Yuka had not heard from Tate since the day she told him that she was pregnant. She tried every way to contact him to no avail. He had abandoned her and the child she was carrying. Never had she thought that she would be in this situation.

She admits that she was not as smart as her little brother, Cosme, but after what her mother and Ate had been through with men she should've known better. She had seen how the two women she loved and cared for suffered because they had followed their hearts. She'd made a promise to herself that she would never be like them. She would use her head more than she would her heart. Pero dumating si Tate and she fell in love. Look what it did to her.

"Sigurado bang effective?" Tanong ni Yuka, taking a sip of the soda in a plastic bag she had in one hand. Bumalik siya sa dating tinitirhan nila sa squatter kung saan nakatira ang isa sa mga babaeng minamanage ng Mammy niya noon sa bar.

The place had not changed a bit. It was still the same old hell hole she knew. There were men getting drunk in the daylight, one drunk was running amok and waving a huge knife around asking if anybody wanted to fight him, sidewalk karaokes, half-naked kids running around, she even passed by their old neighbor who always had a wake in front of his house and was surprised to see that he was still holding a wake. The business was still running, she guessed. This was the squatter's version of casino, umaarkila ang kapitbahay nila ng mga bangkay na hindi nakukuha para gamiting front sa sugal. They found away around legal gambling so that the cops wouldn't be able to do anything about it dahil legal ang sugal sa lamay.

"Oo naman. Ito ang mga ginagamit ng mga katrabaho ko saka ilang beses ko na din itong nagamit." The woman who goes by the stage name Candy said as she went through her drawer. They were now in her little apartment she shares with other bar girls.

After finding what she had been looking for, she turned to Yuka who was standing behind her and showed the small white box.

"Magkano yan?" Yuka asked.

"Para sa'yo, three kyaw na lang." She answered.

"Ang mahal naman, Ate Candy. Wala bang tawad?" Yuka frowned.

"Ano'ng tingin mo sa akin, tiangge? Saka bigtime na naman kayo. Narinig ko naka-jackpot si Saskia ng mayaman." She said.

"Si Ate yun, hindi ako." Her face contorted into a scowl. "Bigyan mo naman ako ng discount."

"Sige na nga, dahil pinauutang ako ng mudra mo palagi noon two-eight na lang. Wala ng tubo yan. Wag kang maingay sa iba, sa kanila nabebenta ko yan ng three-five." She chuckled.

Yuka took out her wallet from her purse and handed the woman her money. The woman handed the box to her and shoved the money in her bra.

"Sigurado kang gagana ito, Ate Candy ha?" She wanted to make sure. "Ibabalik mo sa akin pera ko kapag hindi nalaglag ito."

"Gaga! Depende pa rin yan sa gagamit. Minsan may mga pumapalya. Ilang buwan na ba yan?" Candy asked, taking out a cig and lighting it.

"Hindi ko alam..." She quietly said and she had no plan of knowing. She just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

"Huhulaan ko, na buntis ka ng jowa mo at ayaw panagutan. Hindi alam ni Sasha yan, ano? Di naman yun papayag sa gagawin mo kung alam niya. Sabi ko sa kanya noong nabuntis siya kay Saskia noon na ipalaglag niya na dahil hindi na siya babalikan ng Briton na jowa niya pero itinuloy niya pa rin. Kita mo ngayon, donya na ang gaga." Humalakhak ito bago humithit mula sa stick ng sigarilyo.

Yuka's eyes dropped to her feet. It was only Tate who she had told about her pregnancy. She knew her family wouldn't approve of what she was doing right now. But it was not them who'd take the consequences. She had a lot of dreams and being a single mother at nineteen was not one of them.

"Kung gusto mong makasiguro, pwede kitang dalhin kay Aling Lucille. Magaling na manghihilo yun. Ilang minuto lang, tagal yan." She said.

Yuka swallowed. She had heard of Aling Lucille when she was still a kid. The baby bringer and the baby taker. She helps women with giving birth and with getting rid of it. She used to hear of Aling Lucille from her clients, the bar girls and her mother's friends. She had heard how painful it was and how the women would feel the baby being crushed inside them and how they'd bleed buckets after. One of the women bled so bad she had to be rushed to the hospital. She had to beg the doctor not to file any case against her for having an illegal abortion. She didn't want to take that kind of risk.

