"CLAIRE, why are you hiding here?" Mom asked as she walked towards me. I was sitting on the kitchen island while eating tacos.
"And what are you eating?" She frowned as her eyes drifted to the plate of tacos in front of me. I brought them with me after leaving the office.
Since this morning, I started to have this weird cravings. I remembered Jenna's weird face earlier when I asked her to buy me a burrito and chocolate ice cream for lunch earlier.
"Tacos," I said. "I'll just finish before I head out."
I gave my mother a smile. She looked regally elegant with her wine colored dress paired with pearl necklace.
"Alright, Claire. Head out soon. Some of my constituents are looking for you," she said before leaving me alone.
I let out a sigh. Damn. Me being pregnant out of wedlock would be a scandal. It would surely jeopardize my mother's political campaign. Besides, there's my father's fragile health.
I really needed to find Adam soon.
And what will you say to the man? Ask him to marry you, even though everything that happened between you was just pure lust?
Damn! I finished my blue marmalade and fixed myself. I headed out to the garden where the party was happening. I immediately saw a bunch of familiar faces, most of them were famous politicians in the country and some were businessmen supporting my mothers candidacy. I also spotted some of our relatives; I wondered if Marcus was already here.
"Claire, darling," Mrs. Manzano approached with a smile on her botoxed face. She was one of my mother's constituents. Her husband was the current mayor of this city. "You're getting prettier." She said, giving me a look.
I was wearing a black sweetheart dress and stiletto. Being born to this family required me to always be presentable all the damn time.
"Thanks, Sharlene." I gave her a smile. "You looked younger than the last time I saw you."
"Oh, darling. Must be the air I inhale in Bali." She replied with a laugh.
Shit. I stopped myself from frowning when her perfume hit my nose. I immediately excuse myself from her. Damn. I went to the buffet table and picked up a piece of cheese crackers.
"Hey…" I turned my head to the side and saw Chrome beside me. My younger brother arrived last week from the States. He'd spend his spring break here in the Philippines.
"Mom says you're eating taco earlier, Sis. And now this?" He pursed his lips as he looked at the platter of crackers and cheese I was holding. "Since when did you like food this much?"
I frowned at Chrome who was obviously teasing me. "Shut up, Chrome."
He chuckled then grabbed two wine glass from the waiter who walked past us. "Here," he said, handing me the other glass. "This goes well with cheese." He winked.
"I can't drink wine."
"What?" Chrome frowned at me, his face confused. He smelled the glass of wine in his hand. "But this is Pinot. Your favorite."
I cleared my throat. "I… uh I have acid reflux," I said, which was true. It was my real diagnosis, not stomach cancer.
"I didn't know you can't drink wine when you have acid reflux," he said with a creased forehead. But then he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. I'll just drink this myself."
"Nah. Give it to me, Chrome."
Marcus suddenly entered the scene. Like the others, he was wearing a formal coat and tie.
He grabbed the wine glass from Chrome and sipped from it.
"You came alone?" I asked him. "No date for tonight?"
He chuckled at me. "I came here with Monique. Where's Aunt Carmela?"
"Just look for her around." I scrunch my nose when I smelled something I didn't like. "What's that smell?"
"Huh?"
I stilled when I noticed a passing waiter holding a tray with a caviar in it. Shit. I immediately covered my nose with my palm.
"Charity?" Chrome asked me. I saw Marcus was lookin at me with squinted eyes.
"I don't feel well. I leave you two here alone," I told them, avoiding Marcus' eyes. Before any of them could speak, I already turned my back and hurriedly walked out of the party.
I almost dropped myself to the tiled floor of the restroom after I threw up everything I ate that day. Damn. I needed to arrange a schedule with my OB immediately. I didn't know if this was still normal.
It took me a moment before I regained my strength. I was currently reapplying my ruined lipstick when I heard a knock on the door.
I was welcomed by Marcus' and his serious face.
"What?" I asked him, trying to act calm as if my heart wasn't beating fast inside my chest.
"Is this why you've been moody these past few days?"
"W-what are you talking about, Marcus?"
"Don't dare lie to me, Claire. You're pregnant, aren't you?"
