One month later, in the middle of my work in the office of the mayor, my phone suddenly rang, breaking the deafening sounds of silence that dominated the room. "Mr. Emilio, I can't talk much right now. I'm a bit busy in the office." I uttered those words without moving my mouth as we were in the middle of an emergency meeting to address an important issue that struck the city. "So, if it's not urgent, and you can fix the problem yourself, please, do the honor." "It's about Yvanna, Mr. dela Vega. I want you to know that she will get discharged this afternoon." Hearing him softly breathing out her name almost made me depart from my seat. It has been a month since she was admitted to the hospital and within those days, I didn't get the chance to take a glimpse of her because my work as the city mayor and CEO of my empire swallowed my schedule in whole. And I was put in the middle of deciding either to let them continue the meeting without me or just ignore I got th
I, for one, was the first who disagreed with her ridiculous plan. However, it is also the only possible way we could be together - that I could see and protect her every day. So, I forced my arms and legs to crawl to reach the car as much as possible, especially when people started taking photos and videos of me having a nervous breakdown. Then I cleaned my face to make sure Yvanna would not see my eyes swelling. There was also a cold bottle of water in the compartment. I took it and gulped. While waiting for Yvanna to show up, even if I already that I was simply fooling myself, believing for the impossible, I reached out to Mr. Emilio. "Yes, Mr. Mayor?" he asked. "Is the meeting done?" I asked back with my eyes fixed on the main exit of the hospital. "It did five minutes ago, Mr. Mayor. You have nothing to worry about anymore. Everything was all set up according to your schedule. Have you talked to Ms. Summer already?" "Yeah, we already did. And guess
Despite the huge announcement, everyone was put into silence this time, far from the way I expected. It was the kind of silence when we could hear nothing despite our mouths chewing the food, our spoon, and fork scooping in and out of the plates, and gulping the glass of water. I barely heard those sounds apart from my roaring heartbeats. Or perhaps I was the only one who felt the time in the dining area stopped ticking. Well, there is one sound that broke the silence between all of us -- Noah's continuous slurping, ignoring the heavy tension of the elders' discussion. Mr. Emilio who stood in the corner behind me, and was supposed to be the family's legal advisor, kept his mouth shut. The truth is, since my grandfather's passing, my old position as the president of the empire has been vacant. After inheriting everything, I haven't found it hard to manage everything alone to the point that the said position has been vacant and dormant. Dad did not even ask for it
After expressing my sentiments, I left the room and went straight to the airport with a heavy heart. A day of not seeing or hearing Yvanna's voice can make me crazy, let alone, a week. I don't think my heart and mind can survive that long. So on my way to the airport, I reached out to Mr. Emilio and made sure to keep an eye on Yvanna and Noah, especially since I was not around to defend them from my evil family. I asked him that Yvanna's voice must be heard at all times even if my parents or sisters are around. "Mr. Mayor, we just arrived at the airport. Should we get back to the mansion?" My profound thoughts about Yvanna and Noah's safety shattered into pieces by the driver's inquiry. And for the time being, his proposal tempted every part of me; my heart, mind, body, and soul. All of them agreed and had one thing in common. I wanted to stay beside Yvanna, to show to her that I sincerely regretted everything I did to her. To express my pure love for her.
The way we expected, Noah was in high spirits when we told him about us. He even poured us his blessing and that he was happy for having two dads. But I was most proud of Justine when he explained it to the kid from a kid's perspective, allowing him to understand things better, and promising to protect me from those who will hurt me. Even if he already knew that I had a very complicated past, let alone, that I had a kid from someone's dad, Justine still accepted me with open arms. He even treated Noah like his own when we lived in his house for a few days. Because of that, I vowed to love him for the rest of my life with or without my memories. "Mom, let's eat. I'm already hungry." Noah let go of my hands and rushed to the dining area after sniffing the sweet and sour scent coming from the kitchen. "I think this is the farthest I could go, Yvanna." Justine glued his feet as soon as we stepped foot into the entrance of the main house. A part of me wanted t
Ten minutes ago. "Allow me to assist you to the wine cellar, Mrs. dela Vega." the housekeeper proposed. "Yeah, sure. Thanks," I smiled before I stepped back to let him lead the way. The young man also bent half of his body toward me to extend his sincere apology before we began our journey to the cellar. Seeing a lot of students wandering the mansion excites me. Their waves of laughter were music to my ears. I missed being a student. Perhaps it was my sign to accept Norman's proposal to finish my course. "Do you mind if I ask you, how long have you been working in the mansion, uncle?" I broke the silence on our way to the cellar, and we already walked the heart of the forest yet I hadn't seen any signs of the cellar. Based on my quick observation, the man was probably in his fifties. It's hard to find a decent job these days. I, for one, could barely find one when I tried back in the countryside. But the mansion had a few older housekeepers and housemaids.
"Take that away, Justine," I replied, trying not to get affected by it. Noah was just born and was resting in my arms. I was happy, and I didn't want to ruin it. "My husband won't cheat on me. I know him. Perhaps that photo was simply edited." Justine scoffed in disbelief. "Believe what you wanted to believe, Yvanna. Isn't it ironic he was not even here when you have the most crucial part of your life? I messaged him, a hundred times, but he simply read all my messages..." "That's enough, Justine! Please, leave me alone." I begged without even looking at him. Justine did not answer me but he took Noah from me and put him back to the other bed. As soon as he evacuated the room, I rested my back on the bed with the tears in my eyes pouring like an open faucet. I couldn't believe no one from Norman's family even visited me, at least, to check up on the new member of the dela Vegas. Even his own father was not around. "Am I doing the right thing marrying Norman?" I
"Please, Mrs. dela Vega, I simply helped you carry those bottles you asked me for. I didn't do anything wrong." he continued, and I continued scanning everyone's faces until I ended up with Jennifer and Jennie who were like a wet dog being exposed to a blowing wind - scared. But then again, I clearly remember our conversation that morning. It was as bright as day. I needed every one of them for my revenge plan. So I said, "Let him go, Norman. He's been working with us for seven years already. Besides, it's my fault when I didn't follow him right after we got the bottles of wine." After letting out those words, I departed my seat and walked to Noah's room. I spared the man's life, not because it was the best thing to do, but because I badly wanted to rest. Likewise, it doesn't mean I wasn't considering possibilities about the case. We need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened - if the twins are behind it to get rid of me. Even though I was already in No