Prologue

Sabi nila perfect daw ako; Matalino, mayaman, maganda, lahat na!
Pero bakit ganon?
Lagi nalang nila ako iniiwan, kung hindi naman iiwanan, paglalaruan lang.
Parang nasanay na nga ako na lagi nalang akong iniiwan.
I was even given a second chance to live. And I tried to live normally believing
that maybe this time, God would give me the man who would stay with me my whole
life.
Pero parang wala parin. Lahat yata nang matitinong lalaki, taken na.
All I want is just a man who could Love me. Marry me. and Stay with me.
Meron pa kayang ganon?
Chapter 1
The Past. (Part 1)
Rein s P.O.V.
Summa cum laude, Rein Allyson Villafuerte.
Excited akong umakyat sa stage kasama ang parents ko.
Congrats baby, we re so proud of you. My dad told me pagka-akyat namin sa stage. Tap
os noon ay kiniss ako nina Mom and Dad. Syempre nagpa-picture din kami. As cum l
aude, I was given the chance to tell my speech. I made my speech short and went
down the stage.
Excited akong naghintay na i-announce yung iba ba pang mga cum laude, especially
yung mga cum laude sa Management Engineering.
Michael Henry Verdauger, Summa cum laude. I stood up and clapped my hands as loud
as I can. I can t help but to smile when I saw him went up the stage. Siya na yung
last na tinawag kaya he has the privellege to make his speech longer.
Good afternoon to everyone who s present here today. First of all, I would like to
thank God, my family, my girlfriend, and everyone who has been supportive saakin
. Kung wala siguro kayo, I didn t get to strive harder to reach my position right
now. Alam ko na dapat ang speech na to is school related but please, let me chang
e that kahit ngayon lang. He looked and smiled at me.
For the past 7 years of my life, someone has been with me through every important
happenings in my life. She already saw what a mess I can be, how moody can I ge
t, or how hard am I to handle but still, she didn t give up on me and she never le
ft me. Kahit minsan, I didn t have much time to talk to her, she understood. She s t
he most loving, kind, generous, and beautiful girl I ve met. She s the reason why I
always wake up in the morning with a smile on my face.
He paused a little and continued. And right now, I would like to seal a promise t
hat has always been her dream. I don t want to make this speech any longer, so I ll
just go straight
to the point. Rein Allyson Villafuerte, will you do me the honor of becoming my
wife? Will you marry me?
Siguro sa ibang mga babae, matutulala sila pag nagpro-pose na yung nagiisa nilan
g mahal. Kaya lang ako, I did the opposite. Instead of just standing there, I ra
n towards the stage and hugged him tight. I grabbed the mic and told everyone wh
at was my answer while I was slightly crying.
Yes, Michael Henry Verdauger. I would love to be your wife. Naghiyawan lahat nang
tao pati yung mga prof namin at mga dean. A few minutes more and our graduation
ended.
That was one of the most happiest days of my life. I smiled while remembering th
at though that happened a few months ago.
I am Rein Allyson Villafuerte. 21 years old. An interior designer and profession
al photographer.
I m the type of person that doesn t have any vices. I would happily stay at home wit
h my family after classes and during weekends. I don t drink, unless I m with someon
e who s trustworthy enough to take care of me when something happens. I obey what
my parents tell me to do. I m friendly to anyone; even if I don t know them, I would
smile at them when they great me. I was the elementary and higschool valedictor
ian. .
I m not the nerdy type of girl. I take modelling projects because of my Mom. Ako n
agmo-model ng clothing line niya.

Beautiful.
Smart.
Rich.
Generous and kind.
Yes. People say that I m perfect. And somehow it s true.
Singe? Taken?
People would always ask me that question. Considering the fact that I m perfect da
w.
But no. I m not single and I m not taken.
I was supposed to be married to Michael last week.
Michael Henry Verdauger. He s my first love, first boyfriend, first kiss, first me
aningful dance. We started our relationship since we were in first year highscho
ol. Simula noon, hindi na kami nagkahiwalay. We had the perfect relationship.
I m really lucky because I have Michael. Michael is the perfect guy. He s gwapo, swe
et, matalino, at lahat pa nang maiimagine mo na magandang katangian, nakay Micha
el na. Bonus nalang doon yun pagiging mayaman namin dalawa.
Tawag nga saamin sa campus before, campus prince and princess. Haha. Bagay daw k
ami maging royalties because of our kindness and our looks
Until when we graduated college, he proposed to me.
Wondering what happened? Ito yung nangyari
pumunta kami sa isang bahay. Ang ganda nung bahay. It was simple yet elegant. An
d it s so big. Parang malaki pa sa bahay namin nila Mom.
Do you like it? It s ours. After our wedding, we will live here. Dito natin papalak
ihin mga anak natin. He told me while hugging me from my back.
Grabe ka naman. Mga anak? Ilan ba gusto mo? I said while slightly laughing.
Let s just say gusto ko magkaroon nang own basketball team. I can t help but smile. I
love this guy so much.
Pagkapasok namin sa house, agad kong nakita ang isang malaking picture naming da
lawa. It was from our pre-wedding photoshoot. Tapos sa may mga side table, ang d
ami naming pictures. Some was even our baby pics. Kalat sa buong bahay yung pict
ures naming dalawa in our 7 years together.
After namin umikot sa house, we decided to go back to the hotel where we were st
aying. We had dinner then nagpahinga na kami. Since sa isang araw na yung kasal,
hindi kami pinayagan nang parents namin na magkita. Masama daw yun. Haha.
And the day of the wedding came. I woke up early para sa pre-wedding photoshoot
ulit. 5:00pm pa naman yung wedding.
After the photoshoot and after ako ayusan, Michael and I decided to see each oth
er before the wedding. Haha. Tatakas kami. It s only 4:00 and saglit lang naman yu
ng papunta sa church.
1 message received
From: Husband
Babe, sa graden tayo magkita. Bilisan lang natin. Baka mahuli tayo nila Tita. Ha
ha. I love you.
Seth! Safe! Bliss!! Aalis lang ako saglit okay? Don t tell Mom! I told my brothers a
nd sisters.
Ate naman. Wag ka na umalis. Baka mapagalitan kami ni Mama. And look oh! You re alr
eady wearing you wedding gown. Sabi saakin ni Bliss. She s the youngest in the fami
ly.
Hayaan mo na si Ate, Bliss. She ll be back before Mom knows. Okay?
Kami bahala ni Safe. Magkasunod na sabi nung kambal kong kapatid. Haha. I so love
them.
Bumaba na ako sa sa hotel while everyone was looking at me. Kasi naman I m already
wearing my wedding gown.
Wala pa si Michael when I went in the garden. Ang ganda nung garden. May bridge
pa tapos may parang may maliit na lake. And wala din masyadong tao. I went acrro
ss the lake and sat on the bench.
Ilang minutes lang, nakita ko na si Michael. He was running with his white tuxed
o. He really looked like a prince. Hinanap pa muna niya ako bago niya ako makita
.
When he saw me, he smiled. He crossed the bridge and I felt like the wolrd was i

n slow motion. Our memories came rushing back. He stopped 3 steps away from me.
You really look beautiful. He smiled and told me. He closed the distance between u
s and hugged me tight. I can t help but to cry.
Oh, why are you crying? You don t need to worry about everything. I m here. Sabi niya
saakin while hinahagod niya yung likod ko.
I m just happy.
Totoo palang yung sinasabi nilang feeling pagikakasal ka na. Yung feeling na mas
aya ka at parang naalala mo lahat nung ginawa mo nung bata ka up until I ve met th
is guy and we ended up this day, our marriage.
Our hug lasted long enough and we felt each other s love even though we re not talki
ng. I just felt really safe in his arms. In my husband arms.
*Ring!* (Ringtone)
Panira yung phone niya sa moment. Bimitaw siya sa hug and answered his phone.
Babe, it s mom. Hinahanap na daw pala tayo. Everything s set. Kita nalang tayo sa chu
rch after a few minutes, okay?
I just smiled at him. I don t know why pero parang bigla nalang akong kinabahan. P
arang ayaw ko na tuloy umalis dito sa hotel.
Babe, ano ka ba. Don t worry. I ll be there. I promise. This is only the start of our
forever. I love you so much, Mrs. Rein Verdaguer. He told me and then he gave me
a short but passionate kiss.
When we arrived at the church, nagulat kami nung wala pa si Michael. Mas nanuna
kasi na umalis yung car na sinasakyan niya kaysa sa car na sinasakyan ko. He sho
uld be here by now. Hindi ko maalis saakin yung kaba.
My brothers and my sister was trying to calm me down but I just can t. I tried to
call Mike s number but his phone is turned off.
A few minutes passed but still, wala paring si Michael. Nagulat nalang ako nung
biglang umiyak si Tita Denisse, mother ni Michael. I couldn t help myself and I we
nt out the car and asked Tita what happened.
Rein, si Michael. He was rushed to the hospital. The car he was riding got hit by
a truck. Tita said while crying.
Parang bigla ko nalang gustong umiyak doon. Feeling ko guguho na mundo ko.
Sumakay ulit ako ng kotse and commanded the driver to take me to the hospital wh
ere Michael was rushed. Pinagtitinginan ako nang mga tao because I was still wea
ring my wedding gown.
I just don t care about anything or anyone right now. I just care about Michael.
Tita asked the nurses kung nasaan si Mike. They told us that he was already in t
he ICU. Agad naman namin siyang pinuntahan.
When we went there, I saw Michael in the bed. He was really badly hurt. Many tub
es were attached to him. I couldn t control my tears anymore. My tears started to
fall and I began to sob.
Pumasok agad ako sa room. I held his hand and touched it to my face. Babe, nagpro
mise ka. Sabi mo you ll be there. Pero okay lang yun. Pwede naman i-move yung wedd
ing. Just promise me you ll be okay.
Kinausap ko siya kahit alam kong walang sasagot saakin. It really hurts me to se
e him like this. Hinayaan muna ako nang family ni Michael to be with him. I stil
l haven t changed my clothes and I was still wearing make-up but still, I don t want
to leave him.
For the whole time, I just stayed there with him. Kahit pagod na pagod na ako. H
is family is waiting outside the room while my Mom, Dad, and Bliss already went
home. Ang kasama ko nalang is yung dalawa ko brothers.
Rein, the doctor said we need to go home already. Tapos na daw yung visting hours
. We could just go back tomorrow. Tita told me habang hinahagod yung likod ko. Bes
ides, we re already tired. Perhaps, we can change our clothes and take some rest f
irst.
Tita, can t I just stay with him?
Rein, Iha. I understand that you love our son so much but you just can t tire yours
elf. He ll be okay. I know Michael is a strong man and I know that he ll never leave
you. He ll be fine soon. Then she gave me a fake smile.
I had no choice but to follow them. Pero kung pwede lang, I would stay with him
the whole night. My brothers helped me to stand up from the seat beside Michael s

bed. Nahihilo na din kasi ako. I was crying the whole time and I haven t eaten sin
ce lunch.
Babe, I ll be here again tomorrow. Be strong okay? I know you ll never leave me. You
promised. I love you so much. I felt a tear fell from my eye again but hindi ko p
inansin. I just kissed his forehead.
Nagulat nalang kami nung before we went out the door, tumunog yung machine na na
kakabit sakanya and what s even more shocking was when the monitor showed na nag-f
lat line na. The doctors and the nurses came rushing in.
We were forced to stay outside of the room pero nakikita at naririnig parin nami
n lahat nang nangyayari because of the glass window and the open door. I just hu
gged Seth, my brother at umiyak nang umiyak. Seeing the one I love suffering lik
e that was one of the things I really don t want to see.
His family was also crying. Hindi ko na alam kung anong gagawin ko.
Time of death, 10:45pm.
And with the doctor said, my world fell apart.
I started screaming. Almost of them were trying to calm me down. Pati yung famil
y ni Michael pinipigilan ako. Nung lumabas na yung doctors and nurses, I ran tow
ards him.
Michael! Ano ba! Gumising ka nga jan! Sabi mo hindi mo ako iiwan diba!! Ano ba!!!
I yelled while hugging him and slightly hitting him. Hindi siya pwedeng umalis.
He promised me. Mike! You promised me!
Napaupo nalang ako beside his bed and continued crying. Pati yung dalawa kong ka
patid naiiyak na dahil saakin.
That time, the only thing I was thinking was sana sinama niya nalang ako.
Chapter 2
The Past (Part 2) Rein s P.O.V.
A week has already passed since Michael passed away. Today s his last funeral day.
Ngayon na siya ililibing.
Maaga akong gumising to fix myself. I wore my black and simple Rajo Laurel dress
and my simple red Loubotins. I didn t bother to put any make-up but I applied my
russian red MAC lipstick and wore my Ray Ban aviator shades. Simple as that.
For this past few days, I ve been lifeless. I didn t go to work, by this time, I sho
uld ve been fired. Pero kasi I was working in our company. All I ve done this days w
as go to Mike s funeral, go home, sleep for a few hours, and go back to his funera
l.
Everyone has been telling me to somehow move on. Yes, I know that. But based on
a person who s been hopeless romantic and has always dreamt of being with the man
you love till the last days of your lives, it s not that easy.
My family would always wait for me to go back home every night and they would ju
st try to cheer me up, but it wouldn t work. Yes, I would smile but it s just a fake
one. I still don t know what I m going to do when his funeral is over.
Ally, your Papa will come here any minute now. Bakit hindi nalang natin siya hint
ayin then sabay na tayong lahat pumunta sa libing? My mom asked while we were eat
ing breakfast. I call my biological Dad, Papa and I call my adpotive father, Dad
.
Mom, sunod nalang po kayo. Mamaya pa naman po yung mismong libing. I just want to
be early and make sure everything s okay.
Ally, sige na. Let s just wait for Enzo tapos sabay na tayo, okay? Sabi ni Dad. Hind
i na ako tumanggi at pumayag na din.
Ate, the Franciss Libiran dresses you ordered were already delivered a while ago.
They re beautiful but why are they all black and white? I didn t answer my sister s qu
estion, instead I just gave her a weak smile. Ang totoo niyan, kaya I ordered bl
ack and white clothes from different designers and I requested Mom to make me pe
rsonalized black dresses is because I m going to wear black clothes until Michael s
first death anniversary. Just like Kris Aquino did when her mother died. That s th
e way I wanted to mourn. Wala na silang magagawa doon.
We finished eating and after a few minutes, my Papa arrived. He hugged me as soo
n as he saw me. Baby, be strong okay? Everything s going to be alright. Hindi ko na
napigilan yung sarili ko na umiyak. I ve been holding back my tears since I woke u
p this morning. Just thinking of what will happen later breaks my heart.
Pumasok na kami sa sari-sarili naming kotse. My Mom, Dad, and Bliss were togethe

r in Dad s Volvo XC60, Safe and my Papa where together in his Porsche Panamera Hyb
rid while Seth and I were in my metallic Amethyst Prosche Cayenne. And sabay sab
ay na kaming pumunta sa Manila Memorial Park.
**
Everyone already gave their last messages for Michael. I was the only one left n
a hindi pa nagsasalita. I stood up and held the mic. My hands were shaking but I
was really trying my best to stop myself from crying.
When I was a teenager, I was fond of reading romantic books. Specially the kind w
here the characters in those books would end up happily with each other. I would
always think if someday, I was going to find the same perfect man as the books
would say. And to what I didn t expect, he really came. This perfect man is Michae
l.
This perfect man made me realize that I can do things beyond my limits. He made i
mpossible things possible for me. Words could never describe how perfect he was w
ords could never describe how much we loved each other. He even promised me fore
ver. If this is God s way of showing me forever, I accept it Michael taught me how
to love. He was very selfless. His love was the most pure thing on Earth. It was
, in every way, unconditional. And probably that s the message here. He wants all
of us to love the way he did also. I removed my shades and placed it on top of my
head. I wipped the tears that was uncotrolably flowing through my cheeks.
He made me so happy, that even when the last time I saw him, before the wedding,
at the hotel, tumakas pa kami just to see each other. He told me that that day w
as just the start of our forever. I never knew na yun na pala yung last time na
I d see him smiling at me. I never knew na yun pala yung last time na he would hug
and kiss me. I never knew that that was the last time I m going to hear his I lov
e you s. And with that, I broke out crying. Lumapit saakin yung older brother niya
and hugged me para i-calma ko yung sarili ko. Nakita kong umiyak yung Mom niya,
mom ko, and his siblings.
I was shaking and I was sobbing. The only thing that was preventing me to fall w
as his brother who was hugging me. I tried my best to finish my message even tho
ugh my voice was breaking. To my baby, Michael, thank you for making my dreams co
me true. Thank you for making me feel that I m the luckiest girl in the world to h
ave you. I ll take care of you family for you. I will never love the same way as I
loved you.
I didn t stop crying until the funeral finished. Before going home, tita Denisse t
old me that I will be always welcome in their family. Kahit daw na hindi natuloy
yung kasal, they would always treat me as their daughter-in-law.
Umuwi na kami and I just spent the whole afternoon in my bedroom, thinking.
Naisip ko kung anong gagawin ko after this day. Kung anong gagawin ko pagkatapos
nang lahat nang nangyari
Before I slept, naisip ko na how empty would my life be after this day. Wala na
nang gigising saakin every morning. Wala na ako kasamang mag-malling every weeke
nds. Wala nang magte-text saakin telling me that he loves me.
Wala yung taong nagmahal saakin.
I cried with that thought.
Our memories started to fill my mind again. I don t know how long it s going to take
for me to move on. Sa isang mabilis na pangyayari lang, nawala na ang mundo ko.
I didn t notice that I already cried myself to sleep.
The next morning, when I woke up, the first thing I saw was Michael and I s pictur
e when we were still in 2nd year college. Naalala ko nanaman lahat nang nangyari
at hindi ko nanaman mapigilan na umiyak.
And the first question that came to my mind was
What is the use of living when the one you love isn t by your side anymore?
Seth s P.O.V.
Dad called me to check on my older sister who hasn t been out of her bedroom since
nung libing ni kuya Michael yesterday. Naawa nga ako sakanya. Thinking that eve
rything was supposed to be perfect between the two of them.
Dad, Ate s room is locked.
Call Safe and tell him to get the keys. After that, tawagin niyo na din si Bliss.
Don t leave Rein alone. Okay? Your Mom and I are going home early. I ll just call a

gain to check on you Ate later. Bye

Before I called Safe, my brother, I tried to knock Ate s door hoping that she woul
d open it. Pero wala. I was getting nervous. Pere baka naman natutulog lang.
Safe! Kunin mo nga yung keys sa bedroom ni Ate! Tawagin mo na din si Bliss!! Umaky
at agad si Safe na kasama si Bliss and handed me the keys.
Pagkabukas namin, Ate s room was dimly-lit. The only source of light was from her
small lampshade at the edge of the room. Ang lamig-lamig din. Her bed was not ye
t done and was a bit messy. Tapos all of Michael and Ate s pictures were all over.
Kuya, kawawa naman si Ate. Siguro we should cheer her up. Sabi nung bunso namin. S
afe just smiled at her.
I went in the walk-in closet thinking that Ate Ally might be there. Her walk-in
closet was also a bit messy. Siguro dahil na din wala siya sa mood ayusin yung m
ga gamit niya. I was starting to pick up her clothes that was in the ground when
I heard the rushing water from the bathtub. Magka-kabit lang kasi ang walk-in c
loset and bathroom sa mga rooms namin. Open space nga lang eh. The only thing th
at was separating the two was the dividers.
Ate? Why did you let the water running? No one answered. Ate! Nanjan ka ba? I went t
o the C.R. and was surprised with what I saw.
The bathtub was half-full with water and with my sister s blood. Nakahiga siya doo
n with her white dress stained with red and wala na siyang malay.
Agad ko siyang binuhat. I ordered Safe to prepare the car and Bliss to call Ate
Ally s father and our parents. Half-sister lang kasi namin siya.
I drove the car to the hospital as fast as I can.
Sorry, pero hindi na po kayo pwedeng pumasok. The nurse said.
Napatingin nalang ako sa kapatid namin na iyak nang iyak at hindi na alam ang ga
gawin. All of us were covered with Ate s blood.
Wala naman sa personality niya na magsuicide. She must ve been really hurt sa pagk
awala ni Kuya Mike.
A few minutes later, the doctor went out to talk to us.
She s fine. Buti nalang you brought her here just in time. Kung natagalan pa ng ila
ng minutes, she might not be with us anymore. Nakahinga naman kami doon kahit pap
ano.
She just lost a lot of blood, kaya blood transfusion is needed. You can see her i
n a few minutes.
Ilang minutes lang din, dumating na yung parents namin.
We were thankful enough that she survived.
Maybe all she needs is guidance from us.
Chapter 3
From Her Father s Point of View
Rein s P.O.V.
It s been 1 month. 1 month since Michael died, 1 month of mourning and trying to m
ove on, pero wala parin.
When I was discharged from the hospital, I moved in sa house where Michael and I
were supposed to live after the wedding. The house we visited two days before t
he wedding.
It was really hard to make my parents allow me to live here. Sabi kasi nila, lal
o lang akong malulungkot because of all the pictures of our memories are here. S
abi din kasi nila na it was on of the places Michael went to before he died. Per
o pinayagan na nila ako when I told them na that would be the only thing that wi
ll make me happy now. Siguro dahil kahit papano, mafi-feel ko parin yung presenc
e ni Michael in a way na bahay namin to.
My Papa lives with me as well para naman daw may magbabantay and someone will ta
ke care of me. Para din daw hindi empty yung bahay.
This house has seven rooms, a dinning hall, a swimming pool, a big living room,
a garden big enough for children to play, a garage for 4 cars, a patio place in
the front, and a place where you can celebrate parties. This house is really mad
e for a happy family to live in.
In my case, the one whom I was supposed to start my family with is now gone. Ang
sakit lang talaga isipin.
Enzo s P.O.V.
It s already 11pm but still, hindi pa lumalabas ng kwarto si Rein. Hindi parin siy

a kumakain since breakfast.

Since Michael passed away and she got out of the hospital, wala na siyang ginawa
kung hindi magkulong sa kwarto at umiyak. She also started drinking alcoholic d
rinks na hindi niya naman ginagawa before. Almost everyday na din siya umiinom.
She never did that before. I m really lucky because I had Rein as my daughter. Hin
di siya pasaway and she follows every single thing we tell her. She s even smart a
nd beautiful. Having her is really a blessing. I really feel bad for my daughter
. She s now changing because of her loss. Alam ko din kasi yung feeling nang mawal
an. Well, it s different for her kasi nga namatay si Michael.
I prepared dinner and brought it upstairs to Rein s room para doon nalang kami kum
ain.
When I entered her room, I saw her seating near her window while crying again. S
he looked thinner and hindi na din siya masyadong nagaayos.
Rein, kain muna tayo. You haven t eaten since morning.
She faced me with her swollen eyes and flushed cheeks. No, dad. I m fine. Wala akon
g gana kumain eh.
I placed the tray on the table first and sat beside my daughter. Rein, you can t st
ay like this forever. You need to move on.
Lalo siyang umiyak. I hugged her and patted her back. It s really hard to see your
daughter like this.
My 20 year old daughter s first heartbreak. Ang hirap pala makita yung anak mo na
ganito.
Pa, I can t. I miss Michael. Why did he leave me? Am I not good enough for him? She
said in between. I just wish that my life would end the same as his. Pa, I can t go
on without him.
Rein, your just saying that. Kaya mo yan. You know, if Michael sees you crying, h
e wouldn t like it. Stop na. Just eat up. You re getting thinner.
I don t feel like eating. Sorry. Then she just looked outside of the window again.
This time, I couldn t control my raging emotions anymore. I know I should be caref
ul with my daughter s feelings, but this is enough. We ve done all we can just to ge
t her out of her room. Just to stop her from crying. Pero what?
She even didn t excert effort on moving on. Nagmumok lang siya sa kwarto niya araw
-araw.
Before I lose my patience, I found myself walking out of Rein s room. Before I wen
t out, I stopped and looked at her for the last time. Rein, if you continue doing
this to yourself, pati ako mawawala na sayo. Move on.
Chapter 4
Present Day
1 year after
Rein s P.O.V.
I was staying in my favorite coffee shop for my lunch break when I saw the scar
in my left wirst. Napa-smile nalang ako while remembering why I got that scar.
It s been a year since all of the drama has happened. I can t totally say that I ve al
ready moved on but I learned how to cope up with the sadness Michael s death broug
ht me. Yes, he may not be by my side anymore, but he s my angel now. I know he s bee
n watching over me.
And if you asked me, no, I still didn t move on. I just learned to accept that he s
not with me anymore. I admit that I still have grudges for him. If you had a per
fect relationship before, it wouldn t be also an easy thing to move on. Specially
when you lost him the way I lost Michael.
Ever since Papa got mad at me a year ago, pinilit ko na to look happy when peopl
e are around me. Kasi naman, wala na nga si Michael, mawawala pa family ko saaki
n? I might go crazy. Basta pag may kasama akong iba, I always show them that I m h
appy pero when I m alone, hindi ko parin maalis sa sarili ko to cry and feel sad.
Kinuha ko yung magazine na dala ko and nakita ko nanaman ang taong may pinaka-ma
gulong buhay na yata sa buong Pilipinas. Si Blake Josef Bustamante. Halos araw-a
raw nalang siyang nasa magazines. Kung sino-sino nang babae ang pinaglaruan niya
. Wala siyang mercy when it comes to girls. Ang yabang-yabang pa. Sayang, gwapo
pa naman.
I took my cup of coffee and took a sip.
Ano ba yan! Umagang-umaga, nakasimangot agad! Nagulat ako nung bigla nalang may su

migaw galing sa likod ko. At pagkatingin ko, hindi nga ako nagkamali at si Ella y
on.
Graciella Cruz has been with me since highschool but she just got back from Pari
s. Doon kasi siya nagaral ng college. We re really close. Halos hindi na nga kami
maghiwalay eh. And just to tell you, magka-ibang magka-iba kami nang ugali. She s
a playgirl, party girl, maldita, at wala siyang paki-alam kung ano man ang magin
g expression sakanya nang mga tao.
Mind you, Ella s really pretty kahit ganyan ang ugali niya. She always gets every
boys she wants. Except for his ultimate crush, si Blake. Ang layo naman kasi nan
g level nila. Ang taas taas naman kasi nang level ni Blake.
Can t you keep your voice down? Ingay ha.
Sorry naman. Ano ba yang binabasa mo? Patingin nga! Sabay kuha nung cookies na nas
a table at nung magazine galing saakin.
Yang ultimate crush mo, may issue nanaman.
Who cares?! As long as he maintains the oh-so-hot-badboy look and as long as he r
emains hot and famous, gugustuhin parin nang tao ang aking Blakey!! Sabi niya hab
ang kinikilig.
Tiningnan ko siya nang masama habang ini-inom yung kape ko.
Yuck. Seriously. Sino ba naman ang may gustong maging boyfriend ang isang race c
ar driver na gwapo nga, pero lolokohin ka lang naman. Diba?
Don t give me that look, Rein. Ganyan ka lang kasi perfect si Michael dati. Kung hi
ndi lang sana nama
Hindi niya tinuloy yung sasabihin niya when she saw me looking at her sadly. As
I said a while ago, I m still sensitive when it comes to Michael.
Ohmygosh. I am so sorry. Alam kong ayaw mong napapagusapan yun. Sorry talaga. Dum
ulas lang sa bibig ko. She told me while holding my hand.
No. It s okay. I told her calmly. Nagyaya nalang ako na magmall at least to relieve
myself from stress. Nagshopping kami nang nagshopping till we literally drop.
Again, para makilala niyo pa ako, I am Rein Allyson Villafuerte. My friends and
family calls me Rein or Ally. I m the eldest and only daughter of Khristine Erika
Ortega and Adrian Lorenzo Villafuerte. My parents are not together and I stayed
with my Mom before. I wasn t really a wanted child kasi. But my Mom s husband, Matte
o, which is whom I call Dad, treats me as his very own.
I have three step-siblings. Nandyan si Seth Anthony Yllustre na pinaka-masama an
g ugali saamin. Not actually masama. Moody, masungit, cassanova, and he s always w
illing to break every rules our parents make. Nandyan din si Safe Kristian Yllus
tre na sobrang bait namin. He does everything our parents tells us to do and nap
aka-bait talaga. And I m proud to say that he s been with one girl since 2nd year HS
.
My two brothers are actually twins. Yes, they re both gwapo, hot, and all pero the
y don t have the same attitude. Pero when it comes to my sister and I, grabe ang p
agka-over protective nila. Mas strict pa sila kay Dad at kay Papa.
And our bunso, Catherine Bliss Yllustre. We call her Bliss. She s already 18 pero
batang isip parin. She s really bubbly and sobrang habulin ng boys. -.- Pinapagali
tan na nga namin minsan.
So ayon, iba nga ang last name nila from me. Last name ko is Villafuerte, and si
la Yllustre. Kasi nga, magkaiba fathers namin. Pero ayon nga. Kahit minsan, hind
i nila pinaramdam saakin na hindi ako part ng family. And I guess they re one of t
he reasons why I pass through every hindrances that I have in my life.
After namin magshopping, hinatid ko muna si Ella sa bahay nila then I went home.
I was expecting for a quite time for myself when I get home pero nagulat nalang
ako nung pagkabukas ko nang door ng bahay ko eh nandoon mga kapatid ko pati na r
in si Mom and si Dad.
I was too occupied to not notice their cars outside. Hai.
Mom, Dad! Why are you here? Ano po meron? I asked them. And napansin ko na they we
re all wearing tuxedos and ball gowns. Ayos na ayos sila tapos ako nvrmind.
My Dad hugged me and kissed my forehead. Hindi ka na umuuwi sa bahay. Miss ka na
namin ng Mommy mo.
I hugged him back Dad, it s just that ewan. I ve been tired and busy this past few day
s.

Tired and busy? Or you re just staying here at home and remembering Kuya Michael ag
ain? My brother, Seth, asked me.
Napayuko nalang ako and my eyes were already starting to fill with tears. Pinuna
san ko yun and looked at him furiously. Leave Michael out of this, Seth.
He just smiled at me na parang nangaasar.
Enough of that. Rein, you should fix yourself already. Merong party remember? Nas
a room mo na sa taas yung susuotin mo. Bliss, ayusan mo Ate mo. My Mom told me wh
ile slightly pushing me pataas ng stairs.
I had no choice na sumunod nalang. Nawala sa isip ko na may party pala yung comp
any namin ngayon. Inayusan ako ni Bliss. Simple lang naman. Light make-up tapos
white na dress.
Bakit kasi known ang pamilya namin sa pagiging socialites? Kung ako tatanungin,
mas gusto ko pang mamuhay nang simple. Haixt.
Anway, the party went on. Wala naman masyadong special. Pinakilala lang yung bag
ong big investor daw sa company namin. My mom and my dad were talking to people wh
ile my brothers and my sister were dancing with there newly-met friends. Ako nam
an, I just happily sat in our assigned table and played games with my iPhone4s.
That s a nice and interesting game you re playing.
Napatingin ako sa biglang nagsalita sa harap ko. And when I looked up, I saw som
eone smiling at me. Yes, he s really gwapo. He s the type na pagnadaanan mo siya sa
mall, you can t take your eyes off him.
Well, for someone the same as my age, I though that they would think this game wa
s boring and childish I answered him while smiling. I was playing Angry Birds tha
t time and ang alam ko, sa mga ka-age ko, they would think that my act is really
childish
He sat down sa chair na tapat ko. Well, not for me. I play that game too.
Looking at him, I saw that this guy would ve been a future CEO of a company. He lo
oks smart yet really attractive. He would be the type that all the girls would d
ie just to have him. Plus he has a dimple in the right side of his cheek which m
ade him more cute.
Matutunaw naman na ako sa tingin mo. He told me while slightly laughing. Nahihiya a
ko to ask pero may I ask you to dance with me.
Natawa ako. Is that the main reason why you went to me? Ang bagal mo naman. Pero
sure, I will.
He blushed with what I told him. Umiwas pa nga siya nang tingin. He s really kind
of cute.
We danced habang nagke-kwentuhan. We didn t even noticed that we danced three whol
e songs dahil na rin siguro na we enjoy each others company. Sa sobrang ka-enjoy
an namin sa isa t-isa, we decided to go somewhere else.
Hindi na siya nagpa-alam sa parents niya kasi nga we re in the age where we can de
cide on our own na, pero ako, nagpaalam parin ako since I don t live with them any
more and I wanted them to know that I m in good hands.
Saan ba tayo pupunta? I asked him while he was driving his Porsche Carrera GT.
You ll see. Kanina pa ako tanong nang tanong pero yan lang ang sagot niya.
Earlier, dumaan kami sa isang convinience store na 24 hours open to buy some dri
nks and snacks. Sabi niya kasi baka daw magustuhan ko yung lugar na yun and baka
magstay kami longer than planned.
He stopped the car sa isang eco-park. The trees in that park were full of christ
mas lights. Tapos flowers were all over the place which causes you to smell the
scent of fresh flowers everywhere you go.
We went out of the car and chose kung saan kami pu-pwesto. Siya pumili kung saan
kami pu-pwesto. Before we sat down, tinanggal niya yung coat niya at nilatag sa
grass para doon daw ako umupo para daw hindi madumihan yung dress ko.
So I guess this place is really special for you. I told him while munching the chi
ps we bought a while ago. Kanina pa kami sa park na to. Ang sarap kasi nang hangi
n and ang saya din niya kasama.
Yes. I always go here whenever I have time. Nakaka-relieve kasi nang stress whene
ver I go here. He answered shortly kasi kumakain din siya.
What s so special about this place? Inayos ko yung upo ko then para humarap ako saka
nya. Ang hirap kaya magusap ng magkatalikod.

Try to look up. He told me habang tumuturo siya sa taas.

Pagkatingin ko, I saw the moon and the stars clearly. It was indeed beautiful. I
t was the perfect place to go stargazing. Dagdag mo pa yung trees na puno ng lig
hts, it gave a romantic feel about the place.
I looked back at him and I was surprised that he was looking at me.
Our eyes met. I can t understand why, pero I saw a curiousty in his eyes. Parang h
e was waiting for me to answer a hundred questions that he was asking. He held m
y chin and guided my face towards his. Slowly, our faces became inches apart unt
il our lips touched.
He ended the kiss. Agad siyang umiwas nang tingin saakin. I-I m really sorry. Hindi
ko dapat ginawa yun. He said while blushing.
I didn t know what to say. Bakit ko nga ba ginawa yun? -.I think I should take you home already. It s getting late. Finally, he changed the t
opic.
I just nodded as a sign of approval. He helped me stand up tapos kinuha niya yun
g coat niya. On our way home, walang nagsasalita saamin. He was just shooting fa
st glances at each other.
So, this is it. I told him. Nasa tapat na kasi kami ng bahay ko.
You live there alone?
Well, yes. Minsan pumupunta yung mga kapatid ko and they would sleep-over for 2 d
ays. Pero usually, ako lang. I now live in the house where Michael and I was supp
osed to live after we got married. The one na pinuntahan namin before the weddin
g.
I see. Parang it s too big for you alone.
It really is.
Bumaba siya sa drivers seat and opened my door. I found the gesture really sweet
. Hinatid niya ako hanggang sa gate.
So, this is goodbye then? He asked me sadly.
Not really. We can still see each other, you know. He smiled with what I said. Than
k you for this night. I really enjoyed being with you. I gave him a sweet smile.
Again, he just smiled and look at me.
Oi! Uwi ka na. Sabi ko. Nakakatawa kasi sinabi ko lang na pwede pa naman kaming ma
gkita tapos parang ang saya saya niya na.
Pumunta na siya sa may car niya. I was supposed to go inside the gate pero befor
e pa ako makapasok, sumigaw siya. Sorry pero what s your name?
Funny how we enjoyed each others comapany kahit hindi pa namin alam mga name nam
in.
Rein. Rein Allyson Villafuerte! Ikaw?! Mukha kaming ewan na nagsisigawan sa labas
nang bahay ko.
Daniel! Daniel Mondragon! Good night, Rein! I ll see you tomorrow! He said tapos pum
asok na siya sa car and drove away.
Chapter 5
Hello, Daniel
11:45am.
Yan na yung oras pagkagising ko. Late na pala ako nagising.
Napuyat kasi ako kaka-isip kay Daniel kagabi. I don t know, pero after a year, par
ang ngayon lang ulit ako naging happy.
I smiled again with that thought.
Napatingin ako sa side table ko and I saw Michael and I s picture. Bigla tuloy ako
ng naguilty sa mga nangyari last night. Parang biglang pumasok sa isip ko kung b
akit ako pumayag na sumama kay Daniel. Haixt.
Pumikit nalang ulit ako and tried to sleep again para mawala yung memories na bu
malik saakin.
*Ding Dong!!*
Muntik na akong mahulog sa kama sa pagka-gulat ko.
Tumakbo agad ako sa baba without fixing my hair kasi alam ko naman na sila Seth,
Safe, or si Bliss lang yun. I didn t even bother to change what I was wearing.
Laking gulat ko nalang nung biglang nakita si Daniel sa may gate.
Good morning. Sorry if I woke you up. He said nang hindi tumitingin saakin. And ag
ain, he was blushing.
It wouldn t be polite kung sabihin ko naman na umalis siya so I invited him inside

. Pinaupo ko muna siya sa sala and left him para magtimpla ako nang juice and ma
gtooth brush.
Pagkabalik ko, he was using my iPad.
Grabe ka naman. You didn t even asked me kung pwede mo gamitin iPad ko.
Bigla niyang binitawan yung iPad ko at binalik sa table.
Sorry. Tapos para siyang bata na pinagalitan nang nanay. Haha.
Hey. Nagbibiro lang ako. Sorry kung naabutan mo ako na ganito. Hindi kasi ako nak
atulog nang maayos last night. I told him habang inaabot ko yung juice sakanya.
You look fine. Thanks.
Ang suot ko lang is an over-sized shirt tapos nakashorts lang ako. Kaya kung tit
ingnan mo, parang yung shirt lang talaga suot ko. Kaya siguro hindi makatingin n
ang maayos si Daniel saakin.
Tumabi ako sakanya. So, ano meron?
Wala. I just wanted to see you.
Ang cheesy mo naman.
Alam mo, it s funny kung paano tayo nagenjoy last night without knowing our names.
Bakit? Eh alam nanaman natin ngayon ah. Ikaw si Daniel Mondargon, ako si Rein Vil
lafuerte. Sabi ko habang tinuturo ko siya at ako.
Natawa naman siya. Let s go out. Let s watch a movie or maybe I can take you shopping
. Ano, is that a good idea for you?
Pumayag naman ako and naligo agad. I left him downstairs sa sala. He s just playin
g COD Black Ops sa Wii. Haha. Yes, I play Black Ops. Masama ba? Hahaha.
After ko maligo, I went to my walk-in closet to chose what I was going to wear.
Habang tinitingnan ko yung mga damit ko, I remembered why all of my clothes were
black and white. Parang everything makes me regret of what happened last night.
Even though alam ko na hindi naman sinadya ni Daniel yun but still Feeling ko kas
i is I kissed someone behind Michael s back.
Pumili nalang ako ng simple black dress. I wore flats and I grabbed my bag.
Pumunta kami ni Daniel sa Mall of Asia. We ate lunch sa T.G.I. Friday s, after tha
t, we watched a movie. Nanood kami nang Breaking Dawn Part 1 kahit hindi kami ma
syadong fan nang Twilight. Wala na kasing masyadong ineteresting na panoorin. Me
dyo nakaka-ilang lang kasi puro lovers yung nasa loob ng sinehan.
After namin manood, pinagshopping niya ako. And infairness, hindi siya naiinip.
Konting lalaki lang ang alam kong hindi naiinip pagnagsho-shopping kaming mga gi
rls. Sinamahan niya ako kahit saan kong botique na gusto pumunta. Plus he was th
e one who paid all of those I bought.
We spent the whole afternoon shopping, playing in Timezone, and we took a while
looking for good books in Fullybooked. I didn't know that he was that fun to be
with. Halos lahat ng games na meron sa Timezone, nilaro namin. He even gave me t
he big Stitch stuffed toy he got from the claw.
When we went to Fullybook naman, I saw how he was interested in books. He was lo
oking through every detail it has. He even showed and bought me some of his favo
rite books. Alam niya kasi na I'm also a book worm like him.
We spent the whole afternoon shopping, playing in Timezone, and we took a while
looking for good books in Fullybooked.
After we got tired, I decided na pumunta muna kami sa botique ni Mama. Meron kas
i siyang botique dito and ang alam ko, dito ang schedule niya today.
While we were walking, some things invaded my mind. I really see Michael in Dani
el. He was in someway the same as him. Ganyan din kasi si Michael eh. Maybe that
is one of the reasons why I feel somehow attached to Daniel already even though
we just met.
Ate Marcie, nandito po ba si Mama? I asked Mom s assisstant when we got to her botiq
ue. And as usual ang daming tao sa botique ni Mama.
Mom s botique consist of a part where the RTW s are placed and meron siyang office s
a may bandang likod for those who want specialized clothes. Puno rin siya nang p
ictures namin nila Bliss kasi kami ang nagmo-model nang mga gawa niya.
She s in her office. Wala namang client, so pwede na kayo pumasok. She told me haban
g nakangiti saakin nang nakakaloka. Siguro napansin niya na kasama niya ko si Da
niel.
We went in at I wasn t surprised kung na surprise si Mommy na kasama ko si Daniel.

