His Punishment

by Pia Marie

He heard the General laugh at his candidness and felt him tap his shoulder solidly.

  “I knew it.” He laughed again. “You don’t have to marry my daughter James. You don’t marry out of obligation. This may seem awkward coming from a military man who doesn’t have a wife, but you, young man, must marry out of love because you will be stuck with her for the rest of your life.” He sounded like a father to him.

  “That is what I intend to do sir.” He said happily thinking about Tara.

  “And you Patrick, I will never ask you to marry my daughter if you don’t love each other.” Immediate relief was seen from the Colonel as Rhea’s father faced him.

  “Now, if you excuse me, I have a daughter to attend to.” He shook James’ hands and turned away down the hall to Rhea’s room.

  “I’m sorry,” he heard the Colonel spoke to him. “I know it was out of line, but . . .”

  “Save it! I have respect for you since you are one of the military guys who fight for our country and all but I tell you to get the hell out of my way and never show your fucking face in front of me again. You asshole almost got me married to that girl I now despise so much!” he clenched his fist trying to control himself from hitting the guy in front of him.

  “I’m really sorry.” He bowed his head in shame.

  “Sorry your stupid guts for standing up too late. My girlfriend almost had a miscarriage because of all this mess! You thank the heavens she didn’t lose my baby or I will come after you even if you hide in hell.” James angrily said in between his teeth.

  He started walking away and dialed his mobile phone.

  “Dad!” James was so happy to call his father who is still in Singapore.

  “Yes son? You seem so happy.” His father greeted him as cheerfully.

  “You bet I am.” His voice almost singing.

  “What is it about?” his dad asked eagerly.

  “Can’t you take a surprise?” he joked at his own dad.

  He just heard his father laugh.

  “When are you coming back?” he asked excitedly.

  “Tomorrow morning. Why? What’s up?” He replied and tried to urge him to speak.

  “Okay. I will see you tomorrow.” He said not bothering to answer the questions thrown at him. “Can you and mom head straight to Subic Intercontinental and please bring Mr. and Mrs. Salvador with you, okay?”

  “Wow. This looks like wonderful news.” His dad was referring to the business venture. Very little did he know that it was about his son’s future.

  “Yes! Definitely! I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch. Take care.” He said before hanging up when his dad said goodbye.

  Before he called his dad, he talked to the nurses to ask if the doctor gave a discharge slip for Tara already and he was in bliss when they said she was okay to go the following morning.

  He went back to Tara’s room and heard she was talking to Miguel.

  “I’m back!” he said as he went straight to gather Tara from the bed and kissed her lips hungrily not even thinking Miguel was there.

  “Okay! What was that?” Tara asked as their lips finally parted. She was blushing knowing that someone saw their greedy lip-locking moment.

  “I talked to General Bernardo.” He said happily.

  “And?” she was so eager to hear the rest of the story. She looked at him checking if he still got all his body parts intact.

  “I’m okay. He’s not that bad after all. But he’s really scary!” he said not joking.

  “Well? What happened?” she asked him again.

  “Colonel De Silva is also Dr. Tan who signed the paternity test.” He smiled widely.

  “What do you mean?” Miguel asked.

  “Everything was a lie. There was really no Dr. Tan, Colonel De Silva portrayed as a doctor to fake the results. Connections . . . damn connections.” He was so irritated at how that colonel used his power to twist the truth.

  “So, you mean?” Tara asked waiting for a positive answer from him.

  “I am not the father of the baby.” He exhaled deeply heaving a sigh of relief after what seemed to burden him for years.

  “Who is?” Miguel and Tara asked in unison.

  “The colonel and the fake doctor himself.” He exclaimed.

  He heard the two gasp in shock.

  “Oh God!” she pulled James towards her and hugged him tight.

  “What did the general say?” Miguel asked.

  “He told me to marry the woman I love and I told him I surely would.” He bent down to kiss her again but she hesitated and looked over at Miguel.

  “Uhm . . . There’s still one thing you should know.” He started talking.

  Tara and James sat straight and looked at him with frowning foreheads. They were hesitant to hear that there might still be something more to be uncovered.

  “I was once Rhea’s sex partner.” Miguel spoke.

  It was James’ turn to gasp. Tara didn’t let out a single sound but her jaw dropped open at his confession.

  “When she knew that I was hired by your company,” he looked at Tara. “She offered me a job to break the two of you apart.”

  James instinctively punched his face.

  “James!” Tara shouted. “Let him finish.”

  Miguel stood up as he fell from James’ fist pummeling his jaw. It wasn’t as strong but he was caught off guard that he got off balanced. James backed off after hearing Tara’s voice and stood still beside her. But he was ready to give Miguel another hit if he won’t like what he would say.

  “I agreed. Then I backed out a little. She offered to pay my sister a huge amount of money if ever I will agree.” He looked at the two of them while still holding his jaw that James hit.

  The two were not talking and Tara was holding on to James’ hand as if trying to control him from throwing another blow at Miguel.

