“Yen!”
Kim’s voice was low but loud enough to echo his silent frustration. I got frightened. I knew I was confusing him. Just a few minutes ago, I hooked my arms around him like a lost child who just found comfort and security. That move awakened a mutual longing deep within us, prompting a simple gesture to progress into an intimate action.
I danced along with him to the rhythm of sexual passion. Our moves even flowed out naturally and unrestrained. I felt profound pleasure and satisfaction with him, but it was something I had never experienced with Zed. I momentarily forget about reality. Everything felt so real and tangible. But after the powerful emotion subsided, the truth dawned on me.
Hell, I sinned against my husband!
I sinned against the man who put me on a pedestal. The man who did nothing but loved and took care of me like I was the most fragile thing on earth. I could never believe that there would come a day that I would destroy our sacred bond. We were still in our early months of marriage. Yet there I was, hooking up with a married person. The very thought of this made me feel I was swimming in a pool of dark and slick filth. And I couldn’t dare to look at myself in the mirror.
I quickened my pace until I was already running. My light footsteps echoed against the eerie silence of the hall. But before I could open the door that separated Door 13 from the rest of the units, a powerful pair of arms caught my waist.
“Yen, I won’t hold you back, but please hear me out first. Take it easy.”
I struggled to get free from Kim, but his arms tightened around me. Then, feeling that somewhat familiar warmth of his body against me, I broke into a sob. Because I felt Kim wasn’t just a stranger or my boss, but someone related to my past.
Thinking that whatever it was in the past that linked him to me had nothing to do in the present, I begged.
“Kim, let me go. My conscience is already killing me. Look, I’m a married woman. I don’t want to go on sinning against my husband!”
I heard his heavy sigh on top of my head, his breathing even tickling my scalp.
“Take it easy, Yen. I’m sorry I got carried on. It’s all my fault.”
Sorry. My mind was jeering at this. But, that simple word was never enough to put back the pieces of dignity I had broken out.
After a moment, my soft sobs turned into loud wailing.
“Why did you take advantage of my weakness? You know I have a husband, and I’m even carrying his baby in my womb.” I knew I sounded foolish to say this since I was the one who started the act. And I just couldn’t pin my sin on him.
“I’m sorry, Yen. I’m really sorry.” Kim didn’t let me go yet. He placed his chin instead of on top of my shoulder.
“But please, don’t mind it so much. We are only human.”
I forcefully separated his hands that were interlaced in front of my navel. And then I turned and faced him, looking straight into his eyes.
“Why are you here? Are you stalking me?”
I surprised myself with the courage I got in confronting him. However, I couldn’t help myself from voicing out the suspicion that was raging in my mind.
He may have planned all these. But, everything that happened to me was not a mere coincidence. His business partner misconstruing me as Jakara Blue. The consistent dreams I had about him. The outer structure of the apartelle. The interior design of the room. The furniture and appliances inside Door 13. Thinking about all these sent shivers down my spine.
“I followed you because I saw you coming out of the taxi while I was at the office.”
I raised my head subconsciously, and my eyes fell on the glass wall along the corridor. Kim Yuan Microelectronics’ signage that was attached to the beam of the second level greeted my eyes. Below the signage was indeed the glass wall of his office. It may be dark from the outside, but it gave off an unrestricted view of its surroundings from the inside.
A few hours ago, we were there attending the board meeting. We went back to the hotel together after the session. But why was he there again?
Reading through my mind perhaps, his voice cut into my confusion. “Vic and I went back to the office because of an important matter. And it so happened that I saw you as I looked out from my desk.”
I may be half-convinced, but he had a point. His office was facing this apartelle, and he could view the front area of the building through his glass walls. There was nothing else I could argue about, except because his business partners misconstrued me as Jakara Blue.
My thoughts then went back to the passport I saw on the table. And that was how I discovered he got married to Jakara Blue five years ago. Although I knew him as the husband of Maezy, my best friend Ara’s friend, Trish had also told me that there was no marriage between them.
