The Billionaire I Married by Mistake

3. TICKET

|Katherine|

The moment I stepped through the front door of my flat, my phone started buzzing relentlessly—call after call from my grandfather. He didn’t even give me a second to breathe. I didn’t bother answering. Instead, I flicked it into airplane mode without hesitation. It was the only way to silence him.

I needed peace.

The second I reached my bedroom, I made a beeline for the bathroom. My heels clacked against the floor as I undressed, piece by piece, letting my clothes fall where they may. I turned on the faucet and waited until steam curled into the air before stepping into the tub.

A deep, weary sigh slipped from my lips the moment the warm water embraced me. The heat seeped into my skin, soothing every sore muscle, every tender ache that pulsed beneath the surface. It was comforting—just what I needed.

God, my body was aching in places I hadn’t expected.

My cheeks burned despite the hot water. As much as I tried to relax, the memory of last night kept flickering at the edges of my mind, vivid and intrusive. His hands. His mouth. His weight over me. The way I had surrendered so completely. Shame prickled across my skin like static.

I pressed my thighs together beneath the water and cursed under my breath.

I could still feel him.

“Unbelievable,” I whispered, biting my lip. “I actually let it happen.”

Of all the men who had tried—begged, even—to get me into bed, I had always said no. Always. But with him? One night, one reckless moment, and I folded like paper in the rain.

Was I that drunk? Or just that desperate for something…?

I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the tub, letting the water rise just above my ears, muffling the noise of the world. I needed to clear my head—get a grip. Think about anything else. Like what to pack for my trip to Cebu.

That wedding invite was the only real excuse I gave to my grandfather. Not a lie, technically. But definitely a convenient cover for why I wasn’t jumping at his demand to “come home.”

The truth? I didn’t want to go back. Not even a little.

I’d rather stay here in Manila—where the city pulsed with life, where the nights were long, the parties endless, and the shopping divine. My life was here, not in that sleepy little province he still called home. What was even left there for me? Dusty memories and outdated malls? And I have some grave memories in that province, so I'd better stay away from that place.

I spent my childhood in the warm, quiet corners of our province. That was where I learned to ride a bike, scrape my knees, and dream about the world beyond the island’s familiar horizon. But when I reached high school, everything changed. Grandpa pulled me out of the life I knew and enrolled me in a prestigious private school in the heart of Manila. It was a new world—fast-paced, loud, and bursting with opportunities. I finished high school here, moved on to college in the same city, and when I finally graduated, I made a choice.

I stayed.

Because why would I ever leave this place? Manila gave me the two things I craved most: freedom and happiness.

I was enjoying a warm bath when the thought hit me—I hadn’t turned my phone back on. Groaning, I reached for it, flicked off airplane mode, and barely had a second to brace myself before my screen exploded with notifications. The name Gianna lit up just as the device began to buzz in my hand.

Crap.

I answered in a flash, slipping out of the tub as water dripped from my limbs onto the tiled floor.

“Kath! Finally! Where the hell are you? We’re already at the airport!” Gianna’s voice was sharp, urgent. “We’re leaving in thirty minutes!”

My heart dropped. The flight!

Shit. How could I have forgotten?!

“I’m so sorry—I overslept,” I lied, conveniently leaving out the part where I’d woken up in a bed that wasn’t mine. “Damn it. I’ll just book another flight right now and catch up with you.”

Gianna sighed, but didn’t argue. “Fine. But you better be here before four. We’ve still got the photoshoot this afternoon. Don’t be late, alright?”

“I won’t,” I promised quickly, and the line went dead.

What followed might’ve been the fastest scramble of my entire life. I flew through a shower, threw on clothes, and packed like I was escaping a house fire. The moment I slid into the backseat of a cab headed to the airport, I let out a sigh—only for it to catch in my throat the second the traffic came into view.

Great. Just great.

