Chapter 3
1304 Words
Camille’s POV
Ano yon?
I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until I was already halfway down the hallway, the sound of my heels bouncing off the walls like gunshots in my ears.
Parang interrogation 'yung meeting kanina pero walang direktang tanong. Wala ring konkretong dahilan para kabahan. At the same time, lahat ng salita niya may bigat. Lahat ng tingin niya, parang may hinihimay sa’kin.
He knew something.
Or at least, he suspected.
I stopped in front of the comfort room mirror and stared at my reflection. I looked fine. Neat. Composed.
My lipstick hadn’t even faded. Pero ‘yung kaba sa dibdib ko… parang hindi ko kayang itago kahit pa anong ayos ng make-up ko.
“Distracted,” sabi niya.
“Different.”
Off.
Parang gusto kong matawa. Kung alam lang niya kung gaano ka-"off" ang lahat nitong mga nakaraang araw. I was late twice last week. I forgot to reply to an internal email. Napansin pa pala niya lahat 'yon?
I didn’t expect Damon Altamirano my mysterious, intense, always composed CEO to notice me that way.
Hindi ko rin alam kung dapat akong matakot o mapahiya.
Or… something else.
There was something in the way he looked at me kanina. Not just professionally. Hindi lang ‘yung boss na disappointed. May lalim eh. May tanong. May duda.
One week? Two?
How long have you been feeling off?
Saan niya hinuhugot 'yung tanong na 'yon?
Wala siyang karapatang manghula pero bakit parang tinamaan ako?
I glanced down at my stomach.
Five weeks. Almost six.
And no one knows. Not even Chelsea.
I hadn’t even said the word out loud. Pregnant. Even in my mind, I kept skipping around it like a hot wire. Because if I admitted it to myself really admitted it then I had to admit that everything in my life was about to change. Radically. Permanently.
“Camille?”
I jumped. Chelsea. She was peeking through the door.
“Grabe ka, girl. Kanina ka pa pinaghahanap sa desk mo. Okay ka lang? Mukha kang nakakita ng multo.”
“Hindi naman.” I forced a small smile. “Tinawag lang ako ni Mr. Altamirano.”
“Omg. Private meeting? Bakit?! Anong sabi?!”
“Nothing serious. Just Dragontech figures.”
Chelsea squinted at me. “Camz… you’re pale.”
“Gutom lang siguro,” I mumbled, brushing past her.
Pero habang pabalik kami sa department area, hindi ko maiwasang balikan sa isip ko ang bawat salita niya. Lalo na ‘yung pinakahuli bago ako lumabas ng kwarto.
“You’re not the same woman who walked into this office a month ago.”
Sino'ng nagsabi sa kanyang magaling siyang mag-obserba?
'Cause he was right.
Hindi na nga ako ‘yung babaeng ‘yon.
I was now a woman carrying a secret.
And worse?
A woman who didn’t even know the full name of the man she had slept with.
Nag-vibrate ang phone ko.
Unknown Number.
I picked it up. “Hello?”
No one answered. Just a faint rustling.
“Hello?” I repeated, a little sharper.
Still nothing.
Then the call ended.
I stared at the screen.
Weird.
I brushed it off and continued with my day. But something in me had shifted.
That meeting with Mr. Altamirano Damon was just the beginning.
I had no idea how close the truth was creeping behind me.
And the worst part?
He already knows more than I think.
Camille’s POV
Later That Day
I was trying to finish the stupid monthly report for our digital metrics when the intercom on my desk buzzed.
“Ms. Rodriguez, CEO’s office. Now.”
My heart skipped.
Second time today?
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to look like I was crumbling inside. Chelsea gave me a 'good luck' look, half-teasing, but all I could do was smile tightly and stand up, legs slightly trembling.
Hindi ko alam kung anong mas nakakakaba—yung tono ng pagkakabigkas ng pangalan ko, o yung kabuuan ng pagkatao ni Damon na tila may radar para lang sa mga sikreto ko.
Pagpasok ko sa opisina niya, he didn’t even glance up from his desk.
“Sit.”
Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako napalunok. I sat quietly, trying to keep my face unreadable.
Tahimik lang siya. Scribbling something on a folder. The silence stretched.
Napalingon siya, at tumama ang mga mata niya sa’kin.
Sharp. Calculating. Intense.
“Are you sleeping well?” tanong niya, diretso.
What kind of question is that?
I blinked. “Sir?”
He tilted his head, ang baba niya nakapatong sa likod ng kamao. “You look exhausted. Pale. You’ve also been… dizzy?”
“I—uh, it’s nothing. Stress lang po siguro. Marami lang pong ginagawa.”
“Hmm.”
Naglakad siya paikot sa desk, mabagal, deliberate. Tumigil sa tapat ko. I felt his presence towering over me, and it made my pulse race uncomfortably.
“I have zero tolerance for excuses, Ms. Rodriguez,” he murmured. “But I make exceptions… for pregnant women.”
Bigla akong napatayo.
“What—what did you just say?”
He arched a brow. “You’re six weeks along, am I right?”
Hindi ko alam kung nanlamig ako o pinapawisan. “H-How do you know that?!”
“Sit down.”
“Sir—”
“Camille, sit.” His voice dropped. Low. Stern. May halong kaba.
I didn’t sit.
Because just then—
A sharp pain stabbed low in my stomach.
“Ah—!” Napahawak ako sa tiyan ko. Everything blurred. My knees weakened.
Damon’s arms were suddenly around me, catching me before I collapsed.
“Camille!” His voice was full of urgency now. Panic.
Mainit ang palad niya sa balikat ko habang binubuhat niya ako.
“I’m bringing you to the clinic. Now.”
“Wait please don’t make a scene,” I mumbled through gritted teeth, trying to breathe.
“I don’t care if the whole building sees me. You’re in pain.”
15 Minutes Later sa clinic “Threatened miscarriage,” sabi ng doctor.
Parang huminto ang mundo ko.
“B-but the baby’s okay?”
“For now. But she needs rest, minimal stress, and full support,” the doctor said, glancing meaningfully at Damon.
Napalingon ako sa kanya. Nakaupo siya sa tabi ko. Tahimik. Pero may hawak siyang tubig, at sa lap niya ay ang bag ko. His jaw was clenched.
He didn’t look like a boss right now.
He looked like
No.
It couldn’t be.
“Why…” I started, voice shaking. “Why are you acting like this?”
Tahimik siya. His eyes locked on mine. And then he said the one thing I never expected to hear.
“Because I was there that night, Camille.”
My world crashed.
I froze.
“What…?”
He didn’t blink.
“It was me.”
“Ako ‘yung lalaki sa gabing ‘yon.”
I couldn’t breathe.
My hands went cold.
“You… That’s not—no. You’re—You didn’t even.
“I didn’t know it was you either,” he said quickly. “Until recently. I had suspicions.
The timing. The changes in you. I had you discreetly checked. I’m sorry. I had to know.”
“You investigated me?!”
“You’re carrying my child.”
“I didn’t even know your name!”
“I know.” His voice cracked slightly. “And I hate that it happened that way.
But now that I know, Camille, I’m not going to walk away.”
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t process.
All I could do was stare at him, heart pounding, and whisper:
“You’re my boss.”
And he answered, without hesitation:
“I’m also the father of your child. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Itutuloy...
- Writer
