#DS7Unbalanced #InoCent #SMCouple #DaggerSeries
EPILOGUE
TIARA'S POV
Hinihingal na tumigil ako sa pagsayaw at inabot ko ang tumbler ko para uminom. I was in the middle of gulping the water down when I heard a sound. Nangingiting binaba ko ang hawak at nilingon ko ang pintuan ng glass house kung saan sa tabi niyon ay may maliit na kama.
"Getting bored, Giselle?" The sixth-month-old puppy barked again. Nang hindi ako kumilos ay ilang beses niya pang inulit iyon. Napapabuntong-hininga na lumapit ako sa kaniya at kaagad naman siyang tumayo at dumantay sa binti ko. "Okay, okay. I'll stop now."
She's like an alarm clock. I had no choice but to stop my daily routine because she'd demand that I do so. Napipilitan tuloy akong magpahinga ng wala sa oras. At bigyan siya ng atensyon.
Gathering my things, I opened the door and stepped out of the studio. Giselle followed, just like she always does.
She's a cross of three different breeds. Her father, Mochi, is a Schweenie, which is a cross of Shih Tzu and Dachshund. Her mother is a West Highland Terrier named Potchi. I adopted her from Embrace's Sanctuary, which is a place Ember and Trace built to rescue different kinds of animals.
Mochi was a rescue that they decided to keep, and Potchi immediately fell in love with him. Ember is against breeding, but she wanted to give Potchi a chance to have puppies of her own, but after she gave birth, Mochi got neutered. Only families got the puppies because she wanted to prioritize the rescues to be adopted first by those supporting the sanctuary.
The two had five female puppies. Saga got adopted by Lucienne and Thorn, Eiffel went to Mireia and Axel, Sharkie found a home in Circe and Coal, and Domino and I adopted Giselle. Ember kept the last puppy, Matcha, which almost didn't make it because she was underdeveloped.
We volunteered to adopt since we were the ones who didn't have pets yet except for Luna and Magnus, who are too busy to keep one right now. Belaya, on the other hand, has a lot of pets. The kinds that I wouldn't be brave enough to keep. Lia just adopted a bird from the sanctuary, which she named Minuet, and she's also pregnant.
It was something that came as a surprise because she said they'd been trying for years after the twins. After Circe and Coal's gender reveal three months ago, we found out Lia's thirteen weeks pregnant during her concert, where Gun proposed to her through a performance of Twice's Feel Special. He wants them to get married again. It was a double surprise.
Right now, it is really not the right time for her to have a high-energy puppy who will need a lot of attention, especially since she has a history of miscarriage. And I think she's more into birds.
Nang makapasok sa bahay ay tumuloy ako sa kuwarto para mag-shower at magpalit ng damit. Nang bumaba ako ay naabutan ko si Giselle na naghihintay sa akin. She barked at me, and with a roll of her eyes, I went to the kitchen. I took the bowl of sliced fruits that I knew Domino had prepared for me before he went to work. He doesn't trust me with knives.
Napapailing na sumandal ako sa counter at nagsimula akong kumain. When I saw Giselle watching me, I tossed her some pieces that she immediately gobbled down. May ulterior motive talaga ang concern ng isang 'to.
"You know, he should start trusting me. The lazanki I made three nights ago was pretty okay." It's a Ukrainian pasta dish that I suddenly was craving for. Kaya ko namang magluto ng mga simpleng lutuin. Like frying things or boiling them. It's just that I was craving one, and I don't know where to buy it.
Giselle made a soft woof, and when I looked at her, she had her head tipped to the side. If she's a person, she would be one who looks highly skeptical.
"Okay, fine. It wasn't that bad. I just need a little practice."
Mukhang hindi pa rin naniniwala ang aso. I can't blame her. Though I'm trying to stop it, Domino would often slip food for her to try. Her daddy spoils her too much. Nagkataon na pinatikim sa kaniya ni Domino ang lasanki ko na hindi pa nagtatagal sa bibig niya ay inuluwa niya na.
"You're just a picky eater, Giselle. Your daddy ate all of it."
The dog just stared at me as if telling me that she wasn't buying it. So he's a little biased, but whatever.
