A/N Hello :)

I apologized for the delay in uploading this chapter.

But here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support.

Have a good weekend everyone :)

***

Once the meeting with the board members was done, there was one more thing left to do before I dedicate myself to the pursuit of Jade.

On an early Wednesday morning, I drove the two-hour distance from Makati to the south to visit my father.

If he was alive, I am sure that he would give me an advice on how to handle the situation.

The thought of him gone sent a wave on sadness to my being.

Although the years had passed, the grief doesn't truly disappear.

It fades and lurk in a quiet corner.

When summoned, sorrow makes itself felt with renewed intensity.

I unrolled the window a crack once I left the expressway.

The air smelled cleaner in Cavite and the cool breeze touched my cheek as soon as I opened the window.

It was refreshing to see the trees that lined up the road.

A cool mist hovered on the highway and I smiled to myself.

These are the things I missed since I moved to the city.

Not only that, the rat race is draining.

I find solace during my visits to my father's grave. 

It's the one place where I can be myself.

Just like when he was alive, I don't need to censor myself when I talk to him.

The difference was, now there's only me talking.

Whatever message he had to say must be felt by the heart.

I saw the huge billboard for the Providence Memorial Park and I made a right turn and follow the road that would take me to my father.

The clock on the dashboard read 7:47 am.

Perfect!

I will have the place to myself just the way I like it.

Fifteen minutes later, the security opened the wrought-iron gate to let me in.

The elderly man knew me from my frequent visits and he smiled warmly when he saw me.

"You don't need to sign the visitor sheet Miss Althea," he told me as he pressed the button to open the gate.

I thanked him and was on my way to the site where my father was buried.

***

The cemetery was deserted just as I predicted.

When I reached the lane where my father was buried, I parked in front of an old acacia tree but before I got out of the car, I grabbed the bouquet of white roses I brought.

The flowers were my father's favorite.

He used to give them to my mother when she was alive.

When she passed, he gave them to me as gifts.

I unlocked the car door and got out.

Unlike most days, I wasn't wearing high heels.

I thought of Angel when she commented on my footwear.

She called them deadly weapons.

I chuckled to myself.

I was wearing a pair of black Chuck Taylors, tight-fitting blue jeans and a white cotton shirt with The Clash written in the front, underneath a black hoodie.

The outfit screamed rock chick and I smiled at the dichotomy of my world.

I am a respected business executive and a musician on the side.

But no one will guess that I run a successful company by what I'm wearing.

"Hello Pa," I kneeled in front of his grave and placed the flowers on the ground.

The marble headstone was damp from the mist and I ran my fingers on the letters of his name.

The grass was trimmed and I noticed a bouquet of wilted chrysanthemums on the ground.

"Do you have a secret admirer, Pa?" I said to him as I stood up.

"Kidding aside, I want to let you know that Jade is back and she has amnesia," I narrated.

"Also, I am on hiatus from the company because......" I paused.

"I think you know why," A cool wind blew and I shuddered.

I zipped the hoodie halfway to keep myself warm.

"I don't know if you'll agree with what I did,"

"But you know how I am when it comes to Jade or to love in general," I smiled as I imagined my father's reaction.

He would express his displeasure but would still lets me figure things on my own.

"It's the only way you'll learn," he told me once.

"I don't agree with your decisions a hundred percent but your mistakes will make you stronger,"

"As long as it doesn't kill you, you'll be fine," I could see him smiling at me, his kind eyes dancing as he drank his bottle of San Miguel Beer and smoked the stick of Marlboro.

A habit that would ultimately led to his demise.

"I wished you were here," the tears threatened to fall like it always does when I come here bearing bad news or needing comfort.

A single tear escaped from my right eye and I let it.

Without my parents, I have to figure things on my own and it's difficult.

Being an adult is challenging enough on it's own.

Not having their presence in my life intensified my need to have them beside me.

I thought of Batchi and Wila and how we try to figure our shit out, especially when we were younger.

Our decisions may not be the best but I think we turned out all right.

"Isn't that an understatement, Pa?" I chucked as I thought of the business empire I built with the help of my friends.

I looked ahead to see the sun rising in the east.

The bright golden glow warned of a scorching temperature.

I squinted as the glare hit my eyes.

I turned my head and saw a figure walking along the lane.

The person was wearing a hooded jacket and was carrying what I thought were flowers.

I couldn't distinguish if it was a man or a woman.

All I could tell was the person was walking towards my direction.

I looked away and offered a silent prayer.

A part of me wanted to stay longer but with the hot day ahead, I thought of going somewhere cooler like Tagaytay or Batangas.

The beach was tempting.

It had been a long time since I went on a trip to Anilao.

I didn't bring anything to wear for swimming but there are countless malls along the way.

I could stop in one and do a quick shopping.

I was deep in thought when I became acutely aware of someone watching me.

When I turned to look, I saw Jade.

***

We stared at each other for a while.

Then when I realized that she could be with her army, I scanned the place and was relieved that it was only us in the area.

"We should stop meeting like this," she was smiling.

I didn't find anything amusing.

"What are you doing here?" I replied with a stern tone.

Jade's smile disappeared from her face.

"I should ask you the same question," she answered, annoyed.

I pointed towards the headstone.

"My father," I replied, the tone of my voice softening.

Jade's expression quickly turned to sympathy.

"I'm sorry," she said to me and I nodded my head.

"Are you visiting someone in here too?" The question was pointless because I know her ancestors are buried in the temple.

She pointed towards my father's grave and I frowned.

"I am trespassing but for reasons I couldn't explain, I kept having dreams of this place," she explained.

"What's even more strange was the fact that the images were so vivid,"

"I'd wake up and remembered the name of the memorial park and also of your father."

"A week after I returned, I searched for this place on the Internet,"

" I've visited this place twice since I came back," she explained.

She vowed her head to conceal her embarrassment.

"I don't understand but I feel like an invisible force was pulling me to come here, especially this morning," she looked up and our eyes met.

The wind blew and the flowers from the acacia tree fell gently on the ground leaving yellow petals on our hair and our jackets.

We both laughed at the oddity of the situation.

For me, it felt like my father was trying to tell me something.

A message I already know.

Jade laughed as she brushed off her jacket and her hair.

She was still holding on to the bouquet of chrysanthemums and I asked if she would like to put it beside the white roses.

She nodded and kneeled on the ground.

"How did you get here anyway?" I asked as I removed the petals from my clothing as well.

"I escaped," was the quick reply as she stood in front of me.

"Since the moment I came back I felt like a prisoner," Jade revealed.

"I couldn't go anywhere without my bodyguards and its ridiculous," she sounded exasperated.

"The only way I could come here was to run away,"

"Your bodyguards haven't figured out where you've been going all this time?," I replied sarcastically.

Jade laughed at my response.

"I guess not," she answered.

"I took a taxi all the way here," she explained.

I asked her if she would like to go somewhere else.

She agreed and I walked back to my father's grave to say goodbye.

"I'll come back soon,Pa" I whispered.

I could feel Jade looking at me.

"Thank you for this gift," I touched the headstone and smiled at Jade.

"Where are we going, Liza?" she asked as I fished out the car key from my pocket.

The mention of my fake name made me guilty.

I stared at Jade who was waiting for me to answer.

"Jade," I uttered and my mind reeled from what I was about to do.

She frowned at me.

"I have a confession to make,"

***