BEYOND ILLUSIONS

It was 5:30 in the afternoon, JA had to rush from the office to give her boyfriend's a birthday surprise. She just arrived yesterday from a business trip with her brother, and she wanted to surprise his boyfriend and make his birthday the most memorable one. She had never done anything like this before and she was thinking it was time to make it up for him. She even baked a special birthday cake that was totally textured and on top of it were three colorful donuts because she knew those were his favorites. She also bought him a birthday present wrapped in a small box.

She smiled upon thinking how he would react to the gift she had prepared for him. She looked again at her watch. It was almost six so she had to go in a hurry because her boyfriend would normally be out from work at 6:30 in the evening.

She dropped by at Annabel's Restaurant to make sure everything was set ready for the dinner. It was really a great place for dining, and it had a classic fine ambiance. As soon as she entered, one waiter showed her the way and directed her towards the reserved table.

The setup was totally romantic with flowers, candles, and a decorative centerpiece placed on the table. She placed the cake there and headed her way out to pick him up. It was really her first time going to the hospital where her boyfriend was working. She was a little bit ashamed of thinking about picking him up, though she knew he has also a car. She had never been used to it, just only for this day.

After 10 minutes of driving, she reached at St. Luke Medical Center where her boyfriend was working. He was a surgeon and one of the best doctors in the hospital. She thought of calling him first before coming inside. His phone kept on ringing, but he did not pick it up.

She thought maybe he was still in the operating room, so she just stayed inside her car. She waited for almost 30 minutes, but no boyfriend has come out. She tried to dial again but still no answer. She headed towards the entrance because she felt there was something wrong, so she had to ask everyone inside only to find out that her boyfriend, Dr. Ace Delos Reyes, took a half-day leave.

"But why did he not tell me?"

She went back to her car and started the engine. She kept on thinking what was going on. She started to get uneasy, and her heart was beating so fast.

"Did something happen to him?"

She just thought that maybe he was just hanging around with his friends somewhere. But he told her this morning when she called him that he has five scheduled surgical operations today.

"How come he took a half-day leave?"

She looked around where she could park her car to somewhere not crowded until she found a quiet place. Maybe it was time to find the truth. She heaved a deep sigh as she stopped the car. As much as she could she did not want to undergo extrasensory perception because she knew what would happen next, but she wanted to know what was in his mind and what he was doing.

She looked at her watch and it was past seven already. She dialed again his number but this time, he was totally unattended. She contacted the restaurant where the dinner date was set and told the female in charge there to just leave everything as is, until tomorrow morning, even if she had to pay additional charges.

She gave her boyfriend's cellphone number and told her to tell Ace to come over to the place as soon as she could reach him. After a few minutes of conversation, she ended up the call and turned her phone off because she did not want any interruption while doing the mental telepathy.

She looked around inside her car to find anything that belonged to him. She spotted his leather jacket he left last time in the back seat, so she grabbed it and placed it on her lap. She took a deep sigh and began to close her eyes with one hand holding his jacket while the other hand was on the car's steering wheel. It took 10 minutes before she ended it up.

Tears filled her eyes, and in a moment, they were rolling down her cheeks. It was hard to believe that her boyfriend was cheating on her, after two years of relationship. She read everything in his mind. And what he was doing had somehow brought an inexplicable pain in her heart.

She clasped her hands in front of her face and started sobbing. Her boyfriend was there in a suite with a woman. And that woman was her best friend Trixie Marie. His body was next to hers, touching, savoring her nakedness.

She felt like she could hardly breathe for having been cheated on by the person whom she thought would be someone she could spend the rest of her life with. And she was hurt for being betrayed by her most trusted friend.

"Why did it happen to me?"

She asked herself while wiping her tears away. She may not be a good girlfriend, but she had been loyal to him all these years.

She looked at the small box in her bag, inside of it was supposed to be her birthday gift to him. It even made her more emotional upon thinking how she was able to come up with that idea of giving her an answer to his marriage proposal.

It was no use of keeping it then. She opened the gift wrap and took that small thing inside. It was a key chain with both their names engraved on it, with a small button that when it was pressed, the word "yes" would blink and change into different colors. She threw it somewhere and did not even care who else would find it.

