Chapter 3

Daisy

Six months. Six months had passed since I fled Manila, since I saw Augustus Caesar’s chilling smile. San Isidro had become my refuge, the small bakeshop my anchor. 

The landlady, Aling Sonya, had given me more than a job; she’d given me a home, a semblance of peace. 

The scent of warm bread and brewing coffee had replaced the suffocating smell of stale noodles and fear. My small bump had grown, a constant reminder of the life blossoming inside me, a secret I guarded fiercely.

“Daisy, sweetie, are you sure you’re okay?” Aling Sonya’s voice, gentle as ever, cut through my thoughts. 

She was kneading dough with practiced hands, her movements rhythmic and soothing. 

“You’ve been staring at that wall for five minutes.”

I blinked, pulling myself back to the present. 

“Just thinking, Aling Sonya. About… about things.”

She wiped her hands on her apron and looked at me, her eyes kind and knowing. 

“Still thinking about that fiancé of yours? The one who went on a long trip?” This was the story I’d spun, a simple lie to explain my sudden arrival and my growing belly.

I managed a weak smile. “Something like that.” I couldn’t tell her the truth, not yet. Not about Augustus, not about the danger I still felt lingering.

Lately, the “things” I was thinking about were mostly how tired I felt, how often I needed to eat, and how my morning sickness, which was supposed to have passed, seemed to be getting worse, not better. My body felt different. Heavier. More… expansive.

“You’re getting bigger, Daisy,” Aling Sonya observed, her gaze lingering on my stomach. 

“Must be a strong baby in there. And very active! I saw you wince just now.”

I placed a hand protectively over my belly. “He is, I mean, she is.” I corrected myself quickly, trying to maintain the illusion of a single, well-behaved baby. But the truth was, the movements inside felt… manifold. A whole dance party seemed to be happening in there sometimes.

The next morning, the persistent nausea finally got the better of me. I woke up feeling dizzy and weak. Aling Sonya, ever observant, took one look at my pale face and declared, “That’s it, Daisy. We’re going to see Manang Ising. She’s the best hilot in town, and she’ll know what’s going on.”

Manang Ising’s small hut smelled of herbs and incense. She was an elderly woman with sharp, knowing eyes that seemed to peer right into your soul. She had me lie down on a mat, and her gnarled hands, surprisingly gentle, began to palpate my abdomen.

Her brow furrowed in concentration. She murmured something under her breath, a low chant that sent a shiver down my spine. Aling Sonya sat beside me, holding my hand, her presence a comforting anchor.

Manang Ising’s eyes suddenly snapped open, wide with a mixture of surprise and reverence. She looked at me, then at Aling Sonya. “This child… this is no ordinary child, Daisy.”

My heart pounded. “What do you mean, Manang?” I whispered, a knot of dread tightening in my stomach. Was there something wrong?

She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “Not wrong, hija. Just… plentiful. Very plentiful.” She paused, her gaze intense. “I feel two… no, three strong heartbeats within you.”

My breath hitched. Three? It couldn’t be. I had barely accepted the idea of one. My mind reeled.

Aling Sonya gasped beside me. “Three babies, Manang Ising?” Her voice was filled with astonishment.

Manang Ising nodded slowly. “Indeed. Two strong boys, and a feisty little girl. God has truly blessed you, Daisy.”

I lay there, stunned. My mind tried to process the information, but it was too much. Three. Not one, but three. How was I going to manage one, let alone three? The financial strain, the physical toll, the overwhelming responsibility… it all crashed down on me.

“Are you sure, Manang?” I finally managed to croak, my voice barely audible.

She chuckled softly. “My hands do not lie, child. You carry a multitude within you. A very special gift.”

Aling Sonya, recovering from her initial shock, squeezed my hand. “My goodness, Daisy! Three! That’s wonderful!” But even her voice held a hint of awe, a touch of disbelief.

Wonderful. The word felt foreign, distant. All I could feel was a fresh wave of panic, amplified threefold. How could I protect three children from Augustus Caesar? How could I hide three little lives from a man who always got what he wanted?

“We should go to the clinic,” Aling Sonya insisted later, her practical nature taking over. “Just to confirm, you know. With a doctor.”

So, the next day, we took a tricycle to the small municipal clinic. The doctor, a young woman named Dr. Reyes, was kind but direct. She performed an ultrasound, her eyes scanning the screen with a professional intensity.

My heart hammered as I watched her face. She frowned, then her eyes widened slightly. She moved the probe, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Well, Daisy,” Dr. Reyes finally said, her voice a mix of surprise and professional calm. “Manang Ising is quite remarkable.” She smiled, turning the screen slightly so I could see.

And there they were. Three distinct forms, tiny but undeniably present, swimming in the shadowy world of my womb. My babies. Three of them. Two clearly boys, and one, smaller, daintier, a girl.

I stared at the screen, tears blurring my vision. It was real. Three lives, inextricably linked to mine, utterly dependent on me. My heart swelled with a love so profound it hurt, a love that instantly overshadowed the fear.

Dr. Reyes continued, her voice outlining the details of my multiple pregnancy, the increased risks, the need for special care. But her words were a distant hum. All I could focus on were the three tiny figures on the screen, my children.

“So,” Dr. Reyes concluded, pulling off her gloves, “you’re carrying two boys and one girl, Daisy. A very rare and precious gift.”

I could only nod, speechless. The weight of it all, the enormity of my situation, settled over me. I had run from one monster, only to find myself facing a challenge far greater than I could have ever imagined.

As Aling Sonya and I walked out of the clinic, the afternoon sun seemed brighter, the air crisper. But my world felt irrevocably altered. Three children. How could I provide for them? How could I keep them safe?

Aling Sonya, sensing my turmoil, put an arm around me. “Don’t worry, Daisy. We’ll figure it out. We always do.” Her words were meant to be comforting, but they barely touched the surface of my rising panic.

That night, alone in my small room, I stared at my reflection in the dusty mirror. My stomach was now undeniably large, a clear beacon. There was no hiding this anymore. Three babies. Three undeniable proofs of my past.

The fear that Augustus Caesar would find me, that he would somehow discover my secret, tripled in intensity. He had let me go, but I knew, with every fiber of my being, that he hadn’t forgotten me. And now, I carried not one, but three precious reasons for him to come looking. Three potential heirs.

I placed both hands on my swollen belly, feeling the distinct flutter of three tiny lives. They were innocent, vulnerable, and completely reliant on me. My resolve hardened. I would not let him take them. I would fight for them, fiercely and relentlessly.

But how? How could a simple girl like me, alone in a small town, protect three innocent lives from the most powerful man in the country? He had money, connections, an army of people at his beck and call. I had nothing but my wits and the kindness of strangers.

A chill snaked down my spine, despite the humid air. I felt it, a cold dread creeping closer. He was out there. And he would come. He always got what he wanted. But this time, he wanted more than just me. 

He wanted my children. And I knew, with a terrifying certainty, that he was already on his way. My escape had only delayed the inevitable. The game was far from over, and the stakes had just become impossibly high.