NAKAYUKO ang ulo ni Jeva habang nakaupo sa hospital bed at nilalaro ang kanyang mga daliri. Mari, Dane, Kyza and Alvin are here, the others were busy. Nerize has a taping, Gwyn has a flight and Lander has a mission. Pero kahit ganun ay hindi siya pinabayaan ng mga ito, here hospital room is full of fruits and flowers. She felt so overwhelmed but what makes her trouble is that her husband didn't visit her. Hindi nga niya alam kung alam ba nito ang nangyari sa kanya because Mari said, Champ's not answering her call.
"Ano na? Susunod din ba yang asawa mo sa gagong Pietro?" - galit na saad ni Dane. "Totoo nga ang sabi nila. Birds with the same feathers flocks together." - he snorted.
Jeva didn't answer. Her head is a turmoil. She was anxious but she still wanted to see her husband and asked him everything that confuses her.
Mari sighed. "I already warned that man before. I told him not to hurt our friend or else, ilalayo natin si Jeva sa kanya."
Jeva wanted to disagree because she promised her husband not to leave him and that she will always believe in him. She's one of those people that doesn't want to break promises not unless she needed to.
Kyza scoffed. "Why do I have a feeling that these things will happened?" - she may be foul-mouthed because she cussed and cursed a lot but she really treasure her friends, she doesn't want them to get hurt. Tsaka, kahit palagi niyang binabara si Jeva ay hinding-hindi kakayaning makitang masakitan ito, after what happened to Shylane ayaw na niyang may masasaktan pa sa kanyang mga kaibigan. Apart from that, malaki ang utang na loob niya kay Jeva dahil ito ang nagligtas sa kanya noon.
"Perhaps, he has a reason why he didn't come." - positibong saad ni Jeva sa kanyang mga kaibigan. At this point, no one will trust and believe her husband aside from her.
Kyza laughed mockingly. "What would that be? Is that having a good time with that bitch?!"
"Language, Kyza." - saway ni Alvin sa kaibigan.
"Why?" - she snorted. "When I saw that news I knew that, that woman is bitch and with what Mari said, I'm positive that spoiled rotten vagina has something to do with what happened to Shylane." - she rolled her eyes after saying her words. Mari told her friends about the video they saw and let them watch it.
"Huwag muna tayong magconclude, okay? Hindi pa naman natin alam ang buong storya." - Jeva said calmly.
Dane scorned. "So, you'll let that motherfucker explain what if he'll lie to you?" - Dane is really Dane. He is always like this when it comes to his friend.
"Ano pa nga ba? Pokmaru yang kaibigan niyo." - Kyza mocked before she looked at Mari who was spacing out. "Hoy loka-loka! Saan na umabot ang imagination mo?" - tawag niya rito.
Mari shook her head while her brows were still creased. "I don't know but I have a feeling that that woman will be the reason for another ruined marriage."
Jeva gasped. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa pinagsasabi ng kaibigan. "Alam mo ikaw," she pointed her friend. "Napakanega mo at napakaadvance mag-isip." - she sighed. "Walang makakasira sa amin ng asawa ko." - she said firmly.
Mari shrugged. "Okay, if you say so."
Dane and Kyza snorted together and rolled their eyes.
"Napakalaki din ng tiwala mo sa asawa mo."- Kyza mocked at her.
"Hindi ba dapat ganun naman talaga?" - pagtatanggol nya sa sarili.
Dane scoffed. "Hindi ba dapat nandito rin ang asawa mo? Pero nasaan siya? Ni hindi nga sumasagot ng tawag eh."
Kyza laughed mockingly. "Baka nagpapasarap na sa ibang babae."
"KYZA!" - Alvin yelled at his friend. Kyza went overboard. Pero sa totoo lang, what Kyza said already came to her but her trust to her husband is greater than her what if's stories in mind.
Kyza mouthed 'what' to her guy friend then rolled her eyes. Sanay na si Jeva sa ugali nito. She is really straightforward kind of person sinasabi talaga nito kung ano ang nasa isip niya not minding if she'll hurt anyone even if it's her friend. Kaya palaging nakakahanap ng away ang babaeng yan.
Alvin sighed because he knew that Kyza would not let herself be defeated.
"Anyway, ano raw sabi ng doctor?" - Jeva changed the topic to ease the tension inside the room.
Kyza stood up. "I have to go." - she didn't let her friends talk 'cause she immediately stormed out.
Lahat sila ay napailing na lang sa inasal nito. Kyza can't easily get over the past.
"Hindi pa rin nakakamove on ang babaeng yun." - Mari pointed out. Kyza has a very bad experience inside the hospital kaya hindi ito nakakatagal sa loob ng hospital kung hindi lang dahil sa kanya hindi ito pupunta ng hospital at mas lalong ayaw niyang makakita ng mga doctor. Kaya mas lalo itong naiinis kay Jeva dahil sa kagustuhan niyang maging isang doctor.
