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"Will you stop pouting? Kanina ka pa."

Mas lalong napabusangot si George sa tinuran ng kasintahan. It was half past midnight and Yoon's bridal shower was cut short after that whole video call fiasco.

Apparently, Seven had a child and no one knew about it. Kahit ang kakambal nitong si Box ay walang kaalam-alam tungkol sa bagay na ito. All Montecillos—except River, ganged up on Seven and forced him to spill the beans but his resolve was too strong kaya't walang napala ang mga lalaki dito.

But she had concerns of her own.

"Lahat na lang may baby na," she mumbled. "Is it wrong if I want one too?"

Dos rolled his eyes bago hinilamos ang kamay nito sa sariling mukha. Like he was already done with her.

"You know we can't yet," anito. "I'm still not done with my treatments."

"But chemo can kill your sperm!" she blurted out. Hindi na siya nag-abala na i-sensor ang mga salita because it was only them inside his place. "We have to have a baby early pa lang, Dos. I... I want to be a mom. A mom to our kid. Is that too much to ask?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before finally giving her his full attention.

"I want to have a family too, Georgina," anito bago napabuntong-hininga. "But can we do it one at a time? Let me finish my treatments and then we can think about having kids."

"But you can do both naman eh," she insisted. "We can have a baby while you get your treatment."

"Paano kita maaalagaan kung ako mismo eh alagain, Georgina?" he argued. "Chemo is no joke. I'd get irritable. I'd be weak. How can I possible take care of you and our baby?"

"But if we wait 'til you finish your treatment, it would be very difficult to have a baby—"

"There are many ways, Georgina," he pleaded. "Please. I want to be better before we start a family. I may not be fully healed by then but at least I'd get to take care of you and our child."

Hindi siya nakasagot at napabuntong-hininga na lamang. She wanted to argue with him na hindi naman siya magiging imbalido. Nor is he one because of his illness. But if she did argue, baka malaman lang din nito ang isa pa sa kinatatakutan niya kaya't gusto niyang magkaanak na sila.

They might not get a chance.

Mahirap kalaban ang cancer. Even if they think positively, hindi pa rin makakaila na it's hard thing to survive. Dos was already lucky enough to have ten years.

"Are you afraid I'd die soon?" basa nito sa kanyang isipan. "Kaya ba gusto mo nang magkaanak?"

She looked away guiltily. For months she has been mum about Dos' condition. Ayaw niya kasing mag-alala ito sa kanya o di naman kaya ay maisipan nanamang lumayo dahil nasasaktan siya.

"I... That's not it—"

Dos cupped her face and their eyes locked. He smiled.

"It's okay, baby. I understand," he said and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb. "God knows how I want to have a whole family with you and we will. Hindi lang muna ngayon. I promise I'll survive this. We'll survive this."

Their foreheads touched and she could help herself cry. Her arms wrapped around his nape and he kissed the tip of her nose.

She loves him so much. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, siya lang talaga.

"Then..." she mumbled—a bit embarrassed to what she's about to say. "Can we at least have sex? I mean, it's been weeks and I have needs din."

"Are you still on your pills?"

"No, but—"

"Then, no," he answered immediately. "Hindi ako makakapagpigil—"

"Then use a fucking condom!" Yup. She was frustrated as hell. "Hindi naman kita pipikutin, my God!"

"With that wicked brain of yours, I can never be too sure—ow!"

Isang malakas na hampas ang iginawad niya sa lalaki bago ito tinalikuran. She marched towards their room—his room and slammed the door shut.

"Ugh! So annoying!" she spat and let her body fall on the soft mattress. Ramdam niya pa rin ang init sa kanyang mukha dulot ng pagkakapahiya kanina.

"Baby..." she heard Dos' voice from outside the door. "Nagbibiro lang naman ako. Come on."

"Whatever!" bulyaw niya dito mula sa kwarto. "Wicked pala ha. Hmp! Eh di fine! No sex na forever!"

She heard him laugh from the outside kaya't napaawang ang kanyang bibig. The audacity!

"Sure ka na ba diyan, baby? You won't ask for it?"

Mas lalo siyang nainis dito. He's deliberately teasing and taunting her about it.

"Never!" sighal niya. "Ayoko na! I don't want na! I hate you!"

