Chapter 3: Confessions Over Coffee

Amanda’s POV 

The cafeteria of the community center was half-empty that Tuesday afternoon. Fluorescent lights, the smell of brewed coffee and pandesal, and the low buzz of students reviewing for exams. 

It was the only place I felt safe enough to talk.

Jhea was already there when I arrived, two cups of iced caramel macchiato on the table and a bag of banana chips in the middle. She looked up the second she saw me and her smile dropped immediately.

"Amanda. You look like hell."

"Thanks," I mumbled, sliding into the seat across from her. "I feel worse."

She pushed one drink toward me. "Okay. Spill. You called me at 7AM saying ‘we need to talk’ and then hung up. What happened?"

I stared at the ice melting in my cup. I didn’t know where to start. 

"Jhe.. I was in a bar last night. At sinabi ko na magkasama tayo, kaya kung magtatanong si Tyrone ay sabihin mong magkasama tayo." 

She blinked. "Okay. And?"

"And I... I didn’t sleep in my suite. I mean--"she cut me off. 

"Wait?" Her eyebrows shot up. "Are you telling me na kapag magtatanong sa akin si Tyrone na magkasama tayo kagabi, oo ang isasagot ko?"

"Yon na nga," I said quietly.

She just stared at me. Then she blinked again. Slowly.

"So nasa bar ka nga. And anong suite? You mean, natulog ka ha? Anong—"

"You're not even listening," I cut her off, my voice sharper than I intended. There was disappointment in it. In me. In everything.

"Excuse me ha," she snapped back, leaning forward. "Ikaw pa ang may ganang magsabi sa akin na hindi ako nakikinig? You didn’t even tell me why you were in a bar. And suite? What the hell is happening to you? The silent and reserved wife of a  Montenegro family would go to a bar. Alone? Did I hear that right? Oh my goodness, Amanda."

I sighed. Long. Tired. 

"Fine. You want to know why?"

Jhea shut up. She crossed her arms and waited.

I told her. 

About the medicine for Lola Rosa. 

About going to Tyrone’s office at 4pm

About the door being slightly open. 

About the moan.

"His secretary," I whispered. "Issa. She was sitting on his desk. Her legs were wrapped around his waist. And he was kissing her. Like... like he meant it."

Jhea's face went blank. "What."

"He said it, Jhe. In between kisses. ‘You know we’re married because of Grandma Rosa, right? I don’t love her.’" My voice cracked on the last word. Siguro dahil umaasa ako na maging faithful sa akin si Tyrone kahit na walang pag-ibig na namagitan sa amin. Or maybe,  naiiyak ako because I have a fair share of betrayal last night. 

"And then she asked him why he didn’t file for an annulment  yet, and he said ‘Hindi pwede. Ayaw ni Lola. Sa mansion, batas ang salita ni Lola.’"

The cup in Jhea’s hand shook a little. "That bastard."

"I ran," I continued. "I didn’t even think. I just ran out of the building and I ended up in Makati. At that high-end bar. The one with the blue lights and the jazz music. I drank. A lot. I wasn’t trying to get drunk, I just... I didn’t want to feel anything."

Jhea reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Amanda..."

"And then," I said, pulling my hand back because if she touched me I was going to cry. "And then I went upstairs. To a VIP suite. Because I reserved one. I just wanted to be alone."

"Okay," she said carefully. "And?"

"And I bumped into a guy. In the hallway." I laughed bitterly. "He told me to let go. His voice was so cold. So controlled. And I... I kissed him, Jhe. I kissed a stranger."

Jhea covered her mouth. "Oh my God."

"I know. I know how it sounds. I’m not that person. I’ve never been that person. But last night I was. And we... we slept together. In his suite."

The words hung in the air between us. Heavy. Ugly. True.

Jhea exhaled. "Amanda. Do you... do you even know who he is?"

I shook my head. "No. He left a note. It just said 'Dont  do it again. That’s it."

"And the following morning Tyrone called?"

"Yeah. He was furious. He said Lola wants to talk to me. So I lied. I said I was with you. I’m sorry. I dragged you into this."

Jhea leaned back and ran a hand through her hair. "Don’t apologize for that. I’d lie for you. You know that. I just... I’m trying to process this. My best friend. The girl who cried during rom-coms because the second lead didn’t get the girl. And yet...You just had a one-night stand."

"I feel disgusting," I admitted. "My body hurts. My head hurts. And the worst part is, a part of me doesn’t regret it."

Jhea was quiet for a long time. Then she said, "Did he hurt you?"

"No," I answered immediately. "He was... gentle. At first he was angry that I kissed him. He said ‘let go.’ But then he didn’t push me away. He just... held me. Like he understood."

"That’s even worse," Jhea whispered. "Because now you’ll romanticize it."

"Maybe," I said. "But it happened. And I can’t take it back."

We sat in silence for a while. People came and went. Someone dropped a tray and we both flinched.

Finally, Jhea spoke. "So what now?"

"I don’t know. Tyrone won’t give me an annulment yet. Because of Lola. So I’m still his wife. On paper."

"And the guy?"

"I’ll never see him again," I said. "It was a mistake. A one-time thing. I just needed you to know in case Tyrone asks you. Please, Jhea. Cover for me."

She nodded. "Of course. I’m your best friend. But Amanda, you need to be careful. If the Montenegros find out, they’ll bury you. That family protects its name more than anything."

"I know," I whispered.

Jhea reached for the banana chips and ate one aggressively. "Oh well,  that's it." 

"Yeah, that's it.." 

I picked up my drink. My hands were trembling. "Can we not talk about him anymore?" 

"Yeah," Jhea said softly. "We can talk about anything else. Or nothing. Whatever you need." tapos tumaas ang kilay nya, signature ng kaibigan ko ang taasan ako ng kilay. "Ikaw lang naman ang hindi mapakali riyan." 

We ended up talking about stupid things after that. About her thesis. About the new barista who kept messing up her order. About the dog in the next table. 

But my mind kept going back to the hallway. To cold hands on my arms. To storm-gray eyes.  

By the time we left the cafeteria, the sun was starting to set. Orange and pink over the city.

"You sure you’re okay to go home?" Jhea asked as we stood by her car.

"No," I admitted. "But I had to." 

Jhea hugged me tight. "Call me if anything happens. Anything. Even if it’s 3AM."

"I will," I promised. But deep inside, I'm promising nothing to myself. I thought if I let it out my chest, maibsan ang konsensya ko, hindi pala. Mas lalo lang  bumigat ang pakiramdam ko dahil may nakakaalam  sa nangyari, kahit na  best friend ko pa.