REED:Reed was still in bed... Clarisa had left hours ago, but he hadn’t come out of his room yet. He lay there, staring at the ceiling... his head ached. It felt like it was being crushed, and he couldn't understand why. He rubbed his head in an attempt to relieve the pain.What had Diana given him that caused such a headache? He knew she had drugged him because he couldn’t move when she was doing things to him... he had just submitted.He wanted to thank Clarisa for coming when she did, preventing Diana’s bad intentions from happening. But this was the price he paid... Clarisa was furious, thinking he had a relationship with Diana.What was he going to do now? How could he correct Clarisa’s mistaken belief that he was with Diana?Suddenly, he sat up. He would go after Clarisa, chase after his wife... He would explain to her that there was no one else, and he was willing to take her back into his life. They would move far away to keep Clarisa away from the prying eyes of gossips and
CLARISA:When they arrived home, she first invited Anton inside. She saw their gossiping neighbors whispering again, probably because she was with another man, but she didn’t care about that anymore. Anton was her friend. He had helped her a lot, and that was something their nosy neighbors didn’t know. She didn’t feel the need to explain anything to them.“Who is he, my child?” her mother asked when they entered their house. Her mom and dad were waiting for her return.“This is Anton, Mom... He helped me escape from that rapist’s place before. He knows that the video that rapist is spreading is not true.”“Good morning, Auntie...” Anton greeted her mother.“Good morning to you too, Anton... Thank you for helping our child,” her mother said.“So, what happened in your conversation with Sir Reed, Clarisa?” her father asked.“He still doesn’t believe me, Dad... And Diana is already at their house... his ex-girlfriend who is also pregnant... I saw them doing something inside our own room.
CLARISA:“ Maria!! Huhuhu... how is Blue?” Her tears flowed again upon seeing her child’s nanny. They hugged each other tightly.“Blue is doing well, Ma’am... Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him as much as I can. I don’t believe you could do what they’re accusing you of in that video...” Maria said, also in tears.“Thank you, Maria... that means a lot to me... You take care of Blue for now... I’ll come back for him when the time is right. All I want is for him to be safe in the hands of Reed’s new girlfriend...”“I’ll take care of him, Ma’am. No matter what happens, I won’t leave Blue. Here’s my cellphone number... call me so you’ll know what’s happening here in the mansion.”She cried again at Maria’s words. She never expected her to help her. “Thank you again, Maria... it means a lot to me that you and Mang Isko believe I couldn’t do what Reed is accusing me of. If possible, let’s keep this a secret... we don’t know what’s going on in Reed’s mind... he might kick you out if he find
She shifted her attention back to the view outside the window.She remembered her friends Loren, Patrick, and Cyena... They hadn’t spoken since everything happened. The events unfolded so quickly. She had no way to contact her friends; Fernando had her phone. She hadn’t made a social media account yet... Did she really want to prioritize that over her problems? Her friends probably saw the video that Fernando spread, and they were likely worried about her... She felt sad for her friends. As much as she wanted to inform them about her situation, she had no way to do so... She didn’t want to go to the hospital where her friends worked... She didn’t want to be seen wandering around; the video was still too fresh in the public eye.Surely her friends would understand if she didn’t reach out to them... For now, she needed to focus on herself.Suddenly, tears started to flow again... She thought of her child, Blue... She hadn’t even been able to see or hold her baby in the last moments befo
"So you really plan to get back together with that Clarisa?"He was startled... it was Diana speaking from behind him. He thought she had left after taking Blue."Why are you still here?" he asked Diana, not answering her question."Can't you see, Reed? Your wife is fooling you! Are you really going to be that stupid? What will people say about you? That you're an idiot?""I don't care what people say... all I need is my wife!"That's bullshit, Reed! I'm here for you! I've loved you all along! Clarisa has already forgotten her love for you... she's practically in a daze, but you still love her? And now this... there's clear evidence, isn't there? It's right in front of you, and you're still blind to it!""You have no say in my decisions! I will choose my own path, not you!""Fine, I won't interfere with you, but you need to stand by your child... he needs a father too!""Didn't I tell you to provide proof that he’s really my son?" he said angrily to Diana."S-Sure, I'll get a DNA test
He had been waiting outside the emergency room for almost two hours when the doctor finally emerged. He quickly stood up to meet the doctor. "Doc, how is my grandfather?" "He's doing well, Mr. Villaruel. He just needs some rest. If possible, he should avoid stress..." "Okay, doc..." "In a little while, he can be moved to a private room to rest more comfortably," the doctor added. After the doctor left, he sat back down in the waiting area, feeling a weight lift from his chest. Thank goodness his grandfather was okay. He could finally relax. Moments later, his phone buzzed. It was Jon calling. "Hello, bro?" he said as he answered. "Pre, just to confirm... the guy we had locked up is out. His name is Fernando, and he lives in Laguna. I went to his house, but he wasn't there. There were broken bottles and blood all around. That's where they took Clarisa... that's the place from the video." His jaw clenched at what he heard. He wanted to kill that Fernando. "Whose blood is it? C
