Love on Board

Chapter 34

Jhoana's POV

"Jho, nakikinig ka ba sa sinasabi ko?" Jia tapped my arm, and I looked at her.

"Hay, tulala ka na naman. Iniisip mo na naman siya, Jho. It's been 5 years, usad na. Ikaw naman may gusto nun, 'di ba?" Jia said. I sighed.

"Iwan na muna kita. Basta umattend ka later. Baka alisin ka na ni Papa. Hindi ko na alam paano ko pagtatakpan mga nangyayari sa'yo. Tulungan mo sarili mo." Jia said while staring at me and caressing my hand. I gave her a bitter smile. She hugged me before she went outside my office.

Yeah, it's been 5 years. 5 years nang go with the flow ang buhay ko. 5 years nang black and white ang mundo ko. 5 years na ang nakalipas since Bea asked me to marry her, and I said no to her. 5 years na ang nakalipas since I made a bad decision that I regret up until now.

I don't know what happened to us, to me. We were so in love with each other. We were together for 4 years, faced a lot of sacrifices, happiness, and challenges.
We even planned our future together. We we're so happy back then. But I'm the problem—ako yung nagtulak palayo kay Bea.

Flashback ...

"Jho, you know that I love you so much. That's why we're here. Our friends, your family is here, and mine too," she chuckles.

"Jho, I don't want to lose this chance, and I want to live the rest of my life with you as we planned." She took a deep breath as she kneeled in front of me.

"Jho, Jhoana Louisse Agno Maraguinot, can you be a de Leon? Will you marry me?" she said while staring at me and smiling wide, full of sincerity.

They were shouting, "Yes na 'yan, oo na 'yan." They were waiting for my yes. But I shook my head and ran away from them, from Bea. I heard them calling me, even Papa. But I didn't mind them. I just got into my car and drove without knowing where to go. They were calling me nonstop, so I decided to turn off my phone.

The next day, I went back to our condo because I had duty and my things were there. Yes, Bea and I lived together. I thought she wasn't there because I knew she had a schedule to fly to Seoul, Korea. But I was wrong—she was there, waiting for me.

"Jho, please pag-usapan naman natin 'to oh, ano ba problema? Why did you run away?" she followed me.

"Can you please talk to me? Wag naman ganito," she hugged me from the back, but I pushed her away.

"Please, hon, tell me what's the problem. You're not breaking up with me, diba? I don't care about the issue, Jho. I know that you love me. I know you're just confused with Anton, that's why I'm asking you to marry me and start our family," I sighed and stopped what I was doing.

I never cheated on her. It's just that lagi kaming magkasama ni Doc Anton because of seminars, and we've become close. Yeah, she likes me, but I told her that I have Bea. But as Bea and I saw each other less frequently, with our schedules never aligning, I fell for Anton. She doesn’t know that. I just kept it to myself.

"Bea, please, give me space. Ang gulo. You don't deserve me—you deserve someone who will love you like you do." I thought that was the right thing to do, but no, I was wrong.

Bea chased me so many times, umabot ng one year, until she saw Doc Anton kiss me. But it was just on my cheek, a sign of goodbye because we talked. I never allowed her to kiss me or touch me—only Bea could do that. Ate Ly told me the story because I was looking for Bea to say sorry. I was willing to marry her and realized that she was right—that it was all confusion—but I was too late. Bea left. I tried to find her, and until now, I’m still looking for her. She cut off all our connections. I talked to her family and explained myself. Tita Det was disappointed in me. But now, we're okay, but still, Bea doesn't want to talk to me.

End of flashback..

Someone is calling. I answered it immediately.

"A-ate, go home na, si Papa. Papa is looking for you," Jaja said, sobbing.

"Hey Ja, what happened? Why are you crying? Papa is stable. I’m going home, don’t worry."

Papa was diagnosed with CAD. Matagal na niyang alam, but he didn't tell us. At first, I was angry because I'm a doctor—I could have helped him, taken care of him. Tito Ariel explained to me that he told Papa to say something when it was still mild, but Papa said he would take care of himself. But knowing Papa, he wouldn't do that. He always put others before himself.

Papa was always there for me. He knew me too well. They teased Jaja that I was the favorite, but he would say that he loved us equally. I quickly left my office.

"Jema, pag bumalik si Doc Jia dito, pakisabi nalang may emergency."

"Sige po, Doc."

"Thank you." Then Ate Ella suddenly arrived.

"San punta, Jho? May meeting kayo, 'di ba?"

"Sorry, Ate Ells, pero may emergency kasi sa bahay, si Papa," I said, rushing. I didn't wait for Ate Ella because my phone would ring again. They already know that when I mention Papa, it’s serious.

I drove as fast as I could. They weren’t in Batangas—they were in San Juan para mas mabilis nadadala si Papa sa hospital kapag kailangan. I quickly got home and immediately entered Papa’s room.

"Pa, Ma, Ja," I said, still catching my breath. Papa looked at Mama and Jaja, and they stood up.

"San kayo punta, Ma? Teka, I’m checking Papa pa. He was stable earlier. Ano ba nangyari?" But they didn't answer me. They left the room, crying. Papa held my hand.

"Pa, laban. Kaya 'yan, di ba? Malakas ka," I said.

"N-nak, pagod na si Papa. Gusto na magpahinga. Pero lalaban pa dahil gusto ko makita kang masaya." It was hard for me to see Papa like this. He held my hand tightly.

"Leave the company to y-your Mama for the meantime. Nak, Jho, d-do what makes you happy." He handed me an envelope.

I opened it, and inside were all the details about Bea. Her flights to the Philippines.

"B-bring back the old Jhoana. Bring b-Bea here."

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A/N: I apologize for any typo and grammar errors you may have noticed. :D

Bahala na ulit kayo di ako nagproofread😭😆

Sabi ko hindi ako mag aupdate e hahaha pero sigiii na nga