"Sometimes, I imagine that if Mother Rosita hadn't died, or if I had a sibling, maybe what happened to me wouldn't have occurred. I'm certain someone would have stood up for me," Mia shared as she finished recounting her story.
The weight of her words quickly took effect, stirring a warmth in the corners of her eyes. Yet, despite her longing to let the tears flow and release her emotions, she managed to restrain herself.
"What do you mean?" Nathaniel inquired, his gaze fixed upon her.
She turned to face him, offering a bittersweet smile. "I'm just an adopted child, Nate."
Gradually, she decided it was time to disclose the truth to him as well. After all, she had already confided in him the real reason for her presence there.
"I was merely found, that's the truth," she began narrating her life story to Nathaniel.
She recalled her first memories of being adopted and the journey that led her to Rosita, who had become a maternal figure in her life.
"Are you all right, big brother?" she gently inquired.
Observing Nathaniel's distant expression, fully immersed in her words, Mia felt compelled to ask.
"I-I'm fine," he replied softly, shaking his head.
A brief silence enveloped them before Mia decided it was time to bid Nathaniel goodnight and retire to her slumber. She had almost reached the door when she heard his voice once more, causing her to pause in her tracks.
"Will you come with me tomorrow? I'm going to visit the orphanage where my sibling and I were left," he asked her in a tone that conveyed his desire.
Even without Nathaniel saying it clearly, she knew he wanted a positive answer from her. And since she didn't have any plans for tomorrow, there was no reason for her not to grant his small request, which, all things considered, was a small favor.
"Of course," she agreed.
Nathaniel nodded and stood up. And to Mia's surprise, she didn't anticipate the sudden hug from him, holding her tightly. Then, she felt a gentle kiss on her forehead.
If it were someone else who did that to her, perhaps she would have been angry. But she didn't understand why she didn't feel that way. Was it because she regarded Nathaniel as an older brother? And she had a feeling he felt the same way about her.
"I don't understand it, but did you know that there's a part of my heart that wishes you were Nathalie instead?" he said, laughing softly after expressing his thoughts.
Mia smiled at what she heard. "If that were the case, even if you saw her, I would still be happy to have met you and have a brother like you," Mia admitted.
Nathaniel simply nodded, although he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.
"Goodnight, big brother," she said before she left him.
*****
Bernie felt a surge of intense anger envelop his heart due to what he had witnessed.
"You're such a promiscuous woman. After Erik, now you're entangled with another man. You're an animal!" he murmured, his anger simmering inside him.
It had been a while since he escaped from prison. And he knew it wouldn't be long before the authorities caught up with him, especially since his face was plastered everywhere as wanted.
In his recent thoughts, he couldn't help but grow even angrier at Mia. Why not, when she was the reason why all of this was happening to him? If only he had known that he would be in jeopardy because of the love he held in his heart, he would have long forgotten about it.
"I shouldn't have followed you, Mia. I should have just let you go when you left," he said, taking a deep breath as he took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling smoke into the air.
He longed to return home. He wanted to visit his parents. But how could he do that when his face was displayed everywhere he went?
"I won't allow myself not to seek revenge on both of you for what that man did," he whispered once again, his eyes burning with anger as he remembered his parents.
Right. He needed to pay a visit to his Mama and Papa before executing his plan for revenge against the people who had harmed him, especially Mia, who had shattered his life. And now, he saw that she was pregnant.
At the thought, a bitter smile appeared on his face. He took another drag of his cigarette before angrily crushing it under his foot.
He let out a deep sigh before casting a sharp gaze at the house in front of him. He began walking away from that place, vowing to return with a better plan for revenge.
He also needed to gather money to use for his journey back to his parents. The bills he had obtained from the stolen bag the previous day were gone. And now, he would have to resort to the same tactics again to earn some cash.
*****
"How long will you continue doing this to me, my son?"
That was Aurora's pleading question that evening. Accompanied by Fidel, they visited him to bring dinner.
Just like before, as soon as he finished work, he went straight to search for Mia. He left the office earlier because he went outside Manila.
Erik remained silent. Instead, he took the food offered to him by Fidel and headed to the kitchen.
There, without a word, he began eating the meal placed in two glass food containers. One was for rice, and the other was for the still-warm Sinigang na Bangus.
Erik quickly felt a sense of sadness because of it. It reminded him of Mia, thanks to the food brought by his parents.
"D-Did you know that Mia is pregnant?" he asked, his voice cold, and he briefly glanced at his parents, who were sitting at the table.
He saw the surprise on their faces and the meaningful exchange of glances between them.
"Well, it seems like, just like me, she didn't tell you the truth," he said sadly and started eating.
"But how did you find out if she didn't tell you?" Fidel asked curiously.
Erik shrugged before responding, "At the hospital. I didn't tell her either that I knew. I thought she might not be aware of it yet, so I planned to surprise her. But I found out from Rosanna and Dahlia that even before Bernie's rampage, Mia already knew about her condition. It was supposed to be her surprise for me after our wedding," he said, lowering his gaze and letting out a sad sigh.
A few moments of silence enveloped the entire kitchen. None of them attempted to speak, so Erik eventually decided to break the silence.
"It's like 'The Gift of the Magi', isn't it?" Erik couldn't hide the profound misery in his voice.
Despite the strong desire in his heart to unleash all the resentment he felt, he held himself back. He didn't want to be consumed by the fear that lingered within him. As a man, he needed to stay strong to not lose focus on finding his bride who carries his child.
"H-Honey," he heard Aurora's gentle voice.
"Do you want to know if I'm angry at you?" he asked after finishing the food in the glass container.
Due to his intense hunger and fatigue, he quickly consumed the dinner brought by Fidel and Aurora.
When Aurora didn't respond, Erik stood up and took the dishes to the sink. He left them there and then returned to the table where his parents sat.
There was a longing on Aurora's face, indicating her desire to have a heartfelt conversation with him. He sensed that she would be receptive, so he decided to open up to her.
"The truth is, I didn't know either," he began.
"E-Erik," his mother called out.
Erik stood up again and fetched a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He opened it and took a sip.
"Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's the resentment I feel whenever I think about how you once attempted to bribe Mia with money just to keep her away from me."
His mother immediately lowered her gaze upon hearing his words.
"Forgive me, my child. All I was thinking about at that time was what I believed to be best for you. And that was the only way I saw to do it. But everything changed when she rejected my offer. And above all, when she risked her own life just to save you."
Aurora explained at length.
As Erik stared into his mother's eyes, he saw the sincerity within them. And at that moment, any trace of resentment in his heart quickly melted away in the love radiating from the depths of the woman who gave birth to him.