Chapter 4 ( The Man she Left Behind)

Nagising si Nathaniel kinabukasan na mabigat ang ulo, bahagya siyang napangiwi habang idinilat ang mga mata, “Babe…” automatic niyang hinanap ang babaeng laging nasa tabi niya tuwing umaga, iniunat niya ang kamay sa kabilang side ng kama. Empty, napakunot-noo siya, “Baby?” Umupo siya at muling tumingin sa paligid, wala ito.

Maybe she was in the kitchen, maybe she was making coffee. “Babe?” Tumayo siya at agad na lumabas ng bedroom. “Baby?” Tahimik, walang sumagot. Pumunta siya sa kitchen, walang tao, walang tunog ng kawali, walang amoy ng kape, wala ang boses na palaging bumabati sa kanya ng, Good morning, boss. Napakunot ang noo niya, something felt wrong.

Bumalik siya sa bedroom at binuksan ang cabinet ni Althea, nanigas siya, wala na ang mga damit nito, wala na ang mga bag, wala na ang mga sapatos, even the small things she usually left everywhere were gone.

“No…” Mabilis niyang kinuha ang phone niya. Tinawagan niya si Althea, one ring, two, three. Then, The number you have dialed cannot be reached. “Come on…” muli niyang tinawagan, same result, “Pick up,” another call, nothing, “Althea, pick up the fucking phone.” wala pa rin.

Nagsimula siyang manginig, hindi niya alam kung bakit, he had never been afraid of losing anyone, but this? This terrifies him. Umupo siya sa gilid ng kama habang hawak pa rin ang phone, “Why?” tumulo ang unang luha. Napatingin siya sa kamay niya na parang hindi makapaniwala, he is crying.

Nathaniel Montenegro is crying, for the first time in his life.

“Please…” pinunasan niya ang mukha niya pero patuloy lamang ang pag-agos ng luha, “come back,” muli niyang tinawagan si Althea, “Please, Althea.” huminga siya nang malalim, nanginginig ang boses, “If I did something wrong, I'll fix it,” another call,“ just come back.”

Humiga siya sa kama kung saan sila huling magkasama, hinawakan niya ang unan ni Althea, nandoon pa rin ang faint scent ng perfume nito at doon tuluyang bumigay ang isang lalaking buong buhay na pinaniwala ang sarili na hindi niya kailangan ang kahit sino, “I love you.” Napapikit siya, “please don't leave me.”

Hindi siya pumasok sa Montenegro Holdings nang araw na iyon, neither did he the next day, he never took leave of absences, not when he is sick, not when he is tired, not even on his birthday.

Sa loob ng condo, nanatili si Nathaniel, isang bote, dalawa, tatlo, halos di na niya mabilang. Nakaupo siya sa sahig habang hawak ang isang baso ng whiskey, may mga luha pa rin sa kanyang mga mata, bawat sulok ng condo ay nagpapaalala kay Althea. Ang mug nito, ang maliit na hair tie sa sofa, ang sticky notes nito sa refrigerator, even the ridiculous little cushion she bought because she said his condo looked “too depressing.” He stared at it, then laughed bitterly, “She left.” Isang malungkot na tawa, “she fucking left.” Then the door opened, napatingin siya.

Pumasok si Victoria Montenegro, agad niyang napansin ang kalagayan ng anak. “Come with me, Nathaniel.”

Hindi siya sumagot.

Lumapit si Victoria, “You haven't been answering my calls.”

“Where is she?”

Tahimik si Victoria.

Napatingin sa kanya si Nathaniel, “Where is Althea?”

“She left.”

“I know.” Tumayo siya, “why?”

Victoria sighed, “She took five million pesos.”

Natigilan si Nathaniel, “What did you say?”

“Althea left with five million.”

Parang may sumabog sa loob niya, “What did you say to her?”

Victoria remained calm, “I simply tested her.”

“You what?”

“I gave her a choice.”

Napahigpit ang panga ni Nathaniel, “What choice?”

“You,” she paused, “rr five million.”

Nanlaki ang mata ni Nathaniel, “And she accepted the money.”

Tahimik.

“That's why she's gone.”

Nathaniel stared at his mother, “No.”

“She chose the money, Nathaniel.”

“No.”

“She could have stayed.”

“Stop.”

“But she didn't.”

“Stop!” malakas niyang hinampas ang mesa, tumulo muli ang luha sa kanyang mga mata, “She will never do that.”

Victoria's expression remained cold, “You were blinded by love.”

“She loved me.”

“Apparently, not enough.”

Napapikit si Nathaniel, naalala niya ang mga gabing magkasama sila, ang mga ngiti ni Althea, ang mga pangakong walang ibang makakaalam, the way she used to hold his hand, the way she said she loved him. And now, Five million, just five million, “I gave her everything,” his voice broke, “I trusted her.”

Victoria walked closer, “Some people love what you can give them, not who you are.”

Tahimik si Nathaniel, unti-unting nagbago ang expression niya. The pain remained, but something colder slowly replaced it, ang lambot sa kanyang mga mata ay nawala, ang mga luha ay pinunasan niya. He looked at his mother, then toward the empty bedroom, “Five million…” mahina siyang tumawa, “so that's all I was worth to her?”

Victoria said nothing.

Nathaniel picked up his glass, he drank and drank again until there was nothing left but bitterness.

The next morning, Nathaniel Montenegro walked into Montenegro Holdings, the entire executive floor fell silent, wala nang ngiti, no warmth, walang Althea na nakasunod sa kanya, only the cold, ruthless CEO they had known before.

“Where is the report?” His voice was sharp.

“On your desk, sir.”

“Why isn't it finished?”

“Sir, we—”

“Do it again.”

“Yes, sir.”

No one dared argue, no one dared joke, no one dared even breathe too loudly around him. Nathaniel had returned but this time, he was worse, mas malamig, mas ruthless, mas intimidating. He buried himself in work, meetings, contracts, business trips, deals. Anything that could keep his mind occupied and when someone mentioned relationships?

He shut them down immediately, he never dated, never allowed anyone close, years passed, women came and went, but none of them ever reached the walls he had built around himself. Because somewhere deep inside Nathaniel Montenegro was a wound that never healed, a wound named Althea Reyes. He convinced himself that love was a lie, that trust was weakness, that everyone eventually leaves when something better comes along and so he made a promise to himself. Never again. Never would he love someone enough to give them the power to destroy him, his heart had once belonged to Althea, she had taken it with her when she left and whatever remained was filled with anger.

For years, Nathaniel Montenegro remained exactly what he had been before her, cold, ruthless, untouchable. The CEO everyone feared, the man who never smiled, the man who never loved again.

Because he believed that the woman he loved had chosen five million pesos over him.