They knew each other na pala. Daniel invited Mom to join us for dinner. We ate
at the Bed Scene sa MOA din.
We finished eating dinner and decided to have coffee. So Daniel, paano mo napapapayag na makipag-date tong si Rein? Bigla nalang ako nasamid sa sinabi ni Mama. In
abutan naman agad ako ni Daniel nang water.
Well, Tita, I just invited her to watch a movie po. He said while drinking his cof
fee. I wasn t talking kasi baka lalong ma-awkward lang.
Buti nalang talaga nahila mo siya palabas nang bahay niya. You know, she s always b
een concentrated on her work. Lagi nalang siyang bahay, office, bahay. She doesn t
give time for herself ever since Michael pa
I cut her off sa sasabihin ko. She s talking like I m not here. I m just giving things
a chance. Mom, please stop. I m just not comfortable with those things yet. Please
.
Bigla nalang tumahimik. Awkward silence until we finished our coffee s and decided
to go home. Halata mo kay Daniel na he s curious sa sasabihin dapat ni Mom kanina
.
Again, I was alone in this big, empty house. Nakita ko nanaman yung pictures nam
in ni Mike and hindi ko mapigilang malungkot.
A year has passed, pero ganito parin ako. Hanggang nagyon nasasaktan sa mga nang
yari.
Minsan nga naiisip ko, kung hindi pa kaya kami nagpakasal ni Michael nung day na
yon, hindi kaya siya mawawala saakin? Sometimes, I can t help but to blame myself
nadin knowing na kung hindi pa siguro kami kinasal that day, baka hindi siya ki
nuha ni Lord.
Pinilit ko nalang na magconcentrate sa work para kahit minsan malimutan ko naman
yung mga nangyari.
My family and my friends tried to help me forget Michael anyway as possible pero
wala parin. Nagalit lang si Papa saakin before. Sabi niya kasi kapag nakita niy
a pa ako na hindi man lang nagta-try na mag move on, pati daw siya iiwan ako. Ay
oko naman mangyari yun.
Sobrang hirap kasi mag let go.
**
Weeks has already passed since I met Daniel, and I must say, that somehow, he s be
en really understanding about some things I don t want to talk about. Ang bait bai
t niya. We don t
fight and ang maganda pa doon, he always finds time for me despite his busy sche
dule. I can also say that we ve also been close.
He also asked me if he could court me daw.
I didn t see anything wrong so I said yes.
Afterall, it s been a year. Maybe it s time that I try on loving again. Wala namang
masama diba?
Chapter 6 Giving Things a Try
Rein s P.O.V.
Daniel opened the door of his Porsche Carrera GT for me to enter.
He invited me for their family dinner this Sunday night. He wanted me to meet hi
s family personally daw. We drove our way to Tagaytay where their family vacatio
n house is located. He told me that they always go here after Sunday mass and sp
end the whole day bonding with his cousins, siblings, grandparents, and Tito s and
Tita s.
Pagkadating namin doon, a woman around her 50 s was waiting for us at the gate.
Daniel! Baby! Is this Rein? Ohmygosh. You re so beautiful. No wonder why my Daniel
likes you so much.
I m guesing she s his Mom.
Mom, ano ka ba? Anyway, Rein, this is my Mom. Mom, this is Rein, my friend.
Nice meeting you, iha. Just call me Tita Grace. I ve heard so much about you. Let s g
o in na.
She smiled and walked with us inside.
Pinakilala nila ako sa lahat then we ate dinner. His family is really fun to be
with.
I ve also learned things about Daniel.

Daniel Mondragon is a handsome, family centered, and a religious man. He s the onl
y boy in their family. She has a 26-year old and a 6-year old sister. He s 3 years
older than me and
He reminds me so much of Michael.
Daniel excused himself because he had to answer a call. I was left in the poolsi
de without anyone to talk to when a girl around as my age siguro, came to me. Ma
ybe kakadating niya lang because she wasn t introduced to me a while ago.
Hi. I m Shanice Mondrago, Nice for short. I m Daniel s older sister. Nagbeso kami then s
he sat down beside me.
Yes, I am. I m Rein Allyson Villafuerte. Nice meeting you.
If I m not mistaken, you re the daughter of the designer, Erika Yllustre? How come yo
u have different surnames?
Actually, people always ask me that. I m not an Yllustre. Illigitemate daughter lan
g ako.
That explain s it. I m guessing you re close to your stepdad?
Oo. Sakanya na din ako lumaki eh. He also treated me as his own na din because I m
the oldest saamin.
She smiled at me and held my hand. You re a nice girl. No wonder why my brother lik
es you so much. I was speechless for a moment. I didn t know what to say. Minsan lan
g magmahal yung kapatid ko eh and he really has taste. I like you for him.
She started typing somethings in her phone when Daniel went back to us, smiling.
I see you ve met Ate Nice. I hope she didn t say bad things about me.
Shut up, Daniel. Buti nga d kita sinisiraan eh. I like Rein. She s a really nice gi
rl. I like her for you. You two should be together.
She gave us a grin before she got back to doing something from her phone.
Rein, I think I should bring you home already. It s already late. Ate Nice, tell ev
eryone that we ll go ahead. See you later.
Nung hinatid niya ako, we both decided that he should stay for the night since m
asyado na kaming ginabi dahil sa traffic and ayoko naman na baka mapahamak pa si
ya on his way back sa Tagaytay because of me.
I made him use the nearest room to mine para if he needs anything, he s just one d
oor away from me.
For no reason, hindi ako makatulog so I just watched TV downstairs. I was watchi
ng Dear John and I was already in the part where John s Dad is going to pass away.
Even though I ve watched this a couple of times before, hindi ko parin maiwasan n
a umiyak.
This has also been my hobby since Michael passed away. I would usually watch chi
ckflick movies and feel pity for myself, then I would end up drinking alcoholic
drinks and crying. I so feel worthless eversince I lost Michael.
Nagtataka talaga ako why woman would make themselves cry and feel sad over movies
.
When I looked back, I saw Daniel standing at the end of the staircase while wear
ing Michael s old clothes. Again, hindi ko nanaman maalis sa isip ko na parang si
Michael talaga yung kasama ko. The way he talks, the way he moves, they re so much
alike. Magkahawig pa nga sila eh.
Stop crying. It s really hard for me to see girls cry eh. Then he handed me a tissue
box and sat beside me. You should also stop drinking. That s bad for you.
Kinuha niya yung bottle nung iniinom ko and nilayo saakin.
I just looked at him without saying anything. Ayoko maging badmood just because
he ruined my moment.
Rein, listen. I know na we ve just met a few weeks ago but Rein, I really like you.
Alam ko naman what you ve been through. I just want you to know I m willing to wait
.
He held my hand which caused me to feel his sincereness. I didn t know na alam niy
a pala yung mga nangyari saakin before.
I think it s really time to give it a try. :)
Daniel, I like you too. Pero hindi pa kasi ako ready to enter in any relationship
s muna.
And by the end of the night, we ve both decided to give it a try. It s like we re havi
ng a relationship but it doesn t have any label at all.

I really hope he s the one. :)

Chapter 7 Sapphire & Diamond Studded Necklace
Nasa coffee shop ako ngayon with Ella, hinihintay ko si Daniel kasi mago-out of
town daw kami.
Rein, hindi naman sa in-doubt ako jan kay Daniel, pero sure na ba?
Anong klaseng tanong yan Ella? Of course.
Rein kasi sa nakikita ko, you like Daniel kasi nakikita mo si Michael sakanya. Big
la nalang ako napaisip sa sinabi niya. Hindi kaya tama siya? Eto nanaman tayo.
Hi, Rein. Ready ka na ba? Bigla nalang dumating si Daniel from behind and handed m
e a boquet of flowers. Nagpa-alam na kami kay Ella after a while.
Si Daniel lang nagdrive nang car since kaming dalawa lang naman ang magsa-stay s
a Batangas for 3 days. While he was driving, I can t help but to notice that he lo
oks really stressed this past few weeks.
He has dark circles around his eyes and parang pumapayat na siya. Kahit papano,
I m worried about him. Baka naman kasi masyado siyang pine-pressure nang parents n
iya sa pagiging future CEO. Nakaka-awa na din siya.
And napansin ko din na parang may gusto siyang sabihin saakin pero hindi niya ma
sabi.
Daniel, are you not telling me something lately? Napansin ko kasi na masyadong ka
ng stressed.
He held my hand and touched it to his face. No, I m okay. Madami lang kasing work.
Pero okay lang, at least I have this 3 day vacation with you. Tapos kiniss niya y
ung hand ko.
Natulog muna kami pagkadating namin doon since 2:00pm palang naman. We woke up a
round 5pm and nagbihis na kami ng pang swimming. I wore my two-piece swimsuit wh
ich caused the boys at the beach to look at me.
Si Daniel naman, nakaboard shorts lang kaya tumitingin din yung mga girls sakany
a. Ang hot kasi with his angelic na maypagka bad boy face and his perfect abs. A
y grabe. Hot talaga. Pero yung mga girls na tumitingin. Pft. Landi ah. Parang hi
ndi nila ako nakikita. Haha.
Inakbayan naman ako ni Daniel para naman daw malaman nung mga boys na may kasama
na ako. Haha. Ang cute magselos. The beach was kind of private and only members
of the club can go here.
There were sets of comfortable cushions with rolled neck pillows, foot rest and
a side table in between that were scatered at the beach side. Umupo muna kami ni
Daniel in one of those. He held my wrist and made me sit in his lap. Sumandal a
ko sakanya and I rested my head on his shoulder while my hands were hugging him.
Ah, Rein, sorry to ask, but what does M stand for? Bumitaw ako hug namin and looked
at him. He just gave me the curious look.
Nagtataka ako kung anong tinatanong niya when I remembered my small tattoo on my
back. A capital M was written near the strap of my swimwuit. I got that tattoo
on my eighteenth birthday. Michael and I had matching tattoos before.
Does that stand for Michael? He asked me with his brown orbs staring right into my
eyes.
Naguilty ulit ako. Yes. Then I looked away from him.
Hey, You don t need to feel sorry for me. I m fine with it. I promise. He hugged me ag
ain and kahit papano, nabunutan ako nang tinik. I m hungry. Hindi pa tayo kumakain.
You want to eat?
Buti nalang tinanong mo! I m dead hungry! Saan tayo kakain?
We just stood up and hinila niya ako papunta sa isang retaurant sa may sea side
din. Seafoods ang mostly na inorder niya.
Sir, Ma am. Kumpleto na po ba yung order niyo? The waitress asked us while placing t
he plates of food we ordered. Daniel just nodded as a sign of saying yes.
Instead na umalis na yung waitress, she stared while smilling at us for a couple
of seconds. Sa pagtataka namin ni Daniel, napatingin kami sa isa t-isa. Not knowi
ng what to say, I asked the waitress.
Ate, may problem po ba?
Wala naman. Alam niyo, bagay na bagay kayong dalawa. Ikaw Kuya ha! Wag mo na papa
kawalan si Ate! Again, she just smiled tapos umalis na siya.
Nagkatinginan ulit kami tapos natawa. Natawa kami kasi we re not really in a relat

ionship yet may naka-akala na agad na kami na.

After we ate, nagswimming kami and did many things pa.
We just spent the whole vacation nang nagsi-swimming, nagkukulitan, sometimes na
tutulog lang kami and I must say, he s really fun to be with and this lovers with
no labels thing is working for us but I just can t deny the fact that he reminds m
e so much of Michael.
**
Daniel and I s vacation ended and we really had a blast. In that 3 days with just
him, I realized that finally, my heart has opened again.
We re now driving back to Manila. I was looking at our pictures for the past 3 day
s and I noticed that the smile and the glow that I lost a year ago was back. Si
Daniel lang pala makakapag-balik saakin non.
Mom s asking kung pwede ka daw mag overnight saamin pagnakabalik na tayo. She wants
to know you more daw. I guess she really likes you. He asked while driving.
Really? Sige. If you want we can go straight na. Wala pa naman akong gagawin tomo
rrow sa office and pwede pa naman akong hindi pumasok.
Eh yung clothes mo? And you re already absent for a day. Hindi ba magagalit yung bo
ss mo?
Ano ka ba, I work for my Papa. I m sure he doesn t mind. And yung clothes, meron pa n
aman akong dala. Sobra kasi yung clothes na dala ko eh.
Okay. We ll go straight na ha? I m sure we ll make it just in time for dinner.
Let s buy something muna. Nakakahiya naman na wala tayong dala sa dinner niyo. Keep
your eyes on the road. Baka maaksidente pa tayo.
**
He parked his car outside a mansion in Ayala Alabang. I was somehow nervous beca
use I haven t met his father before. Nung may family dinner kasi sila sa Tagaytay,
his father is out of the country.
Bumaba na kami ng car. Daniel was the one who was bringing my Luis Vuitton lugga
ge while I was the one was carrying the mocha cake we bought earlier.
Sir! Ikaw na po pala. Kala po namin mamaya pa kayo dadating. The maid welcomed us
as we went inside the gate. Ay sir. Si Paolo nga po pala, pinapagalitan ng Daddy
mo!
Daniel handed her our luggages tapos we stopped there for a while. Bakit daw po,
Manang?
Hindi ko nga po alam, sir eh. Then we continued walking. Parang natatakot na tuloy
ako sa Daddy ni Daniel.
Pagkapasok namin, we saw Tita Grace, a man wearing a blue polo, and Paolo, Danie
l s 16 year old brother.
The man was yelling at Paolo about a lost dogtag necklace. The first thing that
came to my mind is that it was really weird that you just lost a necklace and th
en you get scolded by your father. You can just buy another one anyway.
Oh! You re here na pala. Paolo, go upstairs and change your clothes. Nagbeso muna si
Tita Grace to the both of us tapos lumapit na yung Dad ni Daniel. Rein, this is
your Tito David, Daniel s dad.
Hello po.
He just smiled at me and shook my hand.
After that, we ate dinner na. Daniel s dad is nice naman pala. Nagkuwentuhan kami
about sa bussiness ng families namin and about sa parehas na career namin ni Ate
Nice as models.
We decided to go to our separate rooms around 12am.
I was about to sleep when Daniel knocked on my room and we ended up sleeping tog
ether.
The next day, I woke up without Daniel by my side. Don t get me wrong, nothing hap
pened. We just slept.
Naghilamos and toothbrush muna ako before I went downstairs.
Pagkababa ko, I saw Tita preparing breakfast while Ate and Paolo were already se
ating in the dinning room.
Good morning, Rein! Let s eat breakfast na. Take the seat beside Nice.
Tita, si Daniel po?
He went to the office with his Dad. Don t worry, he ll be back before lunch.

We ate breakfast without anyone talking. Siguro kasi wala pa kami sa mood.
After eating breakfast, umalis na din si Ate and si Paolo. Si Ate daw kasi may p
hoto shoot and si Paolo naman has school.
I was left alone with Tita so nagkwentuhan nalang kami while I was helping her w
ith some of her office works.
She said sorry about sa naabutan ko last night.
Kaya daw kasi nagalit si Tito is because every boy in their family pala has a do
gtag necklace with their names on it and letter M which stands for Mondragon at th
e back. I saw Daniel wearing a dogtag like that before but I thought na sakanya
lang yun.
Sabi ni Tita na it was a really important thing for them. When a boy reaches 13
daw, binibigyan sila nang dogtag na may name nila. And it s really a big deal when
you lost it. Parang it s a sign that you re a Mondragon. In girls, they have bracel
ets naman with their birthstones on it.
Parang sa movies lang eh. Haha. I was somehow amazed by that.
Nagpaalam si Tita na she ll get something daw muna so I just continued organizing
the files she left. When she came back, she was holding a rectangular velvet box
.
She sat down sa harap ko and reached for my right hand. She opened the box and t
ied the sapphire & diamond studded bracelet around my wrist. My eyes got really
fixed to the piece of jewelry tied to my right wrist. Surely, one these costs a
million pesos. And take note only the Mondragon's have this. It's just specializ
ed for them.
I only have one word to describe it. It s really beautiful.
I know. And it really fits you. When s your birthday, iha?
September po.
Sakto pala eh. My birthday is on September too. Sapphire is our birthstone kaya p
uro sapphires and diamonds ang nakalagay jan. That s the bracelet I m telling you. I
t s yours now. She gave me a sweet smile.
I eventually took it off and placed it back in the box. Tita, I can t take this. Ka
yo na nga po nagsabi na its really important and mga Mondragon lang ang meron ni
yan.
I know that someday, you ll be a part of our family. One day, I know that you re goin
g to be a Mondragon.
Chapter 8
Goodbyes
Rein s P.O.V.
Late na kami nakauwi ni Daniel from his friend s birthday celebration so we both d
ecided for him to sleep in my house again. Ayoko naman kasi talaga to risk his l
ife dahil we both drank alcoholic drinks din.
Babe, ang laki talaga nang bahay mo para sayo lang magisa. Why don t you ask someon
e to live with you? Kahit yung brothers mo lang? He asked while we were going up
the staircase.
We decided to call each other Babe eversince the no-label-relationship thingy. I
t s actually kind of cute since people around us react violently everytime we call
each othe Babe. Ang I must say, I think I m beginning to fall for him although, i
t s not really a hundred percent. I just really can t set a side about Michael and I
.
Ayoko. I m contented with being alone. Nasanay na din ako.
Since napakalaki naman din nang master s bedroom ko, at hindi maayos yung ibang mg
a kwarto, doon ko nalang din papatulugin si Daniel. Yung master s bedroom ko kasi
sobrang laki. Meron siyang maliit na sala tapos may malaking balcony tapos meron
ding dalawang walk-in closet. Basta malaki.
This must be your bedroom? He asked me pagkapasok namin. Ang laki din. I wonder how
you can survive here alone. It must be really quiet. Hindi kasi siya nakapasok d
ito the first time he stayed overnight.
Nagpaalam muna ako sakanya na magsho-shower muna ako. Nanood muna siya ng TV whi
le waiting for me. Pagkabalik ko, may dala na akong damit na ipapahiram ko sakan
ya.
Daniel. Babe. Pumunta ako sa sofa at nakita kong nakatulog na siya. Ang cute cute
niya. Ang sarap pisilin ng ilong. Haha. Gising ka muna, Babe. Palit ka muna ng da

mit.
Gumising naman siya and pumunta sa CR para makapagshower na din at makapagpalit
nang damit. Inayos ko muna yung bed. Tabi nalang kami. Ang laki laki naman nang
kama ko eh. Pagkalabas niya nang CR, dumiretso agad siya sa sofa at humiga.
Oi. Bakit ka jan humiga? Dito ka na.
Ayoko. Nakakahiya naman sayo. He told me while his eyes were closed. Antok na anto
k na talaga to.
Sige na. Wag na maarte. Babe, lika na dito.
Okay lang. Tapos nag two thumbs-up na sign pa siya. He really is a gentleman.
30 minutes na ang nakakalipas at hindi padin ako makatulog. Si Daniel din halata
mong hirap na sa sofa pero ayaw parin tumabi saakin. Haha. Wawa naman.
Pumunta ako sakanya at hinug siya. Babe, tabi na tayo doon. Hindi ako makatulog.
Halata ko naman na nahihirapan ka na jan eh. Okay lang naman na magkatabi tayo,
I trust you. Bilis na. Please?
Sige na nga. Sabi mo eh. Then ninakawan niya pa ako nang halik. Binuhat niya pa ak
o papunta sa bed. How sweet.
Siya unang humiga and then sumandal ako sakanya. He was playing with my hair at
wala pa yata siyang balak matulog despite sa kapaguran namin.
Babe, may sasabihin sana ako eh.
Hmmm?
Hindi. Wag nalang. He told me while burying his face in my neck.
Lumayo ako sakanya and nagkunyaring nagalit. Daniel Mondragon, ano ba yung gusto
mong sabihin ha?
He pulled me closer to him again and he kissed my forehead. Just promise you ll lis
ten first. And don t cry. Okay?
Nag-nod naman ako as a sign of aproval. Babe, ayoko ko sana pero my parents are g
oing to send me to the US next week. They want me to study and continue our busi
ness there. He hugged me tighter.
It was then when I realized that my eyes were starting to fill with tears. K-kela
n ka babalik? Bigla nalang din nag break yung voice ko. I didn t know why I acted l
ike this. Hindi naman tama.
Kaya ayoko sabihin sayo eh. Shhh. Don t cry.
I placed my hands behind his neck and rested my head on his chest. You re coming ba
ck r-right? H-how long are you going to stay there?
I don t know how long. Pero it might take a couple of years or I might not come bac
k. I m really sorry.
Napaiyak ako lalo nung sinabi niya na pwedeng hindi na siya bumalik. Aminado ako
na I don t have the right to react negatively since we re not really together.
Bakit ganon? Kung kelan I gave a chance on trusting my heart tOrsomeone again, i
t just ended up into a sad ending. The first time I lov-d, he died. Now, he s goin
g to have to leaveme.
He was trying to stop me from crying pero hinDh ko maexplain kung bakit tuloy tu
loy parin yung luha ko. Parang nung sinabi niya saakin yun, bigla nalang na-feel
ko na magisa nanaman ako.
I just felt hurt.
Daniel s P.O.V.
She just cried herself to sleep habang nakahug parin saakin. I understand that s
he doesn t want me to go. Kahit naman ako, ayoko eh. But there s just somethings I r
eally need to do.
She was hugging me like she doesn t want me to let go. I was really hurt to see he
r cry. Based on the Tita Erika s story, Rein is afraid that she might be forgotten
by the people around her. She even tried to kill herself before.
Sabi ni Tita Erika, ngayon niya lang daw ulit nakita si Rein na masaya. I know n
a pag umalis ako, there might be a possibility na bumalik yung dating siya. Pero
as much as possible, I don t want that to happen to the girl I love.
[Flashback]
You know Daniel, I ve never seen my daughter that happy simula nung nawala si Micha
el sa buhay niya.
Tita, your daughter is really easy to love. She s more than what every guy wants. S
he s smart, beautiful, kind, understanding, loving. What more can I ask for?

Well, that s because you brought her back. I just hope na magpatuloy na yan. Daniel
, can I trust you?
Sure po Tita. Ano po ba yon?
My daughter s heart has been broken before. She tried to kill herself kasi she was
afraid that all of us would leave her. As you know, her father and I are not tog
ether anymore.
Yes, your Tito Matteo loves her na parang totoong anak, but she won t take that as
her source of security. Your Tito Enzo naman, Rein s dad, has been telling her na
hindi mangyayari yon.
She paused for a while and took a sip of coffee.
My daughter s weak Daniel. Hindi lang mukha, pero kapag may nawala pa sakanya, she
might try suicide or get major depression again. And sa nakikita ko, you re one of
the major source of Rein s happiness. Please promise me, that you won t let her cry
.
[End of flashback]
That promise was a few weeks ago nung hindi ko pa alam na aalis ako.
I tried to convince my parents na hindi na ako umalis pero ayaw nila. As much as
I don t want to leave her, I have no choice.
I felt guilty. Naisip ko naman na if we re going to continue this relationship, ma
sasaktan lang siya kasi hindi ko talaga sure kung makakabalik pa ako.
Kakaisip ko nakatulog na ako
Rein s P.O.V.
Nagulat kami ni Daniel nung bigla nalang may nahulog sa may TV.
It took a while for me to open my eyes. Hapdi kasi namamaga. -.When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see my two brothers and my sister na k
inukuha yung Ps3 sa may TV at nahulog nila yung mga remote.
Nice move, Bliss. Seth said while rolling his eyes.
Anong ako? Eh kayo kaya ni Kuya Safe ang nagutos sa akin na kunin ko to! Namumula n
a sa inis si Bliss pero she still faced us. Hi Kuya Daniel! Hi Ate! Sorry.
Tapos lumabas na sila sa room dala-dala yung Ps3 ko. Pag hindi nila binalik saak
in yun! T.T
Good morning, sweetheart. He told me then he kissed my cheek and he held my face w
ith both of his hands Sorry if I hadn t told you earlier about sa alis ko. He said t
hen he kissed the tip of my nose.
Umiwas naman ako nang tingin and just told him that I m hungry. Ayoko muna isipin
na aalis siya. Baka lalo lang ako ma-depressed.
**
Daniel, B-babe, wag ka na umalis. P-please. We re already on our way papunta sa airp
ort. Ihahatid ko si Daniel. Kahit last minute na to, I ll still try na pigilan siya
kasi alam ko na once he steps in the airport, our no-strings-attached-relations
hip will end.
He just hugged me and didn t reply. Nasa backseat kami nang car while si Manong dr
iver lang yung nasa harap.
Sir, nandito na po tayo.
Nauna na bumaba si Manong driver tapos kinuha niya na yung mga luggage ni Daniel
. He was just hugging me habang nakapikit yung mga mata niya. I ll really miss him
.
Hard, but I have to understand.
Bumaba na din siya nang car ang helped me to go out of the car nadin. Pumunta na
kami sa may entrance nung airport and we were still holding each other s hand.
Hinarap niya ako sakanya and held my shoulders. Nakatungo lang ako para hindi ni
ya mahalata na lungkot na lungkot ako dahil sa pagalis niya. Babe, I guess this i
s it. I m really sorry if I haven t told you earlier.
I-I understand.
Babe. Oh come on, look at me. Hinawakan niya yung baba ko and forced me to look at
him. Yan na nga ba sinasabi ko eh. Don t cry. Tapos hinug niya na ako. Hindi ko na
mapigilang umiyak.
K-kasi naman. Can t you just cancel your flight? A-alam mo naman nang ayoko na inii
wan ako eh.
Babe, I m doing this for my future, and who know s, baka nga future natin eh. I may n

ot be back for a couple of years, pero pagbumalik ako and your still single, I p
romise you, tayo lang. Tayo lang talaga.
Tapos bumitaw siya sa hug at tinanggal yung dogtag niya. The dogtag na napaka-im
portante sakanila. Yung pag nawala nila, super big deal na. I saw Tito David yel
ling at Paolo before just because he lost his.
Sinuot niya saakin yung dogtag. Diba hindi mo to pwede mawala? Magagalit si Tito s
ayo. I told him while I was supposed to give it back to him.
No. This will serve as my promise, okay? Promise na when I go back here, and your
still single, it means we re going to be officially together. He kissed my forehea
d. I need to go. For now, I m going to let you go para naman hindi ka matali saakin
while I m gone. I promise you, babalik ako.
He gave me a long passionate kiss. Bye. I love you, Rein. I will come back. I pro
mise. Tapos he gave me again a long and passionate kiss on the lips tapos pumasok
na siya sa airport.
Ang sakit sa pakiramdam na nakikita mo yung taong nagbigay sayo happiness sa sec
ond life na lumalakad palayo sayo and you can t do anything to stop him.
I ll just have to wait until he comes back.
Chapter 9
Someone New?
Rein s P.O.V.
A month has passed since Daniel and I s summer ended. He left me and walang kahit
anong news from him. Wala man lang text, tawag, message sa FB, email. Siguro may
nakita na siyang iba doon.
And as for me, balik nanaman ako sa dati. Office, photoshoot, bahay. Yun lang.
Sa totoo lang since he left, ngayon lang nagsink-in saakin na nung umalis si Dan
iel, parang naging back to zero nanaman ako tulad nalang nung nawala saakin si M
ichael.
And what even made it worst is now, I feel like I was left by the two persons wh
o are important to me. Feeling ko they both walked away and left me empty handed
and without a warning. Lalong nagdouble yung pain na naramdaman ko.
Daniel was my second and yes, I fell for him easily. I was easily attached to hi
m dahil narin siguro he has some traits the same as Michael. Sometimes, I even s
ee Michael and Daniel as one. Para kasing nabuhay si Michael sa katauhan ni Dani
el eh.
Allyson! Aayusan ka na! Stop day dreaming! Sabi nung gay na organizer nang photosh
oot ni Mama. Kasi naman merong bagong collection si Mama at ayon, ako nanaman gi
nawang model.
Umupo na ako sa harap nang salamin and the make-up artist started to apply makeup sa face ko. I was just playing with my iPad2 nang kung ano-ano. Nung bigla ko
nalang nakita yung Papa ko sa pintuan nung dressing room ko.
Hi Princess! How are you? Lumapit siya saakin and kissed my cheek. Hair ko nalang
naman inaayos kaya okay lang na maglikot na ako haha.
Pa!! I thought next week ka pa babalik! I missed you so much, Pa! How s Paris?
That s my biological Dad, si Adrian Lorenzo Villafuerte. I call him Papa. Wala pa
siyang family ever since he had me. Parang ayaw niya na nga magkaroon nang ibang
family kasi ako na daw ang first priority niya. He always makes sure na everyth
ing s fine pagdating saakin. He was the one who bought me my condo.
The same as always but this time, it s much more tiring. Had to do a lot of stuff. H
e said while placing my favorite Starbucks drink and a sandwich in the table inf
ront of me. Have you eaten already? Ayan kain ka. You re too thin.
Pa! Ano ka ba! Sexy lang ako. S-E-X-Y. Sexy! He laughed with what I said.
Kahit sabihin mong dalwa ang Daddy ko, mas important and mas close parin talaga
yung biological Dad ko saakin. Hindi naman sa sinasabi ko na masama si Dad, rath
er, si Tito Matteo saakin, pero siyempre iba parin yung bond namin ni Papa.
Anyway, I bought my Princess some things. Tapos lumabas siya sa door and pagpasok
niya ulit, he was bringing paperbags from Louis Vuitton, Christian Loubotins, Gu
cci, Swatch, Hermes, Swarovski, Fendi, Abercrombie and Fitch, H&M, and Gap.
Pa naman. Alam mo naman na I don t ask for too much. Ang dami niyan! Everytime he co
mes back from another country, ang dami niyang dala for me. Tapos puro designer
brands pa. At alam kong hindi biro yung mga prices noon dahil even 1 bag from LV
and Hermes costs about 600,000php and yun na yung may lowest price nila.

Anything for my princess. Here, give this to Bliss, and this to Seth and Safe. He
told me while handing me three separate paper bags from H&M and Gap.
Ally! It s your turn already. Oh! Enzo! Welcome back! Kelan ka pa dumating? Mom said
while papunta saamin ni Papa. Nagbeso sila and Papa gave Mom something. Pumunta
ka na doon Ally. I ll just talk to your Papa for a while.
Nauna na ako sa studio. Buti nalang talaga walang partner tong project na to. Naka
kailang kasi pag may partner. Well, Michael used to be my partner. -.Enzo s P.O.V. (Rein s biological father)
Pumunta ka na muna doon, Ally. I ll just talk to your Papa for a while. Erika told m
y daughter.
Umalis na si Rein.
Just by looking at my daughter, it just shows how perfect my life is. Kahit her
mother and I didn t end up together, she still grew up to be a beautiful, loving,
humble, and smart girl.
Erika, her mother found out that she was pregnant after 3 days nung wedding nila
ni Matteo. We eventually knew that I was the father. Still, I m lucky that Matteo
accepted my daughter as his own. Sa nakikita ko, mahal na mahal naman din siya
ni Matteo and mga half-brothers and sister niya.
Enzo, I don t know how to say this, pero Rein s has been going back to the way she wa
s when Michael passed away. She s tiring herself out from work again. Tapos she do
esn t go out of her house unless she really needs to. Don t you think she s depressed
again?
Ano ba nangyari? I thought everything was going well with him and Daniel.
Well, si Daniel, umalis na. He went to the States to study. Enzo, natatakot ako.
Rein might get major depression and do things again.
Hindi yan. Let s just hope na hindi na ulit pumasok sa isip niya yung ginawa niya b
efore. Or ganito nalang, if you want, I ll stay with her muna. Maybe until she mov
es on?
Hindi ko alam kung papayag siya. Matteo and I will try to talk to her about this.
Gusto na nga namin siya pabalikin sa bahay namin but she just won t leave her hou
se.
Erika really is worried.
Lahat kami, we tried to do everything just to make her go back to her senses nun
g nawala si Michael.
Sana lang hindi na ulit maging katulad nang dati yung mga nangyari.
Rein s P.O.V.
Hinatid na ako ni Papa pauwi sa bahay ko. He tried to ask me kung pwede siya tum
ira kasama ko. Alam ko naman na kaya niya tinanong yun eh because Mom talked him
into this. Natatakot nanaman sila sa mga pwede kong gawin pag magisa.
Pero I allowed my Papa to stay with me. Tama naman si Daniel. This house is too
big for me. Kahit dalawa pa kaming tumira dito, malaki parin. And at least I ll ha
ve someone na magbabantay saakin.
Nothing insteresting happened for the next days except for the one who was alway
s leaving flowers at my door. Consistent siya kung sino man yun kasi before ako
umalis nang bahay papunta nang office, I always find a boquet of stargazers. And
pagtiningnan ko yung card, it always has the initials J.A.V. Kahit si Papa nacu
-curious na.
Allyson!! WAAAAH! May bagong boyfriend ka na ba?! Salubong agad nung office mates
ko na si Trina and Ysabelle, they re both my secretaries.
What?! Who told you that?! And will you keep your voices down? Baka marinig kayo
ni Papa!
Sorry. It s just that your office is full of your favorite flowers. Ysabelle said wh
ile grinning.
I literally ran papunta sa office ko to see kung totoo nga yung mga sinasabi nil
a.
And it s true. This time, not only stargazers but may kasama nang roses and tulips
. I immadiately took the card to see what was written in it.
My driver will pick you up later after your work. Hope you liked all the flowers
I gave you. See you later. :)
~J.A.V.

Ang kapal naman nito. I don t even know him then he expects me na sumama sa driver
niya and makipagkita sakanya. Baka naman kung saan ako dalhin nun.
Haba nang hair teh. Now tell us, what the J.A.V. stand for and who is he? Sabi ni T
rina habang tinatap niya yung fingers niya sa table ko. Maaga pa naman kaya okay
lang na magkwentuhan, we always go to the office early eh.
Look. I don t know who the hell JAV is. Basta hindi ako pupunta.
Ano ka ba! Bruha ka! KJ! Pumunta ka na! Malay mo siya na yung prince charming na
hinihintay mo! Sabi ni Ysabelle.
Good morning girls. Sir Papa as he flashed his killer smile at us. Nahiya ako kasi
ang lakas lakas nang bosses namin and hindi pa nakasara yung door. He might hav
e heard all the things we said. Trina and Ysabelle greeted him back.
Ally!! Ang gwapo talaga ng Papa mo!! Bakit ba single pa yan hanggang ngayon?! Dap
at ako nalang stepmom mo eh!! Sabi ni Trina while her hands were place on top of
her chest.
Eeeewww. Binatukan ko si Trina sa sinabi niya. I wouldn t stand you if you re going t
o be my stepmom! And isa pa, gagawin pa pang pedo yung Papa ko! EEEEWWWW!!
Nagtawanan kami and they went back to their desks outside my office. I put the f
lowers aside so I could work properly.
**
I ve done all the work that I needed to finish earlier than I expected kaya pumunt
a ako sa desk nila Ysabelle. They kept blabbering about the invitation I got ear
lier to meet this guy who has been sending me flowers everyday.
And parang naconvince narin nila ako. Paano nga kung yung guy na yun na yung par
a saakin? What if siya yung hindi mangiiwan saakin?
I guess this is what I get from believing in fairytales and reading romance book
s too much. Hai. The only happy ending for me is yung kay Mom and my stepdad. Ka
hit nga si Papa walang happy ending eh.
Pero tama sila, why don t I just give it a try.
Buti nalang I wore one of my best dresses in the office today. Nagayos ako but I
didn t put any make-up on. Ayoko magpaganda. Hindi ko naman din kilala kung sino
yun eh.
I just stayed in the lobby and waited kung sino man yung susundo saakin. Nagpaal
am na din kay Papa. Pero hindi ko sinabi na hindi ko kilala yung kadate ko, hind
i ako papayagan nun eh.
My phone rang and it was an unregistered number, naisip ko na baka yun na yung s
usndo saakin so I answered.
Hello? Good evening po. Eto po ba si Ma am Rein? The guy on the under line asked me.
Yes. May I know who is this?
Ma am pinapasundo daw po kayo ni Sir saakin. Nandito na po ako sa labas nang opisin
a niyo.
Ah, okay. Labas na ako.
Pagkalabas ko nang doors nang building, I was stunned with the blue Jaguar XJ Lu
xury na naghihintay saakin. Is that guy that rich to have a Jaguar? Ako nga hang
gang Porsche lang.
The driver greeted me happily and opened the door for me to go inside.
While driving, he told me that I was a very lucky girl kasi minsan lang daw magk
agusto yung boss niya. He told me na mabait naman daw yun and gwapo. He stopped
driving infront of La Capinnina, an itallian restaurant.
I was surprised to see the restaurant with only one table set-up. It s really hard
to have a reservation from this restaurant yet the guy found a way to rent the
whole place. And isa pa, the place was full of candles and rose petals. And the
place was filled with insturmental music.
I saw a well-built man standing infront of the window looking at the view of the
beach. Sa tingin ko he is around 25 years old.
So you re the one who s been sending me flowers everyday.
When he turned around, I saw a man with stunning light brown eyes, sharp jaw lin
es, full lips. His looks will be enough to get every girl she wants. He was beyo
nd handsome.
Hope you liked them. He walked towards me and offered me his hand to shake hands w
ith him. Jeremiah Alex Vergara.

