Chapter 1

Chapter One

**Jheanne's POV**

I was restless, jittery, unable to stand still.

Of course I was.

Today was my wedding day.

I was so excited to get married to the man I loved with all my heart.

Hugo Makatarungan.

Even his last name sounded righteous, didn't it? Hugo had been my long-time boyfriend. We were together for eight years before he finally asked me to marry him. He was the very first man I ever said yes to. My first boyfriend. My first everything.

He was kind. He never pressured me into having sex with him. We hadn't even kissed. That was how careful he'd always been with me, and that was exactly why I loved him so much.

And I was ready to marry him.

Like right now. I was standing at the altar in the church, my hand looped around my father's arm, waiting for him.

Yes, I got there first. When I arrived, he still wasn't there, so I just went up to the altar. There was nothing wrong with that. What mattered was that we were getting married. We were both headed there anyway, so who came first shouldn't have mattered.

But thirty minutes passed.

And Hugo still hadn't shown up.

That was when panic began to creep in.

I walked over to Dad and borrowed his phone.

"Here. What kind of man are you marrying, sweetheart? He's taking forever," Daddy Jennel grumbled.

"Maybe he's just making himself extra handsome, Dad. He'll be here any minute." I said, even though my chest was tightening with dread.

Dad only shook his head.

The guests had started whispering among themselves. I was beginning to feel embarrassed in front of the priest too, especially since he had another wedding to officiate after ours.

I dialed Hugo's number and called him.

It rang.

But he didn't answer.

I kept trying while glancing nervously at the guests.

"Just a little longer, please," I told them. "Maybe he's still on the road, that's why he can't answer."

The whispers only grew louder.

I moved a little farther away from the crowd and kept calling.

Relief hit me when he finally picked up.

"Babe? Where are you? Are you still far? Everyone's waiting for you, babe, please hurry-"

"There's not going to be a wedding, Jheanne."

I froze.

My brows pulled together. "W-What are you talking about? Is this some kind of prank? Because it's not funny, babe."

My temper started rising. If he was joking, this was not funny.

"This isn't a prank, Jheanne. I mean it. Have you been waiting for me a long time? Poor you. There's not going to be a wedding because I don't want to marry you." He laughed after saying it.

I blinked.

Then the tears started falling.

What was he saying?

My whole body began to shake.

"W-What are you talking about, Hugo? S-Stop it!" I stammered, my voice breaking. I was already crying. Dad and Mom saw me and frowned before hurrying toward me.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Dad asked, but I motioned for them not to come any closer.

I spoke to Hugo again.

"B-Babe, they're all here. They're waiting for you. So come on, please-"

"I said there's no wedding!"

I flinched at the force of his voice and pulled the phone away from my ear.

"You know, Jheanne, if you'd just given me the chance to sleep with you, maybe I wouldn't have had to find someone else. Good thing your best friend Jana was more than willing to have sex with me, so naturally my attention shifted to her. She's not just good in bed-she knows how to move too."

Then he laughed.

I clapped a hand over my mouth.

My tears poured harder, and it felt like my heart was being crushed inside my chest. I couldn't breathe. A sob tore out of me, and that was when Mom and Dad finally rushed to my side.

I stood there in shock, replaying Hugo's words over and over in my head.

And Jana.

My best friend.

She betrayed me.

Why would she do that to me? We'd been friends since we were children.

Animals. Both of them.

"Y-You monsters!" I choked out.

The person on the other end only laughed harder.

"Hi, bestie. It's me, Janna. Too bad you'll never get to taste Hugo now. He's mine now, so bye!"

The call ended.

I blinked again and again.

Dad's phone slipped from my hand, hit the floor, and shattered.

My tears wouldn't stop.

"Answer us, Jheanne. What happened? Why are you crying? Where's Hugo?" Dad asked, one question after another.

I looked at them and just kept crying.

They came to me and held me tightly, like they already knew the answer even before I could say it.

Dad cupped my face, and I saw that he was crying too.

"He's not coming, is he?" he asked.

I shook my head and broke down all over again.

Dad pulled me into his arms. Even if I couldn't hear him cursing, I knew he was cursing in his mind. Mom Anne was crying too, unable to say a word.

I pulled away from Dad and forced a bitter smile.

"W-Wait... just wait a moment," I said.

Dad moved like he wanted to follow me, but I signaled for him not to.

I walked up to the priest at the altar and apologized for troubling the church when there would be no wedding after all.

Then I borrowed the priest's microphone and turned to face the crowd still whispering among themselves.

With tears streaming down my face, I gathered every ounce of courage I had and spoke.

"I-I'm s-sorry... everyone... B-But t-there w-won't be a w-wedding... B-But the reception food will still be served-"

I handed the microphone back to the priest, whose face was full of pity.

The whispers around me only grew louder.

I stepped down from the altar and faced everyone while crying. Then I looked down at myself-at the beautiful gown Hugo and I had chosen together.

A bitter smile touched my lips again.

I reached for my veil, tore it off, and threw it away.

Then I grabbed my gown and ripped it.

Beads flew everywhere.

Everyone gasped.

Mom came running toward me to stop me, but I shook off her hand and kept tearing at my dress.

"You shameless bastard! You cheating animals!" I screamed as I ripped through the skirt as though I were tearing them apart with my own hands.

The gown had been so long that by the time I was done, only enough remained to reach my knees.

"Stop it, sweetheart!" Mom cried.

I looked at her and threw myself into her arms.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry for humiliating you like this," I sobbed.

