SweetestI didn’t know how he found out I was frequent at the hospital. Maybe he had me followed all these days. At ang kaalamang iyon ay lalo lang nagpasidhi ng galit ko.At ano raw? B-Boyfriend? Nababaliw na ba siya?“Ano’ng boyfriend pinagsasasabi mo riyan? Huwag ka ngang patawa. I have a fiance. And me being in this madness won’t change that fact,” angil ko.His hold on me loosened up but he didn’t let go. He looked flustered for a moment and went berserk again. He smirked angrily and tilted his head on the other side.“Baka nakakalimutan mo kung ano’ng nakataya rito? It’s your father’s freedom that’s at stake here, Miss Villareal. One more act that could ruin my plan and our deal’s done,” he uttered.Galit ko siyang itinulak at agad nang umalis sa lugar na iyon bago pa ako tuluyang sumabog sa galit. Naiiyak na ako sa kawalang magawa. And thinking about the possibilities of all of these is killing me.I am in the verge of breaking down. Kung pwede lang at may paraan lang para maka

DumbfoundedMaybe it was because of the gentle breeze, or the soothing sound of the little waves that resonates every time they clash with each other, or maybe it was the heart of the sun that hits his skin making it glow like the waters being hit by the rays. I don’t know. And I refuse to acknowledge whatever it is that he’s making me feel. I looked away and gaze at the waves instead, pretending I didn’t hear any of it. Nor did I understood the anger that I saw awhile ago. “This place is beautiful,” I muttered mindlessly. Unti-unting luminaw sa paningin ko ang papalapit na yate. It stopped just a few meters from the shore. “Sa inyo rin ba iyon?” I pointed at the yacht and briefly looked at him. Sinundan niya ng tingin ang itinuturo ko. “Yeah,” tipid niyang sambit. I nodded trying to fathom in my head how freaking rich his family is to own a chopper and a yacht. I’ve read some magazines featuring them a long time ago. Hindi ko lang pinagtuunan ng pansin dahil hindi naman ako inter

PatheticTuluyan lang akong nakahinga nang malalim nang mapag-isa sa kwarto. I must have been crazy to let him hug me like that. I’d like to think I was just carried away by the mood and by guilt for his birthday. When we don’t even get along well until now. O kung matatawag ko nga bang ‘maayos’ ang turingan namin ngayon.I’m still angry with the situation I am in. And I don’t think I would ever get over it. Lalo pa’t habang dumadaan ang mga araw na ginagawa ko ito, pabigat nang pabigat ang guilt na nararamdaman ko.I looked at my phone to see if Jade had left me updates about Francis, pero wala. Hindi ko alam kung mapapanatag ba ako o lalong mag-aalala. Sinabihan ko pa naman sina tita Dehlia na dadalaw ako kapag walang trabaho. I wonder if we would be going home early tomorrow?I just changed into casual clothes. Wala rin naman akong planong maligo dahil malamig na so I didn’t bother packing a swimsuit. Hindi rin naman kami magpapalipas ng gabi roon so I think it’s fine not to bring

EngagementI barely moved from where I was standing. Halos mabingi ako sa katahimikan nang magpatuloy si tita Dehlia sa paglapit. I can sense her anger and I couldn’t look at her straight.“Ano’ng ginagawa mo rito?” Malamig niyang tanong.I closed my fist tight as I weave the words inside my head. I didn’t know what to say but judging from her coldness towards me, even if I explain myself right now, it wouldn’t help. Pero gusto kong magbakasakali, na sana maging bukas ang isipan nila sa paliwanag ko.“Gusto ko pong makita si Francis,” pigil ang emosyon kong sambit.“Alam mo parang anak na ang turing ko sa iyo. Masaya akong nakikitang masaya ang anak ko dahil sa iyo, dahil iyon lang naman ang gusto ko. Ang makita silang masaya. At nakikita ko ring mahal mo ang anak ko, kaya hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit mo nagawa sa kanya ito,” nanginginig ang boses na aniya.Para akong sinaksak ng ilang beses sa narinig. Marahas kong pinalis ang luhang naglandas sa pisngi ko pero lalo lang lumala a

DevastatinglyLideon got me dolled up for the interview. Sa hotel room pa lang kung saan ako naghanda ay hindi na ako mapakali at panay ang lakad ko kung saan-saan. I can’t go out too in fear that one of the reporters would see me. Sinabihan na rin ako ni Lideon na huwag nang pumunta kung saan-saan.I looked at my reflection in the mirror once again to straighten up my face. Halos hindi ko nakilala ang sarili matapos akong ayusan kani-kanina lang. The make-up artist managed to highlight my natural look with light touches. At mula sa nakasanayang ponytail at bun ay inilugay ang light brown at maalon kong buhok. I don’t usually wear this hairstyle because I thought it’s messy to look at. Bumagay rin sa maputla kong balat ang maroon at tube-type na dress. Ang sabi ng stylist na nag-ayos sa akin kanina ay si Lideon mismo ang pumili niyon, pati na rin ang heels at accessories na suot-suot ko ngayon.I haven’t seen him after he picked me up early this morning. Halos kagigising ko lang niyon