Ace gave his proposal to her last year, but she told him, she was not yet ready to settle down. Of course, she was still 21 years old at that time. She really did not know what took her so long to realize about this matter where in fact, he had everything every woman should have ever wanted. Good looks, a successful career, a stable job, and socially inclined circles of family and friends.

She really did not expect he would do this to her. For a two-year relationship, she had known him to be a gentle guy, a loving and caring boyfriend. He never failed to surprise her every special occasion like monthsaries, anniversaries, and birthdays. He had respected all her decisions eventhough she was too idealistic and even some of their ideas and opinions clashed most of the time, but at the end of the day, it was always her idea that prevails over him.

Two weeks ago, when he asked her to sleep with him, and she said "no", that was when things became complicated.

"Why would he ask me like that?"

She thought that Ace was contented, that they sometimes went into shopping, dining, traveling, and other leisure activity. She admitted they had never been kissed coz she'd never let him do that. But he respected her and never insisted on it.

And when he asked her to do something more serious, she wasn't hesitant to turn him down. Since that time, he did not anymore make calls and sent messages. When she tried to call him, he would just say, he's busy doing operations and he has a lot of patients to attend to.

So, she was just thinking maybe his ego was really hurt that time when he asked her about sleeping with him, that's why she wanted to make it up to him by preparing a birthday surprise.

Sadly, she was the one who was surprised. She took a deep breath while tears were still rolling down her cheeks.

The same goes with Trixie, she did not anymore visit her at home during weekends and when she tried to call her one time, she just said, she was busy in the hospital.

But JA did not mind it because she was not suspecting anything.

Trixie was also working as a doctor in Saint Luke Medical Center. She and Ace were classmates in college, and she knew they were friends. But she was not expecting the possibility that they could be more than that because when she asked Trixie before if she liked Ace, she would just say, he was not her type. And when Ace started to court her, it was Trixie who encouraged her to try getting into a relationship even if she knew JA didn't have some feelings for him.

She shook her head because she still couldn't believe that it was happening.

"Am I just dreaming?"

She pinched her cheek and she felt hurt, that means one thing-it was real.

Still cannot imagine how Ace had changed after two years. She never had any idea that this would happen. Only if she had known, she would rather not have trusted him and ended up hurting.

"Hurt? Does it mean I love him and it's too late when I realized it?"

If only she had known, she would rather have used the ability before she got into a relationship with him.

But because of a promise to her brother, she did not do anything that would break her word.

"Why did it happen to me?"

"Did Ace really love me?"

Some parts of her brain told her, 'Maybe', but the kind of love that was fleeting and definitely not true love.

She held her chest and inhaled deeply. She felt she was not getting enough air because all her energy was consumed in doing the extrasensory perception.

She went out of the car to get some air, but she felt lightheaded and weak like she was about to faint.

A man appeared from nowhere, suddenly held her, and kept her in his arms.

Her heartbeat was getting faster as they were an inch away from each other. She tried to open up her eyes to look at him, but everything was blurry.

The man took her to the passenger's seat.

She could feel his warm and gentle touch as he pulled out some strands of her hair that were covering her face. She could feel the beating of his heart while his masculine body was closed to hers as he fixed her seatbelt and the car's headrest belt. After that, she did not know what happened next as she cascaded down into darkness.

"How do you feel now sweetie? what happened to you, did you use that again? I told you not, right? did you break your promise?" JA's brother was throwing a lot of questions, with so much concern in his eyes.

He was there in her room sitting on her bed, holding her hand, and clasping it together with his hands.

She took a quick gaze at her alarm clock on the drawer. It was already 8:00 o clock in the morning. She was just glad it's Saturday and she doesn't have work. She met her brother's eyes who were staring at her, waiting for her to open something.

He tried to help her in getting up so she could sit beside him. She tried to recall what happened and it only made her sad. She started crying and sobbing like a child whose toy was taken away by someone without having a plan of returning.

"I guess, it's about your boyfriend. What did Ace do to you, sweetie?", her brother asked with his fist clenched ready to hit someone any moment from now.

"Okay, cry as much as you can until your tears run dry. Then tell me what happened", he said pulling her a hug while his hands caressed her head as she laid it on his shoulder.

