Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Groomless Bride: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Hindi ako makahinga ng maayos dahil sa init. Halos maubos na ang order kong iced tea kahit hindi pa ako nangangalahati sa rice.“Alam mo tinanong ako ng lalake dun. Iyong may-ari ata ng resto.”I excitedly listened to her story and where it might be going. Hot issue for this hot day? I'm in. “Type ka niya? Oh. You should give him your socials.”“Ang bilis mag-conclude! Eh, buti sana, kung ganun.”“What did he ask you then?”“Kung mag-jowa ba daw tayo.”I couldn't help but choke on the ice tea I just drank. Pambihira. “Ano?”“Right? Kinilabutan din ako pero napagtanto kong bakit nga ba lagi tayong magkasama tuwing lunch? Wala ba tayong ibang kaibigan?”I couldn't help it. I laughed so hard that I started tearing up. “Wala nga naman kasi talaga tayong ibang kaibigan. Parang nung weekend lang, I was linked to this guy I don't know. Ngayon naman, sayo.”“On a scale of 1-Cass, how single are you?”I rolled my eyes. “What’s the problem with that? I love being single. You know that.”“Ikaw l

After the wedding… The day I found myself again…The sound of the waves was so calming. Ang presko pa ng hangin. Ang payapa ng paligid, but this silence… it makes me want to cry.Everybody thought it was so pathetic of me to go through with the plan. Sinong sira-ulong bride ba ang pupunta pa rin sa honeymoon kahit na iniwan siya ng groom. I was warned that it was a stupid idea. I was in the mood to do something stupid. This vacation was well-planned and already paid for. Kahit sa ako mag-stay, I’d be lonely. So, why not be lonely in a place where I don’t see everybody looking at me with pity.Awang-awa na nga ako sa sarili ko tapos kaawaan pa ako ng iba. I needed this break. I want an escape and the farther it would be, the better.There was a nice restaurant that was playing bossa nova music. Umupo ako sa may bar. I couldn’t have alcohol but at least, I get to enjoy everything else. Wala pa naman akong baby bump and I can’t see any changes with my body yet except for the increasing a

Hindi ko dapat sinabi iyon.I was consumed with guilt and for a careless second, my tongue slipped and spilled information about Jake. I felt immediate regret when I said what I said.Hindi ako handa pero hinintay ko ang reaksyon ng anak ko. Whatever question he might have, I was willing to answer it... but to my relief, today is not the day. Mukhang nakatulog na ang anak ko at hindi nga ata niya narinig ang sinabi ko kanina."I'm so sorry, baby." I kissed his forehead goodnight and left the room.Cassidy: I don't know what I was thinking Ellie o baka nga ay hindi ako nag-iisip. I almost told Jeremy about Jake. What's wrong with me? I thought I had my shit together.I sent Ellie a message pagkatapos kong mag-ayos. She went home... o baka kasama niya si Troy. I'm not really sure. Ellie was planning to spend the night here pero sumunod din naman minutes after Troy left.I was walking back and forth in the room at umupo lang sa kama nang mag-ring ang phone ko, and a notification popped w

“I’m so sorry about what happened, Ivan. I’m okay now. I promise.”“Are you sure? Don’t worry about the kids. They are still playing upstairs. I hope you don’t mind though. I told Jeremy that you’re not feeling that well. Nagtatanong kasi siya kanina kung okay ka lang.”“No, that’s definitely okay. Thank you for covering up for me.”“Na-distorbo ko pa kayo. You were supposed to go somewhere tonight, right?”“Nah, Nate was cool with it. The meeting was also canceled. If anything, it definitely worked out for the kids. Baka nga may iiyak pag umuwi na kami.”“Si Jeremy or Nika?” I asked.“Both, I think.” “Nauna na ata akong umiyak.” I felt stupid when I remembered, in a funny, distracted way.“No. I don’t mean that.”“Ivan, relax. It’s a joke.” Whatever it was that he was doing, well, it’s working. I’m distracted and my mind is somewhere else. Hindi ko man nakalimutan kung ano ang nangyari kanina, I don’t feel the rush of panic anymore. I only have Ivan to thank for that. “Thank you.”“

Halos hindi na ako makalakad ng maayos dahil sa hilo. I was still aware of what was happening. Iyon nga lang, the world was spinning faster than it should be. Si Ellie, nakatulog na sa couch habang yakap-yakap ang walang laman na wine bottle.I thought being tipsy was supposed to distract you until you fell asleep. Bakit kahit nahihilo ako ay naaalala ko pa rin lahat?I'm not drunk yet. At least, not drunk enough to pass out. I remained seated on the floor while staring at the now empty wine glass. Gustuhin ko mang uminom pa, wala na din naman palang natira. One sip made me cry like a dying wolf yet this whole glass couldn't knock me out. How ironic.Pinilit kong tumayo pero nahagip ng mga mata ko ang phone ko. I know I shouldn't pick it up because I may call the wrong person or say the wrong words but as soon as I unlocked the phone, alam kong wala nang atrasan ito.It’s 2 AM. Nothing good happens after 2 am and this could be an example. JACOB TANCalling...The sound of ringing wa