A faint sound of my phone ringing echoed through the house. Lumabas ako ng kusina kasunod si Giselle at hinanap ko iyon. I found the phone on the sofa. I reached for it, and I answered the call when I saw that it was Circe.
"Hey, new mama," I greeted her. "How's everything?"
"Everything's great. Alon is such an angel. I don't know where he got it from because Coal and I certainly are not one." She sounds so happy. Exhausted but happy. "Kaise's so sweet to him, and Sharkie's very gentle when he's around. Para nga silang bodyguard ni Alon."
Alon is the Dawson family's new addition. He's only a week old, so tiny, and yet he occupies a lot of people's hearts.
"I called because Carson, a friend of mine, is here in Luzon. He's a great chef, and he's into Ukrainian, Polish, and Slovak foods nowadays."
I groan. "You heard about the lazanki. I'm going to kill Domino. He's the only one that could say anything about it because I doubt Giselle would rat me out." Giselle barked, and I wrinkled my nose at her. "She would if she could talk."
Circe laughed. "It's not that. Nagbaon si Domino sa opisina. I think he genuinely likes it because he got angry with the guys when they ate it... or well try to."
Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako o ano. But Domino's definitely going to get lucky tonight. He appears to be the only fan of my cooking. "Tell your friend that I'll eat any Ukrainian food he'll cook."
"Great! I'll call you again tapos ipapadala ko na lang kay Coal."
I thanked her and ended the call. Umupo ako sa sofa at inabot ko ang remote para buksan ang TV. I browsed through the list of cartoons, and when Giselle made a sound when Paw Patrol appeared on screen, I played it. Such a smart baby.
I opened my phone and started mindlessly scrolling on Facebook. I don't know how, must be the algorithm or something, but I found a post about Domino.
Oh, he's going to be in real trouble once he comes home.
MUNTIK MAPATALON si Domino nang buksan niya ang ilaw ng bahay at makita niya akong nakaupo sa sofa habang walang kangiti-ngiting nakatingin sa kaniya. Giselle, who was peacefully sleeping, woke up and immediately went to his side.
Kunot ang noo na binuhat ni Domino ang aso bago siya lumapit sa akin. "Everything okay, doll?" Inangat niya ang dala niyang paper bag. "Bumili ako ng pagkain sa Mushroom Burger."
My stomach grumbled. Nakasimangot na kinuha ko sa kaniya iyon at walang salitang binuksan ko ang lalagyan. Nagdadabog na kumagat ako. My hormones want to dictate my feelings, telling me that he's so sweet for buying me something I like, so I should forgive him, but I'm still annoyed and hurt about what I saw.
"I have a feeling that you're angry with me, but I don't know why."
Hindi ako sumagot at nagpatuloy lang ako sa pagkain. I gave him a look that could have competed with the sun, given how scorching it is.
Domino turned to Giselle. "Whis is mommy angry, hmm? And why does she still look beautiful even though she's looking at me like she did one time when I accidentally stepped on your tail?"
I let them talk while I finished the burger. It's a good burger, and it deserves my attention. Nang matapos ako ay ang mushroom fries naman ang binalingan ko. I was busy munching on it when I caught sight of Domino.
He's looking at me as if I'm the most fascinating thing he has ever seen in his life. He's been doing that for awhile now.
"Talk to me, doll, please."
I harrumphed and shoved the last pieces of fries in my mouth before I crossed my arms and looked at him.
"Are you bored with me?"
Napakurap ang lalaki. "Umm... what?"
"You don't love me anymore because I'm getting big like a house?"
"What?" Ibinaba niya si Giselle at umupo siya sa tabi ko. "What brought this on? Every day, I keep falling in love with you. Of course I love you."
My heart warmed, but I didn't say anything.
"You're still my tiny Millie Mouse. You're not big. Even if you get bigger, it won't be as big as our house. We have a castle, doll."
My eyes narrowed into a slit. "So I'm still your favorite Ukrainian?"