He had been waiting there for almost two hours, but Clarisa, Nanay Celia, and Tatay Kardo were still nowhere to be found. Where could they have gone? he wondered to himself. He stood up from his seat and entered Clarisa's room. A few clothes were scattered on her bed—probably what his wife had taken off earlier. He opened her dresser and was shocked to find the jewelry he had given her. Why was it there? He thought it was supposed to be at their house. He took the jewelry and tucked it into his pocket. Then he headed to the room of Clarisa's parents, feeling increasingly anxious. He hoped that what he feared wasn't true. The room of her parents was neat, but he noticed a folded piece of paper resting on the table. He picked it up and read: "Dear Don Miguel, I hope this finds you in good health. We apologize for not being able to inform you that we have left the estate. Our daughter has been deeply hurt by what Sir Reed did to her. Our daughter got almost raped by the g
CLARISA: She woke up to the conductor's shout... They were already in Quezon Province... She glanced at her mother and father, who had fallen asleep during the trip. "Mom, Dad, wake up. We're almost there," she gently nudged her parents. They immediately became alert. "Sir, we’ll get off at the next stop," she told the conductor. "Are we almost there, dear?" her mother asked. "When we get off, we'll still need to take a jeepney, Mom. The place we're going to is in the barrio." "Oh, is that so... it really is far, isn't it? We've been traveling for hours." "It's good that it's far, Mom... no one will recognize us there." "That's true, dear... this is where we'll start a new life." She felt sad again. "I wonder how my baby is doing? Maybe he's hungry by now." "Don't worry about your child for now... I'm sure Sir Reed is taking good care of him. Plus, Maria is there to look after Blue." "You're right, Mom. I'll call Ate Maria later... I'll check on my baby." "That's up to you
When they went out, her parents and Grandpa Miguel were already waiting at the dining table. Tita Grace and Blue were also there, busy watching Cocomelon on his tablet. They walked hand in hand, and the elderly people smiled as they approached. At first, she didn’t know why they were smiling. Then, she remembered that she and Reed were holding hands, and she was about to pull her hand away. But Reed didn’t let go. She had no choice but to just go along with it. "You’re here, my grandchildren... come, the food is waiting," Grandpa Miguel said. They both just nodded. She was still a bit shy. Reed helped her sit down, and then he sat next to her. "So, what’s your plan for your relationship, children?" Tatay Kardo asked. "Ahm, I’m going back to America, Tay... I’ll just finish my vacation here," she replied. "Why are you going back to America, my dear? Your husband can take care of you. And your hacienda is big enough... Isn’t that enough for you?" her mother asked. "Lolo... I have
After they ate, they walked around the hacienda. They walked hand in hand while their child ran around the wide lot of their house.A little while later, their maid, Nene, approached them. "Ma'am Clarisa, someone is looking for you... They said it's Anton.""Anton is here?" she said in disbelief."Who's Anton?" Reed asked, raising an eyebrow."Ah, he's a friend of mine... He was the one who helped me when Fernando kidnapped me. Just wait, I'll go see Anton..." she excitedly replied. It had been a long time since they last saw each other. Her mother was the one who told her that Anton visited their hacienda whenever he wasn’t busy. She didn’t have social media, so he couldn’t contact her."Anton!" she shouted as she saw him talking to her father. He smiled as he waited for her to reach him."I’ll leave you two for now. I still have a lot to do..." Her father said as he said goodbye."How are you, Ma'am Clarisa? Long time no see!" Anton greeted her happily."Didn't I tell you not to cal
It was already evening when they finished eating. They spent a long time at the dining table because of their endless stories. They missed each other. Her parents and Don Miguel were talking about the mango plantation, while she was busy taking care of her child, feeding him. After they ate, she took Reed to the room where he would be staying. Blue, on the other hand, would sleep in her room. "Sweetheart, why can't I sleep in your room? Aren’t we okay now?" he asked, pouting. "It's embarrassing to Mom and Dad if we sleep in the same room... We just got back together!" she explained. "That's actually better. They might even prefer it. Besides, we’re married. It’s normal for a married couple to sleep beside each other... And what about my promise to you that I’d take care of you later?" "Shhhh! Be quiet! Someone might hear you! You're so shameless," she scolded her husband. "Why? What's wrong?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Just shut up!" she said, clearly losing patience in tr
