Saved by the Master (De La Cerna #1)

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Video

Zaheera

Once a cheater, always a cheater. That’s what I always believed, and I’m thankful that my boyfriend, Coven, is not one of those guys. He is faithful, and he does not look at other girls. I do not like cheaters; I loathe them. I was told that my father left us for another woman. I was four years old at that time when my father suddenly disappeared like a bubble. Probably that’s the reason why I’m not carrying my father’s surname.

Coven is the epitome of loyalty. Coven always understands and always considers my feelings, but of course, every understanding person also feels tired of understanding.

“Honey, please understand. You know I still have to attend to my family’s needs, right? Gavin is just in his pre-med,” I explained in a calm voice.

Coven frustratingly brushed his face with his hands. We were in our apartment and had just gotten home from work. Coven fetched me from the building I was working in since we work in different companies. Coven is working as a CEO in their family company, and I am working as a secretary in his uncle’s company.

I was taken aback when Coven suddenly brought up having to settle down again and get married. I want to, I really do. But my responsibility as the breadwinner of the family is still stopping me from marrying and doing things for myself.

“How long should I wait, Z? We’ve been together for five years, honey.”

Coven looked at me with frustration in his eyes. He’s losing his patience. Sadness is visible in his eyes. I know how much Coven wants to have a family with me, and it hurts me to see him like this.

“I’m sorry, Coven,” was all I could utter. Tears came down my cheeks as I looked down. I just can’t see him hurt.

I shut my eyes emphatically, thinking that he would leave me alone in our apartment. But, to my surprise, Coven knelt in front of me. His left hand held my hand, and the other hand gently held my cheek and caressed it.

“Please, don’t cry. I’m sorry I brought that up again,” Coven consoled me with a gentle voice.

“I’m sorry, too. I promise after I save up for my brother’s tuition and school necessities, I will be the one to bring up marrying again. I love you, Coven. I really do.”

Coven smiled as I did, too. He kissed my forehead and then my nose, my cheeks, and lastly my luscious lips. I held both Coven’s cheeks and deepened our kiss. I felt the smirk form on my boyfriend’s lips. I squealed and giggled when Coven suddenly carried me with his hands on my butt.

“Let’s continue this on the bed. What do you think, honey?” Coven seductively asked.

I bit my lower lip. “Shall we?” And with that, Coven tackled me with a deep kiss while walking me through our bedroom.

I didn’t even notice that I was now lying naked on the bed. I made a loud gasp when the man on top of me suddenly made a deep entrance without warning. This is not the first time we have done it, but it still surprises me how big he is.

“So damn tight, honey,” Coven said, followed by a deep thrust.

I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or not. I just hugged Coven and let my nails dig into his back. The night ended with our moans, screams, and the squelching of our bodies. I just love it when Coven takes control over me whenever we do it, but I sometimes wonder what it feels like to take control.

I woke up sore and didn’t catch Coven beside me. I just shrugged it off because that’s what our usual morning routine looked like. I got up and started to fix our bed. After that, I went to the bathroom and washed my face. I then went to the dining room to see if there was a cooked breakfast. Coven usually cooks our breakfast when he wakes up first, but he sometimes forgets because the company needs him urgently; thus, I make my own breakfast, and I often wake up first to make breakfast for Coven. Whenever Coven doesn’t cook breakfast, he cannot eat anymore, so I usually pack his food and bring it to him personally.

But to my surprise, Coven is in the kitchen cooking eggs and bacon. There’s already freshly brewed coffee. I smile at what I am seeing right now. It is so rare that we get to be together in the morning since we are both working. Coven seems to feel my presence because he slightly turns around and smiles at me. That’s my cue to go near my half-naked boyfriend.

“Good morning, handsome.” I kissed his biceps and gently squeezed them. Coven kissed the top of my head and went to cook while I was still clinging to him. When Coven was done cooking, we immediately ate.

“Today is your day off, right?” Coven asked right after I drank my water.

I looked to my side to look at him and nodded. “Yes, why?”

“Do you have plans for today?”

I shook my head and put the last plate on the drying rack. I wiped my hands with the towel and accepted the glass of water from Coven.

“Why do you ask, honey?” I asked and drank all the water. I then looked at him with confusion in my eyes. “Don’t you have work today?”

“I will not go to work. Let’s have a date. Prepare yourself in 30 minutes.”

Coven did not even let me talk and just gave me a peck on the lips with a smirk on his face before leaving me stunned in the kitchen. As a result, I hastened to compose myself. We went to the mall and watched a movie, and then we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant. We were planning to go on a picnic in the nearest park, but to no avail; Coven suddenly got a call from his dad, so he had to come home immediately. That only means that Coven won’t be home in our apartment for days. Coven took me to our apartment first before he went home to the mansion.

He was able to send me a text that night, telling me to be careful. But after that, Coven didn’t text or call me anymore. I received no news from him after he went home. I tried calling his office, but my call was blocked. Thinking that Coven was under pressure and busy because of his father again, I decided to give him a surprise visit at his company. I applied for a one-day leave and then went to the mall to buy a gift for his birthday.

But before I could even buy a gift, I was surprised to see him walking with another woman, exiting the mall. It was just a sight, but I know my man very well. He was smiling and didn’t even look busy, pressured, or stressed at all. I quickly got my phone and dialed his number. I saw how the smile on Coven’s face disappeared upon seeing my name on the caller ID, and it pained me even more when Coven declined the call. I already felt like crying at that moment, but I ignored the pain and walked towards them. I even bumped into someone, but I didn’t even bother to apologize.

“Coven,” I called his name.

