1. Dreaded time.

“Inaabangan ngayong darating na Linggo ang pinag-uusapang Wedding of the Year sa pagitan ng aktres na si Olive Concepcion at ng sikat na business personality at Hotelier na si Nate Sarmiento. Ito ay gaganapin sa NS Hotel mismo na pagmamay-ari ni Nate. Para sa karagdagang chika, narito ang ulat ni Ynez Solis…” 

“Mommy, I’m sleepy na.”

Mula sa balitang pinapanood ay nabaling ang atensyon ni Hannah sa anak na naglalaro sa tabi niya. 

Naghihikab na ito at halos nakapikit na. Ang magaganda nitong mga mata ay mas lalo pang pumungay.

Napangiti si Hannah bago binuhat si Elisha. "Okay, let's get you to bed, my love…"

Maingat niya itong inilapag sa kama na nasa nag-iisang silid ng maliit niyang apartment. Kinumutan niya ito at hinalikan sa noo.

"Good night, mommy. I love you…"

"I love you too, Eli. Good night." Hinintay niyang tuluyan itong makatulog bago siya kumilos para patayin ang tv na naiwan niyang bukas sa sala. 

Tapos na ang balita tungkol kina Nate at Olive. Hannah sighed. She was happy for her best friend, Olive. Pero natatakot din siya na sa pakikipag-isang dibdib nito kay Nate Sarmiento ay maisipan nitong bawiin ang anak na ibinigay nito sa kanya apat na taon na ang nakararaan.

Elisha wasn’t her child. She was Olive’s daughter with Nate. Anak na hindi gusto ni Nate Sarmiento noon. He wanted Olive to get an abortion. But Hannah didn’t want her friend to commit such a grave mistake.

Ang ginawa niya, kinumbinse niya ito na ituloy ang pagbubuntis at ibigay na lamang sa kanya ang sanggol pagkapanganak nito. Fortunately, Olive agreed. But because she was a rising actress then, hindi naging madali ang biglaang exit nito sa show business.

Ang rasong ibinigay nito noon ay mag-aaral itong muli sa ibang bansa. Pero ang totoo, nagpunta lang sila sa malayong probinsya para roon lihim na manganak si Olive. Nate, who was desperate not to have the child, agreed to a long distance relationship.

Hannah gladly took the newborn Elisha and became her mother and father at the same time. Olive never showed herself again after giving birth to her baby. Bumalik ito sa limelight like nothing happened in the first place, totally abandoning her child in the process.

That was okay for Hannah. She wouldn't have wanted it another way. 

Mabuti na rin 'yon para hindi magulo ang tahimik na buhay nila ni Elisha. She loves her so much. And though she planned on telling Elisha that she wasn't her mommy, she hoped it wouldn't be too soon.

Wala siyang pinagsisisihan sa naging desisyon niya. She would forever thank God that Elisha came into her life. She completed her in a way no one else could, in a way no one else would.

How could she ever forget when she was forced to move out from her very own home when her father remarried? She was just eighteen then. It's been tough for her. Five years later, she had Elisha. And now four years after, she was completely happy having her own little girl calling her mommy.

Pero ngayong ikakasal na sina Nate at Olive, hindi niya maiwasang mag-alala na isang araw ay kakatok sila sa pintuan niya at kukunin ang anak na ayaw nila noon. Hindi niya mapapayagan iyon. Siya ang magulang ni Elisha. They never were.

Pagkapatay sa tv ay naghanda na rin si Hannah para matulog. She made sure the doors were locked before she went to lie beside Elisha. 

Pero halos kahihiga pa lamang niya nang may marinig siyang sasakyan na tumigil sa tapat ng apartment niya. 

She glanced at the wall clock and learned that it was already ten o’clock in the evening. Umalis din agad ang sasakyan kaya ipinagkibit balikat na lang iyon ni Hannah.

Then she heard the knocks on her front door. She hesitantly got up. Who would visit her at that time of the night? The knocking on the door continued and became impatient as she came closer.

"Who's there?" Tanong niya, grabbing a vase. The knocking stopped. "Who's there?" Ulit niya. 

"Hannah," the other person behind the door answered. Hannah wished she didn’t know that voice so well. "It's me, Olive."

