جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

YNA arrived at work extra early, hoping to avoid running into Brenda. She needed to steer clear of the other woman—she knew how much resentment Brenda held toward her, and she wanted no trouble right now. She walked straight into the office; it was still empty, so she headed to her desk, sat down, and opened her laptop. But she had no heart for working. Whenever she was alone, sadness crept in. Her mind kept racing to what would happen if her parents found out everything she was hiding—especially her pregnancy. Her conscience weighed heavily on her, adding to all her stress. She scolded herself for being so reckless, for creating this mess—worst of all, she was carrying a child and had no idea who its father was. Where was he now? Would she ever have the courage to even find him? She kept telling herself it had all happened because she’d been drunk, because she’d mistaken him for Janus. She felt so stupid. Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a long sigh. Leaning forward, she

YNA informs her mom, explaining she would stop by the office first before heading out. Marie agreed right away—she knew Alas would be with her. Yna packed a large suitcase, filling it with plenty of clothes and things she’d need.She also wanted to pick up her laptop, which she’d left at Alas’s office the day before; she planned to keep working on reports while she stayed in the village.Alas called to say he was heading to the office too, so they agreed to leave together. She left her suitcase by the building entrance, so no one would ask questions about where she was going.“Good morning—ready to head to the village? And… Maria, you look absolutely radiant today,” Alas said warmly as he walked over, grinning broadly.“Good morning! And radiant? Please—I’ve been beautiful since the day I was born,” she teased, then laughed. “Just kidding!”He chuckled. “I know you are. By the way—did you already ask Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Marie for permission?”“I did. I told Mom, and she said yes

YNA spent the afternoon chatting happily with Captain Larry and the others, who were cooking lunch for the construction workers—an extra source of income for the village.“Where’s Alas?” Captain Larry asked, stirring a pot of stew.“He had to go back to the city,” Yna explained. “He has meetings with investors today. If we can get their support, we can speed up construction and open more businesses here—more jobs, more income for everyone.”“I see. I pray it goes well, and brings nothing but good to our home.”“It will—we just have to make sure no one tries to harm or ruin what we’re building here,” Yna said firmly. She meant every word; she’d never let anyone destroy what they were creating, not if she could help it. Alas’s intentions were pure—he only wanted to help.“Here—taste this,” Captain Larry said, holding out a spoonful of broth. “My tastebuds aren’t what they used to be. Is it too salty? Or not salty enough?”Yna took a sip. “It’s delicious—just a tiny pinch more salt, that

ALAS stood rooted to the spot, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, trembling with a white-hot rage he’d never felt before. He’d seen every terrible second—Brenda yanking Yna’s hair so hard her head snapped back, then shoving her hard against the ground before storming off. The moment word had reached him, he’d abandoned everything and driven like a man possessed, fear and fury warring in his chest. Now he marched over to Brenda, grabbing her arm and dragging her toward her parked car.“Alas—let go! You’re hurting me!” she whined, yanking back.He shoved her away roughly, his eyes blazing as he stepped closer, his voice low and thunderous. “Brenda… I never, in all the years I’ve known you, thought you were capable of something this cruel. Get out of here. Drive back to Manila right now.”Brenda stared at him, stunned. She’d never seen this side of him—cold, unyielding, completely unrecognizable. “But she started it! She—”“I saw everything with my own eyes,” he cut her o

JANUS tried to call Yna to warn her, but she refused to listen. She was surprised he even had her number—he must have gotten it from company records.“Janus, please… just leave me alone. I’m tired of all this drama. And Brenda is all talk—she won’t really do anything,” she said wearily.“We can’t be sure. I just… I can’t bear to see you get hurt,” he said, sounding genuinely worried. Why now? Yna thought bitterly. Where was all this concern when you left me without a word?“Haven’t you hurt me enough already?” she snapped back.Janus fell silent—he knew she was right. He was the first one to break her heart, and now he was acting like he could fix everything.Yna’s anger flared. If he were standing right in front of her, she might have slapped him—but she wasn’t like Brenda, charging in and causing chaos wherever she went.“Yna, I’m so sorry. I came back to make things right, to fix what I broke. Please forgive me,” he pleaded.“Sorry doesn’t fix everything. Goodbye,” she said, ready