After the dinner date, the days went normally but not for Timothy. He assumed again the duties of a perfect boyfriend, minus the intimacies, of course.
Sabina wanted to take things slow and Timothy agreed with her wholeheartedly. He knew that he couldn't forced Sabina to jump in a relationship after what she had been through.
He caters to Sabina's every needs and whims. He dives with her. He runs with her every morning. He eats with her and most of all he takes care of her.
A couple of weeks passed and Sabina's wall crumbled. The icy animosity in her thawed and she was ready to give her ex fiancé another chance but she held back. First, she wanted to inform her family and ask for their advice and suggestion.
And so, the following weekend, she decided to go home. "How long will you be gone?" Timothy queried in a sad tone. He already miss the petite biologist, knowing that he wouldn't see her for the next several days.
"Six days max." Sabina simply replied.
They were now at Sabina's private quarters. The petite biologist was packing some of her essentials for her trip home.
"What? Almost a week? Do you want me to come with you? I can come if you want me to. I can be your chauffeur, porter and personal assistant." The young architect offered.
The petite biologist rolled her eyes. "What are you? A pre-schooler? What is this, separation anxiety?" But deeply, she was tempted to take her ex fiancé with her, for him to finally meet her whole family.
"Sab, it's almost a week and it's definitely long. I will miss you." Timothy whined like a little boy.
As an answer, the petite biologist poked his side. "Quit it!" She faked an annoyed face but she knew that she would also missed him. She tried to look unbothered while she continued to pack her toiletries.
Slowly, Timothy stood up and embraced the his ex-fiancée. "I will miss you. Hurry back, okay?" He whispered into her ears. His words earned a rich giggle from the beautiful young woman in his arms.
"Really?" She joked but she also embraced him back, tightly.
The young architect pulled away a little to gaze at her angelic face. His eyes looked sad and his breathing was a little erratic. It appeared that he was in the verge of crying.
"Tim!" Sabina scolded but her lips twitched. "It's just a week."
A deep melancholy sigh escaped the young architect's mouth. "Can I kiss you, please?" He begged, his eyes beseeching and sad.
Sabina almost melted when she saw his imploring eyes and when she heard his tone but she held her ground. "I thought, we are going to take it slow this time, Tim?" She asked in a serious tone.
The young man in question bowed his head lowly but he didn't let go of her completely. "You're right, Sab. We should take it slow, this time. I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely.
"It's alright." The petite biologist responded softly as she tiptoed to kiss the young architect's forehead.
Somehow, Timothy's eyes closed as he felt Sabina's warm soft lips came in contact with his forehead. When he opened his eyes she found his ex-fiancé grinning at him.
"How are you going to get home?" Timothy asked, still in a sad and subdued tone.
"The chopper will pick me up tomorrow." She simply answered as if it was just normal to be fetched by a chopper.
The young architect nodded his head again, he had almost forgotten that Sabina was a daughter of a billionaire.
∞∞∞
Warning: SPG --sensitive topic (suicide)
"Hi abuela! I missed you. How are you?" The petite biologist engulfed the old woman in a soft embrace as soon as she saw her.
With a serene and happy grin, the clan matriarch replied. "I'm beyond fine mi amor and I missed you, too. Let me look at you." The old woman pushed her granddaughter gently and stared at her from head to toe.
"You're leaner and I bit taller, I think." She teased while still gazing at her adoringly.
"Abuela! You're hurting my feelings." Sabina replied faking an exaggerated pained face.
A loud crisp laughter emanated from the old matriarch's lips. "Come on, mi amor. It's almost tea time. Get change and meet me at the tea room." She ordered kindly.
"See you, abuela." The petite biologist smile as she skipped towards the west wing of the grand ancestral house.
The next following days were spent in the vast tobacco plantation, riding Shadow and taking care of her abuela, Doña Esperanza.
Sabina also visited the home of some of their workers since she wanted to know their living condition. And she was glad to find out that they were being taken cared of, perfectly.
And since it was her first time here after more than a decade, her twin brothers took her to the hauntingly beautiful Bantay Bell tower, to the magnificent Paoay Church and to the high and mighty Cape Bojeador Lighthouse.
The Dela Vega siblings also tried sand boarding and 4x4 ride in the sand dunes of Laoag. And for the first time she had enjoyed the tourist destination of her own home province.
They also revisited the old "Burnayans" and the untouched Calle Crisologo. And thoroughly, Sabina explored the many museums in their city. She also relished eating Vigan's delicacies like empanada, Bagnet (deep fried pork chunks) and chichacorn (fried corn kernels).
