As he saw this, he got confused about what's happening. Señor approached her wife and asked her what happened, but she can't speak, she's just staring at one direction while tears are coming down from her eyes. Señor asked the maid immediately,
"I heard loud shouts awhile ago coming from upstairs, and then I saw Señora Gabriela went downstairs furiously, minutes later, I saw Señora Ligaya crying while running downstairs too,"
Señor went upstairs to check if Ligaya is somewhere up there, when he found no one, and saw that Ligaya's bedroom is messy, he went to the hacienda to look for his horse that Ligaya usually use when she was a kid. He found out that the horse was not there and knew that Ligaya left. He sent for men to look for her as he knew that Ligaya might not get too far.
Ligaya was now passing by a bay, looking at the night sky, thinking deeply about everything that happened. Now what should I do? She thought. I musn't be weak, I'm strong, ....but I don't know which place this path leads me, should I go back? And accept the guy and play the role that everyone is expecting me to be?..., she said in her mind as she looked back. And then, she looked up at the stars above and thought, these stars don't show up in the daylight but shine when it's their time, though, their too small to light up a night sky, but at least each of them still contributes its small twinkling light. They lighten up the sky together and make patterns to lead a traveler on its way towards his destination, I hope I could be like them....She suddenly spotted a tree and tied her horse and slept under a tree.
She dreamt about an unfamiliar voice whispering in her ear.
"You chose this ..." said a cold voice.
The fight between her and her mother flashed in her eyes,
"then stand by it, " the cold voice added.
The scenario was gone from her eyes but she could still hear the shouts in her ears. Then another couple of scenarios flashed in her eyes. She saw her little self crying from a window, looking at the kids riding and feeding the horses, and then her mom called out "Ligaya it's time for your embroidery lessons!", and then another scenario flashed, it was her, crying again looking at the mirror trying to look for herself...and then everything turned black as she heard mother's voice saying.
"You're a woman!"
"It's not meant for you!"
"Do the embroidery!"
"Stop acting like a hero!"
"Don't be selfish!"
"You'll regret this forever!"
And then she heard her horse neighing so loud. Ligaya woke up, it was dark when she saw a figure of a man trying to get her horse.
"Hey! Stop!" she shouted as she stood up and tried to attack him. But she was hit on her stomach and leaned on the ground. It started raining, she tried to stand up but she couldn't. The horse continued nieghing, and she heard a man's voice shouting.
"Oyy! Get out of here!"
The man who tried to get the horse ran quickly. And then Ligaya saw an old woman who supported her and lead her to a small kubo.
In the morning, Ligaya woke up ang found herself in an unfamiliar room. She suddenly remembered everything that happened last night. As she stood up, she saw herself dressed in a baro't saya and suddenly a woman entered the room.
"You're already awake, I washed your dress and tied your horse in the backyard, and here's your food," The old woman said.
"Thank you!" Ligaya said.
The man and the old woman showed kindness to her, they fed her, gave her clothes and a shelter. They have a child named Juan who told Ligaya something that made her shocked.
"Yes! they're treating you that way because they're going to give you to the frayle as an exchange" Juan said silently while his eyes looking around.
"Why would they do that?"
"I heard them last night talking about you...Inay said that you seemed to be from a rich family because of the dress that you own, and because of that, the frayles' might give something great as an exchange aside from bringing back my elder sister once they offered you to them,"
"Why are you telling me these things? If these things are in your favor "
"It's simply because I know it's wrong! Inay and Itay left the house because they're meeting a frayle to talk about this, so you have to go immediately before they come back,"
"Thanks a lot!" Ligaya said patting the boy's head.
He took a bayong with some packed foods in it and gave it to her. "Here, take this,"
And from then on, Ligaya's life journey started.
