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BL wattpad reader, Carles, Iloilo City (2026)

02/08/2026

---

# # # *TITLE: "An Arrangement. A Duty."*
# # # # *CHAPTER 5: CLARK DOESN'T LISTEN*
# # # # *Clark’s POV*

She told me to go home.
So I did.

I went home to the penthouse that still smells like her.
I went home to the kitchen where I broke her.
I went home to an empty bed and a heart that wouldn’t stop bleeding.

And then I realized something.

*I don’t listen.*
Not when it comes to her.

---

*THE NEXT MORNING - 6AM*

I was back outside Alicia’s apartment.

Tita Nena opened the café and saw me.
*“Anak, nandiyan ka nanaman,”* she said, handing me coffee. *“Matigas ulo mo ah.”*

*“Yes, Tita,”* I said. *“Pero mas matigas ulo ko pagdating sa kanya.”*

She didn’t argue. She just patted my shoulder.

Alicia came out at 8AM. For chemo.
Pale. Beanie on her head. Holding herself like she was made of glass.

She stopped when she saw me leaning against my car.
*“I told you to go home.”*

I opened the passenger door.
*“I did. Now I’m here. I’m taking you to the hospital.”*

*“I have a driver.”*
*“Fire him.”*

Her eyes flashed. Angry. Tired.
*“Clark, this is my last wish! Respect it!”*

I stepped closer. Voice low.
*“And my last wish is to not lose you. So I guess we’re both being selfish.”*

She stared at me. Then walked past me and got in the car herself.
Because she was too tired to fight.
And I was too stubborn to leave.

---

*CHEMO DAYS TURNED INTO WEEKS*

I didn’t ask permission anymore.
I was there.

Every appointment. Every blood test. Every time she threw up.
I held her hair. I wiped her mouth. I slept in the chair beside her bed.

She stopped telling me to leave on day 4.
On day 7, she let me feed her soup.
On day 12, she cried in my arms after her first round and didn’t push me away.

*“Why are you doing this?”* she whispered one night.
*“Because you told me to go home,”* I answered. *“And I realized home is wherever you are.”*

She didn’t answer. She just fell asleep holding my hand.

---

*2 MONTHS LATER*

The doctor called us in.
*“The tumor shrank. 40%. The treatment is working.”*

Alicia burst into tears. Happy tears.
And me? The mafia boss who never cried?
I broke down right there in the doctor’s office. On my knees. Kissing her hand.

*“You’re going to live,”* I choked out. *“You’re going to live, Alicia.”*

She looked at me. Really looked.
*“Clark...”*
*“I know,”* I said quickly. *“I know I came too late. I know I hurt you. I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’m not asking you to love me again.”*
I took a shaky breath.
*“I’m just asking you to let me stay. Until you’re better. And after. If you’ll have me.”*

Silence.
The longest 10 seconds of my life.

Then she squeezed my hand.
*“You really don’t listen, do you?”*

I smiled through tears. *“No. Not when it’s about you.”*

She rolled her eyes. But she was smiling.
*“Fine. You can stay. But Clark?”*
*“Yes?”*
*“No more arrangements. No more duties. If you stay, it’s because you choose me. Not because you feel guilty.”*

I nodded.
*“I choose you, Alicia. I’ve always chosen you. I was just too stupid to know it.”*

Outside, it was raining.
But for the first time in a year, it didn’t feel like the end.
It felt like a beginning.

---

*TO BE CONTINUED...*

_A/N: GUYS 😭😭 CLARK REDEEMED HIMSELF?? Or is it too late?? Is Alicia healing or just being soft??
Team or Team ?? COMMENT!!!_

02/08/2026

---

# # # *TITLE: "An Arrangement. A Duty."*
# # # # *CHAPTER 6: ANGELA COMES BACK*
# # # # *Alicia’s POV*

Life was finally quiet.
My hair was growing back. The chemo was working.
Clark was... staying.

Not as my husband.
Not out of duty.
Just as Clark. The man who made me soup. Who drove me to every appointment. Who slept on my floor when I had nightmares.

For the first time in years, I felt safe.

Until _she_ came back.

---

*FRIDAY - BREW & BLOOM - 3PM*

The bell chimed.

I looked up from the counter, wiping mugs. And froze.

Angela.
Red dress. Perfect hair. Perfect smile.
The girl from Clark’s past. The reason he said _“I’m not losing her.”_

She scanned the café until her eyes landed on me.
Then she smiled. The fake kind.