Rein Allyson Villafruerte. Nice meeting you Jeremiah. We shook hands kaya lang aft
er non, he didn t let go of my hand he kissed it and guided me to the chair where
I was supposed to seat. He is a gentleman. Infairnes.
Drop the formality. Just call me Alex.
Our dinner went well. I ve learned different things about him like he s the youngest
and the only boy in their family. He gets everything he wants, or kahit hindi n
iya hinihingi, binibigay
parin sakanya. He studied and finished his college in Ateneo. He was Magna cum l
aude like Michael and I.
Despite of being spoiled, he maintained being a gentleman.
Alex was the third man who new my personal space. I don t usually invite people he
re kasi I want to it stay private as possible.
Dumeretso lang ako pagpasok ko sa bahay without knowing that Papa was still on t
he couch waiting for me. Tinawag niya lang ako when I was already on the 5th ste
p of the staircase.
It s almost 12 young lady. Saan ka galing?
Pa, don t you think I m too old for curfews? I m already 21.
Answer my question Allyson. Papa was using his powerful voice, the voice he uses w
hen he commands his personel in his company.
I went to him and hug him. Alam ko naman na nagbibiro lang yan si Papa eh. Pa, an
o ka ba? I just had dinner with the one who sends me flowers everyday. I ve met hi
m already and he is really nice.
Baby, don t you think it s too early to fall in love again? Daniel and you just broke
up.
Bigla tuloy bumigat yung feeling ko. Papa hugged me back. Pa, ikaw talaga. We jus
t had dinner tapos in love na agad? Sobra ka Pa ah.
Alam mo Baby, if you re not ready to be hurt, you shouldn t fall in love muna. Dapat
when you love someone, iexpect mo na masasaktan ka. That s the way it goes. Laging
magkasama ang love and hurt. The only thing na kailangan mo is your strength. D
on t ever be weak okay?
Naiyak naman ako sa sinabi ni Papa. Oh, bat ka umiiyak?
Pa, bakit ganon? When I love someone, they always leave me. Don t I have the right
to be happy? Am I not beautiful enough? Am I not smart enough? Parang gusto ko n
alang tuloy mamatay. I told him while still hugging him.
He guided me to the sofa and pinaupo niya ako.
Shhh. Don t say that. You re already 21 but you still think like a teenager. Everythi
ng will happen at the right time baby. Right now, your Mom, Tito Matt, Safe, Set
h, Bliss, and I will always be with you okay? We love you Baby.
I felt the security with what my Papa said. Iba talaga pag sakanya nanggaling.
Funny how I m already old enough but I m still close to my parents. Yung iba kasi, i
n my age, all they want is a life of their own. Pero saakin, iba. My family is r
eally important for me. Me and my sibling grew up family-centered.
Enzo s P.O.V.
My daughter just got home from a date without asking my permission. -.Well, at least she got home safetly. I hope the man she dated was a gentleman an
d has the same position in the society as ours. Ayoko naman ng basta nalang paba
bayaan ang prinsesa ko. I want a guy who would take my daughter whole-heartedly
without changing who she is or without changing the way she lived.
Nakatulog nanaman siya kakaiyak.
Maybe she needs to see a physciatrists again. Si Rein kasi yung tipong kahit dep
ressed na, hindi parin siya nagsasabi pero halata mo. She ll just keep on pretendi
ng everything s all right but at one point, she just can t help but to break down.
Chapter 10 Again?
Rein s P.O.V.
Nagising ako the next day in my room. Siguro dinala ako ni Papa papunta dito. Na
katulog kasi ako habang nanonood kami ng movie ni Papa. Haha. Parang bata lang a
ko.
I took a bath and nagayos. Wala naman akong pasok sa office today pero gusto mam
asyal. And gusto daw ako makita ni Kuya Nico and Kuya Franco, my 2nd cousins fro
m my mother side. They re twins and 4 years older than me. They re Tito Alfred and T

ita Kath s sons. They also treat me as their baby sister.

I went down to the dinning room to see that Papa has prepared breakfast for me a
nd left a note.
Pinatawag ako bigla sa office. I prepared breakfast na for you. I ll go home befor
e you even notice. Love you my Princess.
~Papa.
Kumuha ako nang juice and before pa ako makaupo to eat, may nagdoorbell.
I went out to see Alex waiting by his Jaguar XL Luxury. I ran towards the gate a
nd opened it. I asked him na pumasok sa house.
Sorry if I went here without permission. I just wanted to see you before I start
my day. Then he handed me a boquet of roses.
I ve been receiving flowers from him and from people I don t know constantly. Almost
everday, may naghihintay na flowers sa office ko or sa harap ng bahay ko. I jus
t end up giving them to my friends kasi nga ang dami na.
Talaga lang ha? No, it s okay. Did you eat breakfast already? Kain tayo.
While we were eating, I received a phone call from my sister asking me if I coul
d go to her school because she needed someone who could talk to her school s guida
nce councelor. May nagawa daw kasi siya and nakita nung professor na sobrang str
ict tapos sinabi daw agad sa concelor. Ayaw niya guluhin si Dad at si Mom tapos
ayaw niya daw kila Seth o kay Safe.
I just canceled yung meet-up namin nila Kuya Franco and Kuya Nico and decided na
pumunta nalang sa school nila Bliss.
While I was washing the dishes, Alex came to me by the kitchen counter
I see that you re going somewhere. Can I go with you? He asked.
I m going to my sister s university. The councelor wants to talk to me. I told him hab
ang hinuhugasan yung last na plate.
Oh? Why? Where does your sister study ba?
Princeton Unviersity. Sama ka?
We decided to use my car pero siya yung nagdrive papunta sa Princeton. While we
were on our way, nakuwento niya saakin na his uncle is the owner of Princeton. S
abi niya pa na if my sister has problems about sa school, I can ask for his help
daw.
He toured me around the campus first when we got there. My sister texted me na s
he will be waiting near the faculty room kaya pumunta na kami doon. Naabutan nam
in si Bliss na may kausap na guy around her age.
Ate! Oh my gosh! Super thank you! Sorry if I ruined your appointments for today.
Meron ba? She asked me habang nagbebeso kami.
I was suppose to meet Kuya Franco and Nico but I canceled it. Ano ba ginawa mo? A
nd who is he? Then tinuro ko yung lalaki na katabi niya. The guy was cute. He was
tall, his skin complexion is really white, and he wears glasses.
Sorry. Kasi naman yung bwiset na guidance yan eh! Anyway, this is Bryan Jared Bus
tamante. My boyfriend.
What?! Why didn t you tell us? How long na?! Ow, and watch your words.
Nearly 3 months. Ayoko sabihin kasi baka magalit si Dad. And who s with you? Habang
tinuturo niya si Alex.
Bliss, this is Alex. He s the one whose been sending all those flowers sa bahay and
sa office. Alex, this is Bliss, my sister. They shook hands while Bliss while gr
ining at me.
Biglang may lumabas na Girl around 50 years old+. She looks really strict. Mr. Ve
rgara! What brings you here?
Ma am! Long time no see. I m here with my friend. He answered. Si Bliss naman parang l
umaki yung mata sa gulat.
Oh, I see. Then girl looked at me intensely. So, Ms. Yllustre, this is your sister.
Am I right? Bliss just nodded. Where are your parents?
Ako na mismo ang sumagot. Ma am our parents are busy that s why they sent me here.
Sinungitan niya lang ako nang tingin. She shifted her eyes to Bryan who was look
ing very relaxed. Mr. Bustamante, don t tell that your gurdian is going to be late
again.
He ll be here in a minute, Ma am. Bryan answered shortly.
We waited 20 minutes in the professor s office yet wala parin yung kapatid ni Brya

n. Alex and the guidance counselor just ended to have a little chitchat. Napakiu
sapan naman ni Alex na hindi na palakihin yung issue, so we ended up having lunc
h ng sabay-sabay.
Alex brought us to a simple yet elegant restaurant. Alex and Bryan were the ones
who ordered because they re the only ones who knew the specialties in this restau
rant since first time lang namin makaka-kain ni Bliss dito.
So Bryan, is Blake Bustamante somehow related to you? Alex asked him while a was a
bout to drink from my glass of wine.
Yes, he s my brother. I almost threw up the wine inside my mouth when I heard that.
BROTHER MO SI BLAKE?! YUNG RACE CAR DRIVER?! I can t keep my voice down because of t
he shock that came to me. Bigla nalang din ako siniko ni Bliss.
My sister is clearly dating the well-known-cassanova s brother. I just knew that s
he was in a relationship but it looks like na tututol ako sa relationship nila.
How can I even make sure na hindi niya sasaktan yung kapatid ko?!
Napatingin sila saakin because of my uncontroled loud voice. You can t blame me. I
was in shock!
Honey, would you mind keeping your voice down? I felt Alex s breath while he was whi
spering in a soft and calm tone.
Sorry. I blushed when I noticed that almost everyone in the restaurant was looking
at me. Parang gusto ko nalang iwish na the ground would swallow and hide me in
this exact moment.
Yes, Ate. But he s not living with us anymore. And if you re thinking that I m like him
, No. I m not. He said with an annoyed tone. Clearly, he doesn t want to be compared
with his older brother and clearly, he looks really different. He looked loyal an
d good.
Sorry about that. I just I just don t like your brother.
Ate, I ve met Kuya Blake before! He s really nice. The issues about him aren t true. Ma
bait siya, Ate. My sister said while she was holding my hand that was on the tabl
e. My sister looked like she was telling the truth but still, I don t know him.
Blake s a good friend of mine. He s not what you think. Maybe you should meet him. Ale
x said naman while using his inviting tone.
I was caught off guard by the people I m with. They re all saying that this Blake is
a good person even though he plays with girls hearts.
I just nodded and we continued to eat our lunch. When we finished eating, nagpaa
lam na sila Bliss and Bryan because they have classes pa daw.
**
A month has passed since I met Alex.
He started courting me the second week I met him.
I told him that I wasn t prepared for any relationships yet pero he told me na rea
dy daw siya maghintay.
He s been really sweet. Lagi niya akong sinusundo, binibilan nang flowers and choc
olates, he s been a gentleman.
Naawa na nga ako lagi sakanya kasi I had no plans on taking the level of our fri
endship higher. Happy na ako nang ganito lang. Pero sabi niya, ipo-prove niya da
w na he s not like any other guys. Sana lang totoo.
At ngayon ay nandito kami sa isang restobar, nagde-date. Lagi nalang kasi after
nang work namin, he would pick me up at the office and we will have dinner.
We were eating our dinner when someone came up to him. Omygosh! Alex!
A blonde girl who wore a daring mini-dress approached Alex in a shocked tone. Tu
mayo naman si Alex from his chair and hugged her.
Natalie! Since when did you come back? It s been . A while since we last saw each oth
er.
Sige lang. Act like I m not here. Nakakainis ha.
Alex asked her to join us. Hindi man lang tinanong kung okay lang saakin. Tsk.
After kumain, pumunta kami sa may bar counter to stay there and have some drinks
. Hindi naman ako umiinom so I just ordered non-alchoholic cocktails. Ang magkat
abi ay si Alex at si Natalie.
Hindi ko alam pero naiinis ako kay Natalie. Nakakinis talaga. It was like when s
he arrived here, I became invisible to Alex.
Nagpaalam si Alex na kukunin niya lang daw sa car yung naiwan niyang phone I was

left there with Natalie. -.So, Rein, How long do you know Alex?
Just a few weeks.
Wow. So, he s been courting you?
Yes.
Hai nako. Careful ka dyan. Maloko yan minsan. He said while slightly laughing.
Why do you know him to well? Bigla ko nalang nasabi sa inis ko.
I m his Ex-girlfriend. She smiled.
EX girlfriend pero kung maglandian kayo kanina sa harap ko parang wala nang buka
s! T.T
My smile faded and bigla ko nalang kinuha yung drink na naiwan ni Alex and drank
it straight. Natawa siya sa ginawa ko.
Don t worry. Hindi ka naman dapat magselos. Hindi ko naman siya aagawain sayo. Ang f
ake nang smile niya. Ang fake nang tawa niya. ANG FAKE NIYA!!
ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!
Bigla tuloy ako napaorder nang vodka at napainom nang napainom. Bigla nalang pum
asok sa isip ko kung bakit ganito yung reaction ko. Wala naman ako sa lugar para
magselos.
Hala? Selos?
What the.
SELOS? Srsly, Rein.
Did I miss anything? Bigla nalang sumulpot si Alex at inakbayan si Natalie.
Nilapit naman ni Natalie yung face niya sa face ni Alex at may binulong. Parehas
silang tumawa. Yung tawa ni Natalie, halata mong fake.
LANDI MO!! T.T
Maya-maya pa, pumunta sila sa dancefloor at sumayaw. Iniwan nila ako dito.
Kahit magmukha akong tanga, lumapit ako kay Alex habang sumasayaw sila.
Alex, let s go home. Please? Binulong ko lang sakanya.
Ano? Instead na magstop sumayaw sumigaw lang pabalik saakin. Hindi kasi marinig. A
ng lakas nang music.
Sabi ko, UMUWI NA TAYO!!!! BAKA MAKAPATAY PA AKO NANG MALANDING BABAE DITO EH!!!
Ha?! Sinong malandi?! Wala naman ah! Basta mamaya nalang tayo uwi! Upo ka nalang
muna doon!
Aba at anong karapatan mong utusan ako?
At sinong malandi? Ayan oh. Nasa harapan mo. Yung nakayakap pa sayo habang sumsa
yaw sayo! Gustong-gusto mo naman!
Bumalik nalang ako sa upuan ko dahil no choice din. Wala akong kotseng dala so h
indi ako pwedeng umuwi magisa.
Kanina pa sila sumasayaw habang ako kanina pa inom nang inom dito sa inis ko sak
anila. I don t usally drink pero dahil sakanila -.Nagsimula na din akong mahilo.
Alex s P.O.V.
Hinatid ko na si Rein sa bahay nang parents niya. Wala naman kasing magaalaga sa
kanya pag sa bahay niya siya umuwi. She s really drunk. Napadami yata yung inom ni
ya.
She looks cute when she gets jelous. Halata naman eh. Haha.
I just can t forget how peaceful she looks when she s asleep. In this past few month
s, I never thought that I would fall for her. Parang nung una kasi she s just not
my type.
Pero hindi ko maiwasang mabagabag sa mga sinabi nang mga kapatid niya saakin kan
ina. Is it possible na alam nila yung true motive ko?
[Flashback]
I carried Rein papunta sa room niya. Agad siya inasikaso nung younger sister niy
a.
Nung nasa may gate na ako nung bahay nila, kinausap ako nung brothers niya.
Alex, let s just get this straight. We don t like you for our sister. Said Seth.
Hindi ko alam sasabihin ko. I was just shocked. I never expected them to say tha
t.
We know you well. Before our sister starts to fall, tigilan mo na kapatid namin.
Please lang. She couldn t afford to be hurt again. Said Safe. At least Safe was mor

e gentle with what he said.

Rein s P.O.V.
I woke up the next day with my head pounding. Papasok pa naman ako sa office. T.
T
Pagkatingin ko sa paligid ko, that s when I noticed na wala ako sa bahay ko.
Pagkaupo ko sa may dulo nang bed, naalala ko yung nangyari last night. ARRRGGGGH
HHH! -.Naalala ko nanaman si Alex pati yung EX niyang malandi!!!
Oh, why are you crying? Bigla nalang bumukas yung door at pagkatingin ko si Alex.
It was also the moment when I realized a tear dropped from my eyes. -.Alex was carrying a tray with food, juice, medecine. Tapos may rose pa.
Wala. Alis ka na. Ako na bahala sa sarili ko. I told him bitterly while taking the
tray from his hands.
No. I m going to take care of you. I called your Dad, pwede ka na daw hindi pumasok
today if you don t feel well.
Kaya ko na sarili ko. Doon ka na sa Natalie mo.
Wait. What is this all about? Are you jelous? He asked me. Kinuha ko nalang yung j
uice na nasa tray while he gave me an amazed look.
I didn t answer back. Instead, I just ate yung mga dinala niya. Tumabi siya saakin
and hugged me. I just continued eating.
Look. Ganon lang talaga kami, okay? Pinilit niya na humarap ako sakanya. Umiwas la
ng ako nang tingin.
Siguro may gusto ka na din saakin no? Aminin mo. Sabi niya saakin habang kinikilit
i ako.
And nagkulitan na kami buong maghapon.
I m just not sure what is this all about.
But please don t tell me that I m falling in love again.
Chapter 11 Saved By A Stranger
Rein s P.O.V.
Yes, Alex and I have been together for over a month now.
Yes, maasikaso siya. He s sweet, he s good. But when I begin to do things that he do
esn t want me to do, he becomes violent.
Yes, I became a battered girlfriend.
But being the understanding and martyr girlfriend, I didn t tell anyone and hangga
ng ngayon nagtitiis ako. I just fell for him so fast. I should ve known he was too
good to be true.
I couldn t release my feelings to anyone, knowing na pag ginawa ko yun, masisira y
ung image ni Alex sakanila.
Kanina nga sa office, sabi ko lang kay Alex na hindi ako pwede lumabas for lunch
because I was busy, he ended up grabbing my arm hard enough to leave a black ma
rk on it. Buti nalang wala nakakita kasi nga I don t want him to ruin his image.
Why is it that when I love someone, it always has a consequence? Yung first two
was perfect but the other one died, while the other one left. Ngayon naman, perf
ect na din sana kaya lang he was really violent.
And now, I ended up going to the cemetery kung saan nilibing ang pinakamahalagan
g tao saakin. The person who didn t make me suffer even once in my life.
You ll always be in our hearts
Michael Henry Verdaguer
December 10, 19** - May 15 20**
I just stared at the grave where Michael s name was written. I touched it and I fe
lt the hair in the back of my neck stand up. It s been a year but I think nothing
has changed. I still love him.
When I entered my relationship with Alex, I felt like I was cheating on him even
though he s already gone.
Mike naman kasi, why did you have to leave me? Look what I ve gone through since nu
ng nawala ka I felt a tear roll down my cheek while I was looking at Michael s grave
.
It s been really hard since you left nothing seems to be right. I miss you so much.
Bigla nalang ako napahagugol ng iyak. I ve kept this for the past few months and n
gayon lang ulit ako nakaiyak ng ganito.

Alam mo ba, I still bring my engagement and wedding ring wherever I go. I pulled o
ut the necklace that was hiding inside my dress. Lalo ako napaiyak.
I was talking to the person who I really wanted to be with pero hindi pwede.
Napatingin ako sa likod ko because I suddenly felt that someone was watching ove
r me. Hindi ko nalang pinansin and I continued talking.
Mike, I miss you so much. Hindi ko na alam gagawin ko. Sana sinama mo nalang ako.
Ang sakit-sakit sa feeling na no one was replying to me. Memories of Michael and
I flashed my mind as I close my eyes. I felt the urge of just collapsing in fro
nt of Michael s grave.
My chest tightened and I couldn t breathe properly anymore.
My vission was almost almost black and I kept on tapping my chest slightly. I wa
s having my depression attacks. The one I m always having everytime I become too e
motional.
I was expecting na I would land on the grass but instead, I felt arms around me.
Miss?! Okay ka lang?
A man s voice suddenly came. I couldn t see him that well because my vission was get
ting cloudy. Miss! What s happening?! Sht!
I evetually pointed to where my bag is. Inabot niya naman yun and he opened it.
Nahanap niya agad yung bottle nung gamot ko and he took it out. Miss, ito ba?! Do
you need this?!
I just nodded fast enough for him to take out a pill and give me a bottle of wat
er. Pina-inom niya saakin yun and after I few minutes, I went back to normal. I
was still leaning in his body when my vission became clear.
Agad naman akong umupo ng maayos to face him.
The man was wearing a varsity jacket with a hoddie and with the symbol of Ateneo
de Manila emroidered at the right side of his chest and shades. I couldn t see hi
s face. It was like he was hidding.
Thank God you re already fine! You almost gave me a heart attack! He said while he w
as looking at me. Well, I really couldn t tell because he was wearing heavy-tinted
shades.
Thanks for helping me anyway. Sorry if I scared you.
You sure you re okay now? Do you want me to bring you to the hospital?
No. It s okay. I m Rein, by the way.
He just flashed a smile at me revealing his perfect set of teeth and his dimples
at both side of his cheeks.
Kanina pa kita tinitingnan eh. And I ve heard some of the things you ve said.
I just looked back at Michael s grave. Hindi ko kasi alam yung sasabihin ko sakany
a. I don t even know him.
Alam mo, you should stop living in the past. You should move on in order the to m
ake it easy for you. He placed his hand in my right shoulder. Bigla nalang ako na
patingin sa hand niya.
Hindi mo naman mababalik si
He looked at the grave and continued what he was going
to say. Hindi mo naman mababalik si Michael kahit umiyak ka pa ng umiyak jan. Isi
pin mo nalang na he s always guiding you with every decisions you make.
I saw him smiling sweetly at me.
Tama siya. Hindi ko na mababalik si Michael kahit umiyak pa ako ng umiyak at kau
sapin ko siya araw araw.
I smiled back as a sign of being thankful for the words he said. He pulled me cl
oser to him and he hugged me. Hinagod niya pa yung likod ko.
Everything s going to be fine at one point of your life.
Unconciously, I felt myself smile.
Maybe I just met this guy but he s really kind considering the things he said.
Matagal din yung hug namin nung bigla nalang may nagsalita. We both got shocked.
I ve been looking for you for how many hours, tapos dito lang pala kita makikita. N
akikipaglandian ka pa sa iba.
Napatingin ako kung sino yung nagsasalita. It was Alex. He was just inches away
from us.
Sa pagkagulat ko, I stood up and tried to hug him but instead of hugging me back
, tinulak niya ako which caused me to almost fall to the ground. Buti nalang nas
alo ako nung kausap ko kanina.

How dare you flirt with someone else behind my back, Allyson! Alex gave me a hard
slap in my cheek. I felt blood rush through my face and for sure, my face was al
ready red.
I couldn t control myself on releasing a sob. Naramdaman ko nalang bigla na tinago
ako nung lalaking kausap ko behind his back. He was protecting me from Alex.
That s not how you treat a woman! He shouted to Alex.
Lalong nagalit si Alex sa sinabi niya. Alex punched the guy. Wag kang makialam di
to! Tumabi ka nalang and let me talk to Rein!
Tsaka nalang kayo magusap kapag mahinahon ka na. Umalis ka na before I get back a
t you.
Sinubukan parin ni Alex na kunin ako. He even reached for my arm pero hindi niya
parin yun naabot because of the guy protecting me.
The guy punched Alex when he was yelling at me which made him fall back.
We re not done yet, Rein. Alex said before he went inside his car and drove away.
I was crying hard when I felt the guy s arms wrapped around me. He was again comfo
rting me. I felt safe inside his arms.
Shhh. Stop crying. Wala na siya. Is he always treating you like that?
I just nodded as a reply.
The next thing I knew, he was driving my car papunta sa bahay namin nila Mom and
Dad. He was kind enough to comfort, save, and drive me home all in one day.
Nung nakarating na kami sa tapat ng house, he turned the engine off and bumaba n
a siya ng car and opened the door for me. He handed me the keys.
I need to go home already. Hope you feel better.
Paano ka uuwi? You don t have a car. I asked him before he even started walking.
Iniwan ko kasi sa bahay. I just lost my way kaya ako napunta sa cemetery. I ll just
take a taxi pauwi.
Sure ka? You can just borrow my car and return it tomorrow if you want.
No, it s okay. I ll be fine. Can I just hug you one more time before I go?
I didn t expect for him to ask me that. I felt myself blush. He didn t wait for my a
nswer and he just hugged me really tight.
Thanks. I ll go ahead na. Don t continue living in the past, okay? He gave me a sweet
smile before siya tumalikod and started to walk away from me.
Before he even got far, hinabol ko siya and held his wrist to turn him back. I k
now it was a stupid thing to do but I wanted to ask him something before we part
ways.
Ano nga pala name mo? I asked him.
Just call me Josef.
Thanks for comforting, saving, and driving me home, Josef. It really means a lot.
Again, he just flashed his sweet smile at me before he hailed a taxi and sumakay
na siya.
I found myself smiling while I was walking pabalik ng bahay. I didn t notice na na
palayo na pala ako nung hinabol ko siya.
The first thing that came to my mind is
Behind his shades and his jacket, there was really something about him that made
me feel different even though I didn t see his face.
Chapter 12 Saved By A Total Stranger Twice
Rein s P.O.V.
After that incident in the cemetery that happened weeks ago, I still didn t tell m
y parents my condition in Alex s arms. They sometimes notice some of the bruises I
get but they always believe the excuses I make.
Rein! You re idling again! Don t tell me you re still thinking about that Josef. Ella su
ddenly waved her hand in front of my face and waved it slightly.
One thing that was also left lingering in my mind is I really wanted to see Jose
f again.
There was really something I felt when he hugged me. The feeling I rarely get wh
en I meet or hug people. I just felt safe and sound which I last felt when Micha
el and I were still together.
It caused me to be more curious about him.
I can t do anything to find him cause I only have his name. Josef. It wasn t even a s
trong ground for me to start finding him. I didn t even see his face.

Oh, come on, Rein. Don t tell me you ll be planning a way to hunt him down or somethi
ng. Hindi mo nga nakita yung mukha niya. The only thing for you to know him more
is when you meet him again which is impossible.
I glanced a heavy stare at Ella when she said that.
But she has her point there. The only thing I could do is to meet him again. But
how?
Ella has been the only person who knew what was going on with Alex and I s relatio
nship. I didn t dare to tell my parents because I know that they ll tell me to stop
seeing Alex, which is something I can t do.
Can t you be optimistic even once? Who knows, we might just bump into him now.
Ella and I were talking about the latest fashion collection of my Mom when my ph
one rang. It was Alex.
He told me that there s going to be a birthday celebration in his friend s house lat
er. Masquerade ball daw ang theme so I should wear something elegant and somethi
ng that they won t notice who I am. And he told me that I could bring Ella with me
.
By the time I finished talking to him, I immediately told Ella about that party
and we went straight to my Mom s shop finding something that we could wear. Mom al
so took care of our masks and shoes.
After an afternoon of picking up dresses and finding the perfect shoes that woul
d match our outfits, Ella and I finally waited for Alex in my parents house.
We heard the doorbell and my younger sister ran to the gate, excited on how Alex
will react when he sees me.
Alex almost dropped his jaw when he saw me.
Hi, Alex. Good evening. I was the one who went him and kiss his cheek. He followed
me with his gaze.
He snaped out of idling and kissed my lips. Smack lang naman. You look really dif
ferent you look hot. He said then he looked at me from head to toe.
Truly, my dress was scandalous enough for people to notice me easily. My Mom gav
e me a hot pink dress that was backless to the point that it almost exposed my b
ut. It had a plunging neckline and it really hugged my perfect figure.
Alex was still checking me out nung bigla nalang humarang si Ella and told us th
at we should go.
We arrived at the party just in time when the celebrant was introduced. She was
wearing a red gown that was simple enough. I suddenly felt the urge of hiding ka
si mukhang mas ako pa yung may birthday kaysa sakanya.
All of the people were wearing their masks that was almost covering their faces.
Everyone looked elegant and composed.
Alex was holding me tightly to him with his arm touching my bare back. He was in
troducing me to every friend we pass by.
Nagpaalam na si Ella agad because of an emergency daw sa bahay nila.
I was left alone with Alex and his friends.
The party ended and the people went home already. Only 8 of us were left there b
ecause they were close friends with the celebrant daw. Nagyaya sila to drink but
I refused to.
We were all sitting in a round table and almost all of them were drinking while
still wearing their masks. Ako nalang and a man wearing a gray suit with a black
mask were the only one who weren t drinking. Alex didn t have the chance to introdu
ce him to me.
I was watching him closely because I felt like this wasn t the only time I saw him
. The built of his body was somehow familiar but I can t remember when I last saw
him.
He saw me staring at him so he gave me a sweet smile. I felt my self blush and I
smiled back.
After a few hours, it was already around 3am and everyone was drunk but they sti
ll didn t want to stop drinking. I excused myself to the bathroom to freshen up. I m
already a bit dizzy because of the drinks I had and because I was too sleepy. I m
not used to staying up this late.
I was making my way back to the garden to where they were when I found myself st
uck between Alex s arms.

Nilapit niya yung face niya saakin and I could smell the faint aroma of alcohol
in his breath. I felt uneasy and I suddenly became nervous.
Ano ba, Alex. Let go. I tried to push him away but my strength was not enough know
ing that he was naturally stronger than me.
Ano ba Rein. Pagbigyan mo lang ako. One thing s for sure. He was really drunk.
He started kissing me forcefully which made me shiver and made goosebumps appear
on my skin. He leaned his body closer to mine which cause my body to lean again
st the wall.
His right hand was holding my neck while the other one was roaming around my bod
y. I was trying to push him away with all my strength but I can t.
He slid one of the straps of my dress down my shoulder. I can t help but to cry. T
he hall way was filled with my sobs and my voice begging for Alex to stop. But I
guess they can t hear us. The exit to the garden was too far.
His kisses slid down my neck and to my right shoulder. He placed my hands on top
of my head.
Alex! Please, stop! I managed to say in between sobs.
I was trying to push him but I really can t he started to become violent by holdin
g my wrists as hard as possible. I was still trying to pull myself away from him
when he punched me in my stomach which caused me to feel more weak.
I felt pain punch throught my system and I cried out. I couldn t fight back anymor
e. Alex, don t do this. Please. I continued begging him, hoping that he would come b
ack to his senses.
Instead of stopping he started carrying me to the restroom.
I felt helpless as he carried me effortlessly. I, myself, felt my body give up f
rom fighting because of the tired feeling I have. Wala na akong magawa kung hind
i umiyak. I was feeling weak and my breathing was slowly running fast trying to
get as much as air I could breathe.
Not now, please. I told to myself knowing that I was having another depression a
ttack.
Before he could close the door of the restroom, someone stormed in and punched h
im in the face which caused him to let go of me.
Suddenly, almost everyone was inside the restroom holding Alex so he couldn t move
another inch towards me.
My vision was starting to blurr as I felt a man carrying me. He was still wearin
g his mask but I can easily tell who he was by the color of his mask. He was the
man who was wearing a gray suit.
Rein, are you okay? He asked while slight tapping my shoulder. Dala mo ba yung gamo
t mo?
I couldn t answer anymore and my eyes were starting to feel heavy, threatening to
be closed. Nagtaka ako on how he knew about my meds. Have we really met each oth
er before?
Rein! Rein! Tell me where s your medicine! My vission continued to blurr. Rein! It s me
, Josef! Where s your medicine?!
Josef I told myself and I felt my lips form a smile before the whole world went b
lack.
Chapter 13
Where Is She?!
Rein s P.O.V.
The next thing I knew is I woke up in my own private room in Makati Med with my
Mom, Dad, and Papa talking about what happened.
This is all your fault! If you hadn t pushed Alex with my daughter, none of this wo
uld have happened! My Mom was obviously mad.
I didn t push Alex kay Rein! If I knew Alex was hurting her I would ve been the one w
ho stopped their relationship in the first place! Dad shouted back at Mom.
Siguro they didn t notice na gising na ako. They were standing with their back beh
ind me eh.
Papa was just standing between them and was listening to both sides calmly. I kn
ew him well, he s thinking about something that could lessen the tention in this r
oom.
You clearly pushed my daughter into this, Matteo!
I didn t! Kung alam ko lang na ganon na yung nangyayari, edi sana nilayo ko na si R

ein sakanya! I care for Rein, Erika! Anak ko din siya!

She s not even your own flesh and blood!
She grew up with us! Ano ba, Erika! If you re thinking I m using Rein against you, I m
not! I love Rein as my own daughter!
Mom, Dad, please don t fight. Napatingin silang tatlo saakin. My Mom rushed and hugg
ed me.
Suddenly, I was like an 8 year old child who was begging for her parents to stop
fighting over a non-serious matter.
Bigla nalang umiyak si Mom habang hug niya ako. Sorry if your Dad, Papa, and I di
dn t have time for you. This is all our fault. Are you feeling okay now?
I just nodded in return.
We took time on discusing the things that was happening even before they knew it
. I had to spill it because alam nanaman nila. They told me that they would neve
r let Alex near me again.
We were having our snack when I remembered the last vission and the last voice I
heard before I collapsed It was Josef. I thought to myself. Why does he always s
eem to appear when I needed someone to protect me? Why can t I see his face?
Is he really that mysterious to every girl he meet?
Mom, do you know who brought me here? I mean, did you see him?
No eh. Sabi lang ng nurse na a guy wearing a suit brought you here. Why?
Wala lang. Kahit name, hindi niyo nakuha?
Hindi daw sabi ni Mom. Halata mo na they were confused with the things I m asking
them. I just continued eating my snack when Ella came in with a big boquet of fl
owers and a small box wrapped with a gift wrapper.
How sweet of you to buy me something! I said sarcastically as she placed the boque
t at the side table near the hospital bed.
It s not from me! Trust me, I wouldn t give you anything even if you were in a seriou
s condition. She said while handing me the small box.
Eh kanino galing to?
Ewan. Nakasalubong ko lang yung nurse na papasok dito. Tinanong ko, sabi sayo daw
. Edi ako na nagdala dito.
I reached for the card in the boquet. It was a violet card with cute flowers and
a Get well soon! written across the front page. I got surprised to see who was it
from.
Hi Rein!
I hope you get better soon. Don t think too much and relax yourself. Don t forget to
bring your meds everywhere you go.
And I gave you a little something. I know you have one of those already but take
that as your private line only for the both of us. My number is already in ther
e. Just give me a call or text whenever you need someone to talk to.
Love, Josef. :)
I imediately tore the gift wrapper open and saw a box of a white iPhone4s. It wa
s obviously new but the box was already opened. I held the phone and pushed the
menu botton. A picture of me from one of my photo shoots flashed from the lock s
creen of the phone.
Who s it from? Ella asked me while she was trying to get the phone from my hands. Ni
layo ko but nakuha niya parin.
Pinakialaman niya na yung phone while I had no choice but to wait for her to fin
ish looking through it.
JOSEF WAS THERE LAST NIGHT?! OMG! WHY DIDN T I SEE HIM?! Ella shouted in shock.
My mom was obviously listening but it doesn t matter. She doesn t know who Josef is.
Yung dalawa ko nga palang tatay, umalis na kanina. May kailangan pa daw gawin.
Yung mga kapatid ko naman, mamaya pa daw pupunta.
Eh malaya ko bang nandoon yon?! Masquerade party nga eh! Lahat nakamask until kam
i-kami nalang naiwan. Bigla lang naman siyang lumitaw nung nanghihina na ako! Hi
ndi ko din tuloy nakausap. I let out a heavy sigh.
Bigla namang tumabi yung Mama ko kay Ella and tiningnan din yung phone ko. May nu
mber dito, Ally ah. Why don t you try and text him?
Oo nga naman! Hindi ko naisip yun. -.- Pero hindi ba awkward na itetext ko siya?
Diba dapat guys ang laging may first move? -.-

My Mom wasn t strict about those things saakin because I m already at the right age
daw. Pero sa bunso namin, medyo lang naman. 19 palang naman kasi si Bliss.
Bigla nalang nagring yung phone habang nagagames si Ella. Nagpanick si Ella tapo
s sumigaw. OMYGOSH!! REIN!!! JOSEF CALLING!!!
She told me habang parang kilig na kilig siya. Bigla nalang kinuha ni Mama yung
phone and handed it to me. Tapos bigla niya hinila si Ella sa may door.
Ella and I will just have coffee. We ll be back later. Enjoy talking with Josef! Sab
i ni Mama before sila lumabas ng pinto.
I just stared at the phone until it stopped ringing. I didn t know what to say whe
n I answer the phone. Nahihiya ako na hindi ko alam.
I was like a 6th grader having her first crush na pag nakikita or nakakausap niy
a yung crush niya, kikiligin na or mahihiya.
Again the phone rang and my heart beat faster. But this time, naglakas loob na a
ko na sagutin yung call. I tooke a deep breath and answered it.
[Hello? Is this Rein?] A familiar voice spoke on the other line which made my he
art beat more loudly.
Yes. This is Rein.
[Thank God you re already fine! Why didn t you bring your meds with you last night?
I was so worried. Good thing I saw you before Alex drags you inside the powder r
oom.] He sounded like my father for a moment.
Good thing talaga. And about that, thank you. You ve saved me for the second time.
[That wasn t a problem. I always seem to see you when you re in trouble. Am I some k
ind of your superman or something?] He laughed slightly which made the mood more
cooler than before. Bago pa siya makapagsalita ulit, I found myself smiling lik
e crazy. [Anyway, sorry kung kailangan ko na umalis agad dyan sa hospital I had
some appointments kasi.]
That s okay. Thanks for the flowers and this phone nga pala. You could ve just given
me your number. I have a phone already.
[Alam ko. Parehas pa nga yata eh? I wanted it to be more private kasi. Don t worry
my separate din ako na phone na ikaw lang ang makaka-tawag saakin through the p
hone I ve given you.]
My other phone is black. White naman yung binigay mo kaya okay lang. Anyway, sino
ka ba talaga? The only thing I know about you is you re Josef. Yun lang. Nothing
else.
He didn t answer for a while then I heard a heavy sigh. [Let s just put it this way.
I m your superman and nothing else. I ll help you with your problems but as much as
possible, I don t want you to know me.
Bigla akong nasad. Hindi naman siguro siya masamang tao or something para magtag
o diba? Pero tatanggapin ko yung gusto niyang privacy since ewan ang gaan kasi ng
loob ko sakanya. ^____^
Halos buong hapon na kami magkausap sa phone. Ang saya saya niya kausap! Ang bai
t bait pa! ^___^ And gwapo! Kahit naka-shades or nakamask siya nung nakita ko si
ya, alam ko na gwapo kasi basta gwapo! Haha. :P
Hanggang bumalik sila Mommy at si Ella sa room ko at dumating yung mga kapatid k
o, magkausap parin kami. Yaman niya sa load eh! Haha. Joke naka-line daw kasi si
ya. Binaba lang namin yung phone nung matutulog na daw siya. Ganon katagal inabo
t yung paguusap namin. :>
Hey, Allyson! Muntik nang may mangyari sayo and you just got through a relationsh
ip disaster, tapos ganyan pa yung ngiti mo? Don t tell me na kung sino man yang ka
usap mo eh gusto mo yan? Sabi ni Seth, my brother, habang inaayos niya yung food
na dala nila.
Oo, mas matanda ako kay Seth at Safe pero they treat me as their baby sister. To
too naman din na they re more matured than me. My sister and I are sheltered princ
esses kasi. Well, I was, until I woke up to life s reality a year ago. And sana la
ng, habang buhay nalang mabuhay si Bliss nang ganon. You don t know how hard it is
for someone who grew up to be pampered, sheltered, and spoiled, like us to try
to live simple and how hard is it to get through every hindraces in our life.
Sobrang hirap talaga kasi nasanay kami na nanjan lagi yung mga tao na nakapaligi
d saamin. Kaya nung first time ko masaktan (when Mike passed away), hindi ko tal
aga alam ang gagawin ko. Haaai.

