YVONNE was crying when she called Rohan’s mother for help. She wanted to leave the villa as soon as possible because staying in the same place as Rohan’s made her uncomfortable now. It was as if she was suffocated. She didn’t want to ask Rohan for a favor to call the caretaker. Yvonne didn’t want to talk to him or see him now. Madam Edwina was kind enough to send a chopper that fetched her from the island.
Now she was at the madam’s office, still trying to calm herself after what happened.
“Here.” Rohan’s mother handed her a glass of liquor. “I know this can’t cure whatever you’re feeling right now, but a sip will somehow help you calm down.”
“T-thank you.” Yvonne accepted it with both hands and immediately took a sip. She winced afterward. Madam Edwina gave her a strong one. But she was right because the liquor helped her calm down.
“Now…” Rohan’s mother sat beside her and cupped her hand. “Tell me what happened. Why are you crying, dear?”
She inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. Yvonne calmed down, but she didn’t dare to begin.
“Let me guess.” The madam sighed. “It’s Rohan’s fault.”
“He knew…”
“It’s not a surprise that he knew why I sent you there—”
“But I came on my own accord. Staying there with him was part of my plans.” She shook her head. “I failed you. I’m sorry…”
But what hurt her the most was that… she also failed herself, and now her heart was broken and bruised. It’d take a long time to cure it at that rate.
“Don’t say that you’ve failed me, Yvonne. It’s not the end yet—”
“I’m afraid to tell you this… but I want to stop this madness,” she said in a low tone. “Maybe we were wrong. Maybe… this has to end.”
“But you told me that he—”
“Unfortunately, it seems that I was wrong.” Her throat hurt as she suppressed her cries. Yvonne knew she had to let it all out but didn’t want to cry anymore. Her heart was tired already.
“O-oh… I see.” Rohan’s mother touched her back and gently caressed her there. “It’s sad to hear.”
“And please… don’t be too harsh on your son.”
Madam Edwina’s eyes widened.
“H-harsh? What do you mean by that, Yvonne?” the madam asked, puzzled.
“Rohan was desperate. He wanted us to have a deal instead so he could get the inheritance. He feared you’d disown him if he chose not to marry.”
Rohan’s mother stood up and paced back and forth.
“Do you think I’m a bad mother?” The madam turned to her. “I’m just concerned about him. I’m afraid he’d be left on his own once we’re gone—”
“You were too concerned about him that you forgot your son is already a grown-up man. We forgot that he has free will to decide for his life.” Yvonne didn’t expect her to act in such a way, defending Rohan to his mother despite what he had done to her. She stood up after a few moments. “I need to go home now. Thank you for everything, Madam Edwina. I’ll always be grateful to you.”
“Oh, Yvonne…” Madam Edwina held her hands. “Please don’t thank me. If there’s someone who’s at fault why you’re hurt like this, it’s me….”
She smiled despite the heavy feeling in her chest.
“Of course not, Madam—”
“Auntie, Yvonne. You may call me that because you already mean so much to me.” Rohan’s mother cupped her cheek. “How I wish you could be part of our family.”
She wished the same. But what could she do if Rohan’s view about love and marriage wasn’t the same as hers?
“We can still be friends, anyway.” She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Yvonne wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do when she decided to move on. “Let’s see each other some other time, Auntie.”
“Sure. Whenever you have time.” Madam Edwina kissed her cheek. “I’ll tell my secretary to tell the driver to take you home—”
“Thanks, but… I prefer to go home on my own.”
Rohan’s mother looked at her with doubt, but in the end, the madam heaved a sigh and nodded in response.
“Let me walk you out then.”
 
SHE gulped the remaining drops of beer from the bottle and opened another one. But when she was about to drink again, her best friend’s hand snatched the bottle away from her.
“Hey, that’s mine!” She snatched the bottle back.
Carmina sat across from her and opened a bottle for herself. She didn’t want to come home yet, so she went to her best friend’s house.
“I thought you’d come back bearing good news. But look at you now. You look wasted, Yvonne.” Carmina gave her a once-over before drinking her beer. “So, tell me what happened. You wouldn’t be like this if nothing happened.”
“I think I just made the biggest mistake of my life,” she said somberly. Yvonne thought her tears would fall again, but there were none.
“You mean… loving Rohan?”
She shook her head.
“No. Loving isn’t a mistake.”
“Then what?” Carmina sighed.
“We did it.”
Her best friend’s brows furrowed.
“Did what?”
“The deed!” Yvonne chugged down her beer.
Carmina pursed her lips. She didn’t have to ask if her best friend was disappointed because it was clear that she was. After all, she broke her promise to give herself only to the man she married.