*“Alicia, right?”* she said, voice sweet as poison. *“Can we talk?”*

Tita Nena looked at me, worried. I nodded.

We sat by the window. Rain outside. Tension inside.

*“You look... better,”* Angela said, looking at my short hair. *“I heard about the cancer. I’m so sorry.”*

I didn’t answer.

She sighed dramatically.
*“Look, I know this is awkward. But Clark and I... we have history. A lot of history. And I think it’s time you stepped aside. For his sake.”*

My hands shook under the table.
*“Excuse me?”*

*“He’s been taking care of you out of guilt,”* she said softly. Too softly. *“I get it. But he told me he made a mistake. That night in the kitchen. He didn’t mean it. He was just confused because I came back.”*

A laugh escaped me. Bitter.
*“So you’re here to collect him?”*

*“I’m here to take back what’s mine,”* she said, eyes hard now. *“Clark Armstrong belongs with me. Not with his sick ex-wife he pities.”*

The word _sick_ hit like a slap.
*“Pity?”* I stood up. My legs were weak but my voice wasn’t. *“Is that what you think this is?”*

*“What else would it be, Alicia?”* she smiled. *“He left you once. He’ll do it again. Especially when he remembers who he really loves.”*

Before I could answer, the door opened.

Clark.
Hair wet from rain. Eyes tired. And then he saw us.

His whole body went rigid.
*“Angela. What are you doing here?”*

Angela stood up immediately. Went to him. Touched his arm.
*“Clark, baby. I’ve been looking for you. We need to talk. About us.”*

_Baby._
The word made me sick.

Clark looked at her. Then at me.
And for one second, my heart stopped.
Because what if she was right?
What if I was just his _duty_ again?

*“Clark?”* Angela pulled his sleeve. *“Let’s go. We can talk at your place. Alone.”*

The café went silent. Everyone was watching.

Clark didn’t move.
He looked at Angela. Then at me. Pale. Holding the counter to stay standing.

And then he did something I didn’t expect.

He walked past Angela.
Straight to me.

*“Are you okay?”* he asked me quietly. Ignoring Angela completely. *“Did she hurt you?”*

I shook my head. Couldn’t speak.

He turned to Angela. His voice was ice. The mafia boss voice.
*“You don’t get to come here. You don’t get to talk to her. You don’t get to call me _baby_.”*
A pause.
*“I chose. A long time ago. And I choose her. Even when she was sick. Especially when she was sick. So don’t ever come back.”*

Angela’s face crumbled.
*“Clark—”*
*“Leave.”*

She left. Crying. Slapping the door on her way out.

And then it was just us. And the rain.

Clark looked at me. Scared.
*“Alicia...”*
*“Don’t,”* I whispered. *“Just... don’t.”*

I walked to the back room.
Because even after cancer.
Even after choosing me.
My biggest fear was still coming true.

That I’d never be enough.

---

*TO BE CONTINUED...*

_A/N: ANGELA WHY 😭😭 Team or Team ??
Should Alicia run again or finally trust him?? COMMENT_!!

02/08/2026

---

# # # *TITLE: "An Arrangement. A Duty."*
# # # # *CHAPTER 4: LAST WISH*
# # # # *Alicia’s POV*

They say cancer doesn’t hurt.
That’s a lie.

It hurts to see the fear in everyone’s eyes when they look at you.
It hurts to feel your own body betray you.
And it hurts the most to see _him_ again.

Clark.

---

*1 WEEK AFTER HE FOUND OUT*

He hasn’t left.
Not really.

He’s outside my apartment. 24/7. Two bodyguards, a driver, and him. Sleeping in his car. Bringing me soup I don’t eat. Paying for doctors I don’t see.

*“Alicia, please,”* he said this morning, voice hoarse. *“Let me come in. Just 5 minutes.”*

I opened the door. Just a crack.
I looked sick. I felt sick. Hair starting to fall out. Chemo starts next week.

*“What do you want, Clark?”*

He looked wrecked. Dark circles, unshaven, the same black coat from the night he left me.
*“To help. To be here. To fix what I broke.”*

I shook my head.
*“You can’t fix this. No amount of money can fix cancer, Clark.”*

His jaw clenched. *“Then let me try. Please.”*

I sighed. Because despite everything, he was still the man I married.
*“Fine. 5 minutes.”*

---

Inside, it was quiet. Just the sound of the rain and my IV stand that I haven’t used yet but the nurse left.