"Of course—"
Hindi ko siya pinatapos sa sasabihin niya at inangat ko ang cellphone ko. There's a picture of him intensely looking at a woman twerking on the stage. Her name is Ionna Tkachenko, and according to the post, she's half Ukrainian and half American. The caption emphasized that Domino has a thing for Ukrainians.
"You... you know I trust you." I cleared my throat when my voice broke a little. Domino's face went soft, especially when tears filled my eyes. "But I don't know what to think because you're looking at her like that, and you haven't looked at me like that for a long time now."
"My sweet doll." Nang mapahikbi ako ay hinila niya ako palapit sa kaniya at pinaupo niya ako sa kandungan niya. I buried my face on his neck. "You're right."
"W-What?"
"I haven't looked at you that way. Hopefully I won't ever have to—" Napasigaw siya nang basta ko na lang siyang kagatin sa leeg. For a moment, he looked shocked, but the next second, he was laughing.
Sinubukan kong umalis sa kandungan niya pero niyakap niya lang ako para hindi ko magawa iyon.
"She's a client."
"But—"
"I'm looking at her in an intense way because I'm like that when I'm on high alert. When you were in danger, I was like that too." He ran the back of his hand on my red cheeks. "She's a performer. She needed protection, so I was there with the other Dagger employees. I wasn't watching her dance. I was watching everything that went around her."
My lips quivered. He made a pretty solid point, but I'm still angry, and I hate that I am.
With amusement coloring his eyes, he leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. He did the same with my lips, as if he couldn't help it.
"I hate this!" I wailed.
"Shh. It's okay," he murmured.
"It's not okay! I'm not even a jealous kind of person!"
"I like that you are."
Binigyan ko siya ng matalim na tingin. "I don't," I growled.
Nangingiting hinalikan niya ako ulit bago mahigpit na niyakap niya ako. He fell back on the sofa, taking me with him. "Okay, okay. It's my fault."
I sniffled. "That's the thing. It wasn't. I'm just being stupid."
"You're not stupid, and yes, it is kind of my fault." Inilapat niya ang malapad niyang kamay sa tiyan ko. "I have a part in this, don't I?"
"Well... if you put it that way, then yes."
I'm hormonal. I'm almost four months pregnant. Physically, it doesn't show much, though there are parts of me that are getting bigger. Which Domino loves.
I don't have a baby bump yet. Sadiyang maliit lang ako. There's some that will carry it the way others do despite having a small frame, but pregnancy is not the same for everyone. It doesn't mean that the baby is unhealthy. The doctor actually told us that the baby has such a strong heartbeat that she even cleared me to dance as long as I would be careful and not do complicated things that would strain me too much.
"Our baby Kalina," he whispered.
"Or Kael." Sumandal ako sa dibdib niya at ipinatong ko ang kamay ko sa kamay niyang nasa tiyan ko pa rin. "Kalina Viktoriya or Kael Mykola."
Viktoriya and Mykola were suggested by my mother. She wasn't pushing us, but Domino and I liked the names. Both meant victory, and for us, the baby is the greatest reward from this life's battle.
We weren't planning to have a baby. I got sick, and I took medicine that might have interfered with my birth control. We knew it could happen, so we were being careful, but I guess not careful enough. At first, I thought I was just missing my period like I always do. Normal na iyon sa akin dahil na rin sa klase ng diet na meron ako noon. But after Domino became a part of my life, my period became regular because he always made sure of my health. So when the month became two and then three, we decided to go to the doctor.
"It could be a boy, you know," I told him.
"I'll love the baby no matter what. Girl or boy, or anything that he or she will want to be someday."
Nangingiting nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya. "What a good daddy."
His eyes shine brighter than anything I have ever seen. He liked the thought of that. Being a dad. "That's going to be my favorite word."
"Thank goodness something beats "sir" in your vocabulary."
He kissed my lips gently. "When it comes to you, that's still one of my favorite words. It's certainly in the top ten."
"How about the word husband?"
"It's on the list."
"What's on the top?"I asked.
"When you tell me that you love me," he answered easily.
"That's three words."
"Then it's top one to three. I love you, I love you, I love you." I giggled, which made him smile more. "Four is husband, five is daddy, and six is sir."
