You're the ONE I need
Fifteen

They arrived at his husband's friend's cruise ship.

She could tell that she was surrounded by wealthy people.

By the looks of their expensive clothing. She doesn't know which family she came from, but she could recognize the branded materials from locally made. There were only a few people aboard a cruise.

Maybe only close friends and relatives of his husband's friend are there.

Upon entering the cruise, she felt dizzy. It seems that she couldn't breathe.

"Sweetheart, are you OK? You're so pale," her husband asked her nervously

He guided her to sit on a couch, not so far from the entrance.

Then her husband left him for a while and came back.

The next thing that happened was that he was holding a bottle of water and gave it to her.

She sipped a little. Then she takes another sip.

He noticed a man walking to where they were. He greeted her husband.

They talked for awhile.

Even if she feels dizzy, she could hear when he said that he thought he's married to a woman named Margot.

Who is Margot?

He never mentioned her.

He pretended that she didn't hear it.

Then her husband moves to her and helps her stand up.

"I'll introduce you to my friend; he's the owner of this cruise," he whispered.

She stood up.

"By the way, Jason, this is my wife. Clarissa Lizbeth or just Lizzy. Lizzy, this is Jason; he's the owner of this cruise." Her husband introduces them with each other

"Nice to meet you, Lizzy; I hope you'll enjoy this trip," Jason said and suddenly kissed her in both cheeks.

She stiffened because no one has ever kissed her aside from Leandro, her husband. She composed herself and replied.

"Sure we will; we'll see you around Jason," she said, smiling.

When Jason left, she wanted to ask him about Margot.

Why he married her and not Margot? Who is she in his life?

But instead of asking him, she asked his permission if she could go up to the deck.

She wants to dismiss the questions in her mind.

But they both agreed that they would live in the present and leave the past in the past.

When Leandro said that she could go up and told her that he would join her later, she went upstairs to the deck.

But when she started walking towards the railing, she could feel she's losing oxygen.

There's only a few people up the deck. There are blurry images in her brain, but she cannot grasp the whole of it. It seems that this event happened in the past. She looked far in the ocean to think if she'd been there before. When suddenly the cruise swayed and she screamed. so loud that few people that were there looked at her.

They are puzzled by her action. She looked at them; they seemed fine.

She clung to the railing.

She was screaming, crying, and calling Clarissa's name.

"My ring!"

\---

She woke up in a luxurious room. It was not large but elegant.

She wondered why she was lying in that room when all she could remember was that she was on a cruise and it suddenly went wrong.

She knew she had drowned because her eyes could clearly see that the cruise was slowly sinking.

She just closed her eyes to pray.

Is she dead? Is she in heaven?

She blinks her eyes, then she moves her head slowly, and then she sees a man seated in a chair staring at her.

She sat down immediately.

"Who are you?" she asked in her trembling voice.

"Am I dead? Am I in heaven?"

She pinches her arms to check if she is really dead.

It's painful.

She could feel her skin.

The man slowly walks towards her.

"I'm Leandro, your husband," he said

Panic stricken her.

How did that happen? She remembered she was going to marry Franco. Franco is Filipino, not a white man. This person in front of her is not a Filipino, and he told her he is her husband. Another man came in the room; it's also white.

"Is she awake?" the man asked him

He just nodded yes.

"I think you bring her back first; it's better for her to be in the land. Sailing might not be good for here right now," the man said

She looked at both of the men.

"Lizzy, follow your husband; you too must go home first so that you can talk all about it. He will explain to you everything. He's a good guy; you can trust him," the man told me.

"I--- I'm. I'm not Lizzy," she said in a small voice.

"I'm--- I'm Lorraine Salvador," she continued

"Lorraine, I'm Jason, and this man is Leandro. You were married to him." The man named Franco extended his hand for a handshake.

She accepted it. Then she turned her gaze to the other man who introduced her as her husband.

His eyes were sad.

She told him everything that had happened that day at the cruise.

She told him that she was about to marry her fiance named Franco. But since he has many things to finish, he let her sail alone. She met a woman named Clarissa and told her that she hadn't experienced being engaged. So she let her borrow her ring. Then all of a sudden the cruise ship began to sway. Before she gets back the ring from Clarissa's finger, the cruise is beginning to sink.

The man is listening to her every word.

She could sense that he was a good person.

"We better go back to the villa," he suggested.

She agrees with him. Jason also said before he left that sailing might not be a good thing for her right now.

After they said goodbye to Jason, they headed outside the cruise.

Leandro guided her towards the car that was parked in a parking area just outside the port.

He opened a door for her, and after she finally seated, he carefully buckled her seatbelt.

She smelled those familiar scents when he buckled her seatbelt.

She knew these men. She could feel it. Her heart knew him.

"Would you tell me more how I ended here with you?" she asked him

"I will, Cara. I will tell you everything," he said

His breath never escaped from her nostrils; it gave her a sensation that made her stomach flutter.

He called her Cara.

She heard that endearment from Italian.

When she's buckled up, Leandro walks towards the driver side. He buckles up and turns the engine on.

When they reached the villa, she felt like she was part of this place. He parked the car. and he opened his door and went to her side and opened a door for her.

He held her hands as she came down from the car. He is the most gentleman she knew. She couldn't help but compare it to Franco.

He keyed in the combination lock of the door, and he guided her inside. They both sit down on a sofa. He never let go of her hand, but she never protested.