#CYECChapter29
B E F O R E
"ANSWER your damn phone, Hope! Damn it!" I groaned in frustration. My parents are accusing him of something he didn't do! I know they're just blaming him because there's no one else to blame. I trust Hope, and I know he will never betray me.
It's been days since my Dad filed bankruptcy. I know my Mom and Dad are having a hard time, but I won't face them until I prove them that Hope is innocent.
Gano'n lang ang ginawa ko buong araw, ang tawagan si Hope ng paulit-ulit. Umaasa akong sasagutin niya iyon. Pilit kong pinaniniwala ang sarili ko na inosente si Hope. Pilit kong pinaniniwala ang sarili ko na hindi niya ako niloloko.
Napatingin ako sa orasan at napabuntonghininga ako nang mapansin kong 1:05AM na. Nasa'n ba kasi siya? Bakit hindi niya sinasagot ang mga tawag ko? Totoo ba lahat ng paratang sa kanya ng mga magulang ko?
Bago pa man ako tuluyang mamatay sa kaiisip, sa wakas ay sinagot niya na 'yong tawag!
I waited for him to say anything, but he just stayed silent on the other line.
"Hope . . ." I finally found my voice to speak.
"W-Where are you? Bakit hindi mo sinasagot lahat ng tawag ko? Do you know how chaotic it is here?" dirediretsong sabi ko pero nanatili siyang tahimik sa kabilang linya.
"Please, talk to my parents, Hope! Prove them that you have nothing to do with this!" I was desperate. I was desperate to hear from him that he's not the one who's behind everything.
Katahimikan ang bumalot sa 'min pareho ng ilang segundo, pero maya-maya lang ay nagsalita na siya.
"I'm sorry, Ciem."
Natigilan ako nang sabihin niya iyon. Ayoko mang marinig ang mga susunod niyang bibitawang mga salita, pero may parte sa 'kin na gustong malaman mula sa kanya kung ano ba talaga ang totoo.
He trailed off. "Everything was a lie."
"N-Nagbibiro ka lang, 'di ba?" nauutal kong sabi. Hindi pa rin matanggap ng sistema ko ang katotohanang niloko niya ako at ang mga magulang ko.
"I'm not Hope. My surname's not Vegas either. I wasn't the person you think I was."
No.
This can't be happening to me.
This is just a dream, right?
"I lied to you about my identity. All of it was fake." There's a pause. "But of all the things I've told you, there's one thing that remains true, and forever will."
I didn't speak. I didn't know what to say. I just . . . don't want to hear anything from him anymore.
"I love you, Ciem. And I always will . . ."
How could he love someone he betrayed? That's not right. That will never be right.
"My life's a mess, and now yours too." From the way he talked, I know that he's crying right now, just like me. "It's cruel, I know. I ruined your life. What I did was f*cking wrong. None of it was f*cking right." His voice broke. "And that's why I have to stop seeing you. I-I'm sorry . . ."
N O W
I can't control it. These thoughts and emotions are overwhelming. They kept me up at night, and destroyed my emotional wellbeing.
YOU ARE READING
Close Your Eyes, Ciem
Mystery / Thriller|| Published under PSICOM || Ciem suffers from a chronic and irrational fear of sleep. She stays awake as long as possible and avoids going to bed. To make it through the hell that was sleep, she asks a stranger to sleep with her. She thinks that ma...
