HIDING HIS DAUGHTER (UNDER EDITING)

CHAPTER 20

ANGELA'S POV

"Kamusta siya?" I heard Catherine ask from just outside the room.

"He's stable now-good thing you brought her in quick kasi ang dami ng dugo na nawala sa braso niya," the doctor replied, still writing something on his clipboard.

I blinked my eyes open slowly, and the bright white ceiling ng the hospital ward was the first thing that came into view. Jaiden and James were both there-Jaiden was sitting on a chair beside my bed, while James stood leaning against the wall. They were both looking at me, and I could see worry all over their faces.

"Are you okay? Does your arm hurt a lot? Or do you feel pain anywhere else?" Tanong ni Catherine nang mapansin na akong gising na. Lumapit siya agad sa akin at inabot ang kamay para tulungan akong umayos ng upo.

Tiningnan ko lang siya ng maikli. Pagkatapos ay tumingin ako kay James na nasa kabilang dulo.
"Umuwi na tayo. I told him in a cold tone. I could feel Jaiden's eyes burning on me, and Catherine's face fell a little bit.

I tried to sit up, but Catherine put her hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Hindi pwede-you need to rest!" she said gently-but I pulled away from her touch right away.

"ANO BA! HUWAG MO AKONG HAWAKAN! HUWAG KANG LAPIT!"
Sigaw ko sa kanya nang hindi napigilan ang galit. Napalayo siya agad at yumuko ng nahihiya.

"James, umuwi na tayo," I repeated, my voice shaking a little now. I knew my brothers was already worried sick-but I needed to get home, because of my daughter.

Then my phone suddenly rang. Wait, that's mine-how did it end up in Jaiden's hands?

"What the hell? How did you get my phone? Give it back to me now!"
Sabihin ko sa kanya at inabot ang kamay para kunin ito. Pero inilayo niya pa ito at sinagot pa ang tawag.

"Mommy? Mommy, are you there?"
Narinig kong boses ng anak ko mula sa kabilang linya. Napapikit ako ng mariin at naramdaman kong bumigat ang dibdib ko.

"Mommy, where are you? I've been waiting for you since last night... I made you a drawing din," she said and my own tears started falling.

"Mommy... is Daddy coming home din with you? I miss him so much," she asked, and that's when I couldn't hold back my sobs anymore.

Jaiden just stared at the phone, his jaw tight as he listened to our daughter. James had his head down, his hands in his pockets. Catherine was crying quietly in the corner, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"All this time, Angela... you never told me she was alive?" Jaiden said quietly, his voice rough like he was holding back tears.

"Mommy? Why aren't you talking to me? Are you okay?" Tanong pa ng anak ko, kaya mas lalo akong napaluha.

Pinatay ni Jaiden ang tawag at inilagay ang phone ko sa bedside table. "We'll step out for a while. You two need to talk properly." Sabi ni James at tinapik pa ang balikat ni Catherine bago sila lumabas ng kuwarto.

I kept my head down as Jaiden moved closer and sat down on the edge of my bed. He didn't say anything for a while-just sat there with his head bowed. I could see his shoulders shaking a little, and I knew he was crying.

"Putang*na... why didn't you tell me? I thought we lost our baby," he whispered, and even though his voice was low, I heard every single word.

"Angela, I looked for you everywhere after that night. I asked everyone I knew where you went, but no one could tell me. I thought our baby didn't make it-so I blamed myself every single day." Sabi niya habang tumitingin na sa akin. Mga mata niya ay mamula-mula na sa pag-iyak.

"You left me, Jaiden! You were with Catherine-everyone said you two were together. And now you're here asking me why I didn't tell you?" I yelled at him, all the anger and pain from all those years coming out at once.

"WALANG KAMI NI CATHERINE! I was never with her-we were just pretending!" he shouted back, slamming his hand lightly on the bed. His face was full of pain and frustration.

"I almost lost my mind when Dad died, Angela. When my parents got divorced, Dad married again-but they couldn't have children, so they adopted Catherine. Even though she's not my real sister, I cared about her like she was," he started explaining, his voice calmer now but still shaky.

"I'm the leader of the Velasquez clan now. Before Dad died, I was rank one-and Catherine was rank two. She was pregnant back then too. The same people who killed Dad were planning to go after everyone in our family-including you." Ani niya at kinuyom nang mahigpit ang kamao.

"Catherine and I pretended to be a couple para makita namin kung sino ang nag-utos nun. More than that-I did it to keep you safe. If they knew you were still part of my life, they would've gone after you next. I couldn't lose you too... even if it meant you'd hate me forever, I had to do it," he said, and by now we were both crying hard.

"I hated you so much, Jaiden. I cursed you every single day. I thought you forgot about me and our baby... I was so stupid for not letting you explain."
Sabi ko sa kanya habang patuloy na umiiyak.

"I could never be mad at you, Angela. You were just protecting our daughter-and I understand why you had to keep it from me." Sabi niya at hinaplos ang mukha ko gamit ang daliri.

"I love you, Angela. I never stopped loving you-not even for a single day. I would've done anything to keep you safe... even if it meant letting you think I'd forgotten about you," he said, and I started sobbing again, burying my face in his hand.

"I missed you so much... I missed your hugs, your smile. Everything about you," I said between sobs. He moved closer then, wrapping his arms around me carefully so he wouldn't touch my injured arm.

We stayed like that for a few minutes until the door opened again, and Catherine walked in holding two cups of warm water. "Kuya, let me talk to Angela muna, I need to say something to her rin," she said softly. Jaiden nodded and gave my hand one last squeeze before standing up to leave.

"I'm so sorry, Angela. Hindi ko talaga gustong mangyari ito. Ikaw lang ang kaibigan ko-ayokong mawala ka pa sa akin dahil sa mga problema ng pamilya namin." she said, bowing her head as tears fell onto her hands.

"I understand, Cath. You were just trying to help too-we both did what we thought was right." I said, reaching out to pat her shoulder gently. She looked up at me then, her eyes still wet.

"Ikaw pala ang rank two ng grupo ninyo. Hindi ko alam na kasali ka pala talaga sa lahat ng iyon?" Tanong ko sa kanya, at tumango naman siya.

"Who's the father of your baby, Cath? You never told me who it was." I asked, feeling nervous about what she'd say. My gut was telling me it was someone I knew.

"Si Alvin... your brother Alvin," she said, and I felt my whole body freeze. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from gasping.

"Paano? Kuya Alvin doesn't even know you-he's never mentioned your name to me before," I said, my voice shaking. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Do you remember that night you had your company party? You got really drunk, so Alvin came to pick you up from the bar. I was there too-and I got in his car without him noticing."
Sabi niya habang kinukwento ang lahat.

"We were almost at your house when I suddenly felt really sick. He noticed me and got worried-kept cursing because he didn't know what to do. He carried you inside first, then came back for me kasi I couldn't stand up na," she continued.

"I don't remember much after that-hindi ko na nga alam kung paano kami nakarating sa bahay ko-nagising na lang ako na katabi ko siya sa kama.We... we spent the night together. He never knew I got pregnant after that," she said, and I just sat there staring at her, my mind racing.

"F*ck... that's why Kuya has been acting so strange these past few months. He never told me anything about that night." Sabi ko nalang at napasandal sa unan. Hindi ko alam paano haharapin ang lahat ng mga bagay na nalaman ko ngayon.

A/N: Comment next for next update. Labyah lovey's 🫶🏻