Love is when you fight to be with special someone even when everything and everybody is pulling you apart.
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Quin
NANGINIG ang katawan ko ng matamaan ng malamig na hangin ng binuksan ko ang malaking pintuan ng bahay ni Don Benedict. Simula ng mamatay ang lolo this house—or mausoleum as Áidan had called it had been closed up for years. Lumangitngit ang brass na pintuan na halatang kailangan na ng maintenance. Ilang hakbang pa lang ay nanaig na naman ang malamig na simoy ng hangin kahit pa walang kuryente na nag mumula sa loob ng kabahayan.
Unti-unting kumakapit sa ilong ko ang ang alikabok na dulot ng matagal na pagkakaimbak ng mga kagamitan. Sana pala ay dinala ko ang inhaler ko pero naalala kong anduon yon sa drawer ng kuwarto ni Charito. Nakalimutan ko na sa pag mamadali na baka magising si Áidan at masira ang mga plano ko. Hanggang ngayon ay nanginginig pa rin ang mga tuhod ko habang naaalala ang ginawa kong pag baba mula sa bintana patungo sa exit stairs ng condo. Hindi ko lubos maisip na nagawa ko iyon.
Huminga ako ng malalim para mapakalma ang takot sa dibdib ko saka inilibot ang paningin sa paligid ko. All the furniture was covered with a heavy white cloth, leaving her no place to sit down. Naririnig ko rin ang bawat pag lapat ng sapatos ko sa marmol na sahig. Walang kaingay-ingay sa paligid. Only faint light filtered through the thick drapes pulled across the windows. It was so cold and dark and creepy. Hindi ko lubos maisip na ang masiglang mansion na ito ay isa na ngayong madilim at malungkot na lamang na lugar.
Lumapit ako sa malaking portrait ni Lolo Ben sa mismong sentro ng living room. Masiglang-masigla pa siya noon at walang kasing tapang ng kanyang awra na naisabuhay ng portrait na'yon. It was truly like a mausoleum, just minus the wall of drawers containing urns of ashes. Her grandfather's urn were here, iyon ang hiling nito sa kanyang huling habilin.
"I...I married him, Lolo." Napalunok ako habang kinakausap ang malaking larawan nito. Hindi ko mawaglit sa isipan ko kung ano ang ginawa nito kay Áidan na naging dahilan ng paglayo nito.
"I was the one who wasn't good enough for him. Naging duwag ako para ipag laban ang kung anong nararamdaman ko para sa kanya dahil sa ayaw ninyo...d-dahil gusto kong mahalin ninyo ako..." Patuloy ko pa ring sabi kasabay ng nag uunahang pag patak ng mga luha ko. He was a fearless hero and she had been a coward, hiding behind his protection.
A door creaked and she jumped. Lahat yata ng balahibo niya sa katawan ay nagsitaasan. Narinig ba ako ni lolo? Ito ba ang sinasabi nilang pag mu-multo?
"Quin?" a male voice called out. "Ms. Gazis?" I wasn't Ms. Gazis anymore. I'm Quin Midaz Saavedra, but I hadn't had time to legally change my name. She wasn't going to keep it anyway.
"Attorney Salas." Kilala ko ang boses niya. Lumapit ito sa akin saka pekeng ngumiti.
"Sana nagpasabi ka ng maaga. Hindi mo na kailangang pumunta pa sa lugar na ito." Napamaang ako sa talim ng boses nito sa akin. Pinapagalitan ba niya ako at pinag babawalang pumunta sa bahay na dati kong tinitirhan? "What I mean is...we could have scheduled a meeting later in the day. Alam kong mahirap para sa'yo ang maalala ang mga nakaraan mo sa mansion na ito."
"Thank you for meeting me now. It really couldn't wait, attorney." I said. Kanina, wala akong ibang maisip kung bakit nangyayari sa akin ang mga bagay na ito ay kundi sa mamanahin kong malaking halaga. At kung sasabihin kong iniaatras ko na ang karapatan ko sa yaman ni Don Benedict ay marahil ay tatantanan na ako ng kamalasang ito at matatahimik na rin sa wakas ang buhay ko.
