Amore’s Hidden Identity(English)

Chapter 3

Amore had no choice but to take Liam to her uncle's house. While boarding the boat, they planned how to carry out their impersonation. Of all possible alibis, this was the craziest way to keep her uncle from suspecting anything. They reached the shore and immediately took a tricycle to his house.

After a 10-minute drive, they arrived to find Amore's uncle outside.

"Uncle Gusting—I'm here!"

"Why are you back so soon, Amie? Did something happen in Manila?"

"No, Uncle. I came home to stay for a while as I start building my family. By the way, this is Yam—my husband."

"What? You're married? Why didn't you tell me so I could attend the wedding? What a shame! Come inside, Toto (that’s what he called Liam). He's so handsome—where did you find him? You have good taste, Amie—you're beautiful, and he's handsome. I'm the only one who looks plain here—just an old man now."

"Uncle, I'm not that handsome. You have your own charm too—especially when you were young," Liam said.

"Honey, stop flattering Uncle Gusting—he loves that," Amore said.

Liam was shocked to hear her call him "Honey"—it wasn't part of their plan. They had only agreed that he would use the alias Yam, and she would be Amie (the name she used on the island).

"Ah—yes, dear," Liam managed to say.

"Come in! I'll make dinner for you two. I wish you'd told me you were coming—I would have prepared more. Why didn't you let me know you got married in Manila?"

"Because I was busy with work, Uncle. I wanted to surprise you—isn't it more fun that way?"

"You young folks are always full of surprises!"

She turned to Liam. "Honey, he's talking in Bisaya. Uncle Gusting will try to adjust for you, right?"

"Of course! I'd be happy to learn another language besides English and Tagalog. I'll do my best to understand," Liam assured them. "Don't worry, dear," he added, looking at Amore.

"Dinner's ready! We eat at 6 o'clock sharp here because we wake up early. Most people here make a living by fishing—we set sail early to catch more fish before they swim away. We should go fishing together sometime."

"Really? Can I come? I'd love to learn how."

"Honey, maybe you're not used to it—let Uncle Gusting handle the fishing," Amore said.

"Nonsense, Amie! He should learn so he can help out. I'm getting older and a bit weaker now," Gusting said.

"Fine, have it your way. But Uncle, you have to teach him properly—you're such a great teacher."

"Of course I am! I'm practically the king of fishermen here. Trust me, Toto Yam—ignore your wife, she's just being overprotective. She probably doesn't want her handsome husband getting sunburnt!"

"Uncle, that's enough—let's eat before the food gets cold," Amore said.

"Right! Let's dig in—Arat na, pakal!"

"Uncle, stop using words he won't understand," Amore chided him, then turned to Liam. "Don't mind him—he picks up phrases from everywhere."

"Aba, ignore her! Let's eat," Gusting said with a laugh.

Liam chuckled quietly—he hadn't expected the two to bicker like children.

After eating, Amore cleaned up the dishes while Gusting went outside to catch some fresh air. Once she finished washing up, she joined the old man, who was sitting on a mat facing the sea. The house was so close to the water that they could feel the cool breeze. The air was clean and fresh—no fishy smell, because the island had strict ordinances against littering. Anyone who violated the rules had to pay a fine of 10,000 pesos, so everyone followed them carefully.

"Uncle, your island chairman is doing a great job keeping the place beautiful. No one breaks the rules—it's nice to see no pollution harming the sea life. The fish and coral are still safe."

"Yes, the locals are careful, but illegal fishermen sometimes pass through here. They even use dynamite! We used to confront them, but they carry weapons, so we had to back off. I don't want to put my neighbors—who have wives and children—in danger."

"Hmm. Uncle, let me handle this. I'll patrol the area every day. Those bastards have no right to fish here."

"Wait—what are you thinking? You're here to rest. Why don't you open a small food stall instead? The fishing boats dock here all the time, and the fishermen are always hungry. It would be a good source of income. Don't go picking fights with those illegal fishermen—it's dangerous, and you're a woman."

