Chapter 5

Promises

"Javi!" I exclaimed, feeling so happy to see him. 

I had missed him so much. 

After a few years of living abroad, I was finally back in the Philippines. 

Halos kasabay ko lang din ang pagbalik sa bansa ni Ninang, na gumaling na sa sakit niya. Kailangan pa rin siyang tutukan, pero okay nang ipagpatuloy niya ang pagpapagaling dito. 

Quinn, on the other hand, was doing great with his basketball career. 

I ran to Javi and hugged him tightly. I was thrilled to see my husband again. He hadn't been able to visit me often while I was in California because he was so busy managing their family business. 

Naiintindihan ko naman iyon. 

But as I held him tightly, I couldn't help but notice that his embrace felt... loose. 

Pinakawalan ko siya at tiningnan sa mga mata. I saw him avert his gaze, avoiding mine. 

"Let's go," he said simply, walking ahead toward the exit. 

I quietly followed behind him, staying silent all the way to the car. 

"I've missed our home!" I said with a smile when we arrived. 

He didn't respond. The silence between us was palpable. It was as if he had built a wall between us. 

Hindi ko halos maalala kung nagkaroon ba kami ng hindi pagkakaunawaan noon. Naiisip ko lang na habang nasa California ako at madalas kong kasama sina Ninang at Quinn, mukhang pinagseselosan niya ang kababata ko. 

Pero wala naman talaga siyang dapat pagselosan dahil magkaibigan lang kami ni Quinn. Isa pa, busy rin naman akong mag-aral ng master's ko habang naroon. 

But then I remembered what Javi told me before. Though he never directly admitted that he was jealous, his words back then hinted otherwise. 

"You're a married woman now, Reese. So don't get too close or too comfortable with your friend. Don't you think na hindi magandang tingnan bilang may asawa ka na?" he had said during one of his visits to California. 

That memory lingered as I thought about our past. 

"Ah! Javi! You're being too fast... Slow down, please," I had almost begged him during one of his visits as we lay in bed. 

Every time he came to see me in California, we always ended up in bed, and I often found myself exhausted because he wouldn't stop. 

But I understood. Inisip ko na baka na-miss niya lang talaga ako. And truthfully, I missed him too. 

That evening, after dinner, I spent some time chatting with our old house staff. Na-miss ko rin sila, kaya binigay ko ang konti kong pasalubong para sa kanila. 

Javi excused himself and went up to our bedroom first. I watched him silently as he climbed the stairs. 

"Sige po, Ma'am. Magpahinga na rin kayo. Siguro po pagod pa kayo sa flight niyo," one of the staff said. 

I smiled at them, thanking them before heading upstairs to the master bedroom. 

When I entered, I saw Javi lying on the bed, reading a book. His hair was still damp from his shower. 

I decided to take a bath first. I soaked in the tub for a while, letting myself relax. 

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I found Javi already lying down, ready for bed. 

Marahan akong tumabi sa kaniya. Hindi ko na rin napigilan ang sarili ko, kaya niyakap ko siya. 

To be honest, we had a little misunderstanding during his last visit to California when I was still there. Bago ako umuwi, may nangyari lang na hindi inaasahan. 

"What is it?" he asked me. 

"Javi, are you mad at me?" 

Hinarap niya ako, bumaling siya ng higa para magkaharap kaming dalawa. 

"What happened back then—I really didn't know that..." 

Tumingin siya sa mga mata ko. "You really weren't aware of your friend's feelings for you?" 

I nodded, letting out a slight sigh. 

Back in California, one day Quinn confessed his feelings for me. He said he had loved me even when we were young. I was dumbfounded—I didn't expect it. I didn't know he had always felt that way about me. 

Because for me, we were only friends. He was already like a brother to me. Walang pinagkaiba ang tingin ko sa kaniya kagaya ng sa nakababata kong kapatid. 

Or so I thought... 

"He could've done that before. Bakit ngayon pa niya napiling magsabi ng nararamdaman niya? He knows very well you're already married to me," Javi said. 

Tumango lang ako sa sinabi niya. I understood where he was coming from. 

That moment was what Javi walked in on during one of his visits to California—Quinn confessing his feelings for me. 

It was also why I couldn't dwell further on Quinn's feelings. All I could think about was how Javi had witnessed it. 

After that, halos mauwi pa sila sa pag-aaway. I held Javi back, but he had already grabbed Quinn by the collar. 

I sighed at the memory. 

What I didn't know, though, was that while I was abroad, there was someone else I had nearly forgotten about. And when the news broke about Alaine and my husband, I was completely shocked. 

