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CHAPTER 4

I rushed back to Thalestris when I heard her crying. She immediately stood up in her crib, reaching out for me. I couldn't help but smile because she looked so adorable.

"Baby, what's wrong?" malambing kong tanong sa kanya.

Yumuko ako at binuhat siya para aluhin ito sa kanyang pag iyak.

"Do you want some love-love?" I softly asked her while gently stroking her hair.

"Mama," mahina nitong wika at sinandal ang ulo sa aking balikat.

A smile formed on my lips because of her sweetness. I reattached Thalestris' baby carrier and placed her inside. After that, I sat back in my seat and looked at myself in the small mirror I had brought. Minu-minuto kong tinitignan ang mukha ko roon para tignan ang pasa ko.

Nahuhulas kasi ang sout kong makeup kaya kailangan ko ulit magretouch. Mahirap na at baka mapansin pa nila. I almost dropped the mirror when my phone suddenly buzzed with a notification.

Davis:

We're going to the mall after I go home.

Cheska:

Okay.

After I sent my reply, I tucked my phone into my pocket and focused on watching over Thalestris and also assisted the customers who came in. Ang bigat ng pakiramdam ko ngayon, ramdam na ramdam ko na ang pagod ng buong katawan ko. Mabuti nga at nakakaya ko pa.

Hindi naman mahirap ang trabaho ko rito. In fact, our boss is really kind, and I'm very lucky for that. After a few hours, it's now our break time, so I'm eating the food I brought. I ate quietly while feeding Thalestris. Pagkatapos nito ay papatulugin ko na siya para hindi ako mahirapan sa gagawin ko rito sa shop.

"Cheska? Nandiyan kana pala. I have a favor. The technician who will install the CCTV is about to arrive. Just assist him when he gets here. I really need to use the bathroom, sorry!" nagmamadaling wika ni Mica at hindi na hinintay ang sagot ko.

I softly laughed and shook my head. I cleaned up my food and then laid Thalestris in her crib as she fell asleep in my arms. I retouched up my makeup before waiting for the technician to install our new CCTV.

"Cheska! Patulong na lang sa mag-aayos ng CCTV. I'm busy in my office. Sorry about that," my boss greeted me with a smile as she just entered the shop.

Ningitian ko siya at tumango. "Okay lang po. Ako na po bahala sa mag-aayos ng CCTV."

Tumango siya akin. "Thank you!"

I continued to watch her until she entered her office. Inunat ko muna ang aking katawan at pumunta na sa aking pwesto habang hinihintay ang magkakabit ng CCTV.

I was looking down while cleaning the glass that displayed the jewelry and pearls we were selling. My ears perked up when I heard the bell on the door ring, meaning a customer had entered.

"Welcome—"

My smile faded when I saw who had entered. His skin was fair, and it was clear he took good care of his body since I could see his biceps through the black tank top he was wearing. His black hair was messy, and his narrow, serious eyes stared at me. It was Louie.

Siya ang mag-kakabit ng CCTV!? I blink a few times when I hear him clear his throat at me. I immediately felt embarrassed. I fixed myself and then spoke.

"Welcome, Sir. Ikaw mag-aayos ng CCTV?" I asked.

He kept looking at me, nodding while his hands were tucked into the pockets of his gray shorts. An army green bag was slung over his shoulder, and I guessed it contained the tools he'd use to install the CCTV in our shop.

He met my gaze. Nothing had changed. I could feel him so intensely, deep within me. And now, being so close to him, I saw his face even more clearly—unlike the first time he appeared, or maybe I was just deluding myself.

"Where's the main unit of the CCTV's in this store?" he asked me while he was scanning the entire shop.

Grabe ang puso ko ramdam na ramdam ko ang pag-bilis ng tibok no'n. Tuwang tuwa sila na makita ko si Louie. I gave him a brief smile and stepped away from my spot, trying to figure out how to calm myself now that he was here, right in front of me.

"This way, sir," tugon ko at naunang mag-lakad.

I could feel him following me, making my heartbeat race even faster! I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself as I reached the door. Huminga muna ako ng malalim bago 'yon buksan.

As soon as we entered, the air conditioner was already on. I grabbed an empty chair and handed it to him while I remained standing at his side, observing what he was about to do. Maingat niyang nilapag ang backpack nito sa malaking puting center table at may nilabas na dalawang laptop na sa tingin ko ay sobrang mamahalin no'n.

Sa harapan namin ay may maraming screen dahil dito namin namomonitor lahat ng mga CCTV sa buong store.