I almost got tempted to ask why his business partners had mistaken me for Jakara Blue, but then I lost the courage. I couldn’t dare. What would he think if I would? Even if I hadn’t known who really Jakara was, I wouldn’t want him to think I was assuming I could be on Jakara’s level, worthy enough to become his woman.
I could never stand by his side as his equal. He was the man behind the fame and success of Kim Yuan Microelectronics, while I was just an ordinary woman. I was just lucky enough that he offered me a job because of Ara. If it were not for her, who first invited me to join them on their team-building outing, I wouldn’t have known him personally. I could have just remained watching him on social media or magazines.
“But why have you followed me here?” I still couldn’t help expressing my suspicion.
“Because I am staying here. This is my home.”
My gaze froze on him, my mouth hanging open. Did it mean he’s still with Jakara? The apartelle’s receptionist confirmed it to me that Jakara was the occupant of the unit. But what about Maezy?
Oh, dear! My head really ached.
His lips lifted into an amused smile. “This place used to be Jakara’s home. I lost her six years ago. But I still choose to live here because of the memories. I’m a one-woman type of man, and I don’t easily fall in love with another.”
Oh, my goodness! Why do I also dream about the place?
Feeling the weight of frustration and confusion in my heart, I swore to find out the truth from now on.
“Kim, that thing that happened between us -" I stopped. It’s too hard to bring up that shameful subject with him.
He broke into a pursed smile, but his eyes sparkled as they glued on me. I may just be assuming, but there was a tenderness in the way he looked at me.“Don’t worry. That would be between the two of us.”I smiled weakly, but drops of tears were already pooling at the corners of my eyes. Staring into his face made the silent scream of my mind get louder. Scream of guilt, regret, and shame.
“But Yen, I want you to know that I will treasure it for a lifetime.”
I furrowed my brows. What happened between us was some uncontrolled and unexpected human madness. And that’s what most people defined as lust.
“What do you mean by that? It was just plain s*x.”
He scoffed, but he reached out for my hands, holding them tight.
“Because I love you.”
I got stunned for a moment.
“Are you crazy?” I snapped after his words sank into my mind, shaking my head. I couldn’t believe my ears in this nonsense.
“I am.”
No, this wasn't right anymore. For Kim to tell methat he's in love with me wouldworsenthe situation. I shouldn't allow this to happen. I was already weak in resisting him, and for him to ride on this situation would only put the embers into flame. This was perhaps because I had this strange but special feeling for him. But if I also had to entertain the mutual feeling he said he had with me; it wouldn't be long before I would completely fall into the pit of sinning. This I didn't want to happen. Zed was almost a perfect husband to me, except for his sexual disorder. In our seven years of relationship, we never had gone into any serious argument. He highly respected me and consulted me in every decision-making that hemade. He gave me freedom in everything I wanted to do, not suffocating me with his self-set restrictions. "Don't flatter me, Kim, if your intention is just to pacify me for our sin. It doesn't help the situation
CHAPTER 3 "I'm not in the position to answer your question, ma'am. So why not talk to Sir Kim about it, instead?" Reading the meaning between the lines, my suspicion that I was indeed Jakara grew higher. I could consider having an identical twin, but the intuition or "lukso ng dugo" made me eliminate the thought. Not only that, there was something in the way Kim looked at me that attracted me to him ever since I knew him. And there was a strong emotional pull within me that I could not explain every time I got near him. My thoughts then went to that day I first met him at Ara's office. I was sitting across from Ara's desk when Kim entered the office. His eyes fell on me right away, and he seemed to freeze for a second before he shifted his gaze to Ara. "Ar, Mr. Sato, and his team are coming over this weekend. They'll be staying for about a month," he said, but his side glances didn't escape me. "Got it, sir. I'll be meet
In less than fifteen minutes, I was already done changing into a casual little black dress. It was a sleeveless, body-hugging dress, and its hemline fell several inches above the knee. I couldn’t care less if it was the proper attire for the party or not since it was all I had. I was even glad that Zed, my thoughtful husband, spared me this extra dress for the trip. He seemed to have predicted that I might be needing it. And since it was a pool party, I wore ahead a bikini set underneath my dress. Japan is known for ‘onsen,’ a hot spring bath that is geothermally heated under the ground due to natural volcanic activities. So, I presumed I would also have time for this later. "Yen, where have you been?" Trish sprang up from her seat and ran to meet me while I was still halfway towards the group of people who gathered by the pool. There seemed to be an equal number of men and women; some of them were even seated by twos. "Sorry, Trish! A friend called out of th
