Lullaby For The Ashes (Del Gallego Series #3)

Chapter 1

Dahil una sa lahat, sawang-sawa na ako sa sinasabe niya at hindi ko lang talaga makita ang punto no'n!

It's not even important to me! I'm here! I'm safe! It's been years since that damn accident and I'm still living the hell out of this life even now without any glimpse of threat! Kaya hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ngayon niya pinipilit iyon at ang lahat ng 'to?! Bakit hindi noon na kailangan ko ang atensyon nila? Bakit hindi no'n?!

What crucial to me this time is their understanding na ayaw ko muna bumalik dito sa lugar na 'to pero pinipilit nila! They even freeze all my accounts and get rid of my modeling contracts as well as the competition I was planning to attend in Europe para lang mapa-oo ako sa gusto nila! Ilang taon akong nagpakahirap para bumalik sa dati pagkatapos ng lahat! Pero ngayon halos hatakin na naman nila ako pababa!

I just don't understand any crap of this!

I don't understand at all!

Bakit mahirap sa kanilang isipin din naman ang kalagayan ko?

"Sarah, hindi mo ba naiintindihan—"

"My God, Alejandro!"

"Can you two just stop?!" Their world-without-end bandy words stir me up that's why I eventually screamed, halting now my steps and everybody around me went silent.

I instantly faced them hard with my eyebrows scrunching together.

Narinig nila ang pag-sigaw ko kaya ito napahinto sa pag-aaway at napatingin sa'kin. Pati mga kasambahay. Halos walang huminga. Dahil sa inis sa lahat ng naririnig at nakikita, inikot ko na lamang ang mga mata sa ere at suminghal. Kaya halos mamula pa si Dad sa galit, habang sobrang talim ang tingin sa'kin. While Mom is there, pleading me to stop whatever I'm planning to spill, but I was really pissed at Dad's irritating and nonstop pursuit!

"I don't need any protection, guard, and personal whatever, Dad! So drop it off! Dahil kung meron man gustong manakit sa'kin gaya ng mga sinasabe mong kalaban sa pulitika, edi sana noon pa!" I jumped down his throat.

Guess I pushed his button because he tried to near me angrily after that.

"Now, you're talking back at me?!"

"Alejandro, stop it!" My mom holds him still.

"Yes, Dad, I was and I am!" Before I could even stop myself, my tongue just slipped words that stings a lot right here, in my chest. "Because for once! Pwede ba minsan isipin mo rin kung ano ang gusto ko at hindi iyong sa tingin mong makakabuti sa'kin?!"

Both of them looked at me as if they hear something that triggers them to stay there and be frozen.

"You know what?! The more you pushed your decisions on me, the more I felt like I'm not capable of making my own decisions in life!"

Tumahimik lalo lahat pagkatapos ng sigaw kong iyon.

Taas baba ang aking dibdib at tila bumibigat iyon habang tumatagal. Pakiramdam ko umurong bigla ang dila ko at halos lumabo na ang mga mata sa halo-halong emosyon na sa isang iglap ay yumakap sa'kin.

Hanggang sa pati rin ako ay napahinto at medyo napatulala dahil sa mga nasabi na halos ngayon lang pumasok sa isipan. My lips were apart and everything right there just sink in, so behind time that I was seconds after finding out why a single tear welled free and the rest threatening to come after in an unbroken surge. But I set out so hard to forebear it to go following my burst out. May kung anong naging dahilan pa kung bakit kinuyom ko na lamang ang kamay at saka mabilisang tumalikod at tumakbo paalis.

"Zavia!"

It just...

There is just something that strikes back and made me realize that those words no longer come from my tongue. It came... deeper. Like the way, it is rooted. I haven't spoken about it for years and now it's all coming back. It's not about the pain alone. It's also the why of its existence that causes all parts of my heart to turn into one solidified sort of thing: full of bruises yet numb to feel the aches anymore.