"REAL MOTIVE"

I considered making a quick visit to the hospital to confirm my suspicions. I wanted to be sure. However, since I was feeling better, I thought it might be better to do it with my boyfriend.

"Maybe it would be better, my love, if Daddy is with me when I go for a check-up. That way, he can hear everything the doctor says," I whispered as I gently caressed my still-flat abdomen.

I decided to head to the construction site where Marius was working. I wanted us to have lunch together. I got up from my bed, took a quick shower, put on a pair of pants and a shirt, and slipped on some rubber shoes. Since the site wasn't far away, I didn't bother bringing a car.

As soon as I arrived, the employees at the site greeted me warmly, recognizing me. The café they were building was almost finished, and I couldn't wait to see the final product. Of course, I couldn't help but feel proud because my boyfriend was part of the team that built it. With that thought in mind, I smiled and lovingly caressed my belly again.

Finding Marius was easy. One of the construction workers pointed me in his direction. He had his back to me, and he was with Patrick, both of them wearing hard hats.

I couldn't help but blush and smile again. Even from behind, my boyfriend had such a commanding presence. The hard hat suited him perfectly.

"Are you serious about her? Wasn't your plan all along to make her fall in love and then leave her? To get back at Andrew for what he did, taking Lana away from you?" Patrick asked, still laughing as he playfully tapped Marius's shoulder.

I felt like I had turned into a statue upon hearing those words. Because I wanted to hear Marius's response to what his friend just said, I hid behind a nearby wall.

"Shut up! I love Sam," Marius replied firmly.

Hearing those words made me want to rejoice, but my heart was saying something else. Even though I couldn't admit it at that moment, I knew it was hurting.

Yes, what I had just heard was excruciating. It felt like a broken record that was now playing on a loop in my mind.

"Are you serious about her? Wasn't your plan all along to make her fall in love and then leave her?"

My heart and mind seemed unwilling to accept it all.

Or maybe it was more accurate to remove the word 'seemed' because I was sure of that now.

"I love Sam," Marius insisted.

At another time, or perhaps if I hadn't heard anything, I might have believed him. What Marius said felt so genuine, and I could feel it. But no matter how true it may have been, the pain of what I had heard still weighed heavily on my heart. Despite feeling Marius's love, hearing those words from Patrick gave me a deep-seated reason not to believe them.

"Are you saying you've fallen for her?" I heard Patrick ask.

I saw Marius shrug. "It seems that way. Sam isn't hard to love."

I quickly wiped away my tears after hearing that. So, it was true all along. From the beginning, it had all been a lie. Marius had fallen for me. It meant he didn't truly love me. It was incredibly painful.

I remained silent and cried quietly. I covered my mouth to stifle a sob I couldn't hold back. Then, I decided to leave. I tried to tread carefully, not wanting Marius to know that I had overheard their conversation.

Once I had distanced myself from that place, I allowed the tears to flow freely. I could hardly see where I was going due to the blur in my eyes.

When I entered the house, I immediately closed the door. It was then that I finally released the pain I felt through tears. Alongside my tears were the rush of countless memories shared with Marius.

The warm moments we had shared throughout this house seemed like a distant memory now.

"Shit! Samantha, you're so stupid! You're so damn stupid!" I yelled in frustration as I flopped onto the soft sofa. Then, I buried my face in my hands.

I couldn't believe what had just happened to me.

Earlier, I had been so happy thinking I was pregnant, carrying Marius's child in my womb. But in a fleeting moment, my joy vanished, as if someone had doused it with icy water because of all the revelations.

"M-Marius, how could you do this to me?" I asked, still in disbelief.

I allowed myself to wallow in this state for a while, releasing all the pent-up emotions through silent tears. Then I stood up, wiping away my tears.

I made up my mind to leave Manila and go back home. I knew my older brother would be surprised, but I had to do this—for my own sake and the child I knew I was carrying.

I quickly packed my things, not wanting Marius to catch me here. I didn't want to see him. I was angry at him for what he had done, and I didn't know if I needed to explain to him that it was all over between us.

With that thought in mind, I took Marius's suitcase and began putting all his belongings inside it.

There was no going back for him now. It was only right that he left my house.

After placing his things by the front door, I returned inside. I held back my tears.

In the midst of the deep love I had for Marius, I had never imagined myself doing something like this to him, nor had I expected to feel this kind of anger. But it had happened, and I was hurt. I needed to accept it, no matter how difficult it was.

*****

"Sam, what happened? Why is your text like this?" Andrew called me while I was driving.

I had told him that I was heading back to Manila, and because my text message wasn't very detailed, it was no surprise that he had questions. He and Marius were counting on me to take care of the café, so it made sense that he was trying to clarify things. It was also typical of him to call and make sure everything was okay.

Andrew was my brother, and I knew he had a sense that something wasn't right with me.

"Sam, is there a problem between you and Marius?" he asked directly.

His straightforward question made me burst into tears again.

"I hate him!" I cried out.

"What happened? Wait, are you driving? Sam, please stop if things are like this right now; it might."

Andrew didn't finish what he wanted to say because my loud wailing drowned out his words. With my eyes filled with tears, I didn't immediately notice or see the car coming towards me. I was taken by surprise, and my loud cry ended abruptly as darkness enveloped everything around me.