The Billionaire's Son

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sierra's worried look is the first thing that greeted me when I got out of the bathroom.

"Anong resulta?" nag-aalala nitong tanong sa akin. Hindi na niya ako hinintay na makasagot pa. She grabbed the pregnancy test strip from my hands. Her eyes widened. "Goodness, Mallory! You're pregnant!"

Napatingin sa akin si Gideon. Suki's eyes sparkled. "You're going to have a baby with Leon?" she asked with a hopeful expression on her face.

Parang gusto kong masuka ulit. Tulala akong napaupo. Napatingin ako sa nanginginig kong mga kamay.

"Mallory?" tumayo din si Gideon sa kaniyang kinauupuan at nilapitan ako. "What are you going to do?"

My lips trembled. Napahawak ako sa aking tiyan. There's a life inside of here. And this is Sage's child inside of me. God, we're going to have a child.

"H-Hindi ko alam . . ." namuo ang mga luha ko sa mga mata. How am I supposed to face Leon while I'm pregnant with Sage's child? I even rejected his wedding proposal in exchange for this? Napakasama kong tao.

"Should we call Sage?" mahinahon nitong tanong sa akin.

Umiling ako. "Not now, Gideon."

"Don't you think he deserve to know that he's going to have a child with you?"

"I know, Gid. Pero hindi na muna ngayon. Let me think first . . ." ihinilamos ko ang aking mukha sa palad.

Nagtatakang tiningnan ako ni Suki. "Nee-san? You're going to have a child with a man that's not Leon?"

I snorted bitterly. "Thanks for reminding, Suki."

Inilagay ni Sierra ang kaniyang kamay sa likod ni Suki. "Maybe you can prepare a cup of tea for her? I'm sure she's stressed out right now."

"Okay, sure." Hindi pa rin maalis ang tingin sa akin ni Suki habang papasok siya ng kusina.

Lumuhod si Sierra sa aking harapan at marahang inalis ang aking palad mula sa aking mukha. "Mallory?" she had a soft expression on her face it reminds me so much of my mother. Would she look at me this way if she's still alive and learns that I'm pregnant with Sage? "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

I swallowed. Hindi ko na napigilan ang panginginig ng aking mga labi. "But Leon . . ."

"Leon will have to understand. I know you're not in love with him, Mallory. Hindi mo pwedeng ipilit ang puso mo sa kaniya. It will only hurt the two of you in the end."

Tuluyan na akong napaiyak sa kaniyang sinabi. Gideon had a mute pity on his expression but he kept his mouth shut. Umiyak lamang ako nang umiyak habang hinahagod ni Sierra ang aking likuran.

Leon, please forgive me.

---

It took me a few days to finally have the courage to call Leon from the Philippines. Tawag siya nang tawag sa akin pero hindi ko naman sinasagot. Nauubusan na si Gideon ng mga dahilan kung bakit ako nagkukulong sa aking kwarto.

"Nee-san, there was once an old man who shared a piece of bread with me one night on the streets." Suki once told me while she's placing the glasses carefully on the table from the tray. The kind glint of her eyes shone. "He said that fate is really tricky. He worked in a hospital for a short time. A 26-yeard old woman is crying because she miscarried her first child even though she's very careful with her pregnancy. On the other room, a 17-year old girl is giving birth to a child she does not even want."

I hugged my knees to my chest.

"I'm not saying that you despise your child, Nee-san." Wika pa nito. "But please don't be sad? It makes me sad seeing you like this. You're just blessed with a child. It's not the end of the world yet. Talk to Leon and tell him what really happen. And if it turns out bad, you get hurt but you'll eventually move on, hai?" she smiled so kindly at me it makes my heart ache.

Napangiti na lamang ako nang mapakla sa kaniyang sinabi at nilapitan ko siya saka niyakap. This child is more open-minded than me. I can't believe I got lost with pursuing my goal from the real happiness. I let vengeance take over my mind and now I'm paying for its consequences.

"I'm really glad I found you, Suki." I whispered on her ears.

"I'm also glad to meet someone as wonderful as you, nee-san. So please don't cry, okay?"

"Okay." I swallowed, blinking back my tears. "I won't."

That short conversation with Suki was enough to give me the courage and talk to Leon about what really happened.

"Please tell me if there's something I did that made you this upset." Mahina ang boses ni Leon sa kabilang linya. "Is it because I run for the election?"

"No, it's not that." I croaked.

"Please, tell me, Mallory. Hindi na ako makatulog sa gabi sa kakaisip kung anong nagawa ko sa iyo. I can't bear with this."

"We need to talk, Leon." I said weakly. "Personally."

"But the campaign is still on-going—"

"I know. Take your time there and come here once everything is settled. I can't tell you anything over the phone."

He took a deep breath. "Is this about Sage?" he asked slowly, as if stirring the water.

Namuo muli ang luha sa mga labi ko. "No, it's not just about him. It's about me. I have a lot to tell you. Leon. You deserve to know this."

"Okay." He paused. "Okay, I'll go and be with you as soon as the election is over. I'm really sorry, Mallory."

"It's okay. I'll see you in a few weeks." Wika ko at ibinaba na ang tawag bago pa man siya makasagot.

I opened my Facebook and searched for Sage's name. Up until now, I still haven't accepted his friend request from five years ago. He first sent it when he was still courting me. I didn't know why I ignored his request but keeps on stalking at his profile.

Pinindot ko ang kaniyang larawan. Sage is wearing a grey suit with a blank expression on his face. The picture must be in private because I can't like nor comment on the photo. His last post was over six months ago and it's just a shared post from his company's marketing campaign.

Napangiti ako sa aking sarili. He didn't use his name Christian on his Facebook account. Marami din ang naka-follow kay Sage. The pictures are limited. Most of the time, it's just him and his family. May tagged photos din silang dalawa ni Aaric at ng iba pa niyang mga pinsan.

I clicked the message button. Nakatitig lamang ako sa walang laman na chat box. We never exchanged messages over Facebook. And I wouldn't know if he'll be able to read it if I ever sent one.

Sighing to myself, I start typing a message.

Hi, Sage. Can we talk?

It sounds so casual. How am I supposed to act around him after what happened? I deleted the message and think again. I can always call him but I know my voice will waver once I hear his voice. Hindi ko malaman kung ano ang dapat kong sabihin sa kaniya.

For the next few minutes, I keep on typing and deleting my message. Marami akong gustong sabihin ngunit ayaw kong malaman niya ito sa pamamagitan ng chat. I'm not sure if I'm ready to see him either.

In the end and out of frustration, I just tapped the wave button.

"Shit. Parang highschool lang?" I groaned to myself.

You waved at Sage! Waiting for Sage to wave back...

Napapikit ako. I'm so stupid. Of all the things I've got to tell him, I ended up sending a wave?

Inilapag ko ang aking phone sa tabi ng futon at tumitig sa kisame. Mayamaya pa ay biglang tumunog ang aking phone. I glanced at it. Muntik na akong atakihin sa puso nang makita ko ang notification.

You and Sage waved at each other!