After a moment, she stopped crying and started wiping her tears. Then she looked at her brother, who was just waiting for her to be relaxed.

"Ace was cheating on me. I saw him with my best friend Trixie. I did the mental telepathy, and..." she could not finish what she was trying to say upon looking at her brother's piercing eyes.

Although he knew about her plan of giving a birthday surprise, he had no idea that it would turn out like this.

"What? you did the mental telepathy again? how many times I told u not to do it anymore because It's bad for your health! Jannah Arianne, what a hard-headed brat you are!", her brother said angrily.

He used to call her by her full name when he was annoyed and angry.

"I'm sorry.", she muttered trying to avoid his hostile glare.

"By the way, how did I get here boo? I mean, how did I come home last night?", JA asked her brother who was still glaring at her with so much annoyance.

She didn't like to call him "Kuya" because he was just a year older than her. She was comfortable in calling him "boo".

"How did you come home? of course, you have a car because there's no way you would take the subway and just left your car out there.", he answered sarcastically, and she knew exactly why her brother was acting like that.

"Have you seen someone driving my car, when I got home?" she asked again, wanting to know if there was really a man, taking her to the passenger's seat and drove her home.

A look of anguish crossed her brother's face.

"Sweetie, are you okay? Are you not yet feeling well?', her brother asked, touching her forehead with his hand.

"Please tell me boo, am I the one driving my car?" she asked again, looking intently into his eyes.

"Of course, you don't allow anyone to drive your own car, not even me.", her brother answered while furrowing his brows in great confusion.

"What's the matter with you sweetie? I am angry for what Ace did to you, I am annoyed that you broke your promise to me, but even more worried of what's happening to you now", he heaved a deep sigh.

"Just relax sweetie and we'll talk later, okay? I'll gonna go out for a while to get something for you to eat", her brother said calmly as he turned his way out of her room.

"If you want something more sweetie, just call me. Nanny is in the grocery store coz we are running out of stocks already.", he added before locking up the door.

He was referring to their second mother who was taking care of them since they were young. There were only three of them staying in the house. Nanny, JA and her brother. Others were stay-out like their gardener, laundry servant and driver. They would just come to the house if their services were needed.

JA's mom was living in South Korea with her Korean husband. Unfortunately, they have no kids because her mom got an ovarian cyst and had undergone surgery. She got married two years after her father died and decided to live with her husband. She wanted them to live with her, but JA preferred to stay in the Philippines with her brother and Nanny.

Twice a year, her mother would come here to visit them and spend some time, but she and her brother would seldom travel to Korea because they have been occupied by a lot of things to do in the company. They were running the JJ Tech Company of her late father where her brother was taking the CEO position while she was the Human Resource Executive.

She never wanted to work in JJ tech because she was not a business-minded person. All she had wanted was to teach kids and do psychological counseling.

Her phone suddenly rang, and it was Mom.

"Yes mom, how are you doing?", she asked in a casual tone.

"Oh, dear, I should be the one asking you that? Jareed just called me and told me everything. I'm so sorry for what happened to you and Ace. He doesn't deserve you my dear.", her mom said trying to give her such comforting words.

"And one thing dear, please don't anymore use that ability. It will just harm you, please... I love you and I don't want to lose you. You and Jareed are very much precious to me.," her mom added, with a quavering voice.

"Don't worry mom, I'm fine. I'll be fine. Jareed and Nanny are taking care of me", JA answered with the assurance that everything's gonna be okay.

After several minutes of conversation, she hung up the phone. And she started recalling what happened yesterday. Pain was still there, but there was no hatred.

"Does it mean forgiving them easily after they have done wrong to me?"

Well, that's the kind of person she is. Easily get hurt but could easily move on too. That's why people kept on hurting her because she didn't keep hatred in her heart.

After a moment of deep thought, her phone rang. It was Ace. She just ignored his calls because she doesn't want to talk to him over the phone. A lot of messages kept popping on the screen, but she didn't read them.

Then her brother came in, holding a serving platter for breakfast in bed.

"Eat now, sweetie. And don't tell me you'll not gonna eat this and you'll be grounded", emphasizing his last words.

He scooped the chicken soup from the bowl and brought it to her mouth. Then, fed her with rice porridge.

