CHAPTER ONE — THE EX-WIFE

January 15, 2021.

With a burgundy glass on the folding table, Elaine poured wine into it again. She then settled herself in the wooden bistro chair that was facing the open shore of Boracay Beach.

It was four in the morning. As usual, she couldn't fall asleep. At least not until midnight or the sun rose. It's been one hell of a month of moving from place to place. She stayed at a hotel somewhere in the Visayas, from Iloilo to Cebu. From there, she flew to Panglao then El Nido.

She would fly back to Manila the next day to settle in the condo unit she invested in. Her real work would start by then. She could not be any more nervous about it even though she had been prepping for it for almost a month.

Elaine sipped her wine. She took her time emptying the glass. She wanted to savor every drop as if it would take her forever to taste it again.

After emptying her glass, she looked up at the sky. She could hardly see the moon. Even the stars seemed hidden away. Perhaps thick clouds tucked them in, making the night mysteriously darker.

Similar to the poet, Danica Gim’s belief, Elaine also believed that people were like the moon. Sometimes, you need to disappear before you can return in full.

Full.

The first and last time she felt complete was three years ago. Unfortunately, it didn't last for long.

The feeling of incompleteness crashed back to her. Something wasn’t right. Something was lost. Looking back, Elaine had plenty of regrets. She wished she hadn’t done that, she wished she hadn’t said this, she wished she wasn't born like this. But it was unfair to wish for the latter. Too many wrong decisions had been made that were hard to undo.

Elaine heaved a deep sigh.

She poured wine into the glass for the nth time. When she came back, she missed not only the wine but also a lot of other things from materials, places she used to go, the food she used to eat, and people who no longer wanted to see her ever again.

Fate and faith brought her back. There must be a reason why she was finally here again. She wasn't certain if everything was going to be okay but come what may, she was giving it a shot.

A smile crept onto her lips as she saw the light slowly taking over the dark. By far, Boracay had the most striking sunrises in the country. It was a sight to behold for a tourist like her.

"Beautiful…" she whispered with her eyes fixed on the amazing view of the sunrise. It was a mixture of fiery red and orange teasing every tourist and beach lover to take a picture or enjoy the view. Too bad Elaine forgot to bring the camera with her. She didn't think about it when she left her suite earlier.

It took three long sorrowful years before Elaine got to see the sunrise again. They were long and stale years that were unprogressive for her.

But the long wait was finally over, and her agony had diminished. A tiny string of hope kept her up, and so did courage. It wouldn't be easy.

She slid her hand into the robe's pocket and pulled the red purse out. She opened it, drawing out a resealable pouch. She stared at it for a moment.

A sorrowful smile was etched on her lips. Her hand formed into a tight fist around the pouch, crumpling it. Someone from her past had given it to her, only to take it back from her in the end. Fortunately, she managed to get it back, against that person’s will, of course.

How was he? For the past three years, he was probably busy hating her. Sadly, he’d probably continue hating her.

***

TAN'S eyes settled on the envelope that Atty. Ramas, their family lawyer, laid on his desk. He had a serious look on his face. It was half-past nine in the evening, and Tan rarely saw Ramas in his office. Tan was wondering what made him storm into his office this late and could not wait for the sunrise.

The old man called him a few hours ago, asking him to drop by his house tonight. But Tan replied that he'd visit him some other day. He was too tired to even drive himself home. He had been sleep-deprived for the last three nights. He was exhausted managing his job in the hospital and resolving the DM Textile's current situation all at once.

"I told you I'd pay you a visit," he told him. He continued taking his hospital gown off and hung it on the clothes rack before turning on his feet to face the lawyer. He had been considered as part of their family for quite a long time.

"That is urgent," he referred to the envelope he placed on his desk. "Open it," he urged. He's got a worried look on his face.

Tan followed as told so. Hastily, he opened it and pulled out something there. Basically, they were just photos. A candid whole body shot of a woman who seemed to be coming out from the famous clothing store in the country. A collection of both focused and stolen shots of different angles, which obviously taken from different places in the Philippines.

Different images of the same woman compiled in an envelope. And she looked disappointingly familiar. She seemed happy with her life, Tan realized. In almost every shot in her photos, she looked happy in there, her face always flashing out a wide smile with shopping bags in her hands. She was still the same woman he knew. Her wardrobe still costs hundreds of thousand pesos.

She used the money she received from him and his family well, it was obvious. His jaws clenched at the thought of it. He stared back at Atty. Ramas with his eyes squinting in anger.

"What about this woman?"

"Aren't you curious why she's back? According to my source, she came back to the country two months ago. I even got her new home address. It's in the file right in the envelope. You can check it out.”

He slammed the photos down the table, giving the old man a bored look on the face.

"I have nothing to do with this woman," he replied almost coldly.

"It has been three years already. I was just thinking what if she might—"

"I don't want to talk about her.”

Retreating, the lawyer drew a deep breath. Tan grabbed his car keys, obviously trying to dismiss the topic fully. All he wanted to do is to get back home to finally get some rest and most likely call it a day.

"Aren't you going to see her?"

He looked back at him. "For what? I don't see any reason why I should.”

"But she's your wife," he answered.

"Ex-wife," he corrected him.