"Who's pregnant?"
Marcus and I both turned to my mother who was standing a few meters away from us.

"DO you really think we can find him here?" Marcus asked me as we stepped down off his car.
We were at the parking lot of Tribe Lounge, the bar where I met Adam. I already went to his apartment yesterday, but he wasn't there. The landlord told me it's been a month since he last saw Adam. Then I remembered he told me that he likes traveling.
Damn. I needed to find him and present him to my parents this weekend. That's what I had promised to my mother.
"Are you pregnant, Claire?"
I shut my eyes before I slowly nodded to my mother. "Yeah… I just found out the other day…" I took a deep breath before I opened my eyes. I saw my mother's half confused and half troubled face.
"H-how did this happen?" Mom gasped for air. "I mean…w-who's the father of that child, Claire?"
"I…" I wanted to tell her the truth. That this was just a result of a reckless one night stand. But I couldn't disappoint my parents. Not now.
"I have a boyfriend, Mom," I swallowed as I looked down. I couldn't meet her gaze. "I'm sorry for keeping this to you, but I'm seeing someone."
"What's his name, Claire?"
I bit my lower lip. "H-his name's Adam. And we've been together for almost a year now."
I heard my mother sigh. "And now you're pregnant. What are your plans? You know this is a very crucial time for us, Claire. The public can't know that you're pregnant out of wedlock."
I looked at my mother. She was facing back and forth the study as if thinking of something. "My political opponents would feast on it." She turned to me. "And what will your father say? You know how conservative he is."
I sucked in a breath. "Don't worry, Ma. Adam and I already talked. He said he'd face the family and would ask for your permission to marry me."
I bit my tongue after saying the biggest lie I've ever told in my life.
"Oh. That's good. Invite him for dinner this weekend."
"Come on, Claire." Marcus looked at me. "Let's get inside."
I shook my head as I remained leaning on the body of the car. "I can't. I can't handle the cigarette smoke."
"Fine. Give me a picture of him and I'll try to ask around."
I pursed my lips. "I…I don't have his picture."
"What? You didn't even get his picture in those three days you spent with him?"
I rolled my eyes at him. "We were busy fucking, Marcus. Do you think I'd bother to ask for a picture?"
My cousin winced. "Fine. Just tell me what he looks like."
"Tall around 6 feet, slightly long and wavy hair." I cleared my throat. "He has a tribal tattoo on his left arm and a dragonfly on his collarbone."
I waited for Marcus for almost an hour before he went back outside.
"What?"
"The bartender knows him but he isn't there."
I let out a deep breath. "Let's go." I opened the door of his car.
"Where?"
"We have one more place to go."
"Eclipse Ink?" Marcus read the name of the tattoo shop in front of us. "Is this where you got his tattoo?"
"Yeah," I said. "The owner of this shop is friends with Adam. I already went the other day but only the assistant was here."
The moment we entered the shop, I already spotted Arthur.
"Welcome to Eclipse—Hey, Claire, right?" He smiled when he saw me.
I managed to smile at him. "Y-yeah." I didn't expect he'd still remember me.
"Are you getting another tattoo?"
"No. I'm actually here to talk to you."
"Why are you looking for Adam?" Arthur asked me, his arms crossed while leaning on a table. We were inside his private office. "Did he commit any crime?"
My eyes widened a bit as I shook my head. "No. I just needed to talk to him. Do you happen to know where he is? I already went to his apartment but he wasn't there."
"I'm sorry, Claire. Adam's in Kyoto right now. He went there two weeks ago."
"Kyoto? What's he doing there?"
"I heard he's attending an artist conference."
"Doesn't he work or something."
The man frowned at me. "Didn't Adam tell you he's a freelance artist?"
"Really?"
"He mostly sculpts, but he also does commission paintings."
So, that's what he does. He's an artist.
"Do you have any idea when he'll be back?"
"I don't know, Claire. You see, Adam's spontaneous."
I bit my lower lip as I took out a calling card on my bag. "Can you give me a call when he's back? Please. I just really need to talk to him." And I hope he comes back this week.
"Alright." He smiled at me as he picked up my card.