Chapter 15

Aiah’s POV

Pagpasok ko pa lang sa Hospital, iba na ang pakiramdam ko. Imbes na sa regular waiting area, dinala ako ng nurse sa isang private executive lounge. Para akong VIP, pero hindi yung nakaka-flatter na treatment-it was more like they were walking on eggshells around me.

“Have a seat, Miss Arceta. The Hospital Director will be with you in a moment,” the nurse said, her voice unusually formal and shaky.

My heart started to race. Bakit kailangang pati Director kasama?

Sa loob ng private room, nandoon na ang dalawang senior doctors, isang nurse, at isang lalakeng naka-suit na mukhang boss ng buong hospital. The air felt heavy. Formal. Oppressive.

“Miss Arceta,” panimula ng Director, his hands clasped on the table. “We called you here to personally apologize for a grave administrative and medical error that occurred during your last visit.”

“Anong… anong error?” I asked, my voice barely audible. “I was just here for a follow up check-up. Doc, I don’t understand.”

“Miss Arceta, we are deeply sorry,” the Director said, his face pale. “There was a catastrophic mix-up in our side.” Then he pause

“An embryo intended for another patient was mistakenly implanted in you during your procedure. It was a one-in-a-million accident.” He continue

Para akong nawalan ng pandinig. The room felt like it was shrinking, and the air became too thick to breathe. Accidental IVF?

“Are you saying… I might be carrying a child? Right now?”

Gusto kong sumigaw, gusto kong tumawa dahil baka nagbibiro lang sila, pero seryoso ang lahat. “Paanong… hindi ko naman hiningi ‘to! I have plans! I have my life!” Hysterical na ako, ang bilis ng kabog ng dibdib ko na halos hindi na ako makahinga.

​”We need to confirm it with an pregnancy test or advance ultrasound, If it’s positive, the hospital will take full responsibility for any decision you make-whether you keep it or have it removed. We will cover everything.”

​Nanigas ako sa kinauupuan ko. My mind drifted to my dreams-the travels, the freedom I guarded like a treasure. My life was finally on track, and then this? Paano kung merong bata? Paano kung nagbunga? One tiny, invisible mistake changed the definition of my body without my permission. My body… it didn’t feel like mine anymore.

Isang malakas na kaba ang lumamon sa akin. In an instant, my survival instinct kicked in.

​I need to remove it.

​The thought was loud and clear in my head. Hindi ko ‘to plano. Hindi ko ‘to gusto. This is a mistake. I felt a surge of panic-I wanted this thing out of my body immediately. Pero kasunod niyon ay isang madilim na realization: Am I a bad person for thinking this? Is it bad to want to get rid of a mistake that isn’t even mine?

​”Sino?” I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Sino ang may-ari ng… ng embryo? I need to know. Who is she?”

​The doctor hesitated, then looked at the folder. “The legal owner is Miss Mikhaela Janna Lim. We have already coordinated with her. She is on her way and will be here any minute.”

​Mikhaela Janna Lim!

Janna Lim?

Doon ako napatigil. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at napatakip ako ng bibig. Janna? No, it can’t be. Maraming Janna sa mundo.

​”Wait…” Huminga ako nang malalim, pilit pinapakalma ang sarili ko kahit nanginginig ang buong katawan ko.

How I pray Mikhaela is not the Janna I know pero kung siya nga, kailangan kong malaman if alam niya ba kung sino ako sa una palang.

“Did she know? Alam ba niya na… na ako? Did she know who I am?”

​Tumango ang doctor. “Yes, Miss Arceta. We notified her the moment we discovered the error. That was weeks ago. She’s been in constant communication with us regarding your… status.”

​Doon na ako tuluyang gumuho. She knew.

​Suddenly, the last few weeks flashed before my eyes in a blurred montage.

Yung pag kikita namin sa bar

Yung pagiging magkapitbahay namin… yung pagiging extra caring niya sa health ko… yung food advice… yung paghatid niya sa akin…

​Was it all just a coincidence? Isang malakas na kaba at pandidiri sa sitwasyon ang bumalot sa akin.

