Mag-log in"Raegan? Are you awake yet?" I didn't bother replying, nor did I even open my eyes, even as the soft creak of the door announced the arrival of my sister, Ate Raine. I simply turned my back to the door, pulling the pillow tightly against my chest. I had absolutely no desire to get out of bed, let alone move. My body refused to cooperate, leaving me trapped in a state of gloomy, hollow suspension. I felt like a human shell stripped of its soul and heart, completely unable to decipher the tangled mess of emotions weighing me down. I heard my sister's quiet footsteps approach, followed by the familiar dip of the mattress beside me. I closed my eyes tighter and let out a heavy sigh. Her touch on my shoulder was incredibly gentle, but I couldn't bring my heavy heart to react to it. I wanted him here, right beside me. I needed him to tell me himself that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. "Raegan, please eat something, hmm? Matthew cooked your favorite,"
"Stand over there, let me take your picture." Dominic pointed toward a massive, weathered boulder sitting just a few feet away from the rolling tide. I eagerly jogged over and attempted to hoist myself up onto it, but I only ended up pouting when my feet completely failed to reach the ledge. I looked back over my shoulder at Dominic, who was watching my struggles with an amused grin. Chuckling softly, he walked over and effortlessly lifted me up by the waist, setting me securely onto the stone. "Thank you!" I beamed down at him. He offered a warm nod, taking several exaggerated steps backward onto the sand. Raising his phone, he leveled the camera right at me. "Smile for me, beautiful. One, two, three!" My smile broadened automatically at the sheer tenderness in his voice. "Another one! You look stunning, come on, just one more," he encouraged. I couldn't help but laugh as he went into full photographer mode, shifting his stance and bending at ridiculous angles just to capture t
With every single day that passed, Dominic and I did absolutely nothing but lose ourselves in happiness. In the quiet warmth of the mornings, we would lounge together on the shoreline and simply watch the sun climb into the sky. By noon, I would fondly watch him move around the kitchen, cooking our lunch before we ate side-by-side. When the afternoon rolled in, we would plunge into the cool waves of the ocean, and when night finally fell, we slept peacefully right next to each other. He was courting me with every fiber of his being, proving it not with luxurious gifts or expensive dinners, but through his constant, devoted efforts to protect my peace and make me smile. He insisted on cooking for me and serving me from sunrise to sunset. Whenever I so much as attempted to do any chores around the rest house, he would playfully intercept me, refusing to lose."I am perfectly capable of sweeping the floor, Dom. Let me have the broom! You’ve already done so much today," I argued playfully
I had been thoroughly disgusted with myself over these past few months. Every single time Archie’s hands made contact with my skin, I would shake violently from a suffocating mixture of absolute terror and deep self-loathing. It was entirely horrifying how his rough, careless touch possessed the power to make me feel so degraded, hollow, and utterly worthless. Deep down, all I had ever truly yearned for was a man who would handle me with genuine care, patience, and love. A man who would look at me and make me believe I was beautiful. A man capable of lifting my shattered spirits and rebuilding my confidence, but I never experienced a single shred of that with Archie. He only ever made me feel dirty, discarded, and deeply broken. "You are so incredibly beautiful." I truly believed I would never be capable of feeling beautiful again, but under the gentle, reverent touch and soft praises of the man beside me, I felt entirely radiant. We had first given in to our feelings in the middle
"We met back in high school. She was a very friendly girl. Intelligent, beautiful, kind, always smiling, and she was incredibly good at playing volleyball," he began, letting the memories guide his voice. "During those times, I was really into playing volleyball too. When I found out she was trying out for the team, I was so happy. That was how we really started getting to know each other," he said. I firmly pushed down the brief sting of bitterness in my chest, burying it deep in my mind. I told myself not to think negatively. Dominic was opening up his heart to me, and the last thing I wanted to do was interrupt. "That was our ultimate bonding activity, playing volleyball. Whenever her team had a game, I’d be in the stands cheering my lungs out, and she did the exact same for me. We spent so much time together, especially when her team and mine both made it to the Provincial Meet. That brought us even closer. She fell for me, and I fell for her. I courted her, and it took six month
I hissed for the third time as the hot oil splattered, stinging my skin. I instinctively jumped backward, watching the grease jump aggressively from the pan. I was already breaking a sweat, but I refused to stop. I needed to make breakfast.When I woke up early this morning, I immediately noticed that my sister and Lieutenant Trinidad were already gone. That meant it was just the two of us left here. I hadn't spoken to Dominic yet, and I figured he was still asleep.Since he was one of the people who rescued me, I really wanted to repay him by cooking a meal. I stared down at the badly charred hotdogs and let out a defeated sigh. "Disaster," I muttered, lifting the pan off the stove. I set it down in the sink and stared at it gloomily. The hotdogs were completely blackened. There was absolutely no saving them."Why don't you even know how to cook, Raegan?! You didn't even bother to learn," I scolded myself in sheer frustration. "You were way too used to just eating whatever was serve
I had told him that I liked him. I had confessed my feelings straight to his face, yet it seemed the universe flatly refused to grant me the satisfaction of having my words actually received."Hm? Did you say something?" he yelled over the crashing noise of the heavy downpour.My heart instantly sa
Thankfully, Lester's younger sibling was finally discharged from the hospital the very next day. Her high fever had completely broken, but the doctor explicitly noted that she still needed round-the-clock monitoring and strict supervision. This left Aling Maricar in a tough dilemma since there was
"This is Raegan. She’s also looking for a way to earn some money, so I thought of introducing her to you since I remembered you were looking for someone to help you out with the laundry," Dominic explained to Lester’s mother, who stood before us with her hands resting comfortably on her hips.The w
I didn't push through with my plan to sleep that afternoon. Instead, we decided to wait for Lola Aida to wake up, and right on cue at exactly three o'clock, she stirred from her siesta. Dominic took a quick shower after finishing his lunch while I stepped back into my house to change into fresh clo







