My Wife Is My Mistress

The newlyweds were overjoyed even though only a few of their guests attended their reception. Jane and her family, Jester and his parents, the emcee, organizer, godparents, and ten of Helson's business partners were the only ones who witnessed the event at that time. However, their wedding day plan was successful.

"Congratulations to the newlyweds, Jane and Jester."

"Wooh... wooh," they shouted.

"What is your wish Jane?" the emcee asked.

"I wish that I get pregnant right after the honeymoon. Hehehe," she said and giggled in joy on her face, while the groom did not react at all.

"How about you, Mr. Jester?"

He was hesitant to pick up the microphone because he was not prepared to say anything. However, he just thought quickly to just say something.

"I wish that our marriage will be prosperous. That's all."

Then, they both blew the candles on the cake and sliced it together afterwards. Their faces looked so happy and content in the eyes of the people who attended the wedding reception. However, no one knew their inner desires.

Way back in the year 2018, Jane was a third-year college student taking up a Bachelor of Science in Criminology at Ateneo De Manila University. She is a woman with great resiliency, bravery, and a full dedication to education. She grew up poor with her parents in the city of Manila.

Therefore, she was more reluctant to take such a course to defend herself, her family, and her nation, and, above all, to lift her former state of life out of poverty.

Meanwhile, Jester's race is known to be rich. He is handsome, well-liked on campus, and the smartest young man in the entire Department of Business Administration. Yes, he took a business course because that's what his parents liked. So, he tried to study even though he didn't like it. The real profession he wanted to finish was the police, because he wanted to serve the people.

Jane was in her third year of college and Jester was in his fourth year of college when they met by destiny at a party held by the college every February, "Hearts Day". They were the only ones who drew the colored match hearts that were selected from them one by one. At first, Jane was afraid to show her on-hand paper heart because she didn't want to pair with the young man standing in the middle. But when the man decided to speak, this was her reaction.

"Anyone who holds my heart?" the man asked in a joking way.

"Weeeeh," shouted the crowd.

"Haha, I'm just joking guys. In truth, who's the lucky woman who holds the same shape and color as my chosen paper heart?"

Everyone was silent and observed which woman would approach the man in front. But, no one dared to cheat on him, until they noticed the girl student who did not show her paper heart. Immediately, one student says, "Miss, where's your paper heart?"

She crossed her arms and said, "Ah... I threw it. Well, I'm not the lucky person. I had already checked it. It's not me."

The man beside her was confused about the explanation she gave, until later, a handsome man came to her and talked to her.

"Lady, can you show me your paper heart?" asked the man who was steadily staring at her.

Jane didn't resist him. That's why she just said the words, "Ahm... here."

She was afraid of the man, that's why she automatically gave the paper heart to him.

At that moment, she used to cover her face with her long hair.

"So, you are-" the man said with a pause.

Jane was restless then, as if she didn't know what to say to the questioner.

"Yeah, but no! That's not mine. I just... just... just held it a while ago. Yes, the girl beside me gave it to me. That's why..." she stammered in response to the man.

"That's why you lied to me. Hmm."

Then he smiled at her while snatching her arms and going to the middle of the stage. Jane refused to go over to him, but the man held her arms tightly.

They were surrounded by students captivated by the man's beauty, and all of them became jealous of Jane's position.

"Don't look at them, just be with me," he said nicely, while the girl remained uncalm.

"Okay."

Jane and Jester didn't look back at the students who teased them, but rather they danced like a couple, dated like true sweethearts, and talked like long-time friends. Jane learned to keep company with him in the whole day of the event.

When the day ended, the man started to approach the girl seriously.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for accompanying me throughout the whole event. Actually, I'm a lonely person, but you taught me to be happy."

Then, the man smiled at her while blinking his left eye.

"You're welcome, Mr.-"

"Jester Helson, that's my name and who are you?"

"Jane... Jane Briones."

The woman took a handshake. "Let's depart. I will take a step then." she continued.

"Okay, goodbye, take care."

While holding his helmet, his eyes would tell that he didn't want the woman to go.

"Bye, you too." She blinks her eyes.

Then, they both diverted to different destinations afterward.

A few days later, the semi-final examination date was announced on the bulletin board. Jane's group intentionally read the information written on the board with worry in their expressions.

