Chapter 107 New Life

Chapter 107 New Life
They were now at a farm owned by her brother, Max. Far from civilization, no signal. Only the sounds of birds and animals could be heard, especially at night. The crickets had become her lullaby. There was electricity, but it only worked at night. The main line from town hadn’t reached here yet.

She didn’t know how her brother acquired this land, but he once said it served as his haven for years. He rode a chopper whenever he came home here.

“H-hi. Need help?” She pointed her lips toward the treehouse he was working on.

“Yeah. But not from you, maybe from Manong later. If I were you, I’d sit down and stop trying to stand. I’m almost done on this side anyway.” He pointed to the section still incomplete.

“Okay.” She looked again at what he had built. “It looks amazing! Seriously! Is it safe to go inside yet? How long ‘til it dries?” she fired off questions while nodding toward the painted part.

“Hmm, it depends. If it rains later, it may take longer. But if it stays sunny all day, you can check out the inside tomorrow.”

“Wow. I’m excited, Emmanuel!”

A warm smile spread across his face when he saw her reaction.

“Are you really that happy?”

She looked him in the eye. “Yes, Emmanuel. It’s always been a childhood dream of mine to have one. But we never had a tree strong and beautiful enough to build something like that on.”

“I see. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see the inside tomorrow and the view from there too.”

“That’s so exciting!” she beamed.

But her smile faded a bit as her eyes dropped to her legs and feet. She’d try her best to climb it tomorrow. She didn’t want Emmanuel carrying her again. She already felt like too much of a burden.

Emmanuel went back to the treehouse and resumed painting. He only stopped when they were called by the farm caretaker, Aling Sinang.

“It’s better to eat inside now. Rain might catch you. The clouds are dark over there,” she warned.

They both turned their eyes to where she pointed. It really was getting dark. It looked like the painting wouldn’t be finished if it rained.

“Alright,” they replied almost in unison.

Sure enough, the rain poured that afternoon, and they didn’t make it back outside. The yard started to flood a little, making them worry. The rain didn’t stop until nighttime.

They’d just finished dinner when she decided to hang out in her room. It was raining hard outside, and the cold wind was sweeping in.

“If the rain clears in the next few days, I’m heading into town. Want to come? You said you had something to buy,” Emmanuel asked. She turned to him, surprised he’d followed her.

“Sure. Just let Manang know to get my crutch ready.”

“Oh, God. That foot’s still healing. You shouldn’t be forcing it.”

“I can manage, Emmanuel. And I’d be more of a hassle in a wheelchair. At least with crutches, I can stretch my legs a bit.”

He let out a long sigh. “Alright. But we’re still bringing it just in case you get tired.”

“It’s up to you,” she said.

She didn’t protest when he wheeled her chair to her room. He even lifted her onto the bed.

She smiled at him. “Thank you so much,” she said.

“It’s nothing, Daphne.”

He didn’t stay long and said goodbye soon after. Even after he left, she found herself still staring at the door.

To her, Emmanuel had sacrificed so much. He even stopped teaching just to be with her and care for her. The original plan was that he’d drop her off here and return. But before they even arrived, he’d decided to stay for as long as she wanted. He’d been deeply worried about her injury from the car accident while she was on her way to the hospital.

That day, she’d planned to tell BK not to bring Amber and the baby to their home because she was planning to return. She wasn’t going to give in. She just takes a break.

But fate was cruel. She got into an accident before she reached the hospital. What hurt more was that BK never came for her, even after she told him she needed him. She needed his presence, his care—especially when they were in the same hospital. But she hadn’t told him what had happened, just that she needed help.

It was Emmanuel who stayed and cared for her in the days that followed, at his home. She never texted BK again. She’d already seen where his heart was. He chose the baby. She turned off her phone and disappeared so he wouldn’t find her.

Now, it had been four months. She was slowly finding her strength again in this quiet place, with Emmanuel. She hadn’t heard from her husband. She’d changed her number. And with no signal in this place, Emmanuel had to hike to higher ground just to send messages to her brother or parents. To this day, her family still doesn’t know about her accident or her injured foot. They were focused on Max, whose condition had worsened.

The rain had cleared and the sun shone bright the next day, so they were able to head into town. They used Max’s Wrangler Jeep, ideal for the tough road. That’s why Max had bought it, and when returning to Manila, he used a chopper.

Emmanuel’s lunch meeting wasn’t until later, so they decided to grocery shop first. She stayed in the jeep. Emmanuel didn’t want her to get tired. She was fine with it. It felt good just seeing a new environment.

After grocery shopping, they ate at a restaurant.

Since Emmanuel’s meeting would take hours, they decided to check in at a small inn so she’d have a place to rest.

She was quietly admiring the plants while sitting in her wheelchair on the inn’s veranda when someone spoke behind her. She was simply enjoying the view.

“Baby…”

She shook her head, thinking she was imagining things.

“Baby…” She froze upon hearing the familiar voice again.