"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" he asked curiously.Natatawa siya pero mukhang marami ring gustong sabihin. Hindi naman ako makasagot ng diretso dahil pakiramdam ko marami kaming dapat na pag-usapan tungkol sa nangyari noon."Anyway, I'm sorry about what happened last time."I'm so glad he brought it up."I'm sorry, too.""You're sorry?" medyo nagulat siya."I mean. I'm not sorry about my decision. I just think it was a bad parting for us."Tumango siya at ilang sandali kaming natahimik. May kung ano sa relasyon namin ngayon. Maybe because I've changed or something but I don't think I could still treat him the same way."Kumusta ka na? I only... uh.. have news about you through the media.""Ah. Ayos lang ako.""Are you alone? Where's your husband?" nagtaas siya ng kilay.Alam kong alam niya na hindi totoo ang relasyon namin ni Damon. Hindi ko man sinabi sa kanya noon, masyado kaming malapit sa isa't-isa para hindi niya malaman na hindi ko naman talaga kilala si Damon bago kami nagpakasal."He's i

HINDI PA NGA ako nakakapagtipa ng sagot, tumunog na ang cellphone ko sa tawag."What are you doing?"I sighed and turned off the lights. "Checking my messages. Why?""Messages from who?"My heart slightly jumped. Iniisip ko pa kung kasali ba ito sa plano nila ni Fiona? He already has the position. The only thing he should do now is to rat my father's plans out and stop talking to me but there isn't a sign he would."From... people.""From your ex?""Puwede ba, Damon. He's blocked here and I am not stupid. I don't want to be associated with him again. If I'll do that, marrying you was for nothing.""Then messages from who, Ysa?""From people. Hello? I'm pretty and I have a social life despite the last months that I was isolated. Siyempre may mag me-message sa akin.""So you're not sleeping yet, huh? You're still entertaining the messages?""Nope, since someone is hogging my phone activity right now.""Bakit mo pa re-reply-an ang mga mag me-message sa'yo. You're exhausted and you're pro

PAGKATAPOS naming pag-usapan ang iba pang detalye at ang constant meetings namin, agad na rin naman kaming natapos. Hindi naman ganoon ka hectic iyong meeting kaya hindi ko alam kung bakit matindi ang pagod ko.Maybe it was emotional stress but I was really so tired. Nasa kama na agad ako pagkatapos kong maligo at magbihis ng pambahay. It's still seven in the evening. I hung around my mother's phone number for a while. Siguro sa pag-aalala. Siguro gusto ko ring malaman niya ang alam ko. Pero alam kong hindi dapat ako nagpapadalos dalos, kahit ano pa man ang nararamdaman ko.A tear fell as I remember what I saw a while ago. Sa itsura ni Papa at base na rin sa pagkikita nila ni Fiona noon, mukha namang hindi niya ito kilala. Kung totoo nga iyon, siguro hindi niya nga alarm. Bakit kaya sila nagkita kanina? Ano ang sinabi ni Fiona? At unang pagkikita ba nila 'to na sila lang dalawa? Mukhang seryoso pa ang pinag-usapan nila.Pumikit ako nang na-dial ang numero ni Mama. Wala akong sasabihin

WHILE DRIVING, I thought of many bitter things. I thought of my father giving Fiona a sportscar. Ano ang gagawin ko kung malaman ni Mr. Vera na galing nga kay Papa iyon?What was that for, anyway? Pantapal sa ilang taong wala siya sa buhay ni Fiona? He'll give her grand gifts?Knowing my father, and how he spoils me rotten, I don't think the sportscar is the last thing he'll give her.What am I thinking about? Stupid, Ysa. If she was his daughter, then he must shower her with those gifts. She deserves it. She even deserved to be spoiled more than you, Ysa. Kasi ilang taon siyang naghirap ng wala si Papa. Pambawi na lang sa lahat ng taong iyon.I don't know why but even when it was reasonable, even when it was what he should do, it hurt me so much. I feel like everything would never be the same again.Is he proud that even without our family name and riches, she built her own name and became a lawyer? I swallowed hard and realized that I lived a lavish life, as a Montero's princess. An

THE NEXT WEEK CAME. Imbes na sa restaurant kami magkita ni CJ Vera, minabuti kong sa isang tahimik na bar na lang. Bukod sa madilim at hindi kami mabilis makita ng kahit Sino, imposible pang makita namin si Papa o kahit si Fiona doon.Restaurants slightly made me uncomfortable. Sa ilang beses ko silang nahuli tuwing pumupunta sa restaurant, pakiramdam ko tuwing nasa isang restaurant ako, makikita ko sila."The sportscar is a new one under the name of your father,"Tinitigan ko ang nilapag ni Mr. Vera na mga dokumento."Makes sense. He can't buy one and name it to someone else. I-alo na kung tinatago niya kay Mama. My mom looks at all our finances," I said. I can't find any paternity test under their name anywhere so they haven't done the DNA testing yet."Namimilog ang mga mata kong nag-angat ng tingin kay Mr. Vera."Anywhere? All labs?""Yes. I do cases like these all the time so I have the connection to each laboratory that does the DNA testing. These are also very private files, b