Again, she heard him laugh before the door opened. She rose up and threw a nasty look at him.

"You know you're cute when you're mad, right?" he said before walking towards her and crouching down in front of her. "You keep calling me a cat but you look like on right now. A mad little kitten."

"And I'm gonna claw your eyes out," she spat. But he just smirked before pinching her cheeks.

"I'll just take a quick shower," he said and stood up. "Wanna join?"

She folded her arms, looked away and then scoffed.

"As if. Mag-shower ka mag-isa mo. Hmp!"

He laughed again before walking towards the in-suite bathroom.

"Last chance, baby. Diba miss mo na?" he taunted making her grab a pillow that she immediately threw towards him. Pero hindi ito natamaan dahil nakailag ito't pumasok na sa loob ng maliit na silid.

"Kahit i-lock mo pa yung door, I won't go in there with you! Hmp!" sigaw niya dito.

Inis na humiga siyang muli sa higaan. Dos is so annoying! He literally teases her all the time and always gets away with it. Super layo sa lagi nitong pinapakita sa ibang tao. Everyone says he's scary pero, he's actually more annoying than scary.

Baka sa kanya lang. She'll shoot him if he's like that with anyone else. But then again, girls tend to scatter away kapag binabato na sila ng matatalim nitong tingin.

This thought makes her want to think that Dos is only soft for her. That made her blush a bit. Kahit noon pa man din, he was always her savior. Always there for her when she needed him. Even when he chose to break her heart, he still showed up during her debut to fulfill his promise that he'd be her 18th rose.

Napatayo siya mula sa pagkakahiga at binagtas ang daan patungo ng banyo. The door was unlocked. Dos welcomed her with his signature devilish smirk.

"Took you long enough, baby."

Isang impit na tili ang napakawalan niya nang bigla siya nitong hilahin papasok ng shower cubicle at dali-daling tinanggal ang pagkakabujol ng kanyang damit. Napairap siya sabay tawa.

This guy, really.

Their gazes locked as the warm water fell on their bodies. Napapikit siya nang hapitin siya nito palapit at dahan-dahang iluna ng halik sa leeg pababa sa kanyang balikat.

"Dos..."

"I love you, Georgina," he whispered. "I will love you 'til my last breath."

He might've hurt her before but she will never get tired of chasing him. She will never get tired of chasing Dos.

"I love you too, Dos," whispered back. "I'll love you 'til my last breath."

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"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" tanong ni Dos sa kanya nang makarating sila sa building ng Altiera Limited.

"No na. I might take long sa meeting and you'll kust get bored waiting," agad niyang tanggi. "Dun ka na lang muna maghintay sa kabilang street. There's a coffee shop there where you can wait. Free parking."

"Fine," he said. She kissed him on his cheek before getting out of the car. Dumungaw siya dito mula sa bintana na binuksan nito.

"I'll text you na lang when we're done," she added and smiled. "Then we can have dinner doon sa Korean restaurant I was telling you about."

Isang tango lang ang sinagot nito bago muling sinara ang bintana. She waved goodbye and he sped away.

Napatingin siya sa entrance ng Altiera. It's been a while since she last went to this place. Sariwa pa sa alaala niya ang mga panahong kasama niya si Arika dito.

"Well, here goes nothing."

She took a deep breath before walking towards the entrance. Pinatawag siya ng big bosses para sa final punchlisting ng dati nilang project ni Arika which just entered its last phase of interiors last week. Kailangan niya na lang i-check ang actual finished layout before it formally opens to the public.

They assigned a new engineer to handle the said project. Yung kasama ni Aki sa meeting. She's not sure what his name was but she's sure it was the guy who e-mailed her before.

"Thank you for joining us in this meeting, Miss Gray," ani Mr. Garcia, the head of the company. "We are very pleased with the result of your designs. It's quite unique at bagay sa visior ng Escala."

"Thank you, Mr. Garcia," pormal niyang sambit sa matandang lalaki. "I always deliver what my client needs. I'm glad I have met your standards."

"Indeed it did," magiliw nitong saad bago bumaling sa katabing lalaki. He's a bit younger but not as young as she was. "Engr. Tomas, when will we be able to visit the site for the final inspection?"

