I put the plane ticket going to Quebec back into my purse nang maisip na hindi ko naman planong pumunta roon. When I arrived at the airport earlier, I immediately bought a ticket to Quebec under my name and took a huge amount of money into my bank account.Knowing Chester and Daddy, their connections are enough to find me. Siguro nga, hindi pa ako nakakarating sa pupuntahan ko ay naroon na sila. Afterall, I don’t have any strings to pull anymore. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung may mapagkakatiwalaan pa ba ako. I don’t have any cover-ups to use anymore, so I have no other choice but to hide and deceive them as much as I can.“Dito na po, Ma’am.” Parang muli akong natauhan nang marinig ang sabi ng tricycle driver. Arriving at a hotel here in Lipa, Batangas, kaagad akong bumaba at nagbayad. Hindi ko alam kung anong sumagi sa isip ko at dito ako nagpunta. It just feels right and natural for me to come to Batangas. Siguro madalas ako rito noon?Isa pa, going somewhere near while they try to loo

Chancellor left the room, and I almost fainted because of shortness of breath. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa sinasabi niya, at ayaw kong maniwala!How come he didn’t know? O baka naman itinatanggi niya lang din? But why the fuck would he deny such thing gayong magkaibigan kami!Or were my memories distorted? “Impossible,” I said. Parang sumasakit ang ulo ko sa frustration. There’s no fucking way I could be wrong, right?O baka naman pati sarili kong memorya ay hindi ko na rin kayang pagkatiwalaan gaya ng ibang tao sa paligid ko?!Tang ina!“Goddamn it! Damn!” I pulled my hair in frustration as my tears rolled down my cheeks. I don’t know what to fucking believe anymore! It has been a long time since I had flashbacks like this, at ganito pa?!“Argh!” I cried out of resentment and grief because I really didn’t know what to do anymore.“P-Paris–!”I sniffed and wiped my tears when I heard a familiar voice. Chester entered the room and attended me immediately, pero isa siya sa napakaraming t

“My goodness, Paris! Where were you?! And why the hell did you do that?” I breathed heavily when Felix was the one who confronted me right when we got back home. I simply smirked at him and continued sipping on the hot coffee that was served by the maids. Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko dahil sa totoo lang, siya lang ang naglakas loob na lumapit sa akin at komprontahin ako – something that I expected from my father, so that I could talk and rant to him.But I guess, they just didn’t care. Maybe they’re fed up with me.“Who cares?” I asked. “And you definitely know why I did what I did. Alam kong naiintindihan mo ‘ko, ‘cousin’.” I said, emphasizing the way I have addressed him.Felix only sighed and sat in front of me. Through the years, he has stood up as my older brother. He was the one who understood me and my whines – or that’s what I thought.He’s always been close to my Dad because he’s been close to me. Iyon naman pala… Dad wanted to marry his mother. Felix didn’t appr

I couldn’t recall how much I cried for a few days because of that. Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyayari, or what triggered them back, but the memories kept flowing like a river that could not be stopped. And along that, I could feel surges of emotion that I could not name. Halo-halo ang nararamdaman ko, and I don’t know if I could even contain all of them. I don’t even know how many days it has been. I was only brought meals inside my room and was taken care of. Minsan binibisita ako nina Daddy at Tita Faureen sa kwarto, but I don’t have the energy to talk to them. When I look at my father, all I can do is cry. Kaya nang lumabas ako sa kwarto, they were all surprised.“Paris? How are you feeling? I should’ve just brought you some food for–!” Napatigil si Tita Faureen sa pagsalubong sa akin nang mapansin niya kung ano ang nakakuha ng atensyon ko pagbaba ko ng hagdan. My lips parted at the sight of tons of flowers in the living room. Some are withered, and some are being saved by Tita