She really loved how her brother was taking care of her. She smiled upon looking at him.

"What's with that smile sweetie? Do you think I forgot what you did by just giving me your cutest smile?", he smirked.

"Oh my, I thought I'm saved", I pouted my lips, thinking how I am going to get punished for breaking my promise.

She cleared her throats.

Hmm.

"I'm sorry boo, I broke my promise to you. I'm sorry I make you worried about me. But I just wanted to know the truth because I felt something bad. And If I did not do it, until now I would still believe that Ace is the right one for me. It's been five months since they're having an affair and look! how they're able to handle it in front of me without feeling even a little doubt", she said with her tears starting to form in her eyes.

"And so, you did the mental telepathy again, even it would mean risking your own life? What if something bad happened to you while you were on the street? Why did you not call me and asked me to check on your boyfriend's whereabouts?", her brother started yelling at her.

"But nothing happened right?", she stuttered, while thinking about her savior last night.

"Because I was saved by my knight in shining armor".

"Knight in shining armor?", her brother looked at her and plastered a smirk on his lips.

"Yes, I saw a man boo. He helped me when I was about to faint. He took me to the passenger's seat. And that's all I didn't know what happened next. But I'm sure he was the one who drove me home.", she said with a certain voice.

"But you were the one who was driving your car. I saw no one inside. But as soon as you stepped out, you fainted and fell unconscious as I took you to your bedroom." her brother said intently.

She decided not to argue with him regarding this matter, thinking that maybe she was just mistaken at that time or maybe she was just dreaming.

"But JA, listen to me. Since you broke your promise, you'll gonna take this as your punishment. I'll send you next day to Seoul and stay there with mom for a few days", her brother said in an authoritative manner, not even asking if she wanted to go there or not. So, she voiced out in great annoyance.

"No! I won't. I'll just stay here with you or go with me", her voice wavered in great discord, holding back her tears to find its way.

Her brother looked at her with a hostile glare and she did the same. Staring each other for quite some time.

"Jannah Arianne! whether you like it or not!

"Jareed Andre, I said no!", she laid her body in bed covering her face with a pillow. Then she started sobbing.

Her brother heaved a deep sigh as he moved closer to her. No matter how tough he is when it comes to decision-making when he sees her crying, that would totally change everything.

"Okay fine, you stay here but could you please stop crying like a small kid?", her brother comforted her, trying to calm her down.

He pulled out the pillow that was covering her face and tapped her head.

"C'mon sweetie, look at me. Please don't break again your promise, okay?", her brother said with a soft voice.

She just nodded and gave her brother a warm embrace.

And then he asked, "Are you alright now? Are you planning to talk to Ace?"

She frowned.

"Do you love him? tell me.", her brother asked seriously.

"Honestly, I don't", she responded.

"But what's that idea of giving him a birthday surprise, and supposedly giving a 'yes' to his proposal? What if you did not find anything, so you'll be married to the wrong man", he uttered.

She had a deep thought in a moment, thinking about what her brother said.

Hmm...

"I just wanted to give myself a chance, hoping that someday I would learn to love him", she muttered while looking at her brother's eyes.

He then pulled her a hug and patted her back.

"Sweetie, my princess, you are still a kid, (he paused for a while) A kid who doesn't allow her boyfriend to kiss him", her brother said forming a naughty smile on his lips.

"I believe you didn't really love Ace, because if you did, at least you would allow him to kiss you. After all, he is a man", he added.

She looked at him and pouted her lips.

Then the teasing began. They chuckled while throwing pillows at one another until everything became messy.

JA woke up when her alarm clock was ringing. She looked at it and it was already 6:30 in the evening. She didn't know she slept for nine hours already. The last thing she remembered was her brother teasing her that she was a kid, a kid who did not allow her boyfriend to kiss her.

She smiled upon thinking how her brother teased her like that.

Yes, she had never been kissed by Ace not even smack. So maybe that's also the reason why their relationship did not last. But it's okay, after all, she had nothing to lose.

"But how does it feel to be kissed? Oh my... Well, if the right man comes along and if I truly love him, maybe I will experience such things".

"Darling, dinner is ready", it was Nanny calling her to come over.

"Yes Nanny, I'm coming.

