Chapter 3

Hindi ako nakatulog nang maayos pagkatapos ng nangyari sa hapunan. Bawat pikit ko, ang nakikita ko ay ang malamig na mga mata ni Riguel at ang takot sa mukha ni Lily. The mansion felt like a living creature, breathing and groaning in the middle of the night. Ang tunog ng mga sanga ng puno na humahampas sa bintana ko ay tila mga daliri na kumakatok, naghahanap ng paraan para makapasok.

Pagsapit ng madaling araw, hindi ko na matiis ang katahimikan ng kwarto ko. I needed to move. I needed to see if Lily was okay. Nagsuot ako ng isang makapal na cardigan at dahan-dahang binuksan ang pinto. The hallway was pitch black, save for the faint moonlight filtering through the high windows.

Naglakad ako nang nakapaa para hindi lumikha ng ingay. I remembered the direction Lily went yesterday. Dinala ako ng mga paa ko sa dulo ng kabilang wing, kung saan mas lalong luma at madilim ang paligid. This part of the mansion felt abandoned. Ang mga wallpaper ay nagbabakbak na, at ang amoy ng amag ay mas lalong tumitindi.

Bigla akong tumigil nang makarinig ako ng isang mahinang kaluskos. It was coming from a small, inconspicuous door hidden behind a heavy velvet curtain.

Dahan-dahan ko itong itinulak. It wasn't a room; it was a narrow staircase leading to an attic. Bitbit ang kaba, umakyat ako. Pagdating ko sa itaas, ang tanging liwanag ay galing sa isang maliit na bilog na bintana sa bubongg.

Doon, sa isang sulok na puno ng mga lumang kagamitan at maalikabok na furniture, nakita ko siya.

Lily was curled up on a thin mat on the floor. Hindi man lang siya binigyan ng tamang kama. She was shivering, clutching her one-eyed doll to her chest. Beside her was an empty bowl—the same bowl Charlotte used to "feed" her. Pero sa lapit ko, nakita ko na ang laman niyon ay tila tira-tirang pagkain na hinaluan ng tubig.

"My God..." bulong ko. Ang galit sa dibdib ko ay tila sasabog na.

"Lily?" tawag ko sa mahinang boses.

Nagising ang bata. Sa sobrang gulat niya, mabilis siyang sumiksik sa sulok, hissing like a wounded animal. She didn't have a voice to scream, pero ang takot sa mga mata niya ay sapat na para marinig ang sigaw niya.

"It’s okay. It’s me, Sofia," lumuhod ako sa maruming sahig, hindi iniintindi ang alikabok sa aking mahal na damit. "I won't hurt you. Promise."

Inabot ko ang kamay ko, at sa pagkakataong ito, hindi siya lumayo. Siguro dahil pagod na siya. O siguro dahil nakita niya sa mga mata ko na totoo ang nararamdaman ko. Dahan-dahan niyang hinawakan ang daliri ko. Her hand was so small, so cold, and so thin.

"Why are you here? Bakit dito ka pinapatulog?" tanong ko, kahit alam kong hindi siya sasagot.

I looked around the small space. May mga drawing sa dingding—puro mga madidilim na kulay. Isang malaking lalakeng walang mukha, isang babaeng may matutulis na kuko (si Charlotte, sigurado ako), at isang maliit na batang umiiyak. Pero sa gitna ng lahat ng iyon, may isang drawing na naiiba. It was a sun and a moon.

Napatigil ako. *The necklace.*

Bago ko pa masuri ang drawing, narinig ko ang mabibigat na yabag sa hagdan.

"Sinasabi ko na nga ba. Mapapel ka talagang babae ka."

Nilingon ko ang pinto. Charlotte was standing there, holding a candle. The light made her face look like a demon’s.

"Charlotte! How can you sleep at night knowing this child is up here in the cold?" sigaw ko. "This is abuse! Isusumbong ko ito kay Riguel!"

Charlotte stepped into the room, her smile mocking. "Go ahead, Madam. Tell him. Master Riguel gave me full authority over this house. He doesn't want to see the child. Paalala lang sa kanya si Lily ng lahat ng sakit na gusto niyang kalimutan. Do you think he’ll listen to a woman he just bought?"

"He’s her uncle!"