They walked together into the mansion. Blue was in between the hands of his parents, while Reed and Clarisa walked hand-in-hand, following them. She didn’t really want to hold hands with him. She was shy because their staff at the hacienda were staring at them. She tried to pull her hand away, but Reed didn’t let go."Why? Are you ashamed of me? I’m handsome, aren’t I?" he joked."It’s embarrassing, they’re staring at us.""Let them look. I want you by my side always..." he whispered in her ear and then put his arm around her. She felt a thrill from what he did; it was like they were back to courting each other."By the way, Reed, Clarisa, Don Miguel is here too," her father said."Grandpa Miguel? What’s he doing here?" Reed asked in confusion. Both of them were surprised that Don Miguel was there. Before her parents could respond, they saw the old man approaching."Well, here you are, my grandchildren?" he happily greeted them."Grandpa!!!" she shouted and ran to him. She hugged him
Here we go again... the topic from two years ago is being brought up again. She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She didn’t want to revisit it because it still hurt, but she had no choice but to listen because she was driving. She couldn’t pretend to sleep. She couldn’t silence Reed with what he was saying either... She had no choice but to listen to his explanation."God knows how much I regret not believing you. I looked for you back then, but I couldn’t find you.""Is what happened with Diana also just an accident?" she asked, almost sarcastically. She didn’t believe it was an accident."I don’t know, sweetheart, how she ended up in our room. She gave me a drug to drink... before I knew it, she was holding my manhood, but please believe me, sweetheart, I didn’t want that. You’re the one I love..."She glared at him again to hide the pain in her chest. She felt her eyes starting to water, threatening to cry. She could barely see the road. She stopped the car on the side. Thankf
The next morning, they were awakened by the noise of their child, who had gotten up before them."Yehey! We're in the same bed! Mom, Dad, and me!" the child exclaimed happily. Reed was right last night—if their child found out they weren’t sleeping together, he would be upset. It was a good thing she listened to her husband."Good morning, baby," she greeted her child. Reed also woke up from the noise."Good morning, Mommy," the child said, planting a kiss on her lips."Good morning, Daddy," he added, kissing his father on the lips too."You both kiss Mom and Dad," the child commanded, giggling."L-later, sweetheart. Mommy's breath smells bad," she tried to reason."It's okay, even if Mommy smells bad, I'll still kiss her," Reed teased before kissing her on the lips. "Good morning, sweetheart," he said softly, making her blush again."Yehey!" Blue cheered with excitement."Mommy, didn’t you say we’re going to visit Grandpa and Grandma today?""Yes, sweetheart. We’re leaving today. You
She went to the closet to grab something to wear. She didn't bother opening her luggage since it would only be a hassle to reorganize it tomorrow when she and Blue left.Once she was dressed, she was about to leave the room to check on her child."Where are you going?""To Blue's room. I'll sleep there.""No need. I'll bring him here so the three of us can sleep together.""Are you kidding me? Why would I do that?" she snapped at him."Suit yourself. But if your son wakes up and we're not sleeping together as a family, he'll get upset again," he said nonchalantly. She suddenly fell silent."You stay here; I'll get Blue," Reed said, standing up and walking out the door. She was left sitting on the sofa.When he returned, he was carrying their sleeping child. She quickly stood up to greet him and take Blue from him. She flinched when their skin accidentally brushed against each other.Get a grip, Clarisa! Acting like a virgin just because of a little touch? she scolded herself.Once she
"Your dad's room is bigger, sweetheart... can he just stay there? We might not all fit in your bed," she tried to convince the child again. She still couldn’t fully grasp the idea of sharing a bed with him."Then let’s just stay in your room with Dad, Mom. I’ll move to his room as long as we’re all together," Blue replied."That’s right, baby. Let’s stay in our room with your mom so you can roll around. Our bed is big enough, right? Back then, your mom used to roll around on it too," Reed chimed in from behind them, carrying his luggage. They hadn’t noticed he had followed them. He meant something else entirely, but she chose to ignore it.She shot him a sharp look for joking around with their child. Had he and Blue already conspired on this before she even arrived at the mansion?"Mom, let’s go to Dad’s room!" Blue exclaimed enthusiastically, tugging her out of the room and leading her to Reed’s bedroom.At first, she hesitated to enter, but Blue gave her a little push, urging her in
They sat in silence in the car as he drove. She didn’t say a word either.“H-how have you been? I’ve been looking for you for so long… you and Nanay Celia and Tatay Kardo. I even went to the mango orchard, but you weren’t there anymore.”“We hid in a place where no one knew us, where no one could mock me because of the video that spread back then,” Clarisa replied, her face blank. There was no trace of her true emotions.“A-about the video… I just want you to know that I believe you now. I’m sorry for not trusting you right away back then, sweetheart,” he said to his wife.He saw her tears begin to fall. The brave front Clarisa had put up crumbled, and she started crying. He quickly pulled the car to the side of the road to comfort her.“Don’t cry, sweetheart. It breaks my heart to see you like this. Please forgive me for what I’ve done to you. I still love you…” he whispered to her. Her sobs grew louder until she buried her face in his shoulder.He kissed her to try and stop her tear