07

Chapter 07

"Kuya Peter!"

I immediately hugged Kuya Peter, who was kneeling at sinalubong ako.

"Phinea, my baby! How's class?" Kuya asked happily while standing and lifting me up.

"I'm good, Kuya! I have a lot of friends and we drew pictures. My teacher said I was very good and gave me a bunch of stars!"

I showed him the back of my hand with the stars my teacher had given me. Kuya smiled and ruffled my hair, telling me I did very well.

I hugged him tightly around the neck and snuggled into him. Kuya was my closest friend at home. Why? My twin sister, Peregrine, was always sick, so our parents were very hands-on with her.

I was already in kindergarten and Kuya Peter always picked me up. I loved him a lot and he loved me just as much. He cherished me and loved me the most.

Then one day—

"Phinea! Don’t run!"

As I reached the middle of the road, a vehicle appeared. It was a huge truck and it was coming straight to me.

"Phinea?"

When I opened my eyes, I saw Victor in front of me. He looked worried as he stared at me and asked if I was okay.

"You’re crying."

I flinched when Victor touched my cheek. He quickly pulled his hand back and apologized. His expression was soft as he said we were in the mansion, so he was waking me up.

I touched my cheek and felt it was wet. My throat felt dry and I gripped my dress tightly.

It felt like my heart was being squeezed and I couldn’t calm down. I couldn’t stop my tears either.

Until someone hugged me and that made me freeze.

"Hindi ko alam nangyayari sa iyo but it’s okay if you want to cry."

When I heard that, I clung to Victor and couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. It felt like a bomb exploded with all the emotions I had bottled up in my heart because I suddenly remembered Kuya and what happened right in front of Victor.

We stayed like that for a few minutes and when I calmed down a bit, Victor handed me something to drink. He also got me some tissues.

I thought he would ask what happened and why I suddenly broke down but instead of asking, he stayed quiet. He didn’t pressure me to talk.

"It’s fine if you don’t want to say anything. Just remember, I’m always here to listen to you," Victor said, holding my cheek. He looked at me with so much concern and sincerity.

I had so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t voice it out. I was scared and my chest felt so tight.

We stayed in the car for a few more minutes, and when I felt okay, Victor invited me to go inside the mansion.

Holding my hand, Victor led me into the Lawson mansion. My mom invited us to eat but Victor said we had already eaten outside and wouldn’t join them.

When we reached the front of my room, Victor opened the door and we walked in.

I paused slightly when Victor leaned me against the wall and held my cheeks.

He gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek until his lips brushed against the corner of my mouth.

My heart raced when our eyes met and when I lowered my hands, he smiled and kissed me.

"Let’s go to bed," Victor whispered, his lips still against my cheek.

I was caught off guard when he suddenly picked me up and walked toward the bed.

When he laid me down, he climbed on top of me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting or waiting for this.

Victor held my cheek with his warm hands and loosened his necktie.

"What are you thinking?" he whispered as he leaned down and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Uh... Nothing," I shyly whispered, looking away. How could I tell him what I was thinking without feeling embarrassed?

Victor had perfect features that I had only read about in fiction novels. He also had a great body and—

I heard Victor laugh, which made me look at him again.

"Are you thinking about how hot and handsome I am while I’m on top of you?"

That wasn’t exactly it, but I couldn’t help but react to what he said, making him laugh even more.

"I... Stop teasing me," I said shyly, placing one hand on his face and pressing my palm against his lips.

"Okay, fine. I’m sorry. I just want you to focus on me, and I can’t help but tease you," Victor said, holding my hand that was on his lips. He kissed my palm and looked at me.

For God’s sake— what sane woman could resist a guy like this?

The next day,

Victor invited me to the Difabio mansion— and I didn’t hate that idea. Why? Because just like Victor, his family was also very warm.

My sister-in-law always hugged me and she and Victor were quite loud. My father-in-law, although he looked strict and angry, showed concern for me and scolded my sister-in-law and Victor when I sometimes got caught in their playful banter.

My mother-in-law always smiled and offered me food. Just like Victor, she always asked if I was comfortable or if I hated the food she offered.

"Victor, don’t you have work? You might always be bullying Phinea," my mother-in-law said out of the blue. I choked on the milkshake my mother-in-law had made for me.

"Are you okay?" Victor asked, immediately leaving my sister-in-law and handing me a tissue.

"Mom, what does my work have to do with our night activities? Besides, we’re still in our honeymoon phase; why are you meddling in our sex life— ow! Ow, Mom!"

