"Nag-asawa, magba-bahay din naman pala ng ibang babae," bulong ko habang inaayos ang canvas sa sala.
Kinuha ko ang palette at umupo sa high-stand chair saka nilingon ang hagdan.
Gabi na pero hindi pa sila lumalabas ng opisina. Ganito rin ba sila kahit noon pa? Secretary with benefits nga siguro.
I pouted my lips and dipped my paint brush in the black paint.
Gutom na ako pero nandoon pa rin sila sa opisina. Hindi ba sila kakain?
I sighed as I started to let my brush touch the canvas and paint small dark circles in the middle.
Nakagat ko ang labi sa pagpigil sa sariling katukin sila sa loob ng opisina. Pero hindi ko mapigilan ang sariling tumayo, binitiwan ang palette at brush bago umilang hakbang patungo sa hagdan.
But I was taken aback when I saw him going downstairs, looking at me intently but with a little concern.
Natigilan pa ako sa ki
Kinaumagahan kahit na duda ako sa ngisi ni Delton ay hindi pa rin maialis ang ngiti sa labi ko. Kahit nang kumakain ng almusal."What's with your smile?" he asked as he put some garlic rice on my plate."Huh?" Nilingon ko siya at tanging aburido niyang itsura ang nasilayan ko."Bawal bang ngumiti, Attorney?" Tinaas ko ang kilay ko na mas lalong kinakunot ng noo niya."I won't meddle with your happiness, just make sure I am part of it." Binaba niya ang hawak na kubyertos at mahinahong tumayo.My lips parted and I looked at him with disbelief, "Attorney, maybe you forgot that you asked for this mess. The fact that I agree with this without my heart, only means that I will never be happy with you—""Then, I'll make you happy. Who's your request again? Andres? Fine, I'll hire that Andres here. Check the garden at ten am."Iyon lang ang sinabi niya bago hinila ang coat niya sa sandalan ng upuan at tumalikod. Tuloy-tuloy pa ang lakad
He pushed me more against the wall and kissed me deeply. I felt weak when he caressed my waist as he nibbled my lower lip. He groaned a little and pushed himself closer to me, eating all of the space in between us and feeling his hard chest on mine. My hands crawled over his nape and hair, pulling his head back. His tongue delved inside, making the kiss much wilder.His lips brushed against my jaws, leaving sensual, sweet kisses on my ear. I even felt his hand travel onto my thigh and was about to put it on his waist, but I suddenly woke up from the sensation. My eyes opened and I realized what we were doing. The heat was still there, but my mind was winning this time.It hit me! He wants dirty things!Sa naisip ay mabilis agad ko siyang tinulak at marahas na pinunasan ang mga labi ko. Hindi niya inasahan iyon at namungay pa ang mga mata."Sa tingin mo ba ganoon lang iyon? Kiss and make-up?!"
That night, I let him sleep right next to me. closed enough to feel each other's bodies warm. I even let him hug me from the back while on the bed.But maybe it's not all enough. Yes, I could feel his body warm. It warmed mine, but didn't touch my heart or caress my soul. Instead, it made me feel weak, gloomy, unsatisfied, and lonely as it slowly crept inside me.It was strong enough that even if his hug tightened and he tried to make me feel secure, it turned out differently. It felt unsecured and unprotected. He was at peace at night, while I was not.I am just glad that he didn't take advantage of me. He was patient, even if it took me a few more days to finally live my life.Ilang beses akong nag-inat bago humikab. Maayos ko pang pinusod ang buhok ko at inayos ang racerback sando at leggings. Sa tingin ko ay kailangan ko ng sariwang hangin para naman bumalik ang sigla ko at bumalik din ang sigla ng bahay.I massaged my neck as I headed straight