Kim stood up and moved his chair beside me. He reached for my hands under the table and held them tight. "I'm here. You don't have to be afraid," he said, staring into my eyes to force me to look at him. I wondered if my reactions were so transparent or if I had a history with this Josh Herra. But my reaction told me I had been into some conflict with him. Addressing me as Jakara further added to my suspicion that I was indeed Jakara. Because If I had an identical twin, I wouldn't have been bothered like this. "Who is he, Kim? Why does he address me as Jakara?" I asked; my lips were already quivering. I was glad the lights were dim because the people around us would have seen my reaction. "Don't trouble your mind for now. You're pregnant, and it isn't good for you to worry much." He released my hands from squeezing, but just when I thought he would already pull them out, he began interlacing his fingers with mine. I no longer realized the roma
CHAPTER 6Trish turned and asked me to zip up her dress. I stopped for a second to give her a thorough overall look and I couldn’t help but stick my eyes on her flaunting curves. The body-hugging cream dress that showed her long legs and a big portion of his back, shoulders, and arms made her so stunning that I even imagined her as a real bride. I even wondered if there was a time where Kim was attracted to her.Remembering that Kath was waiting for us, I also hurried to change into the dress prepared for me. I had no idea on the whole plan for the night, but since Cris involved me in this, I expected that I would have an important role later. While looking at myself in front of the huge mirror, my thoughts then went to Mr. Williams and Josh Herra.Who are they? What is their significance in Jakara's life? And why do I seem bothered inwardly even by just the mention of their names?“Miss Trish, Miss Y
Staring at the old man from my seat, I felt something strange inside. It felt like I had already met him and that I had been close to him. Yet, no matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't bring myself to remember a thing about him.What's the problem here, I thought. Is it really me? Why don't I remember them?I glanced at Kim with a questioning look, but thinking it would prompt an emotional outburst, I excused myself and went to the bathroom. Seeing that I was alone, I let go of the tears that were welling inside me. I was so confused.What happened to me five years ago? Why don't I remember any of these? How do I become someone named Jakara? If I indeed married Kim, what caused our breakup? What role does this old man have on me? I have a biological father in my country. So, why does everyone say he's Jakara's father?My questions popped one after another, and they were as many as the teardrops that raced down my cheeks. T
I froze in my seat when I realized that tonight wasn’t just an engagement party but an actual wedding ceremony. I looked at Trish, and I also saw the massive shock registering in her face. Her glowing eyes were now red, and a gentle emotional tug would surely send her to tears.I turned and looked at Kim and his lips twisted into an amused smile. He seemed to read my mind because he tried to explain.“The couple had some arguments lately because Trish has this feeling of insecurities. So when she learned that Cris is planning to supervise his business in the Middle East, she thought that their relationship isn’t going to work anymore, so she broke up with him. Thus, this surprise wedding ceremony. The grand wedding will follow soon.”“Is there a third party?” I asked because a woman won’t easily get insecure if she doesn’t have to compete for attention from a man.“Not really, but Trish took it serious
I couldn’t believe those things Josh Herra said happened to me. I forgot my current situation for a moment, and it felt like I was listening to a radio drama series.“What happened next, Josh Herra?”Before Josh could answer, a loud siren pierced into my ear. Josh fumbled immediately on my handcuff and released me.“Don’t ever make things hard for me because I always have ways,” Josh said as he glanced at the police car blocking our way. Because his driver didn’t even try to escape, so I guess Josh used this incident as just a threat.Josh rolled out the window when a policeman stood by the passenger’s door.“Sir, what’s the problem?” Josh asked in a poker face that I clenched my hands to hold back my urge to slap him.“We received a call that you’re taking a woman with you by force.”Josh scoffed and moved his gaze between me and the police.