THE NOMINAL WIFE

CHAPTER 4: Her Sister

August 7, 2017. Monday. It was the the start of the classes of Ivy for that academic year in the Conservatory of Music in Saint Thomas University. A lot of male students had been attracted to her beauty right away. But only a few of them had managed to muster up their courage to pursue her.

In her mind – Well, I do not like these guys who are pursuing me. Anyway, Ate Iryn did not prohibit me from having a boyfriend. I might as well have one when someone I really like pursues me. For now, I should focus on my studies. I really want to be a famous singer/songwriter. I already attended several voice lessons in the past. Now I just have to learn more of musical composition. But I will also not stop myself from enjoy my social life and having a romantic relationship once a guy I like comes along.

It only took one week for Ivy to meet the guy she likes. She was pursued by one of the hottest guys in the campus, Shawn Duque. Shawn is rich, handsome and cool. After a week of courtship, Ivy had immediately agreed to be his girlfriend without Iryn's knowledge. She had kept her relationship with Shawn Duque a secret from her sister.

Shawn once asked Ivy, "Why can we not stay at your home to hang around, honey? Your sister is always at work anyway."

Ivy's answer, "Well, she has this habit of going back at home randomly perhaps just to check on what I am doing. I also believed that there is somehow a hidden security camera in her residence so that she can monitor me even if she is not at home. I have been trying to look for that camera but I just cannot see it."

September 1, 2017. Friday. That afternoon when Shawn and Ivy were dating at the Elysium Mall, they had been seen by Grace without their knowledge.

Grace had even taken a photo of the young lovers and sent it to her through a messaging app with a message – Caught in the act! I think that your sister is having a relationship with the hottest playboy in STU campus, Shawn Duque. it is up to you how to deal wit this.

Iryn responded to her best friend with – Thank you for informing me, girl. I will talk to her later at home.

But it was not only Grace who had seen Ivy with Shawn at the Elysium Mall. Vitto, who was with his fiancée, saw her with Shawn. In his mind – She must be Iryn's younger sister. She exactly looks likes the one on the picture that had been provided for me by my private investigator friend two months ago. They have cunning similarities with their looks but this young girl indeed had this younger and fresher vibe. But you sister is dating the jerk who had paralyzed your best friend, Iryn. Do you even know about their relationship. I bet you do not. It serves you right to be duped by your own sister coz you had rejected me. Your rejection had really made me so angry. I bet you will be as angry as I am once you found out that your sister is dating the very reason why your best friend will not be able to walk for the rest of her life. I did not even know until lately that my cousin Winona turned sister-in-law helped your best friend by providing the best lawyer. But eventually your best friend opted for a huge settlement fee, which enable her to buy a parcel of land where her day care center, preschool and clinic are all located now. My cousin had long been friends with you and your best friend and yet I did not know about it up until two months ago.

Alexa had then asked him, reverting him back to reality, "Who are you looking at, honey?"

He lied, "No one, honey. I just thought I saw someone I knew."

Alexa then noticed her cousin, Shawn with a very pretty young lady, so she told her fiancé, "That is my cousin Shawn if I am not mistaken. And he is with very pretty young lady. I had not seen her before. She might be another college girl from a different state."

He agreed, "Yeah, probably," and then changed the topic of their conversation, "So where do you want us to have dinner, honey."

Then they saw Shawn and his newest girlfriend being approached by another familiar lady, his betrothed Vanessa Ongpauco, Vittorio's female cousin from his Aunt Vera and her husband Uncle Cenon.

They had no other choice but to approach to diffuse the tension.

Vanessa was already pushing Ivy and then telling her, "Don't you know that he is already engaged to be married to me. Our marriage had long been planned by our parents since we both turned 18."

Vitto stopped his cousin, "Please do not speak anymore, Vanessa. A lot of people are looking at us already."

Alexa then told her cousin, "Shawn, you better escort your companion home. You will need a lot of explaining to do with your parents."

But then Ivy spoken up firmly, "I can go home on my own," and then suddenly slapped Shawn on his face, "Better bring your girlfriend home, jerk! Don't you ever approach me again or I swear I will humiliate you even further." And then looked at Vanessa and said, "He is all yours. Anyway, I just used him for s*x. He is not that good. So just good luck on your forthcoming marriage," and then walked out.

Vitto was quite impressed by the personality of Iryn's sister – Your sister is way much fiercer than you, Iryn. She is a very liberal minded and free spirited young lady I might say. I like her. Guess I already have a way to infuriate you, Iryn. You seem to have an uncontrollable sister. She will be a lot more fun to be with.