Ang mga dala nitong CCTV na ipapalit sa luma naming CCTV ay naikabit na dahil sa mga kasamahan nito. The process went by quickly, and now Louie seemed to be adjusting the system to ensure we could access all the cameras from the security room.

I was startled when his gaze suddenly lifted to meet mine. Kumunot ang aking noo at napaatras dahil doon. Why is he looking at me?

"What are you doing?" seryoso nitong tanong, nakakunot ang noo nito habang nakatingin sa akin.

Bumilis ang tibok ng aking puso at awtomatikong tinago ang palad sa aking likod dahil nararamdaman ko na nanginginig iyon. The deafening sound of my heartbeat was all I could hear, as if it were the only noise filling the entire room. My breathing grew faster, and I noticed the confusion in his eyes as he observed me. I can't breathe properly... I'm having a panic attack!

"Cheska?" narinig ko ang pag-aalala sa kanyang boses ng banggitin niya ang aking ngalan. "Are you okay?"

I blink upon hearing the tone of his voice. Was he worried? I knew he was—because I knew him too well. I knew my Louie.

"I-i'm okay," nauutal kong sagot.

Calm down, Cheska. You know him—he won't hurt you. He's not going to do what Davis did to you.

"Anong gagawin mo?" Nauutal kong tanong sa kanya.

His brows almost met at my words, clearly showing that he's confused about what's happening. "What?"

Halata sa kanyang mukha ang pagtataka dahil sa naging tanong ko. He grabbed a chair, holding onto its backrest. It felt like my feet had a mind of their own as they moved backward, away from him.

A thought crossed my mind—what if he threw it at me? Because of how much I backed away, I bumped into a mini table with a statue on top. I quickly caught it and hurriedly placed it back in its spot.

"What's the matter with you? I'm just giving this chair to you. You do not work for me. It's inappropriate for you to stand beside me," sambit nito habang nakatingin sa akin.

Dahil sa sinabi nito parang nabunutan ako ng tinik sa dibdib. My breathing eased, and I finally calmed down. Even though my hands were still trembling, I accepted it and sat down. He, on the other hand, remained standing, leaning against the long table. His legs were crossed, with his laptop in his left hand while his right hand typed on the keyboard.

Yumuko na lang ako at pinaglaruan ang daliri ko habang binabantayan siya. Sa tingin ko ay umabot pa 'yon ng ilang oras at nagising na si Thalestris sa pagkakatulog nito. Si Mica na ang nagdala no'n sa akin.

I smiled as I played with Thalestris' fingers. She giggled and pointed at Louie, who was focused on his laptop.

"Dada, Mama?" tanong sa akin ni Thalestris.

Mahina akong natawa at pinisil ang kanyang ilong. "No, baby. He's our visitor."

She just giggled. I glanced at Louie as he closed his laptop—it looked like he was done. I stood up and carried Thalestris. Binalik niya lahat ng gamit sa bag na dala niya at binuksan ang pintuan. Hinawakan ko 'yon at pauunahin na sana siya ng parehas kaming natigilan.

"Lady and baby first," seryoso niyang sambit sa akin.

I swallowed hard and just followed what he said. He walked ahead to talk to our boss. He was offered some food, but he declined, saying he still had somewhere to go.

"Cheska, ihatid mo muna siya sa labas ng shop," utos sa akin ni boss.

"Okay," sagot ko at tumango.

Ningitian niya lang ako at pinagpatuloy na ang kanyang ginagawa. Nakasunod lang ako kay Louie hanggang sa makalabas kami. Muli na naman akong nabigla ng harapin niya ako.

"By the way, thank you for installing and fixing the CCTV in our shop," I said gratefully as we stepped outside.

"What's her name?" bigla nitong tanong.

I lifted my head to look at him. His gaze shifted to Thalestris. Tahimik lang sa aking bisig at nagmuni muni.

"Thalestris," I quickly responded, gently stroking my Thalestris hair while looking at him. "Her name is Thalestris."

He nodded slowly and gave me a small smile. "That's beautiful," sagot nito.

A smile formed on my lips as I continued looking at him. Silence filled the space between us, and neither of us seemed willing to break the moment. May kung anong gustong tumulak sa akin na yakapin ko ito, pero ayaw ko. Ayaw ko magpatukso.

"Louie, I missed you," bigla na lang iyon lumabas sa aking bibig. My voice was soft when I said it, but I knew he heard it.

My vision blurred again as tears threatened to fall. I saw his slightly narrow eyes widen at my words. It took a few seconds before he finally spoke, a smile forming on his lips.