The fall down the stairs happened after I confronted Javi about the rumors surrounding him and my friend. Marahil ay naitukod ko ang kamay ko nang mahulog ako kaya nagkapasa ito. My body also ached after the fall. 

Javi immediately brought me to the hospital. Thankfully, I was okay, but the bruises didn't fade right away, which was why Quinn noticed them. He thought my husband had hurt me. 

There had been some distance between Quinn and me after his confession back in California. But I also realized that, in the end, we were still friends. And I found myself seeking his comfort again. 

However, my fall down the stairs was entirely my fault. Javi didn't push me. I clearly remember the shock on his face when he saw me fall. He even tried to save me, but it happened too quickly. 

We were just grateful it didn't result in a serious injury since the stairs weren't very high. 

Javi has already apologized to me too. 

Javi talked to me while I was at the hospital. He apologized and explained that the stories the media was creating about him and Alaine weren't true at all. Nakita lang silang magkasama at nakuhanan ng pictures ng paparazzi dahil he treated Alaine to dinner that time. This was because she had been hired as a model or endorser for their company's newest skincare line. My husband's business produces goods for the masses, including skincare products, vitamins, and medicines. Their family owns a pharmaceutical company. 

"I'm really sorry," he said, guilt evident on his face. 

Inabot ko ang pisngi niya habang nakahiga pa ako sa hospital bed nang araw na iyon. Hinawakan niya rin ang kamay kong nasa pisngi niya. 

And after that, we became okay again. 

But only temporarily. 

"Why, Reese? Are you blind? Nakita na nga kami ng asawa mo na pumasok sa isang hotel, diba? Are you dumb? At bakit sa tingin mo? Kinausap ka lang ng asawa mo. Tingin mo ba aamin talaga siya sa ginawa niya?" 

My lips parted in disbelief as I listened to Alaine. 

It had been so long since we last talked, and this was how she welcomed me. Despite our busy lives, I had always considered her my best friend. 

Pero bakit ganito? 

"Why are you doing this to me, Alaine?" My tears fell as I looked at her. I was obviously hurting, but she didn't stop. 

She kept insisting that she and my husband were having an affair, even though she could see me breaking down in front of her. Para bang hindi na kami magkaibigang dalawa, at pinili niya si Javi over me. 

But Javi's my husband. 

I just didn't know how deep Alaine's feelings for Javi ran—even in the past. 

At dahil sa iginigiit ni Alaine, hindi ko na rin napigilan ang sarili kong magduda kay Javi. And that's when our marriage started to crumble. 

"Why would you be in a hotel with her?" I confronted my husband yet again. 

"What? Didn't I already tell you the reason for that, Reese? We just had dinner at the hotel's restaurant. She was also signing a contract to endorse our product. She was just like a client. And I left it to my secretary to book the place, at iyon ang napili dahil malapit lang din sa company." 

"Was it really that necessary na kumain pa kayo sa labas?" 

"Seriously, Reese? Didn't you tell me to treat your friend well? I don't know anymore," he said. 

And we just ended up fighting about it. 

Hindi na kami halos nag-usap pagkatapos noon. 

And I could feel he was lying to me. 

I just couldn't trust him fully again. 

I can only remember our promises now. Didn't we promise to stay faithful to each other, despite our marriage being an arrangement by our parents? 

And didn't we promise to take care of each other? 

I couldn't help but remember what Ninang said before about things changing after marriage. 

"Aminin mo na lang kasi! You did have an affair with Alaine—my best friend?!" 

Halos araw-araw na lang naming pinagtatalunan ni Javi ito. Ang gusto ko lang naman ay umamin siya, kaysa magmukha akong tanga. 

"Ano ba ang aaminin ko? Pwede ba, Reese? I'm tired from work. Tapos pagkauwi ko rito sa bahay, imbes na magpahinga, ganito pa ang isasalubong mo sa akin. At bakit ba pinagpipilitan mo na may ginawa akong hindi maganda sa kaibigan mo? Did you talk to her? What did she tell you?" 

I couldn't answer his question. 

Natahimik ako. 

He shook his head and turned his back to me. 

"Sandali, Javi, we're still talking!" 

"Enough, Reese, please." 

Hinila ko ang damit niya para harapin niya ako dahil hindi pa kami tapos mag-usap. 

"I said enough!" 

He gripped my hand that held his shirt, kaya nabitiwan ko siya. Ininda ko rin agad ang sakit ng pagkakahawak niya sa kamay ko. Binitiwan niya ako at muling tinalikuran. 

The next thing I heard was the loud slam of the bathroom door. 

Then I cried in silence. 

And the rumors about my husband and my best friend continued to circulate, clouding my mind even further.

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