"Oh, Henry, my friend, what should we do? I haven't saved any money yet for the upcoming payments for the examination. Huhuhu."

"Me too, Beshy. Maybe let's find a racket for the remaining days," suggested by her gay friend.

Lila was saddened by the examination schedule she read, so she thought of being negative. Friends often work part-time jobs in various hiring establishments, so sometimes they got tired of coming home. It used to be one month before the exam date was posted on the bulletin board, so they were usually prepared for it. But unfortunately, at that time, the admin's posting seemed to be urgent.

"My God! It takes a short time for us to work in Beshy. We can't make it," Lila said.

"You're so negative, Lila. Why?" Henry said while hitting her head not so hard.

Jane could not think of a good plan because of the noise of her two friends, so she stopped them from arguing and began to preach to them.

"Hey, stop it! Let's do Henry's plan. We, soon-to-be police officers, do not easily give up, right?"

"Yeah, fighting!"

They raised their hands as a sign of expressing their positivity. However, negative thoughts follow.

"But wait... where do we find such a large amount of money in just a short time?" asked Lila.

So, their energy suddenly fell.

Lila and Henry have been Jane's best friends since high school. They took the same course in college as their pledge not to leave each other.

A second later, a handsome man passed by, glancing at them.

"Oops, what's the problem with you?" the man asked them.

Everyone was stunned, as if they had seen an angel come down from heaven. The Tom Cruise-like face of the man caught the eyes of the three students. Who wouldn't be able to stop talking if a man with a white skin complexion from head to foot passed by in front of you, right? Well, all of them might be stuck, not only the three students, but all.

"Ahm... Jester, you're here. Actually, nothing. It's just a friend's problem," explained by Jane.

"Oh really? You lied again, hehe," Jester said.

He pulled back the three students and read the information on the bulletin they were hiding from him.

"Ooh, I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"

"No. Just continue reading," the gay man said while giggling himself to the highest.

He felt sorry for the three students, so he thought of a way to help them.

"Look, I think I can help you guys...Okay, follow me."

The rich man thought that his condo was dirty, so he would just let those students work so that they could pay for the exam. Otherwise, it would be even harder for him to find a cleaner.

Jane's group followed behind the campus sweetheart. Upon walking, the students they passed by were stunned, looking at them. They made rumors about what they saw without basis. All of those were heard by Jester's ear, but he endured it. For him, those words were nonsense.

Meanwhile, examination day started with bad news for Jane. She got a call from her mother. It's about her father's condition.

"Jane, your father is in the hospital." her mother said on the line.

"Are you serious, mom? How is he?" with a loud and vibrating voice.

"At this moment, the doctor gave him medicine to calm his inner pain, but I don't know if we can afford him here in a couple of days. I almost ran out of money."

"Don't worry mom, I will find a way."

"Okay Jane."

"I'll just call you later, mom. Take care of Papa, Goodbye. "

It had been hard for her to choose between her studies and her father's hospitalization, but she finally preferred to send her money to her family. It's the money she received from Jester, the time she and her friends got a light job in his place, that will be in the hands of her family.

It was almost time to start the examination. Lila (Jane's friend) noticed that her classmate Jane wasn't in the room yet.

Henry, who was busy retouching his make-up, was stopped when his friend Lila touched his hip with a finger. The gay man smirked for a moment and his foam from the powder had fell.

"Hey, Henry. Have you seen Jane?" Henry turned his head slowly and replied to his friend.

"No. Is she not here yet?"

Lila automatically replied back to her friend at a high volume of speaking.

"Obviously, look at her chair. It's vacant."

The gay man just sighed and looked at Jane's visible chair. They wonder why their friend will be absent on the day of the exam, which is not her attitude.

While the two friends of Jane kept worrying about her, someone was sighted outside the room using the window. It was Jester, who had checked Jane's attendance at that moment, but he saw nothing seated in her chair. However, a wave and a greeting welcomed him from the students watching him inside. He just waved back at them, then moved away, and went back to his room.

He was distracted by his mind's thoughts about where Jane went.

"Where did she go?" he asked himself while still imagining the latest moment with Jane.

Without an idea, he just kept on guessing Jane's whereabouts until the examination ended.