"Me too. I'm happy for you, Cheska. You have a happy family," tugon nito at mahinang pinisil ang pisngi ni Thalestris. "And you already had a beautiful baby girl," nakangiti niyang wika.

Something was bothering me because of the tone of his voice. It felt different, like he was holding something back from telling me. Nangungusap ang kanyang mga mata habang nakatingin sa akin.

There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't. I didn't want to drag him into the mess of my life, so maybe it was better to just stay silent. My life had never been good since I married Davis, Louie. It was miserable, and never in my life was I truly happy. Para akong bata na nakahanap ng kakampi ngayon at gusto kong mag sumbong sa kanya, pero hindi ko magawa.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Why are you walking so slow?" iritadong tanong ni Davis sa akin.

We are at the mall now, shopping for the long gown I will wear to the charity ball we will be attending. Panong hindi maghahabol sa kanya, eh ang bilis niyang maglakad na akala mo ay parang may hinahabol.

"You're walking too fast, Davis—" I said as I continued chasing after him.

"Will you please shut up? " He whispered firmly to me, "Kanina pa ako nagtitimpi sa'yo sa sobrang bagal mong kumilos at baka masaktan pa kita sa harap ng maraming tao," galit na galit nitong wika sa akin.

"You were complaining to me earlier, and now that I'm answering you, you're telling me to be quiet?" tumaas ang tono ng aking boses dahil sa sinabi nito kahit na kinakabahan sa kanya.

Mas lalong nanlisik ang kanyang mga mata dahil sa biglang pagsagot ko. Ngayon ay parehas na kaming nakakunot ang noo sa isa't isa. I didn't respond anymore and just kept my mouth shut until we arrived at the shop where we bought the gown I was going to wear. Hindi na ako nagsalita at hinayaan na siya ang pumili sa su-suotin ko.

He chose an emerald turtleneck long-sleeve gown and a pair of clear high heels. I knew exactly why he picked that—so my parents wouldn't see the bruises on my body because my parents were there too. He also bought some accessories and other things.

"I think that's enough, Davis."

He just nodded at me, and we headed straight to the cashier to pay. After settling the bill, we made our way to the parking lot to go home. As I sat quietly in the passenger seat, I noticed something strange—Davis seemed to be taking a different route than usual. Kunot noo ko siyang nilingon.

"Davis, where are we going? This isn't the way home," I asked him in confusion.

He glanced at me quickly before returning to the road and gave me a small, reserved smile. I felt his palm on my thigh—his right hand resting there while he drove. A shiver ran through my body as he slowly moved his hand up and down, caressing my thigh.

Napatingin ako sa bintana at agad na kinabahan ng makita kung saan kami pupunta. The moment I saw the name, I already had an idea of what was about to happen. It was a famous five-star hotel near our area.

Nilingon ko si Davis. "Let's go home—"

"Hon, we rarely get quality time together," pag-putol nito sa aking sinabi.

"Are you serious? We still need to pick up Thalestris from where we left her. You're just wasting your money here—" sambit ko pero hindi na naman ulit natapos.

"You know, what I hate the most is when someone always goes against what I say," He spoke to me through gritted teeth, his gaze sharp and almost piercing.

Pero hindi ako nagpatalo sa mga tingin nito. Mas matalim na tingin ang aking binigay sa kanya.

"I'm going to jump if we're not going back, Davis. I swear," pananakot ko sa kanya.

The car was filled with his laughter as he completely ignored me. When we reached the parking lot, he turned to face me. I was taken by surprise when he suddenly cupped my jaw, making me wince in pain. Before I could protest, he shoved a pill into my mouth and forced me to swallow it with water. I coughed and gasped, struggling against him.

"Bakit ba ang hilig mong manlaban? Nag iinarte ka pa, eh minsan na nga lang tayong magkasamang dalawa hindi mo pa ako pagbibigyan."

Anger burned in my chest. I even managed to hit him with my bag, but my strength quickly faded because of the pill he had forced me to take.

I no longer knew what was happening as the effects of the drug took over me. My mind and body felt like they were floating, and worst of all, I could feel a strange heat spreading through my entire being.

He lifted me out of the car in a bridal style, draping his suit jacket over my shorts for cover. A feverish heat spread through my body, it was so intense that I can feel it escaping through my eyes. I struggled to catch my breath while clutching onto him tightly. I was overwhelmed by the sensation.

"Stay close to me," he whispered to me. 

SHANGPU