جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

AFTER PAMELA LEFT, I STARTED BROWSING THE INTERNET AS IMMEDIATE AS I COULD.Sinusubukan kong makakuha ng impormasyon tungkol sa sinasabi ni Pam na nangyaring backlash sa mga Sy five years ago. Baka sa pamamagitan no'n, magawa kong mahanap si Ayi Hana. God knows how worried I am about her. Ano na kayang lagay niya, nasaan na kaya siya after everything that happened."Hi.”Upon hearing the voice, I immediately closed the laptop I was using. It was Jelai. She seemed surprise at what I did and on how I reacted. Tumingin pa siya sa laptop ko na puno ng pagdududa."I'm sorry, naabala yata kita. Pero… what's that? Parang ang seryoso mo naman masyado sa ginagawa mo,” nag-aalangang sabi niya. Naglakad siya palapit sa akin."It was… nothing. I'm just doing some research. About the trend. You know, I gotta keep my heads up to the innovation,” pagsisinungaling ko. I look passed her and saw a duffle bag placed on the floor. Sa parehong spot kung saan siya nakatayo kanina. "Anyways, what's with the

WITH THE ADDRESS COMING FROM INVESTIGATOR GOZON, MY FATE LED ME TO A TINY APARTMENT ONLY A FEW METERS AWAY FROM THE DUMP SITE.Lumang apartment na iyon—sobrang luma na hindi nga ako sigurado kung macla-classify pa ba as "apartment" ang lugar na iyon dahil sa itsura nito. Sobrang liit lang ng lugar na iyon kung titingnan mula sa loob. It was just like a small room. Gawa sa pinagtagpi-tagping yero at mga sako ang pader. 'Yung bubong naman ay yero rin pero kinakalawang at sira-sira na. Its doors are made of wood scraps. Pinagtagpi-tagpi lang din 'yon para maging pinto. And just like what I've said, ilang metro lang ang layo nito mula sa tapunan ng mga basura at kung anu-ano pang dumi. Marami ring kadikit na bahay ang lugar na tinitirahan daw ni Ayi Hana. But all those houses just looks the same. Maliit, pinagtagpi-tagpi, at… marumi.Sigurado ba talaga 'yung imbestigador na 'yon na dito nga nakakita si Ayi Hana?Never in my mind na naisip kong titira sa ganitong klaseng lugar si Ayi. At l

RIGHT AFTER AYI FINISHED TELLING ME STORIES, I IMMEDIATELY FELT A SURGE OF EMOTIONS COMING THROUGH ME.Naiinis ako, nagagalit, nagulat… nasaktan?"The day you said you left, I believe that was also the very day your father looked for you. Sa maniwala ka man o sa hindi, hinanap ka n'ya, Cali. He was so worried sick. He went through everywhere searching for you. He went through everything. I even remembered na ilang beses s'yang nabiktima ng mga scammers. Those person who claimed to see and know your whereabouts. Pero in the end, wala pala. They were all just after his money. Anyway, fast forward to your graduation day, nando'n s'ya. I don't know if you see him but he went there. Alam ko dahil sinundan ko s'ya. Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin maintindihan kung bakit hindi ka n'ya nilapitan at kinausap that very same day. I mean, he already spent a lot looking for you. He was nearly going crazy. Pero no'ng nasa harapan ka na n'ya, hindi man lang s'ya gumawa ng paraan to take you home. B

CALISTA'S P. O. VThe next day was a blur of nervous energy and stolen glances at my phone. Mula no'ng nakita ko 'yung itsura ng lalaking nag iikot sa bahay ko ay kumakain ng mga pagkain ko nang walang paalam, parang nag-crave na ako na makita s'ya buong araw. I spent most of my time glued to the CCTV feed, my eyes never leaving the screen. He was still there, moving around my apartment with the same unnerving calm he’d displayed the previous night. He was making himself at home, pouring himself a cup of coffee from my machine, humming a tuneless melody under his breath. Mukhang aware s'ya na wala ako sa bahay ngayon.My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs, a constant, throbbing reminder of the bizarre situation I found myself in. He was a burglar, probably a criminal, an intruder—and yet, I couldn't tear my eyes away. It was like watching a captivating train wreck, a mesmerizing disaster unfolding in slow motion.He wandered through my apartment, pausing to examine my art

CALISTA'S P. O. VThe silence hung heavy between us, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator. He finally spoke, his voice low and hesitant."My name is Lewis," he began, his gaze meeting mine. "Lewis Rossi."I nodded."Lewis Rossi? What a nice name. Italian?” I asked. Naghihintay ako sa mga susunod n'ya pang sasabihin.S'ya naman ang tumango.He took a deep breath. "It’s…a long story," he said, running a hand through his hair. "And yeag, I’m Italian, half-Filipino. My mother…she’s from here." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I came here two years ago… looking for… something.""Something? Saan? Dito sa bahay ko?" I prompted gently.He looked down at his hands. "No. Not at first. I met someone online. A woman. Filipina rin s'ya. I met her on Finder.”Finder? The dating app?Oh, wait. Yeah, I know that dating app but it doesn't mean I am into it. Hindi pa naman ako gano'n ka-hopeless romantic. It's just… Okay, alright. I am into Finder. Tsk! "That woman, she… she seemed perfe