After one hour of traveling, Jane arrived at the hospital where her father was confined. She ran toward her father's room and checked the condition. She even asked for the doctor's results, which had not been released. Until an intern doctor entered their room to give the results of a few tests he had done.

"Your father suffered... COPD is a disease that has no cure now, but we can give him medicine for today's treatment. This is just to help him stay calm during the attack of the disease. Fortunately, the patient is stable for now, so you don't need to worry," the doctor said.

She felt relieved to know that her father was safe, as if she didn't have any insight about the disease.

"Jane, why are you here? You are supposed to study at your school and take your exam today," her father tearfully said.

Jane took his hand while rubbing it smoothly.

"Father, you are the most important thing to me. Don't worry about my studies. I will cope with them later, okay?"

Even though she wanted to cry, she pulled it back in order not to face her father solemnly.

"Jane, my daughter," whispered his father.

"Pa, take a rest and I will be right here. Stop talking, just rest well. All is well."

And she rubbed her thumb on her father's hand to ease the pain and to help him sleep well.

Jane's father suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), classified as one of the most serious and dangerous respiratory illnesses, and COPD is the number one problem in most pulmonology offices. Though the doctors gave the patient an initial treatment, Jane knew the possible outcomes explained by the hospital.

A few seconds later, someone texted Jane.

"Beshy, what happened to you? Is there a problem?" text message sent by Henry.

"Well, I'm sorry for not informing you and Lila. I'm in the hospital now," she replied.

"Who is in an emergency?" replied Henry.

"My father, I spent all my money, including my allowance, on his bill at the hospital. That's why I couldn't take the semi-finals examination," Jane's message to Henry.

"I understand. Just give the hospital's name and address and we will go there after class."

"Rodriguez Hospital, in front of SM Mall, beside RD Pawnshop."

"Copy. Take care beshy."

Then, she took a deep breath after the call. She didn't expect that there were a lot of good people in the world who were ready to help her in times of encountering burdens in life.

Two hours later, a group of people came to the hospital where Jane's father had been confined. One man left for the cashier section to pay for the bill and the other two had met Jane at the information area.

"Beshy, how's your father?" Lila asked.

"He's in a stable state now."

"Oh, that's good. By the way, don't worry about the bill from your father. There's someone who paid for it."

Her eyes glazed over suddenly at the good news she had heard. Her family was really struggling with the hospital bill, so she was excited to know who was a kind-hearted man willing to help them.

Then she asked to clarify, "Who?"

"Guess who?" Henry replied with a smile on his face.

Jane's expression changed for a while, thinking about what kind of person would be willing to help her family? And who is he?

"Dave Morrison? Is that you?" she called the man in a soft voice and in a surprised manner.

"Jane." The man hugged her and continued asking, "How are you now?"

"Well, I have lots of problems in my life, especially right now. My father is-"

"I knew it. Just relax, I'm here to help. I hope your friends told you about the bill."

She motioned her eyes to her friends, as if she wanted to know something about the bill. But, Dave noticed it.

"Okay, don't just stare at them. I had already paid your father's bills. Thanks to them (Jane's friends) that they saw me outside your school.

Actually, I was about to see you at that time, but since your classmates recognized me as your childhood friend, I took them for a ride here. That's how I knew everything. Good thing that I will be able to help you," David explained briefly.

Jane's heart was touched by what her childhood friend had said, so she wholeheartedly thanked and hugged him.

"Thank you so much, David."

"You're welcome, Jane."

"Totototototo," the call ringtone on Janes' mobile phone.

Speaking of another Angel, Jane's phone started ringing loudly, as someone called her mobile number. The noise bothered her and didn't want to answer a phone call from a random stranger so she wanted to decline it. But Lila grabbed her phone and answered the call herself.

She made a sign language explaining Lila to divert the conversation.

"She's busy talking to her childhood best friend, and why?"

Then, Lila's eyes kept on sighting Jane's sign language.

"I'm just... kinda... asking about her absence from school a while ago," replied by the other line.

"Ahm, Jest. I think she can't talk to you right now. Maybe later, or if she comes back to school?"

Although the man was hesitant to hang up the phone, he chose to just agree with the person he was talking to.

"Right.Okay bye."

