Chapter 5

Nagising si Karolina sa kalagitnaan ng gabi, hingal pa rin at magulo ang isip. Nanatili siyang nakatitig sa kisame habang pilit inaalala kung ano ang gumising sa kanya. Nang igalaw niya ang kamay sa kabilang bahagi ng kama, malamig na ang espasyo.

Wala na si Alejandro.

Ilang segundo siyang nanatiling nakahiga, tahimik na nakikinig sa nakabibinging katahimikan ng silid. Ang mga kumot ay may bahagya pa ring init at dala pa rin ang amoy ng mamahaling cologne nito, halo sa banayad na amoy ng usok at alak.

Her body still remembered everything that had happened earlier, the warmth of his embrace, the intensity of his touch, the way he effortlessly unraveled every wall she had built around herself.

Napapikit siya at marahang huminga.

Ano ba 'to… Parang kahit wala na ito sa tabi niya, naroon pa rin ang presensya nito, gumugulo sa bawat maayos na pag-iisip niya.

Nakakauhaw.

Iyon lang ang naisip niyang dahilan para bumangon.

Dahan-dahan siyang tumayo at lumabas ng silid, barefoot, habang tahimik na naglalakad sa mahabang hallway ng mansion. The cold marble floor sent a shiver up her spine. Sa dilim ng gabi, mas lalo pang lumaki ang pakiramdam ng bahay—malawak, malamig, at tila may sariling buhay.

Ang mahihinang ilaw mula sa mga chandelier ay halos hindi sapat upang itaboy ang mga aninong nakadikit sa bawat sulok. Even the silence felt unsettling, pressing heavily against her chest.

Pagdating sa kusina, agad siyang kumuha ng baso at nagsalin ng malamig na tubig. Bahagyang nanginginig ang kanyang kamay habang itinataas iyon sa kanyang mga labi. Isang lagok. Dalawa. Unti-unting humupa ang panunuyo ng kanyang lalamunan.

Ngunit bago pa man niya maibaba ang baso ay may biglang brasong pumulupot sa kanyang baywang mula sa likod.

Napasinghap siya. Nanigas ang buo niyang katawan. Awtomatiko siyang napapikit nang maramdaman ang mainit na hiningang dumampi sa gilid ng kanyang leeg.

"You're awake," bulong ng isang mababang boses, kalmado ngunit puno ng kung anong hindi niya maipaliwanag.

The familiar scent reached her first.

Kay Alejandro iyon.

The tension in her body eased almost instantly. Sa akalang siya iyon, hinayaan na lamang niya ang mga brasong pumapalibot sa kanya.

Ngunit napasinghap siya nang maramdaman niyang lalo pang humigpit ang pagkakahawak nito sa kanyang baywang. His chest pressed firmly against her back while his breathing ghosted over the side of her neck, slow and controlled.

"Don't move," he murmured.

Hindi siya gumalaw.

Her pulse raced as his hand slowly slipped beneath the fabric of her panties, holding her firmly in place. Karolina's breath caught in her throat. Her thoughts scattered, confused and dizzy, trapped between panic and the desperate hope that the man behind her was really Alejandro. His touch lingered with unsettling confidence, as though every inch of her already belonged to him.

Something felt... wrong.

Hindi ito ang paraan ng paghawak ni Alejandro.

Before she could react, he tilted her chin upward, forcing her gaze ahead. The kitchen suddenly felt too small, too quiet, too dangerous. Their lips were only inches apart when someone spoke behind them.

"Let her go."

Malamig, kalmado, ngunit nakapangingilabot ang boses na iyon.

Ang boses ay dumagundong sa buong kusina na parang matalim na talim na humiwa sa katahimikan. Agad lumuwag ang pagkakayakap sa kanya.

Mabilis na kumalas si Karolina at napaatras, hingal na hingal habang nililingon ang pintuan.

And there he was.

Doon niya siya nakita si Alejandro.

Standing at the entrance, his expression was unreadable. But the icy look in his eyes, fixed on the man behind her, was enough to freeze the entire room.

"A-alejandro? Ikaw ba ‘yan?"

The name escaped her lips in a whisper. But then her eyes shifted to the man standing in the doorway.

No...

If he was Alejandro...

Then who the hell was the man standing behind her?

Parang huminto ang mundo niya. Her stomach dropped as she stared between the two men, her breathing growing shallow with every passing second. Same height. Same face. Same piercing dark eyes. Even the way they carried themselves—the quiet confidence, the cold authority, the terrifying composure—was exactly the same.

It was like looking at the same man twice.

"What the fuck is happening?" she breathed, almost to herself.

Wala nang pumapasok sa isip niya. Everything she thought she knew shattered in an instant. Her mind desperately searched for an explanation, but none of it made sense.

Sinong Alejandro ang nasa harapan niya? At sino ang kanina lang ay nasa likuran ko?

Her pulse pounded violently against her chest as panic slowly took over. Hindi na niya alam kung alin ang paniniwalaan. Kung sino ang totoong asawa niya. Kung sino ang lalaking kasama niyang natulog, nakausap, at unti-unti niyang nakilala.

Alejandro had always been difficult to understand.

Pero ang malaman niyang may kambal ito… It felt like the ground beneath her feet had completely disappeared.

Standing at the doorway, Alejandro remained perfectly still. His expression gave nothing away, but the tightness in his jaw and the deadly calm in his eyes spoke louder than words. His gaze never left the man behind her.

The silence inside the kitchen became suffocating.

Then his voice came again.

Sharper.

Colder.

"Step the fuck away from her, Aldous."

Nanginginig ang buong katawan ni Karolina habang salitan ang tingin niya sa dalawa. Dalawang lalaki. Iisang mukha. Isang katotohanang hindi niya kayang tanggapin.

For the first time since she met Alejandro, doubt crept into her heart.

How could she be so sure she had always been with the right man... when she couldn't even tell them apart?

Alejandro took one slow step forward. But Aldous didn't move. Neither of them looked away. The air between the twins felt ready to explode.

At sa gitna ng nakabibinging katahimikan, habang halos marinig na niya ang sarili niyang tibok ng puso, mahina ngunit nanginginig na nagsalita si Karolina.

"Please... tell me I wasn't wrong this whole time.”