Chapter 5

-(EMERALD CORLYN VERDANIO POV)-

-☾-

Nakarating na kami sa condominium nito and I must say, it's big for the two of us.

Kahit pang tatlong beses ko ng pumunta dito ay mangha parin ako sa lawak ng kanyang unit.

Kasalukuyan akong nasa living room, sitting politely as I looked around. My eyes glued to the frame that I saw.

Is that… him?

Tumayo ako at linapitan ang nakita kong frame na naka display sa floating shelves, grabbing it before analysing the contents.

It was him in a tuxedo while his arm was around a woman's waist. His facial expression was stern as the woman was smiling happily, her arms wrapped around him.

Hindi ko alam pero… iba ang nararamdaman ko habang nakatingin sa litrato. My heart felt like it was being squeezed and stabbed to death as my brows furrowed.

Ngunit wala akong karapatan magselos kasi hindi naman siya akin…

"Dito ko na sa bedroom itinabi yung suitcase mo incase na hanapin mo." Sambit nito ngunit hindi ko siya liningon.

Siguro napansin niyang iba ang timpla ko kaya ganun na nanahimik siya. Ngunit hindi naman tumagal iyon dahil narinig ko siyang magsalita.

"Hey, are you alright? Why're you holding that frame?" He asked, which caused me to look at him.

He stood beside me as his eyes were locked on mine.

"Sino tong babaeng to?" I asked, my expression unchanged.

"Why're you asking?" He asked back, his brows slightly furrowed.

Hindi ako sumagot sa kanya at ibinalik ang frame sa dati niyang pwesto. Bumalik ako sa sofa at padabog na umupo doon.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He asked again which caused me to look at him.

His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at me, the first three buttons of his black shirt were opened and his sleeves folded halfway.

"Napano ba ako? Edi wala." Sarkastiko kong sagot bago irapan ito.

I looked away ngunit kita ko sa peripheral vision ko na papalapit siya sa akin.

Ramdam ko ang kanyang daliri sa aking baba na naging dahilan upang lumingon ako sa kanya.

He towered me over as his fingers were on my chin, making me look up to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked solemnly, his eyes so serious.

"I already told you, I'm fine." Sagot ko as I remove his fingers on my chin.

"You're not fine. Aminin mo nga sakin, nagseselos ka ba?" Tanong niya, his expression unchanged.

"Hindi no. Bat ako mag seselos?" Tanong ko pabalik, my one eyebrow raised.

"If you're not jealous, why're you acting like that?" He asked back.

Hindi na ako sumagot rito dahil pakiramdam ko talaga pinipiga ang puso ko pagkatapos kong makita ang litratong iyon.

Bwisit bakit ba kasi nakita ko pa ang picture na iyon?

"I'm asking you." Saad nito ngunit tinarayan ko lang ito.

"Umalis ka na nga jan. Naiinis na naman ako sayo." Sagot ko ngunit umiling ito.

"Not until you answer my question." Sagot nito pabalik, his expression unchanged.

"Ikaw nga hindi mo sinagot ang tanong ko sayo eh, tapos gusto mo sagutin ko yung tanong mo? Nambi-bwisit ka talaga, eh no?" Saad ko, my one eyebrow raised.

"Nagseselos ka no?" Tanong nito, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Hindi ah." Depensa ko, looking away from his gaze.

"Yeah, right. Halatang nagseselos ka, sexy bunny." Sambit nito bago umayos ng tayo.

"Don't call me a sexy bunny, bastard." Sagot ko sa kanya as I looked at him, naiinis na ako sa bastardong ito.

He smirked. "That was just my ex, babe. No need to be jealous." He answered, his tongue touching his inner cheek.

That was his… ex?

Stupid Corlyn…

Hindi na ako sumagot sa kanya and kept my brows furrowed.

Bwisit ka Corlyn, bakit ka ba umaakto ng ganyan? Ex lang pala niya… kung maka asta akala mo talaga may label…

He shook his head slightly. "Oh, sexy bunny. Akala ko naman napapano ka na yun pala nagseselos ka lang." Saad nito as he chuckled.

"I'm not jealous." Depensa ko as I stood up.

