SOUL SNATCHERS

CHAPTER 1

Alexa Rose Sabellano sat silently in the backseat of their Blue Mercedes Benz, her five-year-old brother peacefully sleeping beside her. As she gazed out of the window, she found solace in the vibrant colors of the sunset over the Zambales mountain ranges. To drown out the escalating arguments between her parents, she turned up the volume on her headphones, seeking refuge from the painful reality unfolding before her.

Little did Alexa know, her father, Roland Michael Sabellano, had a well-kept secret for over sixteen years. He was legally married to a woman named Margarette Moore from New England, Connecticut in the USA. Margarette, or Marge as Roland called her, was a successful businesswoman residing in New York City and had three children of her own - two boys and a girl. Meanwhile, back in the Philippines, Roland's wife, Edna Tanhueco, and Alexa's mother, had lived their lives under the false pretense of a genuine marriage. Edna had no inkling that she was merely a mistress all those years.

The veil of deceit was lifted when Edna accidentally answered a long-distance call from Margarette. In that brief conversation, she discovered the shocking truth - she was not her husband's legal wife. Roland couldn't deny the facts any longer. He had married Edna while being legally wed to Margarette. Their marriage had been a sham, orchestrated by Jon, Roland's best friend. The weight of betrayal crushed Edna's heart. The man she had loved wholeheartedly, the one she cherished, had become the source of her utmost resentment.

Roland tearfully confessed that he had been coerced into this situation, claiming he had no choice. Despite his predicament, he professed his love for Edna and vowed to make things right. Roland revealed that he had already filed for an annulment from Margarette and was awaiting the court's decision. If the verdict favored him, he would marry Edna once again, this time legitimately, binding their love in the eyes of the law.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a gentle dusk over their journey, Alexa contemplated the complexities of her family's situation. Though the future held uncertainty, she clung to the hope that love would prevail, and her parents would find a way to mend their shattered trust.

Rose's mom was just eighteen years old when she crossed paths with her father at her grandfather's furniture show during a trade fair at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. Her father, one of her grandfather's American clients, was there, and her mom attended the event to represent their family furniture business. Her grandfather had been grooming her mother to take over the furniture industry as the next heir, but their dreams were shattered when he passed away unexpectedly, leading to the closure of their beloved furniture shop.

Despite the hardships they faced, when her father asked for her mother's hand in marriage, she didn't hesitate to say 'yes'. Within two short months, they were wedded and became husband and wife.

However, on this particular day, something had changed within Edna. The love she once felt for her husband had transformed into anger and hatred.

"Listen to me when I'm talking!" she snapped, her voice reaching a high soprano tone. "If you want to leave us, then go! We don't need you!"

"For God's sake, Edna! I'm sick and tired of this conversation. Can't you see I'm driving?" he retorted, pounding his right hand on the steering wheel, startling their five-year-old son, Julius, who woke up and began crying.

"Damn it!" Roland exclaimed, suddenly hitting the brakes and parking the car on the side of the highway.

Confused and concerned, Edna grabbed Roland's shoulder. "What are you doing? Why did you stop the car? I'm not finished talking to you!" she pleaded.

Without a word, Roland stepped out of the car and briskly walked ahead, venting his frustration by kicking stones on the road while uttering curses under his breath. Standing there, scratching the back of his balding head, he contemplated the dire state of their relationship.