"Mama!" I woke up when I heard Freya my daughter called me."Mama!" her twin, Maynard, I heard him too. They were five years old and still slept beside me in bed."Hmmm… what's wrong with my two babies?" I asked Freya first who was close to me. While Maynard, because he was a restless sleeper, had fallen asleep at my feet. Thankfully, we were sleeping on the floor and a wide foam mattress was spread out there."I love you, mama...." I froze at my daughter's words. Only a lampshade was the only light source so I couldn't see her face.I got my phone which was at a small table to turn on the flashlight and when I looked at my daughter, she was asleep with her eyes closed. In the few seconds I stared at her, I didn't realize that tears were already flowing from my eyes.They really love me so much that even in their dreams, I was there, "Oh my God, my baby! I love you too, I really love you both." I said as I kissed my daughter's cheek who was still sound asleep. She was probably just d
CHAPTER 02 THE MAN WHO BREAKS MY HEART"Did you say that?" I heard Lanie, a staff manager, ask. We were eating at a well-known fast food chain, just across the building where we work.It was lunchtime so we decided to eat here. We alternate the places we like to hang out, because there are many restaurants and well-known fast food chains around this area. It's not just the people in our building who eat here, but many others too.Tomorrow, I don't know where they're planning to eat. I just go along with them. Sometimes I stay in the building and eat at my office table, depending on what I have for lunch.There was one time I ate at the office and I had fried tilapia for lunch with pinakbet and a little bit of salted shrimp sauce. A visitor came and complained about a bad smell. I sprayed air freshener after that, but there are just some people with sensitive noses who find things smelly even if they're not."So, that means Mr. Abad will be replaced as CEO and the replacement will be
CHAPTER 03:THE MAN WHO BREAKS MY HEARTWe were just outside the bar, hanging out, and we heard the sound system playing the music of the band.After paying the driver, we immediately went to the mini mart next to the bar to buy candy and other things.We didn't bother changing because we were just going to celebrate our friend's birthday. We just took off our blazers so we wouldn't be mistaken for actually working at the bar at this time of night.We just wore black skirts and white polo long sleeves. Earlier we had simple makeup on while we were at work, but now my friends added more makeup to make them look more appealing to the boys.So I just laughed at the effort they were putting in, while I just knew to myself that I was still normal, and that's what I believed in."Wow! This place is so nice, girl, how did you find it?" Lanie asked Lorna."My cousin recommended it to me, so I thought this would be a good place to go. It's the same price as where my sister Annaliza and I used
CHAPTER 04"Mom! Dad! I'm outta here! My ride's here!" I yelled from the backyard. Mom was outside doing laundry, and Dad was showering in the well—he was heading off to work.Dad worked the rice paddies owned by the Sullivaños, the richest family in our Davao village."Okay, sweetie! Be careful. Is Rowela with you?" He asked, referring to my friend and classmate."Yep, Mom. She's waiting in the trike. The lazy bum didn't even get out," I said, and Mom chuckled at my nickname for her."Okay, be safe, and get home early!" Dad called out as I headed towards the tricycle parked down the road."Hey, witch!" Rowela yelled, waving. Even her tricycle-driver dad always cracked up at our little nickname game.That was our morning routine—they'd pick me up, and Rowela and I would head to school together. We left early since the university was a bit of a drive."Project all set, or should we double-check?" she asked once I hopped in.I checked the envelope holding our projects, due to the Pro
CHAPTER 05"My morning should be amazing, but seeing his smirking face as I approach my seat—my world's already gone to hell. Like, seriously, my world.""Staring, are we?" I asked, raising an eyebrow."Can't a guy admire a beautiful lady?" he retorted."You're in trouble, buddy!" I insisted."Whoa, whoa, whoa... what did I do? Maybe you're the one who's in trouble.""Me? What did you do yesterday? You kissed me, and… and…" I trailed off, as classmates started filling the classroom."And what, Miss Corpez?" he asked, grinning like a dog.I couldn't say anything. Our professor was here, and class was about to start. I couldn't let him start a scene, especially not with everyone knowing he kissed me.That kiss was still stuck in my head. Not just once, he did it twice! This jerk, sitting right in front of me. I wanted to yank his emo-style hair out. He thinks he looks good with that hair and bandana? He's not Dao Ming So!As I was writing, a hand suddenly appeared on my desk, mess
CHAPTER 06"Honey, someone's looking for a job in Manila. A friend of mine knows someone who's hiring. I can recommend you, especially since I know the owner," Mom suggested. We were preparing lunch for Dad, which I would take to him at the rice fields.When I didn't have classes, I'd bring him lunch. Dad could pack his own food, but he preferred hot rice, even if the dishes were cold. He didn't mind as long as it wasn't all cold."I'll look into it, Mom. A classmate of mine offered me a job at a company in Manila, as a secretary. I'll see which one has better benefits and apply there," I said. I put the adobo chicken in a tupperware and the fried fish in another, while Mom prepared the basket for the food.I planned to eat there with Dad, and Mom would stay home."That's good, you won't have to struggle finding a job. They're offering you the job, all you have to do is apply and do your best if you get it," Mom said. I was happy, it was true, I wouldn't have to search for a