Ella s P.O.V.
Graciella Cruz. 21. Professional model. Rein s bestfriend since highschool. :)
First impression ng mga tao saakin? Simple lang.
Btch daw ako. And yes, magkaibang-magkaiba kami ni Rein. Masyado kasing mabait y
un. Anghel. Wala na akong masasabi.
Since Rein has been stressing out lately after a week niya na lumabas sa hospita
l, sinama ko siya dito sa isang bar.
Kasi naman after nung muntik na i-rape ni Alex si Rein, lagi na siyang binabanta
yan nang parents niya. Parents talaga literally. Paano ba naman kasi dalawa tata
y niya. Haha. Basta ayon. Lagi na siyang tinatawagan, tapos minsan hatid-sundo p
a siya kung saan pupunta. Parang bata tingin nila kay Rein. Mahal na mahal eh! K
aya ayon, ang nasasakal na tuloy si Rein sakanila.
Minsan nga tumatawag si Rein saakin in the middle of the night, umiiyak. Pinapag
-awayan daw kasi nila Tita at Tito yung safety niya. She s been blaming herself be
cause her family has been a bit magulo ngayon.
Clearly naman, Rein wasn t the reason why any of those are happening to her family
. Sadyang stressed lang sila Tito at Tita sa problems sa kompanya nila na nagkas
abay-sabay. Tapos sumasabay pa yung sobra nilang pagka-worried kay Rein at probl
ema ni Seth.
Buti pa ako, simple lang buhay ko! :P
Rein, sigurado kang okay ka lang dito? Doon muna ako sa kabila, I ll just do someth
ing. I asked her bago ko siya iwan sa may bar table. Kasi naman hindi yan sanay s
a mga ganitong lugar. Hindi din sanay uminom. Mabait talagang bata. D ko alam ku
ng paano kami naging magbestfriends. Haha.
Boy hunting nanaman? Ikaw talaga, Ella. Oo, okay lang ako. You can leave me now.
I ll just have a few drinks.
Few lang ha! Promise? Babalik-balik ako dito to check on you.
Oo nga! Bilis na! Off you go! Sabi niya while slightly laughing.
Ako naman, umalis na ako and went to the one who were arranging reservation of t
he tables for the bar and asked kung saan ang table ni Chase Bustamante.
The waiter guided me to a table that was almost at the back part of the bar. Thi
s is going to be my first time in meeting Chase since we just met through friend
. Sabi kasi ng friend ko na I should date this type of guys, eh knowing my attit
ude, game na game ako sa ganyan! :P
Pagkadating namin sa table, I saw a bunch of guys seating but what really caught
my eyes was the guys seating at the edge. Si BLAKE BUSTAMANTE!!! YUNG ULTIMATE
CRUSH KO!! OMYGOSH!! I thought to myself. My heart beat went faster and napatula
la nalang ako sakanila.
You must be Ella Cruz? A guy coming from behind my back asked me. Inakbayan niya a
gad ako. He lowered his face to mine. I smelled the masculine and seductive smel
l of his perfume. He smiled.
I m Chase Bustamante. Nice meeting you. Hindi ako nakapagsalita. Instead, my gave fo
und its way back to Blake Bustamante. He was laughing and joking around with the
other guys in the table.
He looked really nice. Ang hot. Ang gwapo. Lahat na!
Pinaupo niya ako sa tabi niya but still, my eyes were still on Blake. Grabe. Thi
s is the first time I saw him in person tapos starstruck! *o*
Hey guys! This si Ella Cruz. My date for tonight. They all looked at me while smil
ing. Isa-isa silang nagshake hands saakin even Blake! OMYGOSH! Dapat sinama ko n
a si Rein dito!
Nice meeting you Ella. I see it s the first time you ve met my cousin. Ingat ka dyan.
Blake told me habang nakasmile parin! OMYGOSH! I m melting dahil sa smile niya! Gr
abe!!!!
Pero wait! Cousin?!
You t-two are c-cousins?!
Yeah. Why?
Wala lang. :)
Hours passed and ang saya-saya nila kasama. I ve already drank enough kaya tumigil
na ako. Nihihilo na din ako eh.
Nakakwentuhan ko si Blake and he s really nice. Ibang-iba sa mga news na sinasabi

sakanya. He s even a gentleman. Bakit kaya siya sinisiraan sa mga news? Sayang nam
an yung image niya.
Niyaya ako ni Chase na magsayaw so nagsayaw kami.
Ang saya talaga nila kasama. ^___^
Hatid na kita. Let s go? It was already around 2am nung niyaya na ako umuwi ni Chase
. We were already outside the bar when I remembered Rein.
Chase! Wait lang! Yung friend ko! Muntik ko na makalimutan! He laughed a little bi
t tapos tinanong niya kung nasaan daw ba si Rein.
Then let s go back for her. Yung pinsan ko nga rin pala muntik ko na makalimutan.
Chase called Blake for a couple of time while we were walking pero hindi siya su
masagot. Si Rein naman, pagkapunta namin sa bar counter, wala.
Excuse me, nakita mo ba yung babaeng nakawhite na dress dito kanina? I asked the b
artender.
Yung kausap niyo po kanina ma am?
Ay hindi! Ano ba kasi? Nakita mo ba o hindi?! I was starting to panic.
Nalasing po kasi ma am. Nagtanong po kung saan yun CR kanina. Tapos pagkabalik po,
buhat na siya nung isang lalaki tapos umalis na po sila.
WHAT?!
I am so dead.
Chapter 14
Disaster
Rein s P.O.V.
Ang sakit ng ulo ko!! >.<
I touched my forehead my while my eyes were still closed. Grabe. Feeling ko mina
martilyo yung ulo ko. -.Umikot ako sa bed when I felt something blocking me from moving. Trinay ko itula
k pero hindi ko maalis. Ang bigat. I slowly opened my eyes to check kung ano man
yun.
HALA?!
I covered my mouth with my hands to prevent myself from screaming. Napaatras din
ako para lumayo kaya lang
AHHHHHH!!!!!
Nahulog ako sa bed. Ang masama pa doon, naumpog ako sa drawer. >.<
I was holding the back of my head which now had a small bump. And that s when I no
ticed that I m inside someone s room. The room s theme was black and blue which had a
comforting effect. It was over looking the whole Manila because the walls were m
ade of glass.
My head was hit hard kaya tumayo ako and umupo ulit sa bed. Bigla nalang may yum
akap sa waist ko and I felt him rest his head on my back.
Good morning, sweetheart.
Bigla akong kinilabutan at napatayo.
At doon ko napansin na I was wearing an over-sized knitted sweater and he was we
aring nothing but boeard shorts. Parang bigla akong nanlumo. What the hell happe
ned last night?!
Why? What s the problem? Are you still tired? The man asked me while a playful expre
ssion was on his face.
Tumayo ako and faced him. Anong nangyari kagabi?! Don t tell me
Tell you what? That something happened? Why do you think are you wearing my sweat
er?
Nasaan yung mga gamit ko?
Tinuro niya yung table kung nasaan yung bag ko. Tumakbo agad ako papunta sa tabl
e and dialed Ella s number. Buti nalang sinagot niya agad. I asked her if she coul
d pick me up. I couldn t control my tears anymore kaya tinanong ko kung saan yun b
athroom niya and agad akong pumunta doon.
Blake s P.O.V.
Bigla nalang siyag pumunta ng bathroom after niya tumawag. Hindi ko alam kung an
ong nagawa kong mali. Ang sungit. Siya na nga tong nanggising! -.And besides, I was just playing with her. Nothing happened between the two of us
. I asked my sister to go here and change her clothes tapos nakatulog lang ako b
eside her kakabantay sakanya. Kasi may lagnat siya kagabi tapos lasing. Masyadon
g assuming yung babaeng yun. -.-

Pero maganda talaga siya. She was more beautiful than her pictures in magazines.
And ngayon ko lang napagmasdan ng matagal yung face niya after I ve seen her two
times.
And ang pagkaka-alam ko, her fiance died the day of their wedding, iniwan siya n
g isang Mondragon at pinaglaruan siya ng isang Vergara. Ang saklap ng lovelife.
*RIIIIIINNNNGGGGG!! RIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!!*
Tiningnan ko yung phone niya na naiwan sa table. Hindi ko naman pwedeng hintayin
pa siya lumabas ng CR. Paano kung importante yun? Sagutin ko na nga lang. -.- P
agkatingin ko
Ella Cruz Calling
If I wasn t mistaken, siya yung date nang pinsan ko last night? Hindi ako naghesit
ate na sagutin yung phone.
[Hello?! Rein! What the hell happened to you ba?! And where the hell am I going
to pick you up?! Pagkatapos mo biglang mawala kagabi! Where did you go and
I cut her off. Ang ingay niya masyado. This isn t Rein.
[Omygosh! Who s this?! What did you do to her?!]
Ella, si Blake to. Chase s cousin. I was the one who brought Rein home. Lasing na ka
si kagabi.
[Ah, ganon ba? Saan na siya? I want to talk to her.]
She went to the bathroom. D pa lumalabas.
[Saan ba yang condo mo? I m going to pick her up.]
I told he kung saan and sinabi niya na papunta na daw siya dito.
Si Rein naman, hanggang ngayon hindi parin lumalabas ng bathroom. Ano bang ginag
awa niya doon? Wala pa nga yata siyang balak lumabas eh.
Pumunta ako sa may pintuan ng bathroom and knocked on the door. She didn t answer
but I heard her sob. Anong nangyari doon?
Rein? Sumandal ako sa door and continued knocking. Rein? Are you okay? Mas lalo ko s
iyang narinig na umiyak. -.- Rein? What happened? Are you crying?
Leave me alone! I don t want to talk to you!
Bahala siya. If she really wants to. :P Haha. Umupo nalang ako sa living room an
d watched TV. Hihintayin ko nalang pumunta dito si Ella.
Anyway, I m Blake Josef Bustamante. Manila s known cassanova. Professional race-car
driver who has won every race he competes. I came from a well-known and rich fam
ily. I ve got every man s desire to have. The looks, the money, and the attitude. So
bran na nga yata sa attitude.
I ve dated over a thousand girls who would literally come and throw themselves in
fron of me. As I ve said, sikat ako at maraming nagkakandarapa saakin. :)
A million girls would be dying to have a date with me or just even step on my co
ndo, but I guess Rein is different. We were school mates when we were in highsch
ool before and siya lang ang babaeng wala may gusto saakin. At inaamin ko na nai
inis ako noon.
Ilang sandali pa at narinig ko na na may nagdoorbell. Alam ko na si Ella na yung
kaya I didn t bother to check who it was.
Where s Rein? Yan agad ang tanong ni Ella pag ka-open ng door. She was still wearing
her office attire. I guess. Kasi naka-dress siya tapos blazer and heels.
Bathroom. Tapos tinuro ko sakanya kung saan yung bathroom. Kaninang kanina pa si R
ein doon pero hindi pa rin siya lumalabas. Anyare sakanya? -.I just stood beside her nung kinakatok niya si Rein. Rein! Open the door! Si Ella
to!
Binuksan agad ni Rein yung door and niyakap niya agad si Ella. She was like a 5
year-old kid who was looking for her older sister to comfort her. Her eyes were
already swollen and her face was red. Wala naman akong ginawa para paiyakan siya
ah. I went to the kitchen to get Rein a glass of water.
Pagkabalik ko, nililigpit na ni Rein yung gamit niya sa table.
Blake, I borrowed the jacket na nakahung doon sa may sofa. Thanks for bringing Re
in with you. We need to go. Let s just talk some other time. Ella told me tapos tul
uyan na silang lumabas.
I was left ther dumbfounded with what happened. Oh well, I ll just get back to my
own life.
Ella s P.O.V.

Nandito kami ngayon ni Rein sa Starbucks na malapit sa condo ni Blake. Gutom na

daw kasi tong si Rein at hindi to pwedeng nalilipasan nang gutom. At kahit na sobr
ang laking knitted sweater at varsity jacket lang ang suot niya, bagay parin sak
anya. Lalo pang bumagay sa suot niya shoes na high heels.
Tumigil na sa kakaiyak si Rein pero nakatulala parin siya. Ewan ko dito sa babae
ng to kung anong nangyari.
Hoi Allyson! Ano bang nangyari sayo?! Tiningnan niya ako ng masama habang kinakain
yung cake niya. Alright! Sorry na. Ano ba kasing nangyari?
Ella, I woke up with a hangover in a man s room wearing clothes that are not mine w
ith a topless guy beside me. What do you think happened?
OMYGOSH!!!! You just slept with a guy!! Again, napatingin siya ng masama saakin. B
ut this time, parang may namumuong luha sa mata niya.
Lagot ako kila Mommy nito. Hindi ko alam kung anong mukha ihaharap ko sakanila. I
just lost the most important thing a girl has. She placed her arms on the table
and burried her face in it. Sa lalaking yun pa.
Oo nga pala, manang nga pala tong kasama ko. Pag sinabihan ko, baka lalong ma-dep
ress. I ll just make her feel better.
Ano ka ba, sa panahon ngayon, d na uso yang iniisip mo na yan. Rein naman, buti n
ga buhay ka pa! Pasalamat ka inuwi ka ni Blake at walang nangyari sayo kagabi.
Yung na nga yung problema eh! May nangyari! Panu na to?! Huhuhu. Sabi niya habang h
alata mong malapit na siyang umiyak.
Tumigil ka na nga jan! Malay mo, wala namang nangyari sainyo! Baka naman pinaltan
ka lang niya ng damit tapos natulog siya sa tabi mo!
Hanggang sa ihatid ko siya sa bahay nila, nakatulala lang siya. Nagiisip ng kung
ano-ano.
Seth s P.O.V.
Nakaupo ako sa patio sa front yard ng bahay namin nung nakita kong tumigil yung
kotse ni Ate Ella sa tapat ng gate. Bumaba si Ate sa front seat na katabi nung d
river. Naunang maglakad si Ate Ella sakanya habang siya naman, parang nagtatago.
Allyson! Good morning! I was supposed to hug her nung bigla nalang umiwas si Ate s
aakin. Nagtago siya sa likod ni Ate Ella. Her eyes were swollen.
Tiningnan nalang ako ni Ate Ella ng masama andn mouthed the words: Hayaan mo muna
.
Tumuloy na sila sa loob and I followed them. Pagkapasok palang namin sa dinning,
binati na sila nila Mom, Dad, and my younger sister.
Ate, good morning!!! Sabi ni Bliss.
Sweetie, good morning! Sabi naman ni Mom.
Did you eat already? Sabay na kayo saamin ni Ella. Sabi ni Dad.
Instead of greating them back, tumakbo bigla si Ate sa stairs and went to her ro
om. Narinig pa namin yung malakas na pagclose ng door.
Don t mind her. She s just tired and not feeling well. Hehe. Sabi niya habang she look
ed tensed. May nangyari nanaman siguro na ayaw nila sabihin.
Sumunod ako kay Allyson sa kwarto niya.
Pagkapasok ko, nakahiga lang siya sa bed niya. She left the jacket she wore a wh
ile ago sa sahig kaya pinulot ko muna ang hung it in her swivel chair. I sat dow
n at the edge of her bed.
Allyson, is everything alright?
Tumingin siya saakin with her bloodshot eyes and her noticable red nose for a wh
ile.
Bigla ko nalang naramdaman yung hug niya saakin and bigla nalang siyang humagugo
l ng iyak. Seth, sorry! I was too irresponsible! I m really sorry! She said in betwe
en sobs.
Teka nga, ano bang nangyari? Kala ko ba you and Ate Ella had your gimik last nigh
t? Ewan ko ba kung bakit kami ni Safe ang laging parang pinaka-matanda saamin.
I guess my sister didn t learn how to cope up with the reality around us. Masyado
kasi siyang naging mabait to everyone. Masyado siyang mabait to the sense that s
he doesn t mind kahit masaktan na siya or gamitin siya ng ibang tao for their bene
fit.
Seth sorry. Ayan nanaman. -.Ano ba kasing nangyari muna? Hindi kita maintindihan eh.

Bumitaw siya sa hug yet she can t look at me straight in the eyes. Namumula na yun
g buo niyang face. Eh kasi Ella left Then I got drunk Mukha siyang natataranta. She w
as slapping her hands against the bed.
Then?
I woke up in someone else s room. Humagugol nanaman siya and she faced her palm.
Hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat kong maramdaman. My sister was more than violat
ed! Somone took advantage of her! Ang masama pa doon, I trusted her friend na wa
lang mangyayaring masama sa kapatid ko pag pinayagan namin siyang sumama!
Before my sister knew it, I stormed out of her room and pumunta sa may part ng 1
st floor that was over-looking the dinning room. Everyone was eating their break
fast happily including Ate Ella.
GRACIELLA CRUZ, YOU BETTER GET OVER HERE!
Chapter 15
The Start of a Big Mess
Seth s P.O.V.
Naghire ako ng private investigator to know who that Blake Bustamante really is.
He may be famous like an artist but alam ko na somehow, may tinatago yun.
I didn t like what he did to my sister. My sister was raised up by my parents and
her biological father well enough para lang bastusin ng tulad niya. My sister is
well respected and people look up to her because of her kindness and beauty. Ta
pos ganon lang gagawin niya sakanya?
I think that s too much.
Alam ko over protective na ako pero alam ko na this is the right thing to do: to
fight for my sister para naman hindi siya makawawa. What if she gets pregnant?
Diba? I just can t let my sister s image fall and ayoko siyang siraan ng ibang tao b
ecause of this one mistake.
I ll find a way to solve this. Pero dapat sabihin ko muna kila Mommy & Dad. >:)
Rein s P.O.V.
After ako kausapin ni Seth, natulog muna ako para kahit papano mawala sa isip ko
yung nangyari last night. As for Ella, napagalitan siya ni Mommy, Daddy at Papa
ko. Bakit daw kasi niya ako iniwan eh alam niya naman daw na I don t usually go i
n places like that.
After ko matulog, I changed my clothes into jeans and a shirt tapos I decided na
pumunta kay Michael. I haven t visited him in a while. Last na visit ko was when
I met Josef.
I brought flowers and candles before ako pumunta doon. And the same as I expecte
d, naiiyak parin ako seeing him as dead.
Hi Mike. It s been a while since I last visited you. How are you? I m sure you re happy
in heaven now. I miss you so much.
Alam mo, I did something stupid last night. I got drunk and I slept with a man who
m I haven t even met before.
Sorry.
And naramdaman ko nanaman na may luha na pumatak galing sa mata ko.
I still couldn t believe what I did last night. That was an act of being irrespons
ible and it resulted me to lose a thing that s important for women. Tama sila Papa
, wala nanaman akong magagawa eh. Sabi nila sila na daw gagawa ng paraan to not
make me feel bad.
Umiiyak ka nanaman? I heard a familiar voice coming from my back. Pagkalingon ko,
I saw a man wearing the same shades but a different jacket this time.
Josef. I called his name then he sat down beside me.
Bakit ka nanaman umiiyak? Why do I always see you when you re at your worst? That s
hould stop. Seriously.
Napatawa ako sa sinabi niya. He held my face with his hands and wiped my tears a
way with his thumbs.
I can t stand to see you crying. Parang tinutusok yung heart ko everytime I see you
cry eh.
He hugged me and sinandal niya ako sakanya. And sa hug niya, I felt the same fee
ling when Michael hugged me before. I felt safe.
Sabi ko na nga ba dito lang kita makikita. Pumupunta ako dito almost every day ju
st to see kung nandito ka eh. And last night hindi mo sinagot yung texts at mga
tawag ko.

Sorry. It s just that something happened last night. Something really stupid.
Ano naman yun? Maybe I could help?
Well I don t want to talk about it eh. It s just an act of being irresponsible and stu
pid. Really.
Kung ano man yun, I m sure there s a reason why that happened. Wag na maging sad.
I smiled weakly at him.
You can t fake your smile. Ganito nalang to cheer you up, may pupuntahan tayo.
Bago pa ako makapagsalita, he helped me to stand up tapos guided me to his car.
He brought me to an ice cream parlor sa isang mall. He asked me kung ano yung gu
sto ko and siya na nagorder.
Parehas kami ng inorder na flavor which is yung pralines and cream dahil pareho
daw pala kami ng favorite. Pinagtitinginan kami ng mga tao because he was still
wearing the sun glasses and his hoodie was still covering his hair.
Ayaw mo ba talaga tanggalin yung shade & hoodie mo? You know para kahit papaano lo
w profile. I don t want any issues.
Ayaw mo nun, we might be in tomorrow s headline. One of the kind-hearted princess i
n the Philippines started dating again. He laughed a little. But seriously, I don t
care if my name gets in any news. I m kinda used to it.
Talaga lang? What s your real name ba? Why won t you show your face to me? May tinata
go ka ba behind those sun glasses?
Natawa nanaman siya
Trying to talk me into this? Won t work. Trust me. I m willing to
hide my indentity by all means.
You re not a murderer or something right? Why would you even hide your personality?
Natawa nanaman siya. We were eating our ice creams habang nagkukwentuhan at nagt
atawanan kami. Nung bigla nalang siyang napatitig sa lips ko. Then bigla niya na
lang pinunasan yung part ng lips ko na may ice cream with his thumb.
Ang cute mo kumain ng ice cream.
OMYGOSH! That killer smile! Ano ba to?! Parang sasabog na yung heart ko sa sobran
g kilig!! : > WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! : >
After that, namasyal nalang kami sa mall and we were still getting the attention
of people because of him.
Hinatid niya din ako sa house after naming mamasyal. He still didn t show me his f
ace. But I noticed one thing, I was strangely comfortable with a person whom I d
on t even see his face.
Rein, I have to go na. He said while I was still staring at his covered face. He s
eemed familiar.
Owww Okay. Sorry. I was supposed to get out of his car but tumakbo pa sya to my sid
e to open my door.
We stood face to face and he was giving me the smile that gave me shivers every
time he does that. Bye na. Thanks for cheering me up always. I told him kasi baka
makita pa sya ni Seth.
That s nothing. Okay, I ll go ahead.
Whoever Josef was, I know that he s a nice man. As I was walking through the door,
my other phone rang and I answered it agad. Who else would call me in my privat
e line? My smile was ear to ear when I answered.
Hello? Missed me agad?
I heard his soft laughter and it made me blush. Actually, yes.
You should continue driving you know. I said as I was near the patio and I stopped
there.
I know. I just want to hear your sweet voice again. And I just want to remind you
to drink your medicines, sweetheart.
Opo, Kuya. Sige na, I ll hung up. Concentrate on driving. Good night!
Opo din Ate. I heard him laugh. Wala bang kiss jan??
I was taken aback with what he said. I felt myself blush even more and I was lik
e a kid na biglang kinilig. Eh?? Seriously?
Joke lang! Sige na. Don t sleep late, drink your medicine, and pray. Good night, sw
eetheart bye.
Hindi pa ako nakakaget over sa kilig pero I decided to go inside na sa house. Pa
gkatalikod ko, I saw my brother with his arms across his chest and giving me a d
eadly glare.

Yun ba yung naghatid sayo dito? Sino yun? He walked around me and stoped at my bac
k. That guy looks weird, Ate. Wearing shades and a hoodie at night?? Seriously. He
went back sa harap ko and gave me a grin. My brother is such a bastard!
Stop it Seth. After ko sabihin yun, I continued to walk without even looking back
at him. He was such a pain in my head lagi. Why does he always have to irritate
me?
I think Mom, Dad and Tito Enzo should know what happened to you. That s a big deal,
Ate. My gaze turned back to him and gave him a sharp look.
I just looked down as I didn t know what to respond. I just continued walking away
from him. Now isn t the time to let my reckless brother to ruin my good mood.
**
Looks like I don't have any plans on going to sleep. It's almost 1am and I've be
en rolling in bed for almost 2 hours now.
Hindi maalis sa mind ko yung galit ni Dad and ng Mom ko when they found out that
I wasn't pure anymore. I didn't know what to feel since alam ko na I've lost so
mething really important.
Dad even told me hurtful things but I accepted them all kasi I know sa sarili ko
na I wasn't responsible enough kaya nangyari yun.
And to thing that they were always giving me their full trust, sobrang shameful
yung ginawa ko. Yes, I didn't want it to happen but still, it s my fault.
To my surprise, my phone rang. I was taken aback by the though of who could ruin
someone's sleep at this time of hour knowing that we all have works and classes
tomorrow. I just didn't mind it till it stopped ringing.
Somehow, I was secretly hoping na si Joseph yun. He didn't call me this whole da
y and I'm beginning to worry.
My phone rang for the second time and the ringing was irritating me so I decided
to answer it. It was an unknown number so I tried to be as polite as possible.
"Hello? Rein Villafuerte speaking. Who's this??"
"Rein... Can we talk??" Bitterness kicked in my system as I heard the voice of t
he famous bastard, Blake Bustamante.
"How'd you get my number?" I hissed.
"Kinuha ko while you were sleeping." I felt amazement in his voice and lalo akon
g nainis sakanya.
"If you're calling me para lang inisin ako, I'm going to hung up now, JERK!" I r
eally emphasized the word jerk just for him to know that he's like that.
Blake's POV
"If you're calling me para lang inisin ako, I'm going to hung up now, JERK!"
Ouch. Hahaha
She truly is amazing. Ang sarap asarin kasi pikon. Hahaha. But she's really nice
. Not to mention her sweet scent, her kissable lips, her perfect set of teeth an
d those eyes. I ve been staring at her pictures for almost the whole day now.
Sa totoo lang, I m outside their house and I was supposed to say sorry and tell he
r the truth na kaya lang, nakakalibang kasi talaga sya. She looks so cute with h
er annoyed expression and pati na rin the way he said jerk. Hahaha
WHAT?! Stop calling! Do you know what time it is?! I dialed her number again and a
ng tagal bago niya sagutin tapos ganyan pa. Kamusta naman yun??
I m outside your house. Let s talk. I told her calmly.
Talk?! Seriosly, Blake? Ano ba gusto mo?! I saw her na sumilip sa window niya and
mukhang galit na galit na sya. Hahaha.
Baba ka dito or you want me to tell the press people what happened? I can t help but
to form a smirk on my lips as I heard her footsteps running down their stairs o
ver the phone.
Bumukas yung front door nila and nakita ko si Rein in her pink pj s na may pigs na
nakaprint. Para syang bata. Hahaha. She went out the gate and tumayo sa mismong
harap ko. She looks beautiful kahit ganyan lang suot niya.
What now, Bustamante? She said as she were gritting her teeth na para bang kinamum
uhian niya talaga ako.
Masunurin ka din pala talaga, babe eh. I said as I tucked strands of her hair sa m
ay ears niya then I kissed her sa cheek. I felt her palm land hard on my face.
No one dared to do that to me babe
Napasmirk ako lalo while I was holding my cheek.

I went near her more which made her lean against the gate. I held her wrists at
the top of her head and kissed her roughly. I know this may looked like I m forci
ng her into something but I m not.
When I finished the kiss, she covered her face with her hands and cried. Naiinis
ako. Parang bigla nalang I felt guilty with what I did.
I was supposed to hug her when she yelled on top of her breath na I should go. Um
alis ka na, Blake!! Please!!
But..
Please, Blake?!! TIGILAN MO NA AKO! UMALIS KA NA! Pagkasabi niya nun, I saw lights
flickering open sa rooms ng house nila. Napatingin sya and began to panick. She
started pushing me papunta sa car ko. Umalis ka na before my parents see you, pl
ease?
REIN?! Napatingin kami sa front door na biglang nagopen. I was shocked when I saw
that si Matteo Yllustre pala ang dad niya.
Sht. I cursed quietly. I know na sobrang laking gulo nito when my Dad finds out. N
agmadali ako na pumasok sa car but I felt someone pulled me. Sinandal niya ako s
a car ko and began punching me hard in the face.
Rein was crying and was screaming for her dad to stop but he still continued pun
ching me. ARE YOU THE ONE WHO RUINED MY DAUGHTER?! HA BUSTAMANTE?! I didn t answer b
ut he punched me again. ANSWER ME! And doon sa punch na yun, I fell to the ground
and Rein hugged me.
Dad, please stop!! She hugged me tightly while she was sobbing. Sige na, Blake. Go
now. Let s talk again some other time. She caressed my cheek and inalalayan ako to
stand up papunta sa car.
Your Dad and I will talk, Blake. I heard Matteo say before I closed my car door.
This is going to be a big mess. Nice one, Blake.
Chapter 16 Final Decision
Rein s P.O.V.
My sleeping pills did their job well. I can t sleep after what happened a few nigh
ts ago. I was even shocked nung nalaman ko na Dad and Mom knew Blake. Well, of c
ourse they know him cause his popular. Pero I wasn t expecting yung si Dad talking
to Blake s dad. Parang it sounded different than the usual.
This day, naisip ko na I should make myself happy kahit sandali lang. Ilang araw
na din akong nagkukulong lang sa bahay.
I was walking sa mall nung bigla ko maisip si Josef. He wasn t calling me or texti
ng me for the past few days. I ve tried calling him, but he doesn t answer. Sayang,
I thought he was something different.
Speaking of Josef, I was walking in the mall when a cute boy went near me shaked
my hand. I smiled at him. He was carrying a small box of mini-cupcakes that has
one letter corresponding to each cupcake. I miss you were the words written on
it.
Ate, someone wants to give this to you. The little boy handed me the box and ran a
way. I opened the card that was sticked to it and read it.
I miss you Josef
I couldn t help myself but to smile. I looked around and I saw him standing sa may
side na wearing his Ateneo varsity jacket while wearing his Ray Ban Aviators. H
e was smiling back at me while he was walking closer.
Missed me? He asked. I gave him a big, warm hug as my answer to his question. I sa
w him smile widely as he hugged me back. I m guessing yes.
Eh kasi tagal mo hindi nagtext or call. You re so unfair. You even turned your phon
e off.
Sorry about that. I had to do some things eh.
Things like?
Want to have coffee or eat? This may take long. I missed you so much. My heart was
like having a summersault when he said that he missed me. Sobra yata akong kini
lig. I m beginning to think I m being attached to him too much.
Me too. Basta libre mo.
He took me to Hagen Dazs. He was the one who ordered our coffees and ng super dam
i na ice creams and cakes. He told me na pangbawi niya na daw yun for the days h
e didn t communicate with me.

While he was texting, I couldn t help but to stare at his. Even it s covered by his
aviator shades, you can still see his smooth skin, his well sculpted nose, and h
is lips.
I bet his lips are really kissable. I thought to myself as I touched mine. Mukha a
kong baliw na kinakausap ang sarili while staring at him habang he keeps on chec
king his phone.
What do his lips feel like kaya when he kisses someone? Haiiii .
Rein?? Okay ka lang? Napatinging ako sakanya bigla. I felt myself blush tapos ngay
on ko lang napansin na I was touching my lips na. This is so embarrassing. >.<
Ahhhmm yes. May naisip lang ako. Hehe.
Why are you touching your lips? I saw him smirk and I felt myself blush more.
I was just checking if my lips were dry. Hehe. Nice one, Rein! What a lame excuse!
>.< Why were you busy nga pala?
Well, my Dad arranged me into a forced marriage. I m getting married next month. My
heart suddenly fell to the ground. Parang d ako makapaniwala sa sinabi niya. Som
ehow, I was hoping for something less hurtful.
Who s the lucky girl? I was controlling my voice para hindi mahalata na I was feelin
g down with what he said.
We just met. But I know her na because she wasn t a simple girl.
Is she famous? Is she nice?
She is. She s not Bigla siya napatigil and he looked at me with amazement in his eyes
. Bakit mo natanong? Why do you seem so interested?
N-nothing. I was just c-curious.
Owww I thought You didn t like the idea of me being married. I heard disappointment in
his voice. Hindi ko ini-expect yun and hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat ko mara
mdaman. Does he like me?
Ano ka ba? Hehe. Why wouldn t I? I m not even your girlfriend. Kung girlfriend mo san
a ako, talagang ayaw ko. Hindi mo nga lang ako girlfriend.
Rein, I really like you dati pa. I ve always been watching you from a far. And I ju
st had the confidence na lumapit sayo just a few weeks ago. Hinawakan niya ulit y
ung hand ko and nagblush ako sa narinig ko. He looked tensed but he still manage
d to smile.
Napaisip ako sa sinabi niya. If he knew me before pa and he was always watching
me from a far, why didn t I noticed him before? Pero I must admit, parang biglang
naglight up yung feeling ko when he said na he liked me but still, he s getting ma
rried.
I know I m going to be stupid sa sasabihin ko pero I want him to know as well Josef,
I know this maybe weird but I li-RIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!!! RIIIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!
Napatingin siya sa phone ko na nakapatong sa table. He look irritated and disapp
ointed at the same time. Napatingin din ako sa phone ko and saw na unknown numbe
r yung tumatawag. Hindi ko pwede baliwalain lang yung call kasi baka about sa wo
rk yun.
Wait lang, I have to take this call. He just smiled. I stood up and walked a few s
teps away from the table.
Hello? Rein Villafuerte speaking. Who is this? I asked politely.
Hi. Good afternoon. I m Felix Bustmante, father of Blake. Biglang bumilis yung tibok
ng heart ko sa hindi ko alam na dahilan. Ito na ba yung sinasabi ni Dad? Oh, go
sh. Can I invite you here in my office now?
Hi po. Good afternoon. Why po, Sir?
I heard the man s deep voice laughed a little. We just need to talk about a serious
matter, Rein. Don t call me Sir. Just call me tito Felix.
Ah okay po, tito. I know that this wasn t something about the office because he dropp
ed the formality between us.
Alam mo naman yung building ng Bustamante Inc., right? It s near Enzo s office.
Okay po. I ll be there in a few minutes po.
That s good. I ll see you in a few. He dropped the phone call and bumalik na ako sa ta
ble naming ni Josef.
Pagkabalik ko naman, I heard him talking to someone over his phone din. I think
it was her mom. He telling sa person sa kabilang line na wait lang and he ll be th

ere na din.
I was thankful enough that the both of us needed to leave para wala na din dissa
poinments.
Rein, sorry but I have to go. Something came up. He said.
It s okay. I have to go too.
Do you want me to take you for a ride? Did you bring your car ba? He asked while h
e was paying the bill for what we ate.
Yes. Sige na, we re both in a hurry. Next time nalang.
Okay. Before naming tuluyan mag separate, he kissed my cheek and flashed me again
his killer smile that made my heart melt and my knees weak. Bye, take care.
**
Pagkapasok ko palang ng lobby ng Bustamante Inc, may nagassist na saakin kung sa
an ako pupunta. Nagpakilala sya na sya daw ang assistant ni Mr. Bustamante and k
anina pa daw sila naghihintay saakin.
We went up to the 14th floor and I was suddenly shy about what I was wearing. I
was just simply wearing jeans, a shirt, and simple wedge.
FELIX OCAMPO BUSTAMANTE
Chairman Excutive Officer
Was written in a goldplate na nakahang sa double wooden doors. The handles were
silver plated and it really looked like someone inside was really important.
The girl who assisted me knocked three times and opened the door to lead me insi
de. Sir, Ms. Villafuerte is here.
My attention was caught by Blake who was sitting in the couch in one side of the
room. He was looking intently at the man who was sitting in his swivel chair be
hind his desk and looking through the window.
The man in the swivel chair stood up and faced me. Nagulat ako ng makita ko ang
isang lalaki around his 50 s who looks exactly like Blake. Well, older but ther re
ally looked the same.
Hi, ija. Have a seat. The man gestured to the seat in front of his desk while Blak
e was just following me with his gazes. I m Blake s dad.
Good afternoon po, Sir. I m Rein.
I see. Daughter of Lorenzo Villafuerte and your step dad is Matteo, right? Don t ca
ll me sir. Just call me Tito Felix.
Yes po. I was beginning to be uncomfortable when I saw Blake drinking whiskey and
seeing his bad glazes at me. Tito, if you don t mind po, why did you make me go her
e?
Biglang nagopen yung door and pumasok si Papa and si Dad. Nagulat ako because th
ey both looked really serious. Nagbeso sila parehas saakin and stood at the back
of me.
Pinapunta kita dito because nabalitaan ko na my son here, did something to you. He
shot mad glances at Blake and Blake stayed quiet.
Baby, your Tito Matt and I couldn t accept yung ginawa sayo nito. Papa Enzo pointed
at Blake. Diba you hate this guy pa?
I just looked down. I didn t want to talk about it anymore. And isa pa, I m old enou
gh to do the things I wanted even though I felt violated.
Papa, Dad, I m okay. Hindi naman na kailangan ng kahit ano. Okay lang ako. Blake s lip
s curled into a smirk even though he was staring blankly into mid-air.
No, princess. He looked at Mr. Bustamante who really looked disappointed with Blak
e. Felix, gawan mo to ng paraan or else Enzo and I will pull our shares in your co
mpany. Alam mo kung gaano kalaki ang part ng shares namin dito. Babagsak ang com
pany mo pag umalis kami.
Mr Bustamante looked like as if he was about to die when he heard what Dad said.
Dad and Papa were about to go out of the office so I had no choice but to follo
w. I felt bad sa mga sinabi ni Dad but I didn t have no choice but to go with the
flow.
Nung palabas na ako, I felt someone grabbed my wrist. Sabay-sabay kaming napatin
gin nila Papa and Dad.
Si Blake yung naggrab ng wrist ko. He looked puzzled but he managed to say the t
hings he wanted to say. Rein, I ll marry you.
Chapter 17
Just an Ordinary Day

