Chapter 5: Spoiled

Thalia stood still for a moment, her fingers trembling around the jade necklace she had found. The weight of everything—the pressure from her family, the tension with Asher—was becoming unbearable. She turned to leave, ngunit habang papalapit sa pinto, narinig niya ang boses ng kanyang ina na tumaas sa galit.

"Nasaan si Asher?" Lisa screamed, her tone filled with frustration.

"He’s not here," Thalia replied coldly, turning to face her mother.

Without warning, Lisa’s face twisted into a scowl. "I don’t care about your excuses, Thalia!" she yelled, stepping toward her and shoving her hand into Thalia’s chest. "You’re useless!"

Before Thalia could react, Lisa, in a fit of rage, grabbed a glass from the counter and hurled it at her. The glass shattered against Thalia’s arm, at napanganga siya sa sakit nang magka-embed ang mga piraso ng baso sa kanyang balat.

Thalia staggered back, clutching her arm as blood began to seep out. Ngunit bago siya makapagsalita, bumukas ang pinto at pumasok si Asher. Mabilis niyang sinuri ang sitwasyon, his gaze flicking from Thalia’s bleeding arm to her mother.

Lisa froze, nanginginig ang mukha niya nang makita si Asher na nakatayo doon, at ang presensya niya ay malakas pa rin tulad ng dati. Agad siyang bumagsak sa kanyang mga tuhod, fake tears streaming down her face. "I didn’t mean to!" she sobbed, her voice shaking. "It just slipped—"

Asher’s face remained emotionless as he walked straight to Thalia, taking her wrist and pulling her toward him. "We’re leaving," he said, his voice as firm as steel.

Thalia, still in shock from what just happened, let him drag her out of the house. Paglabas nila, tumulo na ang mga luha ni Thalia, at ang realidad ng buhay niya ay bumagsak sa kanya. "Gusto ko na lang makaalis sa buhay na ito," she cried, her voice breaking.

She glanced up at Asher, her chest tight with frustration. But he said nothing, his expression unreadable as he kept his gaze forward. The lack of any reaction from him stung. It made her angrier.

Why was he so cold? Why couldn’t he show even the slightest bit of empathy for me?

Thalia wiped her tears furiously, her voice rising. "I regret everything! I regret that we even got involved! Dapat hindi tayo nagkaroon ng kahit anong relasyon. Malupit ang mundo at tama lang na hindi ko ipinanganak ang anak ko dito!"

Asher remained silent, his gaze distant, his face hard and unmoving. Ang pagtingin sa kanya na nakatayo roon nang walang pakialam ay nagpatulak kay Thalia na mawalan ng kontrol.

"YOU don’t understand!" she screamed, her heart pounding. "I was just a pawn in this world—sa mundong ito na malupit at brutal—at wala kang pakialam! Pareho ka lang nila!"

She turned on her heel, fury and pain burning in her chest as she stormed toward her car. She slammed the door shut and sped off, the engine roaring in defiance.

Ang puso niya ay mabilis na tumibok habang ang sasakyan ay gumalaw sa kalsada, her mind racing with every thought of the pain she had just experienced. But then, her phone buzzed, and an unknown number flashed on the screen. With a shaky breath, she answered it.

"Hello?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.

"You don’t know who Asher really is, do you?" the voice on the other end said coldly. "You can’t trust anyone around you."

Thalia’s heart skipped a beat. "Who is this?" she demanded, her voice rising with confusion and fear.

The voice on the other end was unsettlingly calm. "Speed up. You’ll feel better. Just speed up and end it. You’ll be free."

Isang alon ng galit ang dumaan sa kanya.

Was this Asher’s doing? Was this another cruel game he was playing?

Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and her chest tightened with fury.

"Why don’t you tell me who you really are?" she spat into the phone. "I’m not going to fall for this. None of you care about me. You’ve never cared!"

The voice urged again, "Speed up and let go."

Her eyes burned with frustration, her pulse hammering in her temples. Tumingin siya sa kalsadang nasa harap, ang kanyang paningin ay malabo mula sa mga luha, ngunit may isang bagay sa loob niya na ayaw magpadala. Hindi siya magpapatalo sa kanila. Hindi siya magpapatalo sa kahit sino.

Instead of speeding, she slammed her foot on the brake, angry at everyone who had ever made her feel small. Hindi na niya halos maramdaman ang sakit ng kaniyang sugat sa sobrang inis sa lahat. "I’ll get out of your lives," she muttered to herself. "I’ll be free. Soon, I’ll be free."

As the car screeched to a halt, natapos ang tawag, ngunit alam ni Thalia na isang bagay at iyon ay tapos na siya sa lahat. She was going to find her own way out, no matter the cost.

+++++

Asher stormed up to Thalia’s apartment, his anxiety growing with every step. When he reached her door and found it unlocked, his heart sank. The apartment was eerily quiet, the lights off, and Thalia was nowhere to be found.

Paulit-ulit niyang tinawagan siya, ngunit walang sagot. Habang lumilipas ang oras, ang frustrasyon niya ay naging panic.

He sent messages to everyone who might know her whereabouts, but as minutes passed, his anger began to boil over. Where the hell are you, Thalia?

Just as he was about to call again, a message popped up on his phone.

Unknown:

It was probably best the kid didn’t make it at all after the shittest two families were combined. You can never run from the past, and karma is just starting to do its work.

A cold shiver ran down Asher’s spine. Someone knew about Thalia, and it didn’t sit right with him. His worry intensified. Anuman ang gusto ng taong ito, tinatarget nila si Thalia—at wala siyang ideya kung nasaan siya.

He tried calling again, but she didn’t pick up. His mind raced. Is she in danger?

His anger flared once more, but it was mixed with guilt. I should’ve done more to protect her.

Hindi mawala sa isip ni Asher ang pakiramdam na ang nagpadala ng mensahe ay may koneksyon sa kanilang nakaraan, and Thalia was caught in the middle. He stormed out, determined to find her.

This was no longer just about their fight. Someone was after her, and Asher wasn’t going to let them win.

Suddenly, his phone rang once again, and he answered it immediately.

"Sir, we have some bad news."