SLOANI gulped hard while looking at her dangerous eyes that were darting into me. Kung nakakamatay lamang ang tingin, malamang kanina pa ‘ko nakabulagta sa sahig at hindi na humihinga dahil sa paraan ng pagtingin niya sa akin.“Ang kapal naman talaga ng muka mong maglakad-lakad ng malaya pagkatapos ng pagpapabayang ginawa mo sa anak ko, ano?” galit niyang turan.I quickly averted my gaze and stood up. My knees and hands were trembling because of nervousness. I could feel my forehead sweating because I could sense the sharpness of Tita Fina’s gaze.“I-I’m sorry po. A-Aalis na lang po ak—”“At sino ang nagsabi sa ‘yo na pwede kang umalis habang kinakausap pa kita? Bakit? Natatakot ka bang marinig ang mga sasabihin ko kasi totoo?” she cut off.Nag-angat ako ng tingin ngunit mabilis ding umiwas. Kaparehas niya ng mata si Frederick. Naalala ko kung paano sa ‘kin tumingin noon ang anak niya kapag galit siya sa trabaho at sa akin ibubuntong ang init ng ulo niya.I closed my eyes tightly to
SLOANAfter I bought pasalubong for Yaya Basya and Ate Beeba here in Nepo Mall, I looked for a restaurant because I plan to bring lunch to Dominic at the factory.I don’t know the exact address of the VMC factory here, but there’s Google Maps naman and the company Dominic works for is well-known, so I know I won’t have a hard time finding it.Tumigil ang paa ko sa harap ng Yankee Bites isang American restaurant na nadito pa rin sa loob ng Nepo Mall.Kung tama ang pagkakaalala ko, half-American si Dominic kaya sigurado ako na miss niya nang kumain ng American cuisine.Pagpasok ko sa restaurant ay medyo maraming tao. Most of them are Americans who probably missed eating the American foods that they’re used to.I walked toward the counter. Dadamihan ko na lang siguro ang order ko para sabay na kaming mag-lunch ni Dominic.“Good noon! What do you want to have, Ma’am?” nakangiting tanong ng babae sa counter.I looked at the countertop menu and read the available dishes.“C-Can I have Jamba
SLOANI almost killed him… I almost killed my own husband. I didn’t know. I didn’t know that he was allergic to shrimp. If I just know… hindi ko na sana siya pinakain no’n.Tahimik lang ako habang nakaupo sa sofa at nakatingin kay Dominic na nakahiga sa hospital bed. He’s stable now and has been transferred to the VIP room. The doctor said it’s a good thing he was brought to the hospital quickly before the situation got worse.Davina, Attorney Delmundo’s twin sister, was sitting next to Dominic’s hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand as she watched him sleep.Hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling ang sakit na bumalot sa dibdib ko habang pinapanood siya. Ako dapat ang nandoon. Ako dapat ang may hawak ng kamay ni Dominic habang hinihintay siyang magising. Ako dapat ang una niyang makikita pagbukas ng mga mata niya pero pakiramdam ko ay wala akong karapatan pagkatapos ng nangyari.Ako ang nagdala sa kaniya sa ganitong sitwasyon. Gusto kong mainis kay Dominic dahil alam niya naman na all
SLOANDays had passed smoothly. A week after getting back from Pangasinan, we moved to the mansion Dominic bought in Forbes Park.Nauna na doon ang mga gamit namin at pinaayos niya na sa mga kasambahay ang mansion para raw wala na akong aalalahanin pa.“It’s not really necessary to have maids anymore, Dom. I can do household chores, can't you see?” I argued while he was driving.He sighed. “It’s a mansion, sweetie. It means it’s huge. You can't clean that mansion alone, okay? Besides, you're my wife, not my maid,” he said calmly.“Yeah, pero kaya ko naman kasi…” pagpipilit ko pa.“No.”“But—”“Sweetheart, no.”Ngumuso ako. Kanina ko pa siya kinukulit na huwag nang mag-maid dahil dagdag gastos lang iyon ngunit ayaw niya talagang pumayag. Yes, I know that he has tons of money, and the salary he'll give to the household staff is just a pittance to him, but still hindi ko mapigilang manghinayang.I took a deep breath. “Fine,” pagsuko ko.He smirked in victory. Ganiyan siya palagi kapag si
When I was young, my nanny used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I always told her that I wanted to get married in a church in front of God to the man I loved.As a kid, that might be the weirdest dream to hear instead of being a teacher, police officer, actor, or doctor. But not me. I had my sights set on the church’s aisle.“Bata ka pa kaya dapat hindi mo pa iniisip ang ganiyang bagay, Ma’am Sloan. Ayaw mo bang maging doctor o kaya negosyante kagaya ng Daddy mo?” Nanny Basya asked again.The seven-year-old me pouted. “No po. That’s really my dream, Yaya. I wanted to get married in the church because I wanted to promise Papa God that I could be a good wife to my future husband just like my mommy to my dad,” I said and smiled sweetly.Yaya Basya massaged her temple because of what I said. “Diyos ko kang bata ka.” I just chuckled and continued playing.I had a perfect and ideal family back then. Masaya at kumpleto. Masaya ako sa magulang ko kahit na wala akong kapatid.