Rein s P.O.V.
Mom place the last hairpin in my hair and after that, she stood a few inches awa
y from me and looked at the mirror where I was staring at myself. I felt like cr
ying but I know that it wouldn t change a thing.
My mom covered her mouth with both of her hands while trying hard not to cry har
d infront of me. She was against Dad and Papa s decision pero nagmatigas sila pare
has to still continue Blake s proposal.
I stared at myself in the mirror. Plain and simple. I forced my lips into a smil
e. In front of me, was a woman who was going to marry someone in an unreasonable
reason.
This is my fault, irresponsible ako eh. Ginusto ko to. As a result, I was going t
o marry a man whom I never loved and he will never love me in return. Kabaligtar
an lahat sa ginusto ko. I wanted to have that someone who ll deal with my laziness
, my immaturity, my childishness, my mood-swings, my bad temper, my stupid comme
nts about things, my weirdness and my annoying habits. I want that someone to be
the reason why I smile even though He s also the reason why I m sad. I want that so
meone who ll come to me, hold me and tell me, Shhh. Baby, everything s going to be alr
ight. I want to be with that someone who ll make me feel that I am me. That someone
who can accept me for me. That I can be myself when I m with him. Because these b
ad things about me make me who I am. I want someone who could love me more than
he loves himself.
I didn t notice the tears that were flowing down my cheeks heavily. My mom hugged
me and patted my back. Sorry I can t do anything, baby. Sorry.
It s okay, Mom. It s my fault. Ginusto ko to.
**
Blake picked me up at 6:00 in the evening and went straight to they mayor s office
for our wedding. No one was invited, even our parents or friends. Kaming dalawa
lang talaga.None
of us were talking while going here. He was just wearing a plain polo and ako na
man, simple white dress.
So far from the dream wedding I imagined. So far from Michael and I s wedding befo
re.
We said the vows in a lifeless way in front of the mayor. When the mayor finally
declared we were husband and wife, Blake just kissed my cheek and signed more p
apers. The mayor greeted us happily and I just smiled back in return.
We didn t even hold hands when we were on our way out of the office. My eyes were
holding back so much tears that were threatening to flow through my cheeks.
**
We just had our dinner at Manila Hotel and now we re on our way home to his house.
No one dared to speak the whole time and I just received cold stares from him.
He stopped driving in front of a medeteranian styled house. It wasn t too big, nor
too small. We entered the house and agad ko nakita is a wall with built in book
shelves that was all filled with Blake s racing trophys.
Welcome to my world. He said as he walked through the bookshelves. Ngayon ko lang
nalaman how passionate he was with his occupation. It s not easy to win competitio
ns over and over again. So that s why pala he s so popular with girls.
You live here alone?
Yes. I usually go home sa condo because it s close to everywhere. But I think makin
g my wife live in a small place wouldn t be appropriate. He hugged me from behind a
nd I felt his warm breath through my neck.
I flinched and stayed away from him. I saw him smirk.
Anyway, this house has only a few bed rooms. But we can use only one because the
others are messed up and just functional and-What? Where will I sleep??
His smile turned into a playful one and he walked around me with his eyes darted
to my body and feeling ko tagos na sa clothes na suot ko ang tingin niya. Sleepi
ng together is not a sin, honey. We re married. He planted a soft kiss on my lips a
nd he started walking away.
I felt shivers down my skin dahil sa ginawa niya. I m scared. Feeling ko I live wi
th a maniac or something tapos I m his slave. I followed him upstairs and tinuro n

iya naman yung room naming pero he just told me what this house has. It seems na
yun yung may pinakamalaking part sa house niya besides the garage.
This house was big for a bachelor but knowing he doesn t stay here that long, I kn
ow he doesn t mind.
I was preparing to go to sleep when I remembered that I don t have clothes here ye
t. Sabi kasi ni Blake bukas nalang namin kunin yung clothes ko. :( I wore his ba
throbe muna na nakahung sa bathroom door sa room niya room pala namin.
I went out of our room and went down stairs to find him. I saw him in his own ba
r counter drinking quietly from his glass. He saw me and he gestured me to sit d
own on the chair beside him.
Ummm Blake Kasi I don t have clothes pa... We re going to get it pa tomorrow diba? He lo
oked at me from head to toe and stared into mid air.
He finished his drink and he stood up and started walking sa bedroom. I followed
him hanggang makapasok siya sa closet. He opened one of the closet doors and ku
muha ng isang shirt. He threw it to me and nasalo ko naman.
Wear that for tonight. I think its big naman for you. He said then he went to the
bathroom.
Pagkapasok nya ng bathroom, tiningnan ko yung shirt na binigay niya. Ano ba to?!
Gusto niya ba ako magkasakit?? Ang ikli kaya nito saakin tapos wala pang shorts?
Gusto lang niya ako chansingan eh.
D ko to so-suotin! Bahala ka! Yun nalang nasabi ko sa sobrang inis ko.
What?! Did you say something, honey?! He yelled through the bathroom.
I felt my temper rise up and humiga nalang ako sa bed and tried to sleep. I real
ly wasn t happy with my situation right now.
First, I was forced into a wedding with my most hated guy on earth. Second, I fe
el like hating both of my fathers for not hearing me out first. And third, I fee
l like my husband hates me and even just my presence in his house.
I ve never felt this down ever since Mike died. All of my life I ve been wanting a g
ood relationship with my husband. The type where we could enjoy each others pres
ence, would love to coudle and be sweet to me every single day.
Sana hindi nalang namatay si Mike, sana siya nalang kasama ko ngayon. I sighed w
ith my thoughts as I felt my chest hurting.
This is the just the first night and I feel like I m going to live in hell for the
rest of my life, how much more in the following days pa?
I heard the bathroom door opened and I pretended to be sleeping. I heard him sig
h and I felt na he tucked my blanket carefully. Nagulat ako when I felt his warm
hand in my cheek. He was stroking it and I felt his stares.
He stopped when he heard his phone ring. He answered it agad and I felt like lis
tening to his and the person s convo on the other side of the phone.
Hello dude??... What? I can t. Not tonight
I heard him laugh a bit. I m not being good.
It s just that I m married . Mga ilang hours lang ang nakakalipas .
I heard na he turned his phone to loud speaker kasi nagbibihis yata siya.
( Who s the lucky girl, Blake? Hahaha. I couldn t believe you already got married! HAH
AHA. Babait ka na, dude. ) I heard the guy in the other line say.
She just some virgin I met in the bar. And come on, ako? Babait? Sino nagsabi. I
just got married, nobody said I was going to be serious about this.
( Woooaaahhh! Ano ka ba, dude )
I m just playing and I know that this is going to be fun I m just gonna enjoy the priv
ilege of having unlimited sex with my wife. He laughed and I heard him hung his p
hone up.
I tried my best not to cry out in pain in front of him. I didn t want him to know
I heard him talking over the phone with his friend.
I felt him get his pillows and went outside the room Sinilip ko siya kung saan si
ya pupunta and I saw him na humiga sa couch.
He didn t even want to sleep beside me
I sat in the bed and hindi ko na napigilan sarili ko na umiyak. Kanina ko pa to p
inipigil. I sobbed hard that I almost felt myself ran out of breath.
I feel like I m the most unwanted person right now. Is there something wrong with
me? Wala naman eh but why do I feel like I wasn t someone important for someone. No
t even to my husband

I felt so depressed and no one could relieve the things I m feeling now, except fo
r someone who wasn t with me anymore except for Michael
Chapter 18
The Kindest Decision Blake Made.
Rein s P.O.V.
Blake and I have been married for 5 months but still, nothing has changed. We st
ill live in the same house but we never sleep, eat, or even watch tv together. H
e goes home whenever he wants and I m free to go wherever I want as well. We were
like having two different worlds in one house.
Sometimes, he would go home with another girl and I would hear strange noises in
his room but I just ignored it. Yes, those things violated me because I was his
wife but who cares?
We never wanted this marriage to happen. We never wanted to be tied to a strange
r who we never really met. Lalo na si Blake. I m sure he would rather play with al
l the girls who have been stumbulling just to get a glimpse of him.
Blake decided to move in to a new house which had more rooms and bigger space an
d had a vacant lot at the side which served as his garage for his cars. We re movi
ng in next week and he told me na surprise daw yung new house kaya hindi ko pa p
wede makita. I must admit that he really isn t that bad. I feel that he takes care
of me somehow. Sometimes, he would be the one to cook food and wake me up when
I had an appointment.
I became a house wife eversince we got married because he insisted that he could
support the both of us, which was true. One time, Blake got home and gave me a
folder with all of my new legal papers which had Bustamante as my last name. Eve
n my passport, visa s, id s, atm cards, credit cards, and even my license.
I was officially Rein Allyson V. Bustamante. The last thing I wanted to get invo
lved with was his last name because I know that I can t just make an excuse once m
y lastname has been changed. I was a controvertial daughter of business tycoons
and I m sure, one way or another, they ll find out.
So far, I haven t used my atm and credit cards when I buy things. I was afraid to
spill Blake and I s little secret. I know he wouldn t like that because he was alway
s the first one to call every issue that he was falling for a girl as a bluff. T
akot ko nalang na ako pa maka-spill, Blake might kill me pag nangyari yun.
I heard the lock of the front door tick and I saw my so called husband poped in.
Hi, honey. He kissed me in the cheek and handed me his NASCAR jacket. How s your day
?
Boring. Walang magawa. Go have a shower and I ll prepare food na. He was sweet in a
sense that he calls me honey sometimes pero at the same time, mararamdaman mo na
you were just one of his girls if you were in my place.
I cooked his favorite dishes to set give him a good mood. I was going to ask him
a favor which was near to mission impossible but it s not bad to try, right? Its
what I wanted so I might as well try.
**
Anong occasion? Parang favorite food ko kasi lahat to eh. I know that you re going t
o ask something, Rein. Ano yun? My heart beat fast when Blake noticed that. Surel
y, he wasn t in the mood and he became masungit when he went here in the dinning r
oom.
Ahh Ano kasi, Blake. Hmmmm kelan tayo lilipat sa new house?? Hehe. I was hiding my h
ands under the table because it was already shaking. Yes, I was this afraid of B
lake.
Eh kasi naman, he s masungit. Sometimes he would pin me in the wall and kiss me, I
don t know if he s manyak or something. Tapos nakita ko na din sya magalit one time
. And that was when I accidentaly dropped one of his trophies while I was cleani
ng them. As in he banged the door super loud and he didn t go home for 2 weeks and
I was worried about him.
Maybe next month. Ano nga yun, Rein? Just tell me. Halata naman na tensed ka. He p
laced his right hand on top of my left hand and looked at me seriously.
Ano kasi
I looked away from him and hinanda yung self ko na mapagalitan niya. I know
it s impossible with us, hiding our marriage. With my surname as Bustamante, we c
ouldn t deny the fact that I am controversial enough to be investigated by the pre
ss or something

Just go straight to the point. I m done eating and I want to rest. I m tired.
I want to study again. Look, alam ko impossible talaga but I can just go to a sma
ll school. And short course lang naman eh. Maybe a few months. I could also tell
them that I paid to change my surname. Please, Blake? I just really wa
I was talk
ing to fast para pag hindi niya ako pinayagan, I could just go to the room and h
ave some rest na.
He stood up and went to the kitchen. I followed him and saw him opening a bottle
of wine and prepare two glasses. Please, Blake? Ayaw mo nga na magwork ako eh. I
promise to be a good wife and hindi naman ako mawawalan ng time for you eh. Ple
ase??
He took a sip of his wine and handed me the other glass. Halos maubos ko na yung
isang baso ng wine dahil sa sobrang kaba. In what school are you planning to tak
e it? And what course? He asked in curiosity.
Just a small school in Taguig Only 6 months. I m planning to take up a course someth
ing about arts. I replied in the lowest voice I could possible make.
Why don t you take up Multimedia Arts in St. Benilde? Multimedia Arts focuses in al
l the things you want to do and Benilde is the best art school I could think of
here in the Philippines. Bigla akong napatulala sa sinabi niya. Is he allowing me
?!
Besides, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde is a big school and I could be easil
y be identified there. Pumunta nga lang sa mall, hindi ko masyadong magawa alone
kasi somebody would surely ask for a picture with them. Are you allowing me to st
udy??
Yes, I am. Ayaw mo?
Thank you, Blake!!! I don t know what came into me but I hugged him as tight as I co
uld and I kissed his cheek. I am going to be a good wife from now on! I promise!!
! Thank you!!!
Don t be too happy. Just make sure you keep a low profile. And make sure that no on
e s going to know about us. If you have to lie, lie big. Keep me out of this. He sa
id and he walked away na.
I felt sad nanaman because hindi man lang siya nagwelcome or something. I just w
ish he would be less masungit. Or kahit sana we would be close kahit konti lang.
It s really hard to think kung ano ba yung ayaw ng husband mo sayo. I know I m not a
good cook, or I don t clean the house well enough. But I do all the efforts I cou
ld naman eh.
I didn t know why, pero everytime Blake takes home a girl and something happens to
them, parang I couldn t breath that s why I just force myself to sleep nalang. Or s
ometimes, I would go out of my room on purpose and kunyari I didn t know what was
happening kaya when I disturd them, aalis nalang yung girl.
I know I m not pretty enough or fierce enough for him, but I just hope that even j
ust a little bit inside him, he cares for me.
Kasi ako, Oo. I care for him and he wouldn t even go out of my mind sometimes
Blake s P.O.V.
Thank you, Blake!!! I am going to be a good wife from now on! I promise!!! Thank
you!!! Nabigla ako ng bigla niya akong halikan sa pisngi at ihug. We have never b
een so close before and this was the first one na siya yung mismong naghug.
Don t be too happy. Just make sure you keep a low profile. And make sure that no on
e s going to know about us. If you have to lie, lie big. Keep me out of this. Befor
e I continued walking away, I looked back and saw Rein na malungkot. I just let
out a heavy sigh.
She did t need to promise na she s going to be a good wife because she already is. E
verytime I kiss and hug her para akong nakukuryente kahit madikit lang ako sakan
ya konti.
I know what that means and that s why I keep my space away from her. Every day tha
t I see her, I know that I couldn t afford to break her heart. I m not dumb to not k
now what that feeling is. Pero ang alam ko lang, love never existed.
As much as possible, I didn t want to be close to her as well, para kung malaman n
iya yung ginawa kong pagsisinungaling sakanya, it wouldn t be hard for the both of
us to continue our lives in separate ways.
I repect her, I adore her, and I know that it wouldn t be hard to love her. But I

chose not to because she was way too better than me. No one ever deserves a bast
ard like me. Especially Rein.
I tried to shake away my thoughts as I try to sleep in the couch. Nasanay na din
ako matulog dito dahil for five months, this couch has been my bed. Hahaha.
Chapter 19 - No One s Going To Get Caught For A Mistake For One Night
Rein s P.O.V.
I ve been busy with my college application for the past few days. I still couldn t b
elieve that Blake allowed me that easily. I didn t even need to convince him. And
to think of it, he was the one who picked my school and course pa. And one day,
he went home bringing application forms and brosures of the school.
He s been really supportive that I m starting to think that he s doing this because he
needed something from me or may something really bad sya na kasalanan saakin bu
t nonetheless, the opportunity he gave me was really good.
Rein, Ella daw. Nagulat nalang ako nung biglang pumasok si Blake sa room bringing
the telephone to me.
Ella knows that I m married BUT I didn t let her meet my husband personally for safe
ty reasons. I know how Ella would react if she saw Blake.
ALLY!!! OMG! ANG GWAPO TALAGA NG VOICE NG ASAWA MO! COME ON, LET ME MEET HIM! YOU V
E BEEN MARRIED FOR FIVE MONTHS TAPOS D KO PA SIYA NAKIKITA!!! YOU ARE SO UNFAIR,
WOMAN! Nilayo ko yung phone sa ears ko because her voice was super loud na.
You know I can t, Ella. Sorry.
Yeah, whatever. But, you can make it up to me, my unfair bestfriend. By judging th
e way Ella sounded right now, I know she has something in her sleeve.
Sorry, can t. I m finishing my college applications.
WHAT THE?! YOU RE 25 AND YOU RE STILL GOING TO SCHOOL?! ANO KA BA, ALLY!!! D KA PA BA
NAPAPAGOD KAKA-ARAL?!
Well, yes. Learning doesn t end when you graduate one course, Ella.
JUST SAY YES OR ELSE I M GOING THERE AND I AM GOING RAPE YOUR HUSBAND! ALAM MO NAMA
N KUNG GAANO KO SIYA KAGUSTO, RIGHT?! SANA NGA AKO NALANG IKAW!
Okay, fine! Where are we going to meet? I so hate you for this.
Alam ko naman na Ella wouldn t do that but there s still a possibility kaya I went i
n a hurry to make myself presentable as possible at this time of the night. She
told me meet her in a resto bar because she ll meet someone and she needed me to c
heck if he was a good catch. She is such a hassle.
I accidentaly woke Blake up when I passed by in the couch where he was sleeping.
He was really a light sleeper and even the smallest things could wake him up.
Aalis ka? Anong oras na ba? He asked with his husky voice and placed his hand at t
he back of his neck.
Yes, si Ella kasi eh. It s almost 12am. Sorry if I woke you up.
It s okay. Hatid na kita. He stood up and reached for his keys on the table. He stil
l looked tired kaya naawa ako.
It s okay. I can drive myself or take a cab. You can rest. You look super tired eh.
I said as I touched his cheek.
No, let s go na.
**
Call me when you re done and I ll pick you up. Have a good time, honey. Blake kissed m
y cheek and I went out of the car.
I hurried my way into the restaurant hoping no one didn t see me riding Blake s car.
It was his first time to offer me a ride and I don t want it to be the last time.
Ally! Kaninong kotse yung naghatid sayo?! Ang ganda ah! Bongga! Nagbeso kami ni El
la and she made me sit in one of the chairs near the bar counter.
Kay Bla Sa asawa ko. Hinatid niya ako eh.
Okaaay. So the reason why I told you to go here is samahan mo yung friend nung kadate ko. Isipin mo nalang you re meeting someone new, okay? Total naman, pinilit k
a lang naman magpakasal kay Blake at may sari-sarili kayong buhay. Might as well
enjoy the chance of dating other guys para fair.
WHAT?! Ella naman, I can t do that! May asawa ako.
Correction, Allyson! Napilitan ka lang! And ano ba, are that dumb? You re husband k
eeps on having one night stands and dates tapos ikaw, ano? Just to make it fair,
makipag-date ka din!

Napaisip ako sa sinabi niya, tama nga naman. I guess there s nothing wrong with da
ting one guy. And besides, no one s going to get caught just for one night of doin
g a mistake. Okay, fine.
YES! I so love you Ally! Just stay here and I ll tell you pag nanjan na yung friend
niya.
I waited for 30 minutes just watching Ella flirting with the guy she was dating.
The guy s friend didn t go so I ended up having this time wasted all by myself. I w
as just making myself busy drinking apple juice and watching music video s in the
tv the restobar has.
I wasn t going to get myself intoxicated with alcohol after that incident with Bla
ke even if I was hanging here at a bar. I d rather drink all the kinds of juices h
ere just not alcoholic drinks.
Well, if it isn t the famous and the perfect daughter. A man wearing just a simple s
hirt and jeans caught my attention. Hi, Ms. Villafuerte. I m Luke.
He was undeniably cute and not to mention, effortlessly hot. He looked around my
age and he has those grayish-brown eyes that I couldn t even determine. He offere
d me his hand to shake and I returned the favor.
Hi, Luke. Just call me Ally. I flashed my sweetest smile and he did the same.
Sorry for ruining your alone time. So, anong ginagawa ng isang Ally Villafuerte d
ito? I mean, it wasn t really my intention to disturb you but you just caught my e
ye I really find you interesting. He was straight forward but I can assure myself
that he isn t some bad guy.
Okay lang. Sinasamahan ko lang yung friend ko. She s having a date and I was suppos
ed to have one too, but he didn t come. Trust me; anyone would say that I m interest
ing, contoversial daughter here.
Just a few minutes and we were getting along. We decided to continue our kwentuh
an inside his car but it didn t come out that way. We ended up making out. We ende
d up kissing each other, which to my surprise, was my idea. I was the one who pe
rsuaded him to do those. I was too induldged in his kisses when I remembered tha
t there was someone waiting for me to come home.
Why? Is there something wrong? I pushed his chest away from me slowly. He looked p
uzzled.
Kailangan ko na kasi umuwi. He smiled and held my hand.
Let me drive you home. He said and gave me a smack before he started driving.
I didn t know what to feel but it seems like I like him even though we just met. H
e didn t really take advantage of me, parang ako pa nga yata. He was friendly, he
was sincere, and we find each other interesting.
Thanks for driving me home, Luke. Pero sana you won t tell anyone na dito mo ako hi
natid. I m really in a complicated situation right now and you know how things wor
k in my life.
I won t. He smiled and brought his face closer to mine. Now, go and have some rest. I
hope this isn t the only time I ll be seeing you around. I felt his lips touch mine.
His kisses were slow yet they make me want more.
We just exchanged smiles and I got out of his car. Bye, Ally. Before he left, he o
pened his window pa and smiled just to say bye.
Pagkasara ko ng door, I just stood there and touched my lips. I can almost remem
ber what his lips felt like when it was crashed to mine. Thinking of that though
t made me smile and blush. There was really something about Luke.
Chapter 20 Luke Cruzate
Blake s P.O.V.
Today is Rein first day of school. I mean, first day of studying again. I watche
d her hurried herself as she rushed prepararing everything she needs. With her c
ute sundress and pretty face, you wouldn t even think that she s already 25. She loo
ks like she just turned 18.
Blake, nakita mo ba yung sandals ko? Yung color brown? I wiped away the sweat that
was forming in her forehead and tucked the strands of her hair behind her ear.
Don t be too much in a hurry, Honey. Yes, alam ko kung nasaan. I ll get them for you.
Thank you so much for allowing me. She hugged and kissed me in my cheek and went b
ack to put the things she needed inside her bag.
I went to the shoe rack and grabbed her brown sandals. I knew that this was her

favorite because she always wears this with everything. I handed it to her and w
ent downstairs for coffee.
Everything went different when I allowed her to study again. She became really t
hankful and sweet. The reason why I allowed her in the first place was because I
thought this was the only way I could make it up to her with all the lies I did
.
I also knew that I was hurting her because of the girls I brought home sometimes
and about me dating even though we re married.
But whatever this girl is doing, even the smallest things I knew inside that I w
as falling for her. I just realized that the night Ella and her had a girls nigh
t out.
Pagkatapos ko siya ihatid sa meeting place ni Ella, I couldn t sleep dahil kung an
o-ano naiisip ko na pwedeng mangyari sakanya on her way home. I mean, it s almost
3am and she still isn t here.
Before I even die here worrying about her, I stood up and decided na samahan ko
na siya para sabay na din kaming umuwi.
When I opened the door, I saw a car stopped in front of our gate. It wasn t really
normal in this exclusive subdivision for someone to park in front of a gate not
unless it was their visitor. I went back in, stopped at my tracks, and closed t
he door. Sumilip lang ako sa maliit na window in the living room.
Good thing we had our lights by the gate turned on because I could clearly see t
hat Rein was inside that car with a man. Rein was smiling. The type of smile I d
idn t see when she s around me. I was about to go back to the couch and pretend to s
leep when the next thing I saw stopped me.
Rein kissed the man. Yes, she was the one who started it. Tapos before pa sya bu
maba the man gave her a smack on her lips.
I felt my self stiffened with what I saw. My heart beat loundly and my fists cur
led with the feeling I felt. Nung nakita ko na papasok na si Rein sa gate, tumak
bo ako papunta sa couch and pretended to sleep.
My mood shifted when I remembered that night. Clearly, I have the right to be je
lous because I am her husband. Dapat hindi niya yun ginawa.
Rein s P.O.V.
Remember, Rein. No one needs to know about us. Just think of an excuse with your
new surname. And don t entertain guys, okay? Blake told me before I get out of his
car and he drove away.
Bigla nalang nagiba yung mood niya nung pagkababa ko sa room. Nakita ko kasi siy
ang tulala tapos nung tinawag ko siya, he looked at me nang parang galit siya.
Anyway, my schedule says I only have to go to school every Mondays to Thursdays.
Today s Thursday so I don t have classes on the following days. I have Studio and D
rawing classes today.
Good morning, ma am. The guard greeted me with a smile. What a good way to start my
day.
I just smiled back and walked my way to the entrance. Suddenly, I got nervous wh
en I saw that everytime the students swipe their ID s, their name and picture woul
d appear in a screen. Pano nalang kung may makakilala kaagad saakin nito?
Stupid me, kanina pa nila ako kilala. They ve been looking at me eversince I stepp
ed out of Blake s car. I thought to myself as I swipped my ID and hurriedly walked
inside one of the elevators that were going up.
My first class was on the 8th floor of the building. I felt awakward atmosphere
once I went inside our room. It was just an open spaced room which had 3 long ta
bles and chairs around it.
Diba siya si Rein Villafuerte??
Isn t she Erika Yllustre s daughter?
She s so pretty
I heard some of the girls whispering but I didn t look at them. My blockmates were
already there but we all remained silent until our professor went in and asked
us to sign for attendance.
My blockmates belonged to the age brackets of 16-19 years old. Some of them were
scholars and some of them, based on the schools they graduated their highschool
s in, were also part of the highclass society here in the Philippines.

Studio class went normal except for the fact that we didn t get to introduce ourse
lves kaya we barely even know each other and our professor asked us to draw a pl
an for a plate agad. Blake and I had lunch for my 45 minute break and to my surp
rise, no one really noticed us and we were both thankful about that.
Blake told me that he s going to wait for me till my class ends and sabay na kaming
uuwi. Blake s real attitude was starting to show and I must say that he really is
n t that bad. He kissed me in my cheek for his good-bye kiss daw at hindi ko alam wh
y I felt sparks when his lips touched my cheeks.
I was smiling while I was on my way on the 14th floor for my drawing class. I ke
pt on thinking that maybe, Blake and I s relationship will work out. It will just
take time.
The set-up on the 14th floor was the same as my class earlier, only it had bigge
r space and open windows which gave good views of Makati and Taft Avenue. The 3
long tables were formed into a U and the professors table was exactly in the mid
dle.
I sat on the seat that was in front of the professor hoping that I would learn m
ore techniques in drawing since I only know how to draw abstract art.
A few minutes more and my blockmates started filling up the empty seats beside m
e. I felt some of my blockmates didn t like my presence, probably because I was to
o old. I just pretended to read my pocket book as we were waiting for our prof.
My sister started texting me like crazy telling me that Mom knew about her relat
ionship already. I got too concentrated in texting her that I didn t have the atte
ntion to look at the people who were entering the class.
I heard traces of white board marker in the board pero my sister was already pan
icking too much she started giving me missed calls. I bowed my head down and hid
my phone under the table to text her.
Holy sht. I heard the man standing infront of us curse and my blockmates started s
taring at me.
Bakit kayo nakatingin lahat saakin?? I asked Martin who was sitting beside me not
minding of the person who cursed, which I guessed was our prof.
I am guessing because our prof cursed when he saw you? When he said that, my eyes
automatically shifted to our prof.
My body felt stiff when I saw his familiar face and body built. He was still loo
king hot like the first time I saw him. He was just wearing a simple shirt and f
aded jeans yet he still looked like the typical boy next door type.
Aren t you gonna answer that? Martin asked me referring to my phone which was violen
tly ringing. I turned it off and just gave my professor a faint smile. I didn t re
ally know how to act.
Aheemmm
Lahat kami napabalik yung attention sa prof namin. Sorry for the wrong start
, class. I just thought this young lady looked like someone. He laughed off the a
wkwardness and one of my classmates decided to joke him.
Sino, sir? Ex niyo? Bigla siyang tumawa ng sa sinabi ng isa sa guy ko na blockmate
.
Hindi naman. To think of it, I m starting to like this class kahit kakapasok ko pal
ang dito. He told us while he was directly looking at me while smiling like he me
ant something else. My knees felt week with his eyes. Ang ganda talaga ng mata ni
ya I thought to myself.
Anyway, I m Luke Cruzate. I graduated fine arts from UP. I m 25. Hmmm . Ano pa ba? He wa
lked around and stopped directly in front of me. Just to add up something persona
l, to those who are probably wondering why I have these kind of eyes, I m half Eur
opean. My Mom s from London and my Dad s a Filipino.
I wish I knew that the first time we met Kinakausap ko lang ng kinakausap sarili k
o while I was staring at him.
Just call me Luke. Wag niyo na lagyan ng Sir or Prof. I want this class to be ope
n as possible. Parang magbabarkada lang tayo dito, okay?
Yes, Luke!! My blockmates answered in a chorus. I can tell that they were all star
ting to like our professor. But ako, I didn t know what to feel.
So now, wala munang drawing. Bonding muna tayo. Introduce yourselves and lets ask
each other questions. Kahit ano, walang limit yung questions na iaask sainyo. A
ng hindi sumagot sa question niya would start with a sketch to be submitted late

r agad. Let s start with the pretty lady in front of me. He shifted his weight in m
y part of the long table and leaned in which caused our faces to be inches away
when I stood up. Lumayo naman ako konti and I m guessing he got what I was trying
to tell.
Hi, everyone. Hi Luke. Lumayo naman ako konti and I m guessing he got what I was tryi
ng to tell kaya he backed off a little. I m Rein Allyson V. Bustamante. 25.
Magka-age lang pala tayo eh. Bakit 25 ka na? Late ka ba pumasok or what? Where di
d you finish highschool before? Luke butt in. I knew he was getting this opportun
ity for us to know each other more since all we did when we first met was to kis
s each other.
No, this is my second course na. I graduated as Summa Cum Laude in Liberal Arts i
n Ateneo before but I m an interior designer and professional photographer. And nu
ng highschool, I graduated as valedictorian sa Poveda.
Impressive. Do you have a boyfriend? Parang kaming dalawa nalang nauusap but every
one seemed to be interested with my life story.
No.
Husband? Nagulat ako sa tinanong niya.
No!
Then why is your last name Bustamante? And why are you so defensive? He asked back
.
Villafuerte is just a screen name and I am not defensive, SIR. Padabog ako umupo a
nd I crossed my arms infront of my chest.
Why are you pouting, Ally? He smiled crazily and lalo akong napikon. That was the
nickname he called me when we first met.
I m not pouting, SIR CRUZATE. And my name is not Ally, it s Rein. What I told him was
actually a lie. I have pouting as my mannerism when I don t like something that wa
s happening and nakuha ko yun sa mom ko.
Whatever you say, Ally. Okay, who s next? Our class just went on by introducing one
another and asking questions. What happened to Luke and I earlier was like fight
ing with fire. Buti nalang my blockmates didn t notice something different from th
e both of us.
When the class ended, I walked away without greeting Luke a goodbye. He tried to
talk to me but I went in a hurry para d niya ako mahabol. When I got out of the
SDA building, heavy rain poured down.
I started to get worried because Blake texted me earlier telling me he had an em
ergency and he had to go na. Ngayon, I m desperately waiting for a cab here in Qui
rino while my dress is already wet and I m cold. And sa sobrang kamalasan, wala pa
akong umbrella.
1 hour na akong naghihintay and I was starting to cry kasi hindi ko na alam gaga
win ko. I felt hot and I was starting to get dizzy. I tried calling Blake but my
phone s battery went dead.
Ally! a black Neon Dodge stopped right in front of me and opened the door. I didn t
get to see who it was because my vision was blurry na but I went in.
Luke wrapped a jacket in me the moment I went in. He was the one who put my seat
belt while I was just leaning in the car seat. He touched my forehead and made
me look at him. Sht. Ang taas na ng lagnat mo! Bakit ka kasi nagpaulan?!
I just want to go home
I told him while I was sobbing and he was hugging me.
Shhh don t cry. I m gonna take you home. Just sleep if you want to. Drink this. He hand
ed me a papercup from Starbucks which I think was Chamomile Tea. After I drank i
t, I drifted off to sleep.
Luke s P.O.V.
I felt guilty after Ally and I s second encounter. I got too upset learning that s
he was one of my students this first term kaya ganon nalang yung pag uusap namin
kanina. Buti nalang hindi nahalata nung mga blockmates niya na may something sa
amin dahil pag nagkataon, parehas kaming lagot.
Pauwi na sana ako when I saw a girl standing in the rain. Laking gulat ko nalang
when I went more near her, na si Ally yun. Her face was red and she looked like
she was going to collapse anytime. Binuksan ko yung door and agad naman siyang
sumakay. She was crying and having a fever.
She went to sleep while I was driving her home. I took responsibility of her na

din kasi I know where she lives.

Good thing it stopped raining nung nasa bahay na ako nila Ally. When I rang the
door bell, I was expecting for her parents of siblings na lumabas pero I didn t ex
pect to see Blake Bustamante go out of their house.
He looked at me from head to toe with anger. I didn t know why. This was the first
time I saw him but I m guessing we wouldn t be in good terms. Ano kailangan mo? He as
ked.
I was thinking that Blake and Ally were cousins because they had the same last n
ames. Fair enough that they would be staying in one house. Your cousin s sick. She s
in the car.
What are you saying? Sinong cousin? He walked towards my car and sumilip sa window
. Nataranta siya when he saw Ally sleeping soundly and he thought na walang siya
ng malay kaya he opened the car door agad and checked her.
What happened to her? He was checking Ally s temperature over and over again.
Nakita ko kasi siya sa daan. Nagpapa-ulan so I offered her a ride home. I m Luke Cr
uzate by the way. Ally s professor. I was supposed to shake hands with him pero tin
ingnan niya lang ako ng masama.
He carried her in his arms and papasok na siya sa gate when he looked back at me
. Do yourself a favor and stay away from her. You re a professor, diba dapat you kn
ow best, Sir? I saw him smirk before he turned away.
I felt unwelcome with him. Afterall, Blake Bustamante doesn t have a good attitude
so I just disreguarded it. Ally has a weird cousin. I thought to myself while dri
ving away. Para kasi siyang nagseselos eh.
Chapter 21 Rein s Confession
Rein s P.O.V.
Blake and I just finished having dinner and now, we were both busy settling in o
ur new rooms. This house is unbelievably big for just the two of us. Imagine, 6
rooms, 1 library, a dinning hall, a big kitchen, a spacious living room, an offi
ce, a pool, and a garage that even 6 cars could fit in. We moved just this morni
ng and puro box and luggages pa halos sa buong bahay.
I got some of my things from Michael and I s house before like some of his old stu
ff, some picures, and some pieces of his things that were important to me, even
some of Michael s favorite clothes before. I placed them all in a small box and br
ought them here. I just like the idea of keeping his things near me kasi parang
nanjan parin siya, parang umalis lang for a while pero babalik rin.
I was unpacking all of my clothes when Blake knocked and stood by the door. Need
help?
Not really
He didn t mind me anyway, he went beside me and started helping me put my
dresses in hangers. When we were done, he helped me din to put them inside the c
loset.
Can I ask you something? He asked me right after he closed the closet doors. I jus
t nodded and smiled. Napansin ko kasi, eversince I met you, all of your clothes a
re black, until now actually. It s not like nagluluksa ka diba? Or favorite color
mo lang talaga black? Or . Don t tell me you re into gothic. Napatawa kami parehas sa l
ast na sinabi niya.
I looked down and sighed. Napasandal nalang ako sa cabinet and napatingin sa box
kung nasaan nandoon yung mga gamit ni Mike. He walked towards it and started op
ening and taking out the things that were inside it. He saw Mike s favorite leathe
r jacket and tried it on him.
Why do you have boy things? This is nice ah. That s when I noticed that he had the s
ame body frame Michael had. It fit him perfectly.
I smiled faintly and sighed again. hindi niya nga pala alam
Sayo nalang kung gusto mo Bagay sayo eh. He just smiled back at me and tinuloy niya
yung pagkalikot sa box. I just watched him acting like a child hunting for toys
that he could still play with.
I saw Blake take out Michael s wallet and started looking through the credit cards
Who s Michael Henry Verdauger? I didn t answer him but his lips formed a smile that w
ould express hurt and regret when he saw the little picture of Mike and me as a
sweet couple in a party when we were still in college.
Oh, bakit ganyan ka? Selos? Don t worry, Michael s already gone. I took the wallet from

him and he started removed the jacket and placed it back in the box.
Sorry about that. Who s Michael for you anyway? He asked in a cold tone. I didn t know
why but Michael s name didn t seem to be new to him. It was like he said it a milli
on times before or parang he knew who we were talking about.
He s supposed to be my husband right now, I mean kung hindi tayo nagkakilala ha? He
died a year and a half ago. And what s more complicated, he died on our wedding da
te. He looked away and I just couldn t make myself believe that this talk was reall
y awakward for the both of us. He needs to know anyway.
Did you love him? Rather, do you still love him?
I do. I just had to accept the fact that when I try to love someone else, our mem
ories would always hunt me. I tried to fall in love, ilang beses na nga eh. Pero
bumabalik talaga ako sakanya.
So that explains all your black clothes. He tried to laugh off yung awkwardness bu
t it didn t work. Instead, he looked through Michael s old journal that I never dare
d to read or open man lang since he died kasi alam ko na iiyak lang ako pag naba
sa ko yung mga sinulat niya doon.
He stopped scanned through the pages and looked at me. This is all about you Mind
if I read one of the entries aloud? I hesistated for a while but still, he picked
the last entry and binasa niya.
After 8 years of being together, we decided to tie the knot. Tomorrow, my loving
girlfriend and I would be sharing one surname and living under one roof. I can t w
ait to wake up every morning seeing her beside me or go on stargazing with her e
very weekend. No one could stop me from loving her. Even death. My eyes were star
ting to have tears because of the last line.
Blake ripped out something from the page and went near me. It was a CD taped on
the exact page where Mike wrote his last entry. To Mrs. Verdauger daw.
Instead of getting the CD from him, I covered my face and tried to prevent mysel
f from sobbing. I didn t expect for him to hug me, but he did. He kissed my forehe
ad and tapped my back which made me cry more.
I m sorry. Dapat hindi ko na tinanong. He told me while he was still holding me clos
e to him. I was burying my face in his neck and his hands were in my back. Sorry
na talaga please stop crying Please?
Blake s P.O.V.
I ended up sleeping in Rein s room because she wouldn t stop crying last night. Para
ng kasalanan ko pa tuloy kung bakit biglang nagkaroon nanaman siya ng slight dep
ression. She was clearly living in the shadows of her relationship with Mike bef
ore.
To make it up to her, I took the responsibility of cooking today s breakfast and i
t means waking up at 5:30 in the morning before her. It s a weekend kaya medyo lat
e kami nagising and siguro napagod din sa pagaayos ng bahay.
Good morning, honey. I greeted her when I saw her came around the living room. She
just smiled back and sat on her seat in front of the table. I filled her cup wi
th coffee and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Anong meron at maaga kang nagising? And not only that, ikaw pa nagluto. She chuckl
ed and took a sip of her coffee.
I just wanted to make it up to you after last night. She just smiled and continued
eating. What? No reply? Say something.
It s okay. It was my fault anyway. I just stared at her with my cute eyes. Hahaha. M
y sister would buy it when I always use that on her. Why are you looking at me li
ke that?? Her right eyebrow raised and she crossed her arms in front of her chest
. Alright, what do you want?
Bigla akong natawa. Looks like my pa-cute would also work on her and not only wi
th my sister. Can you stay here this weekend? With me?
Blake naman, you know I always need to stay with Papa every weekend. Besides, hin
di naman siya laging nandito eh. She usually goes home with Tito Enzo kasi every
weekend so they could catch up. Pero ngayon lang ako nadisspoint when she said n
o. Sanay naman ako na hindi siya nandito every weekend pero ngayon kasi, iba eh.
Blake, please don t throw me that tantrum of yours Ngayon lang naman eh.
I looked away from her and pushed a whole slice of bread inside my mouth and che
wed it no matter how hard it is. I know how childish this is but trust me, me ac

ting like a child in desperate measures always works. I was beginning to choke w
hen she went near me and hugged me from behind. Blake naman
I now pushed a whole hotdog inside my mouth which causes me to choke and almost
threw up. She made me drink a glass of water and when everything was settled, sh
e sat on my lap na kinagulat ko. Alright, I guess Papa would have to wait. She sai
d finally giving up and wrapping her arms around my neck.
Really? YEHEY!!! Thanks, honey! I love you!! It took a while for me to realize wha
t I just said. We both got into shock. I mean, I love you because you re doing me a
favor of staying here for the weekend.
I knew that
She went back to her seat and finished eating.
She was about to go upstairs when I remembered all of her black clothes. Ngayon
na alam ko na yung main reason kung bakit ganon, it was starting to irritate me.
I want her to forget Michael. I wanted her to see other guys rather than him al
one.
Rein, take a bath na and wear something nice. Aalis tayo. And for once with that d
ecision, I was willing for everyone to see that we re together. I wasn t afraid to b
e issued to be seen with her.
Rein s P.O.V.
Blake and I spent the weekend laughing, having fun, sharing each other s thoughts,
and arranging our new home. We even went shopping for a few times and he litera
lly made me change all of my clothes. My black dresses were replaced with colorf
ul once that Blake chose and bought for me because he was getting tired seeing m
e in black clothes daw.
We ve been sleeping in one room na din eversince Blake s accidental I love you which I
thought and hoped was true.
But given this weekend we spent together, I saw the real Blake. He isn t really th
at prodigal son everyone knew of him. Deep inside, he was that person who s fun to b
e with, caring, and someohow, loving. Although I knew it s impossible for him to l
ove me.
And for once, I finally understood why this man who was sleeping beside me was a
cting so reckless in his whole life. I remembered the talk we had earlier before
he fell asleep.
We got tired of re-arranging the new pieces of furniture we bought and decided t
o get some rest in his room. We were laying by each other on his bed while laugh
ing our hearts out when we both saw our baby pictures.
Alam mo, mukhang ang bait bait mo nung bata ka. You really didn t look like the bad
boy you are now. I really can t stop laughing with the picture of the young Blake
naked while eating ice cream.
You know, I m not really that bad He smiled faintly and just stared into thin air. I
rested my head on his shoulder to atleast free the tireness I felt.
What do you mean?
Alam ko naman na everyone hated me so much before because I was always in the new
s because of my behavior, of girls, or when I win. And I know that you were one
of those people who hated me. but just to mind you, may dahilan naman kung bakit
ako ganon. He tried to laugh the awkwardness that was starting to form. I didn t r
eply but instead, I hugged him to make him feel that I was there for him.
And what would that dahilan be?
You know Bryan, right? Your sister s boyfriend? I nodded He s not really my brother. Ha
lf lang. I mean, same Dad but different moms. He explained.
Huh? How? Kala ko you were really brothers. All I know is he hated you too. Kasi
when I met him before, nagfreak out ako kasi I thought he was like you. Pero hind
i pa tayo nagmeet nun.
Exactly why he doesn t like me and my older sister too. I was getting all confused b
ut Blake made sense to explain it to me clearly. My sister and I s Mom is named Sop
hia while Bryan and Blaire s mom is named Isabelle. My dad, as you ve met him before
was married to Sophia and they had two children which is Bianca and me, Blake.
When Ate Bianca was 10 and I was nearly 8, Sophia left us with another man and a
few years after, Dad met Isabelle and they had Bryan and Blaire. Which meant At
e Bianca and I never had the attention of dad. Ate Bianca just focused on her st
udies thinking that after she graduates, she would be out of our life in hell an

d telling me that she would take me too. I, on the other hand, focused so hard o
n trying to get Dad s attention and all I got was to be spoiled. He tried to take
away my anger and jelousy by giving me all the things I wanted and that s how I go
t into racing. Isabelle was great. In fact she was the mother my sister and I ne
ver had, but turns out that she just wanted Dad to see that everything was okay.
She s all plastic. Including her children.
I looked at his eyes and I saw sadness. Suddenly, I felt bad for judging him bef
ore. So racing has been your get away from all those problems?
I placed my arms on top of his chest while he played with my hand. Not only racin
g, pati na din girls. One of the reasons kung bakit ako nagenjoy sa racing is be
cause of the attention na binibigay ng lahat ng tao saakin. I figured out being
a bad boy was a great front act to keep all the attention of the people around m
e stay. When I drive, I feel like the world around me
disappear and clearly, it feels so good. And to think about it the press people
and all the fan girls give me more attention than my father.
Kaya nga when your dads threatened my father to shut our company down, I was some
how happy because for once, my father and I had this long talk. Pero there was s
omething that s telling me to not let it happen din kasi that was the last memory
Ate Bianca and I have from our Mom.
I don t know why I m telling you this. Sorry sa pagda-drama. He suddenly kissed my for
ehead and silence took over us before he fell asleep.
I looked at the man sleeping beside me. He had his long eye lashes, his perfect
nose, and his lips that was tempting for me to kiss at this time. I ve never seen
him this perfect and peaceful before.
I was the only one who knew that behind this man s reckless image, was a man who s b
een broken and didn t want anything else but feel the attention and love of his fa
ther. I never actually thought that one day, I ll be seeing THE Blake Josef Bustam
ante in a different perspective.
and
I never did expect myself to see THE reckless jerk a.k.a. Blake Josef Bustamante
as the man that I love.
Chapter 22 Expectations Lead to Disappoinments
Rein s P.O.V.
Thursday
Studio and drawing classes.
The day I hated going to school because for sure, I would see Luke. But at the s
ame time, my classes end early so that means more time for me and my husband. Bl
ake promised me that we re going to have dinner later.
The time in studio classes seem to pass by so quickly that I didn t notice that I
was already on my way to my drawing class. Luke was unexpectedly early and his e
yes were fixed on me the moment almost our entire block went in.
Okay, what was your class earlier before this? Luke asked while I think he was try
ing so hard not to choke out a laugh.
Studio. Marika simply answered.
Why do you all look so devastated? What did you guys do? Well, it was true enough.
Almost all of my blockmates, including me, were starting to hate our prof in th
at subject because she tired us out by making us mold a huge amount of clay and
make frames out of wire.
Luke tried to hide his laughter once again when he knew who and what did our pro
f asked us to do. Sabi niya that prof is really like that and hayaan nalang.
Luke started placing different kind of fruits in the middle table and when he wa
s done, he told us that that would be today s drawing plate. I started drawing out
lines but I was sure that I was doing wrong.
I felt so tired that I could barely hold my pencil right. Maybe because I didn t e
at anything for breakfast and lunch. Dagdag mo pa yung pagod na ginawa nung prof
namin sa studio. My hands were even covered with bandaids dahil sa mga sugat ko
from wires.
I just feel like crying right now. I want to go home I want Blake. I just stuck m
y earphones to my ears and played music to calm me down.
Ally? I almost dropped my pencil when I heard him call my name. I took one of the
earpieces out and looked at him.