This was a dream come true for the petite biologist since she was with her brothers while doing all these. Her heart felt full and content because of this wonderful blessing.
On her fourth day at home, she felt that it was time for her to discuss her agenda/dilemma to her family so after dinner she invited everyone at their wide veranda for dessert and coffee.
Before starting, the petite biologist studied the faces of her family, one by one. First was her beautiful abuela, then her suddenly chatty father and lastly, her twin brothers. And she found that all of them, looked fine and happy.
"Guys, I need to tell you something. This is really important to me so please be honest and tell me what you truly think and feel." She began, readily her loud husky voice caught everyone's attention so they trained all their eyes towards her and waited patiently.
Straight away, Don Luis have predicted her own daughter's next words. And as her father, he readily knew what Sabina's agenda was all about. Timothy Sebastian.
The old man's heart started to beat double time inside his chest, he knew that if his hunch was true, he will be forced to discuss the family's grim history involving the Sebastians.
The male twins stared at their only sister in waiting while Doña Esperanza smiled encouragingly at her grand daughter.
For courage, she inhaled deeply. "I want to give Tim a second chance. Do you guys think it's wise? Do you think he deserves it?" Her open admission and her questions earned admiration from her brothers. They readily knew how important her family is for her.
Anton went first, "I only met Timothy once but I know that he is a kind man. He may looked formidable but surely, he's a softie inside. You can easily see it on his words and manners so I think he deserves a second chance. Follow you heart, Sab and whatever your decision, I will always be behind you." He said in a sincere tone.
Doña Esperanza followed and gave her insight. "I never met the young man but I trust Anton and Jacob's judgement since they grew quite good in reading people. He may have wronged you before but everyone deserves a second chance especially if that "everyone" is close to your heart. Although I have to remind you to be extra careful this time, okay?" The old woman was perfectly aware that her granddaughter was still very much in love with the Sebastian lad so she didn't dare dampened her happiness even though her heart was still a little dubious.
When Jacob's turn came, the petite biologist was almost teary eyed and over the moon. She never thought that Anton and her abuela would support her Timothy-decision. She was dreading their advices and opinions but it turned out that Timothy got their vote.
"Aria, you already know that Timothy already got my vote. All I want now is for you to be happy but just like abuela's reminder, you should be extra careful, this time. Remember, the Madrid lass and the Sebastian matriarch are still there. They now know your true identity so you should be vigilant and keen." The younger of the twins advised her only sister.
"Thank you, guys and papa, it's your turn. I want to know your stand on my love life." She said in a quivering voice before a nervous giggle escaped her.
At once, everyone fell silent. They were all listening keenly on what Don Luis have to say about this.
Minutes ago, the clan's patriarch was determined to disclose the whole story to his daughter but seeing how happy she was now, he couldn't bear to think that he would be the bearer of this grim information. And so, he was now having second thoughts.
But his righteous and honest self won and so he prepared himself, praying that his daughter would be able to accept everything with an open heart and broad mind.
"Mi amor, I heard so many good things about the Sebastian lad and I am truly impressed. It's obvious that he has a kind and honorable soul but I need you to listen to me first. Then after you heard what I have to say, it's up to you what you do next but always remember, whatever your decision be, we are always here to support you. We are you family so we love you unconditionally, mi..." Don Luis began.
"Pa, what is this? You're making me nervous." Sabina barged in, hands clammy and heart pounding madly.
The old man shook his head. "Don't be, it's you who will decide in the end so the Aces are in your hands, mi Amor. All I want you to do is listen, open your mind and your heart, okay?" He asked while rubbing her daughter's back.
Sabina was unaware that her father had closed the gap between them and now he was ushering her to a nearby seat since she had been standing all throughout this discussion.
"Do you still remember the young man that was supposed to marry you? Your betrothed? The young lad from Zambales?" Her father asked, a little hesitant.
The petite biologist nodded as her hands began to shake from too much anxiety. "What about him? Is he here?" She asked in a panicky voice.
"Calm down, mi amor. He is not here." Doña Esperanza readily consoled her extremely agitated granddaughter.
Sabina tilted her head slightly so her father continued. "The young lad is not here because he died the very night you run away with Jacob and your abuela. It was said that he killed himself." Regretfully, the kind Dela Vega patriarch confirmed.