"Sa una lang mahirap." The woman said after a few seconds of silence. "Hanggang sa para ka na lang nagpapabunot. Parang nagtatanggal ka na lang ng bahagi ng katawan mo na ayaw mo."

She swallowed. "P-pag hindi na lang gumana, babalik ako."

She hurried out of the old-worn out apartment and once she had gotten out the squatter's area, she took a cab to school. She really was going to do this. Hindi na magbabago ang isip niya. She couldn't let a tiny little thing ruin her future.

Wala sa sariling napahawak siya sa pendant ng necklace. The necklace Tate gave to her. She'd be lying if she says she wasn't scared. She felt so alone and scared right now and wished this was all just a nightmare. If this really was a nightmare, she wanted it to be over so she could go back to the life she had before all these happened. It was going good for her and Tate, she had plans for them, for their future relationship, and now it all came crushing down onto her.

Balisa siya buong araw. She had just been trying to get through the day. There had been nothing in her mind but the thing she had growing in her body. Getting rid of the baby was not an easy decision for her to make but she had to do it. Iniisip niya na lang na wala pa itong buhay. That this was just a tissue cell inside her.

She would never let anything get in the way of her ambitions. Once it's gone, she'd never think of this again. It would be like it never even happened...

"Yuka..." She heard a smooth, velvety voice of a man call her as she was walking down the corridor. Her last class was over and she was ready to leave after putting her things in her locker.

Knowing who it was, she picked up her pace and pretended to not hear. She heard him call her name again.

"Yuka, please let's talk." She could hear the sound of his shoes against the floor, he was trying to catch up to him.

She wanted nothing more to do with Yvo. As far as she was concerned, si Tate ang ama nitong bata. She didn't want to tell him anything about her pregnancy. What was the point anyway? There'd be nothing to gain out of telling him. Things would be much more complicated if he got involved. She refused to acknowlege that Yvo could possibly be the father of the baby, she pushed the thought of it way back into the corner of her mind.

"YUKA!" She felt a tug as Yvo held her by the arm, causing the bag to fly from her shoulder to the ground. It was the bag without any zippers kaya nahulog ang mga makeup na nakalagay sa loob nito. "I'm sorry... I just want to talk with you."

Yvo hurriedly bent down to pick her things up. "I know you don't want to talk to me, you've been trying to avoid me but goddamn, this is bothering me."

Yuka frantically tried to shove her things in her bag but it was too late, Yvo already had in his hand the white box. She could only hope that he wasn't paying attention to what it was or that he wouldn't have any idea. 

"What is this?" There was a change in his tone when he picked up the white box. 

"Akin na yan!" She tried to snatch the box from him but his grip was surprisingly firm. "Yvo, akin na sabi yan."

"Misoprostol..." He paused and stood up, taking a clear look at the box. His eyes widened once he had finally taken it in. Napalunok si Yuka nang mabaling sa kanya ang tingin ni Yvo. She grew so uncomfortable as she knew what she was about to do was wrong that she had to look away. 

"This is an abortion pill, Yuka..." He said ina lowered voice as if he was afraid someone might hear even though the corridor was empty. He had wide knowledge of medicines as he had his own pharaceutical company so he was able to recognize what it was right away. 

"Balik mo sa akin yan!" Yuka demanded.

"What you're doing is illegal." Sabi ni Yvo. 

"Wala kang pakialam! Why don't you just mind your own business?" Yuka snapped. 

"This kind of drug should be under a supervision of a doctor. I don't think this brand has even been approved yet." Yvo knew abortions pills or any type of abortion were illegal in the Philippines but in some countries it was very legal. It was probably some fake pill that hadn't been thoroughly tested by professionals and could have serious side-effects. He knew for a fact that messing with fake pills is like playing russian roulette, you don't know what you're going to get and if you get the real thing it would likely lead to something serious or sometimes even death. 

"Just stay out of it! Alam ko ang ginagawa ko!" Mariin na sabi ni Yuka. "Ibalik mo sa akin yan!" 

