You can't force love, I realized. It's either there or it isn't. If it's not there, you've got to be able to admit it. If it is there, you've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.
- Richelle Mead
Samantha Sage Chiu was sitting restlessly in the first class section of the plane she was riding.
She already drank a glass of wine to calm her nerves down.
But it just wasn't working.
It was just three hours to landing.
She would be back in the Philippines after more than 10 long years.
Had it been that long?
Sam laughed sarcastically.
She was constantly touching her hair and rubbing her hands together.
It seemed normal to others, but to her, those were signs of extreme nervousness.
She was physically present, but her mind was wandering to the past, towards all the long buried moments and memories attached to it.
She hated it.
She was always confident and in control.
She always knew what she wanted, found means and ways to get it, and worked hard to achieve it.
She was feeling confident all throughout the week.
She had prepared for her homecoming.
She readied herself and even practiced conversations in her head.
She had practiced smiling in front of the mirror for hours.
She knew Jacob, Jace, Ara and Avery were gonna ask for explanations.
She had left without saying goodbye.
It was like one moment they were enjoying Jacob and Jaden's birthday party, the next moment she was off to Europe without a proper farewell.
She had prepared for it.
Until that moment when she received a message from her Uncle Anton, minutes before boarding the plane.
From: Uncle Anton
Sammy! When you arrive at the airport in Manila, sabay na kayo ni Jace. Both of you will arrive in the same day naman eh! Good luck! Uy! Maybe this time......love won't end! Oi loko lang! Asar talo! Love you Sam! Uncle misses you!
Despite her unending love for uncle Anton, Sam had wanted to throw her mobile phone towards the wall as soon as she read the message.
She had wanted to go back to her apartment, in the safety of her own home.
The home she was used to, the home she had been comfortable with, the home that nurtured her when she was hurting and broken.
Her uncle was the only person who knew about what had happened more than 10 years ago.
He was the one who saw her crying like a baby looking like her life was over.
She had been very close to her uncle Anton, her mother's youngest brother.
He took her to all his business and personal functions.
He was more like her brother than her uncle, despite the age gap.
They had a close bond.
That was the reason why he could get away with jokes like that.
And that was why she came back even if she didn't want to.