"Yeah right. Hindi ka pa nagseselos sa lagay na yan ah." Sagot nito as he chuckled.

Hindi ko na siya sinagot at umalis sa living room at tumungo sa kwarto, slamming the door behind me.

I removed my sandals at itinabi sa isang sulok bago umakyat sa kama. Snuggling in the covers afterwards.

Sa mga unan palang ay amoy na amoy ko na ang pabango nito. So manly…

Narinig kong bumukas ang pinto at dinig ko rin na sinara niya iyon. Alam ko rin kung sino iyon dahil siya lang naman ang kasama ko.

"Hey. We were just talking, why'd you walk away?" He asked, dinig ko ang yabag nito papalapit sa akin.

"Inaantok ako, lumabas ka." Saad ko as I closed my eyes.

Lumubog ang empty space sa tabi ko, suddenly feeling his arm on my waist ngunit hindi ko hinarap ito at nanatiling nakayakap sa unan na katabi ko.

"Wag mong hintayin na pwersahin kitang palingunin dito… you wouldn't like it." He mumbled that sent shivers down my spine.

I groaned in annoyance before facing him, opening my eyes to see his face so close to me.

Halos maduling ako sa sobrang lapit ng mukha nito sa akin. Kulang na lamang ay halikan na niya ako.

Lumayo ako ng konti rito. "Ano bang gusto mo?" I asked, my brows furrowed.

"I want a dose of you, pero nagbi-bwisit ka kasi eh." Sagot niya, his finger drawing circles on my waist.

"Humingi ka ng dose dun sa babae mo." Pananaray ko, my expression unchanged.

"I told you, she's my ex. Bakit ba nagseselos ka?" Tanong nito, his expression solemn.

Bakit nga ba ako nagseselos? May label ba kami? Jusko…

"Ewan ko… nakakainis lang…" I retorted which is the truth.

Naiinis ako pagkatapos kong makita iyon. Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit nagseselos ako kahit wala naman kaming label. Wala rin naman ito sa usapan namin.

So… why am I acting like I'm a jealous girlfriend of his?

Tumawa ito ng mahina. "You act like a jealous girlfriend, sexy bunny." Saad nito, biting his lower lip.

"Umalis ka na nga jan. Matutulog ako eh." Pagtataboy ko ngunit umibabaw lang ito sa akin.

"You really wanted me to leave?" He asked, his eyes focused on me.

"Inaantok kasi ako." Sagot ko habang kinukusot ang aking mata.

Umalis ito sa ibabaw ko. "Then sleep." Saad nito bago tumungo sa pinto.

Pinanood ko itong lumabas at halos mapaiktad ako nang padabog niyang isinara iyon. My heart racing as I reminisced what happened a while ago.

Nakakainis kasi. Eh kung sinabi nalang agad niya na ex niya yun edi sana hindi sumama ang mood ko.

Pinikit ko ang aking mga mata at humarap sa ma bintana, hugging the pillow that was beside me as I let sleep overtake my whole consciousness.

-☾-

"Get her! Make sure na hindi ito makakatakas!" the man shouted as his men both grabbed my arms and were about to drag me to some weird basement.

"Please no! Spare my life please I beg you! I will marry him. I promise you just spare my life! I will do anything please!" I pleaded as they dragged me out of the room.

Inihagis nila ako ron before shutting the door. I cried and cried, shouting for help as I screeched until there was nothing left inside me. I tried to untie the rope in my hands and in my wrists pero masyado itong masikip. I cried until someone went inside to the dark basement. I could see the light behind him, pero diko maaninag ang mukha nito. I shivered as he came close to me and knocked me out.

Napabalikwas ako ng bangon, beads of cold sweat dripped from my forehead as my body was shivering from fear.

Damn, that memory is haunting me again.

I quickly grabbed my pocket knife sa ilalim ng unan nang may humawak ng marahan sa braso ko, quickly pointing it to his face as I gave him a death glare.

He remained in his position, his expression solemned as he stared at me.

Nilibot ko ang tingin ko sa paligid nang ibaba ko ang kutsilyo, only to realize I was still in his condo. I looked at him seriously before he started caressing my cheek.