Lila dropped the phone with a big yes in her shout and gave it back to Jane while Jester was disappointed because he couldn't even talk to Jane. He admitted that he really missed the young woman.

Five minutes later, the younger sister of Jane approached them. She was in a hurry to deliver a message to her sister.

"Sister, our father has been revived by the doctors."

"Ha?" Jane asked in shock mode.

They immediately ran towards their father's room. But nevertheless, she was restricted from going in because the patient was in an unstable state or revival state. They just watched in the mirror outside the room how the doctors revived their father.

Due to a sudden shock, her mother collapsed and fell to the floor. Fortunately,

Dave was there to help Jane's mother. He carried the old woman to the vacant room provided by the doctor.

After thirty minutes of revival, the doctors finally came out and said, "We did our best to regain his consciousness, but he is in a critical stage. I'm sorry for your loss."

Her tears heavily flowed while begging for another test of revival. The pain inside her tripled as the pain she had in the past. It's going to be an endless pain for her.

"No! Papa no! I'm begging you doc, please heal my father. Let him live!" begged Jane, who was in the highest sentimental mode.

"Young woman, I am only a doctor. To revive him was my duty, but he didn't make it. Only God can handle your father's life. I'm sorry," said the doctor, who was calm at that time.

Jane didn't want to show she was weak, but when she felt the doctor was no longer interested in reviving her father, her cluster of tears suddenly flowed beyond her control. Even though the situation was hopeless, she still begged the doctor to listen to her grievance.

"No! Doc, you can revive him more. Just do it one more time, please?" She was in hard-breathed in this line.

"I'm sorry. I have to go," said the doctor, who then left them all alone.

She ran to him and kneeled for his pity while saying, "Doc, please... please?"

But, the doctor didn't listen to her anymore even though she was still shouting and begging for her father's life revival.

She cried and cried even more without hesitation. No one could stop her no matter what they said to her. She didn't calm down again, but rather became aggressive and emotional.

"Papa? How could you do this to us?" sobbed Jane as her friends comforted her. At this time, she has no choice but to lean herself on a friend's shoulder.

No matter how hard it was for the family, they continued living and gave their father a good burial. Their mother endured the pain all by herself and ordered the family to take her husband to the cemetery peacefully.

One week later, Briones' family gradually accepted their father's death. The young woman also decided to stop studying because there was no one to support her and she thought more about working for the family's needs. Her mother also can't work because she has a goiter. So, her eagerness to support the needs of the family was fully decided.

At school, Jester always went to Jane's room, but he noticed that she didn't come in anymore. Sometimes, almost all the women he would meet, he imagined Jane's face on them. He was almost crazy about finding the girl's whereabouts, until one day, he saw Jane's friends while walking in a hurry.

They looked like they were avoiding him.

"Hey, hey, hey. Where are you going? Why do you seem to be avoiding me?" he asked the two, who then seemed to ignore him.

The two friends were ready to run, but the man blocked them.

"Where are you going?" he asked emphatically.

"You, Henry, why aren't you with Jane anymore? After I helped you with your exam fees, why did you suddenly humiliate me? Answer me?"

He looked so angry, but the two just kept quiet.

"My God! These two are also tough. They don't want to answer. I'll just see if you can't answer if I say I'll pay the professors here to drop you in your subjects."

The two were frightened by Jester's threat, so the gay spoke up.

"Jester," he said.

"What?" the man shouted angrily.

"It's too bad if you can just shout. Here it is..." Henry clarified. "Jane is gone," he added.

"Huh? How come she's gone? Why? Is she dead?" the young man was worried as he shrugged Henry's shoulder.

"Wait, I'm hurt."

"What is it?" Jester asked again.

"Lila will explain to you."

Afterward, Lila explained everything that had happened in the few days why Jane hadn't been able to go to school. The young man understood this, so he immediately went to his car and turned it on quickly.

Not far away, Jester has reached the address and the name of the hotel given by the girl's friends. It is where Jane works as one of the employees. He just thought of pretending to be a customer to check in, in order to see the girl.

As soon as he entered, his eyes were stunned seeing the beauty of the staff. It was a woman's short dress that suited her skin complexion and her light make-up attracted him.

And before he approached it, he first fixed himself and took a deep breath.

"I can do it," he said to himself.