To top it all off, my credit card decided now—of all times—to fail me. Every attempt to book the replacement flight online was met with a payment error. And what did I have in my wallet? A single, crumpled one-thousand peso bill! That was it! No working cards, no extra cash. Just me, my luggage, and a digital wallet that might as well have been empty.

Was this Grandpa’s twisted way of teaching me a lesson? Was the universe punishing me for being careless?

I pressed my palms to my forehead, heart pounding.

Oh my god. What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?

I scrolled through my recent calls in a rush, fingers slightly trembling, and tapped on Gianna’s name. It barely rang once before her bright voice answered on the other end.

“Kath! Where are you now? Are you close? Did you manage to book your ticket?” she fired off the questions so fast I didn’t even get the chance to say hello.

“Ugh, Gee, can you please book it for me?” I groaned, already exhausted by the day. “I can’t access any of my cards right now. They’re all glitching or something.”

“Wait, I’ll do it now. Hold on—there’s a flight leaving in an hour and a half. I’ll grab you a seat.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” I sighed, slumping back in my seat. “I don’t even know why everything’s falling apart today. I might actually miss the shoot.”

“What kind of bad luck are we talking about here?”

“Grandpa called me earlier. It was… a whole thing. I’ll tell you about it later—just thinking about it is giving me a headache.”

“Alright, we’ll catch up when you land. Don’t stress, my pretty friend~”

“Thanks, Gee. Really.”

Just hearing her voice, knowing she had things under control, made me feel a little less like the world was crashing down around me. At least the ticket was one less thing to worry about.

When I finally got to the airport, I paid the driver, grabbed my bags, and dashed inside. Thankfully, the check-in process was fast. No long lines, no delays. For once, something went right.

I made my way to the gate and saw that I still had half an hour to kill before boarding. My stomach gave a low grumble, reminding me I hadn’t eaten all day. So I wandered over to a café nearby, grabbed a coffee and a sandwich, and stood by the counter, waiting to pay.

That’s when my phone rang again.

Assuming it was Gianna calling back to say goodbye, I answered without thinking—didn’t even check the screen.

“Hello, Gee?” I said distractedly, fishing for my wallet.

But it wasn’t her.

“Hello, Miss Katherine. This is Noel,” the voice replied, calm and formal.

I froze.

My hand stilled over my wallet, and I slowly lifted the phone away from my ear to check the screen.

It was Grandpa’s number.

My pulse kicked up. A prickle of unease crept up my spine as I brought the phone back to my ear.

“Yes?” My voice was guarded now. “Why are you calling me from Grandpa’s phone?”

Noel never used Grandpa’s phone. If he needed to reach me, he had his own number. Something was wrong.

A long, heavy sigh echoed on the other end.

My heart began to pound as I straightened, my gaze unconsciously drawn to the glass wall nearby, where a plane was just touching down on the tarmac.

“Would you be able to fly home today?” he asked gently. “I’ve already booked your flight—”

And just like that, I knew.

Of course, Grandpa had put him up to this. Another tactic. Another ploy to get me to come back home.

“Tell Grandpa I’m not coming,” I said quickly, steel in my voice. “I have a schedule. I have things to do. If that’s all this is—”

“Mr. Lopez has been rushed to the hospital.”

Noel’s words stopped time.

I blinked. For a second, I couldn’t even breathe.

“What…?” I whispered. “What did you just say?”

“He had a heart attack. Two hours ago,” Noel said, his voice low. “I tried reaching you earlier, but your number wouldn’t connect. I only called now after speaking with the doctors at the hospital.”

My fingers tightened around the phone. My knees felt weak. A strange ringing filled my ears.

A heart attack?

No. No, this had to be a mistake.

I stared at the floor, vision blurring. The image of Grandpa—hooked to machines, pale and still—rose in my mind like a nightmare I couldn’t shake.

“Noel,” I breathed, swallowing hard. “Send me the ticket. Please.”

In that moment, it didn’t matter what Grandpa had said before, or the arguments we hadn’t resolved. Whatever plans he had for my life—none of them mattered.

What mattered was that he was still alive.

And I needed to be there.