Cold Billionaire's Ex-wife's Forbidden Secret- (Montreal Property 2nd Gen.)

Breaking point!

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***Bianca’s POV***

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“I’m really sorry to hear that, Bianca. I know what you been through. Kahit sa lahat ng sakit at bigat na pinagdaanan mo, ni minsan hindi ko narinig na nagreklamo ka. You didn't said--- even once-- that you already giving up. And now… ngayon mo sasabihin na titigil ka na? Are you really serious about this decision?” tanong ni Graham, matapos niya akong titigan nang ilang mahahabang segundo na para bang sinusuri niya kung gaano ako kasigasig sa sinabi ko.

Napalunok ako, hindi sigurado kung paano sasagutin si Graham. Hindi madaling gumawa ng desisyon na tulad sa sinabi ko ngayon sa kanya. Kaya nga, this is not final yet. Aminado ako, medyo nagdadalawang isip ako.

Twenty years of loving Hamlet… it’s not something that I just can't walk away from. Hindi ito parang pinto na basta ko na lang isara. Dapat kong pag- isipang mabuti.

What if—what if I end up regretting this decision? What if pagod lang talaga ako ngayon and things could still fall back into place later on? Too many ‘what ifs’—so my desisyon ay not yet final.

Maybe… maybe I should give it one more chance. One last chance. Isang huling pagkakataon hanggang sa mapuno ako and totally consumed by dissapointments.

Huminga ako nang malalim, pilit ibinabalik ang composure na malapit nang madurog.

“Yes. I am serious, Graham,” mariin kong sabi habang sinalubong ko ang titig niya. “One last disappointment and I am over him.” Napangiti pa ako, isang ngiting matatag na pilit kong binuo para hindi niya makita muli ang kahinaan ko.Nakatitig pa rin si Graham, at doon ko nakita ang awa sa mga mata niya.

“Anyway,” pagpapatuloy ko, “I don’t have any regrets about this marriage. I know I did my best, give almost my everything to make this work. At saka—yung pera ng kapatid mo na ibinuhos niya sa akin, nagamit ko naman nang maayos. With his money, natagpuan ko na rin ang mga kapatid ko. Kaya please, wag mo akong kaawaan. My separation from Hamlet soon..... doesn’t mean I’ve been defeated. It means I’m finally choosing to open a new chapter in my life—one where my happiness is no longer anchored to someone else, but built by my own hands. So I’m hoping that when the time comes and we finally go our separate ways, you’ll choose to be happy for me.”

Napangiti si Graham, saka marahang napailing. “You’re really something, Bianca.”

“I hope hindi sa negative na paraan ang kahulugan ng sinasabi mo, Graham,” sagot ko, sabay ngiti, just like I always do.

“I never see you negatively, Bianca,” sagot niya, diretso at walang pag-aalinlangan. “I always see you as someone with a pure heart and a genuine character. My brother is just blind not to see it.”

Ngumiti na lang ako, pinili nang hindi tumugon pa. Hindi dahil wala akong sagot, kundi dahil sapat na ang narinig ko.

Maya-maya, nag-umpisa na kami sa tunay naming dapat pag-usapan—ang negosyo. Tungkol sa mga plano ni Graham ngayon na nasa pamumuno na niya ang Northbridge Construction, na ngayon ay under his company. Sabi niya na plano sana niyang palitan ang pangalan ng Northbridge para mas tumugma sa company name niya, pero nang malaman niya ang story behind nito, nagbago siya ng isip. Sinabi ko namang walang problema sa akin kung sakaling baguhin niya ang pangalan; after all, gusto ko rin burahin ang alaala ng mga sakim na dating namamahala sa kumpanyang iyon.

