Kabanata 5

I blew out the candle before I hugged my mom.

“Happy sweet sixteen, Ely!” maligalig na bati ni Rina, saka pinaputok ang party popper.

Ngumisi ako bago hinalikan sa pisngi si Mommy. “Thank you,” bulong ko sa kanya.

Bahagya kong nilingon si Timothy na may maliit na ngiti sa labi, nakamasid sa amin. Agad siyang tumalikod nang magtama ang mga mata namin. Mabilis din siyang sinundan ni Mommy para umupo sa tabi niya.

Maya-maya ay lumapit si Rina para isuot sa akin ang party hat.

Ngumuso ako. “You didn’t mention this to me.”

“Of course! Edi hindi na surprise kung sinabi ko!” she said sarcastically.

I noticed Nico was still there, along with a few of our classmates. They all greeted me a happy birthday, but only Nico dared to come closer to personally hand me a gift.

“For you, Ely,” aniya, saka iniabot ang isang maliit na kahon.

I smirked. “Thank you, Nico,” sabi ko habang tinatanggap iyon.

“I hope you were surprised. This was organized by your mom and your stepdad. They really contacted us not to mention a single thing to you,” paliwanag pa niya.

“O-Of course.” Nautal kong sagot nang mabanggit niya si Timothy.

Maya-maya ay nagsimula nang magpaalam ang mga kaklase ko. Si Rina, gaya ng inaasahan ay nagpaiwan pa sandali para magpa-picture bago umalis. Naiwan ako sa table habang nilalaro ang ribbon ng regalo ni Nico habang pinapanood si Mommy at si Timothy na may kinakausap sa gilid ng restaurant.

Tahimik akong sumimsim ng tubig habang nagmamasid. The lights had gone dimmer, the other diners slowly leaving. I could see Timothy leaning slightly toward Mom—calm, serious, the same expression he wore at every board meeting I’d accidentally walked in on.

Curiosity got the better of me. Tumayo ako at kunwaring pupunta sa restroom, pero dahan-dahan akong lumapit sa hallway papunta sa private lounge. Doon ko sila narinig.

“She seemed happy tonight,” mahinang sabi ni Timothy. “At least for a while.”

“She’s still hurting, Tim,” pagod na sagot ni Mommy. “And I don’t think she’ll ever forgive you completely.”

“I’m not asking for that,” mariing boses ni Timothy. “As long as she’s safe… and the board stops questioning the family’s stability, that’s enough.”

Parang may kumurot sa dibdib ko.

Safe. Stability. Board. So, my birthday wasn’t really for me, but for appearances. For business.

“You’ve done enough,” bulong ni Mommy. “But sometimes, I wonder if this is still about Juancho’s promise… or about you proving something to yourself.”

Hindi umimik si Timothy.

I didn’t wait for his answer. Mabilis akong umalis at bumalik sa table.

Pag-upo ko ay napansin kong nanginginig ang kamay ko. The candlelight from my half-finished cake flickered weakly between us, almost mocking.

So that was it, huh?

Even my birthday had strings attached.

I stayed quiet for the rest of the night.

Rina left a few minutes later, at sinabihan akong mag-message pag-uwi ko. Naiwan akong nakaupo, staring at the empty cake plate while the staff slowly cleared the table.

Mom was still talking to Timothy near the corner of the restaurant. They looked composed. His hand rested slightly on the back of her chair, like they’d done this a thousand times before.

And maybe they had.

I turned my gaze away, pretending to scroll on my phone kahit wala naman akong signal. I hated how natural they looked together. How easy it was for him to blend into our lives like he belonged there.

Lumipas ang ilang minute bago lumapit si Mommy. “Anak, ready to go home?” she asked softly.

Tumango lang ako. “Sure.”

Timothy stood nearby, giving quick instructions to the staff before he turned toward us. “Car’s waiting outside,” mahinahon niyang sabi.

Tahimik akong tumayo. I walked ahead, my heels clicking against the marble floor, and each step was heavier than the last.