"Oh, our farewell party plan is final, right? Everyone's busy the first week of the month, so there won't be time to go. But it's okay because most of them said they'll attend," Rowela told our classmates who were asking about our farewell party before graduation.We were at the canteen having lunch, so the topic came up again and everyone was excited, especially me, of course. How could I not be happy when my crush, Sebastian, said he'd come? I know he's not really into parties, but I managed to convince him by pestering Ryker.I don't know why, but even though I get annoyed by that guy, I always ask him for favors, like this time, asking his friend to come to the farewell party. I was so happy that he did it.Some people think Ryker is my boyfriend now because we're often together, especially when going home. If I'm not with Rowela, he's the one who takes me home on his motorcycle. So, naturally, the girls who have a crush on him raise their eyebrows whenever they see me with him, b
Chapter 8: I slowly opened my eyes, but the bright light made me close them again. I turned my face to the left side so I wouldn't be hit by the glare and slowly opened them again. "Aubree! Are you feeling better? Just wait-" Mom helped me sit up in bed. I fixed my hair with my fingers and caught sight of something on the table. "What happened, Ma? Why are there so many medicines on the small table and there's a thermometer and stuff?" I asked Mom, confused. "Did you forget what happened?" "What?" I suddenly felt nervous, wondering what had happened to me. "You had a fever and you've been in bed for two days!" "What? How did that happen? All I remember I was in school," I tried to remember what happened two days before, but I couldn't. "Your classmate brought you here, Se-Sebastian, was it? Just ask Rowela, she was with you when your male schoolmate carried you." Sebastian? Sebastian helped me? OMG? And he carried me? "Ahhhh…" "Goodness, child, what's happening to you?" Mom
“Ryker!” Why does it hurt? Why does it hurt a little every time she says my name? Is it because I'm right, that I've known her for a long time and I still don't know her? Is that what love is like? “Wh-why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you don't remember? Why? Why didn't you fight for me back then? We could have been happy now. You gave up so quickly on what we had. Because if it were me? I could fight for you even if you forced me to love someone else.” While the person in front of me was telling me who I was in her life, my heart suddenly became happy because my dream was right, that I had someone I loved before. But I don't want to force myself to remember my whole identity because I'm content with what Aubree just said, I'm sure of her that we have a past. That she loves me and I love her, I only ask the Lord for one thing, that I would be able to remember. I also found out that baby Freya is my daughter, that's why… my heart beat differently when I saw her and
I just stared at my secretary. I didn't know what kind of magic she used to make me focus on her. If she looked at me, I would avoid her. There's just one thing I don't understand, every time I see her, I see anger in her eyes and disappointment for reasons I don't know, and if I force myself, my head would ache, and if I try to remember, I would just find myself unconscious. When I see her getting angry at me, it's like she's known me for a long time and I've known her for a long time too, but no matter how hard I try, it always ends up with a headache. However, since she appeared to me, I did everything to get closer to her, even though I felt like if her stare could kill, I would have been resting for a long time. Maybe one of the happiest days that happened to me was when we had a business trip to Cebu, because that's when my friend Shanna thought, and if I only knew that just eating beans in halo-halo was the reason why I got close to her, I would rather just always eat bean
I promised Aubree that I would marry her after graduation, but I didn't know how to do it, especially since I had a friend who was waiting for her. I was on my way home when I suddenly fell to the cement because of Sebastian's sudden punch. “You idiot, I told you there was something going on between you two.” He pointed at me furiously. I wiped my bloody mouth with the back of my hand and gave him a smirk. “I like her, since the beginning, man, I'm sorry.” “Sorry! Just sorry? Damn it, man, there are plenty of other girls out there, why her? I told you that I liked her. I fucking told you that I would tell her after our graduation, man, but what did you do? Damn it.” "I don't know either, I'm sorry. I only know one thing, I loved her, man, I loved her from the start. If you can't tell her how you feel then it's fair, maybe it's just fate that found a way," He shook his head, still looking at me angrily. “I'll still take her from you. She's coming with me. She's coming with me, m
