Two Months Later…
"Daddy, I want ice cream!" Dilan puppy eyes on his father for his favorite dessert.
They had just landed at the airport. It's been five years since they visited the Philippines. Eloisa decided to build a new building in Makati while Kent was taking over her family's company, The Kings and Queens Hotel.
Eloisa hid what happened to Lucy from Kent. He had no idea that Lucy was put in jail and sentenced to five years because of him.
"Just wait baby, I'll call your mommy to buy it for you. Wait here, okay?" Kent put his son in the lobby area and looked for Eloisa.
While Lucy was busy looking for ingredients for dessert, she heard someone crying. It was a little boy wearing a striped polo t-shirt with jumper pants. His face looked familiar. He resembled her ex-lover, Kent Oliver Stone.
"Hey, why are you crying? Where are your parents? Are you lost?" She came closer to ask the little boy.
Dilan shook his head.
"I'm not lost. I want ice cream!" he answered her.
Lucy held his hands and smiled at the sweet child.
"May I know your name? If you tell me, I will buy you ice cream!" she happily promises the little boy.
Dilan's eyes sparkled.
"My name is Dilan. You're so kind, miss pretty!" He looked so cute when he smiled, just like Kent. But Lucy was disappointed to know his name. She thought he was Austin.
Five years had passed and whenever she saw a five-year-old boy, she was reminded of her son.
"Oh, thank you. Wait here, okay?" she said, and the child nodded his head.
Lucy came back with a mango-flavored ice cream. She gracefully gave it to Dilan.
"Here. Just wait for your mom and dad, okay?” She stops.
"Daddy! Mommy!" Dilan shouted and Lucy slowly got up to see Dilan's parents.
"Kent? Eloisa?" She couldn't believe who she was seeing right in front of her.
She quickly looked back at Dilan again.
‘If he’s their son,’ Lucy told herself, “that means he’s Austin, my son. But he said his name was Dilan. Where is my son, Austin?"
She hurriedly put on her sunglasses and took her groceries with her. She hid behind the candy stall.
"Dilan, I'm so sorry you waited so long. Here is—" Kent noticed that his son was holding an ice cream. His face was covered with ice cream too.
Eloisa noticed it too. She came closer to ask her son who offered ice cream to him.
"Baby, who bought that for you?" she asked Dilan.
Dilan looked around to find the beautiful stranger he had a chat with, but she had disappeared like a ghost.
"She was here, but ran off when I called you, daddy. She was kind to me. She told me to stop crying, and that she would buy me ice cream!" he said, and the couple just stared at each other.
Eloisa took Dilan and pulled him beside her.
"Let's go. Let's talk later." She said and dragged him into the car.
Kent was mad.
"He's your son. Don't treat him like that!" he yelled at her inside the car.
Dilan started crying when his parents started fighting. At such young age, he has already lived with miseries. His mom always yelled at him wherever he made a small mistake. He felt like she was not his mom. His dad always took his side. He loves his dad so much.
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The Stone Residence "I told you never to talk to strangers, right? Why did you disobey me?" Eloisa hit Dilan on his legs.
He cried and called for his dad, but Kent had left to have a drink at a bar. They had just gotten home yesterday but they were already fighting.
Eloisa grips Dilan’s shoulders. "Your dad is not here. He left us because of you. If it wasn’t for my legacy, I wouldn’t have taken you from your mother. Go to your room!" She yelled at him and he burst into tears while running to his room.
----
One Hour Ago...
Lucy POV
So they changed Austin's name to Dilan? How could they?
I miss my son. He was so sensitive and delicate the last time I saw him. If I had known that he was Austin, maybe I could have taken him with me.
I was right. His features were like his father. How could I not know him instantly? My chest tightened and my eyes moistened with my tears. I could still recall when they took him from me. I wasn't there when he first said the word mommy. I wasn't there when he took his first baby steps. I wasn't there when he was hungry to feed him his milk. I wasn't there when he had his first immunization. I feel like I didn't fulfill my obligation as a mother.
I jump, surprised when my phone vibrates. I check, and it's my husband Gale calling.
"Honey, I'm still in the supermarket. Do you have a request before I pay at the counter?"
"I just miss you. Hurry and get home. I'm starving!" Gale says and makes kissy noises.
Lucy turned off her phone and took a deep sigh. She was thinking that if Gale was Kent's stepbrother, then he knew about Austin.
Since they met that day and Lucy decided to accept Gale’s marriage proposal, she had failed to ask him about his brother. Gale had a grudge against him too, so they decided to join forces to take them down.
Gale was the one who told her to change her name to Greta. He wanted Lucy to be reborn as a strong and sophisticated woman in the business industry. He helped her to be the new Lucy who wasn't afraid of anything that came her way.
She was now Greta Stone: a billionaire's wife wearing a sparkling dress, high heels, and a beautiful smile.
She got into the car. She was glad that Kent and Eloisa hadn’t recognized her. No one would remember Lucy Mason anymore. Because Lucy Mason died two months ago. Eloisa ordered Brian to tail her after she got out of prison. Lucy was shot twice in Tagaytay and was buried alive.
Greta Stone may look like Lucy, but she wasn’t the same woman anymore. After that incident, she decided to forget all about her past and move on as Gale Stone’s wife.
---
Zeus Residence "Honey, I'm home!" Greta walked into the three-story mansion where five maids waited for her.
She was like a Hollywood actress who stepped onto the red carpet. The mansion looked like a palace. Giant chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and expensive paintings hung on the walls. Golden chairs and tables were arranged in the dining room, and the massive staircase called her to step on its plush carpet.
Lucy, as Greta, was now living life to the fullest with her rich husband Gale.
Gale Stone, chef and business tycoon, owned the Zeus Palace in Manila. He was the most popular businessman in all magazines and was a regular tv guest.
He was the one who helped Lucy out of the dirt. He gave her new hope and new life.
She looked up and saw Gale coming downstairs. He was holding a glass of wine in his hands. He looked like a king, and the way he gazed at Greta made her melt like ice cream.
"I'm glad you're here," Gale said as he reached her. He planted a light kiss on her forehead.
"I bought you your favorite, egg tarts!” She shows him two boxes of Apollo egg tarts. Gale licks his lips feeling excited about the gift.
"Wow, I've been craving egg tarts since our honeymoon to Korea!” He put them on the kitchen table.
"Come, honey, eat with me!" he called Greta and she came over to join her husband.
She was lucky to have Gale in her life. He helped her recover from everything that has happened to her. Now, she must act like she didn't know Lucy Mason or anything about her.
Gale's family, especially his dad and brother, had no idea that he secretly married Lucy. Of course, Lucy was dead, and his wife’s name was Greta. She only resembled Lucy now.
Her hair was now wavy and long. Her facial expressions and attitude had changed too. No one could recognize her as Lucy, who had straight ebony hair, no self-confidence, and was immature and powerless.
"Gale, I want to confess something I saw today," she said seriously.
Gale quickly ate the egg tarts and focused on her.
"What is it honey, tell me," he told her.
Greta sighed before telling him.
"I think I saw Austin," she said, and Gale looked confused. She didn’t know why.