CHAPTER 6: Shadows of Betrayal

CHAPTER 6: Shadows of Betrayal

SPADE

~

HINDI ako 'yung lalaking naniniwala sa pag-ibig. But loyalty? Loyalty was something I valued above everything else.

I grew up in a world where a man could be smiling at you one second, and slipping a sharp blade between your ribs the next. My father learned that lesson the hard way. At natutunan ko iyon habang pinapanood siyang bumagsak nang dahil sa pagtitiwala.

So I trusted no one. I moved in silence. I kept my circle strictly small, and my mouth shut.

And yet, somehow, Valerie slipped through all my defenses. Para lumabas ang mga taong nagtangkang pumatay sa tatay ko, kailangan kong magtago sa gitna ng maraming tao. Live small. Live quiet. Be the kind of man no one would ever take a second look at. At ang pinakamabilis na paraan para gawin 'yon? Get married. Find a wife, get a boring job, live a boring life. No one suspects an ordinary man.

Almost three years ago, I walked into an upscale bar in BGC. And I saw her first. Tatlong babae ang nakaupo sa isang booth, nagtatawanan sa isang bagay na hindi ko naririnig. But one of them instantly caught my eye. Soft features. A quiet, breath-taking smile. 'Yung tipong babae na parang hindi man lang alam kung gaano kalakas ang hatak niya sa buong kwarto nang hindi man lang nagsisikap.

It was Nicolai. May ibinulong siya sa kaibigan niya bago sila parehong napahagikgik. I knew they were talking about me. Lalapitan ko na sana siya doon mismo sa mesang iyon. Pero bago pa man ako makahakbang, Valerie cut across the floor.

Bold smile. Eyes that knew exactly what they wanted. Bago pa siya matapos magpakilala sa akin, Nicolai was already gone from the bar and from my mind. Umuwi ako kasama si Valerie nang gabing 'yon. She fit the exact role I needed for my cover. Loud enough to be noticed, shallow enough not to ask dangerous questions, and beautiful enough that no one would wonder why I picked her. Pinalabas ko siyang girlfriend ko. At tuluyan kong ibinaon sa limot ang babaeng nakita ko muna sa bar.

I made my choice. Six months into our relationship, Valerie couldn't stop talking about her best friend Nicolai’s wedding. Isang milyonaryong nagngangalang Jude Velasquez. A real catch, a big deal in the business world.

Valerie desperately wanted that kind of life. She told me so, over and over again.

I simply told her to give me three years.

Pero mukhang hindi sapat ang pagmamahal niya para maghintay nang tahimik. She complained. She sulked. She threw scenes whenever I couldn't shower her with the luxury she craved. But she stayed. And I appreciated her patience for that, or so I thought.

Kasal na kami nang halos dalawang taon.

And nine months into our marriage, I found out she was fucking Jude Velasquez behind my back. Three months ago. Sobrang sigurado ako noon na tapat siya sa akin. That was the joke of it all. I built my entire calculation on the premise that Valerie, for all her superficial flaws, wouldn't betray me. She was too comfortable, too lazy, at masyadong nakadepende sa pangarap na ipinangako ko sa kaniya.

I was dead wrong. Nang malaman ko ang totoo, biglang naging malinaw ang lahat. Her unexplained absences. The cold, distant nights. The way she started flinching away from my touch months before I even processed it. 'Yung mga paulit-ulit niyang dahilan para iwasan ako sa kama. At kapag pumapayag man siyang makipagtalik sa akin, she acted like she was doing me a fucking favor.

After I found out, I completely stopped trying to touch her. She seemed relieved. Hindi rin naman siya nagtangkang lumapit sa akin. Then I started watching. Her mother knew. Her brother knew. Tuwing sasabihin ni Val na bibisitahin niya ang pamilya niya sa Tagaytay o QC, at tumatawag ako para i-check, silang dalawa ang mabilis na nagtatakip sa kaniya. Jude was showering her with money, and she was spreading it to her family. Designer bags for her mother. A luxury watch for her brother. The entire family was in on it. Pare-pareho silang lahat na mukhang pera.

I started gathering evidence. Quietly and carefully. I had initially planned to hand her the divorce papers today. Walang pasabi. Kahit nasaan pa siya, kahit sino pa ang kasama niya. But two days ago, I changed my plan. Nalaman kong palaging nagpupunta si Valerie sa bahay ni Nicolai. Nakikipagkwentuhan at nagtuturingan na parang magkapatid. Pero walang kaalam-alam si Nicolai na kapag wala siya, doon sa mismong kama nila gumagawa ng milagro ang bestfriend niya at ang sariling asawa.

The world looked at Jude Velasquez as a saint. Mga pictures na laman laman ng internet tulad ng nagpapadala siya ng bulaklak sa opisina ni Lai. Mga stolen shots na hinahalikan niya ito sa noo. The media and the internet even called her the luckiest woman alive.

At doon, nagdesisyon akong sirain ang maskara ni Jude Velasquez...at wasakin ang mundo niya kasabay niyon...