Chapter 85 Chapter 29.1
When Heaven returned to her office, she could only massage her forehead, the dull ache there refusing to fade. Restlessness gnawed at her as she released a deep, shaky breath. She walked toward the glass wall, stopping just inches from it, where the sprawling city stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon light. Skyscrapers stood tall and indifferent, cars crawled along crowded roads, and yet everything outside felt distant, unreal.
Her brows knitted together as she slowly shook her head.
“Impossible,” she whispered to herself.
She had left Manila believing—no, convincing herself—that she and Desmond were already divorced. Back then, she had known without a doubt that Macie was still the woman he loved. That certainty had been the reason she thought Desmond would sign the divorce papers without hesitation. Why wouldn’t he? It was what he wanted. It was what she wanted, too.
Yet now, everything she believed in was unraveling.
She shook her head again, her chest tightening. There couldn’t be any lingering connection between her and Desmond anymore. There shouldn’t be. What else could he possibly want from her? Why had he insisted on finding her all this time? Hadn’t Desmond been the one who wanted to end everything back then?
And yet—
When Heaven had finally given him the divorce he wanted, why hadn’t he signed the papers she sent?
“Ma’am, you called for me?” her secretary’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Heaven inhaled deeply, steadying herself before turning around. “I have something I need you to do,” she said firmly. “Find out if I’m still legally registered as Desmond Velasquez’s wife. I need that information as soon as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it,” the secretary replied before leaving immediately.
Left alone again, Heaven shook her head in disbelief. She didn’t want to believe it—that after all these years, she might still be Mrs. Velasquez. She wanted distance from Desmond, freedom from the past they shared. But how could she do that when they were still working under the same company?
Resigning wasn’t an option. Heaven felt indebted to the Velasquez family. They had supported her when she needed it most, trusted her, given her opportunities she never expected. Cutting ties with Desmond was what she wanted—not turning her back on his parents.
“Come in,” Heaven said when there was a knock at the door, though she remained facing the glass wall.
The door opened, and Shiermy stepped inside.
“You look deep in thought,” Shiermy remarked gently.
Heaven turned around and offered a restrained smile. “Mom… what are you doing here?” she asked, trying to sound light, though her voice betrayed her unease.
“I wanted to check on you. How was your meeting with Mr. Conception?”
Heaven returned to her seat, folding her hands together as she looked at her former mother-in-law. From the looks of it, Shiermy still had no idea who truly owned the company Mr. Conception was managing.
“It went fine,” Heaven replied. Then she hesitated before asking, “Mom… do you know if Desmond is running another business?”
Shiermy paused, clearly taken aback. After a moment, she shook her head. “He’s never mentioned anything like that to me. Why? Do you know something?”
“He was the one I met earlier,” Heaven admitted. “Mr. Conception manages the company, but Desmond is the actual owner.”
“What?” Shiermy’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Since Heaven and Desmond separated, he had become increasingly secretive. Was that why he was rarely present at the family company these days?
“He never told me about this,” Shiermy said slowly. “Does that mean he’s had his own business for a long time? We’ve been wanting to collaborate with that supermarket chain for the new Aurora Malls projects.”
The realization hit hard—her only son was the owner of the very business they had been trying to partner with.
Heaven remained silent.
“Did he arrange that meeting with you on purpose?” Shiermy asked. “Did he know you’d be the one representing us?”
Heaven shook her head. “I don’t think so. We were both surprised when we saw each other. I only found out when Mr. Conception introduced him as the one I’d be dealing with.”
“Why would he hide this from us?” Shiermy murmured to herself. “Did he build his own business because he was afraid the chairman would cut him off from his inheritance?”
Heaven had no answers to give.
“Well… thank you for telling me, Heaven,” Shiermy said after a while. “I’ll talk to him when I see him.”
Heaven nodded. “Would you like some coffee? Tea? Juice?”
“No, thank you. I’ll be leaving soon anyway,” Shiermy replied. Then she smiled softly. “How’s Daryl?”
“He’s doing well,” Heaven said. “I wanted to bring him here, but there are employees from the Marikina branch visiting today. Some of them know me, and if anyone sees him, Desmond might find out that Daryl is alive.”
Shiermy sighed deeply, her expression turning serious. “Heaven… to be honest, I’ve been feeling guilty about hiding your child from Desmond. I know he hurt you deeply, but don’t you think keeping Daryl from him might be too much?”
Heaven looked away.
“I stopped him from searching for you because I respected your decision,” Shiermy continued. “Not because he knew about Daryl, but because he wanted to fix things between the two of you. But Heaven… what about my son?”
Heaven’s chest tightened. She didn’t know how to answer.
“Mom… can we talk about this another time?” she finally said.
Shiermy nodded reluctantly. “I understand. But please prepare yourself for the day Desmond finds out about your child.”
Heaven offered a faint smile and nodded.
After Shiermy left, Heaven released a long, heavy breath. She rubbed her temples, anxiety creeping into her bones. Even if she tried to prepare herself, fear still lingered. Resigning from the Velasquez company felt ungrateful, yet staying meant risking everything she had tried so hard to protect.
Several hours later, her secretary returned and placed a document on her desk.
“I requested your CENOMAR from the PSA, ma’am,” Anna said carefully. “You’re still legally married to Mr. Desmond Velasquez.”
Heaven stared at the paper. There it was—clear and undeniable. She was still his wife.
She said nothing. Slowly, she set the document down and rubbed her forehead again.
So Desmond never signed the divorce papers.
She had been so confident back then, believing he would sign them without a second thought.
If he truly loved her… why?
Why was Macie the first person he ran to when they lost their child?
Why did he choose to be with Macie instead of staying with her?
The questions echoed endlessly in her mind, unanswered, as the weight of the truth settled heavily on her heart.