"He’s a businessman, Sofia. And you are just a temporary guest," Charlotte walked toward Lily, and the child immediately covered her head with her arms. It was an instinctive move—a move of a child used to being hit.

"Get out of here, Madam. Bago ko pa masabing ikaw ang nananakit sa bata. Who do you think they will believe? Me, who has been here for ten years, or you, the spoiled city girl who wants to run away?"

I wanted to slap her. I wanted to drag her down the stairs. Pero alam ko ang laro niya. She wanted me to react. She wanted me to look unstable.

Hinarap ko si Lily at hinaplos ang buhok niya. "I’ll be back, Lily. I promise."

Pilit kong pinigilan ang luha ko habang pababa ng hagdan. I needed to find Riguel. I didn't care if it was 3:00 AM. I didn't care if he was angry.

I marched toward the main wing, where Riguel’s master suite was located. Hindi ako kumatok. I pushed the heavy double doors open.

The room was vast and smelled of cedar and expensive leather. Riguel was sitting by a fireplace, even though the fire was dying out. He was holding a glass of amber liquid, his shirt unbuttoned halfway.

"I told you not to disturb me, Sofia," he said, not even turning his head.

"I don't care about your rules, Riguel! Have you seen where your niece sleeps? Have you seen what she eats?" lumapit ako sa kanya, my voice shaking with fury. "She’s in an attic, on a floor mat! Charlotte is treating her like an animal!"

Riguel finally turned, his eyes tired and bloodshot. "Charlotte told me Lily prefers to be alone. That she gets overwhelmed in the large rooms."

"And you believed her? Dahil lang mas madaling maniwala kaysa harapin ang responsibilidad mo?"

I stood right in front of him. "Look at me, Riguel! Look at the woman you married. Hindi ako bulag. And I won't be silent while a child suffers in this house."

He stood up, towering over me, his presence cold and suffocating. "You think you’re so righteous? You think coming from the city with your perfect life gives you the right to judge me?"

"My life isn't perfect! My father is a mess, and I’m a contract wife! Pero kahit kailan, hindi ko tinalikuran ang isang taong nangangailangan!"

Riguel grabbed my shoulders, his grip firm but not painful. His face was inches from mine. "You know nothing about Lily. You know nothing about the night my brother died. Every time I look at her, I see his blood on my hands. Is that what you want to hear? Na natatakot ako sa sarili kong dugo at laman?"

I was stunned. The "Titan of Industry," the cold billionaire, was broken.

"That’s not an excuse to let her suffer," I whispered, my anger softening into something else. "She needs a father, Riguel. Or at least an uncle who looks at her with love, not guilt."

Riguel let go of me, his eyes flickering with a moment of vulnerability before the ice returned.

"Go back to your room, Sofia. I’ll talk to Charlotte."

"Promise me you’ll see for yourself. Huwag ka lang makinig sa kanya."

"Go," he growled, turning back to the fire.

I went back to my room, my mind spinning. Riguel’s guilt was deep, and Charlotte was using that guilt as a shield.

Pahiga na sana ako nang may mapansin akong nahulog mula sa bulsa ng cardigan ko. It was a small piece of paper. It must have come from the attic.

Binuksan ko ito. It was another drawing from Lily. But this one was different. It was a drawing of a man in a suit, standing next to a younger version of Riguel. And at the bottom, there were numbers.

*10-15-20.*

Isang petsa? Anong meron sa petsang iyon?

Bigla kong naisip ang narinig ko kanina sa kusina—ang tungkol sa botelyang hawak ni Charlotte. If Riguel was too blinded by guilt to see what was happening, then I had to be his eyes.

Hinanap ko ang necklace ko sa ilalim ng unan. The Sun and the Moon. Lily had drawn the same symbol in the attic. Bakit? Does she know about my past? Or is it just a coincidence?

Sa gitna ng kadiliman ng Scott Estate, alam ko na hindi lang ako isang asawa sa papel. I am a detective in a house of lies. At bawat araw na lumilipas, mas lalong lumalalim ang obsession ko na malaman ang totoo—at protektahan ang batang walang boses sa gitna ng digmaang ito.

I looked at the window. The sun was starting to rise, but for some reason, the shadows in the mansion only seemed to grow longer.