Chapter 2. Her first heartbreak

Helsey's Pov.

After a few days in Palawan, we returned to Manila, but since then, Brandon has changed. He changed, and I felt that.

"Can we talk?" I asked him while we headed back to my home.

Seconds after he responded, "Sure,"

"Are you mad at me?" He took a glance at me and looked back to the street as he drove.

"Why would I?" He asked back without even looking at me.

I sighed in response.

He snapped my left hand from my lap as he reached out of it. He clasped it while his left hand was on the steering wheel of the car.

He kissed my hand. "Please don't ever leave me," he said, while he put our hands in his lap.

I astonishingly look at him. "Of course I'm not. Why did you think that?" He didn't respond to me, but still he was holding my hand.

He let go of my hand as we entered the street through my house.

As we got right in front of my house, I was about to unbuckle my seatbelt as he held my head and kissed me on the lips. I was in shock. I didn't move, as I felt very weird toward him today.

After he kissed me, "You promised me?" He uttered right through my face as he cupped my face, and I smelled his fresh breath as our faces were so close to each other.

"Are you okay? "I asked. I don't know what to say. Is he sick or what? Why he's acting this way.

He let go of me and straightened his back from the seat. He leaned back and sighed.

"Nothing; I was just overthinking what would happen if you left me," I chuckled.

No, I won't; I promised. I'll always be right by your side if you need me, and I'll love you forever. I made an assurance.

I unbuckled the seatbelt and said goodbye to him. As I entered the house, it was as silent as the grave. I went upstairs and directly entered my mom's room, where she was staying all the time. I found her sitting on the terrace while my auntie was doing laundry in the utility room.

"Hi, mom." I hugged her back as I reached her.

"How was your trip?" She asked me while holding my arm while hugging her.

"Pretty good, mom," I said, and letting go of hugging her, I kneeled down and faced her. "I have something for you." I fetched the bracelet from my backpack; I've been hiding it since I bought the pearl bracelet. We stopped by El Nido before heading back to Manila and had a chance to buy souvenirs.

"How were you feeling today, mom?" I asked her as I put on the bracelet on her right arm.

"I Feel much better than yesterday."

"That's good to hear; have you taken your medicine yet?" I reminded her, and she nodded.

"It suits you well," I said after I'd put on the bracelet. She sweetly smiled at me; her smile really means a lot to me.

The bracelet isn't that expensive, like an original pearl, but her smile makes it worth a thousand cents.

My heart lightened as I saw her smiles; she still could smile despite her illness.

I'm thinking about her illness; it's killing me. I don't know how I could live without my mother. She's the only one I have in my life, and I wish my father was still alive today. I wish I had him so I could tell him my dilemmas in life.

But he was gone, and until now his case hadn't been resolved.I feel so much pity for my family; I hadn't had any chance to give my father justice.

But I won't stop until we get justice for his death.

I was casually digging in my backpack to find my comb as I was getting ready to go to work.

I found a check stuck to my pocket notebook, and as I took it and read it, my heart wilted.

"Five hundred thousand pesos," I uttered.

"Is he insane? How could he have given me such substantial money?" I said, and I put the check back in the pocket notebook.

He said he would pay me my whole day's salary, but this isn't just my whole day's salary but my entire year's salary.

I worked as a waitress at the Ruzellian Hotel's restaurant. As I got there, I immediately robed in my apron. What a busy day!

"Kaden, faster, serve this to table 10." I rolled my eyes as I heard my manager spur me to serve, yet I haven't finished fixing my hairnet.

"Kaden, the customer is waiting for their food." She reminded me again,

"I'll be right over."

"Kade---"

"Am I the only one on shift?" I asked her as I exited the bathroom.

I took the tray of food and walked towards table 10. Why does Loren, my manager, not just serve the food to that table?

"Waldorf salad," I announced as I set down one of the plates in front of the woman who wears a red elegant dress; her lips were as red as her dress.

"So you are Helsey, ha?" I stopped as I heard her clarify my name.

"Y-yes."

"Cheap, "she said, and I straightened my posture. "Pardon?" I said, as I didn't clearly hear what she said.

"You're a cheap kind of girl."

I clear my throat. "What did you say?" She raised her brow to me. "Are you deaf? Or a gold digger?" She said.

She stood up from her seat; she was a bit taller than me, and as I realized, she seemed so familiar because she is Brandon's mother.

I froze as she poured me a glass of wine. As I watched the entire restaurant, some of their eyes were on us.

"You deserve to be washed, filthy poor girl," she said. I bowed my head as I felt really abashed by what she did.

Calm down, Helsey, for the sake of your mother. Don't make any scene to lose this job.

"Why did---"

A hard slap from his hand makes me deafen in a second.

"You better get away from my son's life; you wouldn't like the subsequent thing I could do to you," she said as I watched her exit the restaurant. Loren, my manager, comes to me.

"Are you okay?" I ignore her and run towards the bathroom.

