“What are your thoughts about it? That he lied to you.” He made me face him. Our eyes locked, his hand firm yet gentle as if he wanted to catch every flicker of emotion that would escape from me. Parang gusto niyang makita ang bawat reaksyon ko habang binabanggit niya iyon. He wasn’t just asking—he was demanding the truth of what I really felt. “I feel hurt and betrayed,” I admitted, my voice soft but heavy, carrying the weight of all my confusion. Iyon naman talaga ang nararamdaman ko. Hindi ako makapagpanggap. Hindi ko rin alam ang buong kwento para magalit kay Vince ng buo, pero ang sakit… ang bigat. “You feel hurt.” His gaze darkened slightly. “Did you have feelings for him?” His tone was careful, firm, but I could feel the tension in his voice. Agad akong umiling, mabilis na sagot para malinaw ang lahat. “I can say that I don't have romantic feelings for him. I never said to him that I like him or that I love him—because I don’t feel that way towards him. Kaya wala akong nar
“He will be happy, for sure.” Tumango-tango siya. Hindi ako makangiti nang maisip si Azi. Hindi ko maisip kung gaano kahirap sa kaniya ang mga nangyari, ang naging kondisyon ko. I want to ask him if Azi knew all of it. Bago pa ako magsalita ay naramdaman ko na ang palad niya sa kanan kong dibdib. My mouth parted and looked at his hand, playing with my breast. Nanlambot ako nang patuloy niyang ginawa iyon at naramdaman ang pagpisil niya sa tuktok ng dibdib ko. I looked at him and he was already watching my every reaction. Inangat niya ang robe na suot ko. He carried me and spread my legs while sitting on his lap. I’m not wearing underwear so he can easily have access to my private part. Napahawak ako sa balikat niya. My eyes rolled when I felt his middle finger teasing mine. His eyes narrowed and his mouth parted when I moaned and tilted my head up as I felt the pleasure by his finger. Muling bumalik ang tingin ko sa kaniya at kagat labing umungol nang maramdaman ko ang pagpasok ng
“Aaron,” I whispered his name, finally I'm getting calmed slowly. Ramdam ko ang mga halik ni Aaron sa ulo ko habang nakayakap ako sa kaniya at ganoon din siya sa akin. “I want to see Azi,” I said. Inalis ko ang pagkayakap ko sa kaniya at tinignan siya. “I want to see my son,” I said. He nodded then pulled my chin for a gentle kiss. Hawak niya ang magkabilaang pisngi ko at muli akong hinalikan. “You will so him. Pauuwiin ko na siya sa atin,” marahan niyang sambit. “How are you feeling? May masakit ba sa ‘yo?” Umiling ako at nagbaba ng tingin. He sighed then kissed my forehead. “It's been hard for you. I can't imagine how you managed all your suffering alone,” his voice was hoarse and deep, pained. “No. I… I'm so sorry that I couldn't remember you,” I bit my lip to stop myself from crying again. “Baby, don't be. I'm the one who should be apologizing. It took me years to find you. I took my years to get you. D*mn it.” May bakas na galit at lungkot sa kaniyang boses. I s
“That looks so nice, wife. What are you painting?” A man's voice. The vision was blurred, and I could not see his face but he called me his wife. “I'm painting us.” I heard myself say to the man. I saw myself again smiling genuinely happy. Niyakap ako ng lalaki at hinalikan ako sa pisngi. I laughed. “Stop. Tignan mo, nagkaroon ka tuloy ng stain.”The man kissed my lips. “I don't care. Kahit anong dumi pa ‘yan.” He chuckled then planted kisses on my neck that made me laugh. I wanted to see the man's face. I wanted to hear myself call his name. Who is he? Is he Vince? But his voice… it's different. It's not Vince, I'm sure. Pero sigurado ako na asawa ko ang lalaking ‘yon. What's this? Ano itong nakikita ko? Was this a memory of me then? Ala-ala ba ito na bumabalik? But I don't understand, it's so different from what my life is now. And I don't understand why the man I was with is different from who I am with right now, which is Vince. Did Vince… lied to me? Was he really my husband?
His question stunned me. Hindi ko kailanman nasabi kay Vince na mahal ko siya. Maybe because of what happened to me. He says he loves me but I never said it back to him. So I really don't know what to say, I really don't know what to answer Aaron. Naningkit ang kaniyang mga mata, observing me. Hindi pa rin ako sumasagot sa kaniya. He nodded then smirked. “I'll take that as an answer.” Sabi niya na hindi ko nakuha kung ano ang ibig niyang sabihin. I wanted to ask him about the picture I just saw, but I stopped myself. Natatakot ako. Hindi ko alam kung natatakot ba ako sa malalaman o sa magiging reaksyon niya kung magtatanong ako sa asawa niya. Right now, I'm so confused about what happened to his wife. I'm so confused if what I am knowing right now is true or false. Is she really dead? What happened to her? And why does she look like me? Those questions played in my head. I looked at Aaron who was just looking at me. At some reason, parang may gusto siyang sabihin pero nananatil
“I love you, Elora. I will always love you, my love,” a man’s deep voice whispered against my ear, warm and heavy, sending shivers down my spine. His arms circled my waist, pulling me closer into his chest. I felt the security, the belonging, the intimacy of that embrace.And I saw myself there—smiling. Radiant. Glowing with happiness. I leaned into the man holding me, as if there was no other place in the world I wanted to be.I looked so in love.“Stop kissing my neck! May mga tao,” I laughed, my voice light, filled with joy.But the man only chuckled against my skin. “I don’t care, wife. Let them see. Let them all see how crazy I am for my wife.”Then he turned me around and captured my lips in a kiss. Gentle at first, then deepening with hunger. I grinned in between the kisses, my heart fluttering in the dream.It felt so real. So achingly familiar.The scenes continued to play in my head like an old film reel. Snippets of laughter, embraces, kisses. Faces were blurred—his especia