All Chapters of The Price Of a Sinner: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Tahimik lang ako habang nakatingin sa labas ng bintana habang nakikinig ng music sa loob ng kotse ni Dos. He insisted on bringing me with him to one of his restaurants in Lipa. And since I didn't have anything else to do and I wanted to relax, I agreed to come along."Do you want something to eat? Medyo traffic, baka magutom ka. Nagkape ka lang kanina," tanong niya habang panay-panay ang tingin sa akin at sa mga sasakyang halos hindi umuusad sa harap namin."Nah, okay lang ako. Don't worry," sagot ko habang nakasandal pa rin sa upuan."Are you sure?""Yeah... I'm sure." I gave him a small smile. He returned it with a nod, and the cars ahead inched forward."Uh... Dos, can I ask you something?" I asked hesitantly."Yeah, sure. What is it?""Do you... have a girlfriend?" I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten, but I pretended not to."Girlfriend?""Yeah... a serious relationship with someone. You know...""Why?" he asked with a little laugh."Wala lang.""Kung meron ba, iiwasa

Sa pag-iikot ko para hanapin si Dos, halos hindi tumigil sa pag-iingay ang cellphone ko. Salitan ang tawag ng tatlo kong kaibigan na hindi ko sinasagot. Paulit-ulit. Para bang hindi sila titigil hangga't hindi ko sinasagot. Siguro dahil nag-aalala na silang lahat, lalo't kanina pa ako nagpaalam na pupunta lang sa banyo.Because they didn't stop calling, I finally answered Rein's call while walking down the hallway. As I walked, I noticed I was getting close to the pool area. I could see it through the hotel's glass wall, it was already dark outside, but the place still looked stunning under the lights."Rein, I'm sorry. Babalik din ako agad—"[Where the hell are you?!] seryosong tanong nito mula sa kabilang linya."May hinahanap lang ako—" natigilan ako sa pagsasalita at sa paglalakad nang mapansin ko ang pamilyar na likod ng isang lalaki na nakatayo sa may pool.[Mifi, listen. You need to go back. We have something to tell you. This is urgent—]"I'll hang up, Rein. Call you later," s

Ilang linggo at buwan pa ang lumipas, ganoon pa rin ang sitwasyon sa pagitan namin ni Dos. Walang nagbago. Hindi pa rin niya inaamin sa akin ang tungkol sa fiancée niya, at kagaya ng dati, hinayaan ko na lang. After all, we were happy when we were together. We fulfilled each other's needs in ways that made the rest of the world feel irrelevant.But everything I did came with a price... a distance from my friends.Palagi silang busy sa tuwing aayain ko silang mag-inuman sa bar ko kagaya noon. Noong una, naiintindihan ko. Lahat naman kami may kaniya-kaniyang buhay. Pero habang lumilipas ang mga buwan at patuloy nilang pag-iwas, doon ko na naramdaman ang pagbabago. Siguro ito ang epekto ng matinding pagtatalo namin noon, isang distansyang hindi ko alam kung kailan pa mabubura. Kaya't hinayaan ko muna. Umaasa akong darating ang araw na maiintindihan nila ako. Sana nga..."Saan ka sa Christmas?" I asked Dos one lazy afternoon. We were both lying in bed at a hotel in Tagaytay, wrapped in no

Inalis niya ang kamay ko sa pisngi niya at bahagyang lumayo, parang biglang lumayo rin ang pagitan namin, hindi lang sa espasyo kundi pati sa kung anong meron kami."Mifi, kailangan kong habulin si Mili. Tatawag ako ng magha—""Itataboy mo na naman ako at ipahahatid kay Arthur?" I cut him off with a bitter laugh, kahit pa ramdam kong mabigat na ang dibdib ko. "Masaya ka pa ba sa 'kin?" I asked, my voice trembling as I forced myself to look him in the eyes."What?" he asked, obviously caught off guard."Last time I checked, you told me you were happy when you were with me. But why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. "Dos, what are we? What am I to you?"Biglang nawala ang emosyon sa mukha niya, para bang pinilit niyang patayin ang kahit anong nararamdaman."You're really asking me what we are? Seriously?" he asked, his tone cold and serious. I couldn't answer. My throat felt dry."You know what's going on between us, Mifi. You knew it too w

After that intense confrontation with my family, I never went back home.Days passed. Then weeks. And yet... nothing. Not a single call, not a single text, not even from Dos. It was as if we had all vanished from each other's lives.During those days, the weight on my chest never left... stress, guilt, sorrow, all piling up inside me. But instead of wallowing in misery, I chose to keep myself busy. Every single day, I went around visiting my bar's branches. I handled everything myself — from choosing the liquor and managing the expenses down to cleaning tables and wiping counters. Even the smallest tasks, I took on willingly. Because that was the only way I knew to distract myself... to forget, even just for a little while."Hi."Natigilan ako sa pag-inom at pag-iisip nang marinig ko 'yon, isang pamilyar pero hindi inaasahang boses. Lumingon ako at nakita ko siyang umupo sa katabing stool sa bar counter."Sinong kasama mo?" I asked immediately, glancing toward the entrance as if expec