HIDING HIS DAUGHTER (UNDER EDITING)

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?

Before I can say anything else, his hand wraps around my waist - firm, but gentle, like he's afraid I'll shatter if he holds on too tight. I stumble forward, my body pressing against his chest. He smells like sandalwood and rain - exactly how Jaiden used to smell. I close my eyes for a second, letting the scent wash over me, and for a moment, I pretend that it's him holding me like this.

"You smell good," I mumble, my words slurring a little. "But that doesn't mean you can just go around hugging people you don't know."

I try to pull away, but his grip doesn't loosen. Instead, I feel his nose brush against my neck, his warm breath sending goosebumps all over my skin. I shiver, my hands gripping his arms to steady myself.

"Are you a dog or something? Why are you sniffing me like that?" I ask, trying to laugh but my voice comes out weak and shaky. Even so, something about his touch feels right - too right. Like my body remembers him even if my mind refuses to.

He lets out a soft chuckle, and the sound makes my heart flip in my chest. Sht, why does his laugh sound so familiar? It's the same laugh that used to make me smile even on my worst days, the same one that filled our old apartment with warmth whenever he was around.

"I miss you so much, love," he whispers against my skin, and the pet name hits me like a punch to the gut. Only Jaiden ever called me that.

"Jaiden?" The name slips out of my mouth before I can stop it, my voice breaking completely this time. Tears finally spill over my cheeks, hot and heavy as they roll down my face. I reach up, trying to touch his face, but my hand just waves around in the air - I can't focus enough to aim right.

"At the right time, my love, you will know too. Sorry if I hurt you," he says, and his voice is full of so much regret that it makes my heart ache even more. My head is pounding so hard now that I can barely think straight - is this the alcohol talking, or is this really happening?

"Why are you talking like that? Do you... do you have something to do with why he left me?" I stutter, my whole body trembling. If this guy knows Jaiden, if he's part of why I've been suffering for months... The thought makes me want to push him away, but I can't bring myself to move. "Did you do something to him? Bakit ganyan ka magsalita parang may kasalanan ka sa 'kin?"

"You're drunk, Angela," he says, clicking his tongue softly. He brushes a strand of hair away from my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek for a second too long. "Hindi ka pa tapos uminom, pero kitang kita na kung gaano ka kalasing."

"I'm not drunk!" I snap, even though I know I am. My words are slurred, my balance is off, and I can barely keep my eyes open. "I know what I'm saying! Just tell me the truth - sino ka ba talaga?"

He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he pulls me closer, pressing his lips to my forehead in a kiss that feels like home. I close my eyes, letting the warmth of his lips seep into my skin, and for a moment, all the pain fades away - replaced by a strange sense of peace.

"Karma has been hunting me down for so long now, Angela," he says quietly, his voice heavy with something I can't quite place. "I never wanted to hurt you - hindi ko talaga gustong saktan ka. But I have to do this. Even if it kills me, even if you end up hating me for the rest of your life... mas gugustuhin ko na lang na kamuhian mo ako than watch you get caught up in the mess I made."

I pull back a little, staring up at him with blurry eyes. "What mess? Anong sinasabi mo? You're not making any sense!"

"I promise you - when everything is finally okay, I'll come back to you. I'll explain lahat - why I left, why I had to do the things I did. But right now, I just need to finish what they started," he says, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I have to make things right. Para sa 'yo, para sa lahat ng tao na nasaktan ko dahil sa kasalanang hindi naman nila deserve."

He kisses my forehead again, longer this time, and I can feel tears falling from his eyes too - warm drops that land on my skin. I want to ask him more, to make him stay and tell me everything, but my eyelids are getting heavier by the second. The alcohol is finally catching up to me, pulling me down into a deep, dark sleep.

"Don't leave me again," I murmur, my voice barely audible. "Please... huwag mong ulitin 'yun."

"I won't, love. I swear it," he says, but by then, I'm already drifting away. The last thing I feel is his arms lifting me up gently, carrying me out of the bar into the cool night air. And as everything fades to black, I hear him whisper one more thing - a name that makes my heart stop even in my sleep.

"I love you, Angela. Ikaw lang palagi."