34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Lady in Red
RAFA
Taal Heritage Town
It had been two weeks since he had broken up with Sal.
Two weeks of silent agony, realizing that he was now facing an unknown future.
He stayed because he feared losing her forever if he left and that Harmon would take her.
Rafa couldn’t blame Harmon for being attracted to Sal.
She was, after all, the type of beauty that grew on you as the seasons passed.
Every smile, every tear shed, and every mannerism contributed to her appeal.
Once you got to know her, you would end up believing that you’d find no one like her.
It had become a solid truth for him ever since he fell in love with her.
He saw her in every book that lay open, in every half-finished coffee drink, in each cat that was generous enough to be petted, and in the soft knitted clothes he sometimes saw in shops.
She was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Now, without Sal, what was he to do? He took so much pride in helping her, being there for her, and being needed by her, but now that that was gone, what now?
He occupied one room in the Wedding Gift house and kept sight of the inventory and even aided the helpers in lifting the heavier pieces.
Every painting accounted for, every statue placed, every bead of sweat was in her name.
Strangely, he felt that if he dedicated all his efforts to her, that she would come back, that the universe would reward him somehow for all his hard work.
Every other day, if his nerves allowed it, Rafa would visit them at the Tampuhan Café BnB.
For the first few days after they had agreed to take a break, Sal’s eyes were bleary and reddened, and she fidgeted with her engagement ring whenever he was around.
Recently, she had stopped wearing the ring and looked better than before.
Rafa, still silently in pain, couldn’t bear it.
She was resilient, perhaps even more than he was, but he didn’t think of her as being so heartless as to forget about them in a matter of just two weeks.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t; she was etched into his soul forever, and all he could do was wait to hear her final judgment.
After first seeing her without the engagement ring on for the first time, Rafa flew into a silent panic and didn’t show himself for the rest of the day.
During these spurts of loneliness, he group-called his family. Sybelle was always the first to pick up, followed by his mother, and then Aveline, and always last was Arthur.
“Hey, Rafa. How are you?” Sybelle’s voice echoed, and Rafa fought back tears at hearing his sister’s voice.
He so wanted to tell them what was going on, but not now; he didn’t want to worry them.
He couldn’t bring himself to tell them he and Sal were on a break—how could he?
They had all gathered to run the business while he was away to help his fiancée, and look where it had gotten him.
So he set his jaw and took a deep breath as his other family members’ voices filled the group call.
They were all asking how he was, and taking turns talking about Kimmy and Hana and how well the cats were adjusting to their temporary home.
They all asked how the art show was coming along. “The art show is shaping up well. We’re slowly completing the collection for the exhibit. We’ve contacted artists and other creatives to exhibit their works along Agoncillo,” he answered.
Aveline’s voice came through. “Rafa, there’s a lot of negative chatter about the grimoire. How is that being handled?”
Rafa took a moment to respond.
Aveline was right. There was negative press surrounding the grimoire that had spilled over to Sal just as Harmon had predicted.
Some experts in the field were suspicious and questioned Sal’s credibility.
Occultists were angered and said it was a scam.
Recently, some religious groups said the grimoire was evil and should not be paid attention to; some recommended that it be destroyed.
Rafa didn’t know how to manage it aside from constantly following up with Auden and her contact about the provenance papers.
Auden said they were working as fast as they could, but it would take time since it required meticulous research.
As much as she hated to admit it, he was in unfamiliar territory.
“Sal has a scheduled interview with a big news outlet here to talk about the grimoire,” he said. “Apparently, her aunt is a famed TV personality, so she’ll be featured on Primetime news.”
“Good for her,” said his mother. “What time will it be airing?”
“I think sometime this week during the evening broadcast, which would be early morning your time.”
“We’ll record it for sure,” Sybelle said. “You guys better kill it there so you can come home and plan the wedding!” Everyone cheered except for Rafa.
“We’ll have to finish the art show first,” he said.
Despite his heavy spirits, his heart felt lighter when he listened to his family talk about the business and about all the small, trivial things about their days. They said their good mornings to him, and he wished them all a good night as they concluded the call.
The afternoon felt long and torturous; Rafa felt like he needed to step away, even if it was just for a few days. He searched for other places in Batangas worth going to, a place that was quiet where he could meditate, and still be near Sal in case there was an emergency.
An hour’s drive from the heritage site, he discovered a place in Laurel, Batangas. He booked the boutique hotel and drove there immediately. Rafa needed a change of scenery, a mental break from Sal and the art show. When he arrived, he felt himself relax a bit. This was just what he needed.
The upscale boutique hotel lay atop a hill overlooking Taal Lake.
He had booked the biggest suite with the view and scheduled a sunset cruise on their yacht just because he could.
At night, when it was time for him to feast, he ordered the best wine they had and a steak, and indulged himself.
If he could numb the pain by drinking, he would.
The place he booked reminded him of all the expensive clubhouses his friends invited him to; it was the same type of subdued luxury that only a few could afford.
He never cared for wanton frivolity unless it was for networking or to further his business ventures, but anything that would take his mind off Sal was welcome.
That night, after the sun had set and he returned from the yacht cruise, he went to his room and dressed up for dinner alone at the hotel’s restaurant. He sat there overlooking the warmly lit garden at Taal Lake as he relished his own company.
