Tattooed in Moonlight

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The twins were three years old, which meant my mornings now started with cartoon theme songs, spilled juice, and arguments over which twin got to wear the dinosaur pajamas.

Sky Angela won, of course. She always won.

Sky Angelo sulked, clutching his robot toy, while I brushed his curls and muttered, "Trust me, anak, elections are a lot like this. Someone always ends up crying."

Marcella bustled in, headset glued to her ear as usual, tablet glowing with news updates. "Darling! Today is the day! May 2028! The presidential election!"

Lila followed with a donut in each hand. "Bestie, are you ready to cast the most dramatic ballot of your life?"

I sighed, strapping sandals on Sky Angela. "Dramatic? Please. I've done red carpets, rooftop scandals, surprise helicopter rides. This is just filling a bubble."

But my stomach churned anyway.

Because this wasn't just any election.

It was Rovina vs. Kelrick.

The woman I had chosen to stand beside, whose reformist leadership had already rebuilt schools, funded disaster relief, cut corruption in half.

And the brother who wanted to resurrect the Chaves dynasty like a zombie nobody asked for.

The voting precinct was packed. Lines curled around the school gymnasium, sweaty and loud, full of people in yellow wristbands for Rovina, red banners for Kelrick. Volunteers handed out bottled water and fans. The media buzzed like flies.

Travis stood beside me, calm as ever, holding Sky Angelo's hand while I balanced Sky Angela on my hip. Reporters swarmed instantly.

"Mrs. Javierres, how do you feel voting in an election where your brother is a candidate?"

"Do you think President Rovina deserves a second term?"

"Will the Chaves name redeem itself today?"

I smiled tightly, sunglasses on, my voice dry as sand. "I feel like I need more coffee. And yes, democracy is alive. Next question."

The crowd laughed. The reporters persisted. But Travis's presence was steady, and the twins provided enough distraction that we slipped through the chaos to the booth.

When the ballot was finally in front of me, black text on white paper, the names leapt out like ghosts.

LEONA ROVINA

KELRICK CHAVES

My throat tightened.

This was it. The culmination of years of betrayal, of breaking free, of building something new.

I picked up the pen. Drew the line. Shaded the oval beside Rovina's name.

When the ballot fed into the machine and the receipt printed, my heart pounded like it was a drum for war.

Three years ago, I'd stood on a stage and told the country I wouldn't be silent. Today, I proved it.

The day dragged. The nation held its breath.

Marcella kept shoving updates at me like a crazed bookie. "Darling, exit polls show Rovina leading 70-30!"

Lila screamed from the couch, clutching Sky Angela. "Bestie, Twitter says Ilocos Norte is painted red, but everywhere else is yellow and green!"

Travis just sipped his coffee, unbothered, flipping through reports on his phone while the twins tried to climb his legs like he was a tree.

I paced the living room, chewing my nails. "Why is this taking so long? Machines, come on, it's 2028, we can send rockets to Mars but we can't count votes faster?"