Fredrick Manuel Santiago is a newcomer in a village, as his parents' business is also located there. While he was walking, he saw a gorgeous young woman, and her very innocent face was delightedly observing the beautiful garden.
It is undeniable that the woman he saw came from a wealthy family; he ended up in the town because his father had a business to attend to back then.
The young woman was still there, admiring the beautiful garden. Manuel gazed at the garden, captivated by the woman's beauty. In response, the woman turned her gaze towards him, and their eyes locked.
The woman greeted Manuel with a beautiful smile, not fear. The woman's actions took him aback, causing him to suddenly hold back his tongue out of embarrassment.
Manuel just nodded in response to the lady he saw and immediately left because light and darkness were already clashing, he wasn't too familiar with the path he was on, and he might get lost.
Manuel was immediately impressed by the woman whose name he didn't even know.
Women in the city differ significantly from those in the province. This difference is reflected in his thoughts.
Her beauty captivated him, making it difficult for him to forget.
When we meet, I will ask for his name. He thought to himself.
The weather did not disappoint him, and their paths crossed again; the woman was carrying something, probably coming from the market, and she did not notice him. He decided to follow her.
"Good afternoon." Manuel greeted her.
The woman was surprised by what he did and immediately turned to face him. The surprise was clearly visible in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Good afternoon too." She replied to his greeting.
Manuel swallowed hard because he heard her sweet and gentle voice.
"Do you need something from me?" The woman asked him.
"W—Well, I just want to introduce myself." That was all that came out of his mouth.
The woman weakly smiles and softly laughs.
"Are you a stranger here?" The woman asked him again.
Manuel only replied with a nod.
"Harlene Leah Martinez," The woman introduced herself to him and extended her hand.
Manuel suddenly felt shy, but he fought against it. "Fredrick Manuel Santiago, nice to meet you, Leah." He introduced himself to Leah.
"Nice to meet you too, Fredrick." Leah smiled at him.
"Ah, if you don't know many people here yet, you can come visit me at the mansion where I live." Leah suggested.
The woman who captured his heart with her sweet voice and soft skin left him floating in the clouds. Manuel returned home with a beaming smile.
As Leah told him, she became a tourist guide in the town where she was showing him around. The young woman treated him well, and besides, she became his friend.
"Fredrick," called his father.
"Dad?" he asked, but his dad was busy rummaging through clothes.
"Put on formal attire today; we're visiting my business partner tonight. Be presentable, Manuel." Manuel's father stared at him intently.
He just sighed; he couldn't disobey his father because he was the one providing him with luxuries. When night fell, they hurriedly went to a mansion.
Manuel was surprised because it was familiar to him. He stared at his parents back then.
"Come on." His father's partner greeted them immediately after they entered through the gate. Leah stood nearby and smiled at him.
When they got in, he immediately approached Leah.
"Do you know that we are your father's business partners?" Manuel inquired as he moved closer to Leah.
Leah was still weakly laughing at him and nodded.
Manuel couldn't believe what he had discovered. The Martinez family is one of the wealthy clans, and they became his dad's business partner in growing their business.
"Do you know my child?" Father of Leah just laughed at him while asking a question.
Manuel replied, feeling shy at the same time. Leah's parents warmly welcomed them, and Leah quietly listened to their conversation.
His father secretly tapped him when they got home.
"Good job. You won the hearts of the Martinez family; why don't you court Leah?" his father had asked him back then.
"This is also for you." Whispering, he said to him.
He really fell in love with the young woman, so he courted her. Leah didn't disappoint him back then; they became a couple.
He was only pleased at first; Leah never fell short for him, but he was looking for something else, so often, he would go back to the city, go to the bar, and a young woman would approach him.
This lifestyle differs significantly from that of his girlfriend, who resides in the province. He was setting up a business in the city, and Leah was also busy at that time.
What a liberated woman. Manuel thought to herself while watching the woman dancing in the bar.
Manuel suddenly approached her, pulled her onto the dance floor, and they both got drunk. That's what Manuel was looking for: to be liberated and completely free.
"Are you enjoying my company?" The woman asked him softly.
Manuel smiled back then, indulging in the new pleasures of the world, forgetting that he had a girlfriend who was hoping and praying he would become a decent man.
He also found out that the two were friends and close to each other, but they continued to do wrong.
"Manuel," Leah called out to him.
Startled, still on the cell, he looked at the woman who called his name.
"Are you remembering the past?" Leah even asked him and smiled at him.
The woman in front of him was entirely different now; she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't forget that I loved you, Leah; please, come back." That's all Manuel said.
"Did you miss this woman?" The woman who once captured his heart transformed again.
It returned to its form. "She's gone; it's just me now, Manuel." In a whisper, she said to him.
"Regret always comes too late." He turned his back on her. "Maybe you remember your sins and what you did to me." Leah only chuckled.
He didn't speak. It is true that he hurt the woman in front of him, the woman he married, but he had a different ambition that he always kept hidden in his heart, which was to satisfy his own desires.
Their future child that he killed back then.
I am not the one who killed our child. The baby fell from her womb; I had nothing to do with it. Denial was in his mind, and he just shook his head.
He tormented Leah, the woman who loved him completely; he hurt her repeatedly, and when she still wouldn't waver, he killed her, even while she was still alive.
He noticed that he was having difficulty breathing; he was gasping for breath back then. He stared at Leah, who was just smiling at him.
He stared at Leah until he had no more words to say. He continued to inhale until he ran out of breath.
"H----Help." He whispered.
Until he suddenly lost strength and collapsed.
Leah. Mention it in his mind.