FALLEN PROMISE

CHAPTER 6 “PREGNANCY”

It was a Saturday morning when Carmela was suddenly struck by relentless bouts of vomiting.

“What happened to you? My God, I don’t know what to do. Your father isn’t here yet; he’s still in Manila. He won’t be back until the day after tomorrow!” This was Nanny Ising’s lengthy tirade as she assisted Carmela back to bed.

She had been perfectly fine earlier in the morning. What she couldn’t understand was why, after having breakfast, she suddenly felt like her stomach had turned upside down. And it was all because of the corned beef she had for breakfast.

Carmela quickly deduced the situation. She remembered the day she and Nestor went to the cottage. It had been over months. They had been successfully keeping their rendezvous secret for more than nine months now. She believed Nestor loved her dearly, even though, in reality, they were deceiving Victoria, who considered her a close friend.

In her final thoughts, guilt consumed Carmela. She didn’t choose this. She never even thought about getting into this kind of relationship. But it happened. Because she loved Nestor so much. She loved him so much that she repeatedly gave herself to him without hesitation.

Carmela was lost in her thoughts when she heard consecutive knocks on her door.

“Victoria is looking for you,” Yaya Ising informed her, peeking through the recently opened door.

Carmela quickly got up. “What?” She said in surprise.

Carmela saw Yaya Ising raise her eyebrows. “What should I say? Should I face her?” The old woman asked.

Carmela thought for a moment. After that, she shook her head consecutively. “I’m not feeling well, Yaya Ising. I feel dizzy,” she said truthfully.

Although, that was true. She knew that until she could prove whether her suspicion was correct or not, she couldn’t face Yaya Ising.

Yes, she was doing something wrong. But now was different. If she was pregnant and Nestor was the father, it was only right for him to marry her.

As she thought about it, her stress deepened even more. This time she had to accept that her friendship with Victoria was probably over. And at this point, she needed to prepare herself for the anger she might face from her friend.

“I’m pregnant, Nestor,” Carmela informed Nestor when they met that day.

On that day when she visited by Victoria, she rested for a while. She slept and had lunch. But when she woke up, she immediately went to the hospital to consult with the doctor. That’s when she confirmed her suspicion. She had been pregnant for two months.

She didn’t tell anyone. She didn’t bring Yaya Ising with her because she didn’t accompany her before, so her caregiver didn’t know about her condition.

“Y-You’re pregnant?” Nestor’s tone conveyed his surprise.

Whether the reason for his reaction was positive or negative, Carmela couldn’t say.

She nodded consecutively. While also struggling to hide the excessive insecurity she felt at that moment.

“The doctor said it’s already two months. The truth is, I don’t know what to do. The time will come when my belly will grow bigger, and Papa will know everything. I won’t be able to hide it forever—”

Carmela wasn’t able to finish what she wanted to say because she was abruptly interrupted by what Nestor did next. He suddenly kissed her, a kiss that prevented her from saying anything more.

“Am I going to be a father?” That’s what Carmela heard Nestor say after he released her lips.

Carmela widened her eyes. Their gazes met, and here she saw honesty in his eyes. She couldn’t be wrong about the joy she saw in his eyes. And it touched her heart deeply. That’s why she was so happy.

“Are you happy?” Carmela asked between attempts to hold back her tears.

Nestor tightly hugged Carmela’s face and looked straight into her eyes. “I’m very happy, Carmela. Very happy,” he said without reservation before kissing her again.

At that moment, Carmela continued the deepening kiss. She knew where it was leading to. And she was ready for everything Nestor wanted to do to her now.

She didn’t know how to face all of this. She didn’t want to think that her friendship with Victoria might be ruined.

“I love you so much, Carmela. You are the one I love the most. Forgive me if this is all I can give you. I hope you understand, and I hope you won’t get tired,” Nestor pleaded, maintaining eye contact as he carefully laid her on the bamboo floor of the cottage.

“I love you so much too, Nestor. I can endure anything for you,” she replied.

Nestor smiled at her response. So, when he began to undress her while claiming her lips, Carmela didn’t resist. Like before, she wholeheartedly and entirely gave herself to the man she loved.

This wasn’t their first time being intimate. But with each moment, Nestor made her feel like it was the first time. Every touch of Nestor’s lips on her skin felt like a burning sensation. And in all of that, there was only one reason that Carmela felt. Love. The love Nestor claimed to have for her. The love he made her feel, and the love she also saw in the man’s eyes every time he looked at her.