My Significant Bother

St. Anthony's Retreat

"Pero kaya ko nga pinlano yung confession. Kaya binuhos ko lahat-lahat ng pagmamahal ko para maramdaman mo na --- naive pero gusto ko maayos ito. Ayaw ko mawala ka..."

Regina flinched again, she now looked at Narda in pure disdain.   Her emotions now in control as she wiped her tears.   Her eyes staring fixedly.  Like she was in a daze.  Her tone now taunting Narda as she continued with her vitriol.

Right at that moment, Regina just made a promise to herself.

That Narda Custodio would not affect her again.  She now looked at Narda like a snake to her prey.

"So what?  Should I say thank you? Should I just be so touched? Kasi pinaramdam mo? Kasi plano mo naman magconfess?  Na you took me for a fuckin' ride? Tangina yan. That's not love. "

"Regina... alam ko wala ako masasabi to make it better pero maniwala ka my feelings for you are true.  I cared--- I care about you."

"If you cared about me, you would have fuckin' walked away when you had a chance. I wanted to walk away and you kept dragging me back in. You should have let me go when you had the chance. Not mess me up like this," Regina pointed to her chest while she spoke.

"Regina ... inaamin ko, naging selfish ako, hindi na nagisip kasi ang saya saya ko pag kasama kita pero maniwala ka na totoo na lahat, please."

Narda still kept pleading, desperate with tears stuck in her eyes.

Narda was an intelligent woman, she knew she had broken Regina Vanguardia. 

At this point, she could only hope against hope.

"Ang galing mo rin, Narda.  Riveting acting performance.  Dalang dala ako. Since we are all about confessions... do you even know who Carson is? He's my ex-boyfriend. Congratulations, you are a pawn for his bitter revenge. Ano? Shocked? I am the bitch and the slut you were paid to break?  Gusto mo ilista ko pa mga ex ko? Baka pwede mo rin perhahan.  Since we are all about truths here."

Narda looked at Regina with hurt in her eyes, the reality hitting her more that she was a trojan horse to infiltrate Regina's calloused heart.

The damage now even greater.

She knew she had completely lost her.

"Wala ako paki sa nakaraan mo, Regina. Wala yun. Mahal kita,e--- diba mahal natin isa't isa kahit anong mangyari --- diba, sabi natin yun? Promise ko yun," Narda pleaded again.

Regina scoffed, forcing this kind of anguished laughter. She looked at Narda again in utter repugnance like she was about to be sick.

Her tongue had a droll again, enunciating every acerbic word. 

"Ano ba tingin mo? Mahal pa rin kita? The person I loved was the person you pretended to be.  This person now telling me that she loves me? Hindi kita kilala. You are nothing to me.  The fact is? Diring diri ako sa'yo. You're fake. A gold-digger. Congratulations, I guess we are both frauds, ano?"

With those words, Regina Vanguardia strenuously tore off the silver necklace that hung on her neck.

With force,  she threw the necklace towards the creek, the necklace plopping into the shallow waters.

Narda grabbed Regina's arm, trying to ask for her forgiveness.   But with Regina's last strong push, Narda had to back away.

Regina now flashed her eyes in a furious daze.  She was unforgiving. She was repugnant.

She was back to the poisonous baneberry that she was. Her nature. Her nurture. Her venom had to be released.  It was time for the callouses in her heart to grow again. No one could ever come near her again. Not like this, she promised herself.