Chapter 2 II.

And because I am Grandpa's only granddaughter, technically, I will be marrying Don Conrad's only grandson. It was the reason why I couldn't sleep well last night. I knew about it a year ago already, but I did not take it seriously. And now that this day has finally come, I am not sure how to handle this situation well.

Along with the pact is the rich man's promise to continue helping us with our livelihood. We could never reciprocate what Don Conrad has done for us. My grandpa agreed because aside from the gratitude, he values their friendship so much.

I find it unfair on my side somehow. But when I think of it, they have no ill intentions when they made that pact. I consider marrying Don Conrad's grandson as a responsibility, but the truth is, I can't see myself trusting my future husband. I once give my trust fully when I fell in love, but I got betrayed in return.

I don't know what's going to happen to me in the coming days. I am anxious and confused. I get scared whenever I think about it. But the honor of our tribe depends on me. They're counting on me. I don't think I could disappoint them.

The consolation I got from agreeing is that my husband and I can get an annulment once our marriage didn't work out. Do they really think that marriage formed out of love could work? There's no way I would waste my time falling in love. Not this time. I don't care even if the man is my husband.

***

I SET the trap made of bamboo sticks and thread beneath the grass when I saw the flock of chicken busily pecking worms and grains on the ground.

"What's up, viand!"

I manage to startle the chicken. I chase them to the direction of the traps, and I rejoiced when I caught three right away. Aha! I'm not trying to brag, but I have been doing this ever since I was young. Not a common thing a lady would do, but women of Bianon aren't typical either.

One by one, I pressed the chicken hard on the ground and slashed their necks with my small knife. Blood tainted my hands. One chicken was still struggling for dear life while I'm on my way back.

I lift them from my side and watch their remaining blood fall to the ground.

"I'm sorry, fowl folks. Your fate is to become the main dish. But I swear I'm going to miss you."

***

"WOW, you did not take long," Mother says, looking impressed when I enter the kitchen. She is now waiting for the water to boil in the cauldron to be used in preparing the chicken.

"The chicken did not give me a hard time. They're supportive of my upcoming wedding," I replied jokingly.

"Silly kid. Go back to the falls and clean yourself. You don't want Don Conrad's grandson to see your hands filled with blood like that."

"Mother, you know I don't have to look good for anyone. I don't care if he's the man I'm going to marry. And he still has to prove something before he could marry me. Anything can happen in three days," I answer matter-of-factly.

"You have a point. I remember you don't dress up a lot even when Ruden and you were still together."

I freeze when I hear that name. Ruden is the first man I ever trusted. He was my first boyfriend, and we grew up together. We were freshmen in college when he started courting me.

I thought I was already enough for him. Our relationship lasted for almost four years. But I found out that that bastard ex of mine had another girlfriend while we were still together. I learned from his classmates that there's another woman who frequented his dorm whenever I'm not with him.

I tried confronting him and begged him to tell the truth, but he kept on denying. We grew up together. There's no way he'd lie to me. I knew him so well. He could not do this to me. I kept telling myself all those things.

I decided to surprise him one day. And eventually, with my own eyes, I caught him cuddling with another woman. I broke up with him that same day. And that sonofabitch still had the guts to beg me for a second chance.

The asshole! Did he listen to me when it was me who was begging for the truth? He should be thankful he was not a chicken, or I could have cut his throat. It was too difficult for me to bear. He reminded me of how my father betrayed my mother. I took a chance and put my faith in him, but I ended up losing.

Why do we have to love the wrong person?

"Cris, are you okay?" Mother asks with worried eyes, distracting me from those thoughts.

I nod reluctantly and give her a curt smile.

"Of course, Mother. I'll just go and clean up. Excuse me."

I leave the kitchen and head to my room.

***

NO one was around when I returned to the waterfalls. Now I can bathe undisturbed, and I don't have to feel uncomfortable with my clothing either. I wear a sheer, white undergarment that falls above my knees. It gets wet when I descended into the water, revealing my figure in the process.

I am thin, and I am not blessed with large breasts and wide hips. Maybe this is the reason why I was not enough for Ruden. He preferred aggressive women with bodies you'd always see in the magazine.

I have a lot of skills, though. I'm good at archery and swimming. I can stay underwater longer.

My Grandpa Mario wasn't able to marry and have children of his own, so he taught me everything he knew instead. No one from my childhood friends wanted to compete against me. They would always say I'm overqualified.

I take my time swimming around the waterfall, which is spectacular at any angle. To me, this is the symbol of our land being intact and safe from greedy miners. With the help of the Florencios, there's no way we are letting them lay a finger on our forest.

I dive in the water as I always do to kill time. I take a closer look at the stones and finally pick the heart-shaped one. Then I immerse into the surface of the water.

Then suddenly, I freeze at the sight of a man standing on one of the rocks. I could not blink. Gosh! He's peeing on the water! We startle each other, and we both blurted out in shock.