He sat on the floor. Not on the couch. On the floor, like he didn’t deserve to be above me.
*“I’m sorry,”* he whispered. *“For everything. For the contract. For Angela. For choosing wrong.”*

I didn’t answer. I just pulled my blanket tighter.

*“The doctors said Stage 2 is treatable,”* he continued quickly. *“We can go to Singapore. The best oncologist. I already booked—”*

*“Stop.”*

He froze.

I looked at him. Really looked. The man who broke me. The man who’s now breaking for me.
*“Clark. I have a last wish.”*

His eyes widened. Panic. *“Anything. Name it.”*

*“I want you to let me go.”*

The words hit him like a bullet.
*“What? No. Alicia, no—”*

*“Listen,”* I cut him off, voice shaking but firm. *“I spent a year loving you while you loved someone else. I’m not spending whatever time I have left chasing a man who only wants me because I’m dying.”*

*“That’s not—”*
*“It is,”* I said softly. *“You came too late, Clark. Too late to love me. Too late to fight for us. And I’m too tired to teach you how to stay now.”*

Tears were falling down his face. Clark Armstrong. Crying.
*“Don’t do this. Don’t leave me. Not like this.”*

I reached out. My hand, thin and cold, touched his cheek.
*“My last wish isn’t for treatment in Singapore. It’s not for money. It’s for peace.”*
I smiled. A sad, real smile.
*“Let me fight this alone. Let me remember us as we were before you ruined it. And live your life, Clark. For real this time. Not out of guilt. Not out of duty.”*

He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his forehead.
*“I don’t know how to live without you.”*
*“You will,”* I whispered. *“Because you have to.”*

I stood up. Walked to the door. Opened it.
*“5 minutes are up.”*

He didn’t move.
*“Alicia—”*
*“Go home, Clark.”*

And he did.
Because for the first time in our marriage, I wasn’t asking.
I was telling.

The door closed.

And I slid down to the floor, finally letting myself cry.
Not because I was dying.
But because loving him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

---

*TO BE CONTINUED...*

_A/N: I AM NOT OKAY 😭😭 Did Alicia do the right thing?? Should Clark fight harder??
Team or Team ? me everyone

02/08/2026

---

# # # *TITLE: "An Arrangement. A Duty."*
# # # # *CHAPTER 3: THE MAN WHO CAME TOO LATE*
# # # # *Clark’s POV*

I thought losing her would feel like freedom.
It didn’t.
It felt like dying in slow motion.

It’s been 4 months since Alicia walked out of that penthouse.
4 months since I said _“We need to get divorced”_ in the kitchen.
4 months since I chose Angela.
And 3 days since I found out I made the biggest mistake of my life.

---

*“Mr. Armstrong, we have her new address.”*
My assistant handed me a folder. Inside was a photo of Alicia.

She looked different.
Healthier. Happier. Hair longer, apron on, smiling at customers in a small café in Carles. _Brew & Bloom._

My chest ached.
She looked... free.

I went that night.
I saw her. Laughing. Wiping tables. Talking to Tita Nena like a daughter.
I didn’t go in. I wasn’t brave enough.

I told myself I’d go back tomorrow.

Tomorrow never came.

---

*2 WEEKS LATER*

The call came at 2AM.
*“Clark? This is Dr. Reyes. From Carles General. You’re listed as Alicia’s emergency contact.”*

My blood ran cold.
*“What happened?”*

*“She came in for a check-up. We found a mass in her breast. The biopsy came back positive. Stage 2. Breast cancer candidate. She needs treatment immediately.”*

The world tilted.

*“Is she... is she okay?”* My voice broke.
*“She’s scared, Mr. Armstrong. But she’s strong. She asked us not to tell anyone. Especially you.”*

_Especially you._

I hung up and threw up in the bathroom.

---

I didn’t knock.
I barged into her small apartment at dawn.

She was there. Sitting by the window, holding a mug of tea. No makeup. Pale. But still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

She didn’t look surprised to see me.
*“Tita Nena called you, didn’t she?”* she said quietly.

