Lumayo Ka Man Sa Akin

Chapter VII

There are some nights when the only things that Hugo asks for are silence and a moment to be alone.

And cold water to freshen up his thoughts.

Without even realizing it, he has already reached his non-stop seventh lap until he felt his heart beat going real fast. Staring at the dark blank space ahead of him while leaning against the edge of the 3ft side of the pool, he felt vulnerable once again.

Why does he have to run into her again? Why does he even have to feel anything at all?

Then suddenly, he remembered the night he and Lillian made love. He could still remember those huge dark eyes filled with innocence widen with pleasure.

Hugo shook his head in disgust. First of all, he should not even be fantasizing of Lillian. She's his stepmother for God's sake. Second, why would he waste his time thinking about a woman who probably doesn't even think about him at all?

There are so many questions running inside his head with little to no response. 

Then from a distance, he saw her silhouette. She stood 3 feet away from him, only wearing a white silk robe. Her hair moved with the wind and her face bare. Her lips were slightly parted as if there are so many things she wants to say but they seem to just be stuck inside her mouth, leaving her speechless, just staring directly at him. Unlike the very cold and proper Lillian Hugo has been seeing since he came back, what he was seeing at that moment was the complete opposite. No way did she look vulnerable but she looked softer, more approachable. The old Lillian he used to know.

Hugo felt every single nerve in his body. For the nth time, he has never seen a woman as enigmatic and captivating as Lillian. Not even when he was living in Spain. 

He got out of the pool and she was still standing at the same spot, her eyes never leaving his. He wasn't sure whether he should keep walking and ignore her presence like what she deserves or grab her close to him and devour her.

He tried to look away. His eyes avoiding hers, he kept walking, like what he should have done in the past before she had the chance to. Just as he was almost past her, she uttered something that made him... crack. Yes, that's the word, crack.

He looked towards her and as he did, she looked more vulnerable. Her eyes pleaded but her lips were still slightly parted, and only his name came out.  

Hugo was all she said. And he lost it. 

Actions purely driven by desire and longing, he grabbed her fiercely against him and sealed her lips with his, deep and hungry. To his surprise, she responds with the same intensity and longing. No words were uttered but despite that, they both were aware of what was happening and they knew what they were doing. Passion took over and before they knew it, they were in Lillian's bedroom, undressing each other which did not take a while. Hugo only pulled the silk roberoap and let the robe fall slowly fall of Lillian's body. He slowly laid her down on her bed and gently kissed every part of her body, making Lillian moan with desire. 

After a few more minutes, he was inside her. Taking her roughly, the whole moment felt bittersweet and Lillian felt used. Not because she did not agree on how things turned out but because deep inside, she knew he hated her. That he hated her for marrying his father without telling him. She hated herself for being weak, for letting him get in her heart. She felt a tear about to run down her face and suddenly, it felt like deja vu. Yet this time, it's not because of her insecurities that Hugo will never love her. She already knows that. This time, however, she ached for something else. 

She ached for the fact that once Hugo finds out about their daughter Alejandra, he's going to hate her even more.

...

Hugo was waken up by the sunlight streaking against his face. Slowly opening his eyes, he realized he was not in his bedroom.

He's in his father's bedroom. And Lillian's. Naked.

Still a little groggy, he looked at the alarm clock on the bed stand.

10:30.

That woke him up. He hasn't slept that late since he was a teenager. He slowly turns on the other side to see if Lillian's in bed with him but he was disappointed when he saw only her side already made up. As if she did not even sleep there.

Hugo regretted how things turned out the night before and he knew he was such an asshole for treating Lillian like that. Despite the resentment that he felt towards her, she did not deserve how he treated her the night before. 

What he didn't understand is why she let him do what he did. That's not the Lillian he knows. The Lillian he knows is assertive and won't put up with anything. Something about what happened really bothered him and he wants to know from Lillian why she let him treat her unfairly without saying anything. 

He stood up and after seeing only his swim trunks on the ground, he realized that's all he wore after his swim. His next problem is how to get out of the room without getting caught by anyone. It also hit him that he betrayed Andrea. She's been always so loyal to him from the very beginning and would sacrifice everything for him and for a while, that's all he needed. Nothing more.

Before leaving his father and Lillian's room, he saw a picture that bothered him more than anything in the world. It was his father, Lillian, and a small girl. Her face looked very familiar but there's one thing that really stole his attention: her thick brows that's a known Berenguer trait.

It almost made Hugo's stomach sick. 

Who the hell is that little girl?

Does he have a half-sister?

...

"Mama, I wanna go home!" Alyanna whined,

"Alyanna, I know you're having fun at summer camp, how's my unica hija doing?" Lillian was attending her white arabian horse Herbie while talking to her daughter on the phone. She sent her daughter to a horse riding camp for a couple of week so there is no chance she and Hugo are going to run into each other.

"I am but I miss you more Mama. When are you gonna come visit me?"

"Soon anak. Mama's just been busy lately pero I promise, I will make it up to you. I love you so much, Alejandra,"

Alyanna started giggling, "Ma, you're so random. You call me Alyanna then suddenly you call be my real name,"

The two kept chatting for another 30 minutes. Alyanna told stories about camp and the friends that she made. Just when Lillian hung up, Manang Edna appeared.

"Lillian, andito na si Atty. Salcedo,"

Atty. Salcedo has been Armando's lawyer even before he and Lillian met. He also became a good friend of hers.

Lillian sighed. This is the only reason why Hugo came back. After this, he'll be gone.

Lillian felt an unexplainable pain in her heart. 

I can't feel this way, she told herself. 

It's for the best that he leaves. It's for the best.