When Ivy went home that evening, she was immediately confronted by her sister.

Iryn showed to her sister the photo that Grace had sent, "Will you care to explain what is your relationship with this guy?"

Ivy's answered had surprised her very much, "I used to date him but I just ended our relationship this evening. I did not know that he already has a girlfriend."

Iryn told her then calmly, "You still do not know anything about the people here in Palmaine City especially the ones belonging to the upper social class," and then added, "Shawn Duque was the underage young lad who caused Grace to be paraplegic. His parents had just begged Grace for a settlement so Grace agreed with a very hefty amount."

Ivy said, "Why did I not see it on national news?"

Iryn said, "They are rich. Of course, they have the means to silence the media. It happened May last year. He was just a month away from turning 18 and driving the car under the influence of alcohol with his student driver's permit only without any licensed driver with him. He was with his friends and they bumped Grace car just as it was maneuvering from going out of the parking space in front of a restaurant near Saint Thomas University."

Ivy then just casually replied, "Well, I already ended our relationship so you have got nothing to worry about anymore, Ate."

Then she decided to ask Ivy, "Have you slept with him?" She knew that her sister was the liberated type. She already had done the deed with her ex-boyfriend back in the hometown. It was one of the reasons why their parents decided to send Ivy off to be with her."

Ivy's answer was, "My s*x life is none of your business, Ate."

She knew that her sister has a point. Anyway, she was not a minor anymore. Nevertheless, she told her, "Yeah, it is none of my business. You are of legal age already anyway. Just do not get yourself knock up. Use contraception or protection whenever you do it . You have your own dreams. If you suddenly get pregnant because of your carelessness, then you might not be able to reach for your dreams as you planned."

Ivy then changed the topic of their conversation, "Anyway, have you already eaten dinner, Ate. I can cook for you."

Iryn responded, "I already ordered food delivery. It might arrive anytime now. Did you have dinner already?"

Ivy answered, "Yes, I already did. I will rest now."

September 2, 2017. Saturday. That evening, Ivy and her friends decided to to go on a club to party and drink. While on her way out of the restrooms area, she encountered the handsome man who had approached them last night to diffuse the tension among her, Shawn and his betrothed.

The handsome man said, "Ivy Zamora, right?"

She responded, "Yeah. Did that jerk tell me your name?"

The man introduce himself, "I am Vittorio Lauchengco. But just call me Vitto for short. What to go out of here to talk?"

She agreed, "Okay."

They went to the rooftop of the club then where there were a few people talking.

Ivy asked him, "So how did you know my ex and his girlfriend?"

Vitto answered, "Shawn's betrothed is my cousin. Their parents had already pre-arranged their marriage when they both turned 18 last year. They will get married once they already finished their studies. It is like that in most upper class families around the globe. Just for the sake of further enriching one's wealth, marriages for political of business reasons are forged between families."

Ivy then surprisingly asked him, "So, I guess you are also in some kind of an arranged marriage. The famous, Alexa Hofmann, is your fiancée if I am not mistaken."

Vitto confirmed it, "That is true!"

Ivy then asked, "Do you love her?"

Vitto's answer was, "I like her but as for love, I do not think so."

Ivy's next straightforward question had surprised him, "Have you had s*x with her already?"

Vitto answered honestly, "Yeah. The s*x is good even if there is no love involved on my part."

She asked next, "So, when will be your wedding?"

He answered, "Next month."

Her next straightforward question was, "Do you want to do it with me?"

His response was, "What do you think so?"

Ivy pulled him closer by his collar and then whispered softly near his lips, "You will not bring me up her if you do not want it."

Vitto immediately claimed her lips for a sensuous kiss which she had responded to with equal sensuality.

When Vitto ended the kiss, he softly whispered, "Let us go somewhere private."

Ivy agreed by nodding her head excitedly.

Vitto drove them near the beach in a secluded parking area.

Ivy immediately told him, "I like your choice of venue. Shall I go now to the backseat?"

Vitto said, "Not yet," and then he reclined the passenger seat beside the driver seat where he was seated. He did the same with the driver seat then afterwards claimed her mouth again for yet another long and arduous kiss while they both dried to undress each other."

Then after sometime, Ivy was already on top of him, "You are so amazing, Ivy."

Ivy confidently bragged, "I know. That is why guys I had been with cannot easily forget about me. Anyway, this will be the first and only time that I will be doing it with you. So do your best and enjoy my company while it last."

He uttered, "Sure!"

