CHAPTER 35

 The sun hits high in the middle of the day, but the shade of the mango tree covered her eyes. She pulled herself to sit upright, where her eyes wondered around. The grass is so green as it shines in the sun and its very leaf. The field is wide where the mountains are nearly visible to her naked eye, in front of her was lake, so wide she could think of it as a sea. 

She walked towards the lake, where her feet stepped on the pebbles on the shore of the lake, as the ends of it hit her ankles in every little wave towards its shore. A rush of shiver runs through her as he eyes shut tight, opened her arms, and felt the wind engulf her body while feeling the cold water on her feet. 

"Senorita Amanda!" a girl shouted her name. 

As soon as the voice hits her ear, he hurried back to the shore, where she reached for her bakya and put it on her feet. She reached for her things as she run towards the girl who's eyes filling with worry but covered in relief in the sight of her. 

"Celia, you don't need to follow me here." she remarked in her calm and soothing voice as she tug her hair up for a fix. 

"Your father, Senorita will be very mad if he knew about you sneaking out again. You must know the danger of being alone, especially to a woman like you." Celia insisted and reached for her things to carry. 

The two continued arguing until they walked downhill, where the mansion is found. Amanda walked up to the mansion, seeing her father looking at her from the window. Brows furrowed and tightened jaw. Her heart started to beat rapidly as she ran fast inside the mansion up to her room where Celia immediately followed. 

"Senorita Celia, Don Juancho looks so mad. We need to fix you." Celia said as she started panicking. Her hands were shaking but her she skillfully fixed her hair, from single braid to another. 

After doing Amanda's hair, Celia immediately walked back to Amanda's cabinet and searched for a good pair of Baro and Saya. She skillfully dressed her and smiled in satisfaction as she saw how Amanda look so stunning as always, and even now that she well dressed and not looking like a slave like she was back in the lake. 

But Celia's smile fell when she saw Amanda's eyes welling up in tears. 

" The Montecarloses are coming Celia, I dont want to do this." Amanda's voice broke. 

" I don't have that much of comforting words I can offer to you Senorita, nothing but a plea." Celia smiled gently as she caressed Amanda's cheek. 

Their eyes met, one with tears and the other with hope on it. "Be brave, in a time where your voice sound so silent, stay on the ground and be brave." 

"Even if I have to marry a man I never met?" Amanda cried. 

" Words has it that your betrothed has known since, and been asking about you. I think I can say so well that the Senorito will love you, just like what you dreamed.... To be loved." 

Celia wiped her tears, she cupped her face and gave Amanda a reassuring smile before waving at her to get up on her seat.

Amanda with a serious demeanor, walks out of her chamber looking straight to her father, whose eyes are on the hectares and hectares of farmland. She looked through the window how the soil have dried up, the workers are tirelessly plowing the field under the scorching sun.

"The lands are drying up, there will be no more crops, dearest." Don Juancho started, his eyes starting to beckon on the just across their mansion. 

"And you sold me off." Amanda answered staring straight to her father. 

"I had to secure you a good life and the farm to stay on our name. The Montecarlos family offered us generousity. The least we could do is give them something." He turned to her, with softeness in his eyes, with his hand beckoning, waiting her hand to reach his. 

"I am not a 'something' father. I dream of marrying out of love not out of your gree___" Amanda stopped, as her father's palm landed on her cheek making her flinch in pain. 

"You ungrateful wench!" Her father roared at her. With his eyes filled with anger starring down at her. "You will marry the Donato Montecarlos in two weeks whether you like it or not!" 

Don Juancho, pressing on his chest to contain his anger, walked out of the halls. Amanda with her head down, muffled her cries as she stumbled on the wooden floor. 

* Dear God, I dont want to do this! Save me.*

"Oh Senorita, Don Juancho is so mad. You should have just said nothing. Let me see your face." Celia rushed to her and cupped her face. "Your cheek is bruised we need something to hide that Senorita before the Montecarlos gets here." 

Celia gently guided Amanda up pulling her back to her room, leaving her there sobbing her eyes out. Celia listened to her cries echoed in her chamber as she walked to kitchen to search for her mistress' remedy. 

"Oh how unfortunate miss, the maids there are talking about how the man of the Montecarlos manor is violent towards their maids, he even bring whores there for his pleasure." 

"I was envious of her life before, but was I lucky to land this freedom to be with anyone." 

"Should you talk about the Seniorita, you should lower your voices. She might hear you." Celia interrupted the two cooks in the kitchen gossiping. 

She sighed once he got the remedy and walked back to Amanda's Chambers, but stopped before she could even knock the door. *I can barely contain the rumors, it was never enough to give her ease.* 

"Senorita, I am here." Celia forced a smile as she knocked on the door and gently opened it. 

Celia found Amanda still in her awful state and absent-mindedness. With her smile, she tended her bruise with a damp cloth. 

Amanda is beyond grateful to have Celia beside her. They are just the same age, but she seems to be like a mother to her, as they grew up together in the mansion. Celia keeps on reassuring her that everything will be fine, even had Celia believe that her lies covered up the real rumors amongst the maids and the farmers she encounters whenever she sneaks out. 

*That the man I am marrying is a madman.*

She looked at her bruise in the mirror as her eyes went wide as sudden sense of familiarity rushed through her...

Thea woke up in her deep sleep after a tiring day yesterday. Her brows furrowed as for this time, she witnessed as the sun's rays went through her window up to her eyes. A rare occurrence for someone like her who walks out early and comes home late. She never gets to see the sun in her small and dumped rented room.

Her palms immediately wiped her temples as beads of sweat covered her. Her eyes went wide realizing how late she is for her morning shift at the cafe. Without a single word, she jumped out of bed, run for her bath. 

After finishing to get ready, she went out of her room only to meet Ysay who just woke up, messy hair, kissed marks on her neck and legs while waving another random guy good bye. As their eyes met, Thea stared at her puzzled but eventually rolled her eyes as she left. 

Walking up to the jeepney stop, Ysay's face kept on bugging her. Somehow she saw her face somewhere, which is weird for her because they see each other everyday she comes home, but this time is different for her. 

Several jeepneys passed by, as she stood in her stance, holding up the line for a jeepney. Her thoughts wanders to everything she has came by connecting the dots with Ysay, until she got her thoughts to her dream last night. 

"CELIA?!"