Surrender

Chapter Twenty

Chapter 20

Daniella's

"Pwede bang time out muna tayo sa mga bad people. Ibang topic naman. It's your turn."

Pagkatapos naming pag-usapan ang tungkol sa step-dad niya ay niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit. Hindi man niya sabihin nararamdaman ko kung gaano kabigat ang pinagdaanan niya. From having an money obsessed step father to having no recollection of his old memories, his struggle is definitely hard to deal with. And the fact na ako mismo na asawa niya ay sangkot dito mas nagiging complicated ang lahat.

At Least I could give him some the comfort. Kahit isang sinserong yakap lang na may kasamang pag-aalala at pagmamahal.

Im his wife afterall.

Wife.

Bago pa mag simula muli ang Q and A naming dalawa ay lumabas muna ako para kumuha ng malamig na tubig para sa kanya. At talagang nag suggest pa siya na samahan ako kahit. Parang ang layo-layo naman ng kusina.

Before he could stop me I quickly ran for the door. I stuck my tongue at him before exiting the room. Tumawa naman siya.

Hindi pa rin talaga ako makapaniwala sa mga nangyayari. To think na ang inexpect ko lang na mangyari ay isang masayang bakasyon kasama ang mga friends ko, pero look, napaka-komplikado pala ng lahat.

Looking at the bright side, atleast nalaman ko na ang totoo. I won't be deprived of the truth anymore. Kahit na hindi ko naman alam na nagsisinungaling pala ang mga kaibigan ko. Now that I somewhat gained my memories back I should set things right.

Speaking of my friends. Kamusta na kaya sila? I hope they're safe from the evil plans my kuya is planning to do. Mas lalong hinding-hindi ko na talaga siya mapapatawad kung pati ang mga kaibigan ko ay madadawit sa gulong 'to.

Habang sinasalinan ng malamig na tubig ang isang baso nakarinig ako ng mahinang tunog mula sa sliding window ng sala.

Hmm. May tao ba sa labas?

Tinignan ko ng mabuti ang pinagmulan ng ingay. Baka guni-guni ko lang siguro 'yon. I ignored what happened and made my strutted back to the room with a glass of water and a bag of chips I saw.

"What took you so long, love?" Bungad agad ni Nick sa akin pagkapasok ko.

"Ang OA ha, nawala lang naman ako for like 2 minutes. Ang clingy mo naman." Tumawa naman ako at naglakad papunta sa veranda. "Halika dito, a labas na natin i-continue yung questions." Sabay bukas ng sliding door, sinenyasan ko naman si Nick na sundan ako.

Umupo kami sa isang two-seater modern bamboo sofa. Naramdaman ko ang lambot ng puting cushion nito sa aking pag-upo. Like what I've mentioned earlier, napaka-ganda ng view dito.

"Love... Can I ask my question now?" Umupo siya sa tabi ko at sumandal sa backrest ng sofa.

"Fire away, hubby."

"When are you planning to tell me about our baby?"

Well shit. This is going to be a bumpy ride.

"This is going to be a long story. Ready your ears, love."

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5 years ago

Pagkatapos ng kasal namin ni Nick ay naging masaya naman ako. We were able go out of the country for our honeymoon and I can't deny, it was the best moment of my life. Our first day in Boracay was meant for our rest day. We stayed in the hotel and cuddled the whole day. Then, for the remaining days we explored the island and rented a bangka.

The island is really beautiful. We dined at a fancy Italian restaurant in station 2. It was a candle-lit dinner facing the beach, the sun was setting. Shades of pink and orange illuminated the waters and our faces. We were somehow in some kind of painting. Beautiful.

We laughed and talked while devouring our course. It was a moment I wanted to last forever.

But I was wrong. My small request was crushed into pieces the day I knew I was pregnant.

I was busy setting out plan for my very own architectural firm, when I felt a little dizzy. My sight was swirling, but somehow I got a hold of my water bottle. I drank from it.

Medyo malakas ang pagkakalapag ko ng tumbler ko sa coffee table kaya napatingin ang ilang tao sa akin. I lowered my head in embarrassment. Lumapit naman ang isang waiter sa akin para tanungin kung okay lang ako. I nodded at her in assurance.

I was delayed for the past 2 months already.

Hindi na ako nagdalawang-isip. I took out my phone and called Ish. I asked her to find me a good ob-gyne she could recommend. Hindi ko na hinintay ang reply niya at nagmadali akong pumunta sa pinakamalapit na drugstore.

Right now I am inside my car.

I took the test inside the restroom of the nearby starbucks and wrapped it in tissue paper. I hid it inside my handbag. To calm my senses, I got myself a drink before leaving.

My phone beeped the moment I was about to fish the PT inside my bag. Ish replied with a phone number and another text asking, 'buntis ka na ba?'. I gave her no reply.

With trembling hands I successfully got a hold of the test. Like a wrapped gift, I peeled it open. Pinikit ko ng saglit ang aking mata bago alisin ang panghuling layer ng tissue. I inhaled a huge amount of air before opening my eyes.

Two lines. Positive. Pregnant.

Immediately I contacted the doctor that Ish recommended. And fortunately it was only around the area. After the brief check-up, it was indeed true that I was pregnant. I feel more than ecstatic. I'm gonna be a mom!

On the way out of the ob-gyne clinic I decided to reply to Ish's text.

'hindi :P'

I wanted to surprise them. Silang lahat at si Nick. I'm sure he's going to be happy now that we're finally going to have a baby. I can't be more happy.

Nagmadali naman akong umuwi sa bahay namin ni Nick. Nang makarating ay mabilis akong nagpalit ng damit at bumaba sa kusina para maghanda ng dinner. Pero biglang tumunog ang doorbell.

Ang aga naman ng uwi ni Nick.

"Ang aga mo namang umuw- Kuya? Why are you here?" Kumunot ang aking noo. Hindi naman sa hindi ko siya gustong nandito pero I was shocked at his surprise visit.

"I just wanted to congratulate you. Nakita kasi kita kanina sa labas ng clinic ni Dr. Fernandez, I was around that area kanina kaya nakita kitang pumasok." Oh..kay? Medyo na-fail ang plano kong surprise revelation kasi may clue na ang kuya ko. Hays. I have choice but to tell him.

"Thank you kuya, yes I'm pregnant. Pero! I need you to keep this a secret from Nick and my friends, I'm planning to surprise them." Inabot ko naman ang bouquet mula sa kanyang mga kamay at inamoy ito. Weird. Ba't parang ang baho naman nito? Maybe pregnancy effects?

"Sure, Dani." A devilish smirk was plastered on his lips. Parang umiikot ang paningin ko. "I am going to keep this a secret from everyone. Hindi puwedeng masira ang mga plano ko dahil lang sa batang yan." His voice was the last thing I heard before blacking out.

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Thanks for reading!