15 YEARS AGO

Y E A R 2006,

T W E N T Y-S E V E N T H O F O C T O B E R

T R I A L C O U R T

“We jury, in the case of The Republic of the Philippines versus Aleja Montevallo find the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the crime of parricide." The clerk of court’s voice echoed within the walls of the regional trial court. 

He then continued, “That on or about October 25, 2006, in the City of Manila, Philippines, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the said accused did then and there willfully and feloniously, with intent to kill and taking advantage of Alejandro Montevallo, his legitimate father, killing the latter by poisoning him with a currently unknown deadly substance and thereby, hereby sentence him reclusion Perpetua or imprisonment for forty years. Court is adjourned. Order in the court.” The gavel banged as the order was announced.

Aleja Montevallo, with his mouth shut and eyes on the ground, remained stolid during the entire trial and even now while standing in front of the attendees. Only a few words escaped from his mouth every time he was questioned. There is no desperation for proving himself anymore, he knows he will never win. 

He was guarded by two police officers on his side as they made their way towards the exit. His gaze raised toward the side of the complainants, the victim’s family; his family who only wanted the power and wealth of his beloved father.

His thoughts wandered into the deep abyss of why’s. He was never interested in his father’s money, he had no desire for billions of monetary inheritance, all Aleja wanted was to be the architect he longed for. 

But now he’ll be behind bars for years and his father, the remaining being who was with him as he nurtured his childhood and began his adolescence, joined his mom in death. They do not always see eye to eye on things but not in his entire life it crossed his mind to put his own father to death with his own hands.

“Enjoy the prison life, brother,” his older half-brother whispered with a grin while he tapped his shoulder.

Aleja’s jaw clenched, throwing him a side-eye. But the latter only held a chuckle, fueling the boiling anger inside Aleja. His hands balled into fists, trembling at the sight of a lady wrapped in black clothing that’s worth a king’s ransom. 

The evil woman his father had met before he was even born. His father remarried after the death of his mom and tied knots with this woman. 

Her heels clacked on the floor as she exited the courtroom. A pair of black sun shades masked her façade with grief. Aleja never doubted how great of an actress her step-mother is, and he highly doubts those sunglasses truly hide red and puffy eyes from mourning. 

“I'm sorry Mr. Montevallo, I lost the trial. I'm sorry,” Aleja’s lawyer said.

“It's fine. I know you're just doing this for a living and I won't blame you for that.” 

Shock plastered in the lawyer’s face. It seems to him that Aleja knew he was paid to lose the trial. The lawyer cleared his throat as he tried to regain his composure.

Before he could even step his foot out of the court, his heart eventually shattered into pieces when he saw his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him upon knowing that he was accused of killing his own dad. She sided with his stepmother and is now with Leon Sebastian, the friend who had betrayed him as well. He began to tear up as he watched how Leon wrapped his arms around the woman he dreamt of building a family with.

His life dramatically turned upside-down. Much more painful than he imagined. He had dreams, but now even the people he loved were taken from him. He fought his tears as they walked, legs slightly weakened in despair as his thoughts wandered, what would happen next? Will he let himself rot in jail while the real murderers bathe in paper bills? Will he let his father die for nothing? 

When he thought it was the end, wrath fueled rage; burning up his desire to put justice in his own hands.

He will come back and make them pay. 

M E A N W H I L E,

Q U E Z O N C I T Y, M A N I L A. 

Ameira awakened from deep slumber when she felt hands caressing her legs up to her thighs. 

But instead of moving away, the six-year-old kid squeezed her eyes shut and silently cried. Her frail body shivered in fear, arms shaking intensely as her uncle removed her undergarments. It was fast but to the eyes of the little girl, everything happened in slow-motion. She felt how it slowly slipped down her waist, down to her legs. She could imagine the face of her uncle as he devoured the sight like a salivating predator.

The small wooden bed waggled when the old man laid on top of the little girl and began molesting her.

Tears rushed down nonstop. Shaking tiny fists. Mouth gaped open, whispering words of helplessness, begging it to stop. 

It continued even until she became numb. There was a slight pain in her head, and the pain intensified as if her head was about to explode. Her mind drowned in flashbacks of her being touched. Her ears rang and she could hear nothing but her cries and screams. Memories of her parents almost ripping each other’s heads off their bodies. The nightmares of living in the streets, in houses where she knew no one, in dark places where bad things happen. Her weeping fell on deaf ears.

Little Ameira cried her heart out, until—

“AAAAAAAAH!”

As quick as a lightning, she grabbed the knife hidden underneath her pillow and stabbed her uncle’s neck.

She held it tightly and pushed it deeper. 

“Die! Die! Die!” Little Ameira screamed, letting out a loud, stretched-out, and wild maniacal laughter as she simultaneously stabbed him. With all her strength, she pushed the old man’s convulsing body, suffering in the throes of death.

His fall made a loud bang but Ameira was unbothered, a loathsome grin plastered on her innocent face. She sat over him, not minding her ragged and torn pink dress, and stabbed him multiple times in the face, neck, chest, and abdomen. She paused when she reached his privates. Sinful privates.

