The Late Bloomer

I took a deep breath again and again as I finally knocked twice. And after a couple of minutes a baritone yet cold voice spoke. "Come in." My brows furrowed and my chest was pounding so loud when I heard Sir JR's voice. This is the first time he showed himself to us but... this was not the first time I met him. At sana wala rin siyang maalala pa. Pinilig ko ang ulo at pilit tinatanggal ang mga nasa isipan at dahan-dahang pinihit pabukas ang pinto. Biglang nanindig ang balahibo ko dahil sa lamig sa loob ng opisina ni Sir. "Hmm..." tumikhim ako upang agawin ang atensyon niya na nakatalikod mula sa akin at prenteng nakaupo sa swivel chair niya. "Good afternoon, Sir." I greeted politely. He stayed silently, he stayed in his place and he didn't respond to me. Hindi rin siya lumilingon kaya napakamot ako ng ulo. "Sir? What can I do for you? Is it because I'm late this morning? I'm sorry Sir, there's an emergency in our home, the reason why I'm late. I'm sorry." I explained but he remained silent. Dahan-dahan akong napayuko. Mukha ngang bad mood siya dahil hindi man lang lumilingon sa akin. "How old are you?" Wala pa sa isang segundo akong nag-angat ng tingin sa kaniya. "Hmmm, 24, Sir..." I answered lowly. "Married?" I swallowed as I responded. "No." "Single?" he asked again. "Opo." "Any relationship? Boyfriend? Ka live in?" "Wala po, Sir..." Pilit kong sinasagot ang mga tanong niya kahit alam kong confidential na iyon. Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit iyon ang naging binungad niya sa akin na hindi ko inaasahan. Nabalot kami ng katahimikan hanggang sa muli siyang magtanong na ikinamilog ng mga mata ko. "Virgin or not?" My mouth opened a bit 'coz of his inappropriate question.

Sa araw mismo ng Christmas Day, isang “surprise” ang natanggap ni Shiena—pero hindi ito ang pagbubuntis na inaasahan niyang ikatutuwa ng asawa niya. Instead, she discovers the cruel truth inside the hospital lounge: she was never the wife he truly wanted. Isa lang siyang kapalit. A shadow of the woman her husband, the brilliant and untouchable doctor William, could never forget. Shattered by betrayal, humiliation, and the child growing inside her womb, Shiena chooses to walk away from the marriage she fought so hard to protect. But leaving the man she loved turns out to be the biggest mistake. Because the moment she disappears, the cold doctor who never explained, never cared, and never looked back begins to realize the one truth he was too blind to see: the woman he pushed away was the only one who ever truly loved him. Now that she’s rebuilding her life, chasing the dreams she once sacrificed for him, William is determined to get her back. But what if the woman he broke no longer wants to be healed by him? And what if the child he never knew existed becomes the proof of the doctor’s greatest mistake? … Napaatras si Shiena nang mariin nitong isinara ang pinto ng office. His hand slammed against the wall beside her head, trapping her between his body and the cold surface. His usually calm eyes were now filled with desperation. “You left without a word… and you think I’ll let you disappear again?” “Too late, Doc. You already chose her.” Then he lowered his gaze to the little boy hiding behind her legs. For the first time, the great Dr. William De la cruz looked cruletely shattered. “He’s… mine?” “That was the child you threw away before you even knew he existed.”