No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 33- Letter

Silence filled the room, except for my heavy sobs.

"I'll find her," I whispered, my hands shaking as I wiped my tears. "I don't care what her parents say. I don't care about anything else. Hahanapin ko siya."

Sheena and Gwen exchanged worried glances.

"Mikha..." Sheena hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "What if she doesn't want to be found?"

Her words felt like a stab straight to my heart.

"No," I shook my head furiously. "Aiah is stubborn, pero mahal niya ako. And I know she's hurting too."

I wiped my face harshly, my sadness morphing into determination.

"If she won't fight for us, then I will."

I didn't care anymore.

I didn't care if people stared. I didn't care if Aiah's parents looked down on me. I didn't care if they threw me out again.

All I cared about was Aiah.

Sheena and Gwen were beside me, their faces filled with worry as I stood in front of the massive gate of Aiah's house. My chest was heaving, my throat raw from shouting, but I refused to stop.

"AIAH!" My voice cracked, but I yelled again. "AIAH, LABAS KA DITO!"

No answer.

"AIAH!" My fists pounded against the cold metal gate. "Kung naririnig mo ako, lumabas ka! Kausapin mo ako! Please!"

My eyes burned as fresh tears threatened to spill, but I fought them back.

"Kung mahal mo pa ako kahit konti, lumabas ka!" My voice wavered. "Huwag mo akong iwan nang ganito, Aiah. Please."

Silence.

I felt Sheena's hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me, but I shrugged it off.

"AIAH, ANO BA!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My vision blurred as I took a shaky step forward. "Hindi mo ba ako kayang harapin? Ganun na lang ba 'yon?!"

Still, nothing.

I let out a strangled sob, my knees threatening to give out. The realization hit me like a slap to the face.

I looked like a fool.

Aiah wasn't coming out.

She wasn't going to fight for me.

And maybe... just maybe, she never intended to.

My hands trembled as I clutched the metal bars of the gate, my knuckles turning white from the force of my grip. My chest ached, my throat burned, but none of it compared to the pain tearing through my heart.

"Ang sakit, Aiah..." My voice was barely above a whisper, but I knew-somewhere inside that house, she could hear me. She had to. "Bakit mo ako iniwan nang ganito? Bakit mo ako sinaktan nang ganito?"

A sob broke free from my lips. I wasn't trying to stop it anymore. I wasn't trying to hold myself together.

"Alam mo kung gaano kita kamahal, hindi ba?" My tears fell freely, my shoulders shaking. "Alam mong ikaw lang ang mundo ko, pero iniwan mo pa rin ako! Ginawa ko ang lahat, Aiah! Lahat! Nagmakaawa ako sa magulang mo! Nilunok ko ang pride ko! Tinanggap ko kahit anong ibato nila sa akin kasi ikaw ang gusto ko, ikaw lang!"

I took a shaky breath, my vision blurring.

"But you still chose to leave me."

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of my own words.