“I’m sorry for everything I said,” tahimik niyang sambit habang hinahaplos nang marahan ang buhok ko.
Nakayakap pa rin ako sa kaniya at hindi siya bumibitaw. Every time I would try to move away from him, he would pull me back in embrace me more and tighter. It’s as if he doesn’t want to let me go.
Pero aalis ako. I have decided that I will leave for now. I need to escape for now. I need to prioritize my well-being and my mental health... and staying here... won’t help me achieve that. Staying here only caused me pain. It caused me to lose someone.
I need to leave.
Nanatili akong tahimik na nakahilig sa dibdib niya dahil ayaw niya akong pakawalan. Mas lalo akong mahihirapan nito umalis. Ayaw kong umasa pero sa mga ginagawa niya, sa ilang mga sinasabi niya... parang ayos lang na umasa ako...
I need to remind myself that he’s in love with someone else.
“I’m sorry... that Reese insulted your mother...” I shift on my position when he said t
Nagising ako na wala na si Dr. Ricaforte sa tabi ko. I was already in my bedroom. May iniwan siyang note doon na need niya nang umalis kasi may duty pa siya but he cooked me breakfast. It was a sweet gesture and we had a great night, but I couldn’t even lift my lips to smile a bit. Instead, I can feel my heart aching. Maybe because I still can’t stay here anymore. At least for now. I want to be away for a while. At hindi ko pa nasasabi sa kaniya. Hindi ko pa alam kung ano ang idadahilan ko sa pag-alis para lang mapapayag siya. Knowing him, he wouldn’t allow me to go unless it’s really important and if my reason is valid and... true. It’s hard to lie to someone you love. But it’s harder to stay here when all I could feel and experience are pain, heartaches, and loss. I know that it’s best to stay away from him, from them... from everything. Tinapos ko ang mga kailangan kong gawin para sa araw na ‘yon. Nag-impake ako ng mga damit at gamit ko. The rest o
“I’m... sorry,” sambit ko at tinanggal ang hawak niya sa kamay ko. Inangat niya ang mukha niya at tinignan ako. Nagmamakaawa ang mga mata niya. Why is he making me hope? This is so unfair. Mas lalong ayaw kong mag-stay rito dahil baka hindi ko na talaga mapigilan ang sarili ko at umasa na... na baka mahal niya rin ako. Even though, it’s as clear as the sun that he’s in love with someone else. MJ, he’s in love with someone else. I repeat it to myself to remind me of my place. Wala ako sa lugar para umasa. “I can’t stay here. I’m sorry, Dr. Ricaforte...” paglilinaw ko. He looks like he’s about to cry. Parang tambol na hinahataw ang puso ko at para rin itong pinipiga sa sobrang sakit. It’s making me hard to breathe. Ayaw kong ipahalata sa kaniya na nasasaktan ko. He shouldn’t know. He must not find out that I am in love with him. “Flight ko na bukas. My grandfather already sent me my ticket. I can’t defy him, Dr. Ricaforte. He ne
[ Flashback ] Saglit kong ipinikit ang mga mata ko. Flashes of memories from that night immediately flowed in my head. My heart was burning because of pain, disappointment, and above all... anger. It had been a few days since what happened but it still felt like it happened just yesterday. Sobrang linaw pa rin sa isip ko kung paano sumabog ang eroplanong sinasakyan ng mga magulang ko at kung paano ‘yon bumagsak sa kung saan. Their bodies in the morgue stayed in my head. But I didn’t cry. I knew I was supposed to cry to feel the pain more at least let go of the pain, but I couldn’t. I just felt empty and lifeless. Para akong isang manika na naka-display lang, walang buhay. I was breathing but not alive. I felt the everything, but it was also as if I felt nothing. “Ms. Salazar, I will be asking you again. What happened that night?” tanong ng isang inspector sa akin pero nanatili akong tahimik na nakapikit sa aking upuan. Nasa loob ako ngayon ng
[ Flashback continues ]I did what I wanted. Hindi ako pumunta sa funeral ng mga magulang ko. I just know that their bodies have been cremated already yesterday. Ngayon ang funeral nila pero hindi ko gustong pumunta. Not because I don’t want to mourn their death, but because I don’t want to see everyone.Katulad ng sabi ni Lolo, ayaw kong makita ang buong pamilya namin. I feel empty and miserable pero hindi ko iyon gustong ipakita sa kanila dahil ayaw makita nila ako na mahina. Because I’m not that kind of person. At ayaw kong panghinaan ng loob.I am still planning to avenge my parents or at least seek justice for their death. I know they were killed and covered it up as an accident. I refused to tel that to the authorities because I don’t trust anyone of them. I couldn’t even tell my family about it because I know how convinced they were that what happened was indeed an accident.Halos pagabi na nang dumating ako roon pero