“Did he use protection?” her best friend asked afterward.
“No.”
“How many times did he… you know.”
“Three? Four?” Yvonne shook her head. “I can’t recall.”
“Oh, good, Lord Jesus!” Carmina pinched the bridge of her nose. “Please tell me you’re safe when you and Rohan did that—”
“I’m not.”
“You screwed up, Yvonne.” Carmina shook her head disapprovingly. “Pray you won’t get pregnant.”
“Carmina!” She knocked her fist on the wooden coffee table. “Do you think someone could get pregnant in just one night?”
“Yes, especially when Science and luck are on your side.”
In her case, those things could be on the wrong side. She didn’t want to have any connection with Rohan in the future. He had hurt her so much now that she didn’t even want to hear his name.
“Yvonne…” Her best friend held her hands tightly. “I understand that there were times when we made some bad decisions. No one is perfect, after all. But please let this be a lesson.”
“Why do I always have to learn my lesson the hard way?” Her voice was hoarse. “Am I that bad, Carmina?”
“Oh, Yvonne… of course not. It’s just that you’re stubborn most of the time.”
She sneered. “As if you didn’t support me on this one.”
“You said you’ll make him fall for you. If only I’d known you’d do something you’d regret….” Carmina let out a sigh.
“Shit happens, Carmina.” She smiled faintly. “I’ll just hope that… what happened between Rohan and me wouldn’t result in… you know.”
Her best friend squeezed her hand tightly.
“Promise me that you’ll let me know, Yvonne.”
“Hm… I can’t keep a secret from you anyway.” She turned in the direction of her cat that she kept inside its cage when it meowed. “I think it’s time for me to go home.”
Yvonne rose from her seat.
“Let me take you home—”
“No need. I can manage.” She kissed her best friend on the cheek.
 
ROHAN fell asleep inside his room after that heated argument with Yvonne. He didn’t expect he could sleep for almost twenty-four hours. It was already the morning of the next day when he woke up.
He immediately left his room and knocked on Yvonne’s room.
“Yvonne, are you awake?” Rohan heaved a sigh. “Let’s talk, please.” He hadn’t changed his mind about his proposal. And now that a day had passed, he was hoping that he could persuade her. “I know I’ve hurt your feelings. Believe me… it wasn’t really my intention—”
“She left.” Rohan turned in the direction of the voice and saw the caretaker handing him a letter. “She asked me to give this to you.”
“Wait, what?”
He snatched the letter from the caretaker’s hand and read it as his heart started to beat like a drum. All that was written on the paper was the word jerk.
“Did you—”
“No. Madam Edwina sent her the chopper that picked her up early this morning,” Eddie informed him.
“Damn it.” Rohan ran his fingers through his hair. “Take me to the mainland, Eddie.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. I’ll just go grab my things.”
He headed straight to his mother’s office when he reached the mainland. Rohan wasn’t hopeful he’d see Yvonne there because she left the island too early. He was there for his mother.
“Mother!” He stormed inside her office without warning.
His mother immediately raised her head.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with your solitary confinement,” she said nonchalantly.
He exhaled sharply and strode toward the table.
“Did Yvonne tell you—”
“What have you done to her, Rohan?” his mother cut him off.
“I—”
“What did Yvonne ever do to you for you to hurt her like that?” His mother rose from her seat. “All she ever did is to love you. Why can’t you—”
“Mom, please… just tell me what Yvonne told you—”
“Were you expecting she’d tell me everything?” His mother slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid she didn’t tell me anything about it.”
He let out a sigh of relief. “I see.”
“Rohan.”
He met his mother’s gaze. “Y-yes, Mom?”
“If you don’t want to marry, it’s fine.” His mother plopped down on her seat and sighed deeply.
“Why?” It was the biggest plot twist for Rohan. He didn’t expect that his mother would change her mind that fast. “Have you decided to disown me because I lost Yvonne—”
“Yvonne told me not to be harsh on you.”
His forehead creased. Yvonne told his mother that despite his actions. Why would she do that? She hated him so much after what happened.
“A-are you sure she said that?”
“I may be getting old, but I’m not deaf, Rohan.” His mother waved her hand dismissively. “Now, leave. I have tons of work to do. Go on and live your life the way you want.”
Puzzled, he got out of his mother’s office. Rohan went there to confront his mother about Yvonne. But then, there was this sudden change. He was baffled and couldn’t comprehend what was going on.
He fished his phone out of his pocket and called Yvonne. But he couldn’t contact her. It seemed that she blocked him again. He heaved a sigh and pocketed his phone. Maybe it wasn’t the right time yet. Maybe Yvonne needed more time.