RYKER MATT SULLIVAÑO POV 02“Who was that, bro?” I asked again, wanting to be sure. I hoped it wasn’t true.“Aubree Lynn, and I think she likes me too. I heard it from one of her classmates. Of course, I don't want to rush things just because I found out she likes me, I'll court her after we graduate from college, what do you think, bro?” I didn't know what to say. Out of all the students, why her? Why my crush?The moment he said he liked Aubree, I realized something, I had already fallen for Aubree Lynn, for a long time, but I just used my anger and teasing to make her annoyed with me. But damn, he's my friend, how can I tell him to like someone else?I carried that thought with me all the way home and to bed, it hurt even more when I saw them together and happy. Were they a couple? Fuck! Was I too late?Because of my friend's confession, it felt like our friendship changed just because of a girl we both liked. I liked her too.Every time she was grumpy, it was like a joy for me, wh
EPILOGUERYKER MATT SULLIVAÑO POV 01(Mature Content)“Stop it, man, you're getting hurt.” Sebastian tried to stop me.“Damn, bro, I can't, they started it. Just one more, then I'll stop. Damn, bro, that bald guy even called his buddy.” I smirked because it was so ridiculous.Whoever started the fight was the one who was acting tough, but now they wouldn't fight fair. They even called in another guy.“Alright, after this we're going home, or my mom will get mad.” My friend said, we've been buddies since high school. We were the only ones left from our group. Alberto and Albert had gone home, we didn't expect to be ambushed by these idiots.There were only three of them, two were already fighting, and I thought the bald guy was scared so he ran away. Turns out he went to find backup. Crazy.These were our schoolmates from high school, and they still had a grudge against us. They were the ones with the grudge, but they were the ones who were angry. Time seemed to be running backward, l
CHAPTER 65I jolted awake from a bad dream. I immediately stood up and grabbed some water, calming myself down before drinking. I peeked at my husband and son, and thankfully they were both fine, which gave me some relief.What did that dream mean? Why was it so painful?It was still early morning. Mom and Freya were still asleep on the sofa, and thankfully it was wide enough for them to fit. I told Mom to go home for a while, but she refused. The Sullivaño couple had been here all day, but because Ryker’s mother was sensitive, they stayed at the hotel again. Freya didn’t want to go with them because she was shy and wanted to be the first one her brother saw when he woke up. She also didn’t go to school until her twin was back, and thankfully her teacher agreed.After calming myself down, I checked on Maynard, who was still asleep. He was the same as his dad. He didn’t have an IV anymore because it had been removed, but Ryker still had some tubes attached to him. He had hit his head h
CHAPTER 64“Hey man, I thought we were going to an engagement party? Why are you here? For crying out loud, wake up.” Edziel’s voice roused me from my daze.“I’m awake, you even had lechon cooked for me, five of them, no payment yet. That’s almost a million.” Douglas said."What? That’s the price of your lechon? I won’t buy it, man.” Carlos said."Dude, just to wake you up, you never know, you might suddenly sit up to pay.”"Ahh…" Ten men nodded in unison. They were really crazy.“Hello, Aubree, sorry we came by because we heard the news. We were going to come last night but the guard outside said not to because you needed rest.” Lance said, so I nodded.I must have fallen asleep while sitting on the small plastic chair, holding hands with Ryker.I peeked at my son in the other bed where Mom was. They were both still asleep, neither of them had woken up since yesterday. I missed their voices so much.“We brought some fruits and food, eat something.” Ignacio suggested. Ryker’s friends
CHAPTER 63“No… no… please let me in… please… please. I want to go in… I want to see my husband and son.” I begged the nurses who were stopping me from entering the emergency room."Ma’am, you can’t go in ma’am. They’re being treated–”"No… you don’t understand. They need me, please.. please." I was almost on my knees begging them. “Please… I want to see them… Maynard! Ryker! I’m here… I’m here.”“Daughter! Aubree, my daughter. Oh God." I immediately turned to the voice and saw my parents running towards me with Donna and Caloy."Aubree?"“Aubree… ““Mama. Papa. Maynard and Ryker are – they’re inside, Ma, pa, the nurses won’t let me in, I want to see them." I was almost going crazy outside the emergency room.My dad hugged me tightly. “Be strong, my dear, be strong. God is merciful, He’s merciful, He won’t let anything bad happen to them."“But pa… maybe.. they need me. They’ve been inside for hours. No one has come out yet. I… maybe if I go in… they’ll wake up, we’ll go home.. pa… pa
CHAPTER 62(Mature content)“You’re blooming today, Inday, you’re happy today? Let me guess.” Shit! Did Lanie find out about Ryker and me…?“W-what?”“Because our salary will be higher this month, ahh yes,” she said, squealing, making me laugh. I thought it was something else.Well, why am I so nervous? Ryker is my real husband, even though we’re not married yet. We already have two kids, so I don’t care what other people say. It’s not like Ryker and I are hiding what my role is in his life.He actually wanted to introduce me to all his employees and friends, but I told him to wait until he remembers me so I wouldn’t hear any rumors about me taking advantage of our relationship because he forgot about me. We’re not hiding, I know some people know, they’re just gossipy, so I don’t care, as long as Ryker and I are happy.He’s been busy with work lately, so sometimes he’s not in the office, but when he’s here, we both don’t get any work done because we’re busy with something else. Making