KABANATA 34Maliwanag.Hindi ‘yung nakakasilaw na liwanag ng ospital o ng araw sa tanghali, kundi ‘yung banayad at malambot na liwanag na bumabalot sa ‘yo na para bang niyayakap ka.I opened my eyes to find myself standing barefoot on soft grass—the kind that feels like velvet under your skin. The air was warm but crisp, carrying the faint fragrance of sampaguita and newly fallen rain. Somewhere in the distance, I heard laughter.Before me stretched an endless garden. The flowers glowed as if kissed by sunlight from a gentler world. The sky was pale gold, like morning caught forever in its first breath.Naglakad ako. Wala akong naririnig kundi ang mahinang hampas ng hangin sa mga dahon, hanggang sa may marinig muli akong tawa—magaan, musika sa tenga, pamilyar sa paraang hindi ko maipaliwanag.Hinila ako ng tunog na ‘yon. Tinabig ko ang mga bulaklak na halos kasing taas ko hanggang sa bumungad ang isang hardin. Sa gitna nito, may isang babae.She looked to be in her early to mid twenti
KABANATA 33The next contraction hit like lightning. Not a dull ache, not the gradual tightening I’d felt earlier in the day—this was a deep, bone-deep tearing that stole my breath before I could even cry out.I doubled over, my grip on the delivery bed’s rails turning white-knuckled. Halos ibaon ko na ang kuko ko sa padded handle at halos maglawa na rin sa pawis ang mga palad ko.The fetal monitor beside me beeped erratically, too fast, then dipping lower than it should. The sound sliced through me sharper than the pain.The nurse glanced at the monitor, then at me, her polite smile faltering. “Doc..” the nurse’s voice was low but urgent.Dr. Vergara stepped closer, her white coat brushing softly against the bed as she scanned the monitor. Her gloved hand rested briefly on my wrist, grounding me.“Amara,” she said, her tone calm but deliberate. “Your contractions are coming very close together, and your baby’s heart rate is dropping in between. That tells me she’s getting tired in th
KABANATA 32Mula madaling-araw ay hindi pa tumitigil ang ulan.It was the kind of rain that clung to everything—light enough to blur the air into a constant haze, but steady enough to seep into the bones. Every drop against the roof was a soft percussion, a heartbeat for the quiet day.From my bedroom window, the world looked muted under a curtain of gray. The sampaguita vines drooped with beads of water clinging stubbornly to their petals. Even the distant hum of the road was muffled by the weather, as though the town had chosen to breathe slower.Umupo ako at yumukyok sa armchair na malapit sa bintana, a wool shawl draped loosely over my shoulders. Hawak ko sa aking dalawang kamay ang umuusok pang tasa ng salabat, ang init nito ay tumatagos sa aking mga daliri. My daughter shifted lazily inside me, as if restless from the weather. I rested my palm against the swell of my belly, feeling the faint push from within.Tita Livia had gone early, mamimili raw siya sa palengke ng mga sariwa
KABANATA 31Apat na araw na rin ang lumipas magmula nang makapag-usap kami ni Draven. Four days since his voice shook as he told me he loved me. Four days since I told him that if he truly wanted me, it had to be his choice, not the contract’s.I thought the air would clear after that conversation. But it didn’t. It only thickened into silence.The days after Draven’s visit passed in a strange, quiet rhythm. He had left without promises, without pressing me for answers. But every night when I lay in bed, the echo of his confession would creep back in, stirring a storm I wasn’t ready to face.Alam kong napapansin ni tita Livia ang malayo kong tingin na parang may malalim na iniisip. But she never asked. Pero ang mga tingin niya ay nagsasabing alam niya, may alam siya. Instead, she kept me grounded with small, ordinary things—tea in the morning, fresh flowers in the vase by the window, and more stories about my mom.Until this morning.Nasa veranda ako, doing my usual sketching in my no
KABANATA 30The elevator doors closed, and I knew.. this time, I wasn’t coming back.When I stepped into my room earlier that evening, I didn’t pack much. Just enough to fill a medium suitcase—a few maternity dresses, my sketchbooks, my laptop, and all the things that actually belong to me. The rest I left behind.I took a last glance around the walk-in closet, the shelves of designer shoes and gowns. They were beautiful, expensive.. but none of them felt like mine.As I zipped my suitcase shut, my other hand instinctively went to my belly. The baby shifted, not quite a kick, more like a ripple—as if reminding me they were there. I whispered, “We’ll be okay.”I knew exactly where I was going.Ang nag-iisang lugar that had always been mine before all of this, my mother’s old house. I hadn’t been there in years, not since she died, not since my father made it clear he wanted no reminders of her. But it remained under my name because of one woman, Tita Livia, my mom’s closest friend sinc
KABANATA 29When Celeste’s scandal hit the headlines, I thought I would feel victorious.But the silence that followed felt.. hollow.Yes, the public was shifting to my side. Yes, I had shed the villain mask they’d pinned on me. But deep inside, I realized something—I couldn’t be truly free, not until Sydelle Couture was mine again.Nang sumunod na araw ay ginugol ko ang oras ko sa study room ni Draven, surrounded by files, legal documents, and stock reports.Sydelle wasn’t just my name. It was my blood, my sweat, my dream. And after everything my father and Isabella did to throw me out, I would reclaim it—not as the broken girl they humiliated, but as a woman who could stand on her own.“Need help?” Draven’s voice broke through my thoughts.He was leaning on the doorway, hands in his pockets, wearing that usual calm expression that somehow always felt like a challenge.“No,” I said without looking up. “This one’s mine to fight. I let her sit in my chair for too long.”A flicker of so