CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

TRECIA'S POV

"Just why would you even risk your career for that... that guy‽"

"That guy has a name, Dad." I glared at him. "And why wouldn't I? I love Ivan more than anything. More than this stvpid career!" I raised my voice, not being able to contain the fvcking emotions inside.

"You are stvpid! And ignorant. Just like your mother," he cursed, almost as a whisper.

"Being in love doesn't make me stvpid and ignorant, Dad. It makes me feel alive and happy. And mind you, Ivan is the only one helping me survive this sickening life!" This is too much! Trying to please my dad every single fvcking day, and it ends up still not enough for him. Tapos ngayon ay papakelaman niya ang relasyon namin ni Ivan‽

He shook his head as if he had enough of my nonsense words. "You'll see, Trecia. That man won't be worth it. You'll see how trash he will be—"

"Don't. He won't be like you, Dad." With that, I left the house.

I have decided to live separately. Seeing Dad every fvcking day and arguing every fvcking night would be the death of me.

Lagi na lang niyang pinupunto ang relasyon namin ni Ivan, saying that he will ruin me—that he's not worth it. But I know better. Ivan loves me. He will be my oxygen in this suffocating life. He will be my anchor. He won't... he will never betray me.

But then days after that intense argument, Dad threatened me that he'll destroy Ivan if I would not break up with him. So I did the only thing that would save him even if it brought me pain.

It was our third anniversary and I made him hate me. I... I was so close to breaking my act—to crying and wanting to hug him as I asked for forgiveness but I had to hold it in. I knew that my dad sent one of his men to watch me that night. He needed to know that I really broke up with him.

And when I left that restaurant, rivers of tears cascaded down my cheeks. I was in sheer pain. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run back to him.

I was in the middle of crying in the night when Dad knocked on my unit's door and gave me a picture of Ivan kissing another woman just outside his apartment. At sa dating pa lang ng larawan na iyon ay halatang kalalabas lang ng babae sa apartment nito.

So much for fighting for him. So much for defending him. So much for crying for me—for regretting my words and actions.

Napailing na lang ako saka uminom sa wine glass. I wanted to spend my time alone today but Ivan asked me out on a date so here we are, enjoying our dinner.

"Anong meron?" Ivan asked which brought me to look at him instead of the red wine.

"Hmm?" I even raised an eyebrow.

He tilted his head a little to the side. "Mukha kang siraulong umiiling mag-isa."

I immediately glared at him. How can this guy say that he loves me and at the same time makes fun of me? "Don't mind me. May pupuntahan pa ba tayo pagkatapos nito?"

Ngumiti naman siya bago tumango. "Yep. Wala na rin akong ma-post sa IG ko eh. Kaya aarkilahin kitang photographer."

I gave him a deadpan look. "Seriously, Myers."

He just chuckled before putting down his empty wine glass. "Just kidding." Ivan then stared straight into my eyes and smiled genuinely. "I just want to treasure my everyday life with you. And I want to take photos of them to make them last longer."

His words felt deep and I had a feeling that he wanted to say something between the lines. But what is it, Myers?

Ngumiti siyang muli bago niya inalis ang tingin sa akin saka tumawag ng waiter para makapag-bill out na. Once settled, Ivan stood up and went beside me to offer his hand. "Tara na. Baka ma-miss pa natin 'yun."

One of my eyebrows rose automatically. "What is it?"

Ngumisi naman siya. The kind of smile where his next words would be... "Sikretong malupet."

I ended up shaking my head and accepting his hand. Once we left the restaurant, as usual, Ivan opened the door to the passenger seat for me and closed it once I sat comfortably.

Akmang uupo na si Ivan sa driver's seat nang may biglang babaeng tumawag sa kanya. A woman, who just left her car, was smiling from ear to ear as she walked towards Ivan. "Catarina..." I even heard him say.

His shocked face was still intact when the woman was finally standing in front of him. I don't know if she meant it, but the woman glanced at me and smirked before she faced Ivan again and kissed him on his cheek. "It's been a long time, Jester."

The door to the driver's seat was open that's why I could fvcking clearly hear their conversation. "Catarina, what are you doing here?" Ivan fvcking asked. He seemed surprised by the kiss that he even wiped off his cheek, but for me, it was too late for that.

