Chapter 22

Ilang minuto kaming nakaupo lang sa loob ng sasakyan niya. Nakahawak lang siya sa manibela at nakatingin sa harap. He's been asking me for a chance to hear him explain, but now that we're here, he can't seem to find that courage to give answers to my questions.

"My dad was abusive," I heard him say. Mabilis akong napatingin sa kanya. He was just looking ahead still. "I made myself believe that we're fine. Because in the eyes of other people, we're the perfect family. Kasi doctor siya at may anak siyang magdo-doctor din. No one wants to let the world know how he would hurt me and my mom everytime he would lose his temper because we think no one would even listen."

I didn't know this part of his life. Well, I didn't know much about him before. We never got to that part where we got to know each other more because before we could even do that, he ran away.

"When my stepmom and I finally got the chance to leave him, we took it," he murmured. "I wanted to say goodbye but I wasn't able to,"