Hannah froze. She was just thinking about her friend showing on her doorsteps a while ago.

"Hannah?"

It needed Hannah to give her full strength to open the door. For a while, she even thought of not opening it at all and pretend she wasn't Hannah.

"Liv," she whispered nang mapagbuksan niya ito, cool wind blew on her face and she knew from Olive's point of view, she looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"May I come in, Hannah?" Panay ang tingin nito sa likuran nito and she couldn't help but wonder why she looked so flustered, on her hands were two big bags like she had run away.

"Y-yes." Niluwagan niya ang pagkakabukas ng pinto. "Of course."

"Thanks." Pumasok ito at agad na sinara ang pinto. "I'm sorry for crashing here." Para itong iiyak while her both hands were on her mouth, already fighting a sob.

"Liv, you know you are always welcome in my house," she said, a bit lying on that, since Elisha came, she was no longer sure if she wanted Olive around. Ayaw niyang makilala ito ni Elisha kahit pa plano naman niyang sabihin sa bata na ito ang totoo nitong ina. "Tell me what happened?" Nang buksan niya ang ilaw, nakita niya ang malaking pasa sa kaliwang mata nito, ni hindi na nga bukas iyon.

"It's Nate," umiiyak at nanginginig na umpisa nito matapos niya itong paupuin.

"Siya ba may gawa nito sa'yo?" Tanong niya. May bumangong galit sa puso niya para sa ama ni Elisha. Olive just looked at her, stunned at first tapos tumango ito. "I thought you're getting married on Sunday? How could he do this to you, Liv?"

Hindi ito sumagot. She continued crying like crazy. Balisang-balisa ang hitsura nito.

"Liv." She held her hands. "Tell me what happened."

"Hannah." She looked into her eyes tapos bibitaw like she was hesitating on telling her.

"You know you can trust me, right?" She lowered her voice when she realized that Elisha was sleeping.

"Hannah, I'm pregnant," pagtatapat nito.

Hindi naman siya nakasagot agad. Then it hit her. The last time she saw Olive as worried as that was when she learned she was pregnant with Elisha. She had also run away from Nate because he didn't want the baby. Five years later, here was Olive again with the same baby problem. But had Nate gone physical this time? Was he that mad to hurt Olive?

"Nate knew and he wanted you to abort the baby again?" Hula niya. Galit na galit na siya sa boyfriend nito. Heartless jerk, that's what he was.

"No," umiling ito. "It's nothing like that. In fact, he wants the baby."

"Then what? Why did he hurt you?"

"It's not his Hannah." She bowed her head, too afraid to meet her eyes. "He just found out and he was so mad at me. He had turned into a monster. He'd kill me, Hannah. That's why I ran away."

"Oh my... " sambit niya.

"Please, let me stay here. Just until Josh books us a ticket to London," she begged.

"Who is Josh?"

"My baby's father," she admitted, hiyang-hiya sa kanya. "I know what you're thinking. I'm not a slut, Hannah. I've truly loved Nate. But I met Josh. It's him I love now."

"What about your wedding?" Suddenly gusto niya ring magalit kay Olive for agreeing to marry Nate and then be a runaway bride. Worst, would elope with someone else.

"I'm sure Nate can handle it very well... But you won't tell me to come back and marry him, right? Hannah--" She stopped when she didn't answer. "Hannah, he'd kill me."

"Why did you even agree to marry him if you no longer love him?"

"You must understand. This wedding thing's already one year in the making. I've only met Josh six months ago. Don't look at me like that, Hannah. When you meet the right person, you will know."

She rolled her eyes. Olive said it like she's not worried at all sa magiging epekto ng pagtalikod nito sa kasal nito. As usual, she's going for her escape and will leave Nate to fix the mess.

Not that she felt sorry for Nate. She didn't even know him other than Olive's heartless boyfriend, the crazy man who wanted Elisha aborted, and the man behind the country's most successful hotel brand...

"I love Josh," Olive continued.

"I can see that. Did Nate know?"

"I told him."

"Oh."

"Mommy?"

Sabay silang napalingon ni Olive sa likod nila. Nasa may bukana ng silid si Elisha habang kinukusot-kusot ang mga mata nito.

And just like that, it happened. The most dreaded time of her life, when she had to tell Elisha about her mother.