"Anyways, I also have to go." - paalam ni Dane sa mga kaibigan.
"I'll go with you, bud." - sabi naman ni Alvin bago bumaling sa bestfriend niya. "Get well soon. Whatever the doctor tells, inform me." - bilin niya kay Jeva, tumango at binigyan naman siya ng tipid na ngiti ng huli.
"Ingat ka kayo." - Sabi niya sa dalawa.
Dane tsks. "Mas mag-ingat yang asawa mo. Wag kamo siyang magpapakita sakin kasama ang babaeng yun." - sabi nito na ikinatawa niya, kung wala lang talagang fianceé itong si Dane ay iisipin niyang bitter in life ito.
Mabilis namang umalis ang dalawa at ang tanging naiwan na kasama niya ay si Mari.
"Sus. Mga lalaking yun. Kung alam mo lang kanina pa yun tinetext ng mga babae nila kala mo naman lumipad sa ibang bansa ang mga lalaki nila. Tss!" - Mari is the real forever bitter in life.
Jeva chuckled at her friend. "Why don't you find yours too?"
Her friend snorted. "Nevermind. Ayaw kong matulad sa inyo, ano? Malas sa lovelife. Magkaibigan pa naman tayo baka mahawa ako sa inyo. Si Shylane pinagpalit sa iba nacoma pa ikaw naman, itinago na nga I'm pretty sure na ipagpapalit pa sa iba."
Parang sinuntok ang puso ni Jeva sa sinabi ng kaibigan niya. Mari maybe sound bitter and over-thinker but in some point she's right.
"Hindi naman siguro. Baka busy lang." - pagtatanggol niya sa asawa.
"Mahal na mahal mo talaga ang asawa mo, no?" - she mocked. "Taas ng tiwala eh." - she said while rolling her eyes. "Bakit ano sa tingin mo ang pinagkakaabalahan niya at hindi ka man lang binisita dito?"
Kinagat ni Jeva ang kanyang ibabang labi dahil wala siyang maisasagot sa tanong ng kaibigan.
"Ano bang mas mahalaga sa asawa mo? Ang trabaho niya, yung babaeng yun, o ikaw na asawa niya?" - tears formed in her eyes and she keep shaking her head. Nooo. She must trust her husband, siguro may mabigat na rason kung bakit naging busy ang asawa niya. Napailing nalang si Mari sa kaibigan. She looks so puzzled and pitiful. "Siguraduhin niya lang na hindi ka niya ginagago dahil puputulan ko talaga siya ng bayag." - galit na sabi ni Mari.
Jeva took a lot of inhaling and exhaling of air to calm herself.
ILANG SAGLIT lang mula noong umuwi ang kanilang mga kaibigan ay dumating na ang doctor.
"Good day, Ms. Villaflor." - nakangiting sabi ng doctor kay Jeva.
"Good day, doc." - si Mari na ang sumagot sa doctor dahil yung kaibigan niya natulala na baka kung ano-ano na ang iniisip nito. "Kumusta po ang kaibigan ko? Bakit po siya nahimatay?"
Ngumiti lang ang doctor. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'm bringing good news."
Ngumiwi naman si Mari sa doctor. "Anong good sa nahimatay?" - she sarcastically said na ikinatawa ng doctor.
The doctor pats Jeva's shoulder to get her attention. "How are you feeling?"
Tumikhim muna si Jeva bago sumagot. "Okay naman po ako, doc. But, I kinda feeling dizzy and nauseous."
Tumango-tango naman ito. "That's normal."
"Paanong normal, doc? Nababaliw na ba you? Hindi normal ang ganyan." - Mari mocked.
The doctor humbly smiled at them. "For her situation, it's normal for Ms. Villaflor is already two weeks pregnant." Jeva and Mari's jaw dropped. Oh no. "She just needs to take a lot of rest and keep herself away from stress. She just need to take vitamins---"
Patuloy pa rin sa pagsasalita ang doctor but Jeva doesn't hear anything. Lumipad na sa kabilang mundo ang kanyang utak ng sabihin nitong buntis siya. She is happy because she is carrying her love's child but she is also worried at the same time. Bakit ba kasi sa ganitong panahon pa niya nalaman ang isang magandang balita? She can no longer stress herself that is bad for the baby pero hindi niya maiiwasang hindi mai-stress sa ganitong sitwasyon at isa pa, she can't stop from studying.
"Thank you, doc." - naibalik lang sa realidad si Jeva nang masalita ang kanyang kaibigan pagkatapos ay lumabas na ang doctor. "What now?" - tanong nito sa kanya.
"I don't know." - Jeva answered honestly, she really doesn't know what to do now.
