Chapter 22: Chapter 22

"Tati, Can I borrow Julian this saturday? We'll have boys' night with dad.” Christian persuaded. Oh she'd be alone then.

She sighed, "Cant I tag along this boy's night? Okay, just take good care of him."

Christian grimaced. “It's boys' night, Tati. So you and mom can't join us.” he grinned. “I'll take good care of Julian. Don't worry.”

That'll give her more time to read cases.

“Alright. Besides, I have to study on these cases. I could really use the time.”

"For god's sake, it's Saturday."

"It can't wait, the papers are needed in Strike. Then I have a hearing on Thursday.”

"That company stressing you out?" Her brother asked.

"Nope." But the CEO is. "Go upstairs. Tell Julian about it.”

Her son was so pleased he's sleeping over his uncle's house. In fact, he personally chose the clothes he'd bring over.

For sure he'll be spoiled again. Julian's got her brother and parents wrapped around his little fingers.

She led them out. "Be a good boy, I love you, Julie."

Julian chuckled, now he looked like Jacob everytime he does that. "Love you too, momma. Call me.”

She was about to close the gate when a sportscar parked outside her house. That car is too familiar with her now. Her heartbeat triped when she realized Jacob must have seen Christian and her son.

Jacob went out of his sportscar and strode to her. He's only in a plain white shirt and jeans but he still managed to look immaculately handsome.

"Good morning!" He had this bright smile on.

Last she saw him was three days ago ahsn he got sick. Now he looked so fine and healthy.

"Jacob, what are you doing here.”

He shrugged. "I drove past your brother. He didn't see me though. Who was that kid with him?"

"That was our nephew." She lied smoothly. Relaxing a bit because Jacob didn't recognize Julian. She changed the topic. "Why are you here?“

"You have a lovely home." He looked over the house behind her.  "Who do you live there with?”

"Just me, and the... housekeeper. Sometimes, my brother or our... nephew.”

Shit! He could not come inside. There are pictures of Julian in threre. t

One look and he'd know! Oh god!

"How about your boyfriend?" He asked her.

She didn't even know why he's asking.

"My boyfriend is in Italy.”

Oh.

"But in Italy? Do you live together?"

"What the hell?" She snapped, ito. They know they're gonna fight again. They can't stand each other and he's always annoying her! "Will you stop asking questions for god's sake? But if you really want to know then yes, we live in the same house, share the same room and the same bed! Happy?!"

She saw how his left eye twitched. Damn, it hurt him, she knew. But sometimes it was fine to watch him like this. To atleast make him feel the pain she felt when he left her and it's not even close to what she felt back then.

"I... I'm here to talk, Tatiana."

"Jacob, there's nothing to talk about." How long could she pretend heartless and it doesn't hurt? She doesn't know.

She was shocked when he tried to reach ojt for her hand.  "There is, Tatiana. You just don't see it because you're so angry. It's time you listen. This can't go on like this."

"We can talk here."

"No. There's a lot of things I wanna explain to you." He said in a very authoritative tone.

"I said I can't. Why are you being pushy? What is it that you wanna talk about anyway?  Because as far as I can remember, there is nothing to talk about anymore." She dismissed. He looked mad, he was glaring. His jaw was clenched. Their proximity was a toxic to her, she can't be this close to him.

"Drop this attitude, Tatiana. Whether you like it or not, you have to listen to me. I'm getting tired with this attitude of yours. I'm sick of you pushing me away." He whispered coldly and released her hand. His face remained serious and for a minute, it scared her. “You will never stop hating me until you listen to me, Tati.”

"Fine!" She shouted. "I will talk to you. But... just wait here for a while.”

He gave her an icy nod.

He stayed inside his car smoking and listening to a song. Tatiana invaded his thoughts, he couldn't tame that stubborn woman. She's built so much walls around her that was so hard to break.

Come up to meet you , tell you I'm sorry. You don't know how lovely you are...

Was it worth it, coming in here? He doesn't know. But they need to talk, she needs to understand. He needs to say sorry.  He knew that deep inside she still caresm He has to explain and tell her everything.

Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part...

Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard...

A man could hope, right?

“Get in." She said from a distance, he was so lost into his thoughts he didn't even notice her right away.  Tatiana was glaring at the cigarette on his hand, he threw it away.

"Do you smoke a lot? It's not really good, Jacob."

Come back to me and I'll stop all my bad habits!

His mind screamed.

Tatiana let him in inside her house. She was quick to put away all of Julian's stuff in  one room, including their pictures.

Especially the pictures. One look at her son's photo and she swear he'll know. She couldn't let him know just yet. She's not ready.

Jacob liked her modern home.

"

Your house looks really lovely. When did you get this place?”

"My parents bought it as a gift last year "

Would you like a coffee? Juice?"

"Water, please." Jacob answered.

