All Chapters of The Rebellious Stepdaughter of Timothy Grey: Chapter 31 - Chapter 39

The world outside the window looked blurred as if binura ang buong paligid. Maybe because I was tired. Maybe because I was angry. Maybe because everything inside me was collapsing and I didn’t know how to hold any of it together anymore.We were already halfway to the hospital.But this… this suffocating drive… this silent war between us was just a start.Kaya buong byahe, hindi ko alam kung ano bang mas gusto ko: ang magsigawan kami, o ang ganitong katahimikan na parang may nakadagan sa dibdib ko.Timothy kept glancing at me at every stoplight, checking if I was breathing. If I was shaking. If I was holding on.“Tine,” he finally said. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”I didn’t look at him. “You didn’t have to fetch me in front of everyone.”“You were shaking,” he repeated softly.“I told you I was fine.”“And I told you you weren’t.”Agad sumikip ang lalamunan ko. “You could’ve at least not made it a scene.”“Then stop collapsing in front of a whole department.”I winced hard beca

“Ely!”Agad akong napalingon nang matanaw si Rina na mabilis na naglalakad palapit sa’kin, halos humahabol sa sarili niyang bag na dumudulas sa balikat niya. Nakataas ang kamay niya, parang takot na lampasan ko siya.Ngumiti ako nang bahagya. “Ang aga mo,” sabi ko habang humihinto.She grinned. “Ikaw ang maaga. Sino ka at anong ginawa mo kay Elara Montesilva?”Napailing ako. “Masama bang maging maaga minsan?”“Very,” biro niya. “Especially kung ikaw.”Naglakad kami sabay papasok ng building. The campus felt oddly normal and very busy. Students were rushing, chatting endlessly about grades, crushes, at kung anu-ano pa.Busy rin kami, lalo na ngayong third year na. Since I was already eighteen when I enrolled in college, Rina decided to shift… para, sabi niya, “sabayan” daw ako. I tried to stop her. Pati mom niya kinausap ako para kausapin siya. Pero she insisted.And now, she was taking up Bachelor of Science in Psychology. It was a decision she made almost impulsively back then.Hindi

The music boomed throughout the club as we walked in. At halos mapaigtad ako nang maramdaman ko ang kamay ni Nicolo sa likod. Bahagya lang akong napangiti saka tinapunan ng matalim na tingin si Yssa. She got what I meant.“Uy! Tara na agad sa loob,” singit niya bigla sa pagitan namin ni Nico.“Let’s go!” sigaw nila Rina at Crisy na halos hindi ko na rin marinig.Rina opted to just get the farthest table at the corner instead of renting a VIP room. Gusto raw nilang maki-connect at mag-enjoy.Well… the place looks decent, a high-end bar. Tingin ko ay okay lang na maki-salamuha rin sa iba. Everyone was all giggly and pretty nice so far.“Tequila for your table, Madam,” sabi ng waiter.Pinanlakihan ko agad ng mata si Rina. Mukhang balak talaga nilang gumapang pauwi ni Cristy. Tinapunan ko rin ng tingin si Nicolo, na nailing lang rin sa gilid.Rina mouthed, “What?”“Ano? Cocktail-cocktail lang ang gusto, Ely? Nag-bar ka pa,” puna ni Cristy pagkatapos.I scoffed at them. “Wag kayong magpapa

I remembered being carried when we got home. I felt spent and euphoric after all that happened. Ni hindi ko na magawang makapaglakad nang maayos pagkatapos. Narinig ko lang ang mga palitan ng salita sa paligid, pero kahit isa, wala akong naintindihan ’don.Naramdaman ko ang mahinay na paglapat ng likod ko sa higaan. Agad akong tumagilid at niyakap ang unan sa tabi ko.I hugged and sniffed it. “Hmm…”Napakagaan sa pakiramdam ng gabing ’yon. I slept a complete eight hours after that, and it felt so light when I woke up in the morning. Napansin ko rin na iba na ang suot ko paggising. Siya kaya ang nagpalit sa’kin? I giggled as I went straight to the bathroom.I really took my time preparing myself to face him. Hindi naman ako magde-deny na wala akong maalala sa mga nangyari. We were adults to even dodge whatever happened last night. Kasi kahit hulas na ang isip ko ngayon ay alam kong gusto ko pa rin siya.Gusto ka ba?Why would he do what he did last night if he doesn’t like me pala? I t

Pagpasok pa lang namin sa mismong estate, doon ko tuluyang naintindihan kung bakit Grey State ang pangalan na binabanggit ng mga tao na may halong respeto… at kaunting takot.Actually, the mansion didn’t look old. It was timeless.Solidong batong kulay abo ang bumuo sa buong istruktura, sinamahan ng bakal at salamin na parang natural na bahagi na lang ng disenyo. Walang palamuti. Walang kahit anong sobra. Malilinis ang linya, eksakto ang mga anggulo. At parang bawat sukat ay pinag-isipan hindi para gumanda, kundi para tumagal.Hindi ito bahay na ginawa para hangaan.Bahay itong ginawa para tumayo.The stones weren’t just decorations. Load-bearing slabs ang mga ’yon—malalaki, eksakto ang linya, at magkakakabit nang walang puwang. Grey Estate's Signature. The kind of design na kahit lindol o bagyo, parang walang epekto. Kaya kahit umuulan, parang hindi naaapektuhan ang mansyon.Ang driveway ay kurbadang maayos ang direksyon papunta sa entrada. Walang poste ng ilaw dahil nakabaon sa lupa