CHAPTER 03

           “Leave the guy out of th—” Jiggy let out a frustrating sigh. “Are you telling me that the guy isn’t willing to step up to the plate?” 

           She couldn’t give Jiggy an answer. 

           “Oh God, Rosenda…” Jiggy cursed under her breath. And for a long moment, they both remained quiet. 

           She was nervous, while Jiggy was so pissed to utter a single word. The car sped up, too, scaring her in the process. 

           “I had no idea that you have a boyfriend, Renz,” Jiggy said after a while. Her eyes were on the road, her breathing labored as she controlled her rage. 

           She knew why Jiggy was so upset with the situation. Her friend must have thought that she kept a secret when they both promised to always trust each other and never hide any secrets. Jiggy must have felt so betrayed.

           She released another sigh. “I don't have a boyfriend, Jiggy.”

           “Then why the hell are you pregnant? What, did you just squatted and some sort of bad air entered your butthole and developed into a baby?” Jigs shook her head in disappointment. “I don’t understand why you needed to lie to me, Rosenda Marie. I don’t understand why you needed to keep your relationship a secret; I was always supportive of you! And then now, I would be surprised learning that you’re having a child with a man you wouldn’t even tell me about? I thought we were best friends?”

          

            She sniffed again and looked away. She couldn’t tell Jiggy. She just couldn't. She didn’t know what her reaction would be if she learned who fathered her child. 

          

            “Is there any reason for you not to tell who this guy is, Rosenda? Is he married? Are you his mistress?”

           Her eyes widened in shock. “Of course not!”

          

            “Then, who?” Jiggy snapped back. Her face flushed in red as she tried to control her annoyance. 

           She wanted to be honest with her best friend. She wanted to tell her who the guy was. But she was worried about how Jiggy would react; she was worried about what Jiggy would say.

           How could she tell her friend that the father of her baby was the last person Jiggy would ever think about? 

           How could she explain that whatever happened to her and that man was a one-time mistake? She was so drunk that night and was not in her right mind. She thought it was her ex-boyfriend who entered the room, so she openly gave herself to him. 

           How could she tell her best friend that when she woke up the next morning, it was only then that she discovered that she had sex with the devil?

        

            She had intercourse with the man she had condemned all her life. That man caused her extensive embarrassment in her youth. It was the man she blamed for all the adversities in her life.

           Yes. The father of her child was someone she used to know— and despised. Ten years ago, she wished for that man to die a painful death. Or get struck by lightning, or burn in hell. She was so angry at him she prayed to never see him again.

           But fate seemed to have other plans. 

           Because now, she and that devil were having a child. 

          

            "I want to help you, Rome, but I don't know how if you continued to deny the truth." Jiggy's voice was calm this time. 

          

            Again, she let out another sigh and closed her eyes before resting her back on her seat. 

           She had no choice; she was cornered.

          

            “The father of my child is Cayson Montemayor, Jigs." 

           Jiggy's eyes widened, and before she could even hold on to something, Jigs just suddenly stepped on the brake.

       If Rome didn't have the seatbelt attached to her, she could have crashed against the dashboard from the impact of what Jiggy did. 

        Even the car next to them suddenly braked and honked loudly. They were in the middle of the expressway and all the cars were speeding up.

       "Jiggy, the car behind us could have bumped us!"

        Jiggy was so shocked she couldn't find anything to say. Her eyes were widely open still, and her hands tightly clutched the steering wheel. 

        Some of the cars behind them proceeded, and she almost buried herself in the seat so she could hide from the drivers who would yell and curse at them as they passed by. 

      "Oh God, Jigs. Let's move on, alright? We'll get in trouble if— "

      "Please tell me it wasn't true, Rome."

      She adjusted her seat and glanced at the rearview mirror where she could see some cars lining up behind them, still honking loudly as they waited for them to move out of the way. She turned to Jiggy again who was still not moving.

      “It’s true. I'll tell you everything in a while. For now, let’s go. ”

      Unconvinced and still in shock, Jiggy continued to drive. Her hands gripping the steering wheel were shaking. 

      She turned her attention outside the window; eyeing the skyscrapers from afar while she thought of a better way to explain the situation to Jiggy. 

      She honestly didn't know where to begin; she did her best to forget about that unfaithful night and she wasn't sure how and where to start explaining. She thought she could just take that memory to her grave, but now she had to go back to that time and remember how it all started so she could clearly tell the whole story to her friend.

     Gah! But those memories were so disgusting she wanted to throw up!

      "You could have just fucked the devil, Rosenda Marie," Jigs said after a long silence. "But Cayson Montemayor? God, what have you done..."

      She just smiled weakly and said nothing. She kept her gaze out of the car window, watching the tall buildings and the airport from afar. They were already on the skyway and she could see everything from above. Including the clear sky… which was opposed to how she felt at the moment. She felt like a storm was brewing in her chest; it was heavy. It was gloomy.

      She took a deep breath and released it gradually. 

      She also needed to tell her sister Connie about the truth when she gets home. Her sister needed to know her condition. She knew it would hurt her, but if there was someone in the family who would listen to her without judgment, that would be her elder sister.

      The question was… how would Connie react if she found out that Caligh Carson Montemayor impregnated her?

      Ah, shit. Her sister would surely cry until she goes blind.

      She let out another sigh. 

       Connie hated that man, too. Not as much as she did, but still.

       I just hope Connie won't tell Mom and Dad... Not until I'm ready. Not until I've decided what to do with this child.