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Chapter 2
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2025-10-31 21:42:44Caleb’s POV
Mabilis lumipas ang mga araw, linggo, at buwan. Pero nanatiling pareho ang tahimik na atmosphere sa bahay. Walang ingay. Walang buhay. Parang bawat sulok ng mansyon ay may tinatagong lihim na ayaw ipaalam kahit kanino. Sa umaga, puno ng galaw ang paligid mga kasambahay, deliveries, meetings. Pero pagsapit ng gabi… isang malalim na katahimikan ang bumabalot sa buong lugar. Isang katahimikang minsan ay mas malakas pa sa kahit anong ingay. That night, halos hatinggabi na, pero nasa study room pa rin ako tinapos ko lang ang ilang papeles na inuwi ko galing opisina. Ang tanging tunog sa buong silid ay ang mahinang pag-ikot ng wall clock at ang marahang paglipat ko ng mga pages. Masakit na ang ulo ko, pati batok ko, at ramdam ko na ang pagod. I sighed and finally decided to stop working. I stacked the documents neatly, turned off the lights, and stepped out of the study. Paakyat na ako sa hagdan nang… May narinig akong mahinang kaluskos. Tumigil ako. Hatinggabi na. Sino pa'ng gising sa ganitong oras? Mula sa direksyon ng kusina, may bahagyang liwanag na lumalabas. Kumikinang ang marmol na sahig dahil sa ilaw, at doon ko napansin may taong gumagalaw sa loob. Tahimik akong bumaba muli, dahan-dahan ang bawat hakbang. Hindi ko alam kung bakit kailangan kong maging maingat… pero ginawa ko. At paglapit ko sa bukana ng kusina She was there. Si Lyra. Anak ng stepmom ko. Ang… stepsister ko. Mula nang una ko siyang makita, may kung anong nabago sa loob ko. At hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin humuhupa. Sa bawat araw na nakikita ko siya, sa bawat linggong dumaraan… lalong lumalalim ang nararamdaman kong hindi dapat lumalim. Isang pagnanasa. Isang paghahangad. Isang bagay na mali pero hindo ko kayang labanan. Nakatayo siya sa ilalim ng dim kitchen light, suot ang simpleng pajama. May ilang hibla ng buhok na nakawala sa tali niya, pahaplos sa pisngi. Tahimik siyang naghuhugas ng plato, maingat ang bawat galaw. May rhythm, may gentleness parang ayaw niyang makagising ng kahit anong alaala sa bahay. At sa katahimikan ng gabing iyon, para siyang nasa sariling mundo. Dapat umakyat na ako. Dapat umiwas ako. Pero hindi ko magawa. Isa… dalawa… hanggang sa lumapit na ako sa ref, hindi niya namamalayan. Kinuha ko ang pitcher ng tubig. “Hindi ka katulong dito,” mahina kong sabi habang pinupuno ang baso. “Kaya hindi mo kailangang gawin ’yan.” Nagulat siya halos mabitawan ang plato. “C–Caleb… i-ikaw pala,” she stammered. “A-akala ko tulog na ang lahat.” "Bakit, ikaw ang gumagawa niyan?" I asked her Ngumiti siya nang bahagya. “Naawa ako kina Manang Rosa. Wala rin naman akong ginagawa, kaya tumulong na ako. Saka matatapos na rin naman ako.” Bahagya siyang lumingon sa akin. Mabilis lang pero sapat para maramdaman kong bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko. Napatingin din siya sa kamay ko saglit bago siya muling tumutok sa lababo. Tahimik akong tumitig sa kanya. At sa sandaling iyon parang biglang uminit ang buong sistema ko. Ang ilaw. Ang tunog ng tubig. Ang mahinang paghinga niya. Lahat iyon, biglang naging mas malinaw. Mas malakas. Mas nakakaistorbo. Ilang sandali pa, natapos na siya. Pinunasan niya ang mga kamay niya at nag-angat ng tingin. Our eyes met. And just like that may sumabog sa pagitan namin. Hindi ko alam ang pangalan. Hindi ko gusto ang timing. Pero ramdam ko. “M-mauuna na ako,” mahinang sabi niya, parang nagmamadaling putulin ang koneksyon namin. Humakbang siya palayo. Pero bago siya makalakad nang tuluyan, naamoy ko ang pabangong gamit niya light, subtle, pero sapat para guluhin ang buong sistema ko. Mainit. Nakaka-addict. Tumango lang ako. Wala akong naisagot. Tahimik siyang naglakad paalis. Maingat. Malumanay. Halatang gusto nang umalis sa bigat ng sandaling iyon. Pagdating niya sa paanan ng hagdan, sandali siyang lumingon. At doon muli kaming nagtama ng tingin. Ngumiti siya. Isang maliit, mahiyain, pero nakakapanghina na ng tuhod na ngiti. At doon, tuluyan nang bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko. Naiwan akong nakatayo sa kusina, hawak ang basong hindi ko man lang naiinom. Tahimik. Pinilit kong kumalma. Pero kahit anong gawin ko hindi mawala sa isip ko ang imahe niya. Si Lyra, nakahawak sa plato, nakalubog ang kamay sa tubig, at nakatayo sa ilalim ng malamlam na ilaw isang tanawing dapat ay ordinaryo pero sa akin… isang alon na hindi ko kayang pigilan. At sa gabing iyon, habang muling bumabalik ang katahimikan sa buong mansyon, alam ko May nagbago. Hindi ko pa kayang pangalanan. Pero sigurado ako may parte ng mundo kong unti-unti niyang ginugulo.
