Chapter 205 - The Islet Mystery 21

"Drink this," Ryan picked up the coffee mug and held it out to Shiela's lips. He realized he got lost in his thoughts, and the memories took him out of control.

Shiela froze, and she frowned at him. What has gotten into his mind? Why would he let her drink the steaming fluid? This was something odd about him like he was out of his mind. She looked around him and saw that the rest of them were also watching Ryan's strange behavior. 

Ajie then stood up and sat beside him. He tapped his shoulder and enclosed him with a manly hug.

"Let it out, my friend. Crying doesn't make men a coward."

Hearing this, Ryan put down the cup and threw his arms around Shiela's neck. In the next moment, he was already sniffing in his tears. His sniffing then became a sob, and Shiela's heart sank with him. For who knew how long, he finally stopped, and his cries faded out slowly.

"It's not true that I disappeared. I told my parents about us, and you could not imagine how mad they were. They exiled me somewhere in the USA. They made it sure I'll remember the pact my father and Jullien's father made when they were younger. I am for her, and she is for me. But we both hate that. We do not love each other beyond mere friendship."

"They let us attend the same university and bought a house for both of us. They let us drink a supplement that I found later as a sexual enhancer. Their purpose was clear; they wanted us to engage in intense sexual activities so that we will only be desiring for each other. Our parents know that we were both in love with someone else."

Shiela's heart broke at the thought of him doing the deed with Jullien. Ryan defined it as intense, and she knew where their parents got it. One of the side effects of Chara blooms was an increase in sexual libido. The people who got addicted to Myrtle Shade discovered it themselves, and in just a few months, the total sales of the company skyrocketed.

"Jullien and I decided to trick our parents. We may be living under the same roof, but Jullien lived in a separate room with his boyfriend, whom we introduced as our mutual, bisexual friend. Lately, after a certain project has almost come to an end, our parents decided to set the wedding."

"Jullien finally conceded. She broke up with Andy and decided to fly here with me on this island so she can set her mind ahead that in a few months, I'll become her husband."

Shiela felt she had no tears to shed anymore. This piece of information shattered her heart beyond repair. If Ryan was afraid of his parents, then she had no reason not to feel the same. Ryan's fear would be hers if she would go against his parents' will. The news was real after all, and a few months from now, Ryan and Jullien would be officially married.

"Shiela, my parents are hardened criminals. They won't hesitate to kill Jullien and me if they know about our tricks. I may not be able to get away from this wedding. They have their eyes and ears in all parts of the world," Ryan then proceeded to tell them about what happened after his confession.

_____

"Ryan, is this what you are boasting that your girl is not after our money? Look!" Mr. Te approached him like a roaring lion, ready to devour him into pieces. He slapped an invoice in his face, followed by a white envelope.

Ryan picked up the piece of paper, and there he saw Shiela's signature affixed in it, signifying that she accepted the one million pesos as payment for her decision to stay away from him. He also opened an ultrasound result showing the film and reading of a fetal demise. Shiela had aborted their child, and the glitters of gold, which only cost a few thousand, lured her into killing his child.

He was still young, but he took by heart the advice of his caregivers who raised and cared for him like they were his birth parents. They were a couple who worked for them ever since he was at the age where he could already retain his memories. 

"Ryan, dear, women are sacred gifts from God. Be careful in choosing someone whom you want to be with throughout your whole lifetime. Be a one-woman man. Do not make promises which you can't keep. Fight for the woman that will make you happy."

"A single tear you cause a woman to shed will rob you of a lifetime peace and happiness. If ever you will fall into sinning which youngsters cannot usually resist, be responsible. Your child will be the life within you, and abandoning them will cause you a lifetime curse. If you are not afraid of them, there's no place in this world where you can hide from God."

Before he left the country, his parents allowed him to see them. He remembered how he cried hard as he told them about her parents' decision.

"Son, this is not your decision. I pray that the Almighty will make ways for both of you. Don't lose hope."

"Nay, Tay, who knows someday, you will come across with her. Please tell her that I love her. Please tell her that I do not intend to abandon her."

"We will, son. That's a promise."

"By the way, her name is Shiela Ferrer." 

Ryan left the place with a heavy heart. Though their hideout was somewhere in the middle of the sea, a place hidden by a cove during low tide, for him, it was still a paradise. Though they were far away from the comforts and leisures of the city, he always loved to come back here. He always yearned for the pure love his nannies provided and the simplicity of their lifestyle.

After a year, his parents informed him that a great earthquake destroyed their haven in the middle of the sea. The rocky cove collapsed and blocked the entrance to their beach house, burying their whole property, including their nannies.

In honor of them, he bought Chara Island. The location was also favorable for his monitoring of their Chara blooms plantation.