  “I accepted because being the player that I was, there was nothing to lose. When I laid my eyes on you at Boracay, it all became perfect for me. A hot chick and I am being paid for the job. I am definitely enjoying myself. I called my sister to ask Rhea when she is paying me.” She looked at Tara. “Then my sister called Rhea and found out you are having the paternity test result that day.”

  “How could you?” Tara asked him unable to believe the words he was saying.

  “I know you will hate me for this, but I have to tell you because the guilt is killing me. I fell in love with you when we came to Manila. I know you had been special to me since we were at the beach, but I just shrugged it off. I was a player and didn’t know how loving someone feels like. It was all very new to me. Perhaps I loved you even earlier than I realized, but I was just stupid to recognize the feeling because it came to me for the first time.”

  Tara was starting to cry.

  “Please forgive me, I really fell in love with you and even before, all the care I have shown was genuine.”

  “Genuine? You call that genuine? How much did Rhea pay you for this?” James was really furious.

  “I don’t know. It’s with my sister. I will return it.” It was for the first time that Miguel felt himself so low and he knew there was no one to blame but himself.

  “Spend it! Spend every single centavo of it. That’s just how much you’re worth!” James yelled at him.

  “I’m really sorry. I wish you the best for your future.” He lowered his head and slowly went to the door.

  “Miguel,” Tara called to him.

  He looked back and saw James scowling at him.

  “I expect your resignation papers with the HR first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Chapter 19

  The following morning, Tara was discharged from the hospital. They were chauffeured by the hotel’s limousine service.

  When they arrived, they were greeted by the hotel staff who were happy to see her back on her feet and looking extremely happy as he held her by the waist while walking. They were all greeting both of them with grins that reach their ears. Tara and James reciprocated with eyes th
at beamed of love and happiness.

  They walked to the elevator and he looked at her. He saw how bright her aura was that morning. It was very different from the girl he had been seeing the past few days. He felt so pleased to see her like this again, just as they were in Boracay.

  He held her hand and intertwined it in his before he kissed the back of her palms.

  “I love you wifey.” He looked at her after his lips touched her hand.

  She smiled back so sweetly and kissed his lips lightly.

  “I love you as much.” She didn’t hesitate to profess her love for him though there were people waiting with them for the elevator.

  “I would have never guessed that we will be this happy again.” He spoke softly enough for only the two of them to hear then hugged her so tight.

  “Me too, I thought I’d be raising our little one all by myself.” She hugged him back.

  “You know, I still can’t believe that you kept that from me. Didn’t you think that I would find out sooner or later?” he asked in disbelief.

  “I wasn’t thinking about that. All that was important to me was that you are safe.” She knows she told him about this already, she knew even how many times she repeated it and the fear that once washed over her before would never be gone. She loved this guy more than herself. She was very willing to sacrifice her own happiness for his well-being.

  “Awwww wifey.” His smile seems to reflect the happiness in his heart, as if hearing her words for the first time.

  “I don’t know what I would do if something bad happened to you.” He felt her fear is still in her voice.

  “I will never be gone. I will always be here. I will cherish you ‘til my last breath.” He tried to comfort her with his loving words. “Besides, it turns out General is a noble man.”

  They heard the elevator ring and open in front of them. They went in with a couple more passengers and they remained silent until they reached their floor.

  James led the way for Tara when they went out of the tenth floor. He held her hand tightly as they walked slowly before stopping in front of their rooms.

  He opened the door to his room and she just stood there as if asking if he got her room key too. But he pulled her carefully to enter his room.

  “What?” he asked when he saw that she was a bit uncertain.

  She kept still and unsure as she glimpsed inside the open door.

  “You’re staying in my room from now on. Let’s have the housekeeping transfer all of your things to my room and let them clean it so it would be vacant for other guests.” He slid his arm on her shoulder to urge her to come inside.

  She still didn’t want to move and stood frozen.

  “Don’t you want to stay with me?” he sounded hurt.

  “I do. But . . .” she didn’t know how to tell him. “But not in your room. Can we stay in my room instead?”

  He suddenly smiled and glanced back at his room. He saw Rhea’s red suitcase in the middle then looked at her. Now he knows why.

  “Anywhere with you.” He locked the door again and opened the door in front of his room.

  Tara didn’t have to be dragged in, she went inside and sat at the divan near the window and looked at James who closed the door behind him as he entered. He walked to where she was and sat behind her taking her to lean back on his chest and hugged her.

  They didn’t speak and stood like that for almost an hour when he felt her head drop on his arm. He peeked at her face and saw that she was asleep.

  Standing up carefully, not letting her go, he scooped her up in his arms and laid her down on the bed. He covered half of her body with the blanket and stared at her. He was ecstatic. She looked so beautiful even while sleeping. Her face radiated happiness and contentment and he couldn’t help himself from lowering his head down and kissing her lips softly.

  He stood up and looked at his watch, it was ten in the morning. Good thing they were discharged early at the hospital. He had enough time.

  The notepad and the pen are beside her bed and he scribbled a note for her in case she wakes up and doesn’t find him there. He grabbed his mobile phone and silently left the room.

  “James? Where are you?” she called him when she woke up and found his note.

