SOMETIMES REMEMBER ME

PROLOGUE

ARA is on her way to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA. It is an agency of the Government of the Philippines responsible for opening the benefits of the overseas employment program of the Philippines. She is going there to arrange some papers.

From the window of the taxi, she was riding her brow immediately knit when she saw a familiar face who is now walking by the road. He was smiling broadly while his arm was on the shoulder of the woman he was walking by who seems to be between nineteen to twenty years old.

"Ronald!" Ara whispered when she finally had a better look to recognize the man who just entered the entrance of the motel with the young woman he was still with. "Damn you! You're cheating on my sister!" quivering with anger she whispered.

She actually thought of stopping the taxi and confront the two. But she tried her very best to calm down and she made it. She was educated and being scandalous is not one of her most practiced behavior.

Her heart seemed to have been stabbed many times as she remembered Ronald cheating on her sister. And the fact that he's even taken his time to travel from the province to Manila just to meet this girl? Suddenly she felt so jealous and so much hurt for her sister Bella.

REVENGE MUST BE SWEET RONALD, AND I'LL MAKE SURE TO IT THAT I WILL DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP MY SISTER AWAY FROM YOU. YOU DO NOT DESERVE HER, YOU ARE A DEMON!

In the back of her mind, that's what Ara promised.

_____________________

ONE YEAR LATER

“PROMISE me, Bella, please?” in a faint voice his sister Arabella begged her.

Bella didn't immediately respond to what her twin sister wanted. So she asked for help by looking at their mother Susan's and stepfather Anselmo who's arm over their younger brother Anthony.

"I love him so much and I don't want him to get hurt once he knows the truth." It was then that Ara wept. Thus, the pain in Bella's chest intensified because of her intense sympathy for her sister.

Bella nodded hesitantly and then held her sister's hand. Ara is a minute older than her. "A-All right, I-I will do what you want but in one condition," she said smiling despite the intense pain that she is feeling.

A sweet smile broke through Ara's pale lips because of that. She has been confined to that public hospital for several days now and is currently battling dengue. In fact, her platelets continue to dropping and it brings great anxiety to their family. Bella did not grow up together with her sister Ara or Arabella, while she was named Ysabella by their mother.

She was actually raised by her grandparents Lino at Juana. While Ara stayed with their mother, Susan together with their stepfather Anselmo and younger brother Anthony, who is the fruit of the marriage of their mother and stepfather.

According to their mother, their father was Italian. Susan said it was a blind date and her friends planned and became the reason for how she met their father. That date was followed by a few more meetings. Until their mother fell in love with their father and then she got pregnant.

Both Susan and Anselmo are office clerk in the municipality of San Ricardo. According to their mother, Anselmo has been courting her even before the day that she met their Italian father. But since their mother had always dreamed of marrying a foreigner, she did not give much attention to Anselmo.

Susan used to tell them that despite the ending of her love story with their father, she knows their father really loved her. It's just that, their father's family is not in favor of their relationship. Aside from that, his parents are already chosen the woman for him.

Bella felt really sad when she heard that. Not because of the fact that she and Ara weren't able to meet their father, but because of the pain that their mother possibly felt because of the situation. She could only imagine how it was and it pained her too.

Susan told them that their father already left for Italy when she found out about her pregnancy. That is why she had no choice but to carry the result of her actions alone. But never in her life, she ever regrets giving birth to them. And so she and Ara came out to be duplicates of their Italian father.

Blue eyes, blonde hair and a fair complexion. She and Ara are very identical when it comes to physical appearance, looks and heights. But between them, Ara had a better and nicer life than her. It was because she grew up with her grandparents who have limited means. But in spite of that, in spite of all the hardships, for Bella, she had the best childhood in the world. Because her grandparents showered her with so much love and affection. Everything that money can't buy. And she will be forever grateful for that for as long as she lives.

Bella was on her fifth grade when Susan and Anselmo got married. Their stepfather was not a bad person, in fact, he has always been very kind. But because of the reality that he is not rich, their mother has to leave her to its parents. That is when Lino and Juliana took her. That was because of Ara is often ill that needs a lot of attention than Bella. They left for Manila and stayed there for good, while she was left at San Ricardo with her beloved grandparents.

Ten years have gone quickly. Their younger brother is twelve years old now. While Ara, after graduating from Hotel and Restaurant Management and had enough working experience, she chose to leave and work abroad. She worked in a huge hotel in Malaysia as one of the managers. Ara was only twenty-one during that time. While Bella chose to stay and teach in an Integrated School at San Ricardo since she finished a degree in Education and now a teacher.