Querida

Annie took a deep breath as she pressed her face against the cold window of the bus. It was raining and the rainwater made it hard for her to clearly see the scenery outside. But she can make out the shape of the trees and the green grass.
Cadenza is a small quiet farming village. There are only about 200 inhabitants, the houses where mostly wooden huts except for a few concrete spanish villas owned by the few rich families in the village. The houses were far from each other and there were no other buildings on sight, and there were no cars. The only vehicles were motorcycles.
The village life is far from what she was used to. Good, at least Dino won't find me here. That thought saddened her. It was her decision to leave without saying goodbye to Dino Sandoval, the man she loved with all her heart. She met Congressman Dino Sandoval two years ago at a party held at her father's house. Her father was still the Mayor of Manila then. She remembered meeting Dino's eyes for the first time, he has dark piercing eyes that made her heart skip a beat though he is at least fifteen years older than her.
She was eighteen then and she had just started college and no other man had ever made her feel this way.
Dino seemed to be attracted to her too. He was the one who approached her.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mayor Alegre's beautiful daughter, you're Annie, aren't you? He said as soon as he was close enough.
"Y-yes. G-good evening, Sir." She blushed and silently scolded herself for stuttering.
He smiled and his eyes twinkled with amusement. He had a nice smile that brightened his face. He must be at least six feet tall, lean but muscular with tanned skin. His dark blue suit suited him. Though she had seen him a couple of times in the news, she did not feel anything then. But his presence had a powerful effect on her.
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Ms. Alegre. Mayor Alegre is so proud of you, he talks about your achievements all the time." 
"I do my best to make him proud." She avoided his eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her nervous.
"You're nervous. Don't worry, I don't bite." He joked.
She shyly smiled at him.
"Well, maybe a dance would make you relax. What do you think?" He asked her.
"I... I would love to." She finally looked at his eyes once more and she felt the air crackled with electricity, making her shiver.
He offered his hand and she took it and that dance started it all.
Of course, she knew he was married and that he had two children but she can't resist him at least not that time. He sent her flowers at school, he treats to expensive restaurants but most of all he listens to her, he accepts for who she is, he loves her unconditionally. He was proud of her and he never hid their relationship from the public. Even when people talked and criticized him for having a scandalous relationship with a girl only a few years older than his eldest son.
"You are a lovely girl, my love. Everyone should know about you. They should know how much I love you." He told her.
She loved him even more for that. But her family was not happy with the relationship.
"You stop this stupidity, hija or you'll regret it." Her father warned her. She sat in her father's office, her hands were trembling, her Father rarely gets angry but when he does, it was not a good sight. There is a dangerous glint in his eyes and though he was already in his forties, he still looked formidable with his thick muscular body.
"Please don't hurt him, Papa. He loves me, he does." She begged.
"Oh, is that so? Does he love you enough to leave his wife?" Her father sneered.
She bowed her head. She had been Dino's lover for six months but they never talk about his wife or his family.
"Well, does he?" Her father pressed on.
She wanted to say yes but she was never a good liar.
"H-he might..." She answered in a small voice.
"Ha! If this madness continues, I'm sending you back to your mother." Her father threatened her.
That threat made her blood run cold. Her mother lived in England with her new family. Anita Alcantara is a happy and contented woman, enjoying her life with her husband and two lovely children. She would not want anything to do with her eldest child who brought shame to the family. Besides, the last time she saw her mother was 10 years ago when she married James Holmes and though Annie talked to her once in a while, they were never close.
Annie cried, once again feeling unwanted and abandoned, a feeling she knew very well as she had been feeling it almost her whole life. She ran to her lover's arms to seek reassurance and love.
"I will not allow them to take you away from me." Dino promised her as she lay in his arms in the luxurious hotel room.
She waited for him to say something about his wife but he did not. Instead he kissed her and his touch made her forget everything.
Their relationship continued until her stepmother finally sent her away.
"I've had enough! If you're content to live like a whore then stay out of my house!" Her stepmother shouted at her. Annie quietly accepted the insults shouted at her as she packed her bags. Of course, Dino was the first one she called.
He was cool and he told her to relax. He had her picked up and sent to his condominium.
"Don't worry, my love. This will all pass. Your father loves you so much, he would forgive us eventually and he    will understand." Dino assured her.
She looked up at him.
"Do you love me, Dino?" She asked him.
"You know I do. Never doubt how I feel for you." He answered, she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Yes, he does love her but does he love her enough to spend the rest of his life with her?
She wanted to ask him but she was afraid, what if he chose his family over her, would she be able to live with the pain?
She was a coward, yes, she knew that. She's afraid of getting hurt, afraid of losing people she love, afraid of being alone.
She has so many fears that she tried to ignore but sometimes she can't. Her inner monsters were just too strong.
But Dino's love soothed her. His presence calms her, he made her feel special and he promised that he would never leave her and that was enough.
