Atty. Christine Villeza
"I can't leave her that time, Christine."
Napatigil ako sa paglalakad palayo nang marinig kong sabihin 'yon ni Sandoval. Lumingon ako sa kaniya't pinunasan ang natitirang luha ko. "Malamang. Fiancé mo eh. Gago ka na lang kung iwan mo 'yon." pabalang kong sagot.
Hindi niya ako pinakinggan at nagpatuloy lang sa pagsasalita habang nakatitig sa lamesa. "She tried to kill herself six times by cutting her wrist, Christine. I can't leave her. I must protect her life at all cost."
Bahagya akong natigilan sa huli niyang sinabi. Umagos ang mga luha mula sa kaniyang mga mata kaya mas mabilis ko nang mabasa ang emosyon niya ngayon. Susubukan kong makinig sa kaniya kaya kinuha ko ang upuan sa tapat niya't umupo nang malayo sa kaniya.
"Even before we were arranged to be married, she's already depressed because of her half-brother----!"
"Half-brother?" I halted. Napatingin siya sa akin at bahagyang tumango. "You mean, John Tyler? Yung binaril at namatay?"
"Nope. His other half-brother from another third party."
Napakunot ang noo ko sa kaniyang sinabi. "Another half-brother aside from John Tyler? What's his name?"
"I d-don't know." Tumungo itong muli at tumitig sa lamesa para lang maiwasan ang mga matatalim kong tingin. "It was forbidden to mention his name so only few can remember it. And even if they remember, they won't give a damn on telling who's this. Kahit noong nag-imbestiga ako, wala akong nakuha. But it doesn't matter anyway. As long as it won't affect me and Charisse in the long run, I won't give him a damn."
Mukha namang hindi siya nagsisinungaling dahil nagagawa na niyang tingnan ako nang diretso sa mata. Bahagya akong tumango-tango at ipinatuloy ang istorya niya. "Back to your relationship with Charisse."
"She's depressed, but I don't know the main reason. All I know is that it is because of his other half-brother and nothing else. I helped her cope up from her depression. . . but she went too far." Nakita kong may tumulong luha sa kaniyang mga mata at mapait na ngumiti. "Natulungan ko siya noong una, pero hindi ko kinaya hanggang dulo."
Huminga ako ng malalim at bahagyang tumingala para pigilan ang luhang nagbabadyang bumagsak mula sa mga mata mo. "What is keeping you from helping and loving her to the fullest, Sandoval?"
I glanced at him and looked down. Smiling in the void with his teary-eyed, he looked at me at once and said, "Not 'what' but 'who'. It's you. Because I love you, Christine."
Nanginig ang mga kamay ko kaya itinago ko ito sa ilalim ng aking bag na nakapatong sa mga hita ko. Diretso ko siyang tiningnan at ngumiti nang mapait. I failed to prevent my tears from falling, but I still go and speak anyway. "So, is it me who made her more depressed, Sandoval?"
He chuckled bitterly and intently looked at me. "Neither the two of us made her more depressed, Christine. Her jealousy. But of course, I'm also at fault. Minahal kita kahit may itinakda nang ipakakasal sa'kin eh."
Huminga ako nang malalim at sinamaan siya ng tingin. "So, mali na mahalin ako, Sandoval?"
He nervously laughed and rested his back on his seat. "No, no, you get me wrong, Christine----!"
"Sinasabi mo bang mali na naman ako, Sandoval?" Pinaningkitan ko siya ng mata at inayos ang pagkakaupo ko.
He heaved a heavy sigh and smiled. "No, it's my fault, okay? I made her situation at worst so I deserved to be a battered partner." The smile in his face fade away as his facade changed.
"No one deserves to bs a battered partner, Sandoval. Lalo na ikaw. Ako nga'y hindi mo nasaktan ni isang beses nang naging magkarelasyon tayo eh."
He smirked and looked at me. Ako naman ay bahagyang namula kaya pinunasan ko na lang ang mga luha ko para maitago ang pisngi ko. Bakit ko ba kasi naiungkat pa 'yung relasyon namin? Punyeta naman oh.
"Do you really think that I don't deserve it?" Bigla niyang tanong habang nakatingin sa kawalan.
