Chapter 1

Jace Dela Vega courted her for two years, and during all that time, he never once disappeared or changed. She was only eighteen when they met. Jace had been invited as a guest at her debut. She could still remember his gift—cash. She laughed so hard back then. Jace had said, “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I’ll let you buy what you want.”

But behind those smiles was a darkness she tried so hard to hide.

She lived alone, separated from her parents’ house.

Instead of living like a normal teenager—going out, making friends, and having fun—her daily routine revolved around studying different fighting skills. Since she was seven years old, her father had been training her in basic self-defense, martial arts, and other disciplines. It wasn’t a hobby—it was her life. She was like a soldier trapped within the walls of her own home.

She was homeschooled. No playmates, no friends, no world outside the four corners of her house.

When she entered college, she took up Business Management—not because she wanted to, but because her father did. She didn’t want to disappoint him. In a life full of chaos, he was the only one who ever stood by her side.

Whenever her mother scolded or mistreated her, her father was there—silent, sometimes cold, but always there. He was the only reason she kept going, the reason she kept trying to be perfect, no matter how hard it was.

But sometimes, no matter how strong you pretend to be, there are still nights when you can’t help but cry.

So when she met Jace, everything began to change.

He became the light she’d been waiting for. In her world filled with control, anger, and fear, Jace became her rest. Along with Laica Pajate, her best friend who had always been by her side, she slowly rebuilt the part of herself she had long forgotten—her happiness.

For the first time, she felt seen. Heard. Loved.

Kaya gusto niya itong sorpresahin,it was their third anniversary.

Usually, he was the one who planned everything - always full of surprises. But this time, she wanted to do something special. Since she had been busy with a mission, wala siyang masyadong oras these past few weeks. But today, she made time.

She prepared the gifts, bought a small cake, and even ordered take-out food so they could celebrate together. She didn't text him. He had said he would visit her tonight for their date, so she decided to beat him to it.

First, she went to his office, but one of his coworkers told her he had gone on half-day leave.

"Siguro naghahanda siya ng sorpresa para sa akin," she thought with a smile as she stood in front of his house. Being an expert, picking a lock wasn't exactly difficult.

She entered quietly, her heart light and full of anticipation. nilagay niya ang bitbit sa lamesa,

But as she stepped further inside, a sound made her stop in her tracks.

Laughter. Moaning. The unmistakable sounds of pleasure.

She froze.

Dahan-dahan siyang umakyat ng hagdan. Her heart pounded as she noticed clothes scattered on the steps, leading to the bedroom. Her knees felt weak. Is this even real?

Her eyes widened as she stood by the half-open door. There they were.

Her boyfriend.

And her sister, Allessandra

Together.

Doing something she never imagined she would ever have to witness.

The first thing that came to her mind: kill them both.

She could. She was trained. It wouldn't be difficult.

But she wouldn't stoop to their level.

Jace noticed her first. His eyes widened in panic as he scrambled to cover himself with a blanket. Her sister, on the other hand, didn't even flinch. She smiled-like she was proud. Like she wasn't even ashamed.

"Kaz, this is a mistake," Jace stammered, trying to hide behind the blanket.

"I didn't know you were enjoying yourselves like this," she said coldly, her voice trembling.

"With my sister? Really, Jace? On our anniversary? Bakit? Dahil ba hindi ko pa binibigay 'yon sa'yo? Di ka makapaghintay? Sa kapatid ko pa talaga?! Nakakadiri ka!"

She turned to her sister. "At ikaw? Wala ka man lang hiya? Boyfriend ng kapatid mo pinatulan mo? Nakakasuka ka." Tears fell, but her voice remained sharp.

Jace tried to move closer.

"I'm sorry... I-I got tempted. You couldn't give me what I needed. But your sister-she could. I love you. You know that, right?"

She laughed bitterly.

"No, Jace. You don't love me. Stop lying to me."

Then her sister chimed in, venom in her voice "Bakit ka ba nagagalit? Di mo nga maibigay 'yung pangangailangan niya. At least ako, kaya ko, You're so hard Kaz. You expected him to stay loyal? Dream on."

Pak!

She slapped her sister-hard.

her sister didn't even bother to cover herself. She just looked at her in the eye and smiled smugly.

"Masakit ba? Masakit ba malaman na habang anniversary niyo, ako ang kinakama niya?" her sister said proudly.

"Di ka ba na-inform? For three years, I was with him all along. Satisfying his needs."

"You can have him," Kaz said, her voice low and deadly calm.

"I don't care anymore. Pero kahit anong gawin mo, 'di naging kayo. Pang-kama ka lang. Ako, kahit hindi niya ako makama, legal pa rin akong girlfriend niya. Ngayon? Hindi na. Sa'yo na siya. Enjoy."

She turned her back on them and walked away.

Her hands were trembling, her heart in pieces.

How long has this been going on? Was I that blind? Was I not worth waiting for?

She got into her car and sped off, heading to the bar owned by her bestfriend. It only opened at night, but she knew her best friend would be in her office upstairs.

When she arrived, the guard tried to stop her, but once he recognized her, he stepped aside.

She went straight to the counter. No bartender yet.

She grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured herself a drink.

She drank in silence.

One glass.

Two.

Three.

Her tolerance was high-she was trained, after all.

But pain? There was no training for that.

Mahal na mahal siya nun, kaya kahit kailan, hindi niya inakala na lolokohin siya-at ng kapatid pa niya.

Her best friend, the owner of the bar, finally came out.

