One Deep Love

Prologue

Athanasia's POV

"Dad! Can I go to tita's house? Tito said she is sick and she's requesting for me to go there. Can I?" Agaw pansin ko kay daddy pagkapasok ko sa opisina nito. Dala-dala ko ang isang tray na naglalaman ng pagkain ni daddy. Inilapag ko iyon sa lamesa niya bago ako umikot para tingnan ang kalagayan niya.

"Of course, sweetie. You can go. By the way, thanks for bringing my food." Niyakap ko siya sa leeg at hinalikan ko ang pisngi niya bago napabuntong hininga.

"Daddy~ you're so workaholic. You should take a break for a while-oh! A vacation will do." Suggest ko kahit alam ko na ang sasabihin niya. Dahan-dahan siyang bumuntong hininga at hinaplos ang kamay kong nakayakap sa leeg niya.

"I can't. You know I don't do vacations during winter. I have no time for that, honey." Napasimangot ako. So that means, ako lang ang uuwi ng pinas. Napanguso ako.

"Ugh, daddy! Even now you don't like vacations. Don't you want to go back with me to the Philippines?" Tinanggal ni dad ang eye glasses niya at bumitaw naman ako. Umupo ako sa upuan sa harapan ni daddy at nang-halumbaba bahagyang nakanguso.

"Your mom and I am staying here in America. You can go back home yourself. It's not like you're staying there for too long, right? Your mom will kill me." Natawa ako. Mom has always been overprotective to me ever since a black van stopped by the main gate of our house in the Philippines. And the same case goes to dad. I know hindi ako papayagan ni mommy na umuwi ng pinas na walang bodyguards na naka-sunod sakin.

I scoffed. "Dad, you know I love you right?" Natatawa itong napapailing. Hmp, seems like I can't convince him.

"Oh, please, don't. Sweetie, you know your mom. She might really kill me if I let you go back without even a single bodyguard with you." Napa-buntong hininga ulit ako. Mom has to stay here in America for her treatment. She has an Alzheimers, that's why when I knew it, lumipad kami patungong America. But it seems like, the situation has gotten more worse. May minsan na hindi ako maalala ni mommy at tinataboy ako palayo dahil wala daw siyang anak.

It hurts, of course because that's the first time she ever pushed me away. But, I understand. Our family doctors tried to make a cure for this, but unluckily, it has no cure. I even tried to hire almost all of the expert doctors in the world para lang mapagaling nila si mommy pero wala parin. Si daddy naman ay palaging nagt-trabaho at nakakalimutan na niyang kumain minsan. If I don't visit him and ask if kumain naba siya, ang sinasabi niya ay nakalimutan niya. So, what I'm thinking is, if I go back then... Daddy will surely lose weight when I get back, or worse.

I'm the only daughter in our family so the burden is all mine. I am now 22 years old pero wala pa akong naging boyfriend and mom and dad asked me if I plan to get married but I always say no. I have too many responsibilities to even think of marriage. Just by thinking of all the burden, I feel like dying. Mom always apologizes to me for not having an older brother or a younger brother or sister. Pero wala naman nang kaso sakin iyon. Naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit madaming bawal sakin dahil ako lang ang nag-iisang anak ni Mr. And Mrs. Fernandez. Our family is known for its famous companies, restaurants and such. To be exact, we are one of the top 10 richest families in Asia. And that is choking me. Madaming umaaligid sa amin kaya madami kaming bodyguards. Our relationship with the Kingston family is also great. So, madami talaga kaming back-ups.

Our family is quite complicated, right? I don't even know how to handle this on my own.

"Hmp. Why does our family have to be this heavy and complicated?" Napa-buntong hininga ako dahilan para mapatingin sakin si dad. Oh, I think he heard me dahil sa pag buntong hininga nito.

"We're sorry, skye. Even though your mom and I are still alive, you feel like all the burden is yours. We didn't want this either if not for your late grandfather's last will and testament. He wants us to continue our legacy, he wants us to keep the family's name for generations. And right now, we are burdening you." Napayuko ako. It's not like that. I mean, ang bigat lang ng pamilya namin at andaming umaaligid para makuha ang tamang pagkakataon na maputol ang ulo namin. Now, I don't wan to go back dahil baka wala na akong maabutan dito. It's like we're in an underground org. We have to kill to be alive.