"Uhm. You're griping me too much, Delton," mahinang bigkas ko nang maramdaman ang paghigpit ng yakap niya sa bewang ko.But it seems like he didn't listen to me when he hugged me more tightly. His strong arm is already at the top of my stomach."Why Andres, Savvy?" he said out of breath.Bumuntonghininga ako at pilit inaalis ang yakap niya, "Why not Andres, Delton? Sino ba dapat? Ang sabi mo kahit sino pwede kong isama, tapos ngayon parang nagagalit ka?" bahagya kong tinaas ang kilay kahit hindi niya nakikita.Doon na lumuwang ang yakap niya at inangat na ang ulo mula sa leeg ko. Agad akong tumayo at namewang sa harap niya."Why are you even stopping me from seeing Andres? Hindi naman ako tatakas—""How sure are you?" His lips formed a smirk as he looked at me intently, "You are escaping always at any given time. What more if you have your apprentice? Never gonna trust that Andres. Iuuwi ka rin noon sa bahay niya at ibabahay."T
"Fifty thousand pesos all in all, Ma'am," ani ng cashier na ngumiti pa nang malawak.Nag-alangan akong magbayad pero dahil masama ang loob ko at tingin ko ay ito lang ang makagagaan sa pakiramdam mo ay agad kong inabot ang black card ni Delton."Swipe mo na lang, Miss." Ngumisi pa ako sa cashier.Tumango ito at ni-swipe nga ang card bago inayos ang mga paperbag. Marami iyon pero kakayanin ko naman sigurong dalhin.Mabuti nga at pinagayan niya akong lumabas. Ang paalam ko lang ay milktea pero dalhin naiinis pa ako sa nangyari sa exhibit ay diretsong mall na ang ginawa. I am even thinking of escaping right now, but I know he has eyes on me. Hindi naman iyon basta papayag na lumabas ako lalo pa't alam niyang gusto kong tumakas. Kaya sa malamang, siguradong may bantay sa paligid.And I confirmed it when I saw Manong June with his black cap and Manong baldo with his white cap, silently hiding from the side wall.Tumikhim ako at kinuha ang card at
I guess I am drifting away. Hindi ko rin maialis ang kaba sa banta nito kaya naman ilang beses kong tinawagan si Yaya Nenita para makausap si Andres.I need to leave, to escape as soon as possible. Mas maganda ang pagkakataon ngayon lalo pa't nasa Law Firm si Delton. Minsan lang 'to."Ano na namang naisipan mo, Ma'am Sage? Tumatakas ka po? Naku! Huwag niyo na pong gawin 'yan!" pagsusumamo nito.I sighed and closed my eyes tightly."Yaya, I am not escaping. Bibisita lang ako sa mansyon, namimisa ko na si Mommy at Daddy. Hindi ko pa sila nakakausap simula nang makarating ako rito," pinalungkot ko pa ang boses ko.Oo rin naman din iyon na namimiss ko na ang mga magulang ko pero hindi totoong sa mansyon ang diretso ko. Delton will easily caught me there."Please, Yaya. Padalhan mo na lang ako ng pera sa kahit ano'ng moneg transfer—""Ma'am Sage, hindi 'y
Feeling ko talaga trenta na ako simula noong tumira ako rito kay Delton. Bakit parang walang araw na hindi ako naiinis? Nagagalit o naiirita?Naiinis akong naghilamos ng mukha bago muling tumingin sa salamin. Sinipat ko pa kung mag dumagdag pa sa wrinkles ko pero mukhang wala naman.Kalma, Sage! Bata ka pa rin!Nagpunas ako ng mukha bagi lumabas ng banyo. Dinatnan ko pa si Delton na nakasandal sa headboard ng kama habang may laptop sa kanyang kandungan. Abala siya pero alam kong may pasok siya sa opisina.I tsked and didn't bother to greet him good morning. Diretso akong walk-in closet at nagpalit ng damit.Iyon nga lang paglabas ko ay nakatuko na ito sa kama at diretso ang titig sa akin. Nakangisi pa ang gago."So when will you gonna file for anullment, Mrs. Carancho?" kunwaring seryosong tanong niya ngunit ang gilid ng labi naman ay umaangat.I
Somehow, I felt kind of useless, especially when I witnessed how dedicated Delton was to making everything work, to make our marriage work."Uhm, sigurado ka bang ayaw mong umuwi na?" simpleng tanong ko habang nagbabad sa tubig sa kadiliman ng gabi.We decided to have a dip in the jacuzzi at this time. Sinag lang ng buwan ang mayroon at kinang ng mga bituin."Nope. I know what you're thinking, Savvy. You cannot escape. I can still find you." Pinasingkit niya ang tingin at marahang sumimsim sa baso niyang may whiskey.Napairap ako at umahon na. Agad ko ring hinablot ang inihanda niyang roba para sa akin. See how thoughtful he is? I can't say bad things about how he took care of me, it's just that I can't seem to be perfectly fit for him."You rolled your eyes again, Savvy. What are you thinking?"Umahon na rin siya't binitbit pa ang basong wala ng laman. Doon natutok ang tingin ko. Never in my life have I tasted an alcoholic drink aside from