Lisa’s POV
“Forget about it, kuya. Come inside.” Lara helped me carry my things. I glanced once at Liro, walking away from their house with his guitar slung over his shoulder, his head low, shoulders drooping. “These are all the notes we wrote. There aren’t any quizzes.” She gestured toward the notebooks that I’ll just copy later. There were four notebooks stacked on their table. It’s been taking me longer to finish school because I only took ten units this year. I’m already in my second year of college, lagging behind my peers who are graduating this year. Marie also shifted her course, so we’re both still in our second year. She originally took HRM, but her parents didn’t approve because it was too expensive. So she ended up choosing my course—education. Copycat, even though she doesn’t like it and has no patience for teaching. She’s so grumpy with kids! Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to teach. Even with my playmates, I always pretended to be the teacher, even if we each had our own games. I want to teach children. I like affectionate kids. Even if you scold or even spank them, they’re still sweet. I just love having children around. I don’t know why—but somehow, they make my problems feel lighter when I see them laughing and playing happily. Sometimes I even want to make kids cry just because they’re so cute when they get upset—then you console them, and they’re sweet again. No hard feelings. So when Fier told me what he needed in exchange for becoming his wife, I took the offer immediately. Whether our agreement ends soon or not, I’ll still gain something. I’ll get a monthly allowance I can save. And he said he’d handle everything about my mother’s treatment. All I need to do is… play my role well. Play my role like our feelings for each other are real. As long as I’m not hurting anyone, I’m okay with it. He doesn’t have a wife or girlfriend who could get hurt anyway. That’s what he said. I hope his problem gets resolved soon. I don’t know the full details of his plan—just that it has to do with the inheritance he’s supposed to get from his parents. I have to win them over so they’ll accept our relationship and entrust him with his inheritance. I’ll get a big reward out of this aside from the privileges he says I’ll have as his wife. It might sound like I’m all about the money—fine, I accept that. But what choice do I have? This is for my dream, and for my mother’s healing. Am I a bad person for wanting to take a shortcut to reach my goals? After Lara explained everything, I decided to go home even though I could see in her eyes she had questions. But she chose to stay quiet, maybe because of her brother’s reaction. Liro has been courting me since high school. He’s never gone back on his word to wait for me. I never saw him with anyone else or pursuing another girl. I always told him I wasn’t ready, and I had no plans of getting into a relationship until I finished school. Still, he didn’t give up. He never broke his promises. If things had been different, if I weren’t in this situation, I wouldn’t ask for anyone else but him. He’s kind, respectful, hardworking. He’s currently interning in another town and is about to graduate. Once he does, there’s already a job waiting for him abroad where his parents are. I don’t know how I’ll face him now. I know I’m doing something wrong. But I never gave him false hope. I never told him to wait for me. Lara probably feels that too, that’s why she didn’t say anything. I didn’t see anger in her eyes—only sadness. She supported her brother’s courtship of me. --- I was surprised to see a car parked not far from our house. Our neighbors were gathered, watching curiously. “Hey, Lisa, you’re finally home! Your boyfriend’s been waiting for you,” said Aling Betty. I nodded and thanked her. When I entered our house, Fier was indeed there, talking to my mother. They both looked serious when I walked in. They turned toward me as soon as they saw me by the door. “Fier’s been here for a while now,” Mom said flatly. My heart started racing. “Hi, Lisa!” he greeted happily, standing up to meet me and take my things. “These are heavy. Why didn’t you wait for me?” His voice was sweet, as if for my mom’s benefit. Oh, right! “I thought you were busy, so I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, I can carry these myself. Easy!” I said in a cheerful voice. “Still. Please, next time, Babe, ask for my help,” he said, pouting. I wanted to roll my eyes at him. He took my hand. I pulled it back when he tried to lift it to his lips for a kiss. “Uh… have you eaten yet?” He frowned at my reaction. Seriously? My hands are gross! I was out walking, and I even bought food for dinner. Plus, I was carrying these materials that smell like wood! “I bought some bread, m-maybe you’d like some. Let me just fix it in the kitchen,” I said quickly. I stepped away from him, feeling awkward, especially with my mom watching us with a blank expression. I knew she was observing everything. Why is he here so early? I thought he wasn’t coming until tomorrow for step two of our pretend relationship? “He brought food too, anak. Let’s eat together and talk, the three of us,” Mom said, getting up and heading to the kitchen, leaving us to sigh in unison. “Why didn’t you answer my calls and texts?” he asked quietly. “Sorry, boss. I had to buy all this and get the lessons I missed yesterday and today,” I explained, which made him roll his eyes at me. Wow, this guy loves to roll his eyes. “Next time, answer my calls and texts. Update me,” he said firmly, clearly annoyed. I just looked down and nodded. “Come on, Babe. You must be hungry.” He said it loud enough and took my arm, guiding me to the table and even pulling out a chair for me. I quietly sat down. I glanced subtly at Mom on my left, who was still silently watching, and Fier on my right, grinning like a dog. We started eating like everything was normal. Questions here, answers there. I could feel how uneasy he was beside me. He wasn’t used to this kind of setting, even though the food he brought was good—fried chicken, pancit, barbecue, and seafood. He was eating with his hands, doing his best to answer my mom’s questions with a smile. But to be fair—he knows how to eat with his hands. “What are your plans? Why do you want to get married so soon?” Even though it hurt to swallow, I forced down a piece of barbecue. I took a deep breath to answer, but Fier spoke first. “I wanted her badly, ma’am. I love her. And if she didn’t want to go home with me, I’d stay here and live with her. Leaving everything behind.” Wow, huh? Playing the guilt card. “Leaving everything behind,” he says. Yeah, right. “Son, I’m not trying to stop you two, but this seems too fast. I just met you today, and you already want to take my daughter from me. What can you promise me so I’ll agree to this?” I grabbed my glass of water and took a sip, glancing back and forth between the two of them. I felt nervous for reasons I couldn’t explain. What if his plan falls through? That can’t happen. What about Mom’s illness? “I’ll love her for real. I’ll give her everything she wants. Even more. To me, she’s the only woman in my life. No one else can compare.” He stood up beside me. So fast that his monoblock chair almost toppled over. My eyes widened when he knelt beside me. I instinctively covered my mouth as he pulled out a small red box from his jacket.
