SOMETHING was off. Rohan could feel it after hearing what Yvonne told their daughter. It was as if she was leaving them, but she didn’t want to. But he couldn’t reach Yvonne through her phone, and even her closest friends didn’t know her whereabouts. When she asked Carmina, she was surprised to hear that her best friend was back home. It took a few days before he could reach Yvonne’s parents through the help of some family connections. Yes, Rohan didn’t mind pulling some strings now because he couldn’t accept that she left her like that for the second time.
“We’re glad our daughter finally told you the truth about your daughter,” Yvonne’s mother said after a few moments of silence. “Please, don’t hate her for hiding your daughter, Rohan. She’s just hurt.”
“I understand, Auntie.” He clasped his hands above the table. “But I don’t understand why she left us just like that. After reconciling, I thought we’d make things right for our daughter.”
Rohan turned to his daughter sitting beside him. Gold was busy petting the cat on her lap.
“Believe me, Rohan… she doesn’t want to leave you two like this.”
His hands clenched.
“Then why did she leave us?” He tried his best not to lose control of his emotions. “Please enlighten me, Auntie.”
Yvonne’s mother turned to her husband.
“Charles.”
The old man immediately understood his wife’s gaze and stood up. He ushered Gold out of the living room.
“I promised her not to tell you the truth….”
“But I think I should now, especially when it concerns our daughter’s life.” He slowly shook his head. “Yvonne can’t just hide Gold from me for five years, then come back, announce her existence, and leave! She said she’d give our family a chance! We even… we even confessed our feelings for each other!”
“Calm down, son.” Yvonne’s mother cupped his hand. “I know how hard this is for you, so I beg you to—”
“Let me know what’s really happening, Auntie, so I’d understand. I can’t just sit here—”
“My daughter needs to undergo heart surgery. She’s in the hospital right now, preparing for it.”
Rohan felt his body trembling after hearing why Yvonne had suddenly left.
“W-what?” he muttered after recovering from the shock.
“She has congenital heart disease, and the symptoms only showed recently. She’s scared, Rohan. Yvonne fears she’d die and leaves Gold alone. She told me she’d tell you about it so you’d understand. But that day, after taking Gold to your house, she came home crying. My daughter said she couldn’t tell you the truth about her condition because you’d only get hurt. Yvonne decided not to tell you about the surgery and left like that. She thought it’d be easy for you to move on if she doesn’t survive, thinking that she just toyed with your feelings to get even—”
“Auntie, please stop,” he cut her off. Rohan had heard enough. “Just tell me what hospital she’s at right now.”
“Rohan—”
“She needs someone to take care of her right now. Please… tell me, Auntie.”
 
YVONNE couldn’t do anything to stop Rohan from coming to the hospital to take care of her while she was confined. She knew he was exhausted from work, but he still managed to come and stay with her every night. Rohan didn’t say anything and just took care of her. Maybe he kept it to himself because he knew talking about what she’d done to him would only stress her out. And now that she was released from the hospital, he even volunteered to care for her at home.
“Where’s Gold?” Yvonne asked when they arrived at her parents’ house.
“She’s at my mom’s place. I’ll bring her here once you’re fully recovered.” He crouched in front of her. “Don’t worry about her, okay? Mom’s taking care of her well. You’ll see her soon.”
“Hm… I don’t want her to see me like this anyway. I don’t want her to think that I’m gravely ill.” Yvonne heaved a sigh. “That kid is too smart. She knows almost everything that’s happening around her. I can’t hide a secret from her.”
“I think she takes after me in that aspect,” he said proudly.
“She looks like me anyway,” she countered with a laugh.
Rohan smiled and brought her hand to his lips.
“I won’t object to that. She reminded me of you the first time I saw her at the coffee shop.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm. And oh, let’s not forget that she got the same attitude as yours,” Rohan added. “She likes talking back and never runs out of reasons. She has lots of questions. She talks a lot, oh... I think too much.”
“You two have already bonded really well.” She smiled at the thought that her daughter and Rohan grew closer while she was away. “Now, it wouldn’t be hard for her if I—”
“Yvonne… don’t say anything, please. Don’t even think about it. You’re recovering well from the surgery, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but—”
“There’ll be no complications. I’m here… I’ll make sure that you’re healthy and well-taken care of.”
Rohan pulled something out from the pocket of his coat. She gasped when she saw a small red velvet box.
“Rohan…” she whispered.
He opened the box, and a sparkling diamond ring greeted her.
“I know you’re still recovering, but I couldn’t help it. The thought that we’ve wasted years before this love finally happens makes me anxious. When you left me for the second time, I promised myself I’d do everything to find you, even if you go hide at the end of the world.”
Tears sprung from her eyes when Rohan took the ring out of the box and held her hand. He put it gently on her finger and kissed her hand.
“We should get married, don’t you think?” he said with a boyish grin plastered on his face that never failed to captivate her soul. “I’m not taking no for an answer. Say no, and you’ll never see me for the rest of your days.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“Are you really proposing marriage or blackmailing me?” Yvonne asked, giggling.
“Maybe both.” He leaned forward and gave her a quick but deep kiss. “Say yes, Yvonne… or I’ll cry now.”
“Cry then,” she teased him.
Rohan frowned, which made her cup his cheeks.
“Yes, Rohan, I’ll marry you. I love you….”
“And I love you more….”
He stood up and carried her into his arms.
“Wait, we can’t do that yet. I’m still—”
“I’m taking you upstairs so you can rest.”
“Oh…”
She felt her cheeks burning from embarrassment.
 
-The End-