It was getting dark when they reached Gideon's house. She immediately got out of the car and took big steps towards the gate. Jewel rang the doorbell and looked up at the glowing house. It was too quiet. Was there someone inside? If there's none, why almost all lights were turned on?
She breathed a sigh of relief when the main door opened. Tang came out and when he saw her, he quickened his steps towards her.
"Maam Laine! Who's with you? Are you alone when you came here?" he asked as he opened the gate.
"I have a driver with me, Mang Tang. He's in the car. Has Gideon arrived?"
The old man shook his head and gestured for her to follow. Jewel immediately complied. Tang answered, "Sir Manasseh is in Oslob, Maam."
"But he told me that he'll be home tonight."
"Is that so? Maybe he's still traveling, Maam. Oslob is too far from Medellin."
She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her wristwatch. She still had time to wait for him. "Then I'll take my seed project first, Mang Tang. Where is it?"
"Ah..." Tang nodded his head, realizing her reason for the visit and pointed a finher upstairs. "It's in the teresa, Ma'am."
Jewel raised a brow. "Oh? Did you take care of it, Mang Tang?"
Tang shook his head and smiled. "Sir Manasseh took care of it. He watered it every day, and I noticed that he likes to be alone in the teresa with it. It's quite confusing since he doesn't like to stay in the teresa."
"I see." She sat down on the sofa. "I'll just wait for him here." And maybe just snatch her seed when she's about to go back later.
Tang turned on the television and switched the channel to HBO. "I'll just make you some juice, Maam Laine."
"Okay. Thank you."
Tang smiled before going to the kitchen. Jewel leaned back on the sofa and watched a movie. Since then, she was engrossed in what she was watching when her phone rang. She grabbed it and answered the call. Tang approached her right at that moment and placed the juice on the center table for her to consume.
"Hello," she greeted.
"Maam, let me just remind you that your curfew is coming up."Jewel heard the driver's voice.
Her forehead furrowed and she looked down at her wristwatch once again. It's past six-fifteen in the evening. Her eyes widened. "Y-yeah. Thanks for reminding me."
"Okay, Maam." And the call ended.
Jewel bit her lip and almost lost her temper. When she saw the mango juice she took it and drank it straight away. "Slow down, Maam," Tang, who was standing nearby, reminded her.
She dropped the empty glass back on the table. "Still Gideon's not here, Mang Tang?"
The old man nodded his head. She took a deep breath and quickly searched for Gideon's name in the contacts. The call rang for three times before someone answered it. She clenched her fist and stood up. "Where are you? I've been waiting for you at your house for a while!"
She heard Gideon's chuckle that made the corner of her mouth twitch. What the heck. Was he laughing at her? Gideon cleared his throat. "Turn around, wife."
Jewel obeyed and saw Gideon at the doorway. The phone was pressed against his ear and he was staring right at her. Her husband smiled when their gazes met. "Did I make you wait for too long?" he asked.
She ended the call and put down the phone. "I have my curfew. And I only got 15 minutes to spare. Why are you so slow?" she grumbled and huffed.
Gideon froze for a moment. "I got stuck in a heavy traffic." He walked over to her, and passed by her seat and sat on the sofa opposite her.
Jewel folded her arms. "I wouldn't freak out like this if I didn't." She glared at Gideon who just smiled upon sitting on the opposite sofa, exhausted from the long trip.
She suddenly felt sorry for her husband. She knew Oslob was too far from Medellin. Gideon surely sat on the driver's seat for a few hours and couldn't even stop over.
"What brought you here, Jewel?" Gideon asked. He leaned back and folded his arms, staring at her.
She blinked and her cheeks went red. Jewel averted her gaze because she couldn't meet his deep gaze. "Gonna take the p-pot."
Gideon nodded and called Tang. "Get the pot on teresa, Tang."
"All right, sir."
Gideon turned to her again. "I didn't tell Tang to prepare dinner for you. I'll prepare you a dinner next time you'll visit."
Jewel sighed. "It's okay. I won't stay longer than necessary either. But..." She stole a glance at him. "I want to ask you."
"Speak."
She snorted and frowned. "I want to know what happened during that week. And why did you... resign?" Jewel kept her gaze on the ornamental plant in the corner of the living room.
She heard him sigh. "Your parents haven't told you?"
"We're not close, I mean... I'm not close to them. So, I didn't ask. They didn't open up either so Papa and Mama didn't tell me anything."
Gideon thought for a moment before speaking. "You were unconscious for six days. Jewel, you shouldn't let stress eat you up."
"You always remind me of that thing."
"It's because when you're stressed, Jewel, there is a high chance of panic attack. You were once diagnosed with hyperventilation syndrome that's why your parents don't want you to work hard in the field."
"And...?"
Gideon sat straight. "That is one of the reasons why your parents don't want you to be an AB Engineer."
Jewel raised a brow. "So... why didn't you stop me from the course I took?"
"I want you to study the course you like, wife. College is like a battlefield and when you didn't like the path you choose, it's easy for you to feel disheartened and gave up. I don't you to feel burdened, and I did promise your parents that I will protect their daughter. And I believed I could do so but... I failed."
She looked up at Gideon. He averted his gaze and it made her eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time she saw Gideon's embarrassed look. There's a little sweet pang in her chest knowing that he has this side also.
Jewel looked down to hide the small smile playing on her lips. "So you let Papa bring me back again? So you're thinking that you've failed your promise and you're not worthy to keep your wife? And a coward you are that you resigned from your work as my Professor. Am I right, Gideon? "
Gideon parted his lips but no words came out. There was silence between them before he broke it first. "Think whatever you want, Jewel. But this is for your own good and safety. The whole UDM knows about your civil status and the culprit is still on loose. I can't bear to see you lose consciousness again."
"Oh..." She bit her lips. "But isn't it because of their gossip and ridicule that I passed out? It has nothing to do with you so why did you left me alone in the campus?"
"Jewel..."
A lone tear escaped from her eyes and she hastily wiped it away. "When I came back to UDM, I was hoping that I could see you. B-But you left even without saying goodbye to me, leaving me alone to endure their ridicule."
"I'm sorry, Jewel."
Her fist clenched hard. "You know... I only gathered my courage to enter UDM again after I was made a laughing stock because I wanted to see you, Gideon. But you're not there. How rude." She snickered and met his gaze. "I thought you'll keep your promise?"
Gideon didn't answer her.
She pursed her lips as tears brimmed her eyes. "I have only you to depend on, husband. Why did you left without informing me? You even let my Dad to take me away. Just tell me if I am worthless in your eyes and I will leave for your heart's content!"
"Jewel... I'm..." Gideon sighed and closed his eyes. He took a deep breathe before he opened his eyes again and stared at her. "It's for the best, Jewel. I hope you understand."