Amelia and Friends“Sis! Look, baby is so cute!” Amelia proudly showed Sophia, as she repeatedly stared at the ultrasound picture the doctor had given her. The baby’s embryo was still small but visible in the scan.“Wow! Sis, it’s really there! It’s all real now!” Sophia replied.“Girl, we should start buying baby stuff! I’m so excited to find out if it’s a girl or boy. We can put the crib right here! And we should get a little swing to put there!” Ian said, practically acting like the baby’s mom, eagerly planning what to buy for Amelia’s baby.“Haha, sis, you’re more excited than the mom!”“How are you going to handle work now?” Sophia asked, gently touching Amelia’s belly.“I already talked to Ms. Isabel. She gave me a week off, and I’ll just stay updated through email,” Amelia replied.“Oh, that’s good, sis! At least Ms. Isabel knows. Because of that, you’re not allowed to stay up late, and no stress for you! Don’t worry about the household expenses; Ian and I will take care of it.
“Hello, sweetheart!” “Oh, sweetheart, why did you suddenly call?” Tim asked, surprised. “Sweetheart, I want to see you! We need to talk about something!” Sandra said affectionately to Tim. “Let’s meet at the condo later! I might be home a bit late; I have a big transaction to handle today and I need to secure it. We can’t afford to mess this one up. I’ll earn a lot from this, sweetheart!” “Alright, sweetheart, just come home tonight! I’ll wait for you. I’ll serve you some soup number 5.” “Alright, sweetheart. Get ready for tonight, You’ll be in touble with me! I want you showered when I arrive, and put on that red nightie!” Tim said eagerly. If it weren’t for this big transaction, he wouldn’t go with his team. He trusted them enough, though. Tim said goodbye to Sandra, hurrying because his business partner was calling him. They had to go to the site with their team, as their clients were also on their way. Tim’s group was the largest drug supplier in the Philippines! This
Sandra stood up again! Seeing that Tim was in a good mood, she brought out the pregnancy test she had taken and handed it to him. Tim looked at her, delighted. He suddenly pulled Sandra, making her jump with joy. “Yes, sweetheart, I’m going to be a dad!” In his excitement, he gave her a deep kiss. “Why didn’t you tell me right away?! I shouldn’t have been smoking in the room!” “But sweetie! We have to take care of something! I’m going to hold Arnaldo responsible as the father of this baby!” Sandra said firmly. Tim’s mood changed instantly at her words. “Are you crazy, Sandra?! Are you out of your mind? That’s my child, so I should be recognized as the father!” Tim yelled angrily. “Oh, come on, sweetheart!” Sandra caressed Tim’s chest. “Of course, you’re the father, but this is a good opportunity to speed up the wedding! We’ll use this baby as leverage with Arnaldo and his family. Don’t you think that once Veronica finds out I’m pregnant, she’ll insist we get married as soon as
AMELIA POV I’m excited again because it’s my fourth time visiting the clinic for my prenatal check-up! But today, I went alone. My appointment was early, so Ian and Sophia are still at work. It’s fine with me, though. So far, only Ms. Isabel knows that I’m pregnant, and my belly is still small! I don’t really mind if everyone at the office finds out, but I’m just not the type to chat much with my coworkers since my friends are all in different departments. I headed straight to Dr. Renata’s room, as the receptionist had let me in since the previous patient was finished. I had an abdominal ultrasound, and the doctor said my baby is healthy. On the monitor, I could see its little heartbeat. “Amelia, would you like to know the baby’s gender? I can already see it!” Dr. Renata asked. “Yes, Doc, so I can start buying baby items!” “There you go, Mommy Amelia. You see that?” (the doctor pointed to something on the monitor). “It’s a boy. Congratulations!” Amelia was thrilled at the news.
