The Necklace Novels & Stories

I stared at it like it was a ticking bomb. "Open it," he said quietly. "No." "It's not poisoned," he added, lips twitching bitterly. I clenched my jaw but reached for it anyway—half wanting to throw it back at him, half needing to see what kind of hell this bastard thought could fix what he did. The lid opened with a soft snap. My throat closed. It was a necklace. But not just any necklace. The diamond at its center was obscene. A monster cut—flawless, cruelly pure, almost the size of a goddamn egg. Around it were dozens of smaller stones, delicate and sharp. The platinum chain glittered like blood under moonlight.

Olga opened a box and pulled out a glittering necklace. Naglakad si Olga papunta sa likod ni Louise at ikinabit ang kwintas. The necklace rested around her neck, all small bright diamonds, and one large topaz, resting heavily on her breast. Sobrang ganda. . .Bagay na bagay iyon sa suot niyang gown. Olga squeezed her arm. "You can now face Lieutenant Commander Nielsen." Louise couldn't stop her jaw from dropping; immediately turned around and face Olga. "What?"

Kinuha niya ang nalaglag at itinaas sa kanyang harapan. "Oh my God! That's the necklace!" bulalas ng kanyang mommy. "I thought it's missing." Nalipat ang tingin niya sa kanyang mommy na maluha-luha na rin. Naglakad ito palapit sa kanyang tabi. "Can I see it, son?" Inabot niya rito ang kwintas. Tuluyan nang lumandas ang mga luha ng mommy niya na ikinapagtataka niya.

Matagal niya itong tinitigan, sinusubukang makita nang malinaw ang pendant, ngunit kahit anong gawin niya ay hindi niya iyon maaninag nang maayos. He scanned the photograph onto his computer and used software to restore and enlarge the image. Unti-unti, luminaw ang larawan. Until he could finally see the necklace in full detail. Instead of happiness, terror washed over him. Parang biglang bumagsak ang buong mundo sa harap niya, as if he had just seen the most horrifying thing in the world. That necklace was the exact one he had found at the car accident scene years ago. The same necklace that both Inara and Zandrae had claimed belonged to them.

Panay ang halik ng mga ito sa kaniya at bago ito tuluyang pawalan ay isang pamilyar na kuwintas ang ikinabit nila sa kaniyang leeg. Blythe can't be wrong about the necklace, it's her necklace. She almost lost it a few times, she misplaced it, and got stolen but it always came back like it has a mind and it knows its master very well... Kung galing sa kanila iyon, ibig sabihin sila ang mga. . .magulang niya?

Nilapag nito ang isang maliit na kahon sa gilid ng asawa bago umalis ng hindi lumilingon. Kagat ang labi na dinampot ni Rose ang maliit na kahon. Dali-dali siyang umalis ng hapag at iniwan si Sofia, na ngayon ay wala ng ngiting nakapaskil sa labi. Pagdating sa kwarto ay kumikinang ang mga matang binuksan ni Rose ang kahon. Agad na nangilid ang luha niya ng makita na isa 'tong gold necklace na may pendant na bulaklak... isang pulang rosas. Parang batang nagpagulong-gulong siya sa ibabaw ng kama habang umiiyak.

And that makes the necklace special that anything. Marami na siyang jewelry sa buong buhay niya — gold, pearls, diamonds, lahat. At dahil sanay siya sa mamahaling alahas, hindi na siya basta-basta nae-excite… pero this? This one is different. Nakagat niya ang labi niya, saka dahan-dahan niyang inangat ang necklace mula sa kahon. Hindi niya maalis ang tingin dito, ramdam niya ang kakaibang kabog sa dibdib niya.

Yumuko ma lang ako saka dumiretso sa harap. "Magsasanla po sana ako," mahina at nanginginig na sabi ko sa kahera pero tinaasan lang niya ako ng kilay. Napalunok na lang ako saka dahan-dahan na hinubad ang kuwintas na balak kong isanla saka inabot sa babae. I knew she's shock because my necklace is rare. It's so rare and very expensive. "Sayo ba ito, Miss?" tila nagdududa na tanong niya at kulang na lang ay pagbintangan akong magnanakaw.

Si Ate Tina ay ang housemaid nila sa unit. Napatingin si Elle sa side table. May nakalagay doong isang maliit na paper bag na hindi niya napansin kanina. Binuksan niya ito at bumungad sa kanya ang isang eleganteng silver necklace na may pendant na hugis infinity. It wasn’t a flashy piece of jewelry, just a simple, elegant accessory. And for some reason, it made her heart pound even faster. “It’s beautiful, Knox,” she replied, not knowing what else to say.

Nagpadala ako sa mga maling akala ko. The necklace was well-maintained and polished. Sa paglipas ng mahabang panahon ay hindi man lang ‘yon nangitim. It looked like it was still new na para bang palaging nililinis. The ring pendant was also the same. It was shiny, and it even gleamed more when the lit of the fire reflected to it. ‘After all these years, nasa kanya pa rin pala ito? Ito ba ang dahilan kung bakit siya na-trap dito sa loob? But what really happened here… and why would Athena even risk her life for this?’