Kumunot ang noo ko. "What's seven to ten?"
Nilingon ni Domino si Giselle na nakikipaghabulan sa buntot niya bago siya mahinang nagsalita. He brushes the tip of his nose with mine. "I'll tell you when it's just the two of us. Giselle is too young to hear those words."
Pinaikot ko ang mga mata ko nang magawa kong maintindihan ang ibig niyang sabihin. I'm pretty sure what he's thinking about involves a lot of activities that we do in the bedroom. Or sometimes out of it.
"Nakita ko nga pala si Damian," sabi niya pagkaraan.
"How is he?"
Damian and Emeric have been busy, but every once in a while they visit me. Ilang beses ko na rin nakasama si Savannah, who turned out to be a really great person.
"He's good. He's busy, but everything is going great for him. Emeric is helping him out."
Damian is still running for office. He almost didn't, but surprisingly, the people liked him. They still want him to run despite the issues. Damian has shown proof that he's far from being like our father. I guess the people weren't blind, and they saw that, and they believed him enough to give him a chance.
Sometimes I also help, but they don't want me to go to events where I will need to be in the presence of a lot of people. They are as protective as Domino, and they don't want to take a chance that will put me at risk. Hindi rin kasi maitatanggi kung gaano kagulo ang pangangampanya.
Hindi mapigilang napahikab ako. Domino brushed my hair off my face, and he stared at my sleepy face. "Let's get to you bed."
Tumango lang ako pero hindi ako kumilos. Sa halip ay yumakap lang ako sa balikat niya. Without complaining, he stood up with me in his arms. He made a sound with his tongue, and I could hear Giselle's tiny feet following us.
Domino spoils me. Nothing changed from before we were married to now. He still always surprises me. The way he was with me before remains the same. How patient he is, how gentle, and how he always makes me feel special.
I couldn't help but admire our house as he climbed the stairs. "It's a fortress."
"Hmm?"
"Our house. It felt like a fortress to me before. A place to keep me safe. And now it's... home."
Just like Domino told me before, he slowly started changing some of the things in the house. He wanted to be the one who made everything. I often spend hours with him in the workshop, and I help him no matter how little it will be. Because I also want to have a part in our home.
Everything here was created out of his hard work and dedication. He created it for us. For me. For the baby growing inside me.
When we were inside the room, Domino gently laid me down on the bed. Hindi ko inalis ang mga braso ko sa balikat niya para hindi niya magawang makalayo.
"Unbalanced," I whispered. "I want that to be the title when Lucienne writes our story."
With a smile playing on his lips, he touched the side of my face. "Why?"
"It's a word I hate. Before I came to know you. It just sounded out of control, and it's the complete opposite of what I needed to do. Who I always need to be. I was expected to always be in the right balance. I couldn't slip. Not when I'm standing on a thin rope that, with one wrong move, could result in me toppling over."
"And now?"
The word was given a new meaning to me. Life is not about finding equilibrium. It was about finding the right steps to dance with the chaos.
"I did fall eventually, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me." Nakangiting inilapat ko ang kamay ko sa pisngi niya. "I fell in love with you."
"Ya tebe kohayu."
My smile was instant. I love you. That's what his words meant. "I see that you're making good use of what I've taught you."
His eyes glinted, and he took my hand, guiding it to his chest... and downwards. I bit down on my lower lip when I felt the bulge in his jeans.
"How about you put what I taught you to good use as well, doll?"
I raised my head a bit, nipping his lower lip as I tightened my hold on the strain on his pants. "My zmiya, you know what my answer would be."
In the dance of my life, I no longer look for the practiced ones. The memorized series of steps. I found art in the imperfection, I found beauty in the dance that isn't perfect, embracing the unsteadiness... the unpredictability. Because sometimes the dance that is worth exhausting yourself for, bleeding for, or taking a leap for, is the one that is raw and untamed.
The one that is perfectly unbalanced. Perfectly ours.
"Where do you want me to start, Sir?" I whispered.
The corner of his lips tipped up. "Hands on the headboard and spread for me, sweet doll."
As always, I obeyed.
To him... my sweetest surrender.
FIN