I fell to my knees in front of her.
*“Alicia. Please. Let me help you. The best doctors. In Manila. In Singapore. Anywhere. I’ll pay for everything.”*

She looked at me. Tired. But calm.
*“Clark.”*
*“Don’t ‘Clark’ me. You’re sick and you didn’t tell me. Why?”*

A bitter laugh.
*“Because 4 months ago you told me I was just an arrangement. A duty. Remember? You said Angela was the only one who mattered.”*

The words I said. They’re killing me now.
*“I was wrong! I was so damn wrong, Alicia! I didn’t love her. I thought I did. But it was you. It’s always been you, and I was too stupid to see it until you left.”*

Tears fell. Mine. For the first time in years.
*“Please don’t die on me. Please fight. I’ll fight with you. Every chemo. Every appointment. Just don’t shut me out.”*

She was quiet for a long time. The rain outside matched the storm in my chest.

Finally, she whispered:
*“You came too late, Clark.”*

My heart shattered.
*“What?”*
*“You came too late to love me when I was healthy. Too late to choose me when I was begging you to. And now... you’re too late to save me from this alone.”*

She set her mug down and stood up, shaky but determined.
*“But thank you for coming. It means a lot.”*

She walked to her room.
Leaving me on my knees.
With the words _“cancer candidate”_ echoing in my head.

I was the mafia boss everyone feared.
But I couldn’t fight this.
I couldn’t fight for the one person I was supposed to protect.

I came too late.

---

*TO BE CONTINUED...*

_A/N: HUHUHU I’M SOBBING 😭 Will Alicia let Clark stay? Will she survive? Team or

29/07/2026

# # # *TITLE: "An Arrangement. A Duty."*
# # # # *CHAPTER 2: STARTING OVER*
# # # # *Alicia’s POV*

They say heartbreak feels like dying.
They’re wrong.
Heartbreak feels like _living_… with a hole in your chest where your heart used to be.

That was me. Alicia Reyes.
The wife of Clark Armstrong for exactly 1 year and 3 days.
And as of today, nothing.

---

I didn’t cry when I packed my bags.
I didn’t scream when I signed the divorce papers his lawyer sent the next morning.
I didn’t even look at Clark when he came to drop off the last box.

He stood at the door of the penthouse. The same door I used to wait by every night.
*“You don’t have to leave,”* he said, voice low. *“The house is yours. I meant it.”*

I just smiled. The empty kind.
*“I don’t want anything that reminds me of you, Clark.”*

And I walked out.

---

*3 MONTHS LATER*

Carles, Iloilo never felt so peaceful.

No bodyguards. No reporters. No “Mrs. Armstrong”.
Just me. Alicia.

I rented a small apartment near the sea. White walls, plants everywhere, and a kitchen that’s mine.
I got a job at a local café. "Brew & Bloom". The owner, Tita Nena, didn’t ask questions. She just handed me an apron and said, *“Anak, coffee heals everything.”*

And she was right.

Mornings were for coffee and sunrise.
Afternoons were for painting again. Something I stopped doing when I married Clark.
Nights were for me. Books, music, and learning how to sleep without listening for footsteps.

People ask if I’m okay.
*“Oo naman,”* I laugh. *“Mas okay pa nga ngayon.”*

Because for the first time in my life, I wasn’t trying to be chosen.
I was choosing myself.

---

But of course.
This is a Wattpad story.
And he had to show up.

It was a rainy Thursday. The café was almost empty.
Until the door chimed.

Black coat. Wet hair. That same expensive cologne that used to fill our hallway.

Clark.

He looked... different. Tired. His jaw was tight, eyes scanning the room until they landed on me behind the counter.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then he walked in, dripping on my clean floor.
*“Alicia.”*

My name. He hadn’t said it like that in a year.
*“What are you doing here, Clark?”* I kept my voice steady as I wiped a mug. *“This is a café, not your office.”*

*“I know.”* He sat down. No guards. No suit. Just him.
*“I’ve been looking for you.”*

I placed his coffee in front of him. Black. No sugar. Just how he liked it. Old habits die hard.
*“You found me. Now what?”*

He stared at the cup. Then at me.
*“You look... good.”*
*“I am good,”* I said honestly. And I meant it. *“For the first time, I really am.”*

Something flashed in his eyes. Regret? Pain? I didn’t care to name it anymore.
*“I was wrong,”* he whispered. *“About us. About everything. Angela and I- we didn’t-”*

I held up a hand.
*“Clark. Stop.”*

The café went quiet. Even the rain seemed to pause.
*“You made your choice a year ago. In that kitchen. Remember? ‘An arrangement. A duty.’”* I quoted his own words back to him.
*“And I made mine 3 months ago. To start over.”*

He flinched like I slapped him.
*“So that’s it?”*
*“That’s it.”* I smiled. A real one this time. *“Thank you for the lesson, Mr. Armstrong. But I’m not Mrs. Armstrong anymore.”*

I turned to take another customer’s order, leaving him with his cold coffee and the rain.