"We can have it by next week, sir," agad namang sagot nito. "We're just giving a few final touches with the finishes. But the project is substantially completed."

"Good! Good!" Pumalakpak pa ito. "Too bad Engr. Matsunaga won't be here to witness her pet project. May the Lord bless her soul..."

Hindi natanggal ang tingin ko kay Engr. Tomas who looked abit uncomfortable with the mention of Arika. Noon pa man, she feels like yhere's something fishy about him that she can't seem to put her finger on. Something was just really off about him.

But she brushed off the ill feeling. Baka ganon lang siya dahil hindi niya nagustuhan ang forward approach nito when he e-mailed her.

The meeting ended in around an hour and thirty minutes time. She sent a quick message to Dos saying na tapos na yung meeting niya. Napansin niyang wala na ring gaanong tao sa paligid since it was almost seven.

"Miss Gray?" Napatingin siya sa kung sinong tumawag bigla sa pangalan niya. It was a girl, a few inches taller than her and also looked a bit younger. "Ikaw si Miss Gray po, tama?"

"Yes," sagot niya naman sabay harap dito. "How can I help you?"

Luminga-linga muna ito sa paligid bago muling bumaling sa kanya.

"Um... P... Pwede ka po makausap?"

Napataas siya ng kilay. "We're already talking."

"I-In private po," mahina nitong sambit sabay tingin sa baba. "It's... It's about Ate Aki po."

Nangunot ang noo niya.

"Kay Aki?" tanong niya sabay silid ng hawak na telepono sa kanyang bag. "We can talk here. What about her?"

"Ano po kasi... um..."

Napatingin itong muli sa paligid bago muling bumaling sa kanya.

Why is she acting so strange?

"Kasi po Ate—"

"Claire."

Kitang-kita niya kung pano balutin ng takot ang babae nang marinig ang sa tingin niya'y pangalan nito. She knew that voice.

"E-Engineer!" biglang sambit ng babae. "Um... ano po... Kinakausap ko lang po si Miss Gray para sa ano... sa naiwang gamit po ni Ate Aki sa'kin—"

Mas lalo pang nangunot ang noo niya sa biglang pag-iba ng tono ng boses ng babae. Para bang takot na takot ito sa lalaki.

"Hu—"

"I'd be happy to get those things off your hands, Claire," magiliw at kalmadong sambit niya sa babae which startled them both. Siya nama'y nanatili lang na nakangiti.

May gustong sabihin itong si Claire but got interrupted. May kakaiba. She can feel it in her gut.

"Surely this can wait—"

"Hindi ko na alam kung kelan ako babalik dito, eh," she politely cut him off. Then, bumaling siya kay Claire. "Lead the way, Claire."

Agad namang tumango ang babae at iniwan nila ang lalaki sa kinatatayuan nito. When she was sure they escaped his line of sight, agad niyang hinila ang babae patungo sa CR ng mga babae.

"You were about to tell me something," aniya dito. "Tell me. Anong alam mo tungkol kay Aki."

Biglang napakagat ng labi si Claire. Tumingin itong muli sa paligid bago ibinalik iyon sa kanya. Huminga ito ng malalim.

"Miss Gray, si Ate Aki po, hindi po siya nagpakamatay."

Napasinghap siya sa sinabi ng babae. Sinasabi niya na nga ba. There's something more to this.

"How? Paano mo nasabing hindi nagpakamatay si Aki nung gabing 'yon?"

"H-Hindi po kasi siya mag-isa sa rooftop nung gabing 'yon, Ate. May kasama po siya doon," ani pa nito bago humagulgol ng iyak. "Narinig ko po, may kausap siya doon. Nagtatalo po sila. Tapos po narinig ko pong sumigaw si Ate Aki. Gusto ko nga po sana pumasok doon pero locked po yung pintuan. Sinubukan ko po humingi ng tulong pero wala na pong ibang tao sa baba. Kaya po pala ganon kasi nahulog na po si Ate."

Biglang nanghina ang kanyang tuhod.

Aki... Aki didn't kill herself. She was killed.

"Bakit ngayon mo lang sinasabi 'to? It's been more than a year, Claire. Bakit hindi ka nagsumbong sa pulis?"

"He... He threatened me, Ate. Pinagbantaan niya po ako at ang pamilya ko. Papatayin niya din daw po ako!"

