No, this wasn't right anymore. For Kim to tell me that he's in love with me would worsen the 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 he made. 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 at all."
He just pinned his gaze at me. His mouth formed out some words, but its sound never came. I wondered what made it difficult for him to say it, but that moment wasn't the time to raise the question.
I pulled my hands away from his grasps and began to walk away. I no longer turned back to see his reaction, and he also didn't stop me anymore. The moment I went out, the lady receptionist just stared at me with a curious look. Perhaps she was wondering what went through in that whole period of staying with Kim inside the room.
But whatever her opinion was, I couldn't care less.
The dazzling lights beaming from a car's headlight blinded me for a moment. I squinted to adjust to the glare, and when I did, the window from the driver's side rolled down. Vic's head then popped out of the window.
"Ma'am, I'll drive you back to the hotel," Vic hollered. He was Kim's personal driver in Japan.
I forced a polite smile, but I waved a hand in a dismissive gesture.
"Thanks, Vic, but Mr. Mori may have some errands for you."
When I didn't move, the door to his side opened and he stepped out of the car. Walking towards me, he waved a hand with a phone in it.
"Someone wants to talk to you, ma'am."
I gave him a short stare, shifting my gaze between him and the phone. I knew who was on the other line.
"Here," he said, handing out the phone to me with a wide grin on his face
I didn't have the heart to ignore his kindness anymore. He gave me a warm smile; how could I refuse?
Kim's voice flowed into my ear right away. "Let Vic drive you back to the hotel. Unfortunately, in your haste, you have forgotten to wear your…"
I looked down to see my chest, and indeed, he was right. I was naked beneath the thin fabric of my dress. I crossed my arm after handing back the phone to Vic.
"Let's go," I said with my head bowed down, wishing he didn't see my discomfort. I am gifted with a perky full size, so I knew I could barely hide them away.
Vic opened the door for me, and the moment I sat comfortably, he pointed a finger to the box sitting on the corner of the passenger's seat.
"Mr. Mori asked me to lend that to you."
I gave him a questioning look before I slowly opened the lid of the box. He also walked to the driver's side and got in.
"That's a jacket. He said you should put that on. He's afraid you might catch a cold."
I glanced at him through the rearview mirror, and our eyes met. He was also observing me through that mirror. Somehow, I managed to smile before I spoke.
"Please thank Mr. Mori for me. I indeed need this." I needed it to shield myself from shame.
"Sure, ma'am," he replied; his tone was kind, but his suspicious look didn't escape me. But, of course, I could tell what's in the mind of those who knew that I came out of that building and who I was with.
"Vic, how long have you been working with Mr. Mori?"
"Ten years, ma'am."
A sense of excitement wrapped my heart. Maybe, I should make friends with him. I was sure he knew Kim a lot, being his driver for ten years already. He could be the answer to the hundreds of questions running in my mind.
I chuckled softly and said, "I wonder how Mr. Mori looked like ten years ago."
Vic laughed softly as well. "He's stunning when he was younger, but I like his looks better now that he has matured."
"He's gorgeous, indeed. Perhaps he already has a long list of women queuing to get his attention."
"It's true. Lots of women have played tricks to get his attention, but sorry, his heart belongs to Jakara only."
I heaved out a deep sigh to calm down my rising curiosity again. The more they mentioned Jakara, the more intense my desire to know her more became.
"Is Jakara a Japanese woman?"
"By adoption. She worked for Quicksend International Remittance when Mr. Kim met her."
Oh, dear! When Shirley presented my work experiences to the Board of Directors, she also mentioned that I worked for this same company six years ago.
And she was adopted?
"Who adopted her?" My heartbeats hammered against my chest again. I quickly recited some words of prayer in my mind that Vic would just answer my question.
"Mr. Jake Williams, an American national who ran some of his businesses in Japan."
Mr. Jake Williams. The surname may be a common name, but hearing it from the lips of Vic sent shivers down my spine. I had the feeling that I had also met this man before.
Drawing a deep breath again, I gathered my courage for another question.
"Vic, do you have some saved photos of Jakara?" I asked, holding my breath
"Yes, wait."
Vic pulled to the roadside and picked up his phone from the car's phone stand. I moved forward so I could take a clearer look while he browsed on his saved photos. When Vic's finger finally stopped scrolling, I also felt my heart skipping a beat.
"Here, ma'am," Vic said with a triumphant smile on his lips as he handed his phone to me.
My hand that held the phone immediately shook as I saw the photos on the gallery. My heartbeats fluttered, and the hair on my spine crept. All those were intimate poses with Kim.
"Vic, is it me? Or, do I have a twin sister?" I asked, and my tears immediately flowed out like a deluge.
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.
I noticed that he didn’t mention Maezy’s name, but I didn’t expose him. What for? We were already both married and had led separate lives, so it’s useless to cry over spilled milk.Perhaps Kim was afraid that I would confront him for marrying the woman who sold me. If he truly loved me before, he should have married someone else and not the one who betrayed our friendship. But I couldn’t question his decisions because it didn’t matter anymore. Things like that could happen to people, even to someone you don’t expect.“Thanks for coming back to me, Yen,” he said, and his hand crawled on top of my right hand, clasping it with his.Tears rolled down from my eyes as I shook my head.“I am already married, Kim. And so you are.”“But you were mine first.”“But it’s in the past.”I heard with my two ears when Josh confronted Kim for stopping him i