Mari sighed and squeezed her eyes. "Will you tell him?"
"I don't know."
Her friend sighed again in disbelief. "You need to make up your mind, Jeva." - and there she knew that her friend is deadly serious because she was calling her already by her name.
THREE DAYS AFTER...
It's been three days since Jeva left the hospital and it's also three days since she lost contact with her husband. Hindi niya alam kung nasaan na ito, kung ano ang ginagawa nito, kung sino ang kasama nito at kung ano pa. She also went to the company and even asked their secretary about her husband's whereabouts but she got no answer and it's really stressing her. It's also three days since she made up her mind. She will tell Champ about her being pregnant and she wanted him to tell the public that he's already married. For the first time she wanted to be selfish not for her but for her baby.
"Are you really sure that it's fine to cook?" - Mari said while leaning on the counter island.
"Oh, please." - she rolled her eyes at her friend. "Don't be so plastic. I know that you are having a party inside your little head because I know how matakaw you are when it comes to fried chicken." - she snapped while the latter giggled.
"Of course and what else can we eat? Aside from frying, wala ka ng ibang ulam na kaya mong lutuin." - Mari jokes.
Jeva snorted. "Says the one who can't cook." The latter smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "Aba! At proud pa." - she said in disbelief.
"Well, at least you can bring me anywhere with lots of foods."
Ngumiwi si Jeva. "I don't want to embarrass myself. Sinumpa ka siguro dahil sa katakawan mo dahil mukha kanang buto't balat."
"Hooy!! Excuse me lang no?"
"You are excused." - putol niya sa sasabihin nito.
"What the hell?! Napakabully." -she pouts. "Sana lang talaga magmana sakin ang anak mo dahil kung sayo yan magmana, nakooo! Ewan ko na lang talaga."
"Ayaw kong magmana ang anak ko sayo. Ayaw kong maging baliw ang anak ko."
"Hey! I'm not crazy, I'm just amazingly amazing."
Hinayaan na lang ni Jeva ang kanyang kaibigan dahil kung ano-ano na naman ang pinagsasabi nito.
Right after cooking the two had their lunch. Simula noong hindi na umuuwi ang asawa niya, Mari decided to live with her. Para kahit papaano ay may makakasama siya. At first she doesn't want to allow her friend because she doesn't want to be become a burden to anyone but her friend is really persistent. Nagvoting pa ito sa ibang kaibigan nila kung dapat bang samahan niya ito o hindi and as expected, all of her friends agreed kaya naman nandito ang babaeng ito ngayon sa bahay nila. Ayaw din namang patirahin ni Mari ang kaibigan sa bahay niya dahil nandoon ang kaibigan niyang si Kyza at ang pinsan niya na laging nagbabangayan. Hindi na matahimik ang kaniyang bahay dahil sa dalawa at kung doon niya papatirahin si Jeva ay mas lalong ma-stress ang buntis.
After eating the two decided to watch television. Habang nagpapalit ng channel si Mari para makahanap ng maganda papanoorin ay hinawakan ni Jeva ang kanyang pulsuhan kaya napatigil siya. The latter gave her a questioning look.
"Ibalik mo." - Jeva ordered her friend which the latter immediately obliged.
Nanlaki ang kanyang mga mata. It was a live conference of her husband. The reporters were asking her husband about Suella, their upcoming project and a lot more. But what made her still, is that, one reporter asked Champ about the woman that he posted on his instagram account but the man didn't answer instead he just smiled at the audience.
"It was you, wasn't it?" - tanong ng katabi niya.
"Yeah. He posted some of our pictures on instagram pero hindi naman kita yung mukha." - she answered.
Tumango-tango naman si Mari. "That's good. Kundi, mapapahamak ka talaga."
Agad namang napalingon si Jeva sa kaibigan. "What do you mean?"
Mari handed her phone to her friend. "Holy shit!" - bulaslas ni Jeva.
It was her and Champ at Nanay Maria's street food house. Ito yung time na nagcrave siya ng street foods. Buti na talaga at nakatakip ang buhok niya sa kanyang mukha. Their pictures on that food house went trending on facebook and there were several comments on the posts. Some were congratulating them, some thinks that it was Suella, some adores Champ eating on a commoner's food house but mostly were mean comments, those mean comments were from those fans who thought that it wasn't Suella and why that woman on the picture FORCED Vladimir to eat in that kind of place.
Fuck! Jeva harshly brushed her hair. She is blaming herself why did she let her husband went to that kind of place. Hindi sya nag-ingat. Kahit pa sabihin natin na nakaface mask nga ang asawa niya pero duh! Sino ba ang magfeface mask habang kumakain?
"Am I doomed?" - she asked her friend.
"Yes, you are." - Mari honestly answered and pulled her friend to give her a hug. "We're always here for you. We won't let them hurt you." - she said while patting Jeva's back as she heard her sobs.
