Dedicated to @ kayeford.
"Shit! Shit!"
Kanina pa mura ng mura ang katabi kong si Johnny, ang taong pinadala ni Mike, habang binabagtas namin ang kalsada pabalik sa ospital.
Habang tahimik lang ako. Pero hindi nangangahulugan na hindi ako kinakabahan. I'm already thinking of the consequence of what happened tonight.
Umalis kami ng mansiyon na nagkakagulo ang mga guwardiya dahil sa malakas na ingay ng alarm na umaalingawngaw sa buong mansiyon.
Dahil hindi namin napansin na konektado ang safe sa isang security alarm, and it went off when we opened it.
At sigurado akong nai-report na ito ng mga guards kay Papa at malamang alam na rin nito na nasa mansiyon ako ng mga sandaling iyun. He will be looking for me and I need to hide from him, to disappear from their radar kahit ilang araw muna para mapagplanuhan ang mga aksiyon na gagawin ko.
I can ask Alex na manatili muna kami sa villa niya. Hindi makakaapak si Papa at ang mga tauhan niya sa teritoryo ng mga Ledesma and his place will be my safe haven pansamantala.
Kailangan ko na ring sabihin kay Alex ang lahat, lalo na nalalapit na ang gagawin kong pag expose sa sarili kong ama and I will need his help na itago ako kina Papa. Ngayong magiging asawa na niya ako, responsibilidad kong ipaalam sa kanya ang kahaharapin kong eskandalo.
Binuksan ko uli ang bag na puno ng dokyumento na ninakaw ko sa loob ng safe and at the bottom of it is the hard drive. I already scanned the content of the documents at hindi ako nagkakamali sa sapantaha ko.
The safe is full of documents of the illegal dealings of my father.
"Alam mo na ang gagawin mo sa hard drive? sinabi na ba sa'yo ni Mike?" baling ko kay Johnny ng tumigil ang sasakyan nito sa parking lot, sa likod ng ospital.
"Malamang maraming lamang data ang hard drive kaya instruction sa akin ni Mike na i-process ko kaagad ito."
Tumango ako. Laking pasalamat ko na maasahan ko si Mike sa ganitong klaseng trabaho.
"Abangan mo ang tawag ko sa mga susunod na araw. I hope by that time, makita mo na sa hard drive ang hinahanap ko."
"I will try my best, pagkarating ko ng bahay ito na kaagad ang aasikasuhin ko."
"Salamat John, ingat ka. Huwag kang masyadong kampante habang bumabiyahe dahil malamang alam na ni Papa ang nangyari." I warned him bago tuluyang lumabas ng kotse.I watched him drove away until his car disappeared from my sight.
I walked towards the back entrance of the hospital, I choose to be dropped here because the place is quite and dark, para walang may makapansin sa akin. Pero binilisan ko pa rin ang lakad ko para makarating kaagad ng pinto lalo na nararamdaman kong somebody is watching me. Kaya ganun na lang ang sigaw ko ng biglang may sumulpot sa harapan ko.
"P-pangs!" I shrieked when I recognized it was Alex.
"Babe!..huwag mo akong gulatin ng ganyan at baka atakehin ako sa puso." pabiro na sita ko dito na nakapatong pa ang kamay ko sa dibdib.
Hindi siya nag react sa sinabi ko, seryoso lang itong nakatingin sa akin.
"A-are you okay pangs?" I asked apprehensively, afraid that something happened to his parents while I was out.
He just stared at me, his eyes devoid of any emotions. "Saan ka galing?"
I was confused when he didn't answer my question and the eerie calm on his voice put me on edge na kinakabahan ako.
Kanina pa ba niya ako hinahanap kaya galit ito?
"N-nagpapahangin lang ako." hindi ko alam why I said it, pero dala marahil ng takot kaya nagawa kong magsinungaling.
Dahil sanay ako sa Alex na bayolente, nagmumura.
But this side of Alex I never seen yet, na hindi ko alam ang tumatakbo sa isip nito.
Kung ganito na siya kagalit dahil hindi niya ako makita, paano pa kung malaman niyang nagawa kong umalis at umuwi ng mansiyon despite the emergency in his family.
"Really Cassandra? nagpapahangin ka lang na ilang oras kang nawala. Kanina pa kita inaabangan dito. I saw you got down from the car." Alex voice was low and intimidating.
"I-I.." I can't say something, I was terrified.
"Akala ko ba sigurado ka? pinagplanuhan na natin ang araw na ito ng mabuti, Mike."
My face blanched when I heard my voice from the speaker phone, all my conversation with Mike was recorded and the way Alex look at me, with his accusing eyes.
I knew..
He suspects na may kinalaman ako sa nangyari sa mga magulang niya.
"N-no..n-no Alex..this is not what you think.." frantic, I tried to explain to him. To defend myself.
