THE HILARIOUS HUSBAND (LEE BROTHERS #2)

Chapter 47

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

BEAUTIFUL EYES

❥ ELISSE GARCIA ❥

I felt a lump in my throat, unable to speak. The world seemed to go quiet for a moment as his words sank in. Ako si Queenie?

"Binili ko 'to no'ng birthday mo," patuloy ni Hope. "Pero nalaman ko kay Edward na hindi mo raw sine-celebrate ang birthday mo na nakalagay sa birth certificate mo, kaya nahiya akong ibigay 'to sa 'yo. Naisip kong hintayin na lang ang totoo mong birthday, kaso wala na. Nakita mo na 'tong kwintas at inisip mo agad na para 'yon sa babae ko. Samantalang para 'yon sa dragon ko."

Natahimik ako. Oo, tama siya. Hindi ko talaga sine-celebrate ang birthday ko na nakalagay sa birth certificate ko dahil mali 'yon. I still remember when I was a child, Mom and Dad pushed me to start school early. They said I was smart enough for my age. But schools have strict age cut-offs, and even though I was ready, they wouldn't let me enroll because of my birthdate. Sa susunod na taon pa raw ako puwedeng i-enroll.

But Dad found a way around it. He had my birth date changed on my birth certificate. Instead of October 15th, it was moved up to May 15th. 'Tsaka nila ako ini-enroll sa isang private school, at doon ay natanggap ako. Kaya simula noon, iyon na ang nakalagay na birthday ko sa lahat ng mga legal na dokumento ko.

But despite that, I've always celebrated my real birthday—October 15th. The other date never felt like mine.

"Talikod," he commanded, snapping me back to reality. I lifted my gaze to him, eyebrows furrowed, my stare full of suspicion. His audacity always took me by surprise. "Tsk. Hindi kita titirahin," he scoffed, rolling his eyes as if my reaction was completely unreasonable. "Ang lala ng trust issues mo. I'm just putting this necklace on you."

Still, I didn't move. Nanatiling tense ang katawan ko. Nang hindi pa rin ako kumilos, he let out a small sigh, moving behind me instead. His hands were gentle as they fumbled with the clasp of the necklace, and I could hear him mumbling something under his breath.

"Kahit hindi mo 'ko love, 'wag kang magkakamaling isangla 'to. Sinasabi ko sa 'yo, ikaw ipangtutubos ko. And don't even think about losing it," he continued, his voice almost playful yet laced with sincerity. "Ikaw pa lang ang babaeng binigyan ko ng kwintas. Kapag ito iniwala mo, kadedang kwintas na lang ang ibibigay ko sa 'yo, ikakadena kita sa katawan ko habangbuhay."

I swallowed hard, my heart beating faster than I wanted it to. At hindi pamilyar sa 'kin ang ganitong pakiramdam. Hindi ko 'to naramdaman sa kaniya noong una pa lang kaming nagsasama dahil puro siya kalokohan at parang laging nanggagago lang. Pero ngayon, the way his fingers lightly brushed against the back of my neck as he secured the clasp, and the way his words hung in the air—it was like he was giving me a piece of himself. Something real.

Hindi ko namalayan na nakabalik na siya sa harap ko at pinagmamasdan ako habang nakangisi. Well, binabawi ko na 'yong sinabi ko. Dahil para na naman siyang nanggagago.

"Gan'yan pala kiligin ang dragon. Tahimik lang—agh!" Bahagya kong pinalipad ang kamao ko sa abs niya kaya natigilan siya, natatawa.

"Thanks for this," mahina at seryoso kong sabi bago muling hinarap ang vanity mirror para mag-ayos ng mukha. Dahil kanina pa siya nakagayak, nag-stay na lang siya sa kuwarto—sa tabi ko—pinanonood akong mag-ayos. I wanted to kick him out, uncomfortable with him watching me like that. But I knew, even if I tried, he wouldn't budge. He was as stubborn as ever, so I let him stay.

Hindi ako nagtagal dahil hindi naman ako makapal mag-apply ng makeup. Just something light. Huli kong ini-apply ang lipstick ko. Nang matapos ako, I grabbed my sling bag from the bed.