  “Oh, you’re awake. I’m just here at the lobby. Will you have lunch with me?” he asked happily.

  “Of course. Where will I meet you?” she replied as cheerily as he sounded.

  “Just come down. You’ll find me.” He laughed and hung up on her.

  She looked at her phone taken aback. But stood up from her bed and changed into a more comfortable dress. She wore her purple sleeveless maxi dress. She was in no mood for make-up and she didn’t mind. She was so relaxed with James that it didn’t bother her how she looked.

  After a couple more minutes, she went to ride the elevator and pushed the ground button.

  The look of the only guy standing in front of her was mesmerizing. He wasn’t able to sleep last night for guarding her at the hospital. It was evident from the grayish circle under his eyes. But his eyes itself, they didn’t speak of exhaustion. It glows with ecstasy and it matched his wide smile that makes her heart increase its beat.

  “I thought angels come from the sky, not from the tenth floor.” He said as he stretched his arm to take her hands.

  She blushed at what he said. “Oh James, didn’t know you got yourself packed with those mushy pick-up lines.” She chuckled.

  “That is not a pick up line!” he said defensively. “That is the most honest remark I have made for you. You truly look like a pure angelic soul especially without make up.”

  “Thank you.” She blushed once again.

  “Can you give me a minute?” he asked when he reached for his phone.

  She nodded and he dialed. He walked a couple steps as if not wanting her to hear his conversation. She was looking at him but stood at where he left her. He kept glancing back at her.

  Tara looked at the cathedral windows in the lobby and saw some leaves falling down. She stared at it as she saw there were more falling down. Then she felt James’ hands on her elbow.

  “Let’s go.” He asked smiling.

  “Okay. Where are we eating?” she asked turning her back from the window.

  “Poolside.” He led her as they walked through the tall French doors that lead to their lunch.

  Once she stepped outside, she saw the ground had little yellow petals of all sorts of flowers. He looked at James and he smiled at her. More petals were falling down on them as they continued walking. She glanced up and saw their company owned helicopter dropping the petals over them. She looked at James again who still kept leading her to the poolside.

  She wanted to stop him and ask what all this is about but she sensed he didn’t want to answer any of her questions and he seemed excited to reach their table. She looked at where they were headed and she saw both of their parents standing near the table at the poolside looking at them walking like fairy tale characters on a dreamy trail now almost covered with yellow petals.

  Her parents enveloped her in an embrace when they finally reached their table and she felt the helicopter left as the wind was no longer as strong as it was when they went out of the hotel. None of them talked, they just hugged her tight.

  “Tara,” he heard James’ voice and turned around after letting go of her parents’ embrace.

  She was shocked when she saw him kneeling down in front of her with pleading eyes and striking smile.

  “With both our parents’ permission and blessing, will you share forever with me?” he asked as he took her hand with one of his.

  She was too stunned to reply. It was like a daydream.

  “Please, take me as your legal hubby.” He kissed the back of her hand.

  She looked at her parents then his and she felt some tears trickling down her cheeks. This was exactly what she wanted him to realize a few years back. And she is in heaven now that her dream is about to come true.

&
nbsp; He looked at her still kneeling. He didn’t realize how stubborn he had been that the woman he wanted for the rest of his life has been stalking him all along. He was so confident that his life would be perfect after she agrees to marry him.

  “Yes!” she finally exclaimed and bent down to cup his face and kissed him.

  He stood up and reached for the table. She was excited. She knew it would be her engagement ring. She was so delighted at what is happening and she can’t hide her excitement to see her ring.

  She handed him a big box the size of a bond paper and it was about two inches thick.

  She got more thrilled. She loved jewelry and she knew even without seeing what’s inside the box, that it will be her favorite set but her jaw dropped when she opened the box. She closed it immediately wishing that none of their parents saw what he gave her.

  She hugged him instead and whispered to his ears. “You. You’re such a wicked man.”

  “Sorry I didn’t get the chance to get you a ring yet.” He whispered back. ”But I promise I will as soon as we are back in Manila. In the mean time, please wear that tonight.” He grinned at her before kissing her cheeks.

  Tara’s cheeks were flushed at his words and the picture of the Victoria’s Secret sexy red lingerie inside his “engagement present”.

  “Oh my gosh. My baby is getting married.” Tara’s mother interrupted her blushing as she hugged her once again.

  “You better take care of our princess, James!” her father said.

  “I will do sir. I will make sure her smile won’t leave her face forever.” James said sweetly as he glanced at his own father whom he can see is confused as he knows Rhea’s situation.

  “It’s not my child.” He whispered to his dad and saw his father’s eyes glitter in delight and hugged him tight to show him how happy he felt that his son is free from the terrible obligation.

  “Is Tara the lady you told me that you loved?” he whispered at James’ ears. “The one you were sulking about when Rhea told you about the test?”

  “Yes. The one and only.” He admitted as he smiled at his dad.

  “Come here, you pretty one.” His mother hugged Tara. “I am so happy I will have a lovely daughter in law like you.” She kept looking at her as if she won the jackpot or something.