“ONE YEAR LATER”

I couldn't deny the intense pounding of my heart. When we stepped out of the airport, the cool evening breeze of Manila immediately touched my cheeks. Then, I looked at Calum, who gave me a meaningful smile. He was carrying MJ, who was sound asleep at that moment.

"No one knows about all of this, so I'm sure they'll be surprised," I said with a smile, then I glanced at my friend.

"And I'm sure there will be chaos too," Calum replied.

He said it playfully but there was truth behind Calum's words, which made me sigh. "Don't talk like that. You're too negative. You sound like you're not my friend," I said, tapping his shoulder in a playful manner.

Ever since I stayed with Calum, he became my refuge. In truth, many people who saw us together often mistook him for my husband. And in those moments, no matter how many times it happened, I always prayed that Marius was with me.

Pregnancy wasn't that difficult for me. I didn't have a hard time giving birth either. I can say that God didn't abandon me in that aspect.

It's hard to find something that doesn't want to be found. That's what happened to me at first. But nothing is impossible for my family, especially for my brother. So in the end, they also found me.

I was seven months pregnant when I allowed Andrew and my parents to meet me, even if it was just through a video call. But before that, I was already five months pregnant when I was found by a private investigator hired by Andrew to search for me. Those moments were still fresh and painful to me, so I asked my sister to keep everything hidden from Lana.

Lana is Marius's best friend. So I was sure she would speak up and tell him if anything happened. And I didn't want that to happen.

"Just admit the truth, Samantha. You planned all of this because you wanted to get back at Marius. Because he hurt you, right?" Calum spoke with such certainty. It was half true, but because it was only half true, I still needed to explain.

"It's not like that. Maybe that's just a part of it, but the real reason behind everything is that I want to move on. That's the truth," I tried to explain, although I wasn't sure if Calum would believe me.

Calum didn't respond to what I said. But his meaningful glance spoke volumes. And as I mentioned earlier, there was no assurance that I could convince my friend. So I didn't waste my breath trying to do so.

"Let's just take a taxi to our place. Andrew actually wanted to pick us up, but I thought it would be better not to, considering my brother has a lot of work to finish. Plus, I don't want to force him into lying to his wife. It might cause a rift between them," I said to Calum.

"That's right. Your brother has done a lot of favors for you. And besides, it might cause tension between him and your sister-in-law," Calum replied.

I shrugged at Calum's words. "Maybe not. One of the things I liked about Lana is her understanding of nature. Maybe that's why my sister and even Marius loved her," I mentioned Marius's name almost inaudibly, even to my own ears.

"You care about your sister-in-law. It's obvious. But the problem is you and Marius never talked. You didn't have a chance to clear things up properly because you ran away from it all," Calum added.

We hailed a taxi, and I pondered over Calum's words. Honestly, he was right. But I couldn't easily accept what he said because I was the one who got hurt. So, I protested again.

"If he didn't plan this, we wouldn't be in this situation right now," I retorted, sighing heavily.

"If he didn't do that, maybe MJ wouldn't be here now," my friend replied.

I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"You never back down, do you?" I commented.

Calum raised his eyebrows and gently brushed MJ's forehead as she continued to sleep soundly in his arms.

I sat in the passenger seat while they were in the back with my son.

Marius de la Vega Jr.

Yes, I named our child after Marius. I didn't want to complicate that part. He's well aware of his child. I just asked for space to move on and be ready. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say, to be able to accept everything.

"Are you ready? Ready for whatever may happen?" Calum asked me.

I nodded.

"Yes, definitely. I wouldn't come back here if I weren't ready," I replied.

After I said that, Calum didn't say anything else.

In two weeks, MJ will celebrate his first birthday. And I plan to invite Marius there. Also, my whole family. Everyone will be invited. I want my son's first birthday to be happy. I want my family to be complete on that special day.

*****

"HEY," Andrew exclaimed the next day as I opened the door for him.

"Good morning, Andrew!”  I greeted him enthusiastically and hugged my brother tightly.

"Where is he?" he asked, immediately scanning the house. He was looking for MJ. Since he was born, this would be the first time my brother would meet his nephew, so he was filled with excitement.

"Come in first. They're upstairs in the room with Calum," I said.

Andrew nodded and pushed the large door of the house closed. He knew Calum, who he initially mistook as my boyfriend. The truth was, my brother was overly protective of me. I only changed his perception of Calum when I revealed Calum's true gender. But of course, convincing my brother wasn't easy.

Calum is really handsome. And he acts very manly when there are other people around.

"Let's just leave it for now if that's the case. We'll talk later when he wakes up," he said.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I left home early because Lana might ask me questions. And also, I really prepared for this reunion because I miss your cooking so much," he replied, lightly pinching my cheek.

I couldn't help but grin at Andrew's words. Then I hugged him tightly again with excitement.

"I miss you so much, Andrew," I said.

I didn't want to cry, so I did everything to control my emotions. And I succeeded.

"We feel the same way. But do you know who really misses you?" Andrew teased, looking at me.

I let go of Andrew from the hug and rolled my eyes at him. Then I proceeded to lead him out of the kitchen where breakfast, which I had just finished preparing, was served.

"Thank you for taking care of the house. And also for the groceries and other necessities," I said. My intention was to change the topic, but I was unsuccessful.

"Don't worry about that. It's good that you chose to invest in a house. I didn't have a hard time selling your condo either. You know, even though I'm not active in showbiz anymore, I still have connections," Andrew said, winking at me.

I chuckled softly. "Of course, I know. Who could forget?" I replied, then started attending to him.

"You can't always avoid talking about Marius, Sam. Do you know that I feel sorry for that person because of the extreme suffering you put him through?" After placing Andrew's coffee in front of him, that's what my brother said to me.

"What do you mean?" my raised eyebrows asked the question.

Andrew took a deep breath before answering my question. "What happened to him seems to be even more intense than what I went through. Well, at least I didn't know Lana was pregnant back then. But Marius, he knew you were pregnant and he was excited to see the birth of your child. But things turned out differently. As a father, I can feel the pain he's going through."

I was speechless at what Andrew said, so I just watched him quietly while eating. And because I remained silent and listened, my brother understood what I meant. So he continued.