جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 180

JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV My eyes slowly open. And for a moment, I didn’t understand what I was looking at. Because everything around me is white. An endless white. No ceiling, no floor and no walls. Just a vast, quiet emptiness that stretched in every direction. I frowned slightly, my brows knitting together as I pushed myself up. My body felt… light. “…Hello?” bulalas ko sa isang mababang tono. Suddenly, my voice echoed.. everywhere. Naghintay ako ng ilang segundo ngunit wala akong natanggap na sagot. I turned my head, scanning the space around me. Still nothing. “…Kael?” I tried again. Silence. A strange feeling crept into my chest. Not fear. Not yet. Just… confusion. “What the h*ll is this place…” I muttered under my breath. I stood up slowly. Or floated... I couldn’t even tell anymore. Because when I looked down, there was no ground beneath my feet. No sense of direction. Just white. Endless white. I took a step forward. Then another. Each movement felt unreal…

ELOWEN GARCIA'S POV (.... Continuation) “Jacob Aldeguire…” tawag ng pari. Bahagyang tumuwid si Jacob, pero hindi niya binitawan ang kamay ko. “Do you take Elowen Garcia to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love her, protect her, and stand beside her… in every circumstance life may bring?” Hindi siya agad sumagot. Sa halip… tumingin muna siya sa akin. Nang magkatinginan ay sumilay ang matamis na ngiti sa labi niya bago muling humarap sa pari. “I do,” mahina pero buo niyang sabi. Napangiti ako. “Elowen Hernandez..." the priest called me. Napalunok ako. “Do you take Jacob Aldeguire to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love him, trust him, and stay by his side… no matter what lies ahead?” Bahagyang nanginginig ang daliri ko sa pagkakahawak sa kanya. Pero hindi dahil sa takot. Kundi dahil sa dami ng pinagdaanan namin. At kung paano kami umabot dito. “I do,” sagot ko. At sa dalawang salitang iyon… parang tuluyan nang kumpleto ang lahat. “Now… the vows.”

JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV Pagpasok ko sa loob ng bahay...unang sumalubong sa akin ang masarap na amoy ng ulan na nanggagaling mula sa kusina. Napangiti ako. Unti-unting niluwagan ang suot kong necktie, sabay lapag ng gamit ko sa maliit na lamesa. "Baby..." I said as I started walking towards the kitchen area. At sa mga sandaling nakatayo na ako sa pintuan ng kusina ay huminto ako sa paghakbang. Muling kumurba ang ngiti sa aking labi at dahan-dahang sumandal sa gilid ng pintuan. Habang naka-krus ang mga braso. I stared at Elowen. She's so busy that she didn't even notice my presence. Then my head tilted, slightly. Eyeing her big stomach. God....I never expected that this day would come. Hanggang ngayon nga ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na asawa ko na siya. And she'll be giving birth to our second child. Due date na niya sa susunod na buwan, kaya maaga aking umuuwi mula sa trabaho. At lagi kong sinusiguro na may tao rito sa bahay. May bantay at may kasama siya para matiy

ELOWEN GARCIA-ALDEGUIRE'S POV (Continuation....) “Start talking,” malamig kong sabi habang nakatingin diretso kay Jacob. Hindi siya agad sumagot. Sa halip… bahagya muna siyang napabuntong-hininga, saka isinandal ang likod sa couch. Tumagilid ang ulo niya, parang inaalala ang eksaktong nangyari. “I was near the school earlier,” panimula niya. “May inaayos lang ako… then I saw him.” Naramdaman kong bahagyang bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko. “He wasn’t alone.” Napakunot ang noo ko. “With who?” “Some girl,” sagot niya. “Same age. Mukhang classmate niya o ano. Hindi ako sigurado." Hindi ako nagsalita. Tahimik lang akong nakatingin sa kanya, hinihintay ko ang susunod niyang sasabihin. "At first...I thought they were just having a normal conversation,” dagdag niya. “But I suddenly notice the way he was looking at her…” Bahagyang tumaas ang kilay ko. “Don’t tell me…” usal ko. Napangisi siya nang bahagya. “Yeah,” sagot niya. “Your son… might be interested in that

ALEXANDER ROZANOZ'S POV The moment I stepped out of the car, the first thing that hit me was the loud music coming from the bar. Amoy ng sigarilyo at ang mga taong nagtatawanan sa labas na para bang wala silang problema kinakaharap sa mundo. Dahil sa senaryong iyon ay mas lalo lamang humigpit ang panga ko. This place… didn’t suit her. I shoved my hands inside my pockets and walked straight toward the entrance. The smell of alcohol grew stronger the second I stepped inside. My eyes scanned the crowd. Until I froze. "There she was," mahinang sambit ko at hindi inaalis ang tingin sa direksyon kung saan ko siya nakita. My chest tightened so suddenly that it almost pissed me off. She was standing near one of the tables, holding a tray while talking to a group of drunk men. But that wasn’t what made my blood boil. It was what she was wearing. A short tight black skirt. And a sleeveless top that exposed far too much skin for my liking. My jaw clenched hard. "What the f*ck wa