"Bakit ka umiinom? Anong nangyari?"Laica asked, worried. But Kaz wasn't ready to talk. She didn't want to relive what happened just yet. She lost count of how many drinks she had. She wasn't worried-her alcohol tolerance was high.

So she kept drinking as the night grew darker.

"You've been drinking for hours. Magpapakamatay ka ba?" Laica snapped, approaching her.

"Gusto ko lang malasing ngayong araw... at makalimutan ang sakit na nararamdaman ko," she said, eyes closed, fighting back tears.

"I won't ask what happened. I'll wait until you're ready to tell me," Laica said sincerely, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But I'm here. You can always talk to me when you're ready."

"I'll be fine. Gusto ko lang mapag-isa. I'll talk to you when I'm ready. Thank you."

"Tataas lang ako sa office. May aasikasuhin pa ako, pero bababa ako mamaya. Ako na rin ang maghahatid sa'yo. Sigurado ka bang okay ka lang dito? I can ask someone to keep an eye on you."

"No, I can manage, Lai. You know me-no one can mess with me."

"Of course," Laica said, still clearly concerned.

Kaz continued drinking.

More people were coming in now, but she didn't care. She just kept drinking.

Bakit ganun? Kahit anong inom ko, ramdam ko pa rin ang sakit. Akala ko pag nalasing ako, makakalimutan ko. Pero bakit mas lalo ko siyang naiisip?

She lowered her head to the counter, holding back more tears. She could feel the dizziness setting in, so she finally stopped drinking.

Then she felt someone sit beside her. She looked up. A stranger.

He smiled at her-the kind of smile you don't trust. "Hey, Miss. Wanna go out with me? Mukhang lasing ka na. You can stay at my place," he said, smirking.

"Leave me alone," she snapped. She wanted to be alone-why was someone bothering her?

"Wag ka nang pakipot. Alam kong gusto mo rin. Di ka magsisisi," he said, leaning in with a disgusting grin. "Magsisi ka pag 'di ka umalis ngayon," she warned. But he just laughed mockingly.

"You're feisty. I like that. By the way, I'm Gerald," he added, reaching out.

"Who asked?" she replied coldly.

"Ang arte mo. Pakipot," he spat, grabbing her hand resting on the bar counter.

She was about to break his wrist for being bold, when suddenly Someone shoved him.The guy stumbled and fell hard to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" the man growled, preparing to throw a punch. But the stranger who shoved him? One punch. That was all it took. Gerald was out cold.

Kaz watched, impressed. She could tell instantly-he was highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.He's way better than me, she thought.

She smirked. What a show. He thought I was weak? Please. I could break every bone in his body. But then she realized something strange-this is what it felt like to be protected. Her heart thumped.

"Are you okay?" the stranger asked, worry in his voice. First time. First time someone ever asked her that. She shook her head slightly. No, she wasn't okay. She was breaking.

Just because of sex? Is that all that matters to men?

"I'm Jhayden Cyruz Dela Costa but you can call me Cyruz." the man said, extending a hand.

I'm Kazmiyah Casabuena. Thank you for helping me... although I could've handled it."

"You shouldn't drink alone. This place is like a wild forest, full of predators. You're lucky I was here. Look at yourself-you're drunk," he said.

She smirked. He sounds worse than my dad lecturing me. Yes, she was drunk. But it's a bar. What did he expect? Sit and act like a teenager?

"Can you stand?" he asked. She nodded and stood up, Only to nearly collapse.

What the hell? Why am I this dizzy?

How many bottles did I drink?

She couldn't even remember.

Cyruz caught her quickly."I'll drive you home. Can you walk?" he asked.

She nodded again, and he guided her gently.

He was a stranger, but strangely, she didn't feel unsafe. She felt... secure.

Next thing she knew, they were in front of a car.

A BMW 7 Series.

She raised an eyebrow. He's loaded.

He helped her into the passenger seat before walking around to the driver's side. She was too sleepy to care.Before she knew it-she dozed off. She woke up slightly, feeling warm. Out of instinct, she tried to pull her dress off.

But hands stopped her.

"Don't. Stay still. You're tempting me. I'm still a man, Miyah," he muttered, sighing deeply.

She froze.

Embarrassed.

She opened her eyes and looked at him-he was still driving.

Saglit lang ba akong nakaidlip?

She stared.

Defined jawline, intense and cold eyes, pointed nose, thin lips, fair skin. Lean, muscular. Posture? Perfect. He definitely works out.

"Where's your address? Sorry, may dinaanan lang ako. Di rin kita ginising kanina kasi ang himbing ng tulog mo," he explained.

"I don't want to go home," she said, thinking of her mom and sister. Especially after slapping her mom's "favorite daughter." Panigiradong nasa bahay ang mga ito at hinihintay siya.

He cursed under his breath, clearly frustrated.

"You shouldn't say that to someone you just met, okay? What if I wasn't the one driving you? What if someone else took advantage of you?" he scolded. napabuntong hininga ito.

She only smiled.

"Can you kiss me? Have sex with me?" she asked. she doesn't know what's going on with her she was too bold and vulgar, maybe because she was drunk.

He hit the brakes-hard. Mabuti nalang nakaseat belt siya. ito din ata naglagay noon, kung hindi baka nasubsub na siya.

"What the fuck?!" he exclaimed, looking at her in disbelief.

He turned off the engine and stared at her unbelievably

"I just want to understand why men go crazy over sex," she said softly.

"They cheat... just because of that."Mapait na sambit niya.

"Don't talk. Just stay still. I'm taking you to my place. But we are not doing anything. You're drunk. Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Why not?" she challenged.

"We can't."

"Kiss me,"