SLOAN“Sloan, anak, kumain ka na,” Yaya Basya said while knocking on my door.I stayed frozen in place, not even bothering to flinch or utter a word. My eyes were fixated on the wall, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. I pondered relentlessly, trying to figure out what to do next. It was like a mental chess game, with every option weighed and analyzed. But at that moment, I was stuck, undecided, and unsure.I was completely wiped out. My body felt like it had run a marathon, my mind was running on fumes, and my heart felt like it had been through a rollercoaster of emotions. It was as if someone had sucked all the energy out of me, leaving me feeling like a deflated balloon.It's been two weeks since Yosef died. Hindi ko alam kung makakahinga na ba ako ng maluwag dahil hindi pa ako pinupuntahan ni Daddy para kausapin ako tungkol sa susunod kong papakasalan. Usually kasi pinagkakasundo niya na ako kagaad apat hanggang limang araw matapos mamatay ng mga naging asawa ko.Actually, that’s i
SLOAN“I-Ikaw?” bulong ko habang hindi makapaniwalang nakatingin sa kaniya. I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe that the person I just met a week ago is my fiance!“You know each other?” Daddy asked confusedly while looking at Dominic and me.Hindi ako sumagot. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. His expression was a perfect blend of seriousness and intensity, as if he were trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe just by looking at me. “We met a week ago, Mr. De Falco,” tugon niya pero ang mata niya ay nakatingin sa ‘kin. “So, she’s your daughter?” Bumaling siya kay daddy.He used to be all smiles and friendly, but now he’s all serious and cold when talking to my dad. Parang ibang tao siya habang kinakausap ang daddy ko.Daddy smiled. “Yes, Mr. Velasco, and she’s willing to marry you, right, dear?” Daddy turned to me. Hindi nakatakas sa paningin ko ang pagbabata sa mata niya.Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko dahil sa takot. Ganito ang palagi kong nararamdaman kapag nasa
SLOANNasa iisang sasakyan kaming umalis ni Dominic sa Manila Cathedral, kung saan ginanap ang kasal naming dalawa. We are now on our way to Luxe Haven for the reception. It is a five-star hotel located in Manila. Our guests are heading there too, using the vans provided by Dominic, while others are using their own vehicles.Binabalot ng nakakabinging katahimikan ang buong sasakyan. Abala si Dominic sa pagmamaneho habang ako naman ay nakatingin lang sa labas ng bintana. Nakikiramdam.I don’t know how to initiate a conversation. I don’t know Dominic that well yet, so I don’t know what to say to him.Ngunit kung ganito na lang ako palagi, laging natatakot, hindi ko talaga siya makikilala. Should I talk to him? Pero ano naman ang sasabihin ko? Tatanungin ko kaya siya ng mga common information about sa sarili niya? Pero hindi kaya magmukang ang random ko naman no'n? I just asked him out of nowhere, gano’n?“Are you okay? Do you have something to say?” he asked. My eyes widened as I looked