Prologue

HERAIAH ‘Hera’ BAUTISTA

Tikom ang bibig ko habang bitbit ko ang isang shoulder bag at hila-hila ang isang maleta. Lumapit ako sa konduktor ng bus at inabot ang maleta ko bago pumasok na.

Halos puno na ang bus, pero mayroon pa namang mauupuan sa bandang dulo kaya agad akong pumunta doon at naupo.

Bumuga ako ng mabigat na paghinga bago tumitig lang sa upuan na nasa tapat ko. Malakas ang tibok ng puso ko, kinakabahan ako sa bawat minuto na lumilipas. Nanlalamig din ang mga kamay ko at talagang hindi mapakali ang isipan ko.

“Calm down... hindi ka niya mahahanap, hindi niya tayo mahahanap...” bulong ko sa isipan ko habang hinihimas ang tiyan ko.

Almost 3 years ago... I witnessed a murder scene. Isang pangyayaring nakakanginig ng tuhod at nakakapanghina. The killer tried to kill me too, pero kabaliktaran ang nangyari. I almost killed the killer with the swing of my shovel. Akala ko ay makukulong ako dahil sa ginawa ko, akala ko ay dalawa kaming mapupunta sa presinto—pero hindi. Instead of prison, nakulong kami sa buhay na puno ng kasinungalingan na ako ang nagsimula. After what I did, the man went into a coma for a year; my father's men and I took care of him while he was bedridden. Takot ako, takot na takot knowing that there was a criminal next to my room. But then one day I tried to forget that there was a psychopath next door, sinubukan kong umakto na normal lang ang lahat. Na walang delikadong tao na tinatago sa isa sa mga silid ng bahay ko.

Not until one fateful night...

I woke up, with him finally regaining his consciousness. Akala ko'y katapusan ko na, but I found out that he had lost his memory. He couldn't remember even his name. He looked like a lost Russian doll, just a hard shell with nothing more than a memory and will to live . And that's when my plan started. I took advantage of his condition. I lied to him. Dahil sa takot ko sa kaniya ay sinabi ko na ako ang asawa niya.

He ended up believing me and relying on me. For more than a year, I pretended to be his wife. I was doing it for survival... but him..? He believed me, he trusted me, naniniwala siya na ako lang ang mayroon siya. I indeed fooled him. Not until he finally gained back his memory a month ago.

Zeus... instead of killing me—he gave me time to run away and hide from him.

And now, I am finally free. Tapos na ang lahat ng pagpapanggap. Pero bakit? Bakit sobrang bigat ng dibdib ko? Bakit naiiyak ako ngayong naaalala ko siya?

Tuluyan nang tumulo ang luha mula sa mga mata ko. Napapikit na lamang ako't bahagyang tinakpan ang mukha ko dahil nahihiya ako sa katabi ko.

I should be happy, right? Dapat masaya ako dahil nakawala na ako. But no... I don't feel happy at all. I felt miserable. I felt... lonely. I am hurt.

Mahina akong natawa dahil sa reyalisasyon na sumampal sa akin. Hindi ako tanga, hindi rin ako manhid. Siguro nga ay gina-gaslight ko lang ang sarili ko noong mga panahon na magkasama pa kami. Pero ngayon ay hindi na, hindi ko na kayang itago pa.

Zeus... who would've thought that I would fall for you?

Neither I have thought that I would fall for my fake husband that I tried to tame. So please... come find me and our child, Zeus.

THADDEUS ‘Zeus’ VITALE

“So? How was it? Hmm? Kamusta ang bahay-bahayan mong eksena for over a year, Vitale?” I glared at Apollo, the man who had just spoken.

“Woah! You're glaring at me, dude! Jeez, don't tell me you liked your little make-believe scene in the Philippines?” mangha niya pang saad.

Nakatambay kami ngayon sa loob ng office niya—his room filled with monitors and computers, to be exact. Since Apollo was the Cosa Nostra's infamous hacker.

“Bakit hindi ka sumasagot, Vitale? Talaga bang nagustuhan mo—”

“I am not myself back then, Apollo. I was like a

dumb doll, with nothing but the outer shell.”

And yet, I still yearn for her. I am fully aware how fucked up our situation was back then. She made a fool of me. She made me believe that we were a damn married couple.

Pero sigurado akong ginawa niya 'yon dahil takot siya sa akin. Who wouldn't be afraid of me after witnessing me murdering someone?

But then... why? Why did she show me so much affection? Why did everything feel so real?

Why?

Why does it feel like I truly love her?

Why do I yearn for her now?

I chuckled. Apollo raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yep, that is no joke. You're not sane right now, Vitale. You're—”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” I said, laughing. I glanced at his computer. “Go and look for her, Apollo. I want you to find her, right now.”

“What?!” he exclaimed, stunned. I just raised an eyebrow at him.

“You're serious, aren't you?” he asked. I just stared at him as an answer. He sighed deeply. “Yep, you're freakin’ serious.”

“You know that I don't work for free, Vitale. That'll cost you five hundred thousand dollars.”

I smirked. “Even if it cost a million, I'll still pay you just to find her, Apollo.”

He shook his head before starting to type on his laptop's keyboard. “This is a fucking miracle. Thaddeus Vitale, the coldest person that I know, was head over heels for a woman who lied straight to his face. Damn bro, the others should know about this too. This will be fun as fuck.”

I didn't reply anymore; I stood up and went to the balcony.

“Hera... I hope you hid very well so that I can't find you.” I stared at the full moon.

I told you to run away and hide. But I won't allow you to find another man and pretend that you didn't try to manipulate me. I won't hesitate to kill your other man, Hera... if you have one.

Since the very moment that I've tasted your blood and innocence, you've become mine—mine and mine alone.

You have to take responsibility for taming me—no, for taming my heart.