Callea covered her head with a white lace veil to hide her beautiful face. She was wearing her white Maria Clara –style church dress. The upper garment was a bodice blouse with bell sleeves and her full skirt reached her heels. It was all in white. The dress was owned by her grandmother but she took care of it so it still looked new. It stood like a sore thumb in the midst of churchgoers who were wearing modern outfits. Some looked like they will go to malls or on a date rather than attending mass. And Deive would be horrified if he sees her.
This is the only time that she would leave her room because she wanted to attend church. She'd been sulking for days, trying to heal the wound that renewed. She'd rather attend the mass and listen to God's words rather than mope around.
It was Deive's fault. He was taking over her house. He was taking over her life. He even connived with the people she trusted to betray her. And what did she get in return – a nightmare. People hurled painful words that were not intended for her and harassed her. It just showed that it was a dangerous world out there for her. Of course, it was a case of mistaken identity but it was also a sign that she made the right decision to hide from the world. And things would better stay that way.
Deive would never understand her. And now he was asking about her past. She couldn't trust him to protect her so it would be better to keep the past to herself. She didn't know how to live normally from now on. Yes, she couldn't hide from him forever because they still had a deal. She must talk to him one of these days. They must discuss what to do with their wedding. The rules must be clear. He couldn't force her to do things she didn't want to. She would be cooperative at a point, yes. But she would never give up her individuality.
Marina knocked at the door. "Señorita, are you ready? You might get late for mass."
Callea slightly opened the door and looked if Marina was truly alone. She was a bit paranoid that Deive might be lurking around the corner, waiting to ambush her. "Where is Mang Lito?" she asked. The family of their caretaker joined her during mass to protect her as well.
"Maybe he will come soon. Why don't you just wait at the gate to save time?"
When she made sure that the course was clear, she stepped out of her room. "Won't you join me to church?"
"I will just pray here. People in town don't want to see me. They think I am a scourge of Earth."
That pierced Callea's heart. Marina might be smiling but she knew that people were so easy to judge based on people's looks. There was a time that people forced her out of the church and accused her of being a devil worshipper or a cursed woman who might bring disease in their midst. Did Marina want to be born a hunchback? No. To think that those people go to church but they lack compassion or even basic scientific knowledge. Yes, they could do that with their heads held high as if they were perfect. That kind of people made her sick.
They couldn't touch Callea because of her family's huge donation to the church. But she couldn't force Marina to go to church anymore. She said she was happy to just pray in silence and talk to God in peace. While Callea was used to attending mass to represent the family. And it was one of the conditions that her grandfather required to allow her to stay at the mansion.
Yes, there were a lot of judgmental churchgoers but she paid them no attention. She goes to church to pray. And besides, she had good memories there with her parents. She felt like they were still alive whenever she attends the mass like they religiously did every Sunday. Those were good memories she wanted to relive.
She passed by Deive's room. The door was still closed and there was not a sound inside. Maybe he was still sleeping. According to Marina, she spent watching movies at the entertainment room the whole night. So, she tiptoed so she won't wake him up.
"Won't you ask Señorito Deive to join you to church?" Marina asked.
Callea lifted an eyebrow. "If he wants to attend the mass, he shouldn't have watched the movie all night. He knew that the mass early here. I will go now."
She could focus on the mass if Deive was not around. It would be better for him to sleep. She was still scared. What if he forced her to look beautiful again and parade her to a lot of people? There was so much at stake in their deal. His dreams and her home. She must pray for clarity.
Callea reached the gate of Villa Celesta but she still hasn't seen Mang Lito's jeepney. She wanted to be early to church so she could choose a place while it was not still crowded.
She hugged herself when the cold wind blew. The weather was a bit cold that morning. She couldn't stay standing long outside the house or she would freeze there.
She was startled when someone put a shawl on her shoulder. "It is cold. You shouldn't have left the house without a shawl or a cardigan to warm you up."
"Deive?" she uttered his name and looked up to him in shock. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still sleeping." He was wearing a white polo shirt, jeans that fit him great, and black leather loafers. It was as if he was going somewhere.
He stretched out his arms heavenwards. "I couldn't sleep. I am excited to go to church. Let's go."
Callea gritted her teeth when she realized the full scenario. She was tricked. He connived with Marina again. This was not what she expected. And she was not prepared to see his gorgeousness this early morning.
She removed the shawl from her shoulder and brought it back to him. "No, thanks. Mang Lito's family will bring me to church today. You can go first if you want."
He clucked his tongue. "Mang Lito won't come today. He said he would visit some relatives in Pagsanjan so he asked me to take you to church instead."
"What?!" she exclaimed with bulging eyes.