Semua Bab WAVES BENEATH THE SILENCE: Bab 1 - Bab 10

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes… was the silence. Malambot ang kama. Mabango ang duvet. Mainit ang sinag ng araw na dumudungaw mula sa kurtina ng suite room. Pero masyado ring tahimik para maging totoo. And then it hit me. What I did. Who I did. Renzo. Biglang bumalik lahat — ang mga halik, ang mga bulong, ang paggalaw ng katawan naming parang isa. The sound of his voice whispering sweet nothings as he moved inside me. And the moment he realized… I was a virgin. Napapikit ako, pinipilit itulak ang lahat ng alaala palayo. Pero mas lalo lang silang dumidikit sa balat ko, sa isip ko, sa gitna ng hita ko. I turned my head. Wala siya. The bed beside me was still warm, but he wasn’t there. I sat up slowly, blanket wrapping around my naked body. My dress was on the floor. Panty ko nasa ilalim ng upuan. Bra ko... kung saan man. I couldn’t think straight. What did I just do? Hindi ako ganito. Hindi ako yung tipo ng babae na nakikipag-one-night

“Okay, spill na. I know may tinatago ka.” Napalingon ako kay Iya habang umiinom siya ng strawberry frappe sa café naming tambayan sa Greenbelt. Her eyes were sharp, suspicious, and too damn observant. “Wala naman,” bulong ko habang iniikot ang straw sa iced Americano ko. “Celle,” she leaned in, whispering dramatically. “Tatlong linggo ka nang blooming, laging tulala, and you barely post anything except boring art reposts. Kahit throwback selfie, wala. That’s not you.” “Maybe I’m just… busy.” She raised an eyebrow. “Busy sa lalaki?” I choked a little on my drink. “Iya!” Her eyes widened with fake shock. “Oh my God. Tama ako?! Sino siya?! Wait—don’t tell me, kilala ko?” I shook my head quickly. “Hindi. Hindi mo siya kilala. Hindi siya from our circle.” “Hmm,” she crossed her arms. “Pero may ‘siya’ talaga?” I paused. And then… nodded. Iya’s jaw dropped. “Wait lang. As in seryoso ‘to? As in—Celle Alvarado has a secret man?!” I smiled weakly, looking down at my drink. “He’s… j

Tahimik ang loob ng ospital. Masyadong tahimik.Ang amoy ng disinfectant ay parang paulit-ulit na paalala ng lahat ng nangyari — ng lahat ng nawala. Sa loob ng private rehabilitation suite, ramdam ang bigat ng oras. Mabagal ang takbo ng oras sa kwartong iyon. Mabigat ang hangin. Parang kahit ang mga alaala, naglalakad nang dahan-dahan.Renzo pushed the door open quietly.“Bro,” he said softly.Nasa bintana si Julius. Nakaupo sa wheelchair, nakatalikod. Mahaba na ulit ang buhok, malinis ang hiwa ng buhok sa gilid, pero maputla pa rin ang kutis. May manipis na kumot sa tuhod niya at IV drip sa kabilang braso.Paglingon nito, ngumiti si Julius — mahina, pero totoo.“Tagal mong nawala,” sabi niya, paos pa rin ang boses.“May inasikaso lang,” Renzo lied, pero hindi rin nag-effort na gawing totoo. Umupo siya sa tabi ng kapatid, ibinagsak ang bag sa sahig.Tahimik silang dalawa saglit. Tumunog ang monitor sa gilid — mahinang beeping. Sa labas ng bintana, kita ang mga ulap na parang gumuguhit

Tahimik ang gabi. The air conditioner hummed low and steady, the sheets warm against her bare skin, habang nakayakap siya sa unan na may bahid pa ng amoy ni Renzo. For a moment, she felt safe — wrapped in warmth, lulled by silence. Pero nang pumikit siya… hindi tulog ang dumapo sa kanya. Bangungot. Dumilim ang panaginip. At bumalik siya doon — sa gabing iyon. The night she tried to forget. The night she wished never happened. Nasa driver's seat siya ng kanyang Lamborghini. The black beast beneath her hands rumbled like a warning. Nanginginig ang mga daliri niya sa manibela. Pawis ang palad. Ang dibdib niya, parang sasabog. “Tumakbo ka na, Celestine. Bilis.” She whispered the words to herself like a prayer. Sa gilid ng paningin niya, nakita niya ang lalaking humabol sa kanya — the same man who tried to touch her, force her, take what he had no right to. “Bitiwan mo ako!” She had screamed earlier, voice cracking in the dark. She elbowed him hard. Tumilapon ito, nap

JULIUS’ POVHe sat quietly sa veranda ng kabilang villa, hawak ang basong may kalahating laman ng tubig. The wind was cold, but he didn’t notice. Hindi rin siya gumagalaw. Tumitig lang siya sa kawalan.That girl.Celestine.The name alone stirred something uneasy in him.She looked… familiar. Not her face entirely, but the feeling she gave him. The tremor in her hand when she passed him the coffee. The momentary panic in her eyes.It triggered something.A memory.Not full, not clear — but enough to leave him shaken.Images started to resurface in flashes:A car.Headlights.A girl behind the wheel, crying. Her hand trembling on the gear.A voice screaming in the distance.Then blackness.Julius clenched his jaw, placing the glass down on the table as gently as he could, though his fingers were white from how tightly he held it.“I know that face,” he murmured to himself.He didn’t know from where.But his body remembered something… terrifying.Something lost in the shadows of his com