Paglabas naming ay malamig na hangin ang sumalubong. I could see the city lights stretching out in front of me. It was so alive, so far away from how I felt inside.

Timothy opened the car door for us, and I hesitated before sliding in. I caught his reflection in the glass window. He was smiling a bit.

At sa oras na ‘yon, mas lalo lang akong nainis sa pagmumukha niya.

How could he stay so composed when all I wanted was to scream?

As the car moved, I leaned my head against the window, watching the lights we passed by.

“Did you have fun, anak?” basag ni Mommy sa katahimikan.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a smile she couldn’t see. “Yeah,” I lied. “It was… perfect.”

But deep down, I knew the truth.

Nothing about tonight felt real—just another show. Another performance for the world to see.

Kaya nang saktong huminto ang sasakyan sa tapat ng bahay, agad akong bumaba at pumasok. I left them in the car.

Pagkapasok ko, agad akong sinalubong ni Aling Mirna. “Happy birthday, Miss Elara—”

“Thank you, Aling Mirna,” mabilis kong sagot bago dumiretso paakyat sa kwarto.

Narinig ko pa si Mommy habang paakyat ako. “Justine, I’ll ask Isko to bring your gifts upstairs, okay?”

“Yeah,” sagot ko nang hindi lumilingon.

Agad akong sumalampak sa kama pagdating sa kwarto. Sa paglingon ko sa kanan, napansin ko ang litrato ni Daddy. Dahan-dahan ko iyong inabot at pinakatitigan.

“Trusted friend, huh? Really, Dad?” I whispered. “Well… flash news. I still hate him.”

Bahagya kong pinunasan ang frame gamit ang kamay ko. “Walang pwedeng pumalit sa’yo, Dad,” mahinang bulong ko bago iyon itinabi sa tabi ko.

The laughter and faint clatter from downstairs slowly faded. The house grew still, empty except for the sound of my breathing. I closed my eyes, clutching the frame close to my chest—pretending, just for a second, that he was still here.

Paggising ko kinabukasan, naroon na sa gilid ng kwarto ang mga regalo. I forgot about them because I was too tired yesterday to even care.

Dahan-dahan akong tumayo at nag-freshen up. Umupo ako sa vanity at marahang sinuklay ang buhok ko. Habang nag-aayos, isa-isa kong binuksan ang mga regalo.

Unang binuksan ko ang galing kay Nicolo. It was a silver bracelet from Tiffany & Co... it was thin, understated, but obviously expensive. Ngumiti ako at marahang ibinalik iyon sa kahon bago dumako sa susunod.

Rina’s gift made me laugh softly. It was a full Dior makeup set—the exact one we’d been talking about last week.

“God, I love her talaga,” bulong ko bago ko inilagay sa vanity drawer ‘yon.

Pagtingin ko ay napansin ko ang regalo ni Mommy. A small, elegant jewelry box. Pero nang buksan ko, nandoon ang locket na matagal ko nang hinahanap. It was the one Dad gave her before they got married. Inside was a tiny photo of the three of us, smiling.

Natigilan ako saka marahang hinaplos iyon. I felt the sting in my chest. I knew a tear would fall if I didn’t stop myself from remembering too much.

Pero bago pa ako tuluyang lamunin ng alaala, may napansin akong isang kahon sa pinaka-ilalim. It caught my attention because it was the simplest.

No ribbon, no brand, just a matte black box with my name written in Timothy’s neat handwriting.

Binuksan ko iyon.

Inside was a leather journal, minimalist and hand-bound. The pages were thick and cream-colored, and when I flipped through it, may nakaipit sa gitna. It was an engraved brass bookmark that said, “Write something that matters.”

No note. No dedication. Nothing else.

Natameme ako sa pagkatitig doon, hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman.

It wasn’t sentimental. But it felt... personal.

Too personal.

Like he somehow knew that I used to write letters for Dad every night.

Marahan kong isinara ang journal at ibinalik sa kahon. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero parang ayokong tingnan ‘yon ulit.