Yes, sir?... I mean Luke.

Okay ka lang? You look pale. Totally not.
No yan, Sir Luke! Kanina hindi kumakain si Ate Ally. Tapos nasugatan pa siya ng m
adami nung studio! Bigla nalang sabi ni Sandra.
I gave Sandra a glare and she just went to being quiet again. My blockmates are
really friendly but I think they should really know when to stop talking. Or may
be I m just irritated that Luke was in front of me again. I just didn t know how to
face him after that one night of mistake I did.
Anong nangyari dun? Luke stormed out of the room with his frowning face and got ba
ck after a few minutes with a hotdog sandwhich and juice in his hands. He placed
it on top of my sketchpad making me stop drawing.
Yhhhiiiieeee!! Si, sir oh! May gusto kay Ate Rein! I just stared at him and just s
tared back while he wiggled his eyebrows. I felt blood flow through my cheeks an
d I tried hard to hide it.
Yhhhiieee!! Si Ate Rein nagblush oh!! Wohooo!!! My blockmates teased us again and
I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Enough of that, guys. I m just concerned with my students. Maybe Luke got my signals
by the way I acted. Instead of eating the food he bought me, I excused myself t
o the comfort room and called Blake.
I wasn t really feeling well at all. Dagdag mo pa si Luke. A few more rings and Bl
ake finally answered his phone.
[Hello, Rein? Napatawag ka? How s my beautiful wife?]
Blake I want to go home
I tried my best not to choke out a sob.
[Diba your second class just started? Late pa kita pwede sunduin, Honey. I m still
talking to some people ]
Please? I m tired. And I think I m sick. And I haven t eaten since breakfast.
[Rein, I know things are getting pretty hard there. But this is what you wanted,
right? To study again? If you really want to do this, you wouldn t give up.]
Kasi naman eh Blake, please?
[Rein, I really can t. Sorry. Kumain ka na. I ll pick you up at 5. Bye.]
I wiped my tears and padabog na bumalik sa room. All eyes were on me but I just
sat down, drowned myself with music, and pretended that nothing happened. I didn t
eat the food Luke bought me and I just concentrated with my drawing till the end
of class.
I stayed there for awhile to think where I should wait for Blake who s gonna pick
me up at 5 pa. I knew Luke was looking at me but I didn t mind him. Finally, when
we were the only ones left, he asked me if this was my last class.
This is your last class, right? Uwi ka na ba?
No. I m gonna wait for someone.
Do you Do you want to go somewhere else? I mean we could go somewhere safe enough.
If you want to. Last class ko na din naman to eh.
I looked at him and I m guessing he wasn t planning something bad anyway. Afterall,
5 pa dadating si Blake so I better find a place to stay for about 3 hours.
**
Luke took me to his condo which was just a few blocks away from the school. We d
ecided to go there on separate ways so that no one would notice that I was going
to his place.
While he was cooking us our lunch, he gave me the permission to look around his
1 bedroom condo unit. Even though the place was small, he managed to put all the
things he needed.
I got amazed with one of the walls in his living room which was full of his fami
ly and friends pictures. Judging by their pictures I can see how close he is to h
is family and how contented he is with his simple life.
There is something missing though
Again, I was talking to myself.
Wala ka bang girlfriend? I asked him frankly and out of curiosity.
Wala. Bakit? Gusto mo mag apply? He winked and gave me that deadly smile. How come
he doesn t have a girlfriend if he seemed to live perfectly?
Hindi. Ayoko. Eh, bakit wala kang girlfriend?
Eh kasi hinihintay ko pa yung taong para saakin. He answered confidently.
Wow. Hindi ko akalain na marinig yun from you. Pero alam mo, hindi din naman tama

ng maghintay. Minsan kasi accidente nalang, bigla na nanjan yung taong papakasal
an mo, kahit hindi mo pa siya mahal. I didn t know how those words managed to slip
out of my mouth but it was true.
Arranged marriage? D na kaya yun uso. At bakit parang kung sabihin mo alam na ala
m mo?
Wala lang. I answered shortly right after he threw back his question at me.
He placed the adobo he cooked in the small dinning table and gestured for me to
eat na. Nagkwentuhan parin kami habang kumakain. He cooks really good. Magaling
pa siya magluto saakin.
Anyway, I can sense something fishy with your cousin. Bigla niya nalang sinabi yun
g which caught my curiosity.
Ha?? May na meet ka na ba na cousin ko??
Si Blake. Diba pinsan mo yun?? Para kasi siyang nagseselos when I took you home n
a nilalagnat ka. I think he likes you.
My eyes literally went big and I choked out with the food I was eating sa sobran
g gulat ko. Nataranta din siya and made me drink plenty of water and right after
I relaxed, natawa nalang ako.
He thought Blake is my cousin. Nice.
Did I say something wrong? He was trying to figure out why I had to react like tha
t. I looked at my watch and it was nearly 4:30. Just a few more minutes
Wala naman.
But seriously, Ally. May gusto sayo pinsan mo. Even though he doesn t know that Blak
e s my husband, I really hoped that what he was saying was true.
Pano mo naman nasabi?
Ang kapwa lalaki, alam kung sino ang gusto ng kapwa nilang lalaki. Tingin pala ni
Blake sayo iba na. He even threatened me.
What?! Anong threatened?? How come I don t know that?? I was alarmed. Blake was slee
ping the night Luke took me home. It s impossible that he saw us kissing.
It wasn t actually a threat. Basta sabi niya, I m a professor and I should know what s
right. Yun lang. I tried to think away the thoughts that were forming in my mind.
My phone beeped at exactly 5:00 with Blake telling me that he s already there. I r
eplied telling him to wait for me for a few minutes more. Luke was washing the d
ishes na pinagkainan namin when I decided to tell him that its my time to go na.
He looked disappointed but he didn t have any excuses to make me stay so he just t
old me to take care and we ll see each other around school.
Ally
I was about to close the door of his unit when I heard him call my name. I imm
ediately found myself back inside his unit and pinned into the back of his door.
You forgot something.
H-ha? Ano yun?
Without a warning, I felt his lips to mine. I once again tasted his lips that we
re like mint and I couldn t help but to kiss him back. His hands were caressing my
cheek and my back and I didn t know what got into me that I placed my arms around
his neck and just let my bag drop into the floor.
I was making out with my professor and for sure, this isn t good.
Luckily, before we do something else, my phone rang and I stopped him. He didn t w
ant to pero I pushed him away slightly. His lips just formed into a smirk while
I hurriedly grabbed my bag and looked for my phone.
[Hello, Rein?! Bakit ba ang tagal mo?! What s taking you so long? And what are you
doing there anyway???]
Sorry, Blake. Nasa condo unit ako ng blockmate ko. Baba na ako. Bye.
Cousin mo din pala sumusundo sayo? Luke asked.
Oo eh. I need to go. Thanks for the food. He just smiled he opened the door for me
and I walked out na. I just remembered something before he closed the door. Sir
Luke, do you think this is crazy? And it may cost a lot for the both of us?
I was thinking about him. What if the both of us get caught in this friends wih b
enefits thing? Surely, he would lose his work and his license to teach while me,
I m sure that Blake wouldn t mind anyway.
I know this will but only if we get caught. No one s going to know about this but us
, my dear student. He gave out a wink. I chuckled and continued my way to the ele
vator.Before the doors of the elevator closed, I heard him shout na take care da

w.
Blake s P.O.V.
I m currently driving us home now when I saw Rein blush again. Rein was different
when I picked her up at her blockmate s condo. She wouldn t stop blushing and she wa
s smiling crazily by herself. She was starting to creep me out but I decided not
to mention it to her kasi alam ko naman na ide-deny niya lang.
I was tired as hell but I decided to keep her my promise that we ll be having dinn
er with my so called family tonight. The only family I could remember is my Dad an
d my sister and no one else.
Nung nasa may gate na kami ni Rein ng bahay, nagulat kami when we saw a young gi
rl whose hair was covered in her face while she was crying. Maybe, she was waiti
ng for someone in a wrong house kaya bumaba agad ako and talked to the girl.
Miss? Are you lost? I asked her and she looked at me.
I heard the door of my car open and that s when I saw Rein rushing towards us. Blis
s?? Ikaw ba yan? Rein kneeled down in front of the girl and set aside the hair th
at was covering her face. Bliss! What happened to you?
A-ate, can I s-stay here? Clearly, she was Rein s younger sister who I get to meet on
ly once. Her eyes were swollen from crying and she was sobbing too much. And, sh
e had a luggage with her.
Ha?? Let s go inside then we ll talk. Rein signaled me that she s going inside na and I
just nodded. I parked the car and took all of Rein s school stuff inside the house
.
I was about to go upstairs when I overheard Bliss and Rein s conversation. Ano ka b
a, Bliss?? Hindi kasi pwede. Nakakahiya nga eh. Just give Dad time and he ll accep
t it. Sama mo na din si Safe and Seth.
Ate, a-ayoko doon eh They re mad at-at me eh Let me stay here with y-you. Kahit sagli
t lang Iyak parin ng iyak yung kapatid ni Rein while she was walking back and fort
.
I ll ask Blake first if it s okay with him. But you ll stay here only for a few days ha
? This isn t even my house para magdecide. Basta if Blake
Your sister can stay here until she wants to, Rein. That s not a problem. She can o
ccupy the room next to yours if she wants to. Hindi ko na siya pinatapos sa sinas
abi niya. She only looked at me back with her arms crossed in her chest. While B
liss, her sister, still managed to thank me even at her state right now.
But instead of being doubtful about my decision, she just hugged me and told me
thanks. After that, I went upstairs to the extra room and placed Bliss luggage th
ere and after, I went to Rein s room and placed her school things there.
My eyes got fixed in a bookshelf near Rein s study table. It was filled with pictu
res of Michael and her. I felt a sudden hurt in my chest but I just pushed it as
ide. I saw how happy Rein was in those pictures and I wish I could give her the
same happiness Mike gave her.
I just faced all the picture frames down but I stopped when I saw a picture of u
s. It was on our wedding day although I wasn t smiling and she was obviously tryin
g to hold back her tears. I only left that picture frame up para yun lang ang ma
kikita niya.
I almost forgot our dinner with Dad and my stepfamily. I decided to take Bliss w
ith us since my stepbrother who hates me so much would be happy to see his girlf
riend. This dinner was surely semi-formal, as always and I promised Rein to be o
n my best behavior as much as I could handle.
Dinner with my stepfamily always turns out to be a disaster when I loose all of
my patience. Luckily this time, Bianca would also be going just to meet my wife.
This is the first meeting of Rein and my family.
**
Buti naman naisipan niyo to join us tonight. I missed you, Son. Dad gave me a fath
erly hug while Bryan was glaring at me.
Rein wanted us to come, Dad. It wasn t my decision. Rein held my hand tightly as a w
arning because I didn t say something nice. On second thought, I missed you too, Da
d. I was forced into those words but I think it felt right.
Dad, Tita, Bianca, Bryan, Blaire, this is my wife, Rein.
Nice meeting you, iha. Welcome to our family. Tita Isabelle, gave Rein a beso and

so as Bianca and Blaire. Kala ko hindi ka na ipapakilala nitong si Blake saamin.

Well, I m guessing she didn t know Rein and I s history. And, this is Bliss, Rein s siste
r. She s going to stay with us. I looked at Bryan and he was giving me deadly stare
. As if naman aagawin ko girlfriend niya sakanya.
And she s my girlfriend. Bigla nalang sinabi ni Bryan out of the blue. For sure, my
stepbrother is crazy thinking na aagawin ko si Bliss sakanya. She s younger than m
e! How could he ever think of me like that? I m not that bad anyway.
Really? Tita Isabelle looked at Bliss and she just nodded. Nice meeting you too, ih
a. You re the reason pala why Bryan has been acting a bit off lately.
Ha! How off?? Is he smiling while texting or he keeps on writing on his little di
ary? HAHAHA. AWW! Bigla nalang ako kinurot ni Rein sa arm ko which means she want
ed me to say sorry. Sorry, Bryan.
Grabe. The whole night, para akong bata na may nakabantay na nanay asking me to
behave properly and not to say bad things. Usually, I would go all mad in giving
Bryan and Blaire insults and in the end, Tita would calm Bryan down while I had
to leave early.
So far tonight, everything was going well. My REAL and whole sister, Bianca real
ly likes Rein and I wasn t surprised with that although Bianca was really hard to
please with my past relationships. She would always go on insulting or judging m
y girlfriends before mainly because of one thing. Because they weren t as respectf
ul as her and they were all btches as how she noted them. And maybe because she
also knew that sex was the only thing that was binding all of my relationship be
fore.
Rein was totally different from my ex-girlfriends. She deserves all the respect
she can get. She s demure, successful, beautiful, kind but one thing could take al
l of her down, and that is love.
She was taken down a year and a half ago when Mike died and until now, she s still
finding strength to take all of those broken pieces back in the right place. Sh
e loved people too much that when the time thay need to leave, she s going back to
ground zero everytime.
Mahal mo, Blake no? Nagulat ako when my thoughts were interrupted by my annoying s
tepbrother.
No. And shut up. Wag mo ako idamay sa kainlovan mo.
Oh, come on. I m trying to be nice here. Hindi naman pwedeng lagi tayong magkaaway,
KUYA. Oh, great. Ngayon pinapaalala niya pa na magkapatid kami. Is he insulting
me or what? Don t you think its time for us to get along? I saw how Rein controlled
you earlier everytime you insult me or si Blaire. Its getting kinda tiring.
He was right, but still, they were the reason why I grew up living like I don t ha
ve a father. Sila yung kaagaw namin ni Bianca sa lahat and lalo na sa love ng Da
ddy namin. Wala na nga kaming Mommy, nawalan pa kami ni Bianca ng attention ng D
addy namin. That s how bad it was for me.
I know, you re upset with Dad na kami nalang lagi but Blake, Dad has been missing y
ou out lately. He loves you and he worries for Ate Bianca and you more than us.
And si Mommy din. I know you don t like us but don t you think na nakakapagod na lag
i tayong nagaaway?
I can t believe I m listening to you.
Bianca s P.O.V.
After overhearing their conversation and seeing Blake and Bryan shake hands, I k
new that Blake was changing and it made me so happy that finally, he got matured
enough to understand the things that happened before.
Blake was the one who really didn t get to overcome all his anger when our Mom and
Dad got separated and lalo pang nadagdagan yung galit niya when Dad decided to
re-marry again.
Ate, did Blake ever mention me to you? Rein asked while we were preparing coffee f
or all of us.
Maybe she s thinking kung alam ko yung nangyari sakanila before which Blake calls
it disaster marriage . Oo naman. Yun nga lang, ang lagi niya lang sinasabi is how an
noyed he is to you. Pero nung first 2 months lang yun. That s probably his adjustm
ent period. Lahat naman after ng marriage naga-adjust eh, ako nga 4 months pa ka
mi nakapagadjust ng husband ko.

Ahhh It must be really hard for him. Pero saakin din naman kasi eh. Rein said with
her voice toned down. She must ve understood me wrong.
Look, Rein. You re the only girl that I want for my brother. Don t give up on him. He s
changing, alam ko and nakikita ko. Ikaw lang ang nakaka-control sakanya. Maybe
just a little more, your relationship will become normal at hindi niyo na iisipi
n na pinilit lang naman kayo magpakasal. I assured her but she ended up letting g
o a heavy sigh and sitting in one of the chairs.
Tiningnan niya if someone was in the kitchen beside from the both of us. Maybe hi
ndi ako yung reason kung bakit siya nagcha-change, Ate Bianca. She gave a weak sm
ile and played with her wedding ring.
What do you mean? My face turned into a frown thinking of what she meant. I saw th
e way how my brother looks at Rein and I m sure he has something for her. Maybe hi
ndi niya lang inaamin sa sarili niya.
I don t know, Ate. Iba kasi feeling ko eh. She gave an awkward smile and just poured
coffee in each of the cups.
We got distracted when the doorbell rang and saw Blake rushing outside to see wh
o it was. Sumunod kami sakanya and it took him awhile before he went in again wi
th another girl. This time, this girl was different from Rein. She was wearing a
fitted dress that only reaches halfway across her thigh which made her really l
ong legs bare noticable. Yes, she was pretty and based on her Hermes bag, she wa
sn t just somebody. Her hair is brown, just like Rein s. She was taller than all of
the women here even though she s wearing ballet flats. Clearly, she has a body tha
t any boy would die for.
But she isn t elegant too look at. She look s cheap even with her Hermes bag and Bvl
gari bracelet. She s far more different than Rein. Infact, I see a slut beside my
brother right now. Silence took over all of us, as if thinking of what thing we
should do next.
Blake, who is she? I decided to break the silence, raised one eyebrow, and looked
at the girl from head to toe.
Everyone, I d like you to meet Adriana. Blake s smile was as big as his ego even thoug
h we were all quiet. Suddenly, nakita ko na nanghihina sa Rein sa tabi ko and he
r sister was giving her support so she could still stand up straight despite wha
t she was seeing. Nung tiningnan ko kung saan nakatingin si Rein, biglang naning
kit yung mga mata ko and napatingin sa gago kong kapatid nan aka-intertwine yung
kamay sa bitch na babaeng yun.
Chapter 23 Being with HIM is Better
Bliss P.O.V.
She s my girlfriend.
Bigla ako napatingin kay Ate Rein. Her eyes were fixed on Kuya Blake and Adriana s
hands na magkahawak. I went at her back and I felt her weight shifted on me.
I knew that my sister was faking her smile. Everyone was looking at her waiting
for her next move. Hi, Adriana. I m Rein, Blake s f-friend. She was trying to compose h
erself although we all saw how she was shocked.
Ate Bianca, Kuya Blake s sister looked at Ate Rein dissapointingly. She gave shard
glances at Kuya Blake too before she spoke with a voice full of authority that
even made me flinch. She s not Blake s friend, Adrianna. Just so you know, her name s R
EIN BUSTAMANTE. She is CLEARLY Blake s wife. Adrianna flinched and Ate Bianca gave
her a sarcastic smile. So, what does that make you? Let me answer that for you, h
mmm maybe a slut?? That would do.
Bianca! That s enough! At least be nice?!
Don t Bianca me, Blake. I m older than you. I m just giving this btch a glimpse of what
kind of situation she went in. Maybe she doesn t know. Or is this one of your dir
ty tricks again, my dearest brother?
Before Kuya Blake could even answer back and before all of us went back to our s
enses on what s happening, my sister found her way to excuse herself. No worries, I
-I m okay. I think we all know na napilitan lang si Blake, diba? I m okay. Kuya Blake s
expression softened when Ate Ally spoke.
Rein
Kuya Blake tried holding Ate s hand pero tinaboy lang ni Ate yung kamay niya.
Ate Ally tried her best to hold back her tears and smiled at her husband. Ano kas
i, kailangan ko na umalis. Nakalimutan ko that I I need to meet some friends? Bla

ke, I ll borrow your car ha? Without warning, he grabed Kuya Blake s car keys in the
nearby table and went to the door. Kuya Blake followed her.
I was supposed to follow her when Bryan stopped me and told me that I should giv
e her time first. When I saw tears stream down Ate Ally s face, I was certain that
she learned to love truly again. The last time I saw her get hurt like that was
when Kuya Mike died and not when her past manliligaws left.
It only means that she loves Kuya Blake now the same as she loved Kuya Mike befo
re. My poor sister was suffering another heartbreak and I hope she wouldn t do any
thing that would hurt herself like before.
Adrianna was left there with us and Tita Isabelle and Tito tried their best to s
how kindness to her despite this situation.
Luke s P.O.V.
I was on my boxer shorts and about to sleep when my doorbell rang. I wasn t expect
ing for someone at this time of night and all I wanted was my sleep. I was pisse
d out and didn t mind getting dressed when I went to the door to see who it was.
I was shocked when I saw Ally standing outside my door with her eyes bloodshot a
nd her nose red. She has a problem, obviously. Luke can I stay here? I didn t know w
here to go. Hindi ko na alam gagawin ko. And just with that, she broke down cryin
g.
Hugging was the only thing I could think of to comfort her and so I did. Once my
arms were wrapped around her, she even cried more harshly. What the hell happen
ed?!
Ally, shhh What happened? I kissed her hair and traced her arms up and down, slowly
guided her to the couch.
L-Luke, I-m I m married. To Blake. I stood up in shock and I started pacing back and
forth with the newly ego-breaking confession Rein made. I felt angry about her l
ying to me but at the same time, I felt guilt on the things we ve done. But it was
against me! I-I didn t want this. Blake and I didn t want any of these.
I calmed myself to make her think that I wasn t affected but in truth, I am. I rea
lly am. I was already planning to continue with what we had. Why did you lie to m
e, Allyson? I was losing control over myself and those were the only words I mana
ged to speak a loud.
I I didn t. Ayaw ko lang na lumayo ka
She said almost whispering. I glanced back at her
and she was looking at her hands. She was still crying and I swear I m holding ba
ck all of the doubts and angriness I felt.
Blake. That patronizing son of a bitch.
You still shoud ve told me! I felt my anger grow more when my imagination played wit
h me seeing vissions of Blake kissing or touching Allyson.
She seemed to be shock with me shouting kaya lalo siyang umiyak. She didn t have a
ny reply, instead her sobbing just filled the room which made me feel guilty. I
went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and handed it to her.
I m so sorry, Luke. I touched her chin and made her look at me straight into my eyes
. I saw how sorry and sincere she was and also I saw that she wasn t really happy
with Blake. I just didn t want you to keep your distance away from me. I hugged her an
d kept her close to me.
Hindi kita lalayuan, Ally Even if you re married to Blake. I felt her arms around me
tighten keeping me close to her with her head buried in my the shallow part of m
y neck. I felt her tears drop down in my naked chest. She still haven t stopped. Sh
hh Ally, please stop?
Thank you, Luke
She gave me a soft kiss in my lips and she started telling me what
happened.
At around 3am, her eyes were already closing without her control. She complained
that she was already tired, confused, and sleepy with the things that happened
throughout this day.
I escorted her to my bedroom, told her to sleep there , and placed her small bag
in the side table next to my bed. She didn t break our eye contact as I pulled th
e comforter up to her arms. When I was about to step out of my room, she spoke w
ith her husky yet heavenly voice. Luke, don t leave me . Please?
I ll be sleeping in the
couch. I ll leave the door open if you like. Just call me whenever you need someth

ing. I smiled at her yet she stil insisted.

No, I mean here. Sleep here. Please I don t want you to go away.
And with that, I was already slipping under the comforter and lying in my bed be
side her. She cuddled with me and fell asleep with her head in my chest and her
arms wrapped around my waist. I just like the undescribable feeling she gives me
everytime she s near me.
I ve learned so much about her this night. She maybe married to Blake for 5 months
but that doesn t mean it could stop me from being with her. Blake has been drawin
g away Ally since the day they were married and I promise myself that starting f
rom this day, I will always be there for her.
I was nearly drifting off to sleep when I heard something vibrating from the sid
e table where I placed Ally s bag. Slowly, I reached for it and saw that Blake was
calling her. He had 48 missed calls in Ally s phone. The next time it rang, I ans
wered it and heard Blake s controlling voice over the phone.
[Where the fck are you, Rein?! I ve been calling you since you left tapos ngayon k
a lang sasagot?! Tell me where are you and I ll pick you up.] My lips formed into
a smirk as Blake was gagging over the phone. [Rein! Answer me!]
Ally s sleeping. I answered shortly with my confident voice. I heard him gasp.
[Fck. Who the hell are you?! Where s Rein?! What did you do to her?!]
Easy, Blake. She s safe with me. Siya ang nagpunta dito when you decided to let her
meet your girlfriend.
I heard him gritted his teeth and suddenly, he knew who I was. [Fck you, Luke! G
*go ka! Don t plan on doing something bad to Rein or I ll kill you!]
And suddenly, you re jelous? Who are you joking, Blake? Ally s sleeping soundly in my
arms after you made her cry. Do you think she sleeps this well when she s with yo
u? I smirked, I knew I caught him off guard. And honestly, I think he likes Ally.
[Don t be too confident, Luke. I ll find a way to separate the both of you. Don t you
think that s the right thing to do, Sir?] Ow, he s playing.
I don t think so. Let s just talk again some other time, Blake. I m afraid Ally would w
ake up with my noise. Good night, Blake. Don t worry, I ll kiss Ally for you.
[G*go ka, Luke!] And that was the last thing I heard before I hung up.
Rein s P.O.V.
I woke up the next day with my head on Luke s chest and my left hand intertwined w
ith his while his other hand was pinning me down on him His warm skin against mi
ne felt lush even though the room is cold.
This was the only time I slept that well after a few days of stressing myself ou
t. Luke was only wearing his boxers since last night and it was quiet tempting f
or me to hold out and touch him, which I was doing now.
My hands roam around his naked chest and bigla niya nalang hinawakan yung hand k
o to stop me. He held my wrist tight enough to make it not move. He kissed my ha
ir and smiled. Morning, Ally.
Good morning Sir Luke. His face turned into a frown and I bit my lower lip to refr
ain myself from laughing. I mean Luke.
He buried my face into my neck and I felt the tip of his nose running up and dow
n. What do you want for breakfast, my sweetheart?
I felt myself blush. Sweetheart.
I m not in the mood to eat
He stood up from the bed and wore a white shirt. You ll need to eat, Ally. I ll go co
ok. Jan ka muna. He planted a soft kiss in my lips and went to the kitchen.
I checked my phone and there was nothing. Not even a call or a text from Blake.
I hope he s happy with Adrianna. I felt my heart sink. Am I not good for him? Well
, I tried to be a good wife. I tried hard. The moments he was kind to me, I thou
gh he felt the same way about me. Yun pala he had his inspiration kaya siya buma
it. I gave out a heavy sigh.
------------------------To: Blake
Good morning. Hope your doing well after tonight. Hoping you and Adrianna enjoye
d your family s company. I miss you.
------------------------I texted him and waited for his reply but nothing came. I just tried to plaster

a fake smile across my face. At least Luke is here for me. At leat someone cares
for me.
I stood up and remembered I have class at 11:30 today. I grabbed my purse hurrie
dly and went to Blake to say good bye. He was cooking in the kitchen while I alm
ost tumble hurriedly just to chase the time.
Ahhmm Luke, I need to go. I m going to run late for class if I don t go now, uuwi pa a
ko.
He smiled playfully and looked at me intently. I m not going to work today.
I raised an eye brow and gave him a smile. What are you trying to tell me, Sir?
Nothing much. I m just trying to tell that my Mom s going here and she has clothes fo
r you. And maybe, just maybe, we ll have a nice day to ourselves.
Before I could even take in what he said, someone knocked at the door and Luke o
pened it. It was an elegant woman who was wearing a black dress whom I was guess
ing was around 40. She had the same eyes with Luke and her dark blonde hair was
tied in a bun.
Mother
Luke said as he opened his arms and hugged his mom and kissed her in the che
ek.
The woman giggles and hugs him back. Don t be too formal, Luke. How are you? We hav
en t seen you in awhile. I miss you, son.
Luke offers his hand to me and I placed my hand on top of his slowly. He pulled
me next to him in a harsh manner and holds me closer by my waist. I felt myself
blush.
Mother, this is Ally. She s the reason why I asked you to buy clothes. She ll be stay
ing with me for awhile and she didn t bring clothes.
The woman smiles widely and traps me in her arms. Hmmm she s welcoming. Hi, Ally. Ca
ll me Grace. This are the clothes I bought for you, I hope you like them. She was
grinning from ear to ear while she was looking at Luke s arms around my waist.
I m sure I ll like them. Nice meeting you, Grace. I smiled politely at her and suddenl
y a cute chubby kid was running inside Luke s unit.
Mommy!!! Kuya Luke!!!! He ran into Luke and hugged his legs. Luked kneeled down to
his level and made a handshake. They were too cute to look at.
Hey, buddy! How are you? Luke greeted the boy happily. They seem very close despit
e their huge age gap.
The boy giggled and looked at me. I m good. Who is she, Kuya?
Hello I m Ate Ally. What s your name? I gave him my sweetest smile but he hid at the bac
k of Luke. Confussion was spilled across the cute boy s face.
Ate Ally s a friend, Zian. Come on
Luke pushes him slightly in front of me as Zian tr
ies hard to look brave. He s so cute.
I I m Zian. And he runs back to Grace who was smiling down at him. I just noticed one
thing about them. They were brothers yet they have different eye colors. How did
that happen?
Sorry about that. He s my cute little brother. He just turned 5 and he s not really u
sed to meeting new people. He got traumatized in a young age.
I have to go, I just dropped this over. It was nice meeting you, Ally. She smiled
at me and looked at Luke. I ll leave Zian here first. I ll get him tonight. I have to
do something in the hospital.
Once Grace wasn t around anymore, Luke told me that he should finish what his cook
ing awhile ago. Zian and I followed him in the kitchen and watched him cook. Aft
er awhile, we ate our breakfast while Zian was sitting on Luke s lap grining from
ear to ear.
I got surprised with Zian s mood because it shifted to a playful one. I watched Lu
ke and him eat while laughing and joking. Once we were done, I was the one who c
ollected our plates and put them in the sink.
Luke, is she your girlfriend? Zian s question made me smile. I looked back at them a
nd I saw how Zian s face turned red. Blake looked at me like he was giving me a so
rry look but I didn't mind.
Yes, Zian. I'm your kuya's girlfriend." I smiled at them sweetly and Blake looks
like he's been knocked out in his own feet with shock.
Chapter 24
He Lied
Rein s P.O.V.

I really didn t receive anything from Blake since yesterday. Kahit one message lan
g, wala. I sighed heavily as I eat my breakfast and waiting for Luke who was get
ting ready for work.
I m going to school na today. I m wearing a cute dress that has a square neckline an
d hangs exactly three inches above my knee which Grace brought me yesterday. I t
hink this is too much but I m thankful enough.
Zian and I were okay now eversince he knew that I was Luke s girlfriend. He played
with me and he told me how much he likes me for Luke, funny for a 5 year old bu
t truly adorable. Zian even stayed the night and slept beside us. Sinundo siya n
g yaya niya just a few minutes ago.
**
Classes were boring. Well, they never bore me except for this day. I guess I m loo
king forward for drawing classes on Thursday. Luke and I went here to school in
different ways just for being careful. I don t have any plans on going home yet.
After all, I haven t received anything from Blake. I m guessing he s happy without me.
I sighed. I felt my heart sinking but I just pushed the thought aside. And afte
r all, I just declared myself as Luke s girlfriend. There s nothing wrong naman diba
? I mean, just to be fair, he shouldn t go through Luke and I s relationship. I gave
him and Adrianna space so he should do the same.
When my classes were done, my blockmates decided for us to eat in Kenny Rogers i
n Taft. I didn t have second thoughts since they seem to take my mind off my husba
nd and my problems.
Hi, ladies. Going to have lunch? Napalingon kami ng blockmates ko when someone spo
ke. Their jaws dropped when they saw Luke wearing faded jeans, a white v-neck sh
irt, and his aviators.
Yes, Luke. Kayo po? My blockmates were all over him. They always gossip how Luke h
ot is. If you only knew hahaha.
Same. He answered shortly while he was looking at me. Not really looking, d ko nam
an kasi alam kung saan siya nakatingin dahil sa shades niya.
Sama ka na saamin!! Leila exclaimed. Sa Kenny Rogers po kami! All of them were waiti
ng for his answer.
No, please . I would have to give you an assignment if I do that. He smirked.
Awwww!! Ano ba yan! Sige na, Luke!! My blockmates look desperate but I can see tha
t he s enjoying this.
No, Luke! Wag ka sumama!! I was just kidding. Sure, I ll have lunch with my fave st
udents. And maybe I could treat you all as well.
He flashed his megawatt smile at me as the elevator came. The elevator was crowd
ed so Luke and I were pushed to the corner. Luke held my hand possessively with
his thumb sweeping across my knucles.
I felt myself blush and smile shyly. Kinikilig ako! Hahaha. Pero kinabahan ako d
ahil baka may makakita saamin and isa pa, may CCTV kaya dito sa elevator! I look
ed at Luke but he just smiled at me. Luckily, lahat ng tao sa elevator, pati blo
ckmates ko was looking at the opposite direction from us.
When we were already in the ground floor, binitawan na ni Luke yung kamay ko. Na
una na maglakad yung blockmates ko and magswipe ng IDs nila. Kasabay ko magswipe
ng ID si Luke and magkasabay din nagflash yung name and faces naming sa screen.
Ate Rein! Ang bagal niyo ni Sir! Kayo ah!! My blocmates teased us and sumunod nala
ng ako sakanila and let Luke follow us sa likod. Nakita ko na napailing siya and
sumunod nalang.
Girls, can you wait for me here? Saglit lang ako. May itatanong lang ako sa secur
ity office. Luke asked tapos lahat sila nagnod nalang. Nung umalis na si Luke, la
hat sila nagtinginan saakin with their curious faces.
Ate Rein, you think Sir Luke is gay??
Ha?! And with that, I burst out laughing. Grabe. HAHAHA. SI LUKE?! GAY?!! No! He s no
t gay! Hahaha.
Okay, fine. He s not gay. Eh bakit ka tawa ng tawa, Ate?
Nothing. Ang awkward lang kasi. Kung alam niyo lang how good his kiss
I stopped at
my tracks when I almost spit out an information that was supposed to be for the
both of us only.
How good his what is? Lelia smirked.