"No, Yuka, listen to me, you can't take this." He refused. "Hindi mo alam kung ano ang posibleng maging epekto sa'yo nito."

"I will deal with the consequence myself. I just want to get rid of this..." Her eyes began to start watering. "Masisira ang buhay ko! Magagalit sa akin sina Ate kapag nalaman nila."

Yvo's eyes softened as he looked at her. "Alam na ba ni Tate?"

She slowly nodded her head and exploded into tears. "Hindi niya na ako kinakausap. Hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko."

Yvo pulled her into his arms and wrapped them around her. Yuka buried her face into his chest and began to cry and sob. She let out all those pent-up emotions, her anxiety, the fear for her future, the anger for Tate for abandoning her when she needed him the most... she had let it all out through her tears. 

"I'm here. You don't have to go through this alone." He softly whispered. 

Yuka felt relief after crying it all out to Yvo. He had taken her out to get something to eat. She had been having intense craving for coconut the past fews. Sa tingin niya iyon ang pinaglilihian niya as she refuses to anything without coconut. Ginataang langka, ginataang adobo, ginataang gulay, iyon ang palagi niyang nirerequest sa Mammy at Ninang niya na lutuin. 

The food Yvo had bought for her had somehow lifted her mood up. Ginataang manok, ginataang bilo-bilo, at buko juice. They had gone through a couple of eateries before finding the one that would cater to what her demanding palate wanted. 

Yvo sat across from her at the table, Yuka's full attention was on the food she was eating. There were a lot of questions he was dying to ask her but he wanted her to finish her food. It seemed like she had lost weight, an unnoticeable amount but Yvo had somehow recognized it.

"Itutuloy ko pa rin ang balak ko. Hindi pa ako handa maging ina." Yuka said when her eyes lifted up to him. "Kahit hindi mo ibalik sa akin ang gamot, gagawa at gagawa ako ng paraan. Kung kailangan ipahilot ko ito, gagawin ko."

"Paano kung sa akin yan?" He asked.

Yuka shook her head. "Hindi pa rin magbabago ang isip ko."

"What if I pay for child support? Sa lahat ng gagastusin mo sa pagbubuntis at panganganak mo. You don't have to worry about a thing..." 

Yuka let out a chuckle and it turned into a laughter. 

"Ano'ng nakakatawa?" He asked, confused.

"You think it's that easy? Tatapunan mo lang ako ng barya at papayag na akong iiri ang batang hindi ko naman ginusto. Ikaw ba ang magsusuffer sa consequences? Ikaw ba ang hindi makaka-graduate? Ang mapapahiya sa mga tao?" Asik niya. "This is not the life I want for myself, Yvo! This is not what I want..." 

She buried her face into her hands and began to cry again. She had been an emotional mess lately. It was unclear if this was because of the pregnancy hormone, the stress she was going through, or maybe both. 

Yvo took her hand in his, holding it and giving it a press as if telling her that he was here for her. She lifted her wet eyes to him again. 

"Natatakot ako, Yvo. Natatakot ako sa kung ano ang pwedeng mangyari sa future ko. Ayokong masira ang buhay ko." Humihikbing sabi niya. 

Yvo moved his chair closer to her so that he could hold her. Desperate for human contact, she wrapped her arms around his torso and nestled her body against his. 

"Alam natin na isang malaking pagkakamali lang itong batang ito. Tulungan mo naman ako. I still want to get rid of this baby at hindi na magbabago ang isip ko. Please, kahit ano'ng tulong tatanggapin ko." She begged him in between sobs. "Hindi ba doktor ka? Marami kang alam na paraan..."

He tightly closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He understood her fears. She was still young, she wasn't even out of college yet. He wanted to curse himself for having take part in this mess. He wished it wasn't him who she had been with that night. It would've been easier for them to take if it was just Tate and her. Hindi na siguro aabot sa ganito.  

"In Singapore, abortion is legal..." Those words felt like bile in his mouth. 

Yuka stopped crying and tilted her head up to look at him, anticipating what he'd say next. "I can book you a flight. I know a doctor there. I heard it's a quick and painless procedure."

