I am so grateful that you've reached this point. Thank you so much. May we all realize, especially the young generation, that anchoring yourself into positivity and self-growth is never selfish.Epilogue "How about you, Jacq? Naniniwala ka ba sa 'love at first sight'?" tanong ni Maximus habang inaabot sa akin ang isang shot ng Jack Daniels.I am doing my thesis in my study room, and here they are, invading my privacy. But it is fine with me; bihira na lang kaming magkita. They are all studying in Cebu; I am here in Manila.I scoffed. "That's bullshit." Nag-pass ako sa alak. Seryoso ako sa pagtatype ng conclusion sa laptop na nasa harap ko."Sinasabi mo lang 'yan, pero baka kapag tinamaan ka, wala ka nang kawala," Maximus said as he passed the glass shot to Miles, my half-Irish friend."I also don't believe it; crush at first sight, puwede pa," si Leon."Who believes in that? We belong to the new generation now; more girls, more fun!" Miles, who's beside me, takes a look at what I'm
Chapter 47This is the final chapter. Thank you for being with me on the journey with my babies. Please also support me in my next series! Abangan ang epilogue!"You look nervous, baby." Jacques tilted his head while gently holding my hands. "Come here." Hinila niya ako upang kumandong sa kanya."I am..." Yumuko at pinaglaruan ang engagement ring na nasa daliri ko. Isinuot ko iyon kanina pagkatapos kong maligo. Jacques also touched my ring. I could hear his breathing in my ear, and it tickled me."I promise you everything will be okay, hmm?"I pouted, trying to push back the fear that was threatening to overwhelm me. "I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect.""I'm here for you, sasamahan kita hanggang sa loob."We just arrived at the airport and boarded our special flight to Manila to visit my mother. Hindi ko maiwasang makaramdam ng pagkabalisa."What if I trigger her emotions? Baka kung ano na naman ang sabihin niya sa akin Jacques..." Tiningnan ko ang kanang kamay kong magaling na
Chapter 46"I love you, too, Jacques. Nagsinungaling ako noong sinabi kong hindi na kita mahal. Ang totoo, mahal na mahal pa rin kita nadaig lang ako ng galit noong makita ulit kita," I sniffed, and he held my hand gently. "I'm sorry if I push you away. I wasn't there for you; I'm really sorry."I still couldn't stop myself from crying while my breath came in ragged gasps. Parang pinipiga ng paulit-ulit ang puso ko.Jacques tenderly held me close and soothed my back. "I'm doing great now, baby. It was a lot to take in, but I healed myself for you; I healed myself because I want to be strong for you."I sniffled as I drew away from the hug. Jacques stared at me intently as he wiped the tears from my eyes. "I love you so much, Jacques," halos pabulong kong sabi."I know, and I love you too," he replied, placing a kiss on my forehead. "I'm so grateful to be back with you now."Jacques' touch was gentle and soothing, a balm to our wounded hearts. His words were like a magic wand, soothing
Chapter 45Nanginginig ang kaliwang kamay ko nang pulutin ko sa sahig ang nahulog kong mobile phone. The words from Leon bring a thud to my heart. Hindi pa iyon agad rumihistro sa utak ko."This can't be. You are lying," halos pabulong kong sabi sa kanya. "I'm telling you the truth. Jacques was kidnapped when your family was killed. Dalawang taon siyang pinaghahahanap ng mga tauhan nina Auntie Thylane. She never announced it to the media because it would jeopardize all of their businesses."Napaupo ako sa sofa sa sobrang panghihina. Niyakap ko ang dilaw na throw pillow, umaasang makaaamot ako roon ng suporta.Umiling ako ng maraming beses. No! This can't be, nagbibiro lang si Leon! Jacques was healthy when I saw him. Pumayat lang siya ngunit maayos pa rin naman ang anyo niya."He was so thin when Clytius and Deukalíōn finally found him tightly tied up in a dessert building somewhere in Santander, Cebu. Halos hindi na siya makilala dahil mukha siyang pinaglaruan ng mga taong kumuha sa
Chapter 44Kinakabahan ako habang paupo kami sa right-side balcony. I saw many familiar faces while we were entering the concert hall a while ago. Almost all of the royalties from all over the world attended."Sis, umayos ka nga!" Nala pinched my side.Ngumuso ako. Hindi ko siya sinagot bagkus luminga ako sa paligid namin. Wala naman akong nakikitang bantay ni Jacques. May isa akong napansin kanina, pero hindi niya ako nakilala dahil nakasalamin na itim at may balabal pa ang aking ulo."Parang hindi ka pa sanay manood ng concert niya, e halos siya nga ang pinupuntahan mo tuwing dumadaong ang barko sa mga concert events niya," dagdag pa niya. She then held me the binoculars. Medyo malayo kasi ang puwesto namin. "Baka nga mahuli ako," sagot ko."Bakit ba kasi ayaw mo pang magpakita? Ilang taon na rin, ah?""Wala lang. I'm still enjoying watching him from a distance." Sumilip ako sa binoculars. "Sus! Ang sabihin mo, na-enjoy mo na ang pagiging single. Mukhang ayos ka na kahit hindi ka
Chapter 43"Nag-usap na kayo?" Lucas whispered at me as we fell in line to board the cruise ship. Malayo sa amin si Jacques, nasa pinakadulo siyang pila. Sinadya yatang magpahuli."Hindi," maikli kong tugon. Marami nang passengers at napaaga ang balik nila kaya nakapila na rin sila para mag check-in. Some were so loud that I even put on my airpods to not hear them. Naintindihan naman agad ni Lucas na ayaw ko ng kausap, kaya tinigilan niya ako.I fight the urge to look back again and search for him.Nang matapos ay dumiretso agad ako sa cabin. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a bath. Natulog ako pagkatapos na matuyo ang aking buhok. Pang-gabi ako ngayon, kaya gigising ako mamayang hapon.When it was time, I got up and took a shower. As usual, ay marami nang customer noong magclock-in ako. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I immediately stepped back into the mode of working under excessive pressure. I love mingling with passengers and serving them.It's never a dull