Elysian Secrets

Kabanata 3

Lia stared at her three friends who were looking at her expectantly, too. She's waiting for the 'just-kidding' but it didn't come.

She sighed in exasperation and said, "We've gone over this a hundred times already. I have never slept with the man."

"Talaga? Never?"

What is with Emmeline tonight and the woman seems to be intent on pulling at her last nerve?

"Never," giit niya.

Liar! screamed her conscience, but she ignored it.

Her three friends wrinkled their noses in obvious disbelief. Kulang na lang mag-'weh'. Ang sarap pagsasampalin.

Ganitong-ganito rin siya tingnan ng mga ito magpi-pitong taon na ang nakararaan. Mag-aaapat na buwan siyang nawala at pagbalik niya ay malaki na ang umbok ng tiyan niya.

After staring at her slack-jawed and wide-eyed, nag-conclude kaagad ang tatlo na nabuntis siya ni Raphael. May manunugod pang nalalaman si Lacey noon. Mabuti na lang at napigilan niya.

Kahit anong tanggi niya, they were still convinced that she's lying. Through the years, the three still tries to trip her into confessing the truth. She never and would never.

It doesn't help her case that the man she's entangled with in the rumor neither confirms or deny the allegations. Napipikon lang siya sa kakapaliwanag habang walang imik lang ang amo. He just threw his considerable weight around to stop people from talking about, but people still did. Hindi na nga lang kung saan naririnig nito.

She didn't know what was his deal. He just shoved his six-foot, three inches frame of pure muscles into her and her son's lives and stuck to them like glue. Hindi naman ito nagpakita nang interes na magkaroon ng pamilya o ano pa man dati. He was busy single-mindedly building his empire, so she couldn't understand how he got so involved in her pregnancy.

He was there at every doctor's appointment grilling her doctor, taking careful notes, and making sure that all the vitamins she had to take are taken.

He canceled important meetings set months in advanced just so he could go to Lamaze classes with her.

During the birth, he was inside the delivery room praising her for being a walking miracle, dictating to her that she survive or else, and roaring to the doctor and other attendants to do something and stop her pain. Even when she was cursing his very existence, he just took it all in stride, not stopping even once to ask what he did to earn it.

And when Niccolo was finally out into the world, Raphael acted like a besotted father. He couldn't do enough for her son and couldn't be prouder.

She had a feeling, if he could have gotten away with it, sinulat na nito ang sariling pangalan sa birth certificate bilang ama ng anak niya. Laking pasasalamat niya at hindi nito ginawa or she would have been in a huge world of trouble now.

She refused to feel guilty about all that. She still refuse now.

Raphael's devotion to her son is romantic to her friends. It just horrifies her. If she didn't need the job, she would have run again. Kaso, ayaw niya ipagkait sa anak ang isang magandang buhay. Only Raphael and her position as his secretary will allow her a chance to give Niccolo the life he deserves. So, she stayed.

Laking pasasalamat niya at nakahalata naman ang lalaki na gusto niyang tumakbo. Dumahan-dahan naman ito sa pangingialam. Publicly, that is. In private, she has a reknowned pediatrician on speed dial. She has Nancy as a babysitter. She and her son has a standing open invitation to the Mondragon mansion. All because of her boss.