"You were having a nightmare?" Malumanay nitong tanong.

I didn't answer him and looked away, the memory still lingering in my mind. I heard him sigh bago ko ito marinig mag salita.

"You kept calling my father's name in your dream. Tell me, may ginawa ba ito sayo?" Tanong niya muli, which caused me to look at him

"What do you mean?" I asked, my brows furrowed.

"You kept calling his name while pleading something. I don't know what pero, does it bother you that much?" He asked again, his one eyebrow raised as confusion was evident in him.

Iniwas ko ang tingin ko sa kanya, deciding to go to the kitchen for a glass of water.

I don't want to talk about my past as much as possible because I haven't even coped up. The fear was still within me every time I remember it.

Kasalukuyan akong umiinom nang makita ko ito, leaning on the wall. Binitawan ko ang baso sa sink nang maubos ko na ang laman nun.

Naglakad ito palapit sa direksyon ko, his two hands on his pockets. I just looked at his cognac brown orbs nang tumayo ito sa harapan ko, unable to speak.

"Can I hug you?" I asked, my heart pounding rapidly.

"Hug me if you want to hug me. I don't mind." Sagot nito na siyang ginawa ko naman.

Binaon ko ang aking mukha sa kanyang dibdib, letting his manly perfume intoxicate my whole body as my arms were wrapped around his waist. Ramdam ko rin na gumanti ito sa yakap ko before caressing my hair.

"Want to talk about something?" He asked before kissing the top of my head.

"I just want to remain in this position for a while." Sagot ko rito, my head resting on his chest.

"Itutuloy pa ba natin yung plano na magpapanggap ako bilang asawa mo? Because from how you acted earlier, you were like a jealous girlfriend who was about to throw a fit." Saad nito, which made me look at him.

Tumingala ako rito at nakita ko na mapungay ang kanyang mata na nakatingin sa akin. I pouted my lips which resulted him kissing it.

Walang alinlangan akong tumugon sa halik na iyon at binalot ang aking mga braso sa kanyang batok, his hand reaching for my cheek to deepen the kiss.

"Emerald.." He called habang hinahalikan ako nito.

I hummed in response before biting his lower lip sexually which caused him to moan, my lips pulling away from the kiss.

"I'm sorry, I was just… you know…" Utal utal kong saad, biting my lower lip afterwards.

"Are you falling for me?" He straightforwardly asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Am I? Am I really falling for him?

But I barely even know him…

I don't even know him that much…

"I don't know…" Sagot ko which is the truth.

"How come you mean you don't know? What are you even feeling?" He asked as he caressed my cheek.

"My… my heart is pounding whenever I see you. It's hard to explain…" Sagot ko, removing his hand away from me.

Akmang aalis ako sa harap niya ngunit hinawakan nito ang braso ko, causing me to stop.

Tiningnan ko ang hawak niya sa akin bago ipantay ang aming tingin, my heart beating wildly as butterflies roamed around my stomach.

"Just tell me the truth, Emerald." Saad nito, his expression unchanged.

"Hindi ko nga alam. Hindi ko alam kung totoo ba itong nararamdaman ko para sayo… I barely know you, I don't know much about you. From your family background to your personal, your attitude-" Naputol ang sasabihin ko nang sumagot ito.

"Let me tell you one thing, sexy bunny. You can't love me. Wanna know why? Because I am not a typical man na pasok sa standards mo. We've only known each other for about three days so don't stick to your feelings… baka pag nakilala mo talaga ako ma-turn off ka lang." Sagot nito, his expression solemn.

"But-" Naputol muli ang aking sasabihin nang magsalita ito muli.

"Just stop. Let's just stick to the original plan and maybe after a month into our marriage, I'll file a divorce for us." Saad nito bago bitawan ang braso ko at maglakad palayo.

I was left dumbfounded, the words that he said to me a moment ago were not sinking into my head.

Hindi ko alam ngunit parang piniga ang puso ko pagkatapos niyang sabihin iyon, a thousand knives stabbed through my chest as every word slowly sinks in.

Umalis ako sa kusina at nagtungo sa living room kung saan nadatnan ko itong nakafocus sa kanyang laptop, seemingly working dahil may hawak itong ballpen at nakasuot ito ng reading glasses.