Napatingin ako sa bag ko kung nasaan ang phone ko. Pagkuha ko nito, halos mabitawan ko

​32 Missed Calls: Janna

15 New Messages: Janna

​My breath hitched. Ang lakas ng kutob kong iisang tao lang sila.

​”I just want to make sure you’re okay, Aiah…”

​Hindi pala ako ang tinatanong niya. It was the embryo. I was just a walking incubator for her. Kaya ba siya lumapit sa akin? Ginamit niya ako? Ginawa niya akong tanga.

​”Doc Sanchez? Miss Lim is already here.”

​Dahan-dahan akong tumayo, my legs feeling like jelly. My vision was blurring because of the tears I was trying to hold back.

​Janna… please. I hope it’s not you.

I hope hindi mo ako ginawang proyekto lang.

​The door opened in slow motion. At doon, tumigil ang mundo ko.

​It was her.

​Ang Janna na nag-aalaga sa akin.

Ang Janna na akala ko… totoo.

​I couldn’t breathe.

Her face looked so worried, so full of regret. Pero nang makita niya ako, doon ko naramdaman yung hapdi. It was true. Everything was a lie. Pinag-aralan niya ako. Sinundan niya ako.

​My tears finally dropped. I’ve known her for weeks, but the pain was as sharp as if we’d been together for years. Betrayal has a way of making everything feel like a waste of time.

​”Aiah!” She rushed to me, her voice cracking. “I’m so sor-“

​”I thought you were different,” I said, my voice barely a whisper pero puno ng pait.

​Gulat siyang napa-atras nang itulak ko ang kamay niya. The touch that used to make me feel safe now made me feel sick.

​”Aiah, listen to me-“

​”No! Huwag kang lalapit sa akin!” I shouted, bawat hikbi ko ay puno ng galit at gulat. “All this time… you knew! Pinanood mo akong magmukhang tanga habang “ino-obserbahan” mo ako?! I trusted you!”

​Hindi ko na hinintay ang sagot niya. I ran out of that room. I didn’t know where to go, but I couldn’t stay in the same air she breathed. I needed to run until I couldn’t feel the betrayal anymore.

….

I RAN TO MY ROOM the moment the elevator doors opened on my floor. I didn’t care if I looked mess, I just needed to hide.

“Why is this happening to me?”

I whispered those words into the empty air. I was just sitting there on the floor, my back against the bed, staring at the clinical white walls of my room. My eyes were heavy and swollen. It felt like my heart had been hollowed out, leaving nothing but a cold, empty ache.

“Aiah? Ate… please, open the door. We’re worried!” sigaw ni Maloi mula sa labas ng room ko. Naririnig ko ang pagpihit niya sa doorknob, pero naka-lock ‘yun.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My body felt like lead.

“Aiah, we’re coming in. Gagamitin namin ‘yung spare key, ha?” Stacey’s voice followed, sounding just as frantic.

When the door clicked open, the light from the hallway hit me, but I didn’t even flinch. Pagpasok nina Maloi at Stacey, agad silang lumapit sa akin. They looked terrified seeing me like this—completely shattered. I started crying hard again, the kind of sob that makes your chest tighten until you can’t breathe.

“Oh my God, Aiah…” Maloi knelt down and pulled me into a hug. “Ano ba talagang nangyari? Sabi mo check-up lang. Anong sabi ng Doctor?”

I couldn’t even find the words. Nanginginig ang kamay kong iniabot sa kanila yung medical folder na lukot-lukot na sa pagkakahawak ko.

The room went deathly silent as they scanned the papers. I heard Stacey gasp, her hand flying to her mouth in total shock.

“IVF? A medical error?” Stacey’s voice was shaking. “They implanted an embryo in you… by mistake? Baliw ba sila?! This is not a joke!”

Then she read the name again, her eyes widening. “And the IVF belongs to… Mikhaela Janna Jimenea Lim? Who is this, Aiah?”

“It’s Janna,” I choked out, a fresh wave of tears hitting me

“Doc Janna? Our neighbor?” nanlalaking matang tanong ni Maloi.

“That’s insane!” Maloi hissed, but she held me tighter.

I leaned my head on Maloi’s shoulder, feeling the weight of the world crushing me. “I want to be angry at her. I really do. It would be so much easier if I could just hate her and move on.”

Pero hindi ganoon kadali ‘yun.