"T-talaga?" She asked.

"Yeah. Just please, don't do anything stupid while I arrange everything for you. If you take those illegal pills o kung pumunta ka sa manghihilot, hindi mo alam kung ano ang pwedeng mangyari sa'yo." He sighed heavily.

"Thank you." She swallowed back a sob. "Hindi ko alam kung ano na ang gagawin ko kung wala ka. Thank you talaga, Yvo. Can you believe noong isang araw lang sinusubukan kong ihulog ang sarili ko sa hagdan?"

"You what?" His face contorted into a grimace.

"Akala ko kasi kapag nahulog ako, malalaglag din ito." She really was that desperate to get rid of the child and felt extremely relieved now that she had somebody to help her. Hindi niya na kailangan dalhin ito mag-isa. 

"Please don't do that again. There are safer ways. We will figure something out." Yvo said with heavy heart.

A small, tiny part of her was battling with herself. Isang bahagi ng pagkatao niya ang nagsasabi na mali itong gagawin niya, it was poking at her conscience. But a bigger part of her told her that it was the right thing to do. Someday she knew she'd find the right man for her and thank her old self for the decision she had made. She knew it would be a hard decision but it would be worth it in the end. Hindi lang naman siya ang tanging babae sa mundo na gumawa na nito. What rich man would want an extra baggage, anyway?

Yvo, on the other hand, was buying time. He didn't want her to do anything stupid until he figured out what step to take next. He was against her decision as he had seen how both his parents grieved for their unborn child. They would always visit Tristan Zamora Jr.'s grave on his made-up birthday to celebrate it. Kapag pasko, hindi nakakalimot ang mga magulang niya na maglagay din ng regalo sa ilalim ng Christmas tree para kay Junjun. He had always been a part of the family even when he had never been born. 

It sickened him to think that he'd take part in terminating the life of an unborn child when he grew up with a family that loved and cherished his unborn sibling. But if Yuka really wanted to get rid of the baby, it was still her body and she gets to decide what to do with it. He couldn't force her to have the baby if she didn't want to. Sa ngayon ang tanging magagawa niya lang ay humanap ng paraan para magbago ang desisyon ni Yuka. If everything else fails and she still would want to have an abortion, he would still keep his words. Kaysa naman mapahamak ito sa gagawin niyang pag-inom ng kung anu-anong gamot o pumunta sa manghihilot. He'd get him a ticket to Singapore but he told himself that it would be the last resort. 

She couldn't help the smile on her face when she found a bottled buko juice on top of her locker. It had on the bottle a sticky note with her name written on it. Alam agad ni Yuka kung sino ang naglagay nun. She had no doubt that it was Yvo dahil ito lang naman ang nakakaalam na ito ang pinaglilihian niya ngayon.

'Thanks, doc.' She immediately texted him. She was glad that despite what had happened, kahit pakiramdam niya tinalikuran na siya ng mundo at pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa ay nandito pa rin si Yvo para sa kanya. 

'Sure. Good morning!' He texted back.

'Lunch tayo ulit mamaya! Sunduin kita mamaya sa office mo.' She texted again. She didn't feel like eating with her so-called friends. She knew now that Yvo was the only one she could really count on. 

'Okay. See you later. :)'  She read his message. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Dr. Yvo Zamora using a smiley emoji. She thought she was too serious for emojis. 

'Ok, doc! Work ka na, I need to go to my class :D :D :D' She texted as she was walking to her first class, drinking the buko juice he had given her. 

'Will do. Pay attention to your professor.' He answered.

'How am I supposed to pay attention? E tinetext mo ko lol.' 

'Okay, I won't anymore.'

'Doc, tinetext mo pa rin ko e.'  She chuckled after sending him the text message. She just loved teasing him. She could picture him in her mind shaking his head as he would everytime she teases him. 

Parang walang nagbago sa pagkakaibigan nila. They had immediately pick up where they left off. Yvo was the only one she had right now. The only one who knew about the pregnancy other than Tate who had ghosted her. Kailangan niya ito ngayon lalo na at ito ang makakatulong sa gusto niyang gawin.

