When Zed slammed the door shut, I went out of the room. But then I felt a cramping sensation in my lower abdomen. I hurried upstairs to rest, ignoring Zed's calls.
This was what I was too scared about. That this constant nervousness and tension I went through would eventually bear me down and risk my pregnancy. I forced myself to sleep, hoping that this cramping would be gone when I wake up. But somehow, the symptoms persisted until morning.
I took a quick shower, preparing myself to see Dr. Mitch. I also wondered where Zed had gone to, but I shook it off, thinking that Zed wouldn't want to see me after that conversation with Kim.
I was already pulling out of the garage when Ara called.
"Where have you been? Zed had been drinking all night."
"Zed? He doesn't drink," I argued, but Ara insisted that he did.
"He fell asleep here on the porch. He thought you would come here after running away."
"Don't wake him up," I said. "Let him sleep
I moved out of Zed’s houseright after I was discharged from the hospital. I even refused to stay at Ara’s house since I didn’t want to live near Zed anymore. I only came to her house when she informed me of her flight to the USA. And that happened after six months.“Yen, you should listen to Zed. I’m not telling you to go back to him, but at least you talk things out.”“I wouldn’t dare anymore.”“How about your marriage annulment?” Ara asked, but I didn’t believe she didn’t know anything.“Only his lawyer came. Zed has decided to make everything smooth for me by not appearing during the hearing. Both of us signed waivers. I refused to have a share in his house, car, and businesses.”“It’s sad, Yen, but I’m after your happiness. I guess you are happier with Kim.”I didn't tell Ara that I also asked Kim for some space and tim
I waited until Dr. Vergara came back. Her eyes flew wide as she saw me holding a record of another patient.“Miss Yen, this is not allowed. All records must be confidential,” she explained politely, even though her voice didn’t conceal her being upset with me.“I understand, doc, but he is my husband. So, if you tell me everything, that would save him from my lifetimehatred.”The doctor sighed, but she began telling me a little about Zed.“He’s been with me for a couple of months already. However, I believe that the reason he’s not improving yet is because of the secrets he hides from you. If you want to know more, talk to him.”I hurried out of the doctor’s clinic. And for the first time in 6 months, I stepped into the place that created my best memories with Zed. The grass had grown tall, and dried leaves filled the lawn. But it looked like no one was living here anymore.
My mom almost fainted when she saw me standing outside the door with Kim. Her eyes were on his arm on my shoulders, and I could tell by her expression that she was gritting her teeth in anger. “Where do we fail in raising you, Yen? Why do you bring another man into the house? Is it because he’s richer? Why? Are you not content with Zed’s income?” I was taught to keep silent every time my parents scolded me, so I just swallowed all her hurting words. “Come inside and let’s hear what your dad hasto say. You put us all into shame.” My knees trembled right away as I imagined dad slapping me in front of Kim. If that would happen,I would surelydie in shame. So, when I heard his footsteps on the stairs, I held Kim’s hand tighter. Kim also raised his arm again and pulled me close to him. Damn it, my mom’s eyes almost fell out from their sockets. “Yen, you’ve finally remembered us. Do you have any idea how many times we went to your h
“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 moveseven 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 mostfragile thing on earth. I could never 
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