Lahat ng Kabanata ng Her Shield in the Shadows: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

For the next few days, I went back to helping Lola Aida while Dominic was out at work. Whenever her grandson was away, I stepped in to keep Lola Aida company, and over the past few days, I had grown truly close to the elderly woman. I had been staying in Sitio Maligaya for almost two weeks now, and with each passing day, a whirlwind of different emotions consumed me.There was that strange, unfamiliar feeling whenever Dominic was close by, then there were moments I would break down in tears simply because I missed my sister so much, and other times, I would feel an overwhelming wave of happiness just from sitting down and chatting with Lola Aida. That had been the rhythm of my life for the past two weeks.I wiped the sweat from my brow and leaned back against the sofa, fanning myself vigorously. Even with the electric fan pointed directly at me, the heat was still oppressive."Goodness, it is so incredibly hot! Summer is really here," Lola Aida groaned, prompting me to nod in agreemen

Like we had planned, Lola Aida officially launched her small halo-halo business. She started serving customers right at one o'clock in the afternoon, and as the resident bystander with nothing but time on my hands, I happily joined in to help. Lola Aida took charge of assembling the colorful layers of the halo-halo, while I acted as the cashier, eagerly handing out change to our customers."Dominic, we’re completely out of ice out here!" Lola Aida shouted toward the house, where Dominic was inside watching a basketball game on their television. Dominic immediately sprang up from the sofa and hurried over to our makeshift stall.He switched on the borrowed mechanical ice crusher and retrieved two large blocks of ice from their indoor refrigerator, crushing them into a fine snow. The empty container was refilled in no time, and we were back in business."Ma'am, could you add some extra jackfruit to this one? My mother absolutely loves it when there's plenty of jackfruit," one customer r

The days rolled by smoothly, and I found myself settling into a steady rhythm of working and earning my own money. When Lola Aida first caught wind of my new side gigs, she immediately fretted over me. She echoed the exact sentiment Dominic had shared when I initially confessed my embarrassment about overstaying my welcome at their table. However, it didn't take long for Lola Aida to come around and support my decision, fully understanding my deep-seated need for independence and self-reliance.Through my various odd jobs, I managed to build up a modest savings of five hundred pesos. The laundry requests had been pouring in for Aling Maricar in an endless, consecutive stream, which translated to a steady, predictable income for me as well. Whenever I found myself with a bit of free time, I would happily pitch in at Lola Aida’s halo-halo stall. Dominic was equally industrious, taking on whatever odd jobs or freelance gigs came his way the moment someone called for his services.To sum

Thankfully, Lester's younger sibling was finally discharged from the hospital the very next day. Her high fever had completely broken, but the doctor explicitly noted that she still needed round-the-clock monitoring and strict supervision. This left Aling Maricar in a tough dilemma since there was absolutely no one else available to stay behind and look after Lester's younger siblings. Her husband was away at work, and he had taken Lester along with him to help out, which ultimately meant that the responsibility of delivering the massive load of freshly laundered clothes back to the client fell entirely on my shoulders.I was more than capable of handling the physical delivery myself, and I knew exactly how to navigate the roads to the client's house, but... how on earth was I supposed to carry two giant, overflowing baskets of heavy clothes all by myself?"I am incredibly sorry, Raegan. I absolutely have to stay here at the house to keep a close eye on Lia. I really wish I could acco

I had told him that I liked him. I had confessed my feelings straight to his face, yet it seemed the universe flatly refused to grant me the satisfaction of having my words actually received."Hm? Did you say something?" he yelled over the crashing noise of the heavy downpour.My heart instantly sank into my stomach. A wave of profound disappointment and deflation washed over me, crushing the hard-earned courage I had gathered only moments prior and replacing it with a biting sense of embarrassment.He had not heard a single syllable. Dominic Traise had completely missed my confession."Raegan?" he called out, gently tapping my shoulder. When I lifted my eyes to meet his, he raised a thumb in the air, silently inquiring if I was doing alright. A layer of unvarnished concern was written clearly across his face as he looked down at me.What else was I supposed to do? Naturally, I gave him a small nod and assured him that I was perfectly fine, forcing a weak smile so he wouldn't fret. I