Surprise was visible on his face when he turned to me. I couldn’t read his expression to tell if he was afraid or not. But that shocked look lasted only for a second because Coven’s face quickly turned cold. He was just looking at me as if I weren’t his girlfriend, but just a stranger who was chasing after him.

“What the hell is this? You didn’t contact me for two weeks and now I’m seeing you here with another woman? Are you nuts?” I can’t control my madness anymore. I don’t care if there are people watching us. I want answers.

But instead of answers, I received a sarcastic laugh and smirk from him. “Wow. You’re accusing me of cheating when you’re the one who cheated on me first.”

I gasped in disbelief and confusion. My forehead furrowed even more at what he said.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t cheat!”

“Oh yeah?” Coven asked, as if he were not convinced at all.

“Oh my gosh! What the hell happened to you, Coven?” I trailed off.

“Oh, come on, Z. Don’t pretend to be a victim here. Let’s just wait for the truth to come out,” he said, and walked away from me while holding the girl’s hand.

I was left there, stunned, confused, and heartbroken. My phone beeped, and when I opened the message sent from Coven, I exploded.

From: My Coven

Let’s break up.

It was the most stupid way to break off our 5-year relationship, and the worst part is that it isn’t clear to me why he is suddenly breaking up with me and calling me a cheater when I know for myself that I didn’t.

I called an Uber because I don’t think I can drive properly in my state. I called Louella.

“Hey, Z.”

“Lou, can you pick up my car at the MOA?” I tried to hide my sobs, but I failed.

“Yes, sure. Why are you crying? Did something happen?” Louella asked worriedly.

“I’ll tell you later.”

I hung up and went home and immediately got my things. I asked the Uber driver to wait for me. I had a few things so it wasn't hard for me to pack my things. After that, I went back to my Uber and told the driver to drive off to Taguig. When I arrived, I received a text message from Louella that my car was already parked in the parking lot of her apartment building. The driver helped me put down my things, one large bag and one large suitcase. I then said my thanks and gave the payment to the driver.

I arrived at Louella’s condo unit. I rang the doorbell and it immediately opened. Once I saw the face of my best friend, I just shut down. My knees gave out and my tears just kept on flowing down my cheeks. My sobs were becoming louder and louder. My chest tightened even more when I remembered the scene from earlier and how Coven easily accused me of cheating.

“I... I saw him. I saw him holding hands with another woman. Coven... he... he’s cheating on me,” I wailed.

“Oh my gosh!” Lou immediately hugged me and comforted me.

“Lou, it hurts. Everything hurts. I can’t... I don’t want this feeling, Lou.” My voice was weary, and it cracked between my sentences.

I didn’t stop crying. I kept saying the same thing over and over again until I fell asleep. Because of that, I got sick. My temperature went up to 39℃. I have a weak body. I easily get sick, especially when I don’t get enough sleep or I use all my energy and don’t even let myself rest. I barely ate or talked the next day. I just cried and cried until I fell asleep again. Louella didn’t leave my side.

She took care of me, fed me, and gave me medication.

The next day, I was feeling a bit better. I realized that I needed to talk to Coven and discuss whatever had been happening in their relationship. I was looking for my phone when Louella entered the room.

"Good morning, Lou. Have you seen my phone?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

“It’s with me. Why?”

She looked at my best friend and smiled a bit. “I have to talk to Coven. We need to clear up this misunderstanding.”

I didn’t hear a word from Louella. She was just staring at me with teary eyes. My eyebrows creased with confusion.

“What’s wrong? Did he text me again? What did he say?” I asked, but Louella didn’t respond again, so even though I was still weak and my body was still shaking, I got up from the bed and went towards her.

“Give me the phone, Lou. I’ll just talk to Coven.” I extended my arm to get the phone, but Lou stepped backward, stepping away from me with her hands behind her back.

“I know you’re mad at him, but I’m sure these are just misunderstandings. Give me the phone now, Lou.” Lou just shook her head continuously and kept stepping backward.

“Lou, you’re scaring me!”

When Louella was trapped against the wall, I took that as a chance to get my phone. I was excited to call Coven but when I opened my phone, various messages popped into my inbox asking for a copy of a video, telling me I was hot, awesome, and sexy. I was confused and when I looked at my best friend, I was already crying.

“What is this? What video?” I trailed off.

"Z, please..." Louella entreated me.

“Why are you crying, Lou?”

I rummaged through my phone to answer my question since Louella wasn’t responding to me. But my body froze when I saw two video clips posted online by two different users; I was tagged in one of the posts, and it was captioned that it was me in the video.

“Why am I tagged in these video scandals? Why does it say that it was me? This is not me! I would never let myself get filmed. Coven and I didn’t film anything whenever we did that. And I would never have intercourse with another man! What is this, Lou?! What are they saying?!” I trembled. Because of too much panic, I dropped my phone, followed by one of the videos being played. I picked it up and watched the repugnant video.

I was disgusted by what I was seeing. It was so clear that his boyfriend, Coven, was there. Coven’s face is visible in the video where the girl is angled to look like me. I went to the second post and played it. It was another man but the same girl in the video. Just like the first one, it was also angled to make it look like me.

“Who posted those videos?” My voice was stoic.

“The post that has a video of you and Coven was said to be posted by you. If you look at the caption, the post was targeted specifically at Coven, to ruin his name and his reputation, since his face was clear and visible in the video. Coven, on the other hand, posted the video where he said that it was you and another man having s****l intercourse. If you read the caption, he said that you can’t accept that you are already broken up. That's why you posted the video to ruin him. Everyone is siding with him,” Lou elucidates with my weak voice.

“I was actually having second thoughts about whether to tell you, but I decided to because you will eventually find out about it.”

Was this the evidence that Coven was talking about? How dare he ruin my life after cheating on me and bedding another woman while we were in a relationship?