Scarlet Letter

“I had you first, and I won’t let any man get close to you!” -Dr. Kent Marcus Smith “I am Kent Marcus Smith, AKA Dr. Smith, 34 year old, a handsome cardiologist. Born in America but my heart is purely pinoy. They say I am a good person-that’s what they believe. What they don’t know is that, I have a dark secret. I met this girl, a beautiful young lady, took advantage of her weakness and innocence years ago, and now I'm back , I offered her to be my secretary and planned to completely make her mine”. “Hindi ko ito gusto, pero kinailangan kong gawin. Ipinangako ko sa sariling aayusin ang aking buhay sa kahit na anong paraan, lumaki ako sa magulong pamilya at ngayon, pinili kong tumayo sa sarili kong paa para makatakas sa kanila. Ako si Mikaela Ramirez, ang babaeng ibinenta ang sarili sa hindi ko nakikilalang tao sa edad na 20 at ngayon ito ay “Sugar Daddy” ko pa. Yes, hindi ko sya kilala dahil sa tuwing may mangyayari sa amin ay hindi ko sya nakikita dahil sa sobrang dilim ng kwarto. Isa ito sa mahigpit na Rule ng aking Sugar Daddy- Bawal ang may kahit na ano mang liwanag sa loob ng silid kung saan kami nag-kikita. Oo imoral akong tao, pero ito ang nagbigay pagkakataon sakin para makapag-aral ng Nursing sa Prestihiyosong Paaralan. Hangang sa makatangap ako ng letter mula sa kanya at sinabing-Hindi sya makikipag kita sa akin ng ilang buwan o taon pero siguraduhin ko daw na walang ibang gagalaw sa akin bukod sa kanya dahil tuloy-tuloy pa din ang suporta na ibibigay nya at sa pag balik nya, ihanda ko daw ang aking sarili. Should I be scared? Hmm I’m not, matagal na akong patay, pero kelangan ko lang mabuhay.”

When I get reborn, I quietly change the name of the man I want to marry the most to the hedonistic playboy in the neighborhood. My dad, who's a political officer, is quite surprised to see the change, but he still accepts my choice. In my previous life, when Dad asked me who I liked the most among the young men of the military housing office, I uttered Judd Garrison's name with scarlet cheeks. Dad nodded. "Judd is your childhood friend, not to mention our families are compatible in terms of social standing and wealth. You two have grown up together since you were kids, so I believe he will treat you well." Later on, Judd and I got engaged and married. Our wedding was a fancy and high-profile one to the point that even the political leader gave us his blessings. But Judd was quick to submit an application to help defend the border half a year into our marriage. He claimed that he wanted to contribute to the country with his efforts. Not only did he abandon me, leaving me to take care of my in-laws on my own, but he also cut off contact with me when Dad was falsely accused of being corrupted. Just as I thought I couldn't function anymore after suffering from the pain wrought upon me by Dad's death, I received the tragic news that Judd had died in a mountain flood as well. Thanks to the devastation caused by both pieces of bad news, I ended up taking my own life by hanging myself. What I didn't expect was that a gray-haired, elderly couple would visit my grave to pay respects to me 40 years after my death. Judd, who should've been dead, had an arm wrapped around my cousin, Megan Whitlock, as they stood before my grave. "It's my fault for faking my death and lying to you, Julie. Back then, I had to marry you in order to fulfill my parents' request. Megan has always been the woman that I truly love. "This is all my fault, Julie. I just hope that you can stop pestering Megan from now on. If you really are resentful, you're free to direct your resentment at me." To think that they loved each other to this extent… Judd was willing to give up on his identity and fake his death in order to get out of his life with me so that he could stay with Megan forever. He even clung to the superstition that my postmortem resentment was the reason behind Megan's cancer. Having found out about the truth, I let go of my obsession and faded into nothing. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Dad asks me who I like the most.