I didn’t go to work for the next few days. I stayed in the dark, ignoring the world, letting the silence consume me. But my phone wouldn’t stop vibrating on the nightstand. Janna kept texting and calling me non-stop.

Every day, I kept receiving flowers with sorry notes. White lilies, sunflowers… lahat sila nagkalat sa living room. Araw-araw din siyang kumakatok sa penthouse, nagbabakasakaling kausapin ko siya. Naririnig ko ang boses niya sa labas.

But I told Maloi and Stacey that I can’t. I don’t want to. I’m not ready to face the person who lied to me.

Kahit sina Maloi at Stacey, unti-unti nang naaawa kay Janna dahil nakikita nila kung gaano ito kadesperada sa labas ng unit. Pero ako? I was still numb.

I looked down at my flat stomach and felt a chill. 

The hurt wasn’t just because of the error. It was because the one person who made me feel special… the person who made me feel seen for the first time… was the same person I now needed to run away from.

……

Isang gabi, kailangan kong lumabas para kumuha ng delivery sa baba. I thought the coast was clear. I thought I could finally breathe without seeing her face. Pero pagbukas ko ng pinto, nandoon siya. Nakasandal sa pader sa tapat ng unit ko, looking like a ghost of the woman I used to know.

I tried to slam the door, but she was quicker. Bago pa tuluyang sumara ang pinto, humarang siya. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she had been through hell.

“Aiah, please! Makinig ka naman kahit ngayon lang!” her voice broke, a desperate sob escaping her lips.

“Para saan pa, Janna? Para lalo mo akong gawing tanga?” I spat back, but my hands were shaking so hard on the doorknob.

“Please hear me out. Let me fix this!”

I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to feel anything for her. I forced the door shut, cutting her off. But even through the thick wood of the door, I heard her voice—raw and trembling.

“I had death threats, Aiah!” she screamed, and the hallway went dead silent.

Napatigil ako. My heart skipped a beat, and my hand stayed frozen on the lock.

“Kaya ako naging selfish. Kaya ako naging desperada. That inheritance… it was the only way I could save myself. It was the only way I could get away from the people who wanted to hurt me,” she whispered, her forehead leaning against the cool surface of the door.

“Nung nalaman kong napunta sa’yo yung embryo, I was so scared. And then I met you… and God knows, Aiah, I wished it wasn’t you. Ayaw kong ikaw ang madamay. You’re such a good person, and you didn’t deserve any of this.”

I felt a lump in my throat. I wanted to walk away, to hide in my room, but I couldn’t move.

“Natatakot ako,” patuloy niya, her voice trembling with every word. “Natatakot ako na kapag nalaman mo ang totoo, kamumuhian mo ako. Kaya natagalan bago ko masabi… and I hate myself because nalaman mo pa sa iba. It’s the worst way to find out, and I’m so, so sorry.”

“Believe me, Aiah… I don’t care about the money anymore. I don’t care about the plan or the IVF. I just care about you. Gusto lang kitang protektahan.”

Dahan-dahan kong binuksan ang pinto. She looked up at me, her eyes pleading, searching for even a tiny bit of forgiveness.

“If you want to remove the baby, I’ll cooperate. I’ll be there. I’ll handle everything,” she promised. “Pero gusto kong malaman mo na totoo yung pagiging kaibigan ko sayo. Hindi ‘yun script. Hindi ‘yun acting. I know after this, you won’t want to be my friend anymore… and I accept that. Pero please, let me fix this. Let me help you.”

Napahawak ako sa dibdib ko. It was so hard to breathe. I wanted to hate her—I should hate her—pero bakit ang sakit-sakit makita siyang ganito? Why did my heart still ache for the person who broke it?

“I need time,” I whispered, my voice cracking.

“I’ll give you all the time you need,” she immediately replied, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “Just… please don’t do this alone, Aiah. Let me be the one to fix the mess I made.”

I didn’t answer. I slowly closed the door, and this time, she didn’t stop me. I leaned my back against the wood, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor.

The silence of the penthouse was deafening. But for the first time in days, the anger wasn’t the only thing I felt. There was a tiny, flickering spark of… something else.

And I knew, deep down, that my life would never be the same again.