Paper Moon

Kabanata 22

KABANATA 22

I woke up and the first thing I saw was the ceiling. Bumangon ako at naupo. Wala sa sarili kong tiningnan ang kabuuan ng aking silid at ang una kong napansin ay ang katabing wala dito. I sighed as thoughts of last night came back to me.

Nababaliw na talaga ako kung hanggang ngayon ay napapanaginipan kong nandito siya kagabi't sinabi niya ang mga katagang iyon. I should have known that that would never happen in real life. With our current situation, at least, not yet.

Muli akong bumuntong ng hininga bago nagpasyang tumayo na at pumasok sa banyo para maligo. I idly discarded my clothes and placed them neatly at a nearby laundry basket. Pagkatapos ay pumasok na ako sa shower area. Binuksan ko iyon at kahit malamig, pumailalim na ako rito.

I let the cold temperature of the water soaked through my system. After all the ruckus I've been through these past few days, I felt so drained, so numbed that right now I just needed to feel something... anything.

Yesterday was crazy. I never thought Henry would have the guts to go to such lengths just to exact his vengeance on me. And it hadn't been a week since his release! He hired people to kill me and when that wasn't met, he killed them. A day later, he came to me in person, abducted me and almost had his way with me...

Cold shivers ran through my spine as I remembered how that animal touched my skin. My wrists tingled at the memory of the rough ropes that tied them. Napatingin ako sa mga ito na para bang naroroon pa rin ang nakataling lubid. Malabo man, pansin ko pa rin ang mga marka ng lubid nang nagpumilit akong makawala.

You taste so sweet, my angel... I cringed when I remembered how his tongue swiped against the material shutting my mouth to my cheek.

Mabilis kong hinablot ang sponge at agad nilagyan ito ng shower gel. Nakailang kuskos ako sa aking pisngi at panga nang panibagong alaala naman ang pumasok sa isipan.

I just have to have you... I recalled the bastard saying as he sensually brushed his hand on my neck down to the already exposed skin of my chest.

Inilipat ko roon ang sponge at paulit-ulit na kinuskos na para bang sa paraang iyon ay mabubura rin ang alaala ng paghawak niya rito.

When the memory of how his disgusting hand slid from my legs to the apex of thighs flashed next, I dropped to my knees and just screamed.

Napahikbi ako habang yakap-yakap ang aking mga tuhod. Patuloy ang pagdaloy ng malamig na tubig at hinayaan kong humalo roon ang aking mga luha, nagdarasal na sana sumama roon ang mga nakadidiring alaala.

It's okay, Ayana. You're safe now. He won't ever touch you again. You're safe... alo ko sa sarili.

Sa kalagitnaan ng pag-iyak, naalala ko ang nakamaskarang lalaki na may dalang katana. Alam kong si Ren iyon, kahit hindi man niya aminin. He saw me in an ugly state yesterday, in shredded clothes and skin covered with disgusting saliva of that pervert. He must have thought that I was dirty now that I let another man touched me that way. Kaya siguro mas gusto niya si Isang kaysa sa akin. Muli pa akong napahikbi dahil sa naisip.

Nang mapagod na sa kakaiyak, tumayo na ako at idinirekta ang aking mukha sa agos ng tubig, hindi na maramdaman ang lamig.

I should stop feeling sorry for myself. Hindi ba't nakapagdesisyon ka na noon na lalabanan ang dilim at haharapin ang hamon ng buhay? Henry's just a lesson that I needed to learn. And I learned. It was so hard, and I almost lost my life but I survived. I learned. Napatitig ako sa aking mga paa habang mas pinag-iisipan ang huling naisip.