CHAPTER 10: A Confession

-=Ang's Point of View=-

"I like her."

As I lay in bed, those phrases kept going through my head. To be honest, I had no idea where that began. I've been lying in this position for some time, turning and tossing, still unsure of the emotions surging inside of me. Even though I despise her, I can't help but think about her.

The scene where I was dancing with her kept appearing in my memory, making it hard for me to fall asleep.

I must have fallen asleep around three because I awoke with a minor headache, unhappy that the housekeeper had woken me up, and when I opened the door, the maid told me that Mom wanted to see me.

I went to the bathroom to fix myself, and after looking in the mirror and seeing that I was somehow presentable, I made my way to the dining room where the others were waiting.

I forced a grin and said, "Good morning," to everyone. I avoided looking at Miranda, who had her head lowered.

"Good morning to you too, son. I was told that last night didn't go as planned, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed every minute of it," she remarked with a smile.

"I did too, and besides, there's always next time," I added, forcing myself not to glance at Miranda, who was acting as though she was busy studying something beneath the table.

"Now that you mentioned that, Andres and I decided that we should all go to Tagaytay today to have some more fun before you two became busy," she happily announced, and how could I refuse to see the joy on her face?

After finishing our meal, we all went back to our own rooms, and since Miranda's room was just opposite mine, we both went back to our rooms, but not before I called her name.

"Miranda..."

I was caught off-guard when she turned around and looked at me, smiling nonchalantly.

"Is there anything you need?" she asked.

Her beaming expression took me a few seconds to get used to; her previous behavior had not been like this.

"About what happened last night," I said, but she immediately cut me off, which annoyed me.

"You know you were just caught in the moment because of the atmosphere and the music, so you don't have to say anything," she said, wearing her fake, annoying smile.

"Damn it, Miranda! I know what happened last night, and it has nothing to do with the music or with the atmosphere last night!"

At first, I wasn't sure if I really did tell her that I liked her since I thought that it was all in my mind, but seeing her reaction earlier only confirmed my suspicion.

I did tell her that I liked her, and thinking about it now, I don't feel any regret about telling her how I felt about her.

"Enough, Ang! I know you don't like me like that, and besides, I'm your brother's wife! I'm Anthony's wife."

What she said merely reaffirmed that I had told her how I felt about her, and now that it's out, nothing is stopping me.

"And that's the fuckup in this situation that I'm in. I like my brother's wife, which is so wrong," I resentfully said.

I was all too familiar with Miranda's true colors—her cunning ways and immoral nature—but I couldn't shake the unexplainable desire I felt for her, even though I knew it was morally questionable.

A few minutes passed, and Miranda just kept looking at me. For some reason, she appeared like she wanted to say something, and when she was about to open her mouth to speak, she was interrupted by a sudden voice behind me.

"What are you both still doing here? Aren't you two going to get ready?" Andres asked.

When I turned back, I couldn't help but feel uneasy, and the suspicious look he gave me made me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Ang was just reminding me to bring a jacket," Miranda cleverly explained.

"Right, it's quite cold in this month of the year," Andres said, and after that, he walked to their room.

When Andres entered the room he shared with Mom, I looked again for Miranda, but she was no longer there, and she had most likely gone into her own room to avoid me.

A deep sigh passed my lips before I continued going to my room to get ready as well.

After less than an hour, everything was prepared for a Tagaytay day trip. After traveling for nearly four hours, we eventually made it there and chose to eat lunch at our favorite restaurant.

During our meal, only Mom and her husband were speaking and enjoying their meals, while Miranda and I stayed silent, minding our own business but sometimes measuring one another.

Almost all of the food on our table was my favorite, but because of the tension I was feeling, I didn't feel any appetite for it. I forced myself to act like I was enjoying my food to avoid any suspicion from my mom.

Andres inquired, staring at me for an unknown reason, "So, where do you guys want to go first?" His intense gaze was unsettling me since it seemed like he was sensing something.

"Maybe we can try the amusement park?"

It was my mom who suggested that, so naturally, everyone automatically agreed.

We were so stuffed from the food we shared that we decided to take a rest for a while. However, when the time came for us to go, it began to rain, and not just a little, but a great deal, so we had to move to a nearby hotel to wait for the rain to cease.

Mom said to us, "It seems like the rain won't stop anytime soon, so we might as well get a room," but sadly, there were only two rooms available when we approached the front desk.

"It's better if you and Miranda share a room, dear, and Ang and I share another," Andres said with a smile to his wife, but I got the impression he wanted to talk to me.

So we all walked to our assigned rooms, which were conveniently placed on the same floor.

When I shut the door, Andres let out a long sigh that rang around the room, injecting the air with an undeniable sense of his inner distress.

"Do you think I didn't notice the way you and Miranda look at each other?" he questioned, finally addressing me.

"I don't know what you mean." I attempted to appear innocent, but I couldn't even look him in the eye.

"Don't take me for a fool, Ang. You know what I mean. You have feelings for Miranda! You like Miranda!" he exclaimed, raising his voice.

It is my time to take several deep breaths before I begin explaining to him.

"I assure you, my feelings for Miranda are purely platonic," I claimed, although the uneven hammering of my heart seemed to contradict my words.

He added, "Then how can you explain the expressions that you gave Miranda? I already talked to my secretary, and she told me that you were the one who got the invitation from Secretary Casimiro. There's only one meaning to that; you set everything up," and I could hear the displeasure in his voice.

"The reason I'm doing this is because I want her away from my brother," I said truthfully, and I could feel how surprised he was when they heard that.

"Do you love Miranda so much that you would do anything to steal Anthony's wife away?" he asked, dismayed.

"You're mistaken. I don't love Miranda, nor do I have any feelings towards her, but I love my brother. I'm doing all this for Anthony's sake. I want to keep him away from Miranda because someone like Miranda isn't right for him," I said.

"I still don't understand you, Ang," he said, confused.

"Did Anthony inform you about Miranda's four previous marriages?" I asked, determined to tell him the truth about Miranda.

Hearing that Miranda had already been married four times seemed to stun him, so I figured I might as well tell him why I was certain Miranda wasn't a suitable match for Anthony.

I could tell he was beginning to come around to my plan as I shared what I knew with him.

I gave him the information he needed, and then he asked, "So how can you prove that Miranda is cheating when we get to court?"

I confidently said, "I'm going to record it on video," knowing that I would need his assistance to see my idea through to fruition.

After a little period of rest, the rain eventually ceased around five in the afternoon, at which point all of us made the decision to return home instead of venturing around the place.

After discovering Miranda's actual nature, Andres remained silent while we were in the car.

"Are you okay?" Miranda asked Andres when she noticed her usual quietness.

His daughter-in-law received his icy response, "I'm fine," and Miranda didn't probe more, choosing instead to concentrate on the outside view.