A deafening silence followed this awful news until a painful gasp came from Sabina. "Did he commit suicide because of me? Because I ran away? Because I broke our betrothal?" She asked as guilt crept and slowly gnawed her system.
"No, no." Her father readily denied.
"There was nothing like that because you were both in similar situation way back then. He was also coerced in marrying you, so I guess that was his way of disobeying her mother's order." Don Luis explained further.
Out of the blue, Timothy's older brother, Nicky entered Sabina's mind. Why do people kept on killing themselves? She asked mentally as she tried to flush the guilt from her whole body.
"Then what happened? What happened to his family? Why are we talking about this? Has this something to do with my current dilemma?" Questions came flooding in and she was helpless against them.
The petite biologist was now shaking all over but this was nothing compared to the raging emotional turmoil inside her. Uncertainty, fear, anxiety and doubt were all rioting within her.
"One question at a time, mi amor." Softly, her father reminded her.
"What happened after Nicholas was gone?" She inquired, recalling her almost husband's name.
Jacob and Anton looked at their father and automatically they knew that their father was going to reveal everything. "To be honest, at first we have no news about them but later on we found out that his family had moved on and I can guarantee you that they are quite happy now." The old man annunciated these words loudly, hoping that this piece of information will soothe some of his daughter's worries.
"I know you Aria, please don't blame this on yourself, remember you were also a victim then." He added as a reminder.
"And to appease you more, his family have migrated in Manila right after his death and today, they owned one of the most sought after construction business in the country."
Sabina creased her forehead. "They have moved on and we have moved on so why on Earth are we talking about this, papa?" She queried, totally baffled with her father's true intention.
"Because this is extremely relevant to yours and Timothy's relationship, mi amor." The old man declared cryptically.
"Why?" She was confused, scared and distraught so her tone came out a little too high and sharp.
Anton abruptly interceded. "Aria, calm down. Okay? You really need to know this so listen, please." The eldest of the three siblings implored as he motioned his father to continue.
"Mi amor, your almost husband, Simon Nicholas is the eldest sibling of your ex-fiancé. Just like you, Nicholas was also a pawn to Antonia and Bianca's plan but he refused to be part of it so he allegedly committed suicide." Don Luis answered his daughter's query without any preamble.
Upon hearing his father's response, Sabina's hopeful heart shattered into tiny pieces and automatically, her eyes mourned for it. The hope of being with Timothy again flew out of the window, never to come back again.
The petite biologist painful gasp almost killed her family. Instantly, they crowded around her, ready to lend their strength and courage to the now crying woman.
"Are they blaming me for Nicholas' fate?" She asked while tears continue to flow from her expressive eyes.
The clan's patriarch quickly shook his head. "I don't think so, Aria." He responded as Sabina broke down.
"This is why you don't want me near them, isn't it abuela?" She darted her teary eyes to her grandmother and slowly with sad expression, the old woman nodded.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Sabina almost shouted, the shock have clouded her acumen making hysteria to kick in.
"We have every plans of telling you but the break up happened. Knowing your situation, we decided that we don't want to burden you with another painful story so we kept it a secret, thinking that you have completely given up on your ex fiancé." Jacob aided his father in explaining the family's stand on this matter.
The petite biologist was not only crying, she was bawling her eyes out now. "Tim and Maggie will surely hate me for this if they found out." She murmured in between violent sobs.
"Don't say that, Aria. This is not your fault so they will surely understand. There's no one to blame here but their own mother." Anton tried to appease his youngest sibling with positive words while the clan matriarch remained silent. She just wrapped her arms around her granddaughter and embraced her tight.
"We don't know them Anton. Up until now they are still both greatly affected by Nicholas' untimely death so I'm certain that they are going to hate me." She argued as she hugged her grandmother back and cried on her delicate chest and shoulder.
Don Luis shook his head, he hated seeing her only daughter cry but it had to be done and she had to know. "Then they don't deserve you. It's not your fault, mi amor and if these people put the blame on you then you're better off without them. It only means that they are petty, judgmental and narrow-minded." He declared in a serious tone, totally distraught with his youngest child's emotional state.
"This is mama and Bianca's fault so please, Aria pull yourself together." It was the first time that Anton directly talked about this matter. And this time, he was bold enough to state that it was partly their own mother's fault.
But this didn't appease the petite biologist even a bit. She cried hysterically and started to hyperventilate.
In panic, Doña Esperanza began to tear up, too, so Jacob came to her aid right away. "Abuela, please. Let's all be strong for Aria. She needs all of us now. She will be devastated if something happens to you so please calm yourself down." Immediately, the old woman nodded her head and wiped her tears daintily.
