Chapter 3:

Patrisha winced as she felt the warmth of the liquid burn down her throat after taking a gulp. She was currently inside an exclusive bar with her actress friend, Maxine, where they were having a great time.

After leaving the airport earlier, Maxine had taken Patrisha to an exclusive restaurant where they had lunch together. Afterward, they went to the condominium unit where Patrisha would be staying. The condo belonged to Maxine, and she wanted Patrisha to get some rest after the long journey from New York.

She couldn’t stay at her own condo in Manila because her early return to the Philippines was still a secret from her parents. Even though she was already an adult and had a child of her own, her parents never stopped monitoring her, something she had always found frustrating. It was as if they still didn’t trust her enough to make her own decisions, as though they expected her to do something wrong.

Even from a distance, her parents somehow managed to keep track of everything she did. That was why she was certain that if she went back to her own condo, word would eventually reach them.

So, she had no choice but to keep her early return to the country a secret from her parents.

She was also doing it so Eros could spend time with his father. She wanted to give her son the chance to be with his dad and enjoy having him in his life.

Patrisha raised the cocktail glass in her hand as she happily swayed along to the upbeat music. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed herself like this.

Although she occasionally went to places like this while she was abroad, she would only stay for a short while because she always had to hurry home to her son. But tonight, Eros was with his father, so she didn’t have to worry about a child waiting for her to come home.

Patrisha had always been a party girl. Being outgoing came naturally to her, but having a child had forced her to make a huge adjustment to her lifestyle.

It had been difficult at first because having a child so soon had never been part of her plans. At that point in her life, she was still enjoying her freedom and youth to the fullest.

But fate clearly had other plans for her.

Although she hadn’t been prepared for Eros to suddenly become part of her life, she had never regretted having him. To Patrisha, Eros was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Even though Eros was the result of her recklessness and a casual encounter with a man who had never been her boyfriend, she loved her son more than anything. She felt that giving birth to him had brought more meaning and color into her life, as if having him had finally given her life a sense of direction.

After happily dancing together in the middle of the dance floor, Patrisha and Maxine returned to the bar counter and finished their drinks. Patrisha winced again as the hot, strong liquor burned down her throat.

She rarely drank different kinds of alcoholic beverages anymore while she was abroad. Her work and taking care of Eros always came first, with Nanay Lucy helping look after him whenever Patrisha was at work.

Despite the noise inside the bar, Maxine’s phone suddenly rang, catching Patrisha’s attention. Maxine immediately answered the call, and a moment later, she turned to Patrisha with a worried look.

“What’s wrong?” Patrisha asked.

“Summer called me. She’s outside. She couldn’t find a way to cover my shoot today,” Maxine replied worriedly.

“What? So, what are you going to do? You need to go there.”

Maxine nodded.

“I’m sorry, Trish—”

“No, Max. You don’t need to say sorry,” Patrisha quickly cut her off. “It’s okay, of course. It’s work, and you need to prioritize it.”

“I’ll make it up to you next time. I promise!”

Patrisha gave her friend a sweet smile and nodded. “Go ahead. You might be late.”

“I’ll ask Summer to come back here so you’ll have someone to keep you company and take you back to the condo,” Maxine told her.

“No need, Max. I can handle myself,” Patrisha replied with a laugh.

“But, Trish—”

“Come on, Max. I’ll be fine. Besides, nothing’s going to happen to me here. I’ll be heading home in a little while anyway.”

In the end, Maxine had no choice but to leave Patrisha there alone. She was already running out of time and needed to leave.

Patrisha ordered a few more cocktails, and even though she was alone at the bar, she was still enjoying herself.

Until the dizziness finally hit her hard.

She had reached her limit with alcohol. She couldn’t even finish the drink she was holding, so she reluctantly paid the bartender before getting up and making her way away from the bar counter.

She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly felt the need to use the restroom. Still dizzy, she quickly turned around and headed there.

After using the restroom, she took a moment to steady herself and fight off the dizziness.

As soon as she stepped out, she suddenly felt her phone vibrating inside the small pouch she was carrying. She quickly reached for it, intending to answer the incoming call, but before she could, someone bumped into her, causing her phone to slip from her hand and fall to the floor.

