“Mommy is a little upset with me, sweetheart... because Daddy did some bad things in the past... but Daddy won’t do them again...”“You should say sorry to Mommy, then!” his child insisted.“Okay, sweetheart, I will do that, but you have to help Daddy!”“How?”“Convince your Mommy to come back home and live with us, and not go back to America...”“She’s going back to America? She’s going to leave us again?”“Yes, so you need to make her promise not to leave... you’re the only one who can stop her. She loves you so much that she can’t say no to you.”“Okay, Daddy, I’ll do what you want as long as Mommy d
“Hey, honey!”Their attention turned to the person speaking behind them. It was Albert. She suddenly frowned. Why was he here again?He had followed her despite her telling him not to. He was so annoying... it was irritating!And he even called her honey in front of her child and Reed! She shot Reed a glance, and his jaw tightened upon seeing the man.“Who is he, Mommy?” Blue asked, frowning.“Mommy? You call her Mommy?” Albert said in surprise at what he heard from Blue.“Who are they, honey?” Albert asked her.“Don’t call me honey, Albert! How many times do I have to tell you?” she replied firmly.“Who are they?” he asked her again.“T-this is my baby Blue and my ex-husband…” she introduced, not wanting to explain further. But she knew Albert well. He was persistent and wouldn’t let her go. She also didn’t want to deny her husband and child in front of him.“Husband... not ex-husband!” Reed corrected her. She just raised an eyebrow at him.“Are you the one who was with my mommy on T
“Daddy!!!” Blue shouted as he broke free from her and ran to his father, asking to be carried.“Daddy, look! Mommy is already here!” Blue exclaimed, pointing at her.“I can see that, son…” he replied softly, his gaze never leaving her. She remained with her head down.“Maria…” she turned to the nanny. “Didn’t I say it should just be us?” she whispered.“Yes, Ma'am... I didn’t know Sir would follow us,” the nanny replied, looking a bit nervous. She hadn’t expected to see Reed there.“It’s not Maria’s fault, sweetheart. Don’t blame her,” Reed said, having overheard their conversation.“Daddy, let’s sit here next to Mommy,” their son said, still in Reed’s arms. The table was quiet, with no one wanting to break the silence. They were all just feeling each other out.“Um, I’ll leave you two for a moment, Ma'am Clarisa, Sir Reed,” Maria said, standing up. She didn’t wait for their response, not wanting to interrupt but wanting to give them time alone as a couple.“How have you been? You loo
He spent the whole day at home. Maybe once he left, Blue and Ate Maria would leave too.He shouldn’t lose sight of the two of them. He couldn’t let them slip away.It was nearly five o’clock. He saw Maria talking on the phone earlier, but he didn’t ask any questions. He pretended he hadn’t noticed. He knew it was Clarisa. She must have told her where they would meet.Blue and Maria were still in the room. She was dressing the child. They were probably getting ready to leave. Maria had already informed the driver to take them later. He didn’t want to get involved in their plans; he had his own plans.He just wanted Maria and Blue to leave peacefully to meet Clarisa, and then he would show up.As soon as Maria and Blue came out of the room, Blue approached him to say goodbye.“Daddy, we’re just going to meet Mommy, okay?” his son said, holding a bouquet of roses. He had asked his yaya to buy it earlier to give to his mommy.“Aren’t you going to come with us?”“Maybe next time, son…”“O
“Dad, where's Mom?” Blue greeted him, waiting for him at the gate of their house with Maria.“Sorry, son, Mom is still at work, so she can't come home yet. But I promise you I will bring her here, okay? Don't be sad…”“Promise?” he asked sadly.“Y-yes, son…” Even he was unsure of his answer. He didn't know if he could keep the promise to his child. But he didn’t want to see his son sad. Blue had been waiting a long time for his mommy. He hoped that Clarisa would at least think of them too.“Let’s go inside…” he said, taking the child's hand. They walked into the house in silence. Blue still looked sad. He felt helpless to cheer him up; only his mommy could make him happy that day.As soon as they entered the house, the phone rang.“Maria, please answer it,” he instructed Maria, suspecting it was another prank caller who never spoke whenever he answered.Maria quickly walked over to the phone to answer it.“Hello?”“Maria, this is Clarisa.”“Ma’am!!!” Maria exclaimed in surprise.“Don’
She had just finished getting dressed when someone knocked on her door. It must be Albert. They startled each other when she opened the door."You look stunning, honey...""Hmph, flatterer... Let's go before we're late.""Let's go..." he replied, holding her arm. She wanted to shake him off, but she was afraid he might get mad and say she was being difficult. Lately, he had been getting touchy with her. She didn't want anyone touching her, especially not a man. She still had a phobia of men, probably because of Fernando, who almost raped her.When they arrived, there were already a lot of people in the convention hall where their convention would be held. Albert stuck closer to her, holding her at the waist. He was acting like a boyfriend. She was annoyed, but there were media people around, and she didn't want to embarrass Albert."Good morning, Dr. Smith! Can we interview you?" a reporter asked Albert."Sure! Sure!" he replied, smiling. She didn’t want to join in, but he tightened h