I stared when my mother-in-law pulled Victor's ear. I couldn’t help but worry dahil nasasaktan si Victor and out of instinct, I grabbed my mother-in-law's wrist. Both she and Victor stopped and looked at me.

Embarrassed, I withdrew my hand and my sister-in-law suddenly squealed. She hugged my neck, saying I was so cute.

My mother-in-law chuckled and lightly hit Victor. Victor complained, saying his mother always treated him like a punching bag. Nagrereklamo ito but nakikita ko na todo pigil ang ngiti nito na nakatingin sa kabilang direksyon at namumula ang dalawang tenga. Nahihiya ako.

"Be thankful Phinea is here; you’re still young."

My mother-in-law held my hand and looked at me with concern.

"If he is too much for you— don’t hesitate to kick him out. You’re both still young and this Victor— has no control. Take care of your body and don’t push yourself too hard."

I nodded shyly. Actually, I didn’t mind; there were times I couldn’t keep up with Victor’s needs, but he never asked for more. He took care of me afterward and always asked if I was okay. If he saw I was nearing my limit, he would stop.

"Mom, can you stop? This topic is too uncomfortable for us— we’re married. It’s like you never went through this phase with Dad."

I heard my sister-in-law laugh and my father-in-law suddenly closed his newspaper. He slapped it against Victor’s head and scolded him.

They looked like a happy family. I felt like I didn’t belong there, and— I paused when someone held my hand. I looked at Victor, who was now looking at me and smiling.

"Do you want to go home?" Victor asked me. I shook my head slightly. I didn’t want to go home; this place was better than the Lawson mansion.

I looked at my in-laws, who were Victor's family. They were good people and they were so warm to me. I just wondered if I deserved to be part of a family like this and to feel this kind of peace surrounded by warm people like Victor.

Victor took me to his room. I paused when I saw the shelves in his room filled with awards and trophies.

Besides that, the room was huge and very airy. Victor sat me on the edge of the bed and gave me a pillow to rest on my lap.

"Is it too cold in my room? Do you want me to lower the air conditioning?" Victor asked. I shook my head and replied that it was fine.

Victor approached a drawer and I saw he was holding what looked like a photo album.

"There’s not much interesting in my room, and I don’t have any books, so? I’ll just show you this."

Victor sat next to me and opened the photo album he was holding. I stared at it.

"Can I... hold it?" I asked. Victor smiled and handed it to me. It was a picture of Victor when he was a kid.

Victor shared many memories with me, like when he was five years old in one picture where he slipped down a slide and landed in the mud. He was photographed while crying.

Then there was a picture of him at seven years old holding a drawing. It was a picture of a girl.

"I drew my sister there. I always teased her, calling her a horse and when our teacher told us to draw any animal, I drew my sister."

I looked at Victor as he laughed and he continued to tell how when he got home and she found out, she took all his toys.

"It’s obvious... it’s obvious that you’re close with your sister," I whispered. Victor paused and smiled slightly.

"Kami lang naman dalawa ang magkapatid. Who else do you think would be my enemy and at the same time my best friend in this house? Of course, it’s my sister," Victor said. I looked back at the photo album and turned the page.

There was a picture of Victor holding an award, looking about eight years old in a basketball uniform.

"This was the first award I received. I joined junior basketball and I got the award when we competed, becoming the representative of our district."

The following pictures showed various events Victor participated in, where he received awards.

"You have so... many awards," I said, looking at Victor. I paused for a moment when I saw Victor's expression while looking at the album I was holding.

"I guess you’re curious about what I was thinking during the times I was putting so much effort into winning a piece of paper and a piece of metal."

I paused when I heard that. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. Victor looked at the shelf where his trophies and certificates were.

"The only way I felt a sense of accomplishment was by not thinking about what I really wanted to do."

"If I do this and do that— I’ll be happy. The excitement lasts and I’ll eventually find the track that was really meant for me."

"When I was five years old, I wanted to be an artist, so I focused on drawing and by the age of six, I could already paint. When I was seven, I wanted to be a basketball player. I got into a good school and joined the team."

"Not until I saw myself far ahead of the kids my age. They were all behind me and staring at me."

Victor said all that was because he put in the effort and he drilled that into his mind. He was in the spotlight because he always did his best.

"I never wasted time while walking. I was searching for my true purpose little by little, and I was also losing myself. I always had that question, 'What will I do next?'"

Victor turned to me and smiled.

"I just moved forward to satisfy myself because I was never content. I wasn’t happy."