Sandra left her check-up feeling restless. Dr. Renata had also given her a request for an MRI, which only added to her worries. “Bestie, Mommy Veronica cannot know about the baby’s condition. They might realize he isn’t Arnaldo’s.” Sandra’s mind was a mess, and she hadn’t moved from the doorway of Dr. Renata’s office. “If I get an MRI, that’s the end for me,” she muttered. Kenzo comforted her, though he was equally unsure of what to do. He felt sorry for the baby, knowing the potential issues that could affect its development. He took Sandra’s arm to support her, but then he noticed something in the hospital lobby. Sandra, lost in her own thoughts, hadn’t seen it. “Hey! Isn’t that the woman you caught in Arnaldo’s room?” Kenzo pointed at Amelia with irritation. He remembered her because she usually wore glasses at the office, but now she wasn’t. “Where?” Sandra’s attention snapped back, her interest piqued by Kenzo’s words. “There, sitting over there,” Kenzo pointed to where Amel
When she returned to the mansion, she was with Kenzo. She showed her in-laws the things she bought for her baby boy. She lied to them, saying her baby was healthy. She even showed them an ultrasound picture given by her doctor. Since they didn’t really know how to interpret the ultrasound results, Sandra simply showed them the image of her baby from the ultrasound. They were pleased that the gender was very visible. The elderly couple thanked Kenzo for always accompanying Sandra during her check-ups, as well as on her other errands.“Mom! Kenzo and I, along with some other friends, are having a get-together tonight because Olena is throwing a farewell party—she’s getting married to her fiancé from Canada!” Sandra explained to Veronica.“Oh, is that so, dear! No problem. I’ll have the driver pick you up when you’re ready to come home. Which hotel are you meeting at?”“Oh, no need, Mom! It’s going to end late. We’ll be staying over. I’ve been getting a bit restless here at home, and Arn
Tim greeted the doctor with a sly smile and casually sat on the couch beside her desk, crossing his legs as if he were in his own home. The doctor knew he had an agenda; her receptionist had been nervous when calling to announce his arrival. Not wanting any trouble, she had calmly instructed her to send him straight to her office. “Yes, Tim, what can I do for you?” the doctor asked professionally. “I heard Sandra has a problem with the baby,” he began. “I don’t want any beating around the bush. Sandra can’t have an MRI because then the Alcantara family will find out about the issue. They must not learn that there’s something wrong with the baby. Or, are you even thinking?” he said arrogantly. “If Sandra gets an MRI, there’s a chance they’ll discover the baby isn’t Arnaldo’s. You know Sandra has to safely deliver that baby! There’s something I need to know from you!” he said in a commanding tone, as if talking to
When Arnaldo entered their bedroom, he saw Sandra seated on the plush sofa by the bed, watching a movie.“Sandra, if you’re not too tired, would you like to go out for dinner with me?” he greeted her.Sandra was taken aback by the sudden change in his behavior. Arnaldo rarely initiated conversations when he came home from work; he usually headed straight to the bathroom for a shower, then disappeared into his study room connected to their bedroom. He would only come to bed when it was time to sleep, settling on a small bed he had set up separately.“Oh! Hi, Arnaldo. I’m not tired; I don’t have anything going on. Sure, I’ll just change quickly,” she said, leaping up eagerly. Like a child, she rushed to get dressed, afraid he might change his mind. After all, this was a rare occurrence. Actually, in their entire time together, this was the first time he’d invited her out for dinner.Arnaldo also changed into something casual to feel comfortable. He
I heard that Ms. Isabel was let go. She was reportedly terminated before her retirement.“You know, sis, it’s a good thing you already left. Ms. Isabel really got the short end of the stick. Can you believe it? She was only a few months away from retirement, and then suddenly she got terminated. For an unknown reason,” Ian shared.“We feel like Arnaldo really planned to get rid of Ms. Isabel. She was good at her job. Ian said he saw her called into the HR head's office, and when she came out, she was almost in tears. We only found out from the finance team that she was let go,” Sophia added.“Poor Ms. Isabel. She was so nice. And it’s such a shame because she was about to retire. She didn’t even make it. That’s why, sissy, I’m so grateful to Regan for always supporting Anthony and me. Here, we can move freely. I can go anywhere I want,” I responded to them. Sophia was holding Anthony, who was resting on her, while Ian sat in front of me.“And sis, did you know that your child and Arna
The next day, baby Anthony's caregiver, Ana, arrived. The security called me first to confirm Ana's access to our flat. They can't just come up without clearance, so when we go downstairs later, I’ll request for them to grant her access. Regan had already taught me yesterday where to ask for it, so I have an idea of what to do."Good morning, Mam. Amelia," Ana greeted me with a smile when I opened the door. "Ana, please don't call me 'Mam,' just Amelia," I told her. "I'm just not used to it. All my previous employers, even the Filipinos, I always called 'Mam.' Just let me know what Baby Anthony needs, and if he has any food allergies," Ana explained. Baby Anthony can now eat liquid foods. "By the way, Mam Amelia, Sir Regan also asked me to take care of Baby Anthony's checkup. We can go to the hospital now to register Anthony, so I can take care of the scheduling. It's important that we get him registered today.""Alright, Ana, we’ll just get ready. I also need to buy milk an
Once we got into the car, I thanked Regan for his help with me and my son. If it weren't for him, we'd still be hiding here in the Philippines. We placed baby Anthony in the car seat that Regan had prepared for him. I immediately connected to Regan's phone internet so I could call Ian and Sophia. I was sure they were already worried about how long our trip had taken."Sissy, we're here with Baby Anthony!" I told Sophia when she answered my video call. Ian quickly joined the conversation."Sis! I'm so glad you made it safely. Where’s Regan, sis? Show him!" Ian quickly asked. Regan was driving but listening to our conversation. He smiled at us. I pointed the camera at him, and he greeted them while keeping his eyes on the road."Hi Ian, Sophia! Sorry, I can't look at the camera, I'm driving," Regan said, greeting them."That's okay, Regan, take care of our friend. Thank you for helping her," Sophia said, almost in tears.Talking to Ian made me feel a bit down, so I said goodbye and made