"No, sweetheart. This isn't your fault. Please, stop... let's just go home," Mom begged through tears, reaching for my arm to lead me away.

But I pulled free.

"I'm so sorry, Mom."

Then I looked at Dad too.

"I'm sorry."

And after that, I ran.

I ran out of the church without looking back, without checking whether they were following me or not. I just ran and ran until my feet carried me into a mall.

Every person I passed stared at me.

Of course they did.

I was sure they were wondering what had happened to me and why I looked like this.

My makeup was probably ruined from all the crying too.

But I just kept walking like I'd lost my mind and ignored everyone around me.

Some people even took pictures of me with their phones.

I didn't care.

I wanted to be alone. Let them all do whatever they wanted.

I wandered around the mall the whole day, numb, aimless. I didn't feel hungry. And even if I did, I didn't have any money on me.

Nothing except the ring on my finger.

The ring Hugo had given me.

I stared at it.

It was beautiful. Expensive too, I knew that much. Why had he even bought me something this costly if he was only going to hurt me and cheat on me?

Not even in my worst imagination had I thought he'd do this to me.

We were together for eight years, and he threw me away just because I wouldn't sleep with him?

For God's sake, he never even asked.

He never said anything.

And the cruelest part?

He didn't leave me for some random woman.

He left me for my best friend.

Maybe-maybe-I could've accepted it if it had been another woman.

But my best friend?

The thought made me want to collapse.

My mind couldn't process everything that had happened today. In a fit of anger, I yanked the ring off my finger and marched into a pawnshop.

"How much can I get for this?" I asked the female staff member, shoving the ring toward her.

She looked me up and down first, taking in my appearance.

"Yes, I know. My long-time boyfriend left me at the altar! So what? Just look at the ring and tell me how much I can pawn it for!" I snapped.

She winced.

"It's expensive, Ma'am. Are you sure you want to pawn it?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? What exactly do you think I'm supposed to do with that ring after my fiancé cheated on me? Instead of throwing it into a river like women do in the movies when they get stood up at the altar, I'm pawning it!"

My voice had gotten so loud that people started staring.

"I-I understand, Ma'am. Please wait a moment," she said.

"Just give me the money already. I want to take myself on a date today."

She nodded and came back a little later with papers for me to sign, but I didn't even bother taking them.

"Do whatever you want with the ring. Just give me the cash."

The woman gaped at me. Then she called her manager over, and he started talking to me too, probably making sure I really meant it.

"Just give me the money and do whatever you want with that damn ring," I said flatly.

"S-Sure, Ma'am."

He handed me a thick stack of bills.

I didn't even count it.

What was the point? I had money. I just hadn't brought anything with me today.

I took the cash and left.

As I walked through the mall holding that wad of money, people stared at it. And because I was so furious at Hugo and my best friend, I threw the money into the air right there in the walkway.

People practically dove for it.

I only shook my head.

Then I went back inside the mall, ate at my favorite fast-food place, and spent time in the arcade playing whatever games caught my eye. I ignored all the people staring at me.

Eventually, I got tired.

I gave the long strip of prize tickets I'd won to a little kid, who accepted them with sparkling eyes while I remained numb to everything.

Before I left the mall, I ate again at another fast-food chain. Only after I ran out of things to do did I finally head outside.

It was already dark.

Judging by the time, it had to be around seven in the evening. That was how long I'd spent wandering around inside the mall.

As I walked along the sidewalk, people kept staring at me the same way everyone else had earlier.

I kept walking.

I was about to cross the street so I could hail a taxi on the other side and go back to my condo in Taguig. When the pedestrian light changed, I crossed with the crowd-

And slammed straight into someone.

We both fell hard onto the dirty pavement.

"Ow!" I complained.

I'd landed almost flat on my back. I quickly sat up and glared at the person I'd crashed into.

"Damn it! Don't you watch where you're goi-"

I stopped mid-sentence when I saw who it was.

I bit my lower lip as I stared at the beggar sprawled on the road.

"You should watch where you're going too," I muttered, guilt already prickling at me for snapping at him.

He looked up.

Our eyes met.

I gasped.

He was filthy. He smelled awful. But he was handsome.

Ridiculously handsome.

And judging by how long his legs were even while he sat there, I was sure he'd be very tall once he stood up.

Too bad he smelled bad enough to make me gag.

I jumped when a car horn blared loudly.

That was when I realized the light had already turned green ages ago and the drivers were now furious.

Panicking, I rushed toward the beggar, hauled him to his feet, grabbed his arm, and dragged him across the street with me. By the time we made it to the other side, I was breathless.

He just stared at me, looking confused about why I'd brought him over here.

And yes-I'd been right.

He was incredibly tall.

And huge.

When a taxi passed by, I flagged it down. The moment the door opened, I dragged the beggar inside with me without a second thought.

I saw the taxi driver grimace in the rearview mirror when he noticed my companion.

"Wow, mister. Don't forget he's human too," I said sharply.

"Miss, you brought a homeless guy into my taxi. I'm the one getting inconvenienced here. No one's going to ride with me later because my cab's going to stink!" the driver complained.

I sighed, then pulled money from where I'd tucked it into the garter of my stocking and handed it to him.

"Here. For cleaning your taxi."

He accepted the money instantly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, if it's like this, you can bring all the homeless guys you want into my cab, miss!"

"There's only one, so don't get your hopes up," I shot back dryly.

Then I turned to the man beside me.

I sneezed several times because of the smell coming off him. He smelled like he'd bathed in a sewer.

It was stomach-turning.

He was unbelievably handsome.

But he smelled unbelievably awful too.