She stayed in Dino's condominium and he visited her at least three times a week. More often than not, he spent the night with her. He provided for her, and when her father stopped paying for her college education, Dino was there to help her.  Their relationship continued for a year with Annie still hoping that he would leave his family for her.
That did not happen. One day, Dino's wife visited her. Annie recognized her, of course. Lyda Montereal is a well-known woman who came from a rich, famous family. Annie braced herself, she expected accusations and anger.
What she did not expect was for the woman to cry in front of her.
"I know you love him and I cannot blame you. He is a charming man, a good man, it is easy to fall in love with him." She sobbed.
Annie waited patiently. If Lyda begs her to leave Dino, she would say no. He meant so much to her.
"All I ask of you is that if he leaves me, please treat my children as if they are your own. Please don't make them feel unwelcome. It's okay for me to lose my husband to you but please, don't take away my children's father."
That was not what Annie expected either. She was quiet for a long time, finally she looked at Lyda.
"Do you love him?" She asked.
"Yes, I do. I love him very much." She can see the truth in Lyda's eyes.
"Then, why aren't you fighting for him?"
"I don't want to be selfish. I want him to be happy. I love him enough to let him go." Lyda smiled sadly.
"You're letting him go?" Annie repeated in surprise.
"Yes, you make him happy, Annie. Please promise me that you'll love my children as much as you can. They're good kids, easy to love, just like their Dad. They'll never give you trouble. They'll probably spend their weekends with you once the annulment is done." Lyda babbled on as tears streamed down her cheeks. Annie bowed her head.
"If it comes to that, I promise that I'll love them like my own." She said.
Lyda smiled.
"Thank you. Thank you." Lyda reached out and gripped her hand before leaving.
Annie closed her eyes then she moved looked out of the window. She saw the black car that Lyda owned parked in front of the building. She saw two children emerged from the car as Lyra approached. A girl and a boy, they both hugged their mother.
Annie felt hot tears streaked down her cheeks.
Her memories flashing before her eyes. Anita Montealegre telling her that she'll be living with her father after the marriage.
"Aren't you excited, Annie? You keep on bugging me about your Father and now you're going to live with him. Oh, sweetheart, you're going to enjoy it. You'll live in a huge house, there will be servants serving you, unlike this place." Anita gestured around their tidy flat. It was small but cozy and it felt like home then. The only home Annie knew then. She had cried and beg her mother to let her stay but to no avail. After the wedding, she was brought to the airport where her father was waiting. After the tearful meeting and the farewells were over, they boarded the plane and went home.
Annie recalled her first meeting with her stepmother, Stephanie. An intimidating woman, she was thin but tall with a face that belongs in a magazine cover.
"You should always be good. Your father is a well-known politician, and your actions will affect his image, always be mindful with everything you do and say. Do you understand?" She asked.
All Annie could do was nod. She wanted to cry and call for her mother but she's too far away.
More memories flooded her mind, her mother at first, calling almost everyday but it eventually dwindled. After the birth of her half brother, the calls came at least once or twice a month.
She remembered always feeling like an outsider in her Father's family. Stephanie's sons and daughter were not told to watch themselves, any misbehavior were excused.
"Kids will be kids." Stephanie said everytime the boys did something bad.
But she, Annie, was not allowed to be a kid. She was closely watched by her stepmother. Everyday she felt like she was walking on thin ice where one wrong move will plunge her into cold, icy water and she'll drown. Everytime she accepted  from her Father's family felt like accepting help from charity.
She remembered feeling lost, as if she does not belong anywhere, not in her mother's family nor in her father's family. She was someone floating on water, grasping for something she can hold on to, looking for land but finding nothing but the vast ocean.
Annie wiped her tears. She had decided and before she can change her mind, she wrote a letter and left it on the dining table.
Then, with trembling fingers, she dialed her Father's number. He answered after the third ring.
"Annie?"
"Papa...." She whispered.
"I'll pick you up."  His voice was warm, concerned. There was no hint anger, just love.
Annie's tears fell once more.

It was her father who suggested that she should visit her uncle and his family in Cadenza.
"You need fresh air and new environment, hija. You should also get to know your cousins better. This mess will all be over. Don't worry." Her father told her. She agreed. A new environment where there are no reminders of Dino might do her good.

"We're here, dear." A kind voice brought Annie back to the present. She turned to see an old lady with a round face, and kind dark brown eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just lost in thought." She said and smiled at the kindly old lady.
The lady handed her a clean handkerchief.
She stared in confusion.
"You were crying." The old lady said.
She touched her cheeks, it was wet with tears.
"Thank you." She accepted the handkerchief.
The old lady smiled.
"Just be strong, dear. There is always a rainbow after the rain. Well, I should be going now, my grandchildren are waiting for me." The lady smiled before leaving.
Annie sighed before joining the throng people on their way out of the bus.
When she was outside, she realized that the rain had stopped and when she looked up, she saw a rainbow arcing from the sky to the mountain.
She smiled. It was a rainbow of hope. Signifying a new chapter in her life.