Cyra Must Become a Villain

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ang buong pagtataka ni Cyra ay napatungan ng pagkagalak nang malamang buhay pala talaga si Jaycee at nasa maayos na kondisyon. Her doubts na baka hallucination niya lamang ito'y naglaho rin nang kunin nito ang kanyang kamay at hinalikan.

"Thank you, Cy," sabi nito.

His voice worked like a cure. It was able to wipe the blur from Cyra's eyes, and his handsome face became clear in front of her.

The tears she had frozen a while ago had melted, and it made her eyes glisten in joy and relief.

There are so many things she wanted to say but she can't. Her grip on her life kept loosening, and she's afraid she only had little time left. So, she told him everything in a way she knows, by radiating her temperature—and instead of cold, it was miraculously warm.

But Jaycee had already turned his back.

She wished he could have stayed until she leaves this world. But he had to stand, he had to meet his remaining crew and plan on what to do next. "Deliver those images to the press," aniya. "I want them to see the real side of Isidro, and the effect of this project he started, at nang sa gayon ay matapos na rin ang gulong ito."

Her body might be cold dead already, but her soul had not yet left, and she still had her last breath, hindi pa niya tuluyang napapakawalan. Siguro'y ganoon talaga ang katangian na meron siya, lalo pa't lamig ang kapangyarihan niya. She had an ability to stay in her dead body long after it's gone. Nakahiga nga lang siya at isang direksyon lang ang nakikita ng kanyang paningin.

All the others were gone but Jaycee chose to stay. He was standing in the middle of the room, eyeing the aftermath, checking the place na ilang taon din niyang kinabilangan.

She had no idea na scientist din pala ito. He looked good in a long white coat. Mukha siyang propesyunal. She smiled softly thinking that he could take care of himself after leaving him.

How she wished na makasama pa niya ito nang matagal.

She revisited his conditions before, noong plano sana nitong mabuhay sila nang matagal sa bahay nang silang dalawa lang. If she had agreed, if she did kill Rosanna, tototohanin kaya nito ang pangako nito? Or would it all end the same?

Either way, she liked the idea of them spending their whole life together in this house nang sila lang, nang walang problema, nang walang tinataguan. For her that was the greatest gift life could offer. Bahala na kung hindi na niya makamit pa ang kalayaan, ang tyansang makatapak sa labas, dahil ang buhay nang kasama siya'y sapat na sa kanya.

If only she had the power to turn back time, she'd happily go back.

Pero hindi eh. Ang tanging kakayahan lang niya'y i-freeze ang moment na iyon sa kanyang memorya.

Isang malaking babaeng may mahabang dilaw na buhok ang pumasok sa loob ng bahay. Pinagmasdan nito ang nangyaring krimen, inisa-isa ang bawat nakahandusay na bangkay sa sahig. It looked as if they're close because the way they talk, there was never an inch apart between them.

And when he called her by her name, something poked in Cyra's mind, pamilyar sa kanya iyon—ang pangalang Connie.

"It's sad but at least we have each other now," sabi nito kay Jaycee, bago magtangkang humalik.

"No, Connie, not here."

"Bakit? Anong masama? E tayo naman talaga ang orihinal 'di ba?" Humalukipkip ito. "Don't tell me you've truly fallen in love with her? E 'di ba sabi mo parte lang ng plano mo ang gamitin siya?"

"Don't say that! You're talking as if she's not even here."

"She's dead! I checked!"

"Kahit na."

"So you did love her? You did actually cheat on me?"

There was a moment of hesitation, but then he said, "No. Of course not."

"Then prove it. Fuck me. Fuck me like you've missed me."

"Here?"

"Why? It doesn't matter."

Hinubaran ni Connie ng damit si Jaycee. Itinapon nito ang lab coat nito, inisa-isang tanggalin ang bawat butones ng polo nito, hanggang sa itulak nito paibaba ang lahat ng suot nito.

Cyra wanted to close her eyes but then she realized she no longer have control over her eyelids. It's like fate wanted to torture her one last time before she truly disappeared. Ayaw din niya sanang maniwala na gusto nito ang nagaganap, na baka napipilitan lang ito—pero si Jaycee na rin mismo ang umamin. Na lahat ng nangyari noong nakaraan ay parte lamang ng kanilang plano. Na ginamit lamang siya.

If Jaycee had truly loved her, he wouldn't respond to Connie's kisses, he wouldn't get hard, he wouldn't grab her body and fuck her on the couch, habang ang patay na katawan niya'y naroroon lamang sa may pinto, nakatitig sa bawat kilos na kanilang gawin.

One of the things she wished for him was to find real happiness even after she's gone, na sana'y makahanap ito ng ibang babaeng makakapuno ng pagmamahal sa kanya, na hindi niya na kayang ibigay pa. She wished that when he crouched on her side a while ago. Hindi niya alam na hindi na pala kailangan pang humiling, dahil may naka-reserbang pag-ibig naman pala ito.

Pero sana man lang ay hindi niya na ito nalaman pa. Sana man lang ay hindi ganito kabilis, na hinintay muna sana siyang tuluyang mamatay bago nila iyon gawin. She didn't want to disappear hurting.

Before her last breath was about to escape, she did what she had to do to save herself so that she didn't die with a broken heart.

She froze her whole body.

She did it in her hopes na kung may pagkakataon mang may makatunaw sa kanya, lipas na ang sakit bago siya malagutan ng hininga.

O kung sakali mang maawa sa kanya ang tadhana, at least man lang, kung milagro mang mabuhay siya sa kanyang paggising, makita niya sana si Jaycee sa kanyang tabi na matyagang naghihintay—ang bersyon ni Jaycee na kilala niya, na siyang nagmamahal sa kanya.