"What?! are you going to invent another lies Cassandra?" he interrupted me, nanunuya ang boses nito.
"Please..Alex, pakinggan mo ako." pagmamakaawa ko.
My heart just dropped on the ground when I reached for his hand and he pulls away from my grasp, na parang nandidiri ito sa akin.
"Laban kay Papa..ang sinasabi kong ebedensiya ay laban sa sarili kong ama..at..at si Mike ang katulong ko para makuha ko ito. Para isiwalat ang kasamaan niya." tumingin ako sa mga mata nito.
I wanted him to believe me.
Please God, let him believe me..
"Maniwala ka sa akin Alex, mahal kita. Hindi ko magawa sa'yo at sa pamilya mo ang binibintang mo sa akin.." I plead desperately when he said nothing.
I saw a flash of pain in his eyes but it was so fast that I thought I just imagined it, he's looking at me with a sly smirk on his face that made me uncomfortable.
"How much do you love me..babes?" Alex asked me.
I ignored the disdain in his voice, yumakap ako sa kanya pero wala ang inaasahan kong init ng yakap niya pabalik sa akin. "I love you so much pangs..you are my life and I will love you till my last breathe, ikaw lang." I told him sincerely.
"Good." I heard Alex said.
I breathe a sigh of relief sa narinig, nagpapasalamat ako na naniwala siya sa paliwanag ko that I decided to tell him everything now.
No more secrets.
"Pangs, malamang alam na ni Papa ang tungkol sa ninakaw kong mga dokyumento at siguradong pinapahanap na ako nito sa mga tauhan niya kailangan.."
"Do you really think I'm going to marry you?" wika ni Alex na parang walang may narinig sa sinabi ko.
Puzzled, humiwalay ako sa pagkayakap at tumingala sa kanya.
I sucked on my breath loudly.
Kung kanina walang emosyon ang mga mata nito, ngayon puno ng suklam na nakatitig sa akin.
"A-Alex..?"
"It's never going to happen Cassandra." he spat. "Gusto lang kitang saktan at mapahiya that I brought the subject of marriage to you, para hindi ka lang makipagkalas sa akin but I will never going to go through with it. I'm going to say no in front of everyone."
I winced when he grasped my arm tightly. "You know why?"
My lips were trembling, my throat were dry that no words would come out even I'm dying to ask him.
"Dahil hindi pa ako tapos na paglaruan ka Cassandra. Oh no, I was having too much fun, sino ang lalaking hindi matutuwa if he's getting a free sex everyday. Dapat pasalamatan ako ng susunod na lalaki mo because I taught you very well in bed." he said offensively.
I was in shocked.
Stunned.
I don't know this person in front me..humiliating me, degrading me.
A nasty smile on his face as he looked at me insultingly, taking pleasure of the hurt and pain I feel.
After everything.
All the laughs we spent together.
The love that we shared.
It crippled me sa isiping pagkukunyari lang ang lahat ng iyun.
"W-why?" my voice croaked dahil sa pinipigilan kong umiyak.
I need to know.
Kahit masakit, kailangan kong malaman ang dahilan.
"I never love you." He smirked. "Ginamit lang kita at nagpagamit ka naman. You are so stupid and naïve that you made it all easy for me." dagdag pang pang insulto nito.
Hindi ko na napigilan ang pagtulo ng luha ko sa narinig, nanlalabo ang paningin na tumingin ako sa mga mata niya, hoping that this is only a one sick joke.
A cold brown eyes stared back at me and I shivered of the hatred I see in them.
"W-what about our baby..our daughter?"
It's his! He can't deny it!
I'm holding on the thin thread of hope, that he will change his mind if I remind him of our baby. He was happy about it, he even choose the name.
Alessandra.
Kumbinasyon ng pangalan namin ayon sa kanya.
"Abort it, hindi ko matatanggap na magkaroon ng anak na may bahid ng dugo ng isang Fuentebella." he said the words with venom.
What was left of my tiny hope was snaps into tiny pieces and my heart pained so much I felt like I'm dying of the words he spewed.
"N-no! no! not Alessandra, Alex! Huwag mong idamay ang anak natin sa galit mo sa pamilya ko. Huwag mong isumpa ang anak natin...please Alex..not Alessandra." I whimpered.
He doesn't have to say the words, his eyes says it all. He was serious in cutting all his ties to me..to our daughter.
Tuluyan ng naglaho ang natitira kong lakas.
It felt like the world kept going, everything swirled around me and I'm the only one frozen on the same spot. Left behind.
And I don't know how long I was standing there as I watched my life, my world came crashing down in front of me when Alex turned his back to me without a single words.
I'm all alone inside of my bubble of pain.
Surrounded by haze of darkness..of grief..of misery.
Until a voice broke through it.
"Mam, ihahatid ko na po kayo kung saan po kayo uuwi."
Warning: next chapter will be a shocker which I will upload in the next two days.