"Uncle, don't underestimate women! Today, we're stronger, braver, and smarter than ever. Back in Greek and Roman times, women were just expected to stay home and have children, but things are different now—some women are even better than lazy men!"

"You're right about that, but I don't want anything bad to happen to you. You're my only family left—your mother, my twin sister, is gone. I'll go to sleep now. And since Yam is your husband, you two can share your room—there are no spare rooms here. Lock the door carefully when you come in."

"Okay, Uncle. Good night and sweet dreams."

Once Gusting left, Liam spoke up.

"Wow—I couldn't follow most of your conversation with him. Does he know about your real job in Manila?"

"Lower your voice! He has no idea. He thinks I work as a chef—he believes it because I'm good at cooking."

"Why keep it a secret? No secret stays hidden forever."

"I know, but I have to lie so he doesn't worry. And about our act—you need to keep it up so he doesn't find out it's all pretend. He'd be heartbroken if he knew."

"Okay. But what about sharing a room? Are we really going to sleep in the same bed? I don't mind, but I want to make sure you're comfortable."

"Tsk—you'll sleep on the floor. There's a mat so you won't get cold. It's getting chilly out here anyway—let's go inside, honey."

"Ew—where did 'honey' come from? I almost choked when you said that! We agreed to call each other Yam and Am, right?"

"Just get used to it—it's part of the act. Now come on!"

They went inside, and Amore locked the door tightly—she didn't want to risk thieves getting in.

"This is my room. The bed is big because I had it made that way, and the mattress is soft—I bought it myself. The floor is a bit cold and narrow because the bed takes up so much space. Once, some people even had to break the door to get me out of here! So—your choice: share the bed, or sleep on the floor?"

"Tsk—let's put pillows between us as a barrier. The bed looks big enough for three people, so we can split it down the middle. Is that okay?"

"Fine by me—good night, my fake husband! Sweet dreams!" She said, turning her back to him.

This was the first time Amore would share her bed with anyone—let alone a man. They both lay with their backs to each other.

Amore fell asleep quickly, but Liam couldn't seem to rest. He tossed and turned repeatedly—maybe he wasn't used to the new surroundings, or something was weighing on his mind.

At 4 o'clock in the morning, he checked the wall clock and realized he hadn't slept at all. Then Gusting knocked on the door to invite him fishing.

Liam went out looking like a zombie—his dark eye bags were obvious when Gusting saw him.

"Here's some coffee—drink this first, then we'll go. We need to leave early to get a good catch."

"Thank you," Liam said.

"Didn't sleep well? Those eye bags tell me everything. You'll get used to life here soon enough. By the way—how did you meet my niece?"

"Ah... at a restaurant. I saw her while I was eating, started talking to her, then we started dating and eventually got married," Liam said, making up the story on the spot. He felt so nervous he thought he'd spill his coffee.

"Really? You two are so lucky together. Finish your coffee—here are jackets and hats to protect you from the sun. We'll probably be back by noon. I already packed our breakfast."

"All right—I'm done. Let me tell Amie first."

"No need—she knows that if I'm gone early, it means I'm out fishing. Let's go—we have a lot of fish to catch!"

"Okay."

The two set sail while it was still dark, though many people were already awake.

Amore woke up feeling refreshed—she had slept soundly and was full of energy. She left the room and went straight to the kitchen, where rice and leftover dishes were waiting. She reheated everything to warm it up, brewed some coffee, and sat down to eat.

She smiled to herself—this was the life she had always wanted: simple and free.

With time to spare before noon, she decided to go to town to buy supplies. She got several new SIM cards and cell phones—she had lost her old phone while escaping, but luckily there was nothing on it that could lead Regor to her. She also went to the market to buy pork and chicken—she was tired of eating fish—and thought about following her uncle's suggestion to open a small food stall.

She got home early and started cooking lunch: marinated pork and fried chicken. She put the leftover meat in the freezer to use the next day, when she planned to open her little cafeteria.