'Til I Found You (COMPLETED)

40

Aga is in a towering rage by the time he reaches the suite. This is the last straw. He cannot risk losing the two most important women in his life—Lea and Eli—to a lie that has already stolen twelve years of his time.

Luisa is sitting next to Alli when he bursts in. She has been waiting for him, her fingers fidgeting nervously even as she maintains a cold, sharp gaze. Alli looks up, confused by the sudden tension, unaware of the storm brewing. Luisa knows how much this will affect the girl, but she has no intention of revealing the truth. To Luisa, Alli must remain innocent for as long as possible to keep the facade of their family intact.

"Alli, go to your room. Now!" Aga commands, his voice like a whip.

"Y–yes, dad," she stammers, scurrying away, her eyes wide with fear.

Luisa rises to her feet, her voice trembling with false bravado. "You don’t have to—"

She is cut short as Aga lunges forward, squeezing her cheeks in a grip of pure fury. She has never seen him this far gone. Her face quickly goes numb under the pressure of his hands. "Aga, nasasaktan ako!"

"You deserve it! What were you saying to Lea?! Baka nagkakalimutan tayo, Luisa, that Eli is my daughter! My real daughter! And if it wasn't because of your lies, I wouldn't miss so much of her life! I could've been there for her ... and Lea!" With a snarl of disgust, he shoves her away.

Luisa falls back onto the couch, wincing from the impact. The waterworks begin instantly, tears of frustration and desperation streaming down her face. "Asawa mo ko! Between that whore and I, you should be on my side! Aga, we are your family! If this is just Eli..."

She pauses, the weight of her parents' expectations crushing her. She can't let her family crash into pieces; her father’s disappointment is a burden she can't carry. "...Aga, I will accept her."

She stands up and slowly approaches him, her voice dropping to a persuasive whisper. "Let’s take away Eli from Lea. Hon, we can ... take her home with us. I will be a mother to her. I will love her like my own. Just please ... let’s fix this."

Aga sneers, looking at her as if she were a stranger. "Do you hear yourself?! You want me to take away my daughter from her mother?! Nababaliw ka na, Luisa!"

"So do you, Ags! When you posted a photo of Eli, you weren't even sensibly thinking of what might happen! It’s all over the city that you have a daughter from another woman! You just put her life under the spotlight! Hindi mo man lang inisip how would this affect us! Now, if you want to save her from issues, do the right thing, Ags!"

"And what made you think I regret doing it?! Do you really care about our family’s image? You and your family only think of your name! Your dad wants to set an image of a perfect family despite the fact that you, his daughter, got pregnant by another man! Ano’ng gusto mo, Luisa? I should pretend that everything is perfectly fine in this marriage?! You and I both know the reason for this f-cking marriage! Pinaikot mo lang ako so you can conceal your flaws! I am so done with letting things go on your way! Ayoko na!"

The finality in his voice hits her like a physical blow. "What do you mean?!"

Aga goes silent for a beat. The chains that have bound him for twelve years are finally snapping. "I want an annulment."

Luisa gapes at him, the tears now falling in intractable waves. "N–No. Hon, you can’t do this to me! Pinipili mo yung maruming babaeng yun kesa samin ni Alli?!"

The insult to Lea snaps Aga's last bit of restraint. He strikes her across the face—a sudden, sharp blow that leaves them both stunned. He has never laid a hand on her before, but the man standing there now is a stranger to her. "Yes, I can! She may have slept with different men but you are nothing compared to her! At least alam ko at sigurado akong anak ko si Eli! Kung tutuusin, mas madumi ka! How can you lie in front of everyone for twelve years?! I’m so done with you! With all of you!"