Chapter 23

It's not her attitude to just speculate things so she called Simoen using his old phone number. Even though they were over, Jewel still remember small things about him like this.

The call was picked up after the fourth ring. "Jewel," Simoen greeted.

She blinked, realizing that Simoen kept her phone number as well. Jewel cleared her throat. "Busy?" she asked.

"A little." There was a small silence between them before Simoen continued, "Do you need anything?"

Suddenly, Jewel felt awkward and decided to just talk to him tomorrow. And now, she was facing him with awkward silence hovering above them. She thought it was more awkward than last night.

Jewel averted her gaze.

Simoen smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "I need to attend varsity practice later. But did you like what I gave you?" he asked.

She stared at him while playing the hem of her uniform. "Don't expect that I'll forget what you've done. I invited you here to ask you something."

Simoen stared at her longer than usual and leaned against the wall of the Science and Technology building. They were currently standing close to the flower garden and she picked this place to meet him because it's quiet and nobody would be there to enjoy the show between the two of them.

Jewel drew a breathe and asked, "Had you drawn something bigger than you gave me the other day?"

"Haven't I told you, Laine? Two years ago, I drew a portrait of you but it went missing."

"Two years ago," she whispered. "And it's missing? What happened?"

Simoen sighed and wondered why Jewel kept on asking about that portrait, but he decided to keep all his questions to himself and answered her. "It's long gone, Laine. I drew that portrait for five months. I put it here in the flower garden to surprise you, but I saw you dancing with Avila."

Her brows met and she looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Simoen laughed and his eyes looked at her deeply. "Grade 11, on the night of our Christmas party, our first monthsary. I looked for you in the function hall but you weren't there. I even went to the Admin building but I didn't see even a shadow of you." Simoen closed his eyes and raised the corner of his lip. "I never thought that I'll see you with him, dancing under moonlight." He opened his eyes to meet her surprise and confuse gaze. "I want to know why you were with him, Mi Amore."

"You saw u-us?" she whispered in disbelief and she stepped back. Jewel remembered that embarrasing scene under the moonlight with Joseph that she tried hard to forget. She shook her head. "I was drunk. I didn't know it was J-Joseph whom I danced with."

Simoen nodded, not believing her words. "You're drunk? I see." And he laughed.

"I was forced to d-drink." Jewel swallowed hard. She should not feel scared but remembering what happened between her and Joseph, it was more than humiliation. The stake was high now that her husband was in the same University as her.

What if Gideon will know what happened in that night?

Jewel regretted her impulsiveness when she was younger and naive. Only at this time did she reap what she sow back then.

"Oh yeah? You're forced to drink." Simoen sighed helplessly.

She averted her eyes and changed the subject. "That incident was the reason why you came home for Christmas break."

"Mmm ..." Simoen was serious. "I forgot the portrait I left in the flower garden. When I came back, it was gone. I couldn't find it. It might have rotted in the trash."

The portrait in Gideon's house came to her mind but even though she was sure it came from Simoen, she deliberately hid the information from him. She wanted to let him taste regret.

She said goodbye and promptly turned around to leave but Simoen held her wrist. "You haven't answered my question, Laine. Why did you dance with him instead of me?"

Jewel took her wrist back and glared at him. "You want to know the reason? Heh. In your dream!"

"Laine, please..." He pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I missed you so much, baby."

Her heartbeat quickened, making her barely able to breathe. She took a few deep breaths before staring intently into Simoen's eyes. "Let me go, Saavedra. Or are planning to continue what you did to me inside this same domesticated forest? Don't you dare!" she hissed.

Simoen was stunned. His grip on her waist loosened slightly. "Laine, I never wanted to hurt ---"

"Well, well... what a scene there, babe," a sudden feminine voice interrupted Simoen.

Jewel's eyes widened as she turned around to face Sheena. She's been trying her best to avoid Sheena in the campus ground but it was out of her expectation to meet her when she's confronting Simoen. Of all the time she was striding in the campus ground, why now?

It was an awkward silence. Jewel immediately walked out of Simoen's arms and stood few meters away from him. She cleared her throat and said, "I'll leave ---"

But Simoen cut her words.  "No. You're not leaving Laine." And he tried to reach for her hand.

Sheena laughed. "Come on, babe. Don't be cheap. Let her run away else you'll scare her to death!" And the girl grinned from ear to ear, but her eyes were full of coldness.

"We're done, Sheena. Stop following us around," Simoen said as he glanced at Sheena.

Sheena sighed and waved her claws in the air "Am I following you two? Hehe. Why don't you tеll her how you stalked her since the first day? You think I didn't know what you were doing, Simoen Castler?" Sheena shook her head. "Oh no, babe. If you're her stalker, then I'm your stalker too. And I want to tell you how I want to rip your face, Saavedra!"

Simoen glared at her. "Sheena, we've talked about this."

The girl burst out laughing. "Yeah? And you assume that I agreed, yes? That's what you've said to that girl, aye?" She laughed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You know how I hate to say that I am also a prisoner of that stupid engagement, Castler! You think you're the only one having a hard time, huh? You selfish beast!"

"I already canceled our engagement. I don't owe you any responsibility anymore, Sheena Mae Marquez!"

"You're just thinking about that, Saavedra! Your father will kill you if he sees you with someone else! And you also know that my father will kill me if I don't marry you! Are you that desperate to even bother a married woman?!"

Sheena's words shocked her. Not because of the revelation that both were imprisoned in the engagement, but because of what she heard in the girl's last sentence.

Even Simoen was stunned. She felt his hand slip away from hers and Jewel gulped hard as nervousness was slowly eating her inside.

"What did you say?" Simoen asked, bewildered.

Sheena laughed and folded her arms against her chest. "You don't know that Mangubat isn't single anymore, do you? Heh. Both of you are idiots! You're blind to the fact that you can't have her!"

Jewel's heartbeat quickened even more. She turned to run away but Simoen caught her. "Where are you going, Laine?"

"I still have class. Release me, Saavedra!"

"I won't until you deny it. Deny it, Laine. Deny that you have a husband!"

A few moments of silence before Jewel said, "I'm married."

"No, baby. You're not married. You are mine! You can't marry someone!"

She looked at Simoen. "I'm married, Saavedra. So please, let me go!" Taking a deep breathe, she continued. "I have no intention of telling you but for the peace of my life, I admit it. It's not your fault. It's my decision to marry my husband."

"No, no...." Simoen shook his head. "Laine ---"

"Let me go! Heck, I'm so tired, Simoen!" Her vision blurred as tears brimmed her eyes. "Whenever I see your face, I always remember that day. I never get a chance to heal myself because you're not giving me space!"

"L-Laine ..." Simoen's lips parted and the arm that wrapped around her lost its strength. "What have I done to you, Laine?" he whispered and his vision also blurred as tears brimmed his eyes.

She took that opportunity to get out of his reach and ran out of Treesury.

Jewel has already admitted her secret. The two she hated and avoided the most already know that she's married. She will just wait until the news spread tomorrow and she wouldn't be too suprise when she'll be famous again throughout UDM.

But...

Her feet halted. If Sheena already knew she was married, why didn’t she spread it?  And from whom did she find out her secret?

She closed her eyes, annoyed.  Did anyone tell her? But who?

Who wants to ruin her reputation at the university? She tried to think of which of her opponents knew she was married, but no matter how hard she tried to think, it was still fruitless. Only her friends and Gideon knew and it’s impossible that one of them told Sheena.