HIDING HIS DAUGHTER (TAGLISH)

CHAPTER 13

ANGELA'S POV

I’m here at the bar — I already asked permission from my older brothers, nang hindi naman sila nagalit nang husto. Sinabi ko lang na kailangan kong lumabas para makahinga ng kaunti, pero to be honest? I came here hoping that the burn of liquor sliding down my throat would finally take away this pain.

The neon lights above flicker like broken stars, casting weird colors on every face in the room. My head’s already spinning a little, but I don’t care. Every shot feels like a small eraser wiping out bits of him — bits of Jaiden — from my mind.

“Kuya, one more glass please!” I yell at the bartender, tapping the polished wood counter a little too hard. My fingers are shaking, and I hide them under the edge of the bar top para hindi niya mapansin.

“Enough of that, you’re drunk already.”

A deep voice cuts through the loud music and chatter, coming from behind me. It sounds familiar –—warm, yet sharp, like whiskey mixed with ice. I stiffen up, my shoulders tensing as I grip the glass in front of me tighter.

“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?!” I snap, spinning around to face whoever dared to butt into my business. But the moment I look up, everything blurs into a mess of shadows and light. My head throbs so bad it feels like someone’s driving nails into my temples, and my eyes can barely focus on the figure standing there.

He’s tall — mukhang 6’5 or something. Ngunit wait… Jaiden was 6’5 too. Maybe they just have the same height, I tell myself, shaking my head to clear the fog. There’s no way it could be him. He left me. He said he never wanted to see me again.

“Your future husband,” he says flatly, his voice dropping to a low growl that sends shivers down my spine — hindi dahil sa lamig ng lugar, kundi dahil sa paraan niyang magsalita. Parang alam niya lahat ng bagay na dapat niyang malaman tungkol sa ‘kin.

I let out a bitter laugh, pointing a shaky finger at his chest. “Future husband my ass! Kung talagang gusto mong maging asawa ’ko, you should’ve asked me first before deciding things on your own! I didn’t even know you existed a minute ago, and now you’re spouting nonsense like we’re some kind of couple!”

I turn back to the bartender, waving my hand for another drink. “Please, kuya, just give me one more. This guy is giving me a headache worse than the one I already have.”

I came here to forget about Jaiden — the guy who promised me forever, the guy who held my hand through every heartbreak, at the same guy who left me. And now this stranger shows up, acting like he has every right to care about me?

“I hope I never left you. I’m so sorry for what I did, Angela.”

My hand freezes mid-air, just inches away from the new glass the bartender was about to set down. I slowly turn back to him, my breath catching in my throat. He knows my name. How the hell does he know my name?

“You… you know me?” I ask, my voice cracking a little. The alcohol is making me emotional, and I can feel tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I blink hard to hold them back — hindi ako maiiwan na umiyak sa harap ng estrangherong ‘to.

“I know you more than anyone else in this world ever could,” he says softly. Even in the dim light, I can see his eyes — dark brown, almost black, and filled with a pain that mirrors my own. He looks so much like Jaiden, I think, leaning forward a little to get a better look. But the lights are too dim, and my vision is too blurry to be sure. His jawline is the same sharp angle, his lips are the same shape… but it can’t be him.

“Weh? That’s such a cliché line, you know. Are you sure you didn’t just hear my name from someone here?” I scoff, trying to sound tough even though my chest feels like it’s about to cave in. Why do I feel so light around him? Like I’ve known him my whole life?