Just as the server poured him another glass of wine, a tall, slim, and beautiful woman sat at the table near his. She glanced over his way, and he— possibly out of curiosity—offered her a grin in return.
She would glance at him through most of her meal, and when she was done, she walked over to Rafa. Her hips swayed rhythmically as she neared him and asked, “Is this seat taken?”
Rafa admired the lady in her burgundy dress. “Sure.” He nodded toward the seat opposite him, and she did so. Rafa gestured if he could pour her a glass of wine, and she agreed.
The lady was stunning. She had long, lustrous black hair, and long black lashes, and naturally tanned, and even-toned, healthy-looking skin.
“You’re new here,” she said. Her voice was low and sultry.
Rafa cracked a sliver of a smile. “Yes,” he agreed. “I guess you’re a regular?”
She traced the rim of her wine glass. “I’m here a lot when I need to clear my head,” she said, flashing an even set of white teeth.
“And what is it you need to clear your head from?”
She bit her lip. “Paparazzi. Occupational hazard,” she said.
So she was an actress? Rafa thought, but didn’t bother satiating his curiosity and let her continue.
“To be honest with you, I know the chef, and I love her cooking. So I come here whenever I need to clear my head and get decent food,” she said, looking out into the dark evening outside the window.
She took a sip of wine before leaning forward, elbows on the table and hands clasped underneath her chin.
“How about you? Why are you here?” she teased, tilting her head.
“I just needed to get away too.”
“Stressed at work?”
He shook his head, amused.
“An ex, then?”
Rafa looked her in the eye when she said the word ex. The idea of Sal being called that made him uneasy. “Yeah,” he replied. “My engagement is on thin ice…”
She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. “Ouch. What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“It’s a long story. But she says it’s because I have a lot of expectations,” he responded ruefully.
The beautiful woman nodded as though she understood exactly why Sal would believe that. “Well…you strike me as high maintenance.”
“Me…high maintenance?” Rafa repeated, one brow raised.
She raised a hand. “I’m only assuming here. But few people can afford to stay a night at this place unless they’re someone’s rich son who has a lot of responsibility.”
Rafa chuckled, embarrassed at how easy he was to read.
The lady continued, “Some women feel nervous about marriage, especially if they’re the independent type.”
Rafa narrowed his eyes. “Why is that?”
She scoffed and leaned forward. “Almost all my friends felt that way before marrying.” She nearly laughed, as though he was dumb for asking it.
“So what do you think happens for a woman after marrying…?” She held up her fingers and began counting, “You give up your independence, if not completely, then temporarily. You move to the guy’s home.
If you’re lucky, he lives alone; if not, he lives with his family.
Then there’s this pressure to have kids—always.
It is relentless, and it comes from everywhere.
Even if you don’t want to, even if you can’t, it always ends up being a central discussion.
And if you give in and get pregnant, there’s going through the pregnancy, the body image issues after, and all the other considerations when you become a parent.
” By the time had finished speaking, she had five fingers up.
“So you see, even if you marry into money, and even if the guy loves you, it’s still a high price to pay.
This is especially true for self-made women who worked their entire lives to reach a certain level of freedom.
” She took a sip of her wine. “So when a woman says yes to a life with someone, know that she is willingly choosing to compromise it all.”
Rafa sat there thoughtfully.
“Don’t you have any sisters?” she asked.
Rafa chuckled. “Yes, I do.”
“Ask them, then,” she said confidently. “I mean, sure, getting married and having a family is a beautiful thing. All I’m saying is it’s not for everyone. It comes with a price for everyone involved, and your partner has to be fully committed to it in order for it to work. Not just you.”
“Is that the reason you’re not married?”
“That’s a story for another day.” Then she slowly blinked and said, “I came on to you hoping to sleep with you, but…” She bit her lip and paused. “A woman knows when a man’s heart is elsewhere and that’s no fun,” she smirked back at him and stood to excuse herself.
“Please let me buy you another drink. It’s the least I can do for your company.”
“No, thanks,” she said with a graceful shake of her head. “It’s refreshing to be valued for my thoughts, not my body.” She walked off, then turned back and said, “If you want your fiancée back, think about what she wants.”
***
When he retired to his suite, he saw a text message Willow had sent fifteen minutes ago. “Sal’s live broadcast is in a few minutes!” He dropped his phone, lunged for the remote control, turned on the TV, and began surfing. He stopped when he spotted Sal’s face on the flat screen.
My Sal, he thought proudly, and turned up the volume.
Sal’s confident face presented itself on the TV screen.
They showed photos of her handling the grimoire with care, and without giving too much away, she explained its contents and how mysterious it was, and how the research and investigation into its origins was still ongoing.
Her timing was impeccable, and she paced her humor well with the news anchor when they joked with her on set.
When it came time to address all the negative press, she acknowledged the suspicion by saying, “I understand the skepticism surrounding this. It’s difficult to accept the things we don’t yet understand.
So instead, I encourage everyone to investigate with an open mind and consider this for what it might be, which is a discovery of magic that was found in a small town.
” It was punchy and resonant, and it struck the right chord. She was changing the conversation.
By the time the broadcast ended, without thinking, he sent a message to Sal: “I just watched the broadcast. You were amazing.” A few minutes later, she replied: “Thank you. It’s nice to hear from you again.”