Nothing. If you only knew how good his kisses are! I looked at my knotted fingers
para maiwasan yung tingin nila saakin.
Let s go girls?? Ally, are you okay? Thank God dumating si Luke!! Kung hindi baka ku
ng ano na nasabi ko.
Anyway, nauna na maglakad yung mga blockmates ko. Kami ni Luke yung nasa likod.
I can t help but to smile thinking about the gay thing. Masyadong gwapo si Luke pa
ra maging gay. Hahaha.
I opened my bag para mapacheck sa guard. May bag inspection kasi dito sa school
when you go in and out. The school s too strict when it come to security.
My bag s zipper got stuck kaya I was walking while looking at my bag para maka-cat
ch up sa blockmates ko and kay Luke. Bigla nalang ako hinawakan ni Leila sa wris
t which made me flinch kasi ang sakit ng pagkakahawak niya.
What?! Masakit yun ah! Pagkalingon ko sakanila, all of their jaws were literally d
ropped. Well, not Luke of course. Tinaasan ko ng kilay si Leila tapos she pointe
d her lips to an Audi R8 that was parked in the drop off section. I looked at th
e R8 carfully and to the man who was standing beside it. Nakatalikod siya pero h
e s familiar.
Oh shit.
I blinked my eyes twice to make sure he was really there. Nung tumalikod siya, h
is eyes got fixed on me for a few seconds then he looked at Luke who was now sta
nding behind me.
Girls, let s go! I snapped. Tiningnan ko blockmates ko but they were still standing
kung nasaan sila. Hindi sila sumusunod! Hui! Halika na! Maglulunch tayo diba?! Luk
e was just looking at me too. Ano ba sila?! Ganon ba sila kashock sa lalaking na
katayo sa harapan nila ngayon?!
I started walking away faster but to my surprise, he spoke. Rein, get in the car.
It was clearly an order from him pero inignore ko lang siya. We were starting to
get the whole school s attention pero naglakad parin ako palayo.
So much for giving a low profile, huh? Sabi mo low profile tapos nandito ka??
Rein Bustamante, get in the car! NOW! This time, lahat ng tao around us stopped ju
st to look at what is happening. Pati yung mga guard nakatingin na saamin. I fel
t ashamed sa nangyayari. Ayoko na mapahiya. This is too much already.
Slowly, I turned back and without looking back or saying anything to Luke and my
blockmates, I went inside the R8.
The drive was quiet. No one dared to talk. Blake was a cold as ice and I didn t kn
ow why. Dapat nga ako yung galit eh, siya yung may iba hindi ako. Pagkadating sa
bahay, I went straight to my bedroom and locked the door.
Why does he need to make it so hard? I ve tried my best to be the girl he wanted b
ut he still chose Adrianna over me. Am I not really that good enough for all the
men I loved?
I was just standing behind the door while I cry. Rein! Open the door!! Let s talk! I
felt the door vibrate. Is he planning to break my door open??! What the hell is
he thinking? REIN!!
Go away, Blake! I m tired!
I m not going away until we talk!! Open the damn door!! Once again, he banged the do
or. Jeeez, he really is that strong.
Suit yourself! Don t you have some important things to do?! Like go to Adrianna and
maglandian kayo?!!! Shit. Did I just say that??
I heard him sigh heavily. I think he s not outside my door anymore. Pinakinggan ko
ng maayos kung ano nangyayari sa labas and I think I heard his footsteps na paa
lis na. Thank God!
I unlocked the door and humiga sa bed and hugged my pillow tight. He gives up on
me that easily. Always. I just wished he knows my feelings for him. I continued
crying my heart out. It just felt so good to cry.
Why are you crying? Just what I expect. Once he founds my door open, he would come
in without knocking the door. I hate him seeing me like this. Yung hindi compos
ed, namamaga ang mata, and helpless na parang bata. We still need to talk. Anong
ginagawa mo sa bahay ng Luke na yun last night??
His voice was cold as ice and his eyes were burned with anger or jelousy?? How th
e hell did he know where was I last night??

Pumunta ako sa blockmate ko, hindi kay Sir.

You re not a good liar. He s getting into my nerves. What the hell is wrong with him?
hy. Were. You. With. Him.
This time, he s demanding answers. Maybe this is the right time to make him see wh
at s going on with me. Huminga ako ng malalim and looked at him in the eye. I m goin
g to keep my voice low.
I went to him because he s the only person who cares for me right now. I told him. M
y voice was becoming shakey and naiiyak ako. He s expression now was he scariest I
saw from him.
And anong tawag mo saakin, Rein?! I m your husband!! I care for you! He s pacing back
and forth in front of me and I was like a 5 year old kid who s being scolded by hi
s dad. Do you know how hard it is for me that you see that guy every week?! Hindi
nga kita pinipigilan pumasok sa school kahit prof mo yun eh!
Don t shout at me! And anong sinasabi mong its hard for you?! And you care??? Sino
niloloko mo Blake?!
OF COURSE I CARE FOR YOU! How can you even think that I don t eh I m not the one who s
kissing and sleeping with my professor!!!
Luke is the only one who makes me feel like I m worth it! Luke makes me feel loved
kahit I don t love him back!! EH ikaw?! Blake, I love you! Why is I so hard for yo
u to see that?! Hirap na hirap na ako to be everything you want tapos bigla ko p
a malalaman na may girlfriend ka?! Just when I thought everything was okay betwe
en us! Just when I thought you changed for me! Hindi ko na mapigilan mapaiyak ng s
obra. This is too much. This is the first major fight we had and its about our r
elationships behind our backs pa.
I suddenly felt his arms wrapped around me. He was kissing my hair and running h
is hand through my arm. Being in his arms felt so comforting but it made me cry
even more. You really love me? His voice is now soft and peaceful. So far from bei
ng mad.
I nodded my head to answer his question. His mood changed from being mad and we
just sat in the floor while I was in his arms. I love you too, Rein. My heart auto
matically increased its beat. I looked at him and he looks sincere. He loves me.
But we re two different worlds apart. You hated me. You don t like my lifestyle and t
hat s one thing that s never going to change. And I ve done things to make your life m
iserable.
I was too scared to admit that I love you kasi you re perfect and I m not. Sobrang ma
gkaiba tayo. I don t know if I deserve the love you re giving me. I m a different pers
on when I m with you. You changed my life when you came.
Nalilito ako sa mga sinabi niya but the only thing that s important right now is w
e love each other. I just hope he isn t lying because that will really ruin our wh
ole relationship and marriage. That s the worst thing he could do, lie.
Before he could say something else, I claimed his lips. This is he first time I ve
kissed him this way. Emotions were taking over and I felt his longing. I scoot
near him and cupped his face with my hands and kissed him deeper
Things happened so fast, the next thing we were already in my bed, with less clo
thes still kissing and touching each other. I didn t know what has gotten into me
and I was the first one to give in.
You sure about this? He s now on top of me asking for permission. I nodded to agree,
after all, this isn t the first time we re doing this.
I felt him push inside me and I felt a mind numbing pain down there. It felt lik
e something was tearing inside me. He pushed once more, harder and deeper and I
couldn t help but to cry out in pain. My nails were already dug beneath his skin s
a sobrang sakit.
He kissed my tears away and whispered. Just relax, you re going to get through the
pain. I just nodded again and he started moving. After awhile, pain was replaced
with pleasure and something was starting to build up inside me. We were both pan
ting for air, kissing, and screaming out each others name before he collapsed on
top of me.
My eyes felt heavy and refused to be open. He pulled out of me and humiga siya s
a tabi ko hugging me closer to him. My head was spinning from exhaustion and I f
elt my body numb from the tireness I felt.

I felt him trailing kisses in my shoulder and I tried my best not to cry. Now I
know what he meant about making my life miserable. Tears were starting to flow d
own my cheeks as I was fighting the urge to sleep.
I love you so much, Rein
Those were the last words I heard before my mind shut my w
hole system down.
Chapter 25 A Father s Love
Blake s P.O.V.
I woke up at around 7pm without Rein by myside. This is it, I finally admitted t
hat I love her. I rolled out of bed and got dressed. My eyes got caught in the b
lood stain in the bed sheet and I remembered that Rein and I haven t talk about my
lie yet.
Bigla akong nataranta. What if she left me after knowing that nothing really happ
ened the first time we met??? Oh shit.
Napatakbo ako papunta sa baba and I was relieved to see her sitting in one of th
e stools by the breakfast bar. She looked haggard.
Her eyes were bloodshot because of crying tapos her nose is red. Her hair was ju
st tossed up in a messy way but she was wearing jeans and a shirt. She was just
looking out of nowhere.
I hugged her from behind but she didn t move. I kissed her hair and inalis niya yu
ng kamay ko around her. You lied to me. She said in a harsh tone. It s obvious that
she was holding her tears back.
I m sorry. I really am. But what I said earlier was all true. Nung una, I was just
curious about you kaya I pushed through the wedding pero habang tumatagal I I real
ly can t explain it, but I like you without trying crazy stuff for me to notice yo
u. I love the things you say, and how you never fail to make me smile. Then it j
ust happened, one day I realize that I lo
Stop it! Just stop lying! Please
She broke down crying and faced me. You don t know ho
w hard it was for me to feel helpless when my fathers forced me into this! It wa
s a big, huge, step for anything that was beyond unplanned! Pero ano??! Wala nam
an akong magagawa diba? So I just said yes to marry the biggest bastard that I h
ated since the first time he came into the news! Tapos yun pala, all this time,
I married him for a one stupid fucking lie?!
I was trying so hard for you to love me back! Alam mo ba kung gaano kasakit marin
ig na you only wanted me for sex?! It took me a month just to get over you not s
leeping next to me dahil parang nandidiri ka saakin! Do you even know how hurt I
am hearing voices, moaning, and screaming during the night thinking that MY HUS
BAND is sleeping with another girl?!
I felt dumbstruck with the things she said. She was right. I didn t consider her f
eelings during our first married months. I was trying so hard not to be close to
her because I know that this marriage will eventually end without us noticing i
t. I guess I was wrong.
I m sorry Let s just make this work, okay? I love you. I love you so much, Rein. I trie
d hugging her pero umiiwas siya. I was starting to feel weak.
And how about your girlfriend?? She s pretty, tall, sexy unlike me. Infact, bagay k
ayo. She laughed bitterly.
Niligawan ko siya kasi I wanted to draw my attention away from you. I know that I m
not you just felt right. But I was afraid that I could hurt you
You already did. I just think this wouldn t work this time
She took her wedding ring
of and went near me. I couldn t move and I felt like I was numb. Sayang lang na whe
n we finally admitted that we love each other, this had to happen.
She held my hand open and placed the ring on it. She s returning it to me. No, she
can t be leaving. Please, no. It was just a lie. I I lied because I want you. My voi
ce almost a whisper.
We can pretend that things don't bother us, but we all know that even the smalles
t thing can make us fall apart. This small lie made us fall apart. The us that jus
t started, maybe it wasn t supposed to last long. This is too much to take, Blake.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down to crash her lips against
mine. I placed my hands around her waist and pulled her close to me like I didn t
want to let her go. When the kiss ended, she hugged me tight and I did the same
. She was crying so hard that it was breaking my heart.

She tapped my shoulder twice which meant for me to let her go but I didn t. I buri
ed my face in her neck. She pushed me away and iniwasan yung tingin ko. She walk
ed away and before she closed the door, she smiled at me weakly.
This is the first time a girl walked out of me.
Enzo s P.O.V.
Thank you, Ms. Loyola. It was nice doing business with you. We shook hands after t
he contracts was signed. Now, let s celebrate.
The glasses clincked as we toast. I m having dinner with a new client which I thin
k invested in our company because of my charm, hindi naman sa nagmamayabang ako.
We were enjoying our evening with smoked salmons and champagne when my phone ran
g. Pagkatingin ko, it was my daughter. This is kind of odd since she doesn t call
me unless she needs anything for the past few weeks.
Excuse me, I have to take this. Its my daughter. Ms. Loyola just nodded and I made
my way to the bathroom.
Hi baby! How s my princess??? I greeted in delight as I answered. Its been weeks sin
ce I last saw her and heard her voice. I heard a sob on the other line. Baby, is
everything alright?
Pa He lied. He lied to all of us. I heard her broke down crying. I felt a certain s
tab in my chest. Just by hearing her voice, I know that she was hurt.
Kinabahan ako when I rememebered that she had suicidal tendensies. I need to be
there for my daughter now. Where are you? Pupuntahan kita. Let s talk about this, o
kay?
**
After that call, nagpaalam na agad ako sa ka-dinner ko and went straight to the
address she gave me. It was a condo near her school.
I knocked on the door twice before Rein opened the door, hugged me, and started
crying. Pa, I know you have dinner. Sorry
Shh It s okay What happened?? She wiped away her tears and started biting her lower li
p.
Ally?? I heard someone from inside the condo call her. Pagkalabas niya ng door, I
immediately recognized who it was. Tito Enzo!
Luke. I smiled at him and we shook hands. You two know each other?
Ah, yes. I m her professor in one of her subjects. Something tells me that there was
something more. They looked at each other for a moment like they were giving sig
ns on what to tell me. I know my daughter too well.
Actually Pa, he s someone special. Ally said as if she was reading my mind. She went
inside the unit and pagkalabas niya, she was already bringing her bag. We need t
o go. Bye, Luke. Thanks for the time. She kissed him in the lips and started drag
ging me to the elevator.
When we were waiting for the elevator to hit the ground floor, Ally was biting h
er lower lip again and again. When she does this, she was either nervous or conf
used. Ally, what s between you and Luke? I asked as the memory repeats over and over
again inside my mind. It wasn t normal for mr seeing my daughter kissing a guy wh
o isn t hers.
It s complicated, Pa. Can we just concentrate about me and Blake?? Pa I want an annu
lment.
Napatingin ako sakanya and she looked serious. But I know that she loves him and
I don t want my past to happen with my daughter. I know we re two different persons
but I can t stand to see my daughter having the same fate as I have.
I spent my life alone while my siblings and friends have families to go home eve
ryday. I have Ally but I can t even give her a whole family. I live a lonely life
it wasn t for her. Ayokong mangyari at maranasan yun ng anak ko.
Hindi ko siya sinagot instead, nagpanggap ako na parang wala akong narinig at du
miretso na sa kotse pagkabukas ng elevator.
Rein s P.O.V.
Kanina pa ako hindi pinapansin ni Papa simula nung sinundo niya ako kay Luke. Pa
rang nagalit yata siya when I told him that I wanted an annulment. Hindi naman k
asi tama yung ginawa ni Blake.
Umupo lang ako sa coach sa malaking living room ni Papa. I can t even remember whe
n was the last time I went in this big house. Napatingin ako sa shelf kung saan

nakalagay yung mga pictures ko simula bata ako hanggang sa ngayon. Some of the p
ictures were with him, with Michael, with my siblings, and even with Blake. Pero
kadalasan picture naming dalawa ni Papa.
Papa lives in this house alone. Wala siyang helpers or driver. He cooks for hims
elf, cleans the house, and watches tv alone. I wonder how boring that could get
or how sad.
Ally? Bigla nalang sumulpot si Papa and gestured me to follow him in the kitchen.
When I followed him, may nakita akong two cups of hot chocolate with marshmallow
s sa breakfast bar. We sat in each stool na magkatabi.
I smiled when I remembered the old times. When I was still little kasi he would
always make me a cup of hot choco kapag I feel sad or may nagaway saakin and whe
n I finish drinking each cup, magiging okay na ulit ang lahat for me. Sana ganun
nalang din ngayon. I wish I didn t grow up.
Now, can we talk about what s happening? He asked me after he took a sip on his own
cup.
Pa, I just don t know what I want or I need to do. He lied. He ruined my life. I was
trying my best to look strong habang naguusap kami.
What do you mean lied? Kanina pa yan sinasabi pero hindi mo naman nililinaw.
I lowered my voice down to the extent na para na akong bumubulong. Nothing really
happened when I was drunk. Nalaman ko lang last night when when we actually did
it. Papa just looked at me ng nakapoker face. He was thinking hard kung paano nan
gyari yun. He didn t take advantage of me that night, Pa. Ginawa niya lang yun just
to get me.
Alam mo Ally, there must be a reason why he did that. Ally, you can deny yourself
all you want but I know you too well. You re my daughter at kahit hindi ka lumaki
ng kasama ako everyday, alam ko kung kelan ka nagmamahal, nasasaktan, at nagaga
lit. He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. Nagagalit ka ba kasi he lied t
o you? Or nagagalit ka kasi mas pinili niyang pigilan yung sarili niya na mahali
n ka for months?
Pa naman. Pwede naman niya sabihin before. Bakit niya pa pinatagal? And alam mo n
aman how broken before I was before the marriage. Infact that was the reason I g
ot drunk, right? Marrying him was beyond insane for me, but here it is.
Papa shaked his head in disbelief. He held both of my hands straight into my eye
s. Ally, nakikita mo ba tong buong bahay na to? It s too big for me, right? Even for
the both of us.
Ally, I know you love Blake and he loves you. There s no problem with that. You re ju
st complicating your situation imbes na tanggapin mo nalang. Anak, please learn
how to accept someone s love for you. I don t want to happen to you yung mga nangyar
i samin ni Mommy at Daddy Matt mo. I don t want to see you growing up alone withou
t having someone to hold or sleep with at night.
Papa has never given me this kind of advices at ngayon lang ako nakarinig ng gan
itong words sakanya. I can feel how sincere he was and parang hurt din at the sa
me time.
I don t want my baby girl to experience the hurt I ve gone through. Trust me, it take
s a whole lot of courage to be numb seeing everyone you love, love someone else.
And it takes many years before you could accept na wala na talaga. Baby, it too
k me about ten years just to accept that your Mom was truly, madly, and deeply i
n love with Matteo. I don t want you to experience hurting every time you come acr
oss with him with someone else. We let Blake marry you kasi we saw how he looks
at you and I know that deep down, he ll eventually change for you, and here it is.
Baby, don t waste it. Please.
Before I knew it, I was hugging Papa while crying and he was doing the same. Ito
yung unang beses na nakita ko yung Papa ko na umiyak just because of me. Hindi
ko alam ang sasabihin ko and I just kept on crying.
And please don t compare every guy to Michael, Ally. He maybe the perfect one for y
ou but he s already gone. And maybe you can see Michael in Luke s presence but they re
two different persons. Learn to love someone for who they are and don t try to ch
ange them to someone who you want them to be. Blake s a good guy, I know and see i
t. You just have to wait. He s gone through a lot at a young age too.
Papa kissed my forehead and pulled something out of his pocket. Kinuha niya yung

right hand ko and placed a ring on my ring finger. He looked at it carefully an

d smiled when he saw that it was a perfect fit.
This was supposed to be your Mom and I s wedding ring. I want you to have it. Lagi
ko yan dala kahit saan. Wag mo yan iwawala. I love you so much, Ally. We all lov
e you so much. Always keep that in mind.
I just nodded and just like that, my whole world felt like it was on track again
. Dad made me realize to take every chance and never let anything stop you haban
g kaya pa when it comes to love.
Papa tucked me into bed like he used to and kissed my forehead before saying goo
d night and left.
All these years, ngayon ko lang naintindihan why Papa was so onhands on me while
growing up kahit paalis-alis siya ng country. He gave me all the things I neede
d or didn t need, he gave me freedom, he gave me the best education I can have, an
d he gave me all the love he can give.
He chose to take care and look after me all his adult life and he didn t mind kung
wala na siyang makakasama sa pagtanda niya. That s how he loves me and I was than
kful and lucky for that.
Bukas na bukas pagkagising ko, I ll call Blake and make everything work out the wa
y it is supposed to be. I ll come back sa house namin and I ll be a good wife to him
. I hope he s okay this rainy night. Lakas ng ulan eh. Sana he s just staying at hom
e and safe.
I was finally drifting off to dream land after a very long day when an unknown n
umber was calling me. Pagkasagot ko, a familiar husky voice was on the other lin
e.
Rein, I love you so much. I really do. I m so sorry. Please come back.
Chapter 26
Happy
Rein s P.O.V.
Tatlong araw na akong nandito sa bahay nila Mom. Papa had to leave for a busines
s proposal in Dubai. Si Blake naman, di ko pa nakikita or nakakausap after the c
all he made the night I left.
Bigla ko nalang nakita sa news na he s flying to Italy for an important race for h
is career. Adrianna was with him pa. Hindi ko nga alam kung totoo ba talaga yung
mga sinabi niya or he just really wanted me to stay lalo na ngayon na nakuha ni
ya na talaga yung gusto niya saakin.
Anyway, I ve been enjoying my stay here because I missed living with my siblings u
nder one roof. And si Daddy Matt is always telling me how much I ve changed. Si Ma
ma naman, tahimik lang. I think masyado siyang nagwo-worry saakin. I haven t had t
he chance to talk to her pa naman kasi she s really busy with something.
Ally! You haven t touched your wine. Something wrong? My brother Safe asked. I smile
d and sipped a little of the wine.
Yes, something s wrong. She s comparing every boy she meets to Kuya Mike. Until now ya
n parin ang sinasabi niya saakin. I don t even know if my rebel brother really car
es for me or talaga gusto niya akong nakikitang nasasaktan.
Stop it, Kuya Seth! At least stick to one si Ate, not like you! You ve been around
with every bitch in town. Now it s my turn for Bliss to make Seth irritated.
I wasn t the one who ran away because tinago ko yung relationship ko. Bliss was abou
t to throw the glass at Seth nung biglang hinawakan ni Safe yung kamay niya.
You two are not going to have this fight again. At least be nice, ngayon lang uli
t umuwi si Ate Ally dito oh. Grabe kayong dalawa.
Eh kasi siya eh!!
Natawa nalang ako. I miss seeing them like this. Normal na kasi to kay Bliss and
kay Seth. I wish I never moved out of this house. Anyway, kaming tatlo lang naiw
an dito sa bahay kasi may aasikasuhin daw si Mama and si Dad somewhere in Ilocos
.
Sabi nila its nice to get drunk habang wala sila Mama and wag na daw ako magisip
ng magisip kasi wala namang mangyayaring masama. Bad influence mga kapatid ko.
Tsk.
So, you get to chose. Vodka or whiskey?? Tanong ni Seth saakin.
Bigla nalang nagring yung cellphone ko na nasa table na nasa tapat naming lahat.
They all looked at me nabang ako naman iniisip ko kung sasagutin ko.

Bigla nalang hinablot ni Bliss yung phone ko, hit answer tapos nilagay sa tenga
ko which lead me no choice but to talk. Hi. I simply greeted.
[Hi. I miss you.] Ohmygosh, I miss hearing his voice. Its been three days na hin
di ko naririnig yung voice niya eh. [Sorry if I left without you knowing.]
It s okay. Lahat ng mga kapatid ko nakatingin saakin as if waiting for something int
eresting for me to tell. Natatawa ako sakanila kasi para silang mga ewan. Hahaha
.
[I won the race.]
Congratulations.
[I won it for you.] Bigla akong nagblush tapos si Safe kinuha yung phone ko and
turned it to loud speaker. [Well, say something. I miss hearing your voice.]
Biglang tumalon si Bliss sa kilig. Lahat kami nagpiipigil tumawa kasi baka marin
ig ni Blake. Thanks.
So, vodka or whiskey?? Biglang nagsalita si Seth tapos lahat kami napatingin sakan
ya. He just wiggled his eyebrows ng parang nangaasar. He knew that Blake didn t wa
nt me to drink.
[You re drinking? Diba I told you not to?]
Don t worry. I m safe. Kasama ko lang mga kapatid ko.
[I know.]
How?
[Labas ka.]
And before I knew it, nauna pang nagtakbuhan yung mga kapatid ko saakin sa labas
. Narinig ko pa sumigaw si Bliss before I got to my feet and sumunod sakanila. N
agdalawang isip pa ako lumabas because I was only wearing my brothers oversized
shirt and I also borrowed boxers from them which were big.
Pagkalabas ko, feeling ko mahihimatay na ako sa nakita ko. He was really there w
earing his NASCAR jacket and faded jeans habang may hawak na cake and teddy bear
na may balloons.
I m sorry. I love you Was written across the heart shaped cake and he as flashing hi
s killer smile at me.
Hi. He said. And suddenly I was speechless. D ko alam sasabihin ko. I just stood t
here looking at him with so much longing. I never knew I was this attatched to h
im na kahit tatlong araw lang sobrang miss ko na siya.
I just smiled back tapos unti-unti siyang lumapit saakin and gave me the teddy b
ear. Look, I m really sorry. Sorry for my lies, sorry sa pagiging masama ko sayo, s
orry sa lahat. Just let me prove to you that I love you. Please give me another
chance, honey.
Tumalikod ako sakanya and handed Seth the teddy bear tapos kinuha ko yung cake s
akanya at binigay ko Safe. And without any warning, I kissed him and wrapped my
arms around his neck which took him by surprise.
After the kiss he touched his nose to mine and we just stared at each others eye
s for a few seconds. Natigil lang nung bigla sumigaw nanaman yung kapatid kong k
inikilig. OMG, Ate! Ang flirt mo! Ikaw pa unang nagkiss! Ikaw
Biglang tinakpan ni Seth yung lips ni Bliss with his hands which I think was the
kindest thing he did to me. Nagtawanan lang kami doon and for a moment, I think
everything was picture perfect.
Anong nangyayari dito? Bakit lahat kayo nasa labas?? Biglang lumabas yung yaya nam
in lahat since we were kids and pati nadin yaya ni Mama dati ng bahay even thoug
h she s only wearing her pajamas. Jusko! Anong oras na. Magsipasok na nga kayo. May
makakita pa sainyo jan. Lalo na kayo Ally at Blake. Pasok na kayo. Bilisan niyo
.
We giggled and Blake gave me another peck on the lips before we went inside.
My brothers and Blake were having a good time celebrating while Bliss and I got
out of place sa kwentuhan nila about cars and girls. Ngayon ko lang sila nakita
na nagkakasundo unlike before, parang lagi nilang binabantayan si Blake with his
every move around me.
Blake s P.O.V.
Seth was already sleeping in the couch by the time we finished our second bottle
of whiskey. Halos lahat naman kasi siya na uminom. Nagpaalam na si Bliss na mat
utulog kanina pa and si Rein naman nagstay sa office ni Tito Matt.

It was already around 2am nung nagpaalam si Rein na she ll go upstairs and get som
ething. Simula dumating ako dito, I wanted her all to myself pero hindi ko naman
pwede gawin yun since we re not at home. I followed her with my eyes as she dissp
eared in the end of the staircase.
You could follow her if you want to. Safe said while he had a playful grin on his
face. Alam ko naman na kanina mo pa gusto masolo si Ate.
I ll just wait for her to come back. I answered shortly still trying to resist the o
ffer he made.
Bilis na. It s the middle door on the right. Dadalhin ko na si Seth sa taas before
he wakes up again. Lasing na lasing na to eh. I just looked at him na nalilito par
in. He s really allowing me?? Don t give me that look. You re my sister s husband kaya th
ere s nothing wrong.
I just nodded tapos pinagtulungan namin buhatin si Seth papunta sa room niya tap
os tinuro saakin ni Safe yung door kung saan yung room ni Rein. I knocked twice
on the white double doors before I opened the door and went in but Rein wasn t the
re.
A really big but cozy room with faded rose pink walls surprised me. The room was
big as an hotel suite with cream and black colored furnitures. The windows had
heavily drapped dark curtains which had the same color as the carpeted floor. Th
e bed was a four poster with see-through curtains around it and was high. There
was also a tea table, bookshelf, a study, and a 42-inch LED TV.
This room pictures how well lived Rein is. How spoiled or how loved she is by he
r parents. I guess she s treated like a princess kaya she acts like one din.
There were two other doors inside the room which I m guessing is the bathroom and
the closet. Nagulat nalang ako nung biglang lumabas si Rein in one of the doors
wearing only her black bra and panties and her hair slightly wet which made my j
aw literay drop.
Blake! Bakit ka nandito??! She managed to get wrapped in her towel in just a secon
d and look at me with eyes wide open.
I felt my blood rush through my cheeks and I couldn t manage to look straight into
her eyes. Lord, please help me control myself. Sabi kasi ni Safe na pumasok nala
ng ako. Kasi okay lang naman daw because I m your husband?
Right. She went inside one of the doors and pagkalabas niya, she was already weari
ng an oversized shirt and short shorts.
Ang laki ng room mo and its really nice.
Thanks. Did you bring clothes or do you want me to borrow from Safe para you coul
d change na?
Ha?
Dito ka matutulog, diba?
Ahhh No. Hindi. I just wanted to see you first before I went home. Namiss kasi kit
a eh. I closed the distance between us and touched her cheek with the back of my
hand.
Bakit? There s nothing wrong naman if you sleep here. Namiss din kita eh. She said w
hile pouting and she hugging me tight. Hindi ko alam kung imagination ko lang bu
t I heard a bit of disappointment in her voice.
So this is how sweet Rein can get. Ang sarap sa feeling.
Honey, we re going to take things slow. I want to prove to you na I love you and I m
not after your body or money. I ll court you if I ll have to and we ll let them all kn
ow. I kissed her forehead pero she still continued pouting.
Stop pouting.
Why?
Because it makes me want to kiss you more.
You can t kiss me if you re not staying here for the night. Bilis na kasi. Nakainom k
a oh. Tapos pagod ka pa. Dito ka na matulog. Please
No, honey.
Fine. Then you can t kiss me and hindi ako babalik sa bahay. And without saying anyt
hing, pumunta na siya sa bed niya and nagtago sa ilalim ng comforter while huggi
ng the teddy bear I bought for her. Some might find it annoying, but I find it c
ute. Close the lights when you go out. Bye Bustamante.
My face turned into a frown. She s a bit moody today and childish. I can t blame her

because she s 3 years younger than me. Ayaw ko naman na magtampo siya saakin. All
I want now is to please her, make her happy, and show her that I love her.
Without any second thoughts, I started removing my shoes and socks and placed th
em under one of the chairs and closed the lights. I climbed into bed beside her
facing the other direction hoping na hindi na siya magtatampo.
And before I know it, she hugging me from behind. I can feel her breathing at th
e back of neck which made me feel tickled. Stop doing that. I told her.
Why? You smell so good.
Ha? I didn t even take a shower. I smell of liquor and pawis.
Hindi kaya. Bango mo eh. You smell like Blake. She giggled and I turned to face her
. She hugged the teddy bear again and we just stared into each others eyes.
I love you.
I love you more. She cupped my face between her hands and gave me a peck on my lip
s. Bigla ko nalang napansin na naiiyak siya. I wiped away a tear na tumulo from
her eyes. I
never thought you would love me back. When you ignore me dati, I just feel paran
oid and sometimes, all day akong nagiisip kung ano nagawa kong mali.
That s impossible, honey. Every guy would love to have you in their lives and right
now, I m really happy kasi you re mine by name, heart, and mind. She touched her nos
e to mine. We have to sleep na. You have class tomorrow, right? Hatid na kita.
I don t want to go. She pouted and pinched my cheeks hard enough to make me scowl.
You should. Don t drop one of your subjects because you don t like your prof. And bes
ides, honey, I m tired. Wala pa akong tulog. Let s sleep na, please? Ayoko din na pum
asok siya sa school bukas dahil subject yun ni Luke. I m not comfortable with them
being together. I don t even know what s between the two of them.
Okay. Goodnight. And I love you so much. She pinched my nose and cuddled next to me
.
Good night. I kissed her forehead. Sweetdreams. Then I kissed the tip of her nose. An
d I love you so much more than you do, believe me. Then I gave her a long passion
ate kiss.
I wrapped one arm over her shoulder and I let her sleep in my chest. This has be
en the best feeling I ve ever felt after some incidents. Saying I love you back ar
e simple things for Rein to say but that makes me feel secure enough.
She drifted off to sleep fast and I was left there watching over her beautiful f
ace under the low light from her lampshade. I wasn t really planning to stay here
but she made me.
So this is what it feels like being loved by a Rein Villafuerte. For years after
my mom died, I didn t let anybody in life emotionaly. I was all playing and less
emotional to every girl I met because I thought that every one of them are the s
ame.
Sa sobrang upset ko pa, hindi ko din agad natanggap na nag-asawa ulit si Dad and
I had two step siblings. All I thought about was about me kaya pagkagraduate ko
, humiwalay agad ako kila Dad and I started building a world of my own where I t
hought I wouldn t let any woman in . except for Rein.
Erika s P.O.V. (Rein s Mom)
Nakarating kami sa bahay ni Matt at around 9am. We were supposed to go home tomo
rrow pa pero we insisted na ngayon na since we have some things to do in the off
ice.
Hindi na naming inexpect ni Matt na aabutan naming yung mga bata since they all
have classes today and si Rein, maagang umaalis. But to our surprise, the three
of our kids are eating in the breakfast counter.
Hi Mom, hi Dad. Kala ko bukas pa kayo babalik. Safe said while he was literally pi
gging out in eating.
What happened here?? Bakit parang gutom na gutom kayo? And may classes kayo diba?
We had fun last night. Hehehe. Bliss tried to answer in a pa-cute way.
And, Dad we finished your fave whiskey. Seth said.
Its okay. Where s your sister? Matt said. Tumingin silang dalawa kay Bliss and nataw
a naman si Matt. I mean si Ally.
She s upstairs! She s with
Biglang tinakpan ni Safe yung mouth ni Bliss preventing her
from what she s going to say.

She s tired. Let her sleep muna. Bigla silang tumalikod ng sabay sabay and pretended
to make their coffees. Something s wrong here.
The last thing Matt and I wanted for Rein was for her to get hurt and I feel lik
e the one who s hurting her is here. Nagkatinginan kami ni Matt and just like on q
ue, we started to walk towards upstairs in Ally s room habang yung tatlo naman nam
ing anak eh pinipigilan kami.
When Matt and I opened the double doors of Ally s room, kami pa ang nagulat imbes
na sila. They were making out while in bed!
Mom! Dad! Both of them flushed red. Tumayo si Ally and gave Matt and I a hug and k
iss while Blake followed her. Kala ko bukas pa kayo??
Why? Were you going to do something? Matt said while he was looking intently at Bl
ake. He was really a protective father afterall.
Uhhmmm No. Dumaan lang si Blake dito last night to give ito and a cake which I thi
nk naubos na last night. He s here to say sorry. Tapos sabi ko dito na siya matulo
g. She showed us a big teddy bear.
Okay. Papahinga lang kami ng Dad mo, okay? She nodded then I smiled at Blake whom
I think was still shy dahil sa nakita namin ni Matt.
Pagkalabas naming ni Matt ng room ni Ally, napahawak siya sa ulo niya habang nak
apikit yung mata showing that he had an head ache with what surprised us. I can t b
elieve Ally s giving me a headache. She s behaving like a teenager. Ngayon lang suma
kit ulo ko dahil sakanya.
Ano ka ba, Matt. She s all grown up now and soon si Bliss din ganyan na. Learn how
to let our girls go.
Grown up?? She s only 21, Erika! I burst out laughing and he just gave me a sharp gl
ance. It took a while bago ako tumigil kakatawa.
Ang OA mo, Matt. Mas grabe ka pa kay Enzo.
Hindi ako nago-over react. Nakita mo ba suot ni Ally? She was only wearing an ove
rsized shirt around that guy! That s not right!
Ginagawa ko yun before, Matt. When we were young pa. And magasawa sila, okay? Rel
ax.
I can t. That Blake is starting to get in my nerves and saktan niya pa ng isang bes
es si Ally, I swear I m gonna do something that s not right. And hindi lang ako, pat
i si Enzo. And he walked out.
Ay nagwalk out. Grabe. Ang OA ha. Basta ako happy kung saan masaya ang anak ko.
Pagka-alis ni Matt, biglang naglabasan sila Seth, Safe, and Bliss. They were hid
ing behind the couch while Bliss was laughing her heart out.
Bakit ganun HAHAHA Si Dad?? Ang Ang OA! She burst out laughing again tapos lahat kami n
agtawanan nang malakas.
Biglang sumilip si Matt from our bedroom door and we all pretended to do somethi
ng and stopped laughing. Nung pumasok na ulit siya, nagtawanan ulit kami and we
ended up sitting in the couch while catching our breathes.
I guess your sister is really grown up now. I said and and I pulled three of my ch
ildren into a group hug.
Chapter 27 Blake In A Different Perspective
Blake s P.O.V.
Since wala naman akong gagawin, I decided to go with Rein to school. I m friends w
ith the dean anyway so pwede ako makapasok anytime I want.
Rein s first class went well except for the part where she came in late and she hu
rt herself because she doesn t know how to deal with a hammer and some nails. She
accedentaly slammed her thumb with a hammer twice and ngayon patay na yung nail
niya. Hahaha.
Ngayon naman, we re in the elevator to the 14th floor for her second class, which
I believe I d be seeing Luke. Rein and I entered the room with our hand entertwine
d which made Luke scowl.
Sir, I hope you don t mind if my friend will be sitting in? Rein said. Luke looked a
t me like I was some kind of criminal. He then, put a fake smike in his face and
handed me his hand to shook.
Mr. Bustamante s your friend?? Rein nodded. Well then, I m happy to have you in my clas
s. You can occupy any seats that are available.
We and I sat in two chairs in front of Luke s desk and he was slowly watching ever

y move I make. I have a feeling that I am intimidating him or he doesn t like me b

ecause he knows about Rein and I.
He cleared his throat and all of us looked at him. Just curious. Are you two rela
ted to each other?? Parehas kasi kayo Bustamante eh.
He was smirking at me. Gusto niya ba talaga na masuntok ko siya dito? So he want
s to play? Game on. Rein held my hand trying to calm me down.
Yeah, we re related. How about you? Are you related to one of your students here? Y
ou know, some kind of special relationship with them?? He shot nervous glances at
me. The class turned quiet, just watching the both of us rising up with tension
. I mean, maybe one of their parents is your close friend. Family friend, maybe.
Honey, please? Not here? Rein whispered while holding my hand tightly. She kissed
my cheek and I m glad that everyone saw that. Luke turned pale and just pretended
fixing his papers works.
Tumuloy lang yung class ng the whole 3 hours na nagd-drawing sila. Rein s really g
ood and I can see how she enjoy s it. She even asked me to pose kasi ang pinagawa
sakanila ni Luke ngayon is sketch your partner and to my surprise, she drew me p
erfectly.
Before we leave, nagpaalam si Rein na pupunta muna siya sa CR and Luke and I wer
e left there. Hindi ko alam but I felt sorry about pagpaparinigan naming kanina.
Lumapit ako sa desk niya and he just pretended that I wasn t there.
Luke, sorry sa kanina.
It s okay. Mukhang okay na kayo ni Ally? There was jelousy in his voice but beyond t
hat, he was smiling at me. Ang labo nitong lalaking to.
Yeah. Just last night.
I see. So I guess that means goodbye for me.
Wala ako sinabing ganyan. But to tell you the truth, nagseselos ako pagmagkasama
kayo.
That explains why you re here. Maybe sayo, its not goodbye pero saakin, ganon na di
n yun. I know how far I need to go, I know my limits. Hindi ako naninira ng pami
lya. He sighed heavily and gathered his things. Just don t hurt Ally and we ll be fine
. But if you do hurt her, I swear I m taking her back. And with that, he walked out
and left me in the room.
Oh, well. He s that serious about Rein huh?? Basta she s mine and walang makaka-agaw
sakanya.
Umalis na si Luke? I just nodded when Rein came in. Let s go home? She asked and gathe
red all her things pero kinuha ko sakanya and ako na nagdala.
I was thinking maybe we should eat. I m hungry.
Good idea. Saan tayo kakain? Do you just want me to tell yaya na maghanda ng food
sa bahay? You know, para hindi tayo makita na magkasama. I find it strange pero
nasanay na rin pala siya sa set up namin for the past months.
No. Sa MOA tayo kakain ng lunch. I know a great buffet restaurant there. Tinaasan
niya ako ng kilay and she stood in front of me ng nakapamewang.
Madaming tao doon. People would see us together and think na date yun. Besides, w
hat happened to keeping our profiles low?
Forget about that damn agreement, okay? We ll eat in MOA. No hiding, no pretending
to be other people. Mamamasyal and we ll eat lunch as Rein at Blake. And I ll kiss y
ou there whenever I want.
Oww okay. I saw her blushing and nauna na siyang maglakad.
Rein s P.O.V.
Naglalakad kami ngayon papunta sa restaurant na nagpareserve na daw si Blake ng
table for us kasi sobrang dami daw ang kumakain. Since bumaba na kami sa car, he
keeps on kissing my cheek while one of his arms were around my shoulder and peo
ple kept on staring at us.
Blake, we can walk normally. You don t have to make akbay to me. Nakakahiya eh. The
y keep on looking at us. I told him.
He gave me one of his trademark smiles and gave me a wink. Honey, you re blushing.
Nothing s wrong with what I m doing. I just want to show them that you re mine.
I gave him a soft punch on his stomach para lang matago ko yung pagkakilig ko. H
e just scowled and gave off a cute laugh.
Some of the people easily noticed us and ask if they could take pictures with us

. Si Blake lang lahat ng naga-answer kasi nahihiya talaga ako. Blake and I stopp
ed walking in front of Yaki Mix, a famous restaurant known for its Asian cusine
with buffet style servings.
Blake Bustamante eats here? Kala ko ayaw mo sa mga ganito??
Why? I love eating in normal restaurants, honey. Baka nga ikaw ang hindi pa nakak
a-kain sa McDonalds eh. He laughed at me and we were starting to seek attention f
rom people again.
Funny, pero nakakapikon. I know McDonalds! I even eat in Jollibee! And Mang Insal
! I live a normal life! Anong akala mo saak
His lips stopped mine from talking and we found ourselves sharing a kiss in fron
t of all these people but I didn t mind. I felt his tongue inside my mouth and I s
tarted to respond to his deep kisses.
Not here, honey. Maybe later. He winked tapos naglakad na kami papasok sa restaura
nt.
God, what is he doing to me?? He s taking me out of my control. Just his kisses ma
ke me so nevermind.
Anyway, we both ended up eating too much. Lalo na ako kasi he kept on putting fo
od on my plate everytime may nauubos ako. He still went for dessert when I could
n t. Now, he already ate 2 slices of chocolate cake tapos meron pang cupcakes sa p
late niya.
Ang cute cute niya kumain ng cake. Parang bata. I couldn t help but to giggle nung
may naiwan na icing sa side ng lips niya. Instead of wiping it with a tissue, I
kissed him and wipped the icing using my tongue which made him shocked. Lalo ak
ong napatawa and I pinched his cheeks hard enough to make them red.
Awww It hurts
He pouted habang hinahawakan yung cheeks niya. Dapat may kiss para hind
i na masakit. He then closed his eyes and waited for me to kiss his cheeks but I
didn t.
I just burst out laughing tapos nagcontinue nalang siya kumain. I didn t know that
my husband has a big appetite.
Ngayon lang naman kasi I m hungry. He answered in a confident way. But look at me oh,
still, I m hot. Nagpose pa siya na showing his muscles sa arms niya which made me
bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing even more. And you
He traced my thigh w
ith his finger which made my dress go up halfway. are such a tease, honey. He star
ted massaging my thigh. He s the one who is such a tease. Your lip-biting makes me
wish that we re at home right now.
I tried to look normal as possible pero I felt like my whole body is stiff. Hind
i ako makagalaw because of the pleasure his hand is giving me or sa takot na may
makakita saamin. Blake, please?.... N-not here.
Yeah, you re right. Let s go and buy you some clothes then we ll go home. Does that see
m nice to you? I just nodded and fixed myself. He paid our bill and umalis na sa
resto.
We went shopping pero not for his personal stuff but mine. He bought me clothes
that were all too short or 2 sizes too small for me. All of them were too sexy f
or me to wear pero he says na bagay daw yun saakin.
Umuwi kami sa house namin. It really feels good to go home here knowing that the
both of us are in good terms now unlike before. I don t know if I am acting paran
oid pero kasi while we were shopping and nung bumaba kami ng car, I heard camera
clicks. Sinabi ko kay Blake pero he told me na baka imagination ko lang.
We went to our bedroom na because I wanted to have a nap and si Blake daw wanted
to have a shower. I got so tired of waking and shopping. Inikot na din yata kas
i namin ni Blake yung buong MOA habang nakaheels ako.
After I changed my clothes doing some vanity stuff, humiga na ako sa bed and clo
sed my eyes. I heard the door of the bathroom opened and after a while, I felt B
lake s arms snaked through my waist from my back. Pagkalingon ko, we came face to
face and that s when I noticed he was just wearing a towel!
Baka matunaw na ako. He said while he was grinning. He touched his forehead to min
e. Why just stare if you could feel it?
He took both of my hands and controlled it. Pinahawak niya saakin yung abs niya
gently sliding it up and down. Oh, gosh! Oh tukso, layuan mo ako! I just closed
my eyes until he stopped doing that.