Bab terbaru
WHEN DESIRE BECOMES A SIN Chapter 80
Caleb’s POV Nagising ako bago pa sumikat ang araw, gaya ng nakasanayan ko mula nang bumalik ang mag-ina ko. Hindi na ito dahil sa trabaho o obligasyon kundi dahil sa takot. Tahimik na takot na baka sa isang iglap, paggising ko wala na naman sila. Ang bahay ay tahimik, pero hindi ibig na walang tao dahil may mga kasambahay akong sanay gumalaw nang hindi naririnig, may private chef na naghahanda ng almusal sa ibaba, may seguridad sa labas na palaging alerto. Pero kahit gaano pa kaayos ang lahat sa paligid ko, may bahagi sa akin na hindi kailanman naging payapa simula noong umalis ang mag-ina ko. Limang taon akong naghanap. Sa bawat lungsod na may kahit katiting na posibilidad, sa bawat pangalan na maaaring ginamit niya, sa bawat bakas na inakalang kanya sinundan ko. Ginamit ko ang lahat ng kaya kong gamitin pera, impluwensya, koneksyon, mga taong sanay maghukay ng katotohanan. May mga pagkakataong halos abot-kamay ko na siya, pero palaging nauuwi sa wala. Parang sinadya
WHEN DESIRE BECOMES A SIN Chapter 79
Lyra’s POVPregnancy has a way of changing everything, even when life already feels full. This one came quietly, subtly, but its presence is constant. It’s not overwhelming, just… there, gently shaping every day.Caleb has been different too. Protective, yes, more than I ever remember him being before. I can’t really blame him. After everything the years we spent apart, the time I spent raising Liam without him, the distance, the secrets he’s cautious. He watches every small movement I make, making sure I’m safe. Sometimes it’s a bit much, but mostly, it’s comforting.“Lyra, slow down. Here, let me take that,” he said one morning, reaching for my bag as we walked to the car.“I’m fine,” I said, smiling.“I know,” he said quietly. “But I just… want to make sure you’re okay.”I sighed softly, letting him do it. It’s not controlling. It’s just love. Fierce, steady, protective love the kind that comes after loss and longing, after time apart, after realizing what matters most.Even the l
WHEN DESIRE BECOMES A SIN Chapter 78
Caleb’s POV Pregnancy didn’t announce itself loudly in our home. It arrived the way everything meaningful had between us quietly, patiently, threading itself into our days until it felt like it had always belonged there. Lyra moved more carefully now. Not weak never that but deliberate. Like every step mattered. Like she was already listening to the small life growing inside her. Liam listened too. He became observant in a way that surprised me. Every morning, he’d eye Lyra’s plate. “Did you eat enough, Mama?” Every night, before bed, he’d remind her, “Doctor said you need rest.” He said it like it was his job. And maybe it was. One evening, I found him sitting on the couch beside her, his small hand resting flat against her stomach. His face was serious, focused. “What are you doing, bud?” I asked. “I’m talking to the baby,” he said without looking up. Lyra smiled softly. “He says good night every day.” I sat beside them, resting my arm along the back of the couch, wa
WHEN DESIRE BECOMES A SIN Chapter 77
Caleb’s POV Months passed after Lyra and I got married, and life slowly settled into something quieter, steadier something real. Marriage didn’t change the foundation of our family. It strengthened it. Our days were no longer measured by big events, but by routines that felt meaningful in their simplicity. Mornings with shared coffee. Evenings with Liam’s stories from school. Nights when Lyra and I talked in low voices once the house had finally gone still. May sarili na kaming ritmo bilang pamilya. Tuwing umaga, sabay kaming nagkakape ni Lyra bago ako pumasok sa opisina habang naghahanda si Liam para sa school. Tuwing gabi, sabay-sabay kaming kumakain walang cellphone, walang istorbo. Kwentuhan lang. Simpleng araw-araw na sandaling mahalaga. We were halfway through the meal. Liam was swinging his legs under the chair, humming to himself while pushing vegetables around his plate. Lyra sat across from him, watching with that patient smile she reserved only for him. “P
WHEN DESIRE BECOMES A SIN Chapter 76
Caleb’s POV Sleep didn’t come all at once. It never does after a day like that after vows spoken aloud, after hands held in front of everyone who mattered, after promises that felt heavier and lighter at the same time. I drifted in and out, aware of Lyra’s warmth against me, the steady rhythm of her breathing grounding me more surely than sleep ever could. At some point in the night, I surfaced just enough to realize where I was. Our room was wrapped in darkness, the kind that doesn’t threaten but protects. Moonlight slipped in through the curtains in thin silver lines, tracing soft shapes across the walls. Lyra was tucked against my side, her head resting where it had always belonged, her body fitting into mine with an ease that still amazed me. My arm was draped over her waist without conscious thought. Even asleep, I knew where she was. Even asleep, my body chose her. I watched her for a long moment. Her face was calm, unguarded in sleep. No smiles for anyone else, no streng
WHEN DESIRE BECOMES A SIN Chapter 75
Lyra’s POV Hours passed quickly, and the party was over. Only silence remained Not the hollow silence that feels lonely, but the kind that settles gently after a day filled with voices, laughter, and celebration. The kind of quiet that feels earned. The lights were dim, warm, casting soft gold shadows across the walls. Somewhere outside, the night breathed slowly, as if the world itself had decided to lower its voice for us. For the first time since the ceremony, since the vows, since the applause and music and endless congratulations, it was just us. Caleb closed the door behind us, the soft click echoing through the room. I stood there for a moment, still wearing my gown, still feeling the weight of the day resting on my skin. My feet ached faintly, my body tired in a pleasant way, but my heart felt impossibly full, stretched wide with emotion I couldn’t yet name. He turned to face me slowly, like he was afraid the moment might shatter if he moved too fast. “We’re really m
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