Chapter 4

John’s POV

Having breakfast — the most important meal of the day — with my dad and his other woman makes me hate waking up early every day. I was still unable to get used to it, even after spending so much time in this house with these people.

“CJ,” my dad called to me, interrupting my meal. I looked at him with a blank expression, trying not to show how uncomfortable I was sitting here with them.

“Tonight, you’ll meet the girl you’re going to marry soon,” he said without hesitation. I dropped my utensils on my plate and paid full attention to him.

“When is the wedding? Which church is it going to be held in?” I asked, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible.

“I’m thinking of doing it next week,” he replied.

I almost choked on the food in my mouth. “That soon, Dad? Are you serious?”

He acted as if he hadn’t heard me. “And John, don’t ask me about the church. You can’t get married in a place of worship just yet.”

Putting my bitterness aside, I tried to understand what he was saying. “Why not? How are we going to do it then?” I asked.

I couldn’t comprehend what was going on in my father’s head for him to suddenly arrange a marriage for me. I wasn’t even able to take care of myself yet, so why was he rushing things?

“You can’t make a promise in God’s house if you don’t love each other sincerely,” he said as if he hadn’t married my mom in a church.

How could he say that after what he had done? He had married my mother in a church and still had the audacity to cheat on her. It was ridiculous.

“What if we never learn to love each other?” I asked, going off-topic but still hoping for a divorce. There was no point in getting your hopes up if it wasn’t going to work out and only end in disappointment.

“Some stories have no specific beginning or end,” Dad replied. “Just let it follow its natural course, Son. You’ll understand one day. Love is worth taking chances.”

Love? What did I know about love?

You hold hands only to let go. Just like my dad, who met my mom, the right person at the wrong time. It made me see love as a constant reminder that it wouldn’t last forever.

Why do we fall deeper in love, knowing that the fall will never end? It’s scary and likely to change constantly, but is love really worth taking chances for?

***

Eriane’s POV

I was told by my dad to wear decent clothes because we were going to have dinner with my ‘fiancé’ and his father. I felt very uncomfortable, considering there were mixed emotions inside me.

As the vehicle we were riding in moved further from our house, I couldn’t help but feel on edge about the man I was about to spend my future with. Just like being in love with someone does not assure a relationship, a relationship with someone does not guarantee love. But how would he possibly look? Could he be taller than me, good-looking, athletic, kind, or smart?

Life for me is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, three-dimensional. Will he make me see and feel things from a different perspective? Will he show me dimensions that I never knew existed?

“Come on now, Yana. We’re here,” Dad interrupted my dilly-dallying as he hopped out of the car before me.

The midnight blue dress hugged my body well, but the pair of shoes I wore made me want to swear. Did they really need to be this high? I’m not used to wearing something like this.

While I was having an exchange of views with myself, my dad started walking toward the house, so I followed him right away.

We walked through the place, and not long after, a decent-looking man welcomed us. He did not seem to be the owner, though.

“Good evening, sir. May I ask for Mr. Bagtas?” Dad asked the man after they greeted each other.

It knocked my socks off; this house was on a great scale to be called a house. It should be a mansion. It looked luxurious, which made me overthink.

What if this family treated me like a servant, a maid, just like Cinderella’s life with her stepmother? Oh no! Here go these thoughts beyond all bounds running inside my mind again.

“Follow me, sir,” a maid said as she came toward us. We followed her and walked further inside the house.

“I can’t believe this is real, Dad. This is so wonderful,” I said while holding his arm and looking around.

“Please wait here, sir,” the maid said and gestured for us to sit before proceeding to head off.

My dad and I remained slumped in our chairs in the living room. I continued scanning around the place and couldn’t help but be amazed. Every corner of this place was indeed pleasing to the eyes.

After not waiting for long, my dad suddenly stood up, and I reflexively followed suit, standing and looking at the people walking toward us. I couldn’t process every moment of the evening properly. It had not even been an hour since we arrived, and I didn’t feel like I could fit in with this kind of lifestyle.

“Good evening, Mr. Bagtas,” my dad greeted the middle-aged man with a bow and a handshake. Intimidated, I greeted him as well, showing a shy smile and bowing.

Mr. Bagtas smiled back and slightly bowed his head, acknowledging my presence. It immediately made me feel less distressed. He seemed to be a nice person, despite his strong features that had intimidated me earlier.

“It has been a while,” Mr. Bagtas said to my dad, smiling and patting his shoulder.

Dad chuckled. “Indeed, sir. It has been such a long time.”

Mr. Bagtas turned to me. “So, this is your daughter, huh?” His tone sounded like that of a proud brother.

Dad seemed to have forgotten that tonight was about my engagement and not his reunion with Mr. Bagtas. “Yana, this is Mr. Bagtas. He is going to be your father-in-law,” Dad said and winked at me.

“Why is he winking like that?” I wondered to myself.

“Good evening, sir! I am so pleased to finally meet you. I am Eriane Louise, but you can just call me Yana, for short,” I introduced myself and bowed again.

“You are such a pretty young lady, Yana. Nice to meet you, too. You look a lot like your mom,” Mr. Bagtas complimented. “And withhold from calling me ‘sir.’ You are also going to be my daughter soon. You can just call me Dad.”

I blushed, feeling even more out of place. “Of course, Dad,” I replied with a giggle.

“Son, come here!” Mr. Bagtas yelled into the hallway. I suddenly felt highly strung for an unknown reason. Not long after, a young man walked in and stood right behind his father. I recognized him immediately and couldn’t believe it.

Out of all the people in the world, why did it have to be him? I wish it was all just a dream. John and I were like two sides of a coin: closely connected yet different. We were surely going to be at the two ends of a spectrum and impossible to meet in the middle. Knowing him, I wasn’t convinced that we would have compassion and respect for each other.