She fixed herself and went downstairs. She felt she was already starving especially when she smelled the aroma of her favorite pork adobo. She was so sure Nanny cooked it for her knowing that's her favorite.

"It's good you were able to sleep for long hours. How are you now sweetie?", her brother asked while pulling a chair for her.

"I'm fine boo".

"Hmm." Jareed paused a little while after putting some food on his mouth.

"Ace called on the telephone a while ago. I guess he was trying to call you on your cellphone, but he could not reach you. He said he's coming here tonight", he said in a casual tone.

"Are you not mad at him boo?", she asked him, waiting some time for his answer.

"Mad? I even feel more than that sweetie. If it's not wrong to kill someone, then I would perhaps become a murderer", he said intensely giving emphasis to every word he uttered.

She looked at his eyes, and she could see there the rage that was burning inside, ready to burst out anytime. She just remained quiet until they finished the dinner.

JA went to her room to refreshen herself before going to bed. But she suddenly felt like she wanted to be relieved through the healing power of music. So, she decided to go to her music room which was right next to her brother's work studio.

It was a soundproof medium-sized room intended for music. It was made with hard surfaces that include tile, concrete, and hardwood flooring. The room was well-ventilated, well-lighted, and well-painted with neutral colors white and gray.

Guitars and ukulele were hung on the right wall while the keyboard piano was placed against the wall. At the center was a rectangular wood table where the desktop, v8 soundcard, and condenser microphone were placed for recording.

JA was about to start playing the piano when Nanny and her brother came inside, telling her that Ace was waiting for her outside.

"Are you going to talk to him, darling? Are you sure you're ready to face him?", asked Nanny.

"Yes Nanny, so we could have a formal breakup", she responded.

"Make sure you won't cry in front of that jerk, or I'll gonna kill him!", her brother warned her with an intent look, obviously holding back his anger.

She just nodded and went out of the studio. She decided to dress in a more casual way. Just a simple blouse and blue faded jeans. She put on a slight makeup and a thick concealer to cover up her puffy eyes. Then after some time of fixing herself in front of the mirror, she went outside her room and headed to the sala.

Ace was there sitting on a sofa bed while focusing his eyes on the television. He stood up as soon as he saw her approaching.

"Babe, I was calling you since this morning, but you were unattended. And hmm...why did you not tell me about the birthday surprise? The restaurant in charge called me to come over. And I did not really expect you would do something for me", Ace said with his voice mumbling.

JA just looked at him without any expression, she just let him finish whatever he wanted to say.

"I was hanging around with some of my friends yesterday. I'm sure you called me several times and you went to the hospital because the staff told me. I'm sorry but my phone was running out of battery", he muttered.

Still, he received no reaction from her. She just looked at him while he was trying to tell all his lies.

"Babe, I knew you were mad at me. I'm sorry. And I appreciate your efforts in preparing a birthday surprise. Babe, please talk to me.", he said while drawing closer to her trying to hold her hands.

"Ace, enough!", she said intensely.

Knowing that her brother was just around the house and just observing them. She tried to hold back her tears because she doesn't want her brother to become a criminal.

She started clearing her throat.

"Ace let's end this. I saw you and Trixie in a suite. I don't want to elaborate everything you did together", she said with a blank expression.

"I know there's lacking in me, that's why you find someone new. It' s just that I really did not expect that it would be my best friend, of all people".

He was just looking at her in silence. She knew, he was thinking how she found out everything between him and Trixie because he did not know anything about her ability.

JA looked straight into his eyes, trying to read what was on his mind based on her own understanding which means she was not using her ability to read minds.

Ace quickly turned away his gaze, taking a deep sigh.

"Babe, it was just a mistake", he began to talk after a moment. His eyes were getting red as if he was about to cry.

"I'm really sorry, you know how much I love you", he added while tears welled up in his eyes.

The feeling of remorse and shame were manifested on his face.

"I was just..."

"That's enough Ace, I am not blaming you for anything. It was all my mistakes. You've been good to me for two years. You really have tried everything and for that, I am thankful to you.", JA started to get emotional this time.

But she tried not to cry because her brother was just right there listening, and observing and she knew he was not joking when he warned her not to cry in front of this man or he would become a criminal.