Halos isang oras din naming pinag-usapan ang tungkol dito at ang iba pang bagay na konektado sa negosyo, hanggang sa mapansin kong kailangan ko nang magpaalam. Kailangan ko pang maghanda para sa binyag na pupuntahan namin ni Hamlet mamayang hapon—ang binyag ng panganay na anak ng kaibigan ko. Nangako si Hamlet na sasamahan niya ako mamaya.At ito pa lang ang unang beses na sasamahan ako ni Hamlet sa mga ganitong okasyon.

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Inis na inis na talaga ako. Kanina pa ako naghihintay kay Hamlet. Sabi niya sa akin na sasamahan niya ako today. I even reminded him earlier—literally kanina lang—about this event, and he told me again, with that calm confidence of his, that he promised to go with me. That he would be there. Kaya naman umasa talaga ako. I even boasted about it to my friends, na sasamahan ako ng husband ko. They were surprised—halos hindi nga makapaniwala. Hindi naman talaga sumasama sa akin si Hamlet sa mga events na pinupuntahan ko para sa mga kaibigan ko.

Then my phone chimed.

A text from Hamlet.

I opened it agad, hopeful pa rin kahit medyo kinakabahan.

Something important and urgent just happened. Go on without me—I’ll catch up.

Yun lang. Walang explanation. Walang detalye. Walang kahit ano. And yes, I admit it—sobrang inis ang naramdaman ko. But what could I do? Wala naman akong choice. So I just asked the driver na ihatid na lang ako, instead of driving myself. I convinced myself na it’s fine. Makakasunod naman siya. He said he’d catch up, diba?

Pero habang papunta ako sa venue, I could already feel something heavy forming in my chest.

Pagdating ko sa binyag, hindi ako handa sa naramdaman ko bigla. Millions worth of décor, food, setup—lahat sparkling, elegant, grand. Ganito ka-elegant ang binyag pero yong pakiramdam ko kakaiba, hindi nakisabay sa magandang paligid. And as I stood there, looking at the baby being carried by the proud parents, something inside me cracked. Hindi ko mapigilan ang maramdaman yung kakaibang lungkot. Yung matinding kulang.

For the first time, naramdaman ko talaga… na may kulang sa amin ni Hamlet. Not because he doesn’t love me—I know that eversince. But because we don’t have this. We don’t have a child. It feels like we’re not a family at all. And how could we be, when he doesn’t even… touch me?

I suddenly felt this sharp sting of envy. Not the ugly kind, but the quiet, aching kind. The kind that whispers, “Hanggang kailan manatiling ganito ang pagsasama naming dalawa ni Hamlet? Makakaya ko ba kung habang buhay ganito?”

But I pushed it down. Hindi ako pwedeng mag-drama dito. This is my friend’s special day.

Later, I joined my three closest friends at a table. They welcomed me with their usual bright smiles and bubbly energy.

“Bianca, nasaan na si Hamlet?” tanong ni Cindy, trying to sound casual pero halatang curious.

I kept my expression light, effortless. Yung tipong natural sa mga kagaya kong sanay mag-maskara. I smiled and said, “He’s on the way na. May konting urgent lang.”

I still believed this. Naniniwala akong pupunta si Hamlet. He promised. And when he does—he will definitely do it.

“Are you sure? Baka naman hindi talaga pupunta?” biro pa ni Bea, sabay tawa, pero ramdam kong may tama yung sinabi niya.

“Baka naman illusion mo lang yan, sis. Hindi naman talaga pumupunta si Hamlet sa mga ganito na may kinalaman sa mga friends mo,” ani pa ni Deia..

Frustrating. Masakit. Dumiretso sa dibdib ko. Pero hindi ko ipinakita. Tumawa ako kasama nila, acting like it was nothing. Acting like I wasn’t hurting. Acting like it didn’t bother me that my husband still wasn’t here.

Ganito yata talaga kapag sanay ka nang magpakatatag at magkunwari. No one knows you're bleeding inside, only you.

Ngumiti ako at sumabay sa biruan, kahit deep inside, unti-unti nang umiinit ang lalamunan ko. Kahit ramdam ko nang tumitibok nang masakit ang dibdib ko. Kahit ramdam kong unti-unti nang nauubos ang pasensya ko kay Hamlet.