While on the adjacent couch, Don Luis and Anton were tending the petite biologist. "Aria, please. Breathe. Breath." The eldest of the Dela Vega siblings begged.
"Yaya Loring, paper bag please, Aria is hyperventilating." Don Luis muttered at the intercom box mounted near the door of the wide veranda. The Dela Vega Manor never loses brown paper bags since Sabina used to hyperventilate a lot when she was a little girl.
After a few moment, heavy footsteps were heard, a plump old woman with soft features and dark complexion appeared on the threshold carrying a dozen of brown paper bags. "Dios mio, what happened?" She exclaimed loudly as she handed the bunch of paper bags to Don Luis.
"Here Aria, breathe mi amor. Please!" Don Luis deep voice cracked and his eyes began to leak. Shakily, he blew on the paper bag, giving his breathe so his only daughter could breath.
Unsteadily, the petite biologist reached out for the brown paper bag. She was still crying so her breathing was ragged and shallow. Her color faded and this alarmed Anton. "Breathe with me, Aria." He whispered against his siblings temple while rubbing her back and shoulders.
Abruptly, yaya Loring turned around and stalked inside the house. She came back seconds later with glasses and a big carafe of cold water. She then, poured some to one of the glasses and handed it swiftly to Sabina's father.
"In, out. In, out. Breathe mi amor." The worried father coaxed his daughter as he handed her the glass of water while yaya Loring turned her attention to Doña Esperanza.
Sabina tried to inhale deeply before taking a big gulp of water. Afterwards, Anton brought the paper bag against his sister's mouth again.
Minutes later, through Don Luis and his eldest son's combined effort, the petite biologist gradually regained her normal color and her steady but still shallow breathing.
Jacob and yaya Loring were also successful in pacifying the old woman. She was now silently watching her son and grandson while the two continued to
tend Sabina.
Sabina's breathing returned to it's normal pace but her tears and sobs didn't stop. Inaudibly, she was still weeping. "Anton..." She whispered as she reached for him like a little girl. The news was excruciating and it felt like being stabbed in the heart repeatedly.
Automatically, her eldest brother hugged her. "Don't think too much, Aria. We still don't know what Tim and Maggie's reaction would be so calm down. Pull yourself together." He murmured encouragingly.
"This is hopeless, right? Tim and I are hopeless. The history between our families clearly forbids me to be with him even though I love him." She drew a sharp breath.
"No, no. Love defies history and conflict so it's not hopeless. Stay positive, Aria." Anton promptly replied.
The petite biologist bobbed her head and panned her gaze towards her father. "I will never put this family on that ground again, that's simply unbearable. Mama and Nicholas' death will haunt us forever if I followed my heart." She said out loud.
"Don't say that, mi amor. We managed to move on before so I think we will be alright even you chose to follow your heart." The clan patriarch's spoke calmly.
"Papa is right, Aria. Don't think that way, past is past. Let's not dwell on that, it's been more than a decade for Pete's sake. Everyone is better now so please open your heart, okay?" Anton supported his father's words.
The petite biologist didn't speak but her demeanor changed and determination glinted from her expressive eyes. I have caused too much pain to this family so it's my turn to sacrifice. I will never hurt them again even if it kills me. She muttered inwardly.
After a few minutes, she inhaled deeply. "I'm okay now." She schooled her features and shifted to look at her grandmother, yaya Loring and her other brother.
"Are you alright, abuela?" She asked Doña Esperanza in a well-controlled voice.
But somehow, this simple and short question brought immense fear to the old lady. She felt that something wasn't right but she tried to ignore it. "I'm fine mi amor but I'm a little worried about you." She mentioned sincerely while Jacob studied his younger sister's unsettling calm facade.
"I'm a tough girl abuela, you know me." A forced smile emerged from the petite biologist's face as she said these words.
"Are you sure?" Jacob queried, trying to be certain.
"Of course, now if you will excuse me, I need to do something." To everyone's great surprise, without saying another word Sabina walked towards the house like nothing happened.
Instantly, Anton signaled his younger twin brother to follow the petite biologist. He, too felt fear.
"Don't worry, I got this." Jacob assured them and in return, he discreetly signaled his twin brother to look after their old grandmother.
Jacob ran towards the house west wing where Sabina's room was situated and before his sister could close her bedroom door, he was able to slip inside. "Aria, you're making everyone nervous with your actions." He said in a worried voice.