"If you want to collect your inheritance today, that's not possible. It's too big an amount to be easily liquidated. And of course, it needs to be divided, with half being held in trust for your cousin, Moira in the event that she marries before she turns thirty." Iritable nitong saad sa akin.
"She can have it all." Sabi ko na nag patahimik kay Attorney Salas. Sa pag bitiw kong ito ay sigurado akong maglalahong parang bula ang mga gustong pumatay sa akin. Magiging ligtas si Áidan at hindi pa rin ako titigil sa pag hahanap kay Cory.
"She is unmarried. Your grandfather's will stipulates that she, too, must be married before she inherits." Sabi ni Attorney Salas ng makahango ito sa pagkabigla.
"Then put it all in trust for her. I don't really care anymore." Sigurado akong ngayon pa lang ay may pina-plano na rin si Moira para makuha ang parte nito sa yaman ni Lolo Ben.
"Ano ba talaga ang gusto mong mangyari ngayon, Quin?"
"All I'm saying is...I don't want my grandfather's money. I never should have married to get it in the first place." Dahil sa pera ay nawala ang pinakamatalik kong kaibigan na si Cory. Nawalan din ako ng pinsan ng halos ipamukha sa akin ni Moira ang mga pag kukulang ko. At nasa peligro ang pinaka importanteng tao sa akin, si Áidan.
"P-Pero...I thought that is why you were marrying that Crisostomo, right? J-just to inherit the money." Umiling ako, "But this Saavedra kid..."
"That's why I'm giving it back to where it all begins, Attorney." Sabi ko. Although technically, hindi pa tuluyang naililipat sa akin ang mana ko. Maybe it was a good thing that she had never received that ransom demand. Because how would she have paid it?
"You really want to give it...b-back?" he asked. And his shoulders and back relaxed, the tension apparently leaving his body. Why was he so relieved? Maybe because I have made his life easier.
"I-Is that possible? Technically I had satisfied the stipulations of Grandfather's will before my twenty-fifth birthday." At ngayon nga ang ika tatlumpung kaarawan ko. At ngayon nakatakda ang pag sasalin sa akin ng kayamanan na ipinamana sa akin ni Lolo Ben.
He waved his hand, dismissing what I was trying to say to him. "You can sign a paper claiming that the marriage was never consummated and get it annulled."
"But what if it was?" Naramdam ko ang pamumula ng pisngi ko. Para ko na ring inamin kay Attorney na may nangyari na nga sa amin ni Áidan.
"It won't be a problem." Pagkasabi niyang iyon ay bigla na akong kinutuban. To have worked with her grandfather for as many years as he had, he had to have few principles or morals. But could he be...
Was he the killer?
Hindi. Baka lang sa sobrang dami ng iniisip ko ay kung ano-ano na ang pumapasok sa utak ko. It made no sense to doubt a man she had known most of her life especially since he had nothing to gain. But I can't help but notice the goosebumps rising on her skin.
"Kung ganon ay tapos na po ang usapan. Aalis na ho ako." Magalang ko pa ring paalam. Her instincts warned her to get out of the mausoleum before she wound up in an urn-like her grandfather.
"Sandali lang, Quin." Agad na itong humarang sa pintuan, "You'll need to sign those papers." Nakangisi nitong sabi sa akin.
"I-I'm sure you don't have them with you now. You can draw them up and get them to me another day." Hindi na maayos ang pag tibok ng puso ko dahil sa takot. Nag uumpisa na ring mangatal ng katawan ko dahil sa kaba.
"Actually, I do have them with me." At saka tinapik ang attachè case na bitbit. She shivered as her unease turned into fright. She was alone with a killer. And her first thought wasn't for her own safety but for Áidan's. Hindi nito mapapatawad ang sarili kung may mangyaring masama sa akin. Alam kong dadalhin nito ang guilt ng matagal sa puso nito.
Hindi na option ang tumakbo papalabas ng mansion kaya tumakbo ako papasok sa pusod ng mansion kesehodang madilim. But even if she found a place to hide, she couldn't stay there forever.
Eventually, Attorney Salas would find her.