Pero, as always… I kept smiling.

Later….

Halos nangangalahati na ang program pero ni anino ni Hamlet—wala. Wala siyang text, wala siyang tawag, wala man lang update. I kept checking the entrance, every few minutes, pretending na may hinihintay lang ako, pretending na hindi ako kinakain ng inis at hiya. My friends would glance at me from time to time, all pretending not to wonder, pero ramdam ko. Ramdam ko yung tanong sa mata nila.

Finally, hindi ko na kinaya. I excused myself with a polite smile, “I’ll just take a call, darlings,” kahit wala naman talagang tumatawag. Lumabas ako ng main venue, lumakad papunta sa hallway ng City Paradise Hotel—isang napakalaking function hall sa loob ng isa sa pinaka-luxurious hotels sa city. Chandeliers, marble floors, fresh flowers everywhere… lahat maganda. Lahat perfect. Except my mood. Except this day.

Pagdating ko sa quieter part ng hallway, saka ko kinuha ang phone ko. I dialed Hamlet’s number immediately. One ring. Two rings. Three. No answer.

Tumindig ang balahibo ko sa inis. I tried again. And again. And again. Hanggang sa umabot sa point na hindi ko na siya makontak. Nag-turn off na. Or maybe he turned it off.

“Unbelievable,” I whispered, pero ang totoo, halos mapasigaw na ako. Ramdam ko ang tensyon sa katawan ko; kuyom ang kamao ko habang pilit kong pinapakalma ang sarili ko.

But I couldn’t calm down. I was angry. Furious.

Finally, I decided to call Mrs. Espinosa—yung sekretarya ni Hamlet. She always answers. She has to.

“Mrs. Espinosa, where is my husband?” diretsong tanong ko, trying so hard to keep my voice steady, kahit nanginginig na sa inis.

May konting hesitation sa boses niya nang sumagot. “Ma’am… umalis po si Sir. He went out to personally pick up a gift.”

“A gift?” I repeated, my voice dangerously soft. “Para kanino?”

“Para po kay… Ylanna Montenegro.”

I froze.

For a moment, I completely stopped breathing.

Then the rage slammed into me so hard na parang may sumiklab sa ulo ko.

“Excuse me?” halos pabulong kong sabi, pero razor-sharp. Nanlilisik ang mga mata ko kahit wala akong kaharap.

“He said it’s urgent po,” dagdag pa ni Mrs. Espinosa, as if that somehow made it acceptable. “He wanted to make sure the gift is ready before Ms. Montenegro arrives the next day.”

I closed my eyes—slowly, painfully.

So yan ang urgent? Yan ang important?

Not me.

Not the promise he made.

Not that he said he’d show up for me today.

Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako o maiiyak. He really is an… asshole.

Yllana. Yllana na naman.

My sister.

My adopted parents’ child.

The golden daughter of the Montenegro family.

And me? The adopted one. The outsider who was raised to fit their world but never fully belonged. Oo. Yan ang naramdaman ko pag nandiyan si Yllana: that I have not belonged to their family. All of them are attached to my good sister, and no one shows interest in me anymore.

So alam pala ni Hamlet na babalik na si Yllana.

Of course… hindi na ako dapat nagtaka dito. I know kahit ilang taon nang nasa ibang bansa si Yllana, ito pa rin ang laman ng isip niya at baka… pati na ng puso niya, kahit ilang beses niyang sinabi sa akin na walang namagitan na something romantic sa kanilang dalawa ni Yllana.

A tear slipped down my cheek. Not because I was in pain… but because I was utterly, profoundly disappointed. Hamlet had finally pushed me to the very edge—right to the breaking point of everything I could endure.

I was beyond disappointment with my husband. My patience had run dry. My heart was overflowing with resentment.

I am done. I am done being miserable. It's time to settle account with my idiot husband.