Readily, the petite biologist ran to Jacob's arms. "I love him and I don't know if I could live without him." She admitted tearfully.
"No one is asking you to leave him. Everyone is telling you to follow your heart so by all means, Aria, follow your heart. I, for one wanted you two to end up together so give him another chance. This is your life, Aria. You should be happy. We want you to be happy." The lawyer stated.
"But how do I tell him? I don't have the heart to tell him about Nicholas and I can't lie to him either." She mumbled as she pulled away from her brother's embrace.
Jacob guided his sister to her four-post bed and have her seated on it's edge. "Think about it Aria. I know this is a shock for you so sleep on it tonight. Then, tomorrow decide. We will always be here for you so whatever your decision be, we will support you no matter what." The reassurance in Jacob's voice brought a little relief to the crying woman.
"Thank you." She whispered as her brother wiped her soaked cheeks.
∞∞∞
That same night, the petite biologist had a dream. If you can call it a dream because it was more of like going back in time.
FLASHBACK
The young Sabina ran towards the slightly wavy seashore to take a dip and drown all her pain and fear. Today she was scheduled to meet her betrothed and in two months time, she will be married at the age of 14.
The grim realization made the young girl bawled her eyes out. All the tears were making her sight blurry but she continued to thread the now, waist deep water. She didn't stop until it was neck deep. Sabina was a good swimmer so she didn't mind the depth.
Out of nowhere, a strong sets of arms grabbed her torso. "Hey, hey!" A voice of a young man sounded from behind.
"Let me go, let me go!" The young girl screamed in shock as she wiggled with all her strength.
In fear and panic, Sabina lost her coordination so she began to sink but the arms wrapped around didn't let go. "Stop wiggling or both of us will sink." The voice commanded.
"Let go, I can take care of myself and I'm a good swimmer. Let go!" She yelled angrily as she started to pound on the arms gripping her tightly.
"Ouch! Ouch! Quit it!" The owner of the voice was obviously angry now.
By the time they reached the shoreline, the young man's arms were already bruised and scratched. "You're freakishly strong for your size, you know." He muttered as he let go of the young girl in his arms.
Furiously, Sabina put her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?" She confronted him in an annoyed tone.
"What else? I was saving you. Didn't your parents teach you that drowning yourself is a mortal sin?" He answered, his tone equally irked.
"And who told you that I was drowning myself? I was raised with strong faith and with respect for life so I will never do that. " The hurt and fear that she was feeling totally vanished due to extreme irritation.
The rage inside her pushed her to poked the young man's chest. "Your wrong assumption almost killed me. I lost my coordination because of you." She yelled angrily.
"I'm so sorry! You were crying so loud and you looked so desperate so I thought..." Shame crossed the young man's handsome features.
Slowly, Sabina bowed her head and withdrew her hands. "I am beyond desperate." Unknown to her, she had uttered these words out loud and with this her tears flowed relentlessly.
"Hey, hey, is there a problem? Don't cry please." The young man whispered as she guided Sabina on the secluded part of the shoreline.
She wasn't sure what possessed her because after a few seconds she found herself opening up. "Today, will be the beginning of my lifelong sacrifice." She began, partly confessing her situation.
The 14-year-old Sabina lifted her expressive eyes towards the young stranger as she wiped her tears. "I have an obligation to my family and my own mother wanted me to do it now. An obligation that will require my life and freedom." She stated cryptically.
"And you're letting her do that to you?" Her "savior" asked.
She nodded and this earned a bitter chuckle from the young man. "Funny, I think we're on the same boat but I intend to fight back and you should, too. You have the strength and from the way you talk, I'm sure you are brainy and capable. Use all those qualities and fight back. Remember, we only live once. Don't you want to experience what is like to live in your own terms?" He asked.
"I do!" Promptly, Sabina replied.
"Then do it, your instinct will guide you. Fight for what you want and for what you feel. And I will pray to God that someday, we will meet again, both happy and content." With that the young stranger walked away with an encouraging smile on his handsome face.
Upon hearing this, something inside Sabina shifted. And before the stranger could disappear forever, the 14-year-old Sabina mouthed a silent "thank you."
"You are right, you saved me!" She added in murmur as she went to the
opposite direction with renewed determination and ironclad decision.
END OF FLASHBACK
As the petite biologist woke up, a question readily sprang from her consciousness. "Do you think, it's wise to fight for this?" She asked although she's not sure whom she was questioning.