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Luckily, Friday was so hectic no one asked about the manuscript. My family celebrated Christmasbirthdaynewyearpalooza in chronological order, which meant I was thrown into Christmas festivities the second I landed. After I dropped my luggage off in my childhood bedroom and took a quick shower, I helped my mom and brothers make our traditional holiday feast—bibingka rice cakes, pancit bihon noodles, lechon manok spit-roasted chicken, buko pandan salad, lumpiang ubod spring rolls stuffed with shrimp, vegetables, coconut, and pork.
Byhelp, I meant chop vegetables and wash dishes. Sadly, my talent in the kitchen rivaled only my ability to run a four-minute mile for nonexistence.
Food preparations bled into the actual meal, followed by a gift exchange in which we all had to guess the presents before we opened them. It was a whirlwind of laughter, alcohol, and merriment and the last night we spent together as a family before it all went to hell.
The next morning, we crowded in the living room for my mom’s birthday, tired but upbeat. For the most part anyway.
Nerves rattled in my veins as my mother made her way through her pile of gifts. Gabriel sat next to her, handing her a new item whenever she finished oohing and aahing over the previous one.
Romero, Miguel, Felix, and I were squeezed onto the couch opposite them—Felix doodling in his sketchpad, Romero fidgeting with his watch, and Miguel sprawled wide, looking like death warmed over. He’d drank the most last night.
My lola and lolo occupied the corner. Every few minutes, my lolo would nod off and my lola would smack his arm, jerking him awake.
“Oh, this is lovely.” My mother held the hand-painted crescent moon necklace from Felix up to the light. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said easily. “I thought it would be fitting, considering it’s both your and the company’s birthday.”
Hiraya Hotels’ logo was a crescent moon and four stars, one for each Valencia child. Its twenty-fifth anniversary was at the end of the month.
Felix was adopted, but he was the most thoughtful one of us all.
“Oh,iho.” My mother hugged him, her eyes shimmering with emotion. She’d been best friends with Felix’s parents before their deaths, and sometimes, she overcompensated for their absence by lavishing extra care and attention on him.
Neither my brothers nor I resented them for it. We loved Felix as much as she did, and we were equally guilty of giving him special treatment. We knew what it was like to lose one parent; we couldn’t imagine losing both.
“Isabella’s is the last one,” Gabriel said, handing my mother a large, gaily wrapped box. He flicked an unreadable glance at me.
No one had mentioned theNational Staror Kai since I arrived. As a rule, we didn’t discuss negative topics during Christmas or Lunar New Year celebrations, which left today as the exception.
My nerves intensified, scraping my insides raw. I wished Kai were here, but I didn’t want my failure to taint his first meeting with my family. He had enough problems of his own to deal with, and I couldn’t always use him as a buffer. I needed to face the music on my own.
“Stop jiggling your foot,” Miguel moaned from next to me. “You’re shaking the couch and giving me a headache.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have drunk so much sangria last night,” I said. “I thinkthat’syour problem, not my foot jiggling.”
He mumbled something that sounded like a curse mixed with a groan.
“Isa, this is wonderful!” My mother admired the luxe gift box I’d bought from her favorite spa resort in Palawan. It consisted of a full range of toiletries, skincare, and their signature perfume. The resort didn’t sell the box online, so I’d had to ask one of my cousins in the Philippines to buy it and ship it to me. “I’ve been meaning to buy this. I’m almost out of the perfume.”
“Perfect timing then.” I mustered a smile, praying no one asked about theothergift I was supposed to give her today.
Move on. Move on. Move—
“Yes, it’s very nice.” Gabriel’s crisp voice interrupted my silent prayers. “But I believe Isa has another gift.”
My mother’s brow furrowed. Miguel lifted his head while my lolo cracked one eye open, roused by the prospect of drama. Seven gazes pinned me to the spot like a bug on the wall.
Saliva turned to sawdust in my mouth.
“What other gift?” A line of puzzlement dug between Romero’s brows.
“Her book that she’s been working on for the past three years.” Gabriel didn’t take his eyes off mine. “You said you’d have the complete manuscript for us today, didn’t you?”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each heartbeat hammered so high in my throat I thought I might choke on it. My fingers curled around the edge of the couch as a bead of sweat trickled down my spine.
Part of me wanted to sink into the ground and never come back out; another part wanted to punch my brother and knock the knowing expression off his face.