She didn't feel any hatred towards him. Maybe she was just hurt because she did not expect that this would happen.

But that's life. Maybe they were not meant for each other. And she had to accept that no one would ever love her for real. She had been used to it anyway.

"It's okay Ace, we can go on separate ways. Just take good care of Trixie. You may now leave", she said to him roughly as she turned away from him.

"Babe, please...give me one more chance", Ace was trying to reach out her hand. But a strong fist landed on his face, as JA's brother butted in.

"Don't ever come to my sister anymore, you bastard! You're such a big disappointment", her brother chattered angrily.

"Boo, that's enough. It's okay", she said trying to hold her brother's hand to make him calm.

Ace was cupping his face after getting punched by her brother. He remained silent for a while and tried to say something.

"I'm sorry Jareed", he muttered.

"Now leave! I don't want to see your face again!", Jareed yelled.

JA saw her brother's face contorted with rage, his jaw and fist were clenched. And she felt so scared of what else he could possibly do to Ace.

"Ace please leave", she said in a soft voice, hoping that he would understand.

"JA, Jareed, I'm really sorry.", he uttered and then left with his shoulders slumped and his steps were dragged.

She knew he was hurt. But for now, it's too late. She couldn't trust him anymore, so better to go on separate ways.

After a moment of silence, she looked at her brother and she knew, his anger had already subsided. He pulled her a hug and tapped her head.

"Are you okay?", he said with his voice full of worry.

"It's okay to cry sweetie, that's a part of healing and forgiving. I know, you don't keep hatred in your heart, I know you so well".

Those words were so touching that she couldn't hold her tears, and she cried so hard while leaning her head on his shoulder. Jareed just let her cry while his hand caressed her back.

"What about Trixie, did she not call you?", her brother asked.

She wiped her tears and tried to understand what he was trying to say.

She frowned. She did not receive any call or text from her. She was in deep thoughts when the doorbell suddenly rang. Jareed called Nanny to look who was there, only to find out that Trixie was there outside looking for JA.

"Speaking of the devil, the devil is here", Jareed said in a soft voice.

JA told Nanny to let her in.

She was left alone sitting in the sofa bed while waiting for Trixie to get inside. Her brother went to his study room for some work-related matters. He is always a workaholic man, just like their father.

She fixed herself again, while her eyes were set at the entrance door. She saw Nanny entering first, then Trixie. She paused for a while and stood in a distance while her eyes were already wet with tears.

JA felt pain in her heart upon looking at her. Trixie hurriedly went closer to her and hugged her so tight. She was sobbing so loudly like a child.

"I'm sorry JA. I'm really...really...sorry.", she whined even more.

Trixie looked at her with her eyes begging for her forgiveness. She kneeled in front of her, and it really touched JA's heart.

She averted her gaze because she doesn't want to see her shedding tears. After all, she was her best friend.

"Trix, c'mon, you don't have to do this", JA said reaching out her hand to stand.

She let Trixie sit on the sofa bed, "Let's talk".

"Tell me everything Trixie, I will just listen to you", she uttered.

"I'm sorry JA, I fell in love with Ace even before he courted you. I've tried to hide my feelings knowing that he just treated me as a friend. But as years passed, this feeling grew deeper since we are working in the same hospital. Until he was drunk last time because you turned him down about sleeping with him and I took the chance even if I know he loves you", Trixie explained while tears kept flowing from her eyes.

"I did not really mean to hurt you JA, believe me. I'm really sorry. I just love Ace so much that I can't hold it anymore", she mumbled.

JA felt the sincerity of her voice, how sorry she was for getting into their relationship. She knew she was suffering unrequited love, and it was so hurting on the part of a woman. Yes, there may be something that happened to them, but she knew it was not because of love but just a man's erotic satisfaction.

She suddenly got pity on her. She clasped both her hands and pulled her a hug.

"It's okay Trix, I understand", she whispered.

They chatted with each other as if nothing happened. She didn't know how she was able to handle everything and how could she easily forgive Trixie for betraying her.

After some time of having a conversation, they bid goodbye to each other. JA felt like her heart was free from thousands of thorns knowing that she had forgiven the two people who did wrong to her. She felt more relaxed and at peace as she went inside her room.