Bigla ko nalang siya narinig na tumatawa ng malakas pagkatingin ko sakanya, he w

as out-of-breath-laughing while his face was nearly becoming red. Bigla akong na
karamdam ng inis and I turned back on him and forced my self to sleep.
Again, he hugged me from my back and I felt his breath against his neck. He was
nuzzling my neck and caressing my arm. Sorry na. I didn t mean to laugh. Ang cute m
o lang kasi eh.
I didn t answer. Instead, I pulled the comforter up to my shoulder and tried my be
st to ignore him. He started giving light kisses in my neck. I flinched when I f
elt his hand on my thigh and he started to caress it up and down. Honey Sorry na.
Nakakainis ka! He kept on kissing my nape and I was starting to feel something. He
also kept saying sorry in whispers. I hate it when you tease me. Kanina ka pa sa
restaurant eh He turned me to face him.
Why? Teasing you is fun. I mean, ang cute cute mo kasi tingnan eh. And you re too s
ensitive your body is so sensitive. He said in a husky tone while he was smirking.
Ayan ka nanaman eh! Stop that! I covered his face with my hands tapos he pretended
na tulog na siya habang nagso-snore. Napatawa ako ng sobra kasi kahit tanggalin
ko na yung hands ko nagp-pretend parin siya. He doesn t even snore when he really
sleeps! Peaceful siya matulog eh.
Bigla nalang siya tumayo and wore his boxer shorts and his v-neck shirt. Habang
nagbibihis siya, I heard him sigh because of dissapointments. I know that my hus
band has needs and he didn t dare to break my decision. All he does is tease me an
d I understand that it was his way of stopping himself from taking advantage of
me. Nakaka-awa din.
Nung humiga na siya sa tabi ko and closed his eyes, I caressed his cheek with my
hand and lalo niya pa nilapit yung face niya. Gusto mo ba talaga gawin yung ano ?
I felt my cheeks flush with my questions but I ve never been this determined in my
life. Kumunot yung noo niya while he slowly opened his eyes. Yung??
Yung ano hmmm se- I mean Make love?
He just smiled. He took my hand that was caressing his face and kissed it. No. Wh
at makes you think of that? He suddenly tucked strands of loose hair behind my ea
r which made me feel kilig.
Wala lang. Kasi naman you re a man and I know that things is one of your needs and
it s the job of a wife to satisfy that need. We only did that once since we got ma
rried and I am starting to feel sorry for you.
Honey, we don t have to do that if you re not ready yet, okay? 5 months ako nakapagti
is and I could do that all over again for you. I m not going to push you. We re goin
g to that when you re ready, if my beautiful wife is ready. And diba I told you we r
e going to take things slow? He gave me an assuring kiss but something in his eye
s tell me that he was thinking twice. I just like teasing you. That s all. Let s go s
leep na Mrs. Bustamante.
He planted a soft kiss in my hair, my nose, and my lips again and cuddled next t
o me making me face the other direction because he always liked hugging me from
my back. A few minutes past and I could say that my husband was half-asleep alre
ady and I wasn t.
I m thinking way too much but this was the only thing I could think of right now.
It wouldn t do me any harm anyway. And besides, it really felt good when we did it
the first time. Blake
Hmmm?? His hug tightened and I felt his breath at the back of my neck.
What if I tell you that I m ready? Because I really am. It felt good the first time
we did it. I said in an innocent tone. I felt him flinch.
Wag ka mag-joke ng ganyan, Rein. Pagod ka lang. Tulog ka na. Instead of doing what
he said, I gathered all my might and turned to face him.
He was just dumbstruck at me when I kissed him deeply. It took a while before he
responded. I felt his hands snaked around my waist while he pulled me closer an
d touched and squeezed my butt.
Honey, you sure about this? He said inbetween his slow kisses. Kisses that were di
fferent and more savouring. Kisses that made me feel how much he loves me.
Yes. I answered shortly.
He started unbuttoning my pajamas buttons starting from the bottom and on the wa
y up as he was staring at me with eyes full of lust and his gazes an hyptonic si

ght for me to stare at. He placed feather-like kisses across my jaw, my chin, an
d the corners of my mouth.
We didn t lose eye contact until I felt my top slide down my shoulders. He started
kissing my lips again, this time deeper and our tongues having access to each o
ther. The next thing I knew is that he threw my bra across the room and he was l
icking and sucking my breast which made my breathing faster and moan out loud.
He continued to do that until I felt his hand slid down inside my underwear and
traced circles around my sensitive part. I moaned in pleasure as he pushed two f
ingers inside me. Oh, Blake! He started slowly and kept a fast and imaginary rythy
m afterwards. I felt something building inside me. My nails were digging in his
back and my eyes were tightly shut.
Let go, baby. He whispered huskily and bit the sensitive spot behind my ear. I fal
l apart in his hands, my body convulsing and shattering into a million pieces un
derneath him. He kisses my deeply this time, his tongue in my mouth, absorbing m
y cries.
My eyes continued to be closed as I was trying to slow down my breathing. That f
elt so good. I felt him remove all the remaining clothes I have in my body. When
I opened my eyes, his perfectly chiseled body surprised me. He was wearing noth
ing the same as me. I touched his perfect abs up and down and wrapped my arms ar
ound his neck pulling him closer.
He slowly moves between my legs, spreading them farther apart. I can still stop i
f you want to. Babe, I m not forcing you. Its okay if we don t do this.
God! How can he be so manhid?! I m so turned on and now he s asking me if I still wa
nt to stop this?! Please, Blake. I really want this. I badly want this. Since when
did I become this naughty???
He once again closed the space between us and kissed me hard. I felt him in my e
ntrance, and slowly, he eases into me until he s buried in me, stretching and fill
ing inside of me. I moaned loudly while I was gripping his shoulders tightly.
Shit. You re so fucking tight. You feel okay? He asked while he was nipping and lick
ing my neck. I felt a certain pain stab inside me again, just like the first tim
e we did this. My eyes starting to be glassy because of the tears. Baby, are you
okay? I nodded, my eyes wide open and my nails still digging on his skin. I feel
so full. He stays still until the inside of me adjust to his. I m going to move now
, okay? His voice sexy and tight.
He thrusts into me again I cry out the second time and I saw a grin painted acro
ss his face. More?
Yes. I tried controlling my breathing. I never wanted anything this badly. This fe
els so good.
He moves again, but this time, thrusting into me harder and deeper which made me
cry out loud. Again, baby? He asked.
Yes! Please, Blake. This time, I beg.
He moves again, not stopping this time. I can feel his weight on me preventing m
e from moving too much. My hips moved involuntarily, meeting him every thrust. H
e speeds up and began thrusting deeper. I moan as he continuous to speed up spee
d not giving me any chance to calm. He bites my lower lip this time which made m
e no choice but to moan into his mouth. My body started to be stiff and my hands
started to scratch Blake s back deepky because of the pleasure overdrive he was g
iving me.
Come for me, baby. His deep voice made me lose myself. My body convulsed for the s
econd time. My eye that were completely shut was staring to see starts and firew
orks from the extreme tireness I felt . I felt his warm seed spill inside of me
and after that, he collapsed on top of me, our bodies still one.
Thank you for this wonderful night, honey. Are you okay? I just nodded. I flinched
when I felt him pull our from inside of me.
I whole body felt numb and my bones feel like jelly. My head started to spin. I m s
oooo tired. I complained.
Naramdaman ko na umayos siya ng higa and slowly carried me and fixed my position
to make me lay on his chest with his other arm around my shoulder making me fee
l safe, secured, and relaxed. I felt him pull up the heavy blanket to cover our
naked bodies. That s just normal. Let s just go to sleep. I love you, baby. I felt him

kiss my hair.
Hearing those words from him never fail to make me feel overwhelmed. I love you t
oo. I murmured and I finally drifted off into deep sleep.
Chapter 28
Decisions
Blake s P.O.V.
Rein is still sleeping soundly in my arms when I opened my eyes. Masyado ko yata
talagang napagod. I kissed her cheek and slowly, umalis ako and replaced myself
with pillows para hindi magising si Rein.
Clock says its almost 12am na. We slept through dinner kaya I decided to cook fo
r her. I went to the kitchen and started to prepare something. I decided to cook
just a simple omellete with ham and hotdogs slices. Once I ve finished, I placed
everything in the breakfast counter and went upstairs to call Rein.
She was still sleeping when I entered the room. Slowly, I lay down beside her an
d started touching her cheek with the back of my hand. Honey, wake up
her eyes flut
tered open slowly.
A smile formed her lips when I gave her a kiss on the cheek. Hi. She greeted while
her cheeks were still flushed. Its cold. She complained
Its because you don t have any clothes on you yet. I laughed softly. I removed my sh
irt and slowly put it on her. It was pretty big but at least she wouldn t get cold
. I prepared you dinner. Alam ko na you re hungry.
That s so sweet of my husband. Magb-brush muna ako ng teeth. She gave me a peck on m
y lips before she stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom.
I heard my Blackberry beeped two times which made me stood up and find it. Nahan
ap ko yung phone ko sa couch inside the room and checked who emailed or texted m
e.
From: Rob Domingiano
Subject: Monaco Grandprix
To: Blake Bustamante
Dude, Monaco Grand Prix is already next month. Need to get ready and we re flying
to Monaco next week. We re going to stay there until a few weeks after the race so
that means we d have to stay there for at least two months. Please reply as soon
as you read this. Need to know if our schedules match.
Robert Domingiano
Sht! I almost forgot about this! I was about to reply when I felt Rein touched m
y back. Tinago ko agad yung phone ko. I haven t discussed about this to her yet an
d I m sure hindi siya papayag lalo na ngayon na si Adrianna yung nakita na kasama
ko nung past race ko so that means si Adrianna din ang kasama ko for that 2 mont
hs.
Rein traced the scratch marks and some deep wounds at my back that were caused b
y her nails earlier when we made love. Masyado kasing napadiin yung hawak niya k
aya may mga gasgas yung likod ko. Did I do this?? She asked innocently. Guilt was
starting to show up on her face.
Hey, don t worry. Its okay. Gasgas lang naman eh.
I m so sorry. Dapat nagcut ako ng nails ko. She continued to examine my back. I didn t
know na masasaktan kita kanina. Dapat I just kept my hands sa side. Sorry. She hu
gged me but her hands were still touching my bare back up and down.
Natawa naman ako ng konti. She is so worried eh wala naman tong effect na masama
saakin. Its okay. These are just scratches, they ll be gone in no time. I kissed her
hair and just remained like this for a few minutes until she got convinced that
its okay. Rein has become really emotional these past few days. Let s have dinner?
No. Upo ka muna jan. Wait for me. Don t go anywhere. She pushed me in the couch and
went to the bathroom. Pagkabalik niya, she is carrying the firt aid kid.
Baby, okay lang ako. Let s eat na. I protested. Tumayo ako sa couch but unfortunatel
y, tinulak niya ulit ako.
Hindi tayo kakain not until magamot ko yung scratches na yan! She started pinning
me with her arms in the couch tapos bigla nalang siya tumalon sa lap ko and stra
ddled me. She started moving, unconscious that she was grinding on me and her bo
obies in front of my face. I felt a sting on my back where she poured alcohol. S
he started reaching my lower back which made her grind on me again. I groaned. S
he smacked my back with her hand. Blake! Keep still! She ordered.

And sakit ng palo niya ha! Iniiwas ko yung face ko sa boobies niya pero it kept
on rubbing in my face. Shit. Control, Blake! How can I keep still when you re turni
ng me on?! I complained. She smacked my head this time. And since when did you bec
ome violent?! Stop smacking me! It hurts! She just stuck her tongue out and did t
he belat thing that kids do.
Para kaming mga ewan na nagsisigawan habang ginagamot niya yung scratches ko. On
ce again, she grinded and this time, she did it on purpose. She placed her hands
at the back of my neck and began tracing invisible letters at the back of my na
pe. Slowly, she lowered her face on my neck and bit my earlobe. All done, honey. S
he smirked and stood up.
She s teasing me! I can t believe this. I looked at her in disbelief. Her gazes lowe
red done between my legs she gave me a seductive smile and bit her lower lip. I
felt my libido rise up. Blake, control!! I warned myself. Who are you and what ha
ve you done to my wife??
She laughed. She just wants to play, honey. She gave me a wink. She started walkin
g away while I was still dumbfounded on what she did.
Now, let s have that dinner. I m hungry. Before she stepped out of the room, I pulled
her back and ako naman ang tumulak sakanya sa couch.
I laughed a little. Oh, no honey. You need to finish what you started. Tsk, tsk,
tsk. I didn t know my wife has her naughty side. I pinned her in the couch.
Round two!
**
Rein s washing the dishes while I just sat at one of the stools staring at Rob s ema
il. We re done with dinner and sabi niya siya na daw maghuhugas ng plates. Pano ko
ba to sasabihin sakanya?
Maybe I should just skip this year s race? Hmm That doesn t seem good for me. Or mayb
e, I could take her with me! But how about her school? And how about Adrianna???
Baka masabihan nanaman ako ng two-timer.
UUUURRRRGGGHHHH! Since when did deciding become so hard for me?? Dati naman oo l
ang ako ng oo. Maybe since I loved Rein, doon lang ako nahirapan mag decide betw
een career and family.
Family ALWAYS comes first . BUT HOW ABOUT MY CAREER?! I hate this.
Blake, are you okay? I was clearly over-thinking. Hindi ko nga napansin na nasa li
kod ko na pala si Rein trying to have a peek at my phone.
I almost threw my phone para lang hindi niya makita. Haa?? Oo. I m okay, honey.
Give me your phone. She demanded. I just stared at her with my puppy eyes hoping t
hat she would fall for that and just forget about my phone. Give me your phone, B
ustamante.
Honey, its nothing! Nangungulit lang yung ka team ko! I answered in defense. Tumay
o ako and walked on the opposite side of where she s standing. I turned my phone o
ff now.
Bustamante, give me your phone! Now! I was forced to give her my phone. Habang hin
ihintay niya magon, our landline rang! Pagsinuswerte ka nga naman!
Iniwan niya yung phone ko sa kitchen counter and pumunta ng living room to answe
r the landline. It was probably one of her siblings or mga kapatid ko kasi ganit
ong oras tumawag eh.
I quickly grabbed my phone and deleted the email. Sumunod ako kay Rein sa living
room and wondered why she was being so formal sa kausap niya. I heard her laugh
and pagkapasok ko ng living room, she looked at me like I was some kind of guil
ty criminal.
Sorry but Blake can t talk now. I think he s already sleeping Yeah, sure. Ano ba yun? S
he signaled me to sit in the couch in front of her and sumunod naman ako. Looks
like the other person in the line had some long explain to do Okay, I ll be sure to
remind him about the race in Monaco and yung flight nila ni Adrianna next week.
My heart rate doubled and next thing I knew, I was struggling to get the phone f
rom Rein. Rein! Give me the phone!!! She threw me a pillow straight into my face. U
ggghh!! Rein!!!
Nandito na pala si Blake. Ikaw na kumausap ha? Nice meeting you, Rob. She gave me
a sarcastic smile.
Shit! And the next thing I knew, the wireless telephone flew across the room to my

face. Sa right eye ko pa and she didn t look back at tumakbo na sa taas. Fuck! Ang
sakiiiiiiit!!
Gago ka, Domingiano! Bakit mo ko tinawagan sa bahay?! Pwede naman sa cellphone???
! I asked while my left hand was still massaging my right eye.
Well, hello to you too. Patay yung phone mo, dude and you re not answering my email
s. And what a nice secretary you have. Sama mo siya sa Monaco and give her to me
. Lalong naginit ulo ko.
Shut the fuck up, Rob! Stop checking her out!
Woaah! Damot, dude ha. Since when did you start caring for girls or your secretar
y?? And besides, you have Adrianna to play with. Basta next week, okay? I ll see y
ou in a few. Don t forget your secretary! Bye! Bago pa ako makapagsalita ulit, bina
ba niya na yung telepono.
Before I think about of anything else, sinundan ko na si Rein sa taas and saw he
r inside my closet. She was already packing my things in my luggages. What jacket
are you using? Or may bago ka from your sponsors? I watched her looking at my co
llection of NASCAR jackets.
I ll be having a new one. I said shortly. I was just standing in the doorway.
Malamig parin doon, I m sure. I ll pack some of your long sleeved shirts, okay? I clos
ed the space between us and hugged her from the back. I rested my chin in her sh
oulder and I heard her sigh heavily. How long are you going to stay there? I heard
sadness in her voice habang pumipili parin siya ng mga damit na dadalhin ko. Hi
ndi niya man lang ako tinitingnan. Ayoko ng ganito.
About 2 months. She was about to walk in the other side of the room nung humarang
ako and held her shoulders. Hindi niya parin ako tinitingnan sa mata and she loo
ked down pretending to look at something in the ground. Honey, please look at me.
Kila Mom nalang ako mags-stay while you re gone. O kaya kay Papa. She laughed a litt
le and trapped my face between her warm hands. Don t forget my pasalubong. I m going
to miss you. She hugged me tight and she started sobbing.
Ah, shit. Drama nanaman. Bakit parang nagiging hobby niya na ang pagiyak? Pero k
ahit ganon, ang sakit saakin na makita siyang umiiyak kahit pa na ganong kaliit
na bagay pa yung iniiyakan niya. Hinaplos ko yung buhok niya ng paulit-ulit haba
ng umiiyak parin siya. I m going to miss you too. Gusto kita isama kaya lang pano y
ung studies mo? Kung sasama ka saakin, you ll have to drop all of your subjects an
d I m sure you don t like that diba?
This is so unfair. Ngayon palang tayo nagiging okay then you have to go away for
2 months. Tapos Tapos kasama mo pa si Adrianna. Ang daya. Bumitaw siya sa hug tapo
s pinunasan yung tears niya using the back of her hand. Parang bata pero ang cut
e.
Adrianna is just going to be some kind of muse. Kasama ko lang siya lagi but that
doesn t mean she s my girlfriend. And that doesn t mean na siya ang mahal ko, kasi ang
mahal ko, will be staying here in the Philippines to study and that would be yo
u. Ikaw ang love ko and not her. I pinched her nose and she giggled.
Hearing her giggles was like heaven for me. I like it when she laughs and smiles
. Every single thing she does make me fall for her more.
I m really going to miss you. She pouted and ninakawan ko siya ng kiss. She giggled
again tapos she looked at me seriously. Blake, please let me come. I ll stop studyi
ng if I have to. Besides, graduate nanaman talaga ako diba? Kaya lang naman din
ako nagaral ulit is because nalulungkot ako dito sa bahay kasi di pa tayo okay n
oon. Please?
Chapter 29
Let s Play Pretend
Rein s P.O.V.
Baby, we re here. Gising ka na
I felt Blake s breath in my ear. He kissed my cheek bago
ko inayos sarili ko sa pagkakaupo. Nasa loob kami ng plane ngayon and kakaland
lang here in Monaco.
Yes, sumama ako. I gave up studying and some of my business works just to go wit
h him. That s how I love him. And kung nagtataka kayo kung bakit kami ganito ka sw
eet ay dahil yun sa ibang airlines kami sumakay. Hindi kami sumabay sa team nila
Blake where Adrianna is. Pero ang alam go they re going to pick us up. Nauna kasi
sila ng 4 days saamin.
Blake and I agreed for me to pretend to be his assistant/secretary for safety pu

rposes. We don t want the media bashing us around with questions because some repo
rter saw us kissing when we had our date in MOA. Sabi ni Blake na this isn t the r
ight time to tell everyone about us kasi gugulo lang daw yung life ko, and I und
erstand that.
When Michael died nga, my world turned upside down and the media kept on bashing
every chance I had to move on. They would be waiting outside the house and forc
e me to give statements on how I was doing and it was really a mess.
Blake looked disturb when we were waiting for our luggages in the conveyor. He k
ept on texting and checking his phone. It was just 8:30 in the morning here and
4:30 in the morning sa Philippines I am really sleepy and tired. I feel weak bec
ause I haven t eaten while we were in the flight din. Inaalalayan ako ni Blake kas
i daw baka ako biglang himatayin.
I think we should stay in a hotel. He told me habang nakasimangot. He still has th
e black eye from last week nung binato ko sakanya yung phone. Hindi naman na mas
yadong halata but its still a bit dark. Natawa naman ako. Alam ko naman kung ano
ang nasa isip niya eh. Hahaha. Why are you laughing?? Hindi kaya nakakatawa? You
should stay with me. ALWAYS.
Ano ka ba, its okay. You could always go to my room. I pinched his cheeks tapos na
gkunyari siya na kakagatin niya yung fingers ko.
Its not that. You re going to live in a house full of boys for almost 2 months and
all they know is you re single and I don t like that. I don t like sharing my wife wit
h them. Tapos we have separate rooms pa. Anything could happen in two months. Bef
ore we could talk more, nakita na namin na lumabas na yung mga maleta namin sa c
onveyor and isa isa na kinuha ni Blake. He piled our luggages in a trolley and p
ushed it palabas ng airport while I just followed him.
Pagkalabas namin, 5 men and Adrianna were waiting outside for us. They greeted e
ach other like they haven t seen each other for months and I can see how happy Bla
ke is. Nung napatingin si Blake saakin, sumimangot siya and stopped talking sa m
ga friends niya.
He touched my forehead with the back of his hand which everyone s attention to us.
I felt my blood rush through my face and I was sure that I was the color of a t
omato. Are you okay? You re so pale.
Blake They re looking at us. I whispered and just like in one snap, he got back to hi
s senses that we needed to pretend. Lumayo siya saakin and pretended that he did
n t do anything like that.
Uhhhmm Guys, this is my assistant, Ms. Rein Villafuerte. Everyone of them exchanged
smiles and their names with me. I knew I wouldn t memorize who they were agad but
what really caught my attention was the man who hasn t given me his name and just
stared blankly at me with his stunning jet black eyes.
I gave him an awkward smile and waved but he ignored it and went inside his Ferr
ari 360 Spider Cabrio that was parked near us. If this man is seeking for attent
ion, he really got mine.
My thoughts about the man disappeared when I saw Adrianna and Blake kissing. I f
elt a certain stab in my chest but I tried my best to hide what I m feeling. I miss
ed you so much, Blakey. Adrianna said while her hand was caressing Blake s face.
Alright, guys! Let s go! We re going to break your old records this afternoon. Pagpah
ingahin na natin si Blake and si Ms. Rein. And with just those words Brent said,
everyone began retreating to their own cars.
Tony, Jake, and David went inside the Aston Martin Rapide. Yung guy na sinungita
n ako kanina was already inside his car. I was supposed to go inside Blake s McLar
en pero pinigilan ako ni Brent.
You should give the Adrianna and Blake some privacy. I just nodded in return kahit
ayaw ko silang iwan. He tapped the car window of the guy na sinungitan ako kani
na.
Rein s going to go with you. Brent said tapos biglang lumabas yung guy sa car and op
ened the door of the passenger s side for me. He was now wearing his Rayban Aviato
rs which is heavily tinted kaya hindi ko makita yung eyes niya.
The ride was like hell for me because it was like the longest time I couldn t talk
even if I wanted to. We were both stealing glances at each other and sometimes
magkakahulihan kami. Songs of Maroon 5 is playing in the background. I followed

the song s tunes in a hum. I find him smiling when I sometimes sing some of the ly
rics to myself. This guy is really weird. Does he even talk??
But I must tell that he looks more attractive than Blake. Mas maamo kasi yung mu
kha niya and he has this deep dimple only on his right cheek when he smiles. I w
asn t sure if he really is a good boy but he s a gentleman knowing he opened the car
door for me.
Our convoy went down an underground parking lot of a hotel-like building in Font
vieille and parked in a private parking hall next to 7 other luxury cars which w
ere namely Volvo, BMW, Hummer, Jaguar, Audi, Bentley, and Lamboghini that made m
y jaw drop. Our family has luxury cars back in the Philippines and I own one but
these are the high-end models of each car brand. These must ve caused a fortune.
We re here. Ow! He talks! I thought to myself. He once again opened my door and inal
alayan ako palabas ng car. Of course I talk, Ms. Rein. He said while grinning. My
cheeks felt warm and I immediately knew that I was speaking my thoughts out loud
. I ll go ahead. Blake wants to talk to you. He said tapos nauna na sila umakyat ng
stairs kasama si Adrianna. Naiwan kaming dalawa ni Blake.
Welcome to our home in Monaco, honey. He said when everyone was already gone. He h
ugged me from behind and kissed my cheek.
You own a place here? I thought your crew was renting an apartment?
No, its mine. Every year naman kasi kami nandito kaya I decided to buy a place. S
ome of the cars in this hall are also mine, yung iba kay Rob. He nuzzled my neck
which sent shivers down my spine. When you meet the whole crew later, wag ka mahi
hiya ha? We ll be staying with them ng matagal. Let s go up?
I nodded. He guided me to the stairs that lead to the luxurious entrance hall wi
th two elevator lifts which Blake told me leads directly into each unit this bui
lding has kaya you need to press the code and not the floor of your unit.
Bienvenue nouveau, monsieur Bustamante! (Welcome back, Mr. Bustamante!) The man dr
essed in a simple suit greeted us in french in which I completely understood bec
ause it was my siblings and I s third language. My siblings and I are all multilin
gual and we speak 5 languages namely Tagalog, English, German, French, and Itali
an for the reason that my mom is half German and Dad is half Italian.
Merci, Alain. Comment va tout ici? (Thank you, Alain. How s everything here?) I foun
d myself dumbstuck when I heard Blake speak in fluent French together with the a
ccent. I didn t know that he could. I suddenly feel down because this shows how li
ttle I know about Blake. I don t even know his birthday.
Tout va bien, Monsieur. (Everything is fine, Sir.) Alain said and shifted his look
on me. He smiled widely and bowed his head a little. Et qui est cette belle dame
avec vous, monsieur? (And who is this lovely lady with you, Sir?)
Before Blake could even speak, inunahan ko na siya and gave Alain a sweet smile.
Merci. Je m'appelle Rein. (Thank you. My name s Rein)
Elle est ma femme (She s my wife) Blake said proudly which shocked Alain and shook B
lake and I s hands. At least someone here knows that I m Blake s wife.
Wow! Flicitations, Monsieur, Madame! Dsol de vous interrompre. C'est agrable de vous
revoir ici, monsieur. (Wow! Congratulations, Sir, Ms! Sorry to interrupt. Its nic
e seeing you back here Sir.) Blake gave him a nod and we went inside one of the
lifts.
**
I woke up with the sound of my phone s alarm. It was already 12 noon and Blake s pra
ctice will be around 1pm. Nakahiga lang ako for I don t know how long and was just
thinking about earlier this morning before I had my nap.
I ve met everyone in Blake s and Rob s crew this morning. Most of them were not pure F
ilipinos but they know how to speak tagalog naman. Four lang kami na girls na ka
sama nila; si Ate Tina who cooks and cleans the house for all of us and she s Kuya
Sandro s wife, Blake s fitness trainer. Si Rachel, Rob s younger sister who s always wi
th him in every race he had. She is same as my age and parang siya lang yung nak
akasundo ko. Of course, si Adrianna na kilala nilang lahat as Blake s girlfriend . An
d ako.
Si Ate Tina na yung nagprepare ng arrangement ng rooms. Blake s unit has 8 big roo
ms with own bathrooms each room. 5 of the rooms were occupied by the crew and yu
ng tatlong natitira is for Rob and her sister, Blake and Adrianna s, and mine.

Yes, magkasama si Blake at si Adrianna sa isang room habang ako, magisa lang. I
thought of worst things before I went to have a nap kanina like Blake and Adrian
na catching up for the times they weren t together or having sex. Magakatabi lang
rooms niyo, stupid! Maririnig mo naman kung may ginagawa sila. I though to mysel
f and I found myself sticking my ear into the walls seeing kung may maririnig ak
o. That was how paranoid I am earlier.
Before I could even fall asleep again, tumayo na ako sa bed and took a bath. I d
ecided to wear just simple skinny jeans, a printed shirt, a blazer, and black fl
ats. No one s going to get all glamed up in a training anyway.
The marble hallway of the unit was empty when I walked out of my room. I went to
the kitchen which were to the spacious living room, dining room, TV area, libra
ry, and fireplace and saw Rob. Only, Rob. And Rob happens to be the masungit guy
whom I rode with his car kanina. He was different when we talked through the ph
one though.
Hi. He greeted me while he was in front of the fridge looking for something. Want s
omething to eat? He asked while showing me chocolate bar and strawberry yoghurt.
No, thanks. Where s everyone? I decided to settle for a glass of water and walked pa
ss by him.
My sister went shopping, the rest of the crew went there earlier than planned to
check the cars, Blake and Adrianna went somewhere tapos diretso na daw sila doon
. My face automatically turned into a frown knowing that Blake and Adrianna is ag
ain together. And I, was asked to drive you there by Blake. Sabi niya he strictly
needs you there and pag may nangyari sayo na masama while we re together, he d kill
me. Quiet possessive for a boss, don t you think?
Well, thank you but I think I want to drive myself there. I said bitterly. His for
ehead creased and stared at me with disbelief. What is this guy s problem?? He s rea
lly getting into my nerves. Problem?
Driving here is different. He said.
I drove through the streets of Paris and Italy, Rob. I believe wala naman iba dit
o? Besides, I ve raced with my brothers who does racing for their spare time. Just
let me drive. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Unaware of what he was go
ing to say, he just nodded his head in disbelief.
Car keys are over there. Choose whatever car you want then we ll just set the GPS. F
inally! I can t wait to see Blake s reaction when he sees me. I chose the key that h
as the Jaguar symbol embedded in its key chain. Woops! Not the Jaguar. Its mine.
I gave him a sharp look but he just smiled at me playfully. I m going to use your F
errari, then?
Rob s P.O.V.
In all fairness, Blake s secretary was really hot as her voice over the phone. But
to my surprise, she is Safe and Seth s older half-sister. Her brothers are my fri
ends and I was the one who taught them how to race. Funny how some people get co
nnected over one sport.
I didn t expect her to be that snobbish though. I ve seen her for a few times from a
far already because she used to bring some things for the twins while we race.
And also, I didn t expect her to be that beautiful from a closer look. She wasn t we
aring any make-up and even though she was wearing simple clothes, she s surely a h
ead-turner.
I ll be tailing you. Don t go too fast. And I ve turned on the connections of our cars
so we could talk while driving. I said as I set the Ferrari s GPS system. What car
do you drive in the Philippines? I asked her, worried that she doesn t know the twi
st and turns of the cars that are parked here.
A Volvo XC60. She answered while she was connecting her phone s music player in the
car. Wake Up Call by Maroon 5 played through the cars speakers in a loud tune.
Wow. Impressive for a girl like you. A few more set-ups and I was done. Excitement
is present in her face as she was studying every bits of the car dashboard. Now,
I trust you to bring this car to and from in good condition. Please take good c
are of it. This is the first car I bought here from my first money. Sumakay na ak
o sa loob ng car ko and started it. I hope allowing Rein to drive on her own isn t
a bad idea.
I settled myself into my car and texted Blake that we were on our way. The garag

e doors of the parking hall always opens slowly kaya I took time in texting Blak
e and my sister. I ignored the sound of burning tires that showed how eager for
a car to storm out of a garage.
For a race car driver, I think you drive really slow. Rein s voice flooded my speake
rs. Tumingin ako sa kung saan dapat nakapark yung car ni Rein but to my surprise
, she was already gone.
Shit.
Blake s P.O.V.
I wonder what s taking them so long. Baka late nagising si Rein? Or baka ang tagal
nanaman maligo?? She always takes a bath or a shower for not less than 30 minut
es and hindi ko alam kung bakit siya ganun katagal.
Babe, sino ba hinihintay mo? Si Rob ba? Adrianna was starting to piss me off. Kani
na pa siya clingy saakin. She kept on hugging me or kissing my cheek. Although s
he always does that before. Parang hindi na kasi ako sanay ngayon eh.
Uhhh, yeah. I answered shortly before dialing Rein s number. We are all waiting for
Rob and Rein for this training/practice to start. I ve been looking over the patio
for about an hour now just waiting for them.
A few minutes after, we heard the sound of burning tires and we immediately knew
it was them. Rob s stone grey Ferrari drifted around at a high speed and left a d
rift mark that looked like a donut before parking the car. We were all impressed
at Rob s entrance when his red Jaguar drove in with a high speed as well.
Sino may gamit nung isa??! Tony yelled from the other side of the patio. All us we
nt near to get a clearer look on who were driving both of Rob s cars at the same t
ime.
A well-dressed Rob stepped out of his red Jaguar and went to his Ferrari to open
the driver s door. All of us couldn t say a word when Rein stepped out of the Ferra
ri while the two laughed at their private jokes from a far.
Nung naglalakad na sila palapit saamin, I couldn t help but to notice how Rob and
Rein acted. They talk like they ve known each other for how long. What the hell ha
ppened in the unit when I wasn t there?? And ngayon lang pumayag si Rob na ipahira
m yung car niya to someone whom he barely knows.
That is one secretary you have there, Blake. Tony tapped my shoulder and all of th
em got back to what they were doing.
Rein just gave me a sweet smile and a then went pass through me. Pumunta sila ni
Rob sa table and to what I heard, they were going to eat their lunch. Nilagpasa
n ako?? Wala man lang Hi, Blake??
Babe, don t be too obvious. Halata ka eh. Baka bigla nalang umapoy si Rob sa sama n
g tingin mo sakanya. Adrianna gave me a peck on my lips. I didn t realize na I was
looking that way at Rob.
Nakita ko si Rob na binigyan si Rein ng plate na may food na. They were seating
a few steps away from us and I could hear Rein s laughter as Rob was giving away h
is corny and gasgas na jokes. My eyes widened when I saw Rob place a spoonful of r
ice and steamed chicken in Rein s mouth.
I wanted to charge at Rob and give him a strong punch on his face for taking awa
y my attention from MY GIRL. Wala pa sila isang araw magkakilala pumuporma agad
si Rob?!! Tapos si Rein naman tuwang-tuwa?! They even act as if I m not here!!!
Babe
Adrianna called me. I felt her breath in my ear while she held my hand making
the tight grip on my phone loosen. Hindi ko napansin na my hands fisted in jealo
usy while watching them I can t be actually jealous. Baka inis lang.
I watched Rein wipe excess sauce on the side of her lip with her left hand and I
noticed that she wasn t wearing our wedding ring. Kahit yung engagement ring niya
, hindi niya suot. And with that, I felt my blood rush through my head and walke
d to where Rob and Rein were seating.
Excuse me, Rob. I d like to have a word with Ms. Villafuerte here. I held her by her
wrist and dragged her out of everyone s earshot. Why aren t you wearing your wedding
ring?? Or kahit yung engagement ring mo? I asked her in the lowest tone possible
. Tapos what was that thing with Rob? Why do you look so close???
Because you I m pretending that I m single and not married! She asked me while she pul
led her hand out of my grip and looked at me sharply. At least Rob s being nice and
I didn t hear him having sex with Adrianna ealier! Stop pretending to be jealous!

We didn t do anything!
Joke s on you Bustamante! You are such an ass! I heard Adrianna moan and shout in p
leasure before I sleep and now you tell me you didn t do anything?! DAMN YOU FOR L
YING! She punched me in my shoulder hard enough to make me curse in pain. I swear
if I heard things like that for the next two months, I m going to go back to the P
hilippines and you ll never see me again! She walked out on me and went to Rob and
pretended like nothing happened.
First day in Monaco and we had a fight. I was thinking of this to be more like o
ur honeymoon. Nice move, Bustamante.