She had to take two classes before lunch time. The day started out rather normal, she had tweaked on her phone, checked her social media accounts while her professor was busy lecturing in front of the class. Tate still hadn't respond to any of her messages in all his social media accounts. Her second class was pretty much the same, nothing really interesting had gone happened. Except that this time, she was starting to feel a little faint. She should've brought a snack to eat before going to class. Nakailang subo lang kasi siya kaninang umaga. Her palate had been a little too picky lately. She had to force the food in her mouth just so she wouldn't starve again like the last time. Ayaw niya  nang masuka ulit.

The bell rang. She quickly stood up but instantly knew something wasn't right. Napahawak siya sa desk niya nang magsimulang magdilim ang paningin niya. She could literally feel her whole body slowly shutting down on her until she dropped to the floor. The last thing she had heard before losing her conciousness was her professor shouting to bring her to the clinic. 

She slowly opened her eyes. Nakaupo sa gilid ng kama ang Mammy niya at ang Ninang Jodie niyan, both staring at her. She was confused for a few moments, her head hurting almost as if she was hung over. It took her awhile to understand what had happened. She had passed out and was now in the school clinic.

"My, Nang... pahinging tubig..." 

"Ano bang nangyari sa'yo?" Tanong ng Ninang niya bago siya inabutan ng bottled water. 

She gasped when her mother suddenly cupped her breast. She shifted her body away from her. "My, ano ba!" 

"Sabi ko na nga ba!" Sasha shot up from her seat. 

"Ano ba yan, Sasha?" Jodie looked at her, her thin brows furrowing in confusion. 

She leaned over to her daughter, leveling her head with Yuka's, and then looked her straight in the eye. "Umamin ka sa akin. Buntis ka, ano?" 

"M-my..." Yuka's voice cracked. 

"Sabi ko na nga ba! Akala mo hindi ko nahahalata yang pagduwal-duwal mo sa umaga at saka pagiging maselan mo sa amoy." She said through gritted teeth. She grabbed a fist full of Yuka's hair and then slapped her across her face with her other hand.

"Sasha, ano ba? Huwag dito." Sinubukan tanggalin ni Jodie ang mga kamay nito kay Yuka habang patuloy ito sa pagsabunot at pagsampal sa anak. 

Yvo could hear the commotion going on inside the white curtain. He had left Yuka's side to buy something to eat for when she wakes up. He hurried to her area and when he pushed the white curtains around the bed so that he could get in, he saw Migs' mother-in-law with her hands on Yuka's hair.

Agad na pumagitna si Yvo sa dalawang babae at nahatak naman ni Jodie palayo si Sasha kay Yuka. He wrapped his arms around her to shield her and Yuka wrapped hers around his torso and began to cry against his chest. 

"Bakit si Ate hindi mo naman binugbog noong nalaman mong buntis siya?" She said, her words almost incoherent with her sobs.

"Gaga! Eh iba naman kasi sitwasyon niyo ng Ate mo!" Sabi ni Jodie.

Dinuro siya ng ina niya. "Hindi ka na nahiya sa Ate mo at sa Kuya Migs mo, ha?! Pinag-aral ka sa magandang eskwelahan, binigyan ka ng magandang kinabukasan, tapos puro kalandian pa ang inuna mo, ha? Ano na lang ang sasabihin ko sa kanila mamaya? Ano ang mukhang ihaharap ko?"

"Teka, sino ba ang tatay niyan?" Tanong ni Jodie.

"Si Tate ba, ha?" Galit na sabi ng Mammy niya. Before Tate had left for US, dinala pa niya ito sa bahay para mag-dinner kasama ang pamilya niya. It had only been the second time he had been at Migs' home. It was Saskia at Migs who had invited him over so they could get to know him more. Gusto din naman ipakita ni Tate na seryoso siya sa panliligaw niya and he promised he'd be back to continue pursuing her after his game. Well, where was he now?

Yuka swallowed, her throat feeling dry. What was she supposed to say? Sino ang isasagot niya? Tumingin siya kay Yvo at nagtama ang mga mata nila. 

"Ako po..." He answered, his eyes still on her and then they averted from her to her mother's. He said in a more solid tone, "I'm the father."