Tumungo ako ruon and sat beside him, looking at his laptop just to see some graphs and ratings from what seemed like a company's sales report.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my eyes focused on the screen.

"Working. Isn't it obvious?" He proclaimed, which caused me to glance at him.

"Yung babae sa frame, who is she?" I asked again, changing the subject.

Lumingon ito sa akin and leaned his back on the backrest of the sofa, his eyes locked on mine.

"Why do you wanna know?" He asked as he removed his glasses.

"Wala lang… she seemed familiar." I answered before pursing my lips.

He heaved a sigh. "Her name is Jescel. Jescel Thylane…" His expression softened nang sabihin niya ang kanyang pangalan.

Unlike before…

I smiled bitterly before looking away. "Okay. Well, I'm just… I'm just gonna cook dinner." Saad ko at akmang tatayo na ako ngunit hinawakan nito ang pulsuhan ko.

"I want you to look at me." Utos nito na siyang ginawa ko naman.

"What?" I asked, curiously wondering.

Ngunit hindi ito sumagot bagkus ay inangkin nito ang aking labi. I moaned at his sudden move at ginawang suporta ang isa kong kamay sa gilid ko dahil muntik na akong matumba sa ginawa niya.

Walang alinlangan akong tumugon sa kanyang halik and let him hold my cheek to deepen the kiss.

His kisses were hot to the point that it's making me wet down there. Kinagat nito ang ibabang labi ko which caused me to groan.

His tongue forced its way inside my mouth and explored every corner of it, interacting with mine afterwards.

Using my free hand, sinubukan ko siyang itulak palayo ngunit masyadong malakas ito kumpara sa akin.

His grip on my wrist was tightening as he kissed me to the point na nasasaktan na ko sa ginagawa nito.

"Gelal…" Sambit ko nang lumipat ang kanyang halik sa aking leeg.

Ngunit hindi ito sumagot at nagpatuloy sa kanyang ginagawa. Ramdam ko na s********p nito ang aking leeg pero napadaing ako nang kagatin ako nito sa balikat.

"Gelal, you're hurting me." Saad ko as I pushed him away.

Lumayo ito ng bahagya sa akin at binitawan ang aking pulsuhan, his eyes solemn as he looked at me.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked habang minamasahe ang kinagat nito.

"I can't control myself when I'm in this state, so leave before I devour you completely." Sagot nito, he was like an animal that was hungrily looking at his prey.

Umurong ako palayo bago tumayo, leaving him in the living room. Tumungo ako sa banyo upang tingnan ang ginawa nito sa akin.

Nang nasa harapan na ako ng salamin ay linislis ko ang crop top ko and saw the bite mark near my neck.

Ang hapdi noon kaya naghanap ako ng bandage ngunit wala akong makita. Sighing in defeat, hinayaan ko nalang iyon at lumabas ng banyo at dumiretso sa kusina upang makapag luto ng hapunan.

As I chopped the onions, I felt arms being wrapped around my waist. His breath fanned my neck.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he hugged me from behind.

"Cooking dinner." I plainly answered, transferring the chopped onions on to a bowl of meat.

He hummed in response before I felt his lips on my neck, kissing the spot where I was bitten.

"Usually I don't apologise when I hurt someone but you will be the first one to hear this coming from me." He denoted, which caused me to put down the knife and face him.

"Don't mind it. It's-" Naputol ang sasabihin ko nang sumagot ito.

"I'm sorry." Saad niya, his facial expression was calm.

"I told you, it's fine." Sagot ko but he shook his head.

"It's not fine, the bite mark is swollen because of me. I was only fucking restraining myself from touching you and because of that, I impulsively bit you… and I apologise for that." Sagot nito, his expression unchanged.

"It's alright. You can go back to work, magluluto muna ako." Saad ko bago bigyan atensyon ang aking ginagawa kanina.

Ngunit ramdam ko pa rin ang mga braso nito sa baywang ko pero hindi ko na tinuunan pa ng pansin.

I let him hug me from behind as I cooked dinner. Bawat galaw ko ay naka yakap ito sakin but I didn't mind.