Chapter 18

AUSTIN made love to me over and over until dawn. And it was blissful despite the initial pain because I knew that despite how things ended between us, I did it with the right man. I would never forget that.

My eyes welled up while looking at his sleeping face beside me. Even in his sleep, he was embracing me tightly. How I loved this man. In another lifetime, should we ever meet again, I will never let him go.

I allowed myself to savor his embrace for a few more minutes before I slowly lifted his arm. I got up and quickly put on my clothes even if my body was still sore. And when I finished dressing up and gathering my things, I quietly lifted my suitcase.

Goodbye, Austin.

I picked up the envelope on the coffee table in the living room and opened it. My eyes went round when I saw the documents. Austin gave me not only all of his Company shares but his properties as well including his resort in Bulacan, his two apartments in different cities, and his lands in different provinces.

You’re a fool, Austin. But so am I.

After a while, I shook my head. I put the documents inside the envelope and only took the paper which stated that he was transferring his Company shares to me. I would give it to my sister and hope that it will be enough for her to stop the plan now that we have control over the Company again. I will never take more of what Austin could offer. I’m not like his father.

I glanced at my room one last time before I went out of my condo unit. I was just renting it out and I’ve already processed the payment yesterday. It was past five in the morning when I reached the parking lot. My flight was three hours from now. Radha and I would meet at the airport. She will take care of the few things I left here before she returns to Nevada.

I was currently driving when my phone rang. I frowned when I saw an unfamiliar number on the screen. Nevertheless, I still clicked the answer button and placed the phone on the dashboard. I put it on a loudspeaker before answering. “Hello—”

“Hello there, Maggy. It’s Lester. How have you been?”

All the hairs on my nape rose after hearing that familiar voice. There was only one Lester that I knew. It was Radha’s ex-live-in partner. I sent him to jail years ago. I met Radha even before YCM was built. That time, I was still working in another Company. I was in the middle of the road, driving, when I saw her running. She frantically knocked on my car’s window and begged me to help her. It was a cold night but she was wearing thin clothes with no slippers on. I still remember that she had a black eye and bruises on her neck and arm.

At that time, she was being chased by Lester who was drunk. I didn’t know the woman but the desperation in her eyes led me to help her. That’s when I discovered that her live-in partner was a gambler and a drunkard. He had been making Radha work day and night in different restaurants and bars while he was out gambling and drinking to his heart’s content. And each time she would fail to give him money, he would abuse her mentally and physically.

With Yalena’s help, he was put behind bars. I also gave Radha the chance to start a new life by giving her a job. And the rest, as they say, was history. I didn’t know that Lester was already released from prison.

“What in the world are you doing here in the Philippines? And how did you get my number?”

“That’s not important right now. I just called to remind you to drive safely.”

My stomach flipped when I heard his devious laughter before he disappeared on the line. I was about to park the car somewhere to call Radha when I found out that the brake was not working.

Oh, God. I nervously scanned the area. My eyes widened when I saw a black car heading in my direction. It was moving fast and it went out of the lane as if I was its target. I gritted my teeth when I finally saw the man behind the wheels.

It was Lester.

Alarmed, I turned the car to my left. I had no choice. I almost went deaf by the loud smash I heard when my car hit the lamp post.

(Austin)

“As much as possible, I avoid talking about Dad in front of Clarice.” I heard Alano sighed on the other line. “My wife loves me. I’m sure of that. But I was afraid that talking about our family might ruin the atmosphere here.”

“I’m just going to talk to her, Al. It won’t take long,” I insisted. I’ve been pacing back and forth in the room when I woke up and found out that Maggy was gone including all her belongings. The only thing left in her unit was the envelope.

Despite my worries, I felt proud of the woman I fell in love with. She could have taken everything inside the envelope since I prepared it for her but she didn’t. Maggy was one selfless woman. When I went to the reception desk downstairs, I found out that she was only renting the unit. And she was only supposed to stay there until today.

I pressed my forehead. She might have returned to Nevada or maybe she was still in the country. She just didn’t want to be with me.

“Come on. We’re not talking about just any woman here, Al. We’re talking about your wife’s best friend Maggy who just left me.”

“All right,” Alano replied after a few seconds of silence. “Come here before lunch. And, bro, I know you’re hurt. Believe me, I’ve been through that. But please, try not to say anything that might hurt my wife.”