Mari's eyes sharpened. She really doesn't want to look at her friends being so helpless because of that fucking love! What the fuck have you done, Mr. Quiroz?
Nanginginig ang buong katawan ni Mari dahil sa sobrang galit. Bakit ba kasi kung magmamahal kay ay kailangan pang masaktan?
Mari decided to bring her friend outside to unwind. Pumunta sila sa mall and do a lot of silly things together. Looking at her friend laughing in the midst of all that is happening makes her so proud. She clearly knew that if she was Jeva, she can no longer laugh in this kind of situation.
Sa kalagitnaan ng kanilang pagsasaya ay biglang dinumog ng mga tao si Mari. Oo nga pala. Mari is a famous author, maraming gusto makakita sa kanya, maraming gustong magpaautograph, at magpapicture. Jeva stepped back baka kasi matamaan ng mga ito ang kanyang tiyan.
Mari looked at her and gave her an apologetic smile then she mouthed 'it's okay' to her friend and nodded at her with an assurance that it is really fine.
Jeva leaned on the glass wall when someone approached her.
"Hi." - bati sa kanya ng isang lalaking binabae?
She creased her brows. "Yes, hi. Do I know you?"
The latter chuckled a bit and shook his head. "No, but I know you." - he offered his hand. "I'm Janus Kalibugan, Vladimir's star-manager."
"Im---"
"I know you." Bitch! Ayaw na ayaw ni Jeva na pinuputol ang kaniyang sinasabi. "Mind if I could talk to you." - a gave her a very meaningful smile.
I don't like that smile. Jeva said to herself. She can sense danger with that smile. Ayaw niyang kausapin ito but maybe she will know her husband's whereabouts if she'll ask him. She then looks at Mari who is very busy with her fans.
"Yeah, sure." - itetext niya na lang si Mari kung nasaan siya.
The two entered a café, and she ordered drinks for her company.
"How about you?" - tanong nito sa kanya dahil hindi ito nag-order ng para sa sarili.
"No, I'm good." - she smiled at him.
"Anyways, ayaw ko ng magpaligoy-ligoy pa. I'll tell you something important." - Jeva doesn't know but she really felt nervous, she doesn't feel any good. "Vladimir can't go home for the mean time. Mainit ang mga mata ng mga reporters at paparazzi sa kanya. Hindi siya pwedeng makita na kasama ka kundi masisira ang kanyang image at mawawala sa kanya ang kanyang bagong project." - sabi nito.
Labag man sa kalooban ni Jeva ay tumango niya. She wanted to talk to her husband kahit saglit lang pero sa tingin niya ay makakapaghintay naman ito and she can't afford to let her husband ruined his name because of her.
"And if, you don't mind we will announce that Vladimir and Suella is in a relationship para mas lalong pumatok ang kanilang bagong movie." - of course she will mind. Sinong tangang babae ang hahayaan ang asawa niya na may ibang ipakilalang babae sa publiko bilang girlfriend nito. "We also wanted to let Suella claim those pictures that Vladimir posted on instagram and the pictures that went trending of social media." - No! That's too much. That was me! Kinuyom ni Jeva ang kanyang mga palad, she doesn't want to make a scene in a public area.
Tumaas ang kilay ng baklang star-manager ng asawa. "After all, your marriage was just fixed by your mother and his late mother. It won't last." - he mocked at her as he grabbed the latte. "I'll take this. I won't stay any longer."
Hinayaan niyang umalis ang baklang manager. How dare he?! Sino ba ito para sabihin sa kanya ang ganung mga bagay? Mas lalong humigpit ang pagkakuyom niya sa kanyang mga palad. Gustong-gusto niyang magwala. Gustong-gusto niyang pilipitin ang leeg ng baklang iyon dahil wala itong karapatang pangunahan siya at magdesisyon para sa kanilang relasyon.
Marahas na tinuyo ni Jeva ang kanyang mga luha bago lumayo sa lugar na iyon.
Jeva was half running habang pinupunasan ang kanyang mga luha. "What the fuck?! Bakit ayaw niyong tumigil?!" Jeva wanted to break down, she wanted to drive herself away from this crowded when she suddenly felt her stomach twitching in pain.
Napahawak siya sa tiyan niya dahil sa sobrang sakit at sumandal sa pinakamalapit na pader. She can feel the hot liquid rolled down to her legs. No! No! No! Help me-- I can't lose my baby.
Her eyes were half closed when someone grabbed her arms. "Jeva, hey!" - tinapik nito ang kanyang pisngi. Her eyes were blurry. She didn't know who this man was but she really needed help.
"H-help -- my b-baby." - she uttered helplessly. She heard the man cussed multiple times before she passed out.
"Naloko na." - the man uttered before carrying her and bringing her to the nearest hospital.