"Oh, I was about to have dinner with my colleagues. But don't you think it was fate that brought me here to see you again?" She even laughed disgustingly and softly slapped Ivan's arm. "Anyways, where are you going? Wanna have coffee with me? I can ditch them for you, you know?"

The woman's face was the face I would and could never ever forget. She was the woman in that photo. The one who was kissing Ivan.

Alam kong kanina pa padilim nang padilim ang mukha ko habang nakatitig sa babaeng iyon but she doesn't se affected at all. Such a thick face.

"I'll have to decline your offer, Catarina. I'm with my girlfriend and we're on a date," narinig ko namang sagot ni Ivan. Buti naman at naalala niya pang may girlfriend siya.

Like what she did earlier, the woman glanced at me before she faced Ivan. "Well, that's a bummer. But you know... you can ditch her too."

I was about to get off the car and face that thick-faced b*tch when Ivan spoke fast. "Definitely not, Catarina. That's not and will never be an option. I would never ditch my baby. So, we'll go ahead now, okay? I've already wasted minutes for my girl while talking to you." Ivan finally went inside the car, started the engine, but rolled down his window. "Bye. Enjoy your dinner." He rolled it up again and pressed the accelerator, leaving the woman outside the restaurant.

We were both silent inside the car when I finally decided to talk. "A past lover?"

I saw him shake his head from my peripheral vision. "No, she... she used to be a friend of mine, but it was all ruined when she kissed me the day after you broke up with me."

Hindi ko na napigilang mapalingon sa kanya. "What?" Is he lying to me?

Nakita ko namang napabuga siya ng hangin. "When... you broke up with me... I... I locked myself inside my apartment. Hindi ka pa nga kasi kilala noon nila Ate dahil medyo patago ang relasyon natin, kaya naman nung nag-break tayo, wala rin akong makausap." He cleared his throat. "Then the next day, Catarina paid me a visit. Ang sabi niya ay napadaan lang siya dahil malapit lang ang lugar kung saan nagpho-photoshoot sila. I didn't want to invite her in because well... I was in a mess, so was my apartment. But she said that I can tell her everything that was bothering me."

Nakatitig lang ako sa kanya habang nagk-kwento siya. A part of me wanted to take in the information, but there was also a part of me where I was doubting him.

"I was going crazy that time. Babae siya kaya naman tinanong ko ang opinyon niya kung paano ba makuha ulit ang loob mo para makipagbalikan ka sa akin. I was desperate to ask for her help, but then, she broke my trust and s-she kissed me. She told me to just forget you and d-do it with her but I pushed her away." Pinanood ko ang ekspresyon niya habang nagsasalita siya. "I could never kiss someone else, because I knew in my mind... All I wanted was you. So I made her leave my apartment. Pero hindi pa rin pala siya tapos. Nasa labas na siya at lahat—galit na ako sa kanya at lahat pero nakuha niya pa rin akong halikan ulit. Napalakas pa nga ata yung pagkakatulak ko sa kanya bago ko sinata yung pinto eh. Kaya siguro ilang akong makita siya, kasi pakiramdam ko, nasaktan ko siya physically, and I never want to hurt anyone, especially a woman, physically. That would make me a bad man."

I was dumbfounded as I tried to fully process the information he had just given me. "S-So you... you never really cheated on me?" were the only words that escaped my mouth.

Mabilis niya naman akong sinamaan ng tingin bago ibinalik ang mga mata sa kalsada. "Sinabi na nga kasing hindi ko kayang pagtaksilan ka. You were my everything, Tres. Na kahit sinaktan mo na ako't lahat lahat eh hindi pa rin kita kayang palitan." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Ang t*nga ko, diba?"

"Stop the car."

Naguguluhan naman siyang tumingin sa akin. "At bakit? Naiihi ka ba?"

Sinamaan ko naman siya ng tingin. "Just stop the car, Myers."

Kahit halatang naguguluhan ay ipinarada niya sa gilid ang kotse saka lumingon sa akin. "Bakit ba—"

I cut off his words when I pulled him by the collar of his polo shirt and kissed him deeply. I was so happy that time that I suddenly felt a tear roll down my cheek as I kissed him more. I knew he was worth it.