All Chapters of The Girl He Ruined: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

He looked at the screen, raised an eyebrow. "Bakit may hashtag na naman?"Tumawa ako na para bang nahihiya. "Kasalanan mo 'yan, eh. Ang lakas mo magpaka-boyfriend sa gilid. #Lithorne na raw sila." He stepped forward, gently wrapped his arms around my waist."Wala akong pake kung ano pang itawag nila." He leaned close to my ear, voice low. "Basta alam ko saakin ka mamaya." then he winked. Yung kindat na may binabalak."Alam ko na yang pakindat kindat mo na yan. May regla ako ngayon." pagbibiro ko."Talaga? Eguls naman." Napatawa naman ako sa sinabi niya at pinisil nalang siya sa pisngi. Ang cute cute ng boyfriend ko."Saan tayo bukas?" biglang seryosong tanong niya.Napaangat ako ng tingin sa kaniya, hindi maitago ang pagbilis ng tibok ng puso ko. First anniversary kasi namin bukas. Buong linggo ko na ngang iniisip kung anong ibibigay ko sa kaniya, pero Diyos ko, ang hirap! Lahat na kasi meron siya. Material things? Check. Dream car? Check. Supportive girlfriend? Check. At higit sa

Isang pangungusap na tuluyang bumasag sa natitira kong tibay, habang nanatili akong nakalugmok sa sahig, duguan, basag, at hindi na sigurado kung paano pa ba muling tatayo.Hindi ko alam kung paano ako nakaalis sa eksenang yun basta pagbukas ko sa unit ni Thorne, ramdam ko pa rin ang bigat ng hangin. Natuyo na ang dugo sa gilid ng ulo ko. Hindi ko na ininda. Wala nang saysay ang sakit sa katawan kapag paulit-ulit ka nang binabasag sa loob.Puno pa ng putik ang sapatos ko. Basang-basa ang balikat ko sa ulan. Wala man lang akong payong kanina habang tinataboy ng mga tao.Pero hindi na ako umiyak. Hindi na ako sumigaw. Para na lang akong namamanhid.Pag-akyat ko sa unit, nanalangin pa rin ako... kahit kaunti lang please. Na sana kahit yung mga taong kilala na lang ako... kahit sila na lang ang matirang kakampi ko.Pagbukas ko ng pinto, nandoon sila.Bambi. Lana. Mona. Shielo.Naka-cross arms silang apat. Walang ngiti at wala ring yakap ang sumalubong saakin para damayan ako. Wala ding ta

"T-Thorne... please..." My voice cracked, barely holding itself together. "Lo..ve... kausapin mo naman ako..." I gripped his sleeve, begging with eyes that used to feel seen."Makinig ka sa'kin... I'm b-begging you." My knees were trembling, my words tumbling out too fast, too broken.But he didn't look at me... not even once. He didn't say a word. He simply pulled me away from the gate.No hesitation.Just a hand on my arm and silence colder than any scream.Behind him, Selene stood smug at the entrance, her lips curling in satisfaction, but she didn't stop him. When he stepped back inside the gate, he closed it. Not slowly or gently, but sharply—like cutting a ribbon, like severing a tie. And that was it.No "Let her speak."No "Are you okay?"No "I'm sorry."It was easier for him to walk away from me than to hear my truth. Easier to drag me out of his life than to defend me.He left me outside. In the dark... on the sidewalk. I stood there, clutching my chest, wearing a hoodie I t

And that's when I realized, ako na lang pala. I'm the only one left alive in a world that stopped caring. Kaya gumapang na lang ako papunta sa kama. Not to sleep, but to close my eyes, hoping that maybe, when I wake up... baka kasama kona si, Mama.But when I opened my eyes, it wasn't Mama I saw. It was light. Naamoy ko agad 'yung alcohol, disinfectant, 'yung amoy ng ospital na malamig at malungkot. I looked around, my hands were bandaged, a dextrose line taped to my skin, and my head throbbed under layers of gauze.The ceiling was too white, too clean, too quiet... parang kulungan. No windows, no clocks, no signs of life. Then the door opened softly. A nurse walked in, holding a clipboard. Her eyes had that look — pity, concern, the kind you never asked for.She spoke gently, almost in a whisper, as if afraid I might break again. "Miss Cortez... you're safe now. Nasa psychiatric ward ka po."Doon talaga ako tuluyang nabaon, not because I didn't understand what those words meant, but

The next months passed slowly, like pages turning in a book I was too afraid to read but too stubborn to close. Walang mabilis. Walang magic na lunas. Walang "I'm better now" moment.Isa-isang araw ko lang tinatawid ang bawat gising. Maingat at mahina. Parang natutong huminga ulit ang isang katawan na matagal nang nabuhay sa loob ng kabaong. I searched for a small studio apartment, a simple, tucked away from the chaos of Manila like a space na walang bakas ng nakaraan, walang echo ng pangalan ko, at higit sa lahat, walang ingay ng social media.Sa kwartong iyon, ako lang at ang katahimikan. Isang lamesa, ilang makeup brushes na ako mismo ang naglinis at tinabi sa loob ng lumang pouch, isang notebook na may maruruming pahina pero bagong pahina rin para sa mga idea na gusto ko na ulit panindigan.Sa unang linggo, wala pa akong lakas na magsimula. I would wake up and just stare at the ceiling, hoping something inside me would click. But it never did, at least hindi agad. It was more like