That morning, Chari woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. It was coming from John’s phone. She tried to look at the caller, but the number was unregistered. She thought of answering the call, but something made her stop.

She did not see John in the room, so he was probably in the shower. Again, his phone rang. And just like before, she ignored the call. A few seconds after, a message came in. Chari read the note. It said, "Hi, John. It’s me, Lorie. May I see you? I just came in last night.”

The message made her tense. She only knew one Lorie. John’s long-time model girlfriend who broke his heart

All week, Chari had been apprehensive. She did not know what to do. She feared that it would just be a matter of time before John asked her for an annulment.

She had been edgy for days. It did not help that in the past week, John had been coming home late, she suspected that he was secretly meeting Lorie, his true love.

Every time John would say something to her, she would snap at him. At night, she would pretend to be asleep whenever he comes home to avoid any serious talk. She dreaded their inevitable separation.

Chari was in her 8th month when her worst fear was confirmed. There was a news article in the local paper hinting of a renewed romance between American millionaire John Miller and Victoria Secret model Lorie Ramos when they were sighted leaving a five-star hotel together.

She felt immobile for a few minutes. Although a bit shocked upon seeing the news, she could not say that it came as a surprise. She tasted defeat together with the saltiness of her tears. She wiped them away with her hands before someone could see her.

Even with a bulge, Chari felt the need to settle things with John once and for all. She was not that selfish. She resolved that she would give John back his freedom. She decided to visit him at his office so they could talk about filing for an annulment and the terms on co-parenting for their unborn child.

“Manang Rosa, I am just going out to meet some friends,” Chari informed their household help. She was never one to disclose with the house helps the troubles with their marriage. If they find something odd, they too, kept it to themselves. John chose their staff well.

“Are you sure you do not want Mang Joe to drive for you?” Worry lines creased Manang Rosa’s forehead as she watched her walked unsteadily.

“It will just be for a couple of hours, don’t worry.” Chari ignored the troubled look her house help gave her and went out to a waiting Grab car.

Chari released a loud sigh when the Grab car stopped at the entrance to the Martinez Industries where John is temporarily taking office. She did not go out immediately and for a few seconds, she felt uncertain. Is she doing the right thing?

She wanted to give John his happiness and she believed it is Lorie. Chari felt that she was doing her best friend a big favor if she got out of their way. She did not want to be the villain to their love story.

Chari felt her tummy twitched. She patted her baby bump to reassure her child, and she was surprised when it kicked. It gave her a renewed sense of purpose. She may be letting John go, but she would always have with her a reminder of her love for her best friend, their child.

“Are you alright ma’am?” She heard the concern from the Grab driver when he turned to her to inquire. She plastered a wan smile to her face and nodded before she got out of the car.

A well-lit lobby greeted her when she came in. A guard greeted her and courteously opened the door for her. She said a small thank you and went straight to the elevator lobby.

She already knew her way around this building when she and Nathan still dated.

No one was manning the reception when she arrived at the Executive offices where she knew John’s office was. She rested on one of the sofas lining the lounge to wait.

While busy flipping the pages of a magazine she picked atop a nearby pedestal cabinet, Chari heard the click of heels and a pair of shoes in the quiet hallway and heard two people laughing, a woman’s soft voice and an oddly familiar masculine voice.

When she looked up, she saw John with Lorie hanging by his arm. Both were oblivious to her presence and continued walking to the passenger elevator.

Chari did not know how long she stayed there, her mouth hanging open. Although she prepped herself for this, the reality is much harder to accept. Her chest constricted in sudden pain. It took her a few minutes to gather her wits together and started leaving.

She was startled when someone touched her arm. When she turned, Nathan’s face greeted her. It was the pleasure she saw in there that had been her undoing. She did not know what came over her. All she knew was she needed comfort, so she hugged him as close as her big tummy would allow.

“Hey, I did not realize that you missed me this much.” Nathan patted her back comfortingly. She could tell that he was happy to see her.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out when they parted. Nathan smiled.

“Come, come. Let us go to my office so we could catch up.” Nathan guided her to his office with his right arm protectively around her.

Nathan offered her bottled water before he picked a soda for himself from his mini-fridge. She enviously watched him as he popped the lid and drank straight before he turned to her with a wide smile

“You are looking more beautiful. Pregnancy suits you.” He exclaimed after he made a thorough inspection of her face and body. Chari blushed, unsure of how to take the compliment because she felt nowhere near beautiful with her present mood.

She forced a smile, and instantly Nathan’s nose crinkled. He played with his face and tried coming up with comical expressions that amused Chari momentarily.

“Are you hungry?

It is already lunchtime. We could eat out or we could order in?” At the mention of lunch, Chari’s stomach rumbled. Nathan watched her amusedly as she blushed.

“Can we order in?

My feet started swelling and I wanted to put it up for a while.” Chari said before she kicked her shoes and put her swollen feet and tired legs on an ottoman.

Nathan dialed his secretary’s line to give out orders. “Chinese or Italian?” he asked her.

After she chose Chinese, Nathan joined her on the sofa. He picked her hand and played with her fingers like he always did before and she realized she missed him. Nathan had a special place in her heart. They almost got married. Speaking of marriage, she pouted her lips.

“I’m sorry.” They both said in unison and then they both burst out laughing.

“Ah, I missed laughing with you like this,” Nathan exclaimed and Chari felt chagrined.

“I’m sorry for knocking you out cold before, at the restaurant?” Chari said in a high-pitched voice when Nathan playfully tried to pretend that he did not remember.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. “It was partly my fault. You were surprised.”

"And very angry." Chari was quick to add.

“But I should have listened to you more.” She admitted shyly. Instead of being level-headed, she acted on impulse. Now she was trapped in a one-sided love-marriage with John.

“I swear I did not know how it happened. Until now, I am trying to remember the night that woman claimed I made her pregnant, and my mind always come up blank. “ Chari noticed Nathan's bushy eyebrows furrowed in his confusion and she knew that he was telling her the truth.

“You just don’t know how I regretted. If only I did not tell you before our wedding, maybe we are married by now, and that baby you are carrying was mine.” Chari could feel the sadness from Nathan’s voice, as he looked longingly at her oversized belly, and it made her sad, too.

“It’s in the past now.” She said. “So, how’s your baby? It is a boy or a girl?” She added cheerfully to distract him.

Nathan’s eyes lit up at the mention of his baby. “Well, she just turned three months old last week and she is adorable. The cutest baby girl ever.” Seeing Nathan happy brought a smile to Chari’s lips.

“What about her mom? “

“What about her? She left the child to me after the paternity tested positive.“

Chari did not realize that it would have been easy to talk to Nathan. She thought that what happened would put a strain on their relationship, but it did not. She found herself enjoying it. They talked some more and extended their lunch up to early dinner to a nearby café.

It was past 8 in the evening when Nathan’s car stopped at the house John bought for them.

She was still tugging the seatbelt away from her body when the door to the driver’s seat was pulled open, and an angry John pulled Nathan out. Chari did not know what happened. When she got out of her side of the car, she saw Nathan lying on the pavement, his lips bloodied.

She panicked.

“I told you before, stay away from my wife.” John spat the words out before he glanced her way, his look contemptuous. And then before she could even say anything, he marched towards their house, leaving her behind.

Chari did not know what to do. She watched John’s retreating form before she decided to attend to Nathan. It was a good thing, John’s driver Mang Joe was there. He pulled Nathan up and assisted him in his car.