Take My Breath Away

"All right, I'll let you be. Have a good time over there," Debbie said.

"I will. Bye, Mom," Evelyn replied.

Debbie hung up and turned to Miranda, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for her news about her granddaughter. "Piggy said she is fine. She is out having dinner."

"Did she sound happy?" Evelyn's mood was Miranda's biggest concern. She had been diagnosed with depression, after all. Everybody in the family was worried about her. They wanted her to be happy, above all.

Debbie reflected on the phone call. "She sounded relaxed. She said the food is delicious. I think she is happy, Mom," she said with a smile.

Miranda was relieved to hear that.

After Evelyn had finished talking to her mom on the phone, Sheffield bought her some steamed sweet potato with cheese.

She frowned at the smell of cheese.

He opened the foil. It was so hot that steam erupted from it. He spooned some and placed it near her lips. "Have a taste. There was a long line in front of the store. It should be delicious."

Evelyn shook her head. "I don't like it."

Sheffield was surprised. "The sweet potato or the cheese?"

"The cheese." She hated cheese.

Sheffield ate the entire thing without another word.

Evelyn had a lot of food. All snacks. Touching her huge belly, she said, "I'm stuffed."

She hadn't eaten so much in a long time.

"Are you sure? I can take you somewhere else for some staple food." Sheffield didn't think she had eaten much. He was worried that she wasn't used to these kinds of street foods.

"No, thanks. I'm too full already." She had always been strict with her diet while she was home, and took additional care with her dinners.

But now, she wasn't home. The restraints were lessened. And she was here on vacation, seeking relaxation and peace of mind. Deep down, she longed for some change of her lifestyle. And the snacks had looked too yummy to resist.

"Okay. Give me a minute." Sheffield quickly ate all the food that Evelyn couldn't finish, rinsed his mouth with some water and left the food street with her.

Next to the food street was the bar street, which came to life as night fell.

Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

"As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

uckled. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving you."

Evelyn blushed. "I wish you were."

After he left, she took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.

In less than two minutes, the singer finished his piece and got off the stage. A moment of silence followed, but it was soon broken by sudden screams. "Wow! He is so handsome!"

"Is he the new singer?"

"He is so hot!"

Evelyn heard the screams, but her mind was on Sheffield and she didn't pay attention to what was going on on the stage.

Then a familiar voice said, "This song is dedicated to my Evelina." There was no response from the woman. "Evelina... Please look at me!"

he said in such a sad, pleading tone that the screams turned into a fit of laughter instantly. The customers' eyes followed Sheffield's gaze and landed on Evelyn.

It was only then that she realized he was talking to her. She stared at him in disbelief.

She hadn't gotten used to her false name yet. She had thought that some other man was dedicating a song to his girlfriend.

Evelyn was so beautiful that the people around her couldn't take their eyes off of her anymore. Some men even bought her drinks.

A woman's male friend ordered a drink for Evelyn. No doubt that she got jealous. "She is that hot guy's girlfriend. They walked in hand in hand. You're wasting your money."

The man didn't care. "I'm not wasting money. It's an honor to buy a drink for a beautiful woman like her."