My cheeks were swelling as she slapped me. I never thought his mother was a kind of doghearted person,and I don't know if I still have a face to get out of here.

Three weeks later, I encountered Brandon's mother. I never tell him what happens that day; I don't want him to pity me for that.

Speaking of Brandon, he seems so busy these past few days. We never met again after he brought me home. We communicated through our phones, but that didn't even last an hour.

I was casually lying down on my bed since my suspension from work isn't over yet.

People these days take sides with people who are rich and, like me, poor; we usually take blame for the things we never did.

"Helsey..." I was startled when I heard my aunt shout my name.

I immediately exited my room and went to my mother's room.

I found my mom prostrate on the floor unconsciously, her blood flowing through the floor.

My hands were shaking as I watched my aunt's blood splatter from her head.

"P-please call the ambulance." My voice was trembling as I said it to my aunt. She immediately called it as she relaxed from panicking.

I called Brandon, but his phone was unreachable. I tried and tried dialing his number, but it was still unreachable.

"Mom?" I wail as I grab her hand and check her pulse, which is still flicking.

"Aunt, please help me get her in my car," I said. I can't wait for the ambulance to come home. I couldn't bear watching her as I remembered my father's tragic death.

We slowly carry her downstairs, my heart beating fast, blaming myself for not watching her. She might have fainted, and her head banged against the edge of the bed, causing it to bleed.

I don't know how fast I drove to the hospital. We immediately arrived at the hospital, and I was sobbing while watching her in the hospital wheeled stretcher . They immediately took my mom to the emergency room. I followed them while I was still having my panic attack, which made me want to faint. The moment I entered the hospital, my anxiety worsened as I thought of my father's situation before he passed away. My traumas from his incident regained their to my mind again.

"Maam, calm down." The nurse helps me to calm down from sobbing and gives me a bottle of water. She offered me a seat while I waited for the result.

"Okay, Inhale... exhale," she said, holding my hand, trying to stop it from shaking.

As I waited for almost an hour, my aunt arrived.

"Helsey," she called my name, and I tilted my head to look over her. I was leaning in the waiting area of the hospital, feeling tired from crying; my head rankled from crying.

My aunt sat down beside me. "How is she?" She asked.

"Doctor still hadn't exited yet," I responded in melancholy.

I opened my screen phone expecting any messages from Brandon, but sadly, he hasn't yet messaged me.

Maybe he was too busy today; I'll pass it over to his company later.

Minutes later, the doctor comes out of the emergency room. I stood up because I wanted to know, How's my mom? Is her wound worse?

"Helsey Kaden?" He called my name.

"I-I'm Helsey Kaden; how was my mother, doc?" I rubbed my hands together as I felt the coldness in my body.

"Her wound isn't that bad, but." He paused, and my heart beat fast as he looked at me and held my shoulder.

"Her illness is worsening and causes her to faint," he said.

I heard my aunt wailing, and as I watched the doctor walk away, my tears trickled down again through my cheeks.

I put my hands behind my head and rubbed my face down, thinking what would happen to her.

I headed back home, letting my aunt watch my mom as I changed my clothes full of blood from her wound.

It's already 7:45 p.m., so I decided to pass over Brandon's company before I went back home.

As I entered the street next to the street where his company was, I saw something familiar that made me pull over my car in the distance.

"Brandon?" I mumbled to myself as I saw him in a suit while exiting from the luxury bar. I was about to start my car when I saw who was coming toward him.

My heart dropped as I saw him kiss another girl.

He kissed a girl?

I couldn't move; my body froze as they kissed. The girl is more attractive than me.

"Fuck!" I said, I don't know what to do, it hurts. It hurts so much, why is this day so cruel to me?

The light from the street lamppost shone on my car windshield, where my face could be seen outside from inside my untinted car.

My hands were still on the steering wheel as I let the tears trickle down my cheeks.

The feeling of betrayal kills me. It was my first boyfriend and my first heartbreak. I want to come closer to them, as I realized my t-shirt has a blood stained. I don't want them to think I killed someone, as I look like a killer with a miserable look tonight.

My head hurts as I start recollecting the words he said to me: "Please, don't leave me."

Why are cheaters fond of having sweet messages and lines that we girls treasure the most?

Why was he cheating on me while he said not to leave him? Does he try to play with my feelings? If so, he won.

A thunderous sound makes me want to go home since it might rain.

But my mind says I should stay and watch the two of them.

Minutes later, the rain fell, and Brandon and the girl entered his car. They drove away, and I followed them in the distance. But he drives so fast, and I couldn't catch up with them, and because of the rain, I couldn't see the road very well.

I grabbed my phone as my hand trembled from freaking out and tried to call him; he picked it up. Finally!

I tried not to sob as he answered the call.

"Where are you?" I managed to talk to him like nothing had happened.

"I'm busy; I'll call you later."

He ended the call.

Why did you do this, Brandon? You used to be my everything.

After you made me fall hard for you, you're now making me regret loving you.

You hurt me when I really needed you.

"I need you more than you needed that girl tonight."