Because Alicia Reyes doesn’t wait anymore.
Alicia Reyes starts over.

---

*END OF CHAPTER 2*

_A/N: Queen behavior si Alicia 😭👏 Team or Team for Clark? please follow me for more update

28/07/2026

# # # *TITLE: "An Arrangement. A Duty."*
# # # # *by: jm
# # # # *Genre: Mafia x Arranged Marriage x Angst*

---

# # # *CHAPTER 1: THE WORDS THAT BROKE ME*
# # # # *Alicia’s POV*

They called him Clark Armstrong.
The name alone was enough to make people in Carles, in Iloilo, in the whole damn country shut their mouths.
Mafia boss. Dangerous. Untouchable.

And I?
I was his wife.

Not because he loved me.
Not because he chose me.
But because our families signed a contract a year ago.

An _arrangement_.
A _duty_.

For 365 days, I tried.
God, I tried so hard.

I learned his favorite food. I memorized the way he liked his coffee. I stayed awake until 3AM just to hear the click of the front door.
I thought if I loved him enough, maybe he’d learn how to love me back.

But Clark only had room in his heart for one person.
Angela.
His childhood sweetheart. His first love.

And me?
I was just the girl his parents picked.

---

That afternoon, the kitchen smelled like home.
Garlic. Soy sauce. His favorite beef stew simmering on the stove.

I was humming. Stupid, right?
Hoping that maybe today would be different.
Maybe today he’d sit down and eat with me.

Then the door opened.

His footsteps were heavy. Familiar.
But his voice?
His voice was ice.

*“We need to get divorced.”*

The knife in my hand clattered to the counter.

I turned slowly. And there he was.
Clark. In his black coat, rain dripping from the hem. Not even looking at me.

*“Angela is back,”* he said, like he was talking about the weather.
*“And she decided to give me a chance. I’m not losing it.”*

My world. It crumbled.
Right there. In the kitchen where I made him dinner every night.

He took off his gloves. One finger at a time. Like this conversation was boring him.
*“The lawyers already drafted the papers. You get the house. The money. Everything. You can even keep my last name if you want.”*

A pause.
*“Don’t make this difficult.”*

My throat burned. My chest hurt.
So I asked the one question I swore I never would.

*“Can’t you... can’t you just learn to love me? Please?”*

For a second, his mask slipped.
I saw it. A flicker. Something raw. Something real.

Then it was gone.

*“You’re asking for something I don’t have, Alicia,”* he said softly. Too soft.
*“This was never love. It was business.”*

He stepped closer. His hand almost reached for me. Almost.
*“You’ve spent a year trying to force something that isn’t there. It’s exhausting. For both of us. Angela is the only one who ever mattered. You knew that.”*

And that’s when my legs gave up.

The floor was cold against my knees.

*“Alicia?”*
His voice cracked. For the first time in a year, Clark Armstrong sounded _scared_.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me up before I could fall completely. His grip was tight. Too tight.
*“What are you doing? Get up. Don’t do this.”*

I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream.
I just looked at the wall and whispered,
*“Then I respect your decision. You’re free now. No need to sign the papers. You can go.”*

He froze.

*“Don’t act like this doesn’t matter,”* he said, voice dropping an octave.

*“I’m not asking for permission,”* I said, standing on shaky legs. A bitter laugh escaped me.
*“I’m telling you. It’s over. I won’t hold you anymore.”*

And I walked away.

To the bedroom.
To the place where I spent a year waiting for a man who was never mine.

Behind me, silence.
Just the sound of the stew still bubbling. His favorite.

A long minute passed.
Then his voice, quiet and broken from the doorway:

*“Alicia.”*

---

*TO BE CONTINUED...*

_A/N: Grabe sakit 😭 Team ba kayo or ? Comment down below!_

BL wattpad reader

02/08/2026

02/08/2026

02/08/2026

02/08/2026

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28/07/2026

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