Forbidden Relationship (Forbidden Series #3) (Completed)

Chapter 22

"Happy birthday." Halos mapatalon ako nang marinig ang nakakakiliting bulong ni Yhael. Humarap ako sa kaniya at may malaking ngiti sa kaniyang labi. "Dalagang-dalaga ka na, pero 'yung height mo—"

"'Wag mo nang ituloy," nakasimangot kong pagputol sa kaniyang balak sabihin.

I excused myself and went over to the kitchen table, where I helped Sovie prepare her favorite dish—spaghetti.

At first, Yhael voiced his disapproval, saying that someone other than the birthday celebrant should be doing the cooking, since Sovie wasn't the “birthday princess.” But I didn't mind. After all, I hadn't even tasted the dishes they had planned—Pancit, Spaghetti, and Palabok?

The only thing I tried was the mango graham they had specially made for me. They were still in disbelief, as some of them had already tasted these classic dishes before, while I hadn't.

Feeling ko tuloy galing ako sa ibang mundo. Carbonara lang kasi ang ipinapakain sa akin ni Mommy kapag nasa handaan ako. Maraming pagkain na kakaiba sa akin kapag may handaan sa mga kakilala nila Daddy pero tanging Carbonara lang ang ipinapakain nila sa akin. Hindi ko alam kung bakit.

"Nasaan na 'yung birthday princess?!" Gulantang na sigaw ni Sovie. Agad akong nagtaas ng tingin mula sa aking cellphone.

Wala pa rin akong natatanggap na message mula kina Mommy at Daddy. Kahit simpleng ‘happy birthday’ lang, masaya na ako.

"Nandito na ang cake mo!" excited niyang sinabi. Hindi ko namalayan na hapon na pala.

Sovie clasped my hand, prompting me to set down my cellphone. Just then, I saw that Ate Grapes is calling. I was about to answer, but Daniel gently pulled me toward a spot in front of a circular cake.

It might not have been as grand as the elaborate cakes gifted by Mommy's wealthy acquaintances, but to me, it was the most meaningful one I'd ever received.

The cake was decorated in green—Sovie knew it was my favorite color. Pearls lined the sides, and on top was a figure of an animated girl in a green dress. Beside her stood the number 18, also in green.

Overwhelmed, I smiled through my tears.

“Thank you,” I said softly, wiping away tears of happiness.

Ginulo ni Daniel ang buhok ko. "Deserve mo 'yan. Matalino ka sa klase. Proud kami sa 'yo, 'nak," Parang Tatay niyang sinabi bago inakbayan si Sovie.

Nag-peke ng ubo si Kuya Zhack kaya biglang inalis ni Daniel ang kaniyang braso sa balikat ni Sovie.

Sovie lit the candle before they sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Following that, they instructed me to make a wish.

"Do I really need to make a wish?" I inquired, unaware of its purpose.

"Oo naman!" sinabi ni Janser. "'Wag mong sabihing pati 'yon hindi mo alam. Tatamaan kana sa 'kin."

I looked at him confused. "I'm not really doing that, I just blow out the candle," I said. Nalaglag ang panga nilang lahat. "Mommy told me that I already have everything that most people want, so why should I ask for?"

Napailing na lang si Daniel. "Nanay mo siguro nakulangan sa buwan," saad niya.

Nakatanggap naman siya nang malakas na batok kay Yhael. "Siraulo ka, ah. Kahit ganoon Mommy ni Aphle, respetuhin mo naman," sinabi niya.

After making a wish, I blew out the candle. In that moment, I realized just how distant they were from me—not physically, but in terms of what they knew. They understood things I had yet to learn.

I came to understand that intelligence can't truly be measured within the walls of a classroom.

While we were eating, we found ourselves deep in conversation. Janser shared a story about the girl Juniel has liked since elementary school. According to them, she was their classmate back then—a talkative girl who was always laughing or smiling.