They did enjoy each other's company. They had done it twice, at the driver seat and at the back seat.

As the midnight got near, Ivy told him, "You should better drive me home already. I have a midnight curfew from my old-fashioned sister."

He agreed, "Okay."

So they dressed up.

Afterwards, Vitto handed Ivy his business card. "I just recently took over the helm of Launchengco Media Company. I am aware that you are a conservatory of music student. Do not hesitate to give me a call if you want to have a musical career. I can make it happen for you."

She accepted it, "Thanks," and then said, "So let us get going."

Ivy had not been approached by either Shawn and Vittorio after their last encounter and so she just focused on her studies and avoided entertaining suitors or even dating for the meantime.

October 1, 2017. Sunday. Ivy was already getting more and more anxious for the past few weeks. She had missed her monthly period and up until then she had not bled yet. She used a a female condom when she did it with Shawn and with Vitto. But she was also aware that the female condom had 79 - 95 % effectiveness and so there was still a 5 - 21 % chance for her to get pregnant. So she decided to purchase a pregnancy test kit the previous day. That morning she peed on it and waited for the results to show after a few minutes

As she saw the two lines, she felt devastated – This can't be possible! I am doomed! What will I do now? What about my dreams?! I cannot afford to have a baby! I don't even know who the father is between Shawn and Vitto. I can never get involved in them again. I don't like a complicated life. I should have listen to Ate Iryn and just focused on my studies. But then I used protection so why am I pregnant now? How can I get out of this mess. Papa and Mama will surely be furious. But they must not know. It might affect their health. Shall I tell Ate Iryn about it? Perhaps she might be able to help. But then I have not been a very good sister to her since I came her last June. She has remained very cool despite all my mischievousness. She has been just reprimanding me in a very calm manner and pointing out the possible negative repercussions of my actions. What she had been pointing out time and time again has happened. What about my dreams now? What must I do?

On the other hand, Iryn was wondering why Ivy had not been answering as she knocked at the bathroom.

She said, "Ivy, you have already been there in the bathroom for very long. Are you not feeling well? Open the door. I will use the bathroom. I cannot be late for the morning mass."

But there was still no response from her sister and so she already decided to get the key to the bathroom. As Iryn opened the bathroom door, she saw her sister unconscious by the bath tub with her bleeding wrist outside of the bathtub.

She immediately though of what to do for first aid while dialing the emergency hotline. While she got clean face towels from the bathroom cabinet, she put direct pressure on the towel. As the operator responded, she told her about the emergency situation she had encountered.

After a few minutes, the paramedics came and applied further treatment and prepared to bring her sister to the nearest hospital which was STU Hospital. Iryn immediately changed into fresh and clean clothes without even taking a shower and then drove immediately to the hospital following the ambulance. While driving her car, she contacted Dr. Dy using the Bluetooth ear buds connected to her smartphone.

Her mentor responded, "Yes, Iryn. What can I do for you?"

She answered, "Are you at the hospital right now, Dr. Dy?"

Dr. Dy responded, "Yes, I am at the hospital right now. I am on call this Sunday. I also got scheduled appointments with some children. Why are you asking?"

She divulged, "I am on my way to the hospital as we speak, Dr. Dy. Ivy had cut her wrist and the ambulance is already on the way to STU Hospital. I saw a pregnancy test kit with a positive result in the bathroom. She might be pregnant. That is why she attempted to end her life. I don't know what is going on her mind to do that. I have not been very strict with her. I had just kept on reminding her of the possible consequences of her mischievousness whenever she does one. I am aware that she is sexually active. That is one of the reasons why my parents decided to send her off to me for proper guidance. I have often reminded her that if she cannot abstain from it, then she must always use protection. I think she does use protection so I am not sure why she ended up getting pregnant."

Dr. Dy's response, "You might not be aware but some contraceptives are not 100 % effective in preventing pregnancy. I also think that there is nothing wrong with the way you have dealt with her mischievousness. The more you have become stricter on her then the more she will have rebelled. She is also not a minor anymore. She might still be immature but I am sure that she already know what is right from wrong. But as mental health care practitioners, we must not just always stick to the black and white because there always exist some grey areas in every situation. Since your sister's case is kind of a suicidal case, she will be brought to the psychiatric ward after she has received proper treatment at the ER. Just try to stay calm. You may call Grace if you want. But I suggest that you do not tell your parents about it yet, knowing about their health conditions. You should ask Ivy first what she intends to do regarding the pregnancy. She is in a very delicate condition right now to resort in ending her life."