Chapter 109: Chapter 109

"Aren't you going to talk?"

I took a deep breath and turned to face him. It's been almost ten minutes since we went up here on the hospital's rooftop. I invited him here so we can talk peacefully; that's what I believe.

"I don't plan to hide them from you," I began.

He scoffed. "Really? That's why I recently found out that I have kids," he mocked along with his intense glare.

I bit my lower lip and looked away. "I was planning to tell you today."

"Today," he repeated and laughed wearily.

I screamed when he faced the wall and punched it hard. He let out a few more before looking at me again. I could see the pain and betrayal in his eyes.

"You should have informed me right away when you found out you were pregnant, Khrystal! My children almost turned into bastards!" His veins nearly burst while screaming.

"How can I let you know about my pregnancy if I thought you already got a family on your own, Agustine?! Do you think I also wanted to acknowledge my children as illegitimates? Well, Agustine! That's already me! I am an illegitimate, a child out of wedlock. Look at me! Do I really want the kids to experience that too?!"

"You should have asked me!"

I laughed out loud. Tears began to form in my eyes as I remembered what happened a few years ago.

"I got used to it," I said softly and faked a smile. "You, defending me even when I did not ask for it. But when I needed you . . . when I needed your defense . . . you didn't stand up for me. I-I was left . . . being an affair." A lone tear fell on my cheek.

He closed his eyes tightly; his shoulders rose and fell as he took deep breaths. "I defended you. I did an interview," he insisted as if making me understand that he did what I asked.

I laughed painfully. "But that wasn't the time I needed you, Agustine. Right in front of her at that time. I waited. I waited for you to speak out for me. So can you blame me if I believed wrongly?" I almost cried because I tried to speak properly.

His piercing eyes began to soften over time.

"Do you know how much that hurts me? My dad was hospitalized because of me. You are the only one I draw strength from even though they ordered me to let you go. It's only you, Agustine." My voice croaked. "Then suddenly your fiancee attacked me, embarrassed me in front of many people." I laughed out loud. "Tell me, Agustine, how do you expect me to think at that time?"

"I was calling you. I was about to explain everything, but your phone was out of reach. I thought you just needed time to think. I conducted an interview, and I assumed you had already seen it."

I shut my eyes tight. "Agustine, I'm not the type of person who focuses on social media even with layer upon layer of problems. I was hurt, humiliated, I am not a masochist to read more bad words about me."

"Still, you should have waited for me, Khrystal. You should have talked to me first. Why did you keep my children away from me? I know, I was not a good partner, but fvck . . . they are my children, " he said hoarsely, his eyes were also red from the impending tears.

I averted my eyes. "I did not know I was pregnant with them when I left. A month before I found out, Agustine."

"You should have called me . . ." he whispered.

I laughed out loud. "Then you should have come to see me too, Agustine. You should not have expected everything from the interview. I'm the one who needs to hear your explanation, not other people," I said full of resentment.

"I just gave you space, Khrystal. I was waiting for you to be okay. When I thought you were ready . . ." I saw him swallow hard. "You ruined me."

I clenched my fist tightly when I remembered the meeting between the three of us at Nexus' house.

"I was going to confess everything and ask for your forgiveness. But what's the point of my explanation if you showed me that you don't need that anymore?"

I was speechless right away. I want to blame him but I also know that I made a mistake. We were equally fooled. I was naive and impulsive back then.

"If only you had gone to see me first. Your fiancee would not have reached the point where I believed her. You didn't deny your relationship with her. You didn't defend me either."

"But do my children have to pay for my mistake, Khrystal?" His voice trembled. "Five years. You have that much time to tell me about them. Why only now?" His tears started to fall. "I should be there. At birth, when they first started to walk, crawl, and talk. Everything. However, you took it all away from me, Khrystal." He started sobbing.

I did not realize that my tears were flowing. I looked away and bit my bottom lip to stop my sobs.

"I-I came back . . ." I whispered, enough for him to hear. "I came back when I found out I was pregnant."

"You came back but you still did not come to tell me about them. Do you really hate me that much for our children to make you pay?"

I tightly shut my eyes at his accusation.

I faced him angrily. "You pushed me away, Agustine!" I remind you. "You drove me away when I was about to tell you the truth!"

His forehead gradually wrinkled.

"You don't remember?" I laughed bitterly. "I was trying to meet with you, Agustine. I plan to talk to you, but you drove me away from your staff. That day, when I was about to talk to you. I saw you and your family together. You, Lhea, and your daughter who I believed to be. You were smiling with them! While I . . ." My lips trembled at the accent I was about to say. "While you pushed me away. You did not even bother to face me. You did not try to come to me!"

I just covered my face from crying. Everything is still clear to me. How I waited for him in the lobby of his condo, how they went out together, how I was ignored at that time. So, if anyone could understand the situation my children were in when they saw their father with his family, it's me.

Because I've been in that situation once.

"I-I . . . don't remember you meeting me," I heard him said.

I just shook my head and tried to wipe my wet cheeks. "So, don't blame me for not trying to tell you about the children because I did, Agustine. A week after I found out I was pregnant, I immediately booked a flight back here. You pushed me away when I tried to tell you directly. That's why you can't blame me for trusting others, Agustine. Because I saw it with my own eyes, you were with them acting like a happy family."

He palmed his face and looked at me confused. His lips moved to speak, but it quickly shut up. It appears as though he's bewildered and unsure of how to respond to me.

"Believe me, I didn't even know you came back, Khrystal."