Red Strings of Fate (Haunted Series 2)

Strings 30: Chaos & Depression

"Oo tanga." Maliit akong napangiti at isinarado ang pintuan habang tinitigan silang nagyayakapan. Her smile dropped and mine too, seeing Ellena hover by the door with an expression mixed with anger and fear.

"Why would you do that?" Napahinto kami sa tono ni El, it's laced with so much fear and worry.

Napanganga si Lorraine. Her mouth moved to speak, but it took her a couple of seconds to form words. "I... I wanted my pain to stop."

Ellena clenched her fingers, and I realized she was beating herself up because she was supposed to be the mother of our group, the one who takes care of us. "I'm sorry for not seeing it." Nilapitan ko siya at agad na hinawakan ang kanyang kamay.

"No. Wala kayong kasalanan. It's me. It has always been me and my unending battle with this cloud all over my head." Tumulo ang kanyang luha pero mabilis niya itong pinunasan.

Yumuko siya para iwasan ang aming tingin pero hinawakan siya ni Marianne sa pisngi. "We can't lose you Lorry. I wouldn't be able to exist if wala ka."

Ellena silently wipes her tears. "We love you, Lorraine. We love you so much. What can we do to help you get better?"

Malalim akong napa hinga nang makitang tuloy tuloy na ang pag agos ng kanyang luha. Tumahimik kaming lahat. Tunog ng aircon at ang mahinang pag iyak naming lima ang maririnig sa kwarto.

"I'm assuming you know by now that I don't have to spend a day working."

Umupo ako sa isang stool, si Marianne at Rossana ay nakaupo sa magkabilang gilid ni Lorraine, habang si Ellena ay nakatayo sa likod ng kapatid.

"Kahit hindi na magtrabaho mga future anak ko, the fortune my parents left me can provide for them... But I don't want their dirty money. I don't want to receive a single dime na na ninakaw nila sa kaban ng bayan. And..."

Her hand clenches around her, and Marianne reaches out to hold it.

"I... I'm not my mother's daughter. Nalaman ko kay tito na anak ako ni daddy sa isang kasambahay. That's why they don't want me to have any part of mom's money."

Sabay sabay ang singhap at gulat na dumaan sa aming mga mukha.

"Gago." Bulong ni Rossana.

"It's all fucked up and I don't want to be a part of it."

"Kuya's taking care of it Lorry." Marianne assures her. Her brother—or better yet, Lorraine's boyfriend, Elijah is a lawyer at kaya wala siya rito ay inaasikaso niya na ang kaguluhan na nangyayari sa buhay ng kaibigan namin.

Her face contorted, and more tears came out. "Bakit?"

Sumalubong ang kilay ni Rian, "Bakit bakit?"

"Why would he do that?... We broke up, I pushed him away."

Lumaglag ang aking panga at lumapit, anong nangyari? Sila pa nung umalis ako papuntang San Raigo.

"Lorraine, is he the reason..." Marianne cried harder, not finishing her sentences, in horror and pain, her brother might be the cause of Lorraine's misery.

Mabilis na umiling ang kaibigan namin. There were a few seconds of silence before she decided to speak up again.

"You know, whenever you wake up confused, not knowing who or where you are? That's me every day. And everything got worse when the accident happened. At least before, I had something to look forward to for myself—but now I got trapped with responsibilities with pain, fear, and embarrassment.

Elijah... I believed he was another responsibility I had to take care of. I pushed him away, akala ko mababawasan ang bigat kung iniwan ko siya... But it didn't... It's not a phase, and it doesn't go away. I got worse, and I don't know how to fix it.