One Night Stand With My Husband

Silvia Approves

"The prettiest woman is here!"

Pababa pa lang ako ng hagdanan nang makita ako ni Sydney at iyon agad ang sinigaw niya. Nasa lapag siya, naglalaro ng kanyang train toys, habang si Silvia naman ay nagbabasa ng libro sa couch. Napatingin din siya sa akin dahil sa malakas na boses ng kanyang kambal.

“Good morning, my dear babies!” Masigla kong bati sa kanila at hinalikan ang ulo ng dalawa. “Did Nana Liza feed you already?”

“Nope, we were waiting for you, woman,” sagot ni Sydney na parang kumakanta pa.

Napailing na lang ako at dinala sila sa dining room para sabay kaming kumain. Nang makita nilang pancakes ang niluto ng kasambahay, nagningning agad ang mga mata nila.

“Sydney, slow down!”

Napatingin ako kay Silvia nang tampalin niya ang kamay ng kambal niya dahil mabilis itong kumakain, parang uubusan. Inirapan lang ni Sydney ang kapatid at tuloy-tuloy lang sa pagkain.

“Silvia, dear, hayaan mo na lang siya,” sabi ko nang mahina.

Tiningnan ako ni Silvia, bahagyang nakakunot ang noo, bago siya ngumuso at nagpatuloy na lang sa pagkain.

I made sure that Silvia and Sydney would be the last connection I have with Jordan.

Galit ako, oo, pero mas pinili ko pa rin ang magkaroon ng peace of mind kaysa mag-isip ng paraan para makaganti sa mga ginawa nilang kasalanan sa akin.

The last thing I heard from Jordan was when he married Nicole, and since then, hindi na ako nakibalita sa kanila dahil ayoko na.

For the past years, ginugol ko ang oras ko sa pag-aalaga ng mga anak ko at sa pagpapalago ng aking negosyo, na ngayon ay masasabi kong successful na rin ito, at kahit papaano, proud ako sa mga na-achieve ko on my own. Pero kahit ganoon, hindi pa rin nawawala yung kirot sa puso ko tuwing naiisip ko ang lahat ng nangyari. I thought na after all these years, masasanay na ako sa sakit, but it still lingers, lalo na kapag nakikita ko si Silvia at Sydney. They remind me so much of him, kahit hindi ko man gustuhin.

"Mommy, can we go to swimming later?" tanong ni Sydney habang inaayos niya ang kanyang laruan.

I smiled at him, trying to push away the heaviness in my chest. "Of course, sweetie. After lunch, we can go. How about you, Silvia, would you like to join us?"

Silvia looked up from her plate and shrugged. "Okay, mommy."

I took a deep breath, reminding myself that this—my children and my peace—are the only things that matter now. Whatever happened between me and Jordan is in the past, and kahit gaano pa kasakit ang lahat, I’ve moved on for the sake of my kids. They are my priority now, and they deserve a better version of me, not someone trapped in the bitterness of the past.

Matapos naming kumain ng almusal, nagdesisyon kaming tatlo na mag-swimming. Masigla sina Silvia at Sydney habang nagtatakbuhan patungo sa swimming pool. I smiled to myself, feeling grateful for moments like this—just me and my kids enjoying life.

Pagdating sa pool, nag-uunahan silang dalawa na makatalon, at ako naman ay nakangiting pinagmamasdan sila. Lumusong na rin ako sa tubig, at walang patid ang tawanan at harutan ng kambal habang naglalaro kami.

After a while, narinig kong bumukas ang gate, at paglingon ko, nakita ko si Sylvester na may bitbit na malaking kahon ng pizza. Napatingin agad sina Silvia at Sydney, sabay sigaw ng, "Pizzaaaa!"

Lumapit si Sylvester, ngumiti, at binati kami, "Guess what I brought? Your favorite pizza!"

Tumakbo agad ang kambal papunta sa kanya, basang-basa pa galing sa pool. Hindi na nila alintana ang basa nilang mga damit, sabik na sabik na makuha ang pizza. Napailing na lang ako, "You spoil them too much, Sylvester."

He chuckled. "What can I say? I love making them happy."

Hinanda namin ang pizza sa gilid ng pool, and the kids couldn't wait to dig in. It was another beautiful day spent with my kids, and… Sylvester.

Habang naka-roba ako at nakaupo sa sun lounger, tahimik akong nakatingin sa kambal na masayang naglalaro sa pool. Si Sylvester naman ay nasa katabi kong sun lounger, parehong nakasandal at tila nag-eenjoy din sa tanawin.

Matapos ang ilang sandali ng katahimikan, he broke it. "You know, I heard some interesting news about... him."

Agad akong napatingin sa kanya, kahit na hindi niya binanggit ang pangalan, alam kong si Jordan ang tinutukoy niya. "Oh?" maiksi kong sagot, sinusubukang itago ang nararamdaman.

"He’s still doing well in his business, of course, but..." Sylvester paused, looking at the kids before continuing. "Word is, things aren't as perfect in his personal life as everyone thinks."

I stayed quiet, swallowing the sudden lump in my throat. Ayaw kong marinig, pero alam kong hindi ko mapipigilan si Sylvester. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice steady despite the tension I felt.