“Why do we have to be the ones to pay for Dad’s sins, Al? We are not the ones who stole from them. We are not the murderers here.” I said instead. My eyes watered when I saw the stain on the bed sheet. What Maggy and I shared on that bed was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me.

The emptiness that I had felt for the past years was replaced with something utterly beautiful when Maggy came into my life. Before I found out the truth, every moment I spent with her felt like an incredible joyride. She brought so many changes in my life and I’ve come to like and love all those changes.

That’s why when Maggy left, it was like she brought my heart with her. I feel… lifeless.

“You and Clarice managed to work it out together. But why aren’t things working between Maggy and I?”

“Austin…” Alano’s voice was suddenly edgy. “I don’t know, I’m sorry. But maybe this is destiny’s way of saying that every life story is different since people are different, too. To tell you the truth, I’m still worried until now. I don’t know how long I could be with Clarice because I don’t know how long she could understand and accept what our parents did to hers.”

My mind went back to the present when I saw Alano and Clarice acting all chummy in the kitchen. They looked so happy together. Alano was hiding his anxiety so well.

Today, I went to their house as planned.

“The two of you look so annoying,” I said when they seemed to forget about my presence. Seeing them like this made me envious.

Clarice just giggled while Alano pretended to be busy in preparing the ingredients that he would cook for lunch.

“So, Austin, bro, why are you here? In case you hadn’t noticed yet, you are disturbing us,” Alano said and winked. It was a signal that I should start talking about Maggy. Seeing Alano’s changes still surprises me until now. My brother never cared about others’ feelings before. But now, I could see how worried he was about his wife’s feelings. But then again, who wouldn’t be sensitive towards Clarice, Maggy, and Yalena’s feelings after what they had gone through?

“I met a girl and fell in love with her,” I answered and glanced at Clarice’s direction. She suddenly became quiet. I took a deep breath before lying. “One silly night, she and I got drunk. She made me sign something. I thought it was a marriage contract and so I signed it. But when I woke up the next morning, she was nowhere to be found. And then my lawyer called to inform me that I’ve lost all my money in the bank including all my shares in the Company.”

“What? Didn’t you even doubt her that night? You just let her do that to you?”

I should give credit where it was due. Alano’s acting skills was excellent. “It was my first time to fall in love, Alano. How was I supposed to know that she was going to steal from me? But she was really lovely, thief, and all that.”

“What’s her name?” Alano asked.

“It’s Maggy. Maggy De Lara.”

Clarice looked astounded. She cleared her throat before she spoke. “E-excuse me for a while. I… just need to go to the bathroom.”

I followed her when she left the kitchen. “Do you know a woman named Maggy De Lara, Clarice?”

She stopped walking.

“She’s different from all the women I’ve met before. She’s a little cruel. But as time goes by, I realized that it was just her defense mechanism to protect herself. She hates being weak. She was so afraid to show the real her that’s why she put a mask on every single day, pretending she’s strong.”

Clarice slowly turned to face me. “Austin—”

“Five days ago, I introduced her to my Dad. I saw how she pointed a gun at him.” Her eyes went round. “I saw how furious she was. But in the middle of that, I saw her pain. I saw… her heart. And I saw her put down the gun.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes before she proudly smiled. “Yeah, that’s my best friend. I’ve always believed that she wouldn’t be able to hurt anybody. But the person that took everything from you without your permission was no longer my best friend. Maggy would never do that. There are only two kinds of people that she hates. The first are murderers and the second are thieves.”

Those words stabbed me.

“Maggy will never take what isn’t hers.”

“That’s because she never really took anything from me. I was only trying to see if you would tell me the truth.” Clarice gasped. “I was so desperate that I had to make up stories because I know you are my only access to her right now. Maggy left me this morning. I’m begging you, Clarice. Please tell me where I can find her.”

She was about to say something when the telephone near us rang. Her brows furrowed as she answered the call. I got nervous when I saw how her face turned pale. “What? How did that happen?” Her tears fell for the second time today. “I will be there as soon as I can, Radha.”

My heart pounded. I once heard that name from Maggy. “Why? What happened?”

“Maggy got in an accident,” Clarice answered in a shaky voice. “And she’s in a critical condition right now.”