Muli ay napasinghap siya. This is one big teleserye twist that she can't seem to comprehend yet. Sa sobrang gulat ay hindi niya alam kung ano ba dapat ang sabihin o gawin.

Napatingin siya muli sa umiiyak na si Claire. Poor thing. She must've been so scared.

"We'll tell this to the police," aniya sabay hawak sa kamay nito. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

"T-thank you po, Ate," anito. "Hindi ko po kasi alam kung sino ang mapaglakatiwalaan dito sa kompanya. Alam ko po na maraming willing ipagkanulo ako kapag nalaman nilang may alam ako—"

Pabalibag na bumukas ng pinto ng CR. Ang lalaking kanina'y pumigil sa paguusap nila ni Claire ay biglang pumasok sa banyo kaya itinago niya sa kanyang likuran si Claire.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito?!" bulyaw niya dito. "This is the girls' comfort room! Manyak ka ba—ow!"

Bigla siyang tinulak ng lalaki patabi sabay diretso sakal kay Claire.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance, you bitch!"

"Get your hands off her!" sigaw niya naman agad at tulak sa lalaki. But he was big. And a bit packed. She and Claire didn't have a chance. Napakadali siya nitong naitulak papalayo.

"Huwag ka makialam! This girl is delusional!"

"A-Ate—"

Claire's eyes pleaded to her. Para bang nagmamakaawa ito sa kanya. Hindi niya lang sigurado kung gusto ba nitong tulungan siya nito o sabihin tumakas na siya.

She chose the former. Naghanap siya sandali ng maihahampas dito.

"Sabi nang don't touch her!"

She grabbed her bag and used it it hit him on his head. Sa gulat ay nabitawan nito ang babae't natumba sa tabi. She grabbed Claire by the wrist and pulled her out of the comfort room.

"Let's go!"

They ran towards the elevator. Walang katao-tao sa paligid. Not even a single employee was around. The elevator was out of service kaya't dumiretso sila sa may fire exit.

"Bilisan natin—"

Napasinghap siya nang makita ang duguang kamay ng babae. Galing iyon sa may baywang nito. She's been stabbed! But when?

"Claire!"

"A-Ate," mahina nitong sambit. "Save yourself. Babagal ka lang—"

"No!" bulalas niya agad. "We'll get through this! I'll protect you—"

"Come back here you bitch—"

Naputol ang sasabihin niya nang bigla ay itulak siya ni Claire pasok ng fire exit at dali-daling sinarhan ng pinto. Then she hear gun shots.

"Claire!"

Her instincts kicked in and she ran down the stairs in a hurry.

That man is a psycho! He killed Aki! And now, Claire! For sure he's out to get me next!

She wanted to call for help that badly. Pero naiwan niya ang telepono sa dalang bag na ipinanghampas sa lalaki kanina. Now her only hope was to be able to get out of the building and find Dos.

Nakalabas siya sa may fire exit. Her high-heeled shoes long forgotten after running down those flight of stairs. Napatingin siya sa paligid at hinanap ang daanan papunta sa kabilang kanto kung nasaan ang kasintahan niya.

"Dos!" sigaw niya nang makarating sa center island na napapagitnaan ng dalawang lane ng kalsada. "Dos!"

Relief washed her over nang makita itong bumaling sa kanya. He was smiling but his forehead immediately creased when he saw her state.

She couldn't wait to cross and run into his arms. She was so tired. She was too shaken from everything she learned and saw.

Sa sobrang lakas din ng tibok ng kanyang puso ay hindi niya narinig ang busina ng paparating na sasakyan.

"Georgina!"

Naramdaman niya ang malakas na pagtama ng kotse sa kanyang tagiliran bago maramdaman ang pag-angat ng kanyang katawan sa ere.

Is this what flying feels like?

Maya-maya ay bumagsak siya't gumulong hanngang sa ang malamig na aspalto na lamang ang kanyang maramdaman.

"Georgina!"

She saw Dos run towards her. She blinked. Everything around her started to slowdown. She couldn't move.

Funny how Dos thought that he's the one who couldn't give her a future. Well joke's on him. It was the other way around.

"D-Dos..." I'm sorry...

Then everything went dark.

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