"Hello Regan, it's Amelia!?" Amelia greeted the person on the other end of the line.Regan immediately stood up from where he was lying. He was about to sleep when his phone suddenly rang! He quickly answered it when he saw that it was Amelia calling."Amelia?! How are you? What’s going on?! How's Anthony doing?""I'm good, Regan. I guess you missed me. Anthony is okay too, he's asleep now. I called about the offer you gave me?""Of course, it’s been so long since we last talked. You've been really busy. That's good. I'm listening. Have you made a decision? I hope it's good news, PLEASE!""Haha! You're something else. Okay, just to make you happy, my answer is YES!" She joyfully announced to Regan."No way?! I'm going to take that seriously!""Yes. You don't seem to care. Alright, then never mind.""Oh wow, Amelia. It’s not like that, of course I’m happy. Great to hear that! We really need you in our company. We need someone we can trust, especially now. Whenever you're ready, let me
Because Amelia was busy taking care of her newborn baby, she didn’t notice how quickly the days had passed. She realized it was time to report back to her office. It had already been a week since her maternity leave ended, and she hadn’t gone to work. Her boss was already looking for her, and even Ian and Sophia were being pestered by Ms. Isabel.The truth was, Amelia had no plans of returning to her office. However, she didn’t know how to tell her friends about her decision. She was determined to follow through with her plan, even if it meant her friends would get mad at her. For her, losing her friends was far better than losing her child. That was something she couldn’t bear."Sis! Ms. Isabel has been following up on you nonstop. She said she’s been calling and messaging you, but you’re not responding," Ian said as soon as he arrived from work."Look at this baby! Oh, my goodness, he looks just like Daddy! Ninang’s little boy," Ian teased, playing with baby Anthony while talking to
FOUR DAYS LATERDr. Renata allowed Sandra and her baby to be discharged from the hospital. Meanwhile, Amelia was discharged a day later, on her fifth day in the hospital. The doctor also provided both of them with scheduled dates for their babies' monthly check-ups. Dr. Renata made sure Sandra and Amelia wouldn’t cross paths.SANDRA:Time passed quickly, and Sandra’s baby was already a month old. It was the day of their return visit to Dr. Renata’s clinic. Sandra didn’t have a hard time managing her baby, as they had hired a nanny to help care for him. The baby had his own room and slept there with the nanny.Sandra dressed up nicely for the baby’s check-up, while the nanny, Mia, prepared the baby and packed everything they’d need for the trip. It was also the baby’s vaccination day, so Sandra was ready with medication in case he developed a fever.Mia, the nanny, was in her early twenties. She was introduced by Tim, who trusted her to keep a close eye on Sandra. In addition to her sa
IN SANDRA'S HOSPITAL ROOMAfter three hours in the recovery room, Sandra was finally transferred to her hospital room. She had already woken up but was still groggy from the anesthesia administered by Dr. Renata. Inside the room, Sandra and Arnaldo's parents sat on the couch, eagerly waiting for her to fully regain consciousness. Beyond that, everyone was excited for the nurse to bring in the baby.Kenzo soon arrived with balloons and a teddy bear for the baby, as well as flowers for Sandra. He greeted everyone in the room politely, which is why Arnaldo's family liked him so much—he was always there for his friend. Although Sandra was still asleep, Kenzo joined the group and sat with them.Meanwhile, on his way back into the hospital, Arnaldo bumped into a man walking down the hallway with two companions. The impact nearly caused Arnaldo to drop the paper bag of food he was carrying. Surprised, he looked at the man, who quickly apologized.“Sorry, bro! The doctor asked me to buy some
Photos of Arnaldo and Sandra’s wedding surfaced in the news. For the first time, Amelia saw the face of the man she despised her entire life. Her blood boiled as she watched the news about them. She vowed to herself that she would never let this man take her child. The audacity of this man—to have her kidnapped and put her unborn baby at risk, all for the sake of money. Fortunately, she managed to escape from his men. She kept her feelings to herself because her friends were watching the news with her. “Sis! So that’s the CEO of our company?!” Sophia rested her chin on the sofa’s armrest, watching the news intently. “Girl, let me tell you something. I saw that woman—Sandra—at the cafeteria. And guess what? She was with another guy!” Ian chimed in, pointing at Sandra on the screen. “Are you sure it was her? I mean, why would anyone trade someone like him? Look at her; she’s about to give birth! Look at her stomach—she’s huge!” Sophia argued. “Girl, I may be a gossip, but I don’
As the days went by, her female employer became increasingly busy with her job after being promoted at the hospital. She attained a high-ranking position among the most skilled doctors. Meanwhile, her male employer’s abuse worsened. He started picking her up from school and driving her home. On nights when she stayed late, he would deliberately take a route through secluded areas before heading to their subdivision. While driving, he would slow down, grope her chest, and alternately squeeze and fondle her. He would play with her nipples, and when he grew tired of this, he would stop the car completely. He would lift her skirt and forcefully insert his fingers into her private parts while sucking on her breasts. When he became more aroused, he would force her to perform oral sex, shoving her head toward him without caring if she choked. Then, he would recline her seat and begin to assault her again. To her, he was nothing short of a demon. The abuse lasted