He glanced at me briefly before speaking again, "Nicole isn’t as happy as she pretends to be. People close to them say there are cracks in their marriage. I just thought... you’d like to know. Not that it changes anything."

I nodded, turning my gaze back to Silvia and Sydney. "It doesn't," I replied, although deep inside, the news stirred something in me. "They made their choices. I’ve made mine."

Sylvester sighed, leaning back. "So, when do we start? You know... the plan." His voice dropped slightly, filled with intent.

I stared at the water, thinking about the years that had passed. All the pain, the betrayal, and the heartbreak. But now, with my kids, with the peace I’ve tried so hard to build, the idea of revenge felt... different.

I still remember the night I met Sylvester. It was at a fashion gala—one of those grand, high-profile events where the elite gathered to flaunt their wealth, connections, and influence. I wasn’t there to make a scene, just to quietly observe and maybe make a few business deals under the radar. At that point, no one knew I was the owner of SySi, the fashion brand everyone was curious about. I preferred it that way—anonymous, detached, invisible.

But as fate would have it, the night didn’t go as planned.

Nalasing ako at na-confess ko sa kanya na ako ang babaeng nasa likod ng tagumpay ng SySi Company, and he threatened me na kung hindi ko siya gagawing business partner ko, isasabi niya ang sekreto ko sa iba. Kaya wala akong nagawa kundi pagbigyan siya.

At first, I thought Sylvester was the typical businessman—manipulative, selfish, and an arrogant bastard. Pero malayong-malayo siya sa taong iniisip ko na siya. Sylvester is actually a nice, kind, and happy-go-lucky man.

Naging higit pa kami sa pagiging business partner; we became close friends—or at least, that's what I thought…

"Come on, let's join them," sabi ni Sylvester habang nakatingin sa kambal na masayang naglalaro sa pool.

Nag-alangan ako saglit, pero naalala ko na may spare clothes naman si Sylvester sa bahay. "Alright," I finally agreed, standing up from the sun lounger.

Pareho kaming naglakad papunta sa gilid ng pool. Habang nag-aalis si Sylvester ng kanyang polo, natatawa pa akong napailing. “You always keep clothes here, huh?”

He chuckled, “Of course. Never know when I’ll need them.”

I quickly slipped off my robe, revealing my swimsuit underneath, and without hesitation, I jumped into the pool, hearing the excited squeals of the twins as they swam towards me.

Sylvester followed shortly after, diving in with a big splash, sending water everywhere. Tumawa na lang kaming lahat habang kami’y nagsisimulang mag-enjoy sa tubig.

That evening, Sylvester took over the kitchen, preparing the twins' favorite pasta dish. I stood by the kitchen island with Silvia and Sydney, watching as Sylvester worked his magic. The kids' faces were lit up with excitement, especially Sydney, who couldn’t stop cheering Sylvester on.

“Go, Daddy! You’re the best cook ever!” Sydney yelled, jumping up and down as if Sylvester was performing some grand show.

Sylvia, on the other hand, was much quieter. She leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder, her little hand clutching mine. After a few moments of silence, she looked up and whispered, “Can we just make him our real daddy, mymy? I like him…”

Sumikip ang dibdib ko sa sinabi ni Silvia. Simula pa lang, naging totoo ako sa kambal tungkol sa kanilang ama. Hindi ko itinago ang katotohanan dahil alam ko ang sakit na dulot ng mga sekreto.

"How can you say that, baby?" tanong ko nang mahina, sinusubukang kontrolin ang emosyon ko.

Bumalik ang tingin ni Silvia sa akin, ang mga inosenteng mata niya puno ng kasiguraduhan, bago muling ibinalik ang tingin kay Sylvester, na kasalukuyang tinutukso at kinikiliti si Sydney habang hinihintay lumamig ang pasta.

"He makes Sydney happy... and he makes you happy," sabi niya, ang boses niya steady at puno ng tiwala.

Tumingin ako kay Sylvester, pinagmamasdan kung paano niya napapasaya ang maliit naming mundo, at sa loob ng ilang sandali, hindi ako makapagsalita. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin. Nakatingin lang ako sa aking anak na babae na seryoso.

Silvia has always been more mature than Sydney. Minsan lang siya magsalita, kaya bawat salitang binibitawan niya ay talagang tumatatak sa isipan ko.

I cleared my throat, ayoko man tanungin ito, pero kailangan…

“What about your real daddy…”

Agad niya akong nilingon dahil sa sinabi ko. There was a little pause before she answered me. Alam kong pinag-iisipan niya muna talaga ang sasabihin bago ito ilabas sa kanyang bibig.

“No, I like Daddy Sylvester more than him. I saw you last night, you were crying while holding a picture, and because of that, I hate him.”

Bago pa man ako makapagsalita, biglang naputol ang titigan namin ni Silvia nang biglang sumigaw si Sydney dahil sa tuwa.

"This tastes good, Daddy! I really love you!"

"See that, mymy? We like him more than our real Daddy," dagdag ni Silvia habang tahimik na nakatingin kay Sylvester.

Napalunok ako.