Her eyes brightened. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward, showing her teeth. 

And she cut it off. The entire room filled with laughter.

Y E A R 2009,

I N T E R R O G A T I O N R O O M. 

“Why did you kill him?”

“Your question is wrong…” The woman leaned back in her chair, staring at her handcuffed hands. “The question should be: what did he do to me, for me to kill him?” She grinned.

The inspector’s eyebrow raised, then her forehead wrinkled. “Well then, what did Mr. Xiao Lin do to you, for you to kill him?” 

“He raped me.” She regained her blank façade while staring straight at the inspector’s eyes. “He raped me and when I told the police, no one believed me. No one dared to hear my claims and instead accused me of being a liar just because I wanted to “ask money” from him. So, I let him pass. But he did it again, again, again, again, and again. He did it so many times that I—”

“You killed him?” the inspector said, cutting her off. It was as if he wanted to shove on her face that what she did was wrong.

The accused gritted her teeth, eyes fuming in anger. “Yes. And no matter what, I’ll still kill him!” 

The inspector laid an envelope on the table between them. She opened it and placed photos of about ten men who died in mysterious deaths. “Can you tell me what happened to them? Or simply, how did you kill them?”

She only gazed at the photos in front and met the inspector’s eyes with a grin.

“If I’m not mistaken, these men had clean records and were not involved with you. Then why would you kill them? Looking back, you said you were raped by Mr. Lin but there wasn’t even a single proof that shows you were raped,” the inspector explained, unbothered by the accused’s sharp gazes. “And yes, we received the report about you telling the authorities that you were raped. They refused to engage with your accusations. Do you know why? Because there is no evidence. You can’t show us strong evidence that you were molested. You further told them that he was physically hurting you but look at you—the day you came into the station, there were no wounds and injuries. How can you prove—”

“Am I not enough evidence?!” The chair made a loud screeching noise when the accused violently stood up, slammed her palms on the table, and held her face close to the inspectors. “I have explained to you many times already that I was injected with a drug which I don’t fucking know the name but I’m sure this is its effect. And what? No one believed me! You do not believe m-me!” As if on cue, the tears she tried to hold eventually rushed down her cheeks. 

Behind her strong and rageful demeanor is a miserable girl, no one dared to lend a hand. Trembling, she managed to return to her seat.

She heaved a sigh. “Why am I even explaining myself, no one believes me anyway. Wasting my time is no use, your system is long crooked.” Her sharp gaze pierced onto the inspector and she grinned. “Yes, I killed him. And I will do it again if I have the chance. I will kill assholes like him. Now, make sure I’ve got nowhere to escape or else…” Gone was the devilish curve of her lips. “I will kill you. I will make you feel how hard it is to be deprived of justice and to not be heard.”

The inspector swallowed a lump in his throat before asking her questions again. “You were the murderer of these men as well, aren’t you? Why don’t you confess everything now? Why did you kill them? Tell me your motive.”

The accused only let out a laugh. “What am I—why am I going to explain? Whether I’m guilty or not, I’ll still end up in jail anyway. Whatever reason I’ll tell you, you won’t believe me because it was already proved that I’ve killed them. Of course, you won’t listen because you only wanted me to explain my side as the suspect. You won’t lend me your ears if I tell you my story as a victim.” Tears welled up in her eyes while chuckling hard. 

“Then, I’ll confess.” She leaned closer to the inspector, looking at him straight in the eye. “Your girlfriend is about to meet…death.” Her words were almost whispering but it was loud and clear in the inspector’s ears.

As if a reflex, the inspector pushed her hard and she was back in her seat. He stood up, catching his own breath. His brows furrowed, palms curled into fists, eyes fuming in anger while the woman only stared back at him with a grin.

“You!” He pointed his finger at her. “If anything happens to my girlfriend, I swear, I’ll kill you with my own hands!”  he roared in extreme anger. Veins bulged on his neck as he screamed while beads of sweat made their way down his forehead.

The tables have turned. 

It is him who’s in rage now and tears began to form in his eyes. Frantic with worry, he grabbed his phone and called his girlfriend’s number when it occurred to him. How did this woman know that he has a girlfriend?

Slowly, he turned his head towards the girl only to see her sitting upright, hands clasped and staring blankly back at him.

His trembling hands were cold and sweaty while he held his phone in his ear. All of a sudden, an officer entered the interrogation room bathed in sweat and racing to catch his breath. “Y-Your relatives called. The car boarded by your family exploded while on their way home and…” The officer paused, he wasn’t sure if he should tell him. 

The inspector dropped his phone and marched towards the officer, violently grabbing him on the collar. “T-Tell me!” he cried with gritted teeth.

“Y-Your girlfriend was said to be the suspect.”

A tear fell from his eye as he let go of the officer. He froze in place and when he recovered, he immediately went toward the girl and slapped his palms on the table. 

“Where is she?!”

“Poof! She’s gone. She ended her life after knowing that your family died.”