Chapter 96: A Reason To Stay

(Cassandra)

I STARED at the image of God at the center of the church I was in. The mass was already over and yet, I remained seated. I didn’t think I was a religious person. But this was where I found myself after driving around San Antonio. I had a feeling that I had been here before.

From the airport, it was like I knew exactly where to go. I only rested for a night in a hotel in Manila before I went to this town in Nueva Ecija. Half of me was feeling guilty because I told Valerian that I would only be staying in Manila in preparation for another exhibit.

He wanted to come to the Philippines with me. Thankfully, he had a business-related meeting. I wanted to come alone. The exhibit was true. A well-known director from a gallery in the city gave me an offer and I used it as an excuse to visit this country.

Fortunately, Alice, the gallery director, also had a business here in San Antonio. She was also the one who prepared for my hotel accommodation. She personally picked me up from th