Chapter 26“Is that man courting you, Heart?” That was Senyora Carmen’s immediate question to her after she sat down beside the old woman. She had suspected that the three of them knew each other. Even though she wanted to know how, she didn’t push for it. She wasn’t in the right position to be nosy.“N-No, Senyora. I just met him recently. I have a friend who lives here, and I’m just visiting his unit for a while.”“Good,” the old lady placed her right hand on her thigh and smiled, “He’s already married. There are plenty of men in the world, Heart, for a kind and beautiful girl like you, not a married man like Enrico Mariano.”The young lady couldn’t understand why she suddenly glanced at the rearview mirror, and so did Lux.“Mama, you’re intervening in Miss Chavez’s life,” Lux remarked, shrugging.“I’m just giving her advice, Lux. I don’t want her to be bothered by a man who can’t give her a hundred percent of his love and time because that man is already married. Heart is still ver
Chapter 27“Heart, Are you have a napkin?” Gigi asked the young lady who immediately froze in response to her friend’s pickup line.“Why?” Even though she didn’t want to, those words slipped out of Heart's lips involuntarily.“Because your mind is flying even though it doesn’t have wings.”Annoying.They both laughed.“You’re impossible. I’m having a moment here, and you’re breaking it with your pickup line,” she said, shaking her head at her close friend.“Well, your mind has traveled so far. If I could hitch a ride on it, I’d probably be in America or on another planet.”They hailed a taxi. It had come to pick her up from the hospital. It had accompanied her mother to watch over her father, and now they were heading home. Her mother had just been sleeping at the hospital because a stretcher was available in the room her father occupied.Since they were headed in the same direction, they decided to ride together. She trusted her friend, so there was no issue with her knowing
Chapter 28NOTE: Sir, just eat there. I cooked a meal and rice. I need to leave early. I have to go back to DSWD to line up. You can come back before I go to work if you want to have fun. Take care on your way home, sir.He smirked, staring at the sticky note plastered onto the door. He raised an eyebrow but glanced at the watch he was wearing.Have fun? Did she just call it love making? Or maybe Heart just wasn’t used to saying the word ‘sex.’ He wasn’t blind to not notice that it wasn’t explicit.He wondered if the woman had slept, or perhaps he was the one who was asleep, so he didn’t notice if she had joined him in bed.He removed the sticky note and carried it with him as he left the room. He walked to the kitchen to eat. He was quite hungry, especially since he hadn’t eaten last night due to his frustration with Diana. Even his grandmother hardly spoke because of their arguments as a married couple.And now he would taste the food Heart had cooked. He opened the dish cabinet. It
Chapter 29Heart was exhausted after a day of taking care of things. The results of her efforts were positive. Her father’s hospital bill had been reduced by eighty thousand pesos. The agency had called the hospital, and there was now a voucher for eighty thousand.The doctor had already restitched her father’s wound. Her mother assured her that it was fine. She was walking in the condo lobby when she suddenly felt dizzy and weak, but she tried to call her siblings to check on them.Lexus answered her call, which brought a smile to her face. “Ate,” he warmly greeted her.“Is that Lexi?”“Yes, Ate, she’s in the living room working on a project. We have a lot of assignments, Ate.”“You can do it. Study well, and I’ll take care of you,” she said as she entered the elevator. However, she felt unsteady as the elevator moved, and she had to lean against the wall.The dizziness passed, and she composed herself. She was just so tired, juggling so many roles in life.“Yes, Ate. Has Dad come ou
Chapter 30Heart's eyes flickered open, greeted by a bright light. She groaned and asked Lux, "What happened?""Thank God, you're awake!" Lux exclaimed, even though he himself was momentarily blinded by the light. He was holding a magazine and quickly rose from a sofa. Heart, still dazed, wondered why they weren't in the condo anymore.As Lux approached, he repeatedly checked her and gently pressed his hand to her forehead. She had passed out, and she now remembered that. But it all felt like a dream, and she couldn't be sure if it had really happened or not.She blinked at Lux as he lifted his face to look her in the eyes. "You're not too hot anymore," he said with a smile.Heart just nodded, saying, "Thanks for bringing me here, but I wish you took me back to the condo. It adds to my expenses.""Jesus, Heart," Lux stood upright, seemingly irritated, "Even now that you're unwell, you're worried about expenses? Will you try to relax just for now?"She remained silent, avoiding his gaz
Chapter 31Heart was surprised when the door suddenly opened while she was having her blood drawn. It was already seven in the morning, and she hadn’t eaten yet.Manang Siony went downstairs to buy some hot soup from a nearby eatery close to the hospital.“Good morning, Heart!” her friends greeted her in unison when they saw her.She laughed upon seeing them, with Gigi at the forefront. “You all are so early,” she said, hardly feeling the pain when the needle pricked her vein.“Well, of course. We can’t miss the sight of your beautiful face even in the morning,” her best friend remarked, but she noticed the guy behind the group.She frowned while sneaking a peek. “Bombay is with you,” Gigi whispered, rolling her eyes.“Let it go, there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just end up fighting.”“He’s so persistent, like a barnacle.”“What happened to you, Heart?” Aiza asked.At that moment, Franco put away his cell phone and faced her. The guy smiled at her.“I just missed my sweetheart,” he s
Chapter 32“Bye, sir!” One of his female employees in the lobby said when he passed by, yet he remained stern and grumpy. He just glanced at her.He couldn’t fake a smile, damn it! He’d been in a foul mood since this morning. At first, he couldn’t understand why he felt that way, but as moments passed, as if there were images flashing inside his mind, he realized what was ticking him off.He was feeling it all wrong. It wasn’t right because he was annoyed when he arrived at the hospital earlier and bumped into that damn Franco Rodriguez, his hand caressing Heart’s head.He’s possessive. In his mind, he was concluding that Heart was his. She’s his woman, damn it! No one else should be touching Heart, just him.Why was that man acting like he was her boyfriend? Maybe Heart was lying to him. Maybe that Franco guy really had a relationship with her.And she didn’t protest about the wedding. He, the fool, even offered to be a sponsor, then he got annoyed at his own words.And until now, he
Chapter 33“JERK!”Lux’s eyes widened as he lifted himself from the bed, and a flying calculator hit him in the face. He dodged, but it landed on his chest. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists, staring at his furious, poised wife.“How dare you talk about me with those people?! What do you know about counseling? So, what are you telling your friends, that I have a problem?!” She angrily exclaimed, her eyes blazing.She stood by the office table, seemingly packing her bag, but it ended up as ammunition against him.“Will you damn calm down and explain that thing to me? Will you?” he asked in a tone that he couldn’t determine as anger or calm.“Why don’t you explain it yourself, Lux? Why are you discussing counseling with them? Do you have a problem with me?” she asked boldly.“Ask yourself,” he replied emotionlessly and flicked the comforter, “If you ever throw something at me again, Diana, don’t show your face to me. Maybe I won’t spare you.”Lux’s face darkened, as did his g