“I’m sorry, Miss!” an unfamiliar male voice quickly apologized.

Patrisha didn’t bother looking at the person. Instead, she immediately bent down to pick up her phone.

However, because of how dizzy she was, what she thought was a quick movement turned out to be much slower than she realized. The stranger reached her phone before she could.

“Oops. Thanks!” she said as the man handed her phone back to her.

“Sorry again. I didn’t mean to bump into you,” the man apologized once more.

“It’s okay. No worries,” she replied casually without looking at him before taking a step away.

On her second step, however, she nearly stumbled because of how dizzy she was. Fortunately, the stranger quickly reached out and caught her.

“Are you okay, Miss?”

At that, Patrisha finally looked up at the stranger. She couldn’t understand why the dizzying movement of everything around her seemed to suddenly stop.

It was as if the only thing she could see clearly was the man’s beautiful eyes and the deep gaze he fixed on her.

She had been certain that the alcohol had gotten to her, but now, because of the way the man was looking at her, it was as if she had suddenly sobered up.

Her heart pounded.

She didn’t understand what was happening to her or why she was suddenly feeling this way, so she decided to put an end to her strange daze by moving. The man slowly released his hold on her as she straightened herself and took a small step back.

She cleared her throat before finally managing to say, “Thanks!”

She saw the man’s lips part as if he was about to say something, but she didn’t wait for him to speak. Instead, she quickly turned away and started walking.

She didn’t even know why she had done that.

She simply couldn’t understand the strange feeling that had suddenly overcome her from nothing more than the handsome stranger’s gaze.

“I think I really did drink too much,” Patrisha muttered to herself as she slowly made her way out of the bar.

The moment she stepped outside, she felt the world spinning around her again. She was dizzy once more.

Because of that, she stopped for a moment and looked at her phone. She was planning to call her friend, Maxine, or perhaps book a private hire car, but it seemed her phone had been damaged when she dropped it earlier. It wouldn’t turn on.

Patrisha let out a deep sigh before tilting her head back and looking up at the beautiful, dark sky, where only tiny stars provided a faint glimmer of light.

“Welcome to the Philippines, Patrisha!” she said to herself.

It seemed she had no choice but to take a taxi and go back to her friend’s condo alone. If she wanted to get home safely, she would have to endure the dizziness and drunkenness she was feeling.

A sharp pain throbbed in her head, and her eyelids were beginning to feel heavier and heavier. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes.

So, she walked toward a nearby post and slowly leaned against it while waiting for a taxi.

But only a few moments later, three men suddenly approached her.

“Hey, gorgeous! Are you alone?” one of them asked with a grin.

He looked Filipino, but he spoke with a British accent.

“Do you want to join us?” another man asked her.

She gave them a smirk, which made all three men pause for a moment. They clearly hadn’t expected that reaction from her.

“Sorry, boys, but I’m done having fun,” she said bluntly before forcing herself to turn away from them.

She heard the three men chuckle behind her and was startled when one of them suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.

“But you haven’t had fun with us yet.”

She firmly pulled herself away from him. “I’m not interested.”

“Oh, come on, bitch. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it,” another one said as he moved closer to her.

Patrisha squeezed her eyes shut, seemingly trying hard to control herself. With every step the three men took toward her, she took another step back.

But because she was still extremely dizzy and her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, the three men quickly closed the distance and grabbed hold of her.

“Just… leave me alone,” she said irritably.

But instead of backing off, the three men only seemed more amused and interested in her. Before long, she felt them trying to drag her somewhere.

“Let go of me!” she shouted.

“No, babe. Later, we’ll hold you even tighter,” one of the men said, followed by their loud laughter.

Patrisha gathered whatever strength she had left and struggled against the three men. Because of her sudden resistance, they loosened their grip, giving her the chance to break free.

She immediately tried to run away, even though she was so dizzy that it felt as if the entire world around her were spinning.

She could hear the three men following her.

Then she suddenly collided with someone.

The person quickly caught her before she could fall, one arm wrapping around her back to steady her.

Patrisha was shocked when she caught sight of the man holding her.

“Are you okay, Miss?” he asked.

“Y-You?” was all she managed to whisper as she stared into the eyes of the man who had once again made the spinning world around her suddenly come to a stop.