He remained to roam his eyes on the living room. His eyes landed on the grand piano that has a few picture frames on top of it. One was a photo of her brother, her parents, grandparents and herself.. it was a graduation ohoto. She looked so beautiful in her toga.

He wonders if she plays piano. She never mentioned anything about that before.

Tati came back with a glass of water. He accidentally grazed her fingers when he reached out for it.

Tatiana cleared her throat.

He set down the glass and looked at her, his blue eyes piercing her. His eyes have always looked seductive without even trying.

"I came here to tell you I'm sorry."

Her heart pounded. "Jacob whatever this is---"

"No, Tatiana. Shut up and listen to me. Just... for once, listen to me. I can't go on another day without you hearing my explanation. We can't go on like this. You can say I'm years too late and you don't want to hear this but you have to." He pleaded. "You have to hear me out, baby."

Jacob remained to be seated on the chair of the piano while her knees buckled making her sit on the couch.

"I didn't leave you, Tatiana. God knows I couldn't leave you, I promised you, right? It was my mother's doing. She had me kidnapped."

“What do you mean?”

“I was working shifts at the port when I met one of my friends. Our parents are good friends. I asked him not to tell anyone that he saw me, he promised he won't. He even gave me a few grand.” Jacob recalled that day he bumped into his friend, Patrick. Pat was there for a vacation.

"My father had a heart attack." He swallowed. "He wanted to see me so he had me searched.”

So that what caused his father to die in a young age...

"He was gonna die. Patrick didn't have a choice so he told them. Then, my mother...she had me kidnapped."

He remembered that ill fated day everyday.

“Try to leave, Jacob and I will not hesitate about hurting that woman. Your father is dying! And you want to leave him for some gold digging bitch you met in that Island?! Are you crazy?”

"No, ma! Don't you ever call her a gold digging bitch because she is not like that. She loves me! She'll never betray me like you did with dad---" Ingrid's palm strike his cheek so hard.

"You cannot leave, Jacob Luis. I swear to god.” She threatened.

Jacob stared blankly at the machine that was keeping his father alive. There he lay, Luis Angelo Shaw, the powerful CEO of Strike looking so weak now with all those tubes connected into his body. He might never supported him on the career he wanted to pursue, but he was a good father. He was always proud of his achievements.

"I'm sorry." He lowered his head. "I'm sorry I was a bad son. “I couldn't even be the son you want me to be. " Jacob wiped his tears away. "Pa, I'm a better person now. Because I have met someone, she changed me, Pa. So please, dad, wake up. So I could introduce her to you. Help me go back to her.  Because mom wouldn't let me get her, she doesn't understand. She doesn't even know what love is."

He looked into Tatiana's eyes, tears threatening to fall. “I never left you, Tatiana.”

She swallowed the lump on her throat.

"Why didn't you come back and get me?" Her voice broke. "One month, Jacob!" Her tears spilled. "I went there everyday, dor a month! In the exact spot where you left me because I believe you'll come back! It didn't matter to me if they think I was an idiot waiting for you! Because I believe you couldn't possibly leave me, because you swore you love me! I waited for nothing!"

She couldn't stop her tears no matter how she tried. This is what she's been wanting to tell him... she wanted to blame him. To make him realize how devoted she was to him.  She thought saying that would make her feel better, but it didn't even lessen the pain.

Jacob stood up and walked closer towards her but she held a hand saying step back.

"I was gonna come back for you! I got scared because my mother threatened me to hurt you. Until papa died. I came back for you, Tati but you weren't there anymore. You weren't  there at the house. I even looked for you in Cebu, hoping you got into that ship but... I didn't find you. ”

"Because you didn't try hard enough! You didn't try harder! You were okay with living without me.”

He looked so broken, but so did she.

"Believe me, Tatiana. I did everything to find you. But... you introduced yourself as Tatiana Villaflor.”

She closed her eyes. That's why.

He crouched down so their eyes leveled. He knelt infront of her, grasping her palms into his. "Come back to me, baby. I will do everything to make it up to you.”

"Jacob, you lived for years without me. Don't give me that bullshit. You were with a lot of women without me. You had sex with them. If you valued our marriage, if you really loved me, hindi mo iyon gagawin. But you did, right?"

"You have a boyfriend and I didn't. It's not just me, Tatiana. How can you have a boyfriend, knowing you're married to me? How can you be committed to someone else?"

"I did not sleep around like you did with all those women." She wiped her tears. "Jacob you know what? please leave. This is... alot to sink in for me." Yes she was reeling from the truth. It was too much to absorb.

If... if his mother didn't get in, they would have been still together, Julian could have had a father right beside him. She wouldn't have to face it all alone. That's why he was so angry at his mother.

He was there for better, but he was gone for worse.

Tatiana shook her head. "Jake, please leave. I can't... I can't even look at you.”