Pinalis ko ang luha ko at inayos ang sarili ko. Pagkatapos ay mga gamit ko naman ang inayos ko. Then I stand up and immediately go to the main door para umalis na dahil wala naman pala siyang balak pirmahan ang annulment papers na dala ko.There’s no reason for me to stay here. This is our house, yes. It’s safe here now, yes. Pero hindi na ako babalik pa rito kahit kailan para tumira ulit. I don’t want to be with him. And I’m still... terrified of what happened in here. So, no. I will not stay here. Sa condo ko na lang ako uuwi.“Where are you going?” I stop when I heard his voice again.Lumingon ako sa kaniya at nakitang nakaayos na siya. Mukhang papasok na sa trabaho. Night duty siya ngayon?I shake my head a little to erase the unnecessary thoughts residing in my head. Ano naman ngayon kung panggabi siya ngayon? Wala dapat akong pakialam doon. I shouldn’t get curious about his life anymore. Iyong naging buhay n
Umalis din naman siya agad matapos ang ilang minutong pananatili roon sa labas ng condo ko. I wasn’t sure what he meant by what he said. Gusto niya lang ako umuwi sa villa namin. He said that that house is my home... our home. And I told him that I never felt at home in that house, but I was lying. When I fell in love with him, that house instantly became home to me. I was at peace and I felt safe because I knew he’d be coming home to that house... to me. But that was before everything messed up. Someone broke into that house. It’s still my home, but I’m still scared. Kahit ang bahay ng parents ko ay hindi ako makapunta dahil sa takot na baka may nanonood ulit sa akin doon, nakabantay at kinukuhanan ako ng litrato. What I experienced and faced five months ago was alarming—traumatizing. I never felt secured and safe after such threatening events. And I’m still scared even though I already stopped investigating secretly. Because I feel like something is not yet
“Dr. Ricaforte!” tawag ko sa kaniya pero hindi pa rin siya natitinag sa paghila sa akin. Nakalayo na kami sa dalawa at nakapasok na ng main building ng hospital pero hindi pa rin siya tumitigil sa paglalakad at paghila sa akin. I know that he’s mad... really mad. At hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat kong maramdaman ngayon... dahil paniguradong ako naman ang pagbubuntungan niya ng galit niya. I’m scared and hurting at the same. I just can’t figure out what feeling is the dominating the other. Nang makarating kami sa parking lot ng hospital... sa tapat ng Sedan niya ay saka lang siya tumigil. Pero hindi niya binibitawan ang palapulsuhan ko. Binuksan niya ang sasakyan niya at pinapasok ako roon. He’s quiet. We are both quiet inside his car. Hindi ako makapagsalita dahil tinatantiya ko pa ang galit niya. Ayaw kong sumabay sa galit niya dahil baka maiyak lang ako sa harap niya. I don’t want to allow myself to be so vulnerable in front of him. Though, I fail
I still can’t believe that Dr. Ricaforte is in love with me. It feels surreal. At kahit gumaan nang kaunti ang nararamdaman ko, hindi ko pa rin puwedeng basta na lang isantabi kung ano ang dapat kong gawin. I still need him to sign the papers. Yes, I am a bit happy that he’s in love with me. Pero dahil sa mga nagawa kong mali, hindi ko kayang tuluyang maging masaya. Hindi mababago ng pag-amin niyang ‘yon ang mga dapat kong gawin. That’s I can’t be truly happy. Because I know I don’t deserve this happiness. I don’t... deserve this love no matter how much I want it. I open the door my condo and I immediately saw Dr. Ricaforte. He was just about to ring the doorbell. Bumuntong hininga ako. “Hey...” bati niya. I don’t greet him back. It has been weeks since he confessed to me at walang mintis ang pagdalaw niya rito sa tinutuluyan ko. Almost everyday. He’s always making sure that he won’t be called for urgent emergencies every time he’d visit me.