Bahagya akong napangiti dahil nakikita ko na naman sa kaniya ang dating Sandoval na minahal ko. 'Yung walang tinatago, yung hindi nagsisinungaling. Yung Sandoval na mahal ako.
"Yes, I do. Just like what I've said earlier, no one deserves to be a battered partner----!"
"No." he halted. "I mean, do you really think that I don't deserve my liberty?"
Natigil ako sa pagsasalita nang sabihin niya 'yon bigla. Bahagya akong napaisip sa kaniyang tinanong. If we talk about his liberty or his freedom, no one deserves to be in this jail when they didn't do something against the law. "My answer dependes on your honesty to us, Sandoval. It depends on whether you will help us gather all the posible evidence and information or not. Before we defend you, please defend yourself first."
He smiled bitterly and looked at me. "I didn't assault my partner, Christine. God knows how much I love her and how I protect her. She's more like a younger sister to me, so I won't think of even killing her in my head. Lahat ng sinabi kong kwento sa inyo sa umpisa pa lang ay totoo. I did nothing against the law."
"What is your plea, Mr. Billionaire?" I asked and smiled.
"Not guilty, Attorney Christine."
Napangiti ako sa kaniyang sinabi. He really deserves his liberty at sa tingin ko simula ngayon ay hindi na ito magsisinungaling. Well, subukan niya lang ulit. Dahil kapag nalaman kong may itinatago pa siya ay bibitawan ko na talaga itong kaso. Tatlong beses akong tumango-tango at ngumiti. "Now, I know that you still deserve to be freed."
"But there's two more thing that you need to know." Sandoval cleared his throat and looked at me intently. "I hid the truth about being a battered fiancé because I know that the prosecution might use this before my counsel, you and Public Defender Jelsey."
"You know that the videos are safe with us, right?" Naging seryoso na ulit ang usapan namin.
"Yeah, a little bit. You know my suspicion of that Jeffrey Skyler, right? Hindi ko talaga siya pinagkakatiwalaan kaya nagawa kong itago mula sa inyo na may ganoong mga scenes."
Tumango-tango ako't inilabas na ang cellphone kong nakabukas ang voice recorder. I need to take this all down para mas maimbestigahan pa namin sa susunod. "What's the other thing?"
He looked down for a second and looked at me again. "There might be a scene from the CCTVs that you will find there, around December last year. I slapped my fiancé."
Nanlaki ang aking mga mata at nagulat talaga sa sinabi niya. Ganoon ka-rare na makarinig ako na pisikal na nanakit si Sandoval ng babaeng malapit sa kaniya. "Even if we found it out, we won't be needing it anyway. There must be some reason why you did that, and it's none of our business, am I right?"
He smiled and nodded. "You won't be needing it, yes, but the prosecution can. That video might conclude that I can greatly assault my partner into a serious extent."
"Ah-huh." I nodded simultaneously. "So you want us to hide that video if we found it right?"
"Yes." he affirmed. "And you're also right, there's a reason why did I slap Charisse on that night." Natahimik siya nang bahagya at huminga ng malalim. "She tried to kill me."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah. She set up a simple machine in our bathroom. I almost get killed with a shotgun at the end of the pile of simple machine that she made." Bahagya siyang natawa at tumingin sa gulat kong hitsura. "My reflexes were good, nakaiwas ako bago pa makarating sa matapos yung machine at mabaril ako. Then I slapped her out of frustration."
"The reason was valid. Muntik ka nang mamatay, for pete's sake!" Napahinga ako ng malalim dahil sa kinuwento niya. Tumayo na ako't kinuha ko ang aking bag.
Gabi na rin kasi at kailagan ko pang umuwi. It was a long night, though. Nang papaalis na ako'y hinabol niya ako at hinawakan ang aking kamay. "There's one more thing, Attorney."
Napakunot ang noo ko dahil sa pagkakatawag niya sa akin ng 'attorney'. This must be a serious stuff or confession to make. Siguraduhin lang niya na hindi ako hihimatayin sa sasabihin niya. "Ano na naman 'yan?"
"I can't afford to lose you again, Christine. I love you very much."
Then he ended my tiring yet lovely day with his passionate kiss.