_________
Áidan
MY HEAD pounded with the pain while my heart pounded with fear. Sa unang tingin pa lang. Mas delikado at tago ang warehouse na ito sa nauna at wala sa lugar na ito ang isip ko kundi kay Quin. He was worried about Quins.
"Status,"
"Nakadating na si Quin sa mansion ni Don Benedict. Charito is just a few blocks fron there." Sabi ni Vander pero hindi pa rin mawala ang kaba sa dibdib ko. Sure, Charito was a good bodyguard. But the body she was guarding was too important for him to trust anyone else. Damn! He never should have fallen asleep.
"This place has been completely abandoned." Turan ni Vander na pumutol sa pag iisip ko. Tumango ako dito bilang pag sang ayon. Ang sinumang pumasok dito sa lugar na ito ay tiyak na wala ng lalabasan. This was a freaking dead kill box. "This is it, the place where my informant saw the black car with the flats." Nakita naming pareho ang sasakyang tinutukoy nito.
"Let's go in, then." Ako na ang naunang pumasok. Nakaumang ang baril ko sa harapan at dahil sa madilim ang paligid ay para kaming bulag na nangangapa sa kawalan.
"May nakita ka?" Tanong ni Vander mula sa likod ko. Hindi muna ako sumagot. I stepped inside the dark building. But after a few minutes, my eyes adjusted to the faint light coming through holes rotted through the metal roof.
"Negative. Just crates." Sa mahinang ilaw ng flashlight na dala ko ay inilibot ko ang tingin sa buong paligid. Puro mga scraps at mga crates lang ang laman ng abandonadong warehouse na ito.
Hanggang sa mapadako ang mga liwanag sa gitnang bahagi ng warehouse. Mukhang sadya itong inilagay roon at doon na ako kinutuban. Iniumang ko ang baril ko at saka dahan-dahang lumapit. As I stepped closer to the crate, the pounding grew louder. Nang gagaling iyon sa isang malaking kahon. Sariwa ang pagkaka pako sa bawat dulo nito.
"Vander, call a bomb squad." Utos ko sa kapatid ko. He'd seen too many IEDs in Afghanistan to haphazardly bust open the crate. It could have been a trick—a setup like a forklift. If he opened that newly nailed shut side, it might explode like so many other explosions he'd seen.
Alanganin akong sumilip sa mga butas ng kahon. Mas lalong lumakas ang pag kalampag nito sa loob. But then he heard something else—a weak voice calling out...
"Help..."
Natigagal ako.
"What did you find?" Humahangos si Vander na may kasama ng tauhan nito. Doon lang ako natauhan at pagkatapos ay agad na isinukbit ang baril ko tapos humanap ng mas malaking butas at sumilip doon.
"Vince,"
"Someone's inside the box. Find a crowbar—a screwdriver, something! We've gotta get this open." He clawed at the wood with his hands, driving slivers of that wood into his fingers. "Fuck! Vander, faster!" Natuliro na ako at umaasam na hindi tama ang nasa isip ko. Sigurado ako sa aking narinig. Boses iyon ng tao.
"I got a crowbar?" humahangos si Vander ng iabot nito ito sa akin. Pinilit kong dinistrungka ang mga pakong nakabaon sa bawat piraso ng mga kahoy. Tumulong na rin si Vander sa ginagawa ko hanggang sa tuluyang magkaroon ng malaking butas ang kahon.
"Fuck!" Matinding mura ang nasambit ko. A man was curled up in that crate—his face crusted with blood like his matted hair. It had once been blond but now it was dark with blood. So much blood... "Tumawag kayo ng ambulansya!" I yelled at Vander's man and he runs quickly outside. Mabilis din ang mga naging kilos ni Vander at may mga tinawagan ito sa cellphone.
Pakiramdam ko ay ang lalambot ako sa aking nakikita. "Don't move from there, Cris. Help is coming." I wasn't sure I should move him or not. Awang-awa ako sa hitsura nito. How had he thought he was responsible for the attempts on his life and Quins? How had he married the man's fiancé while Crisostomo had been locked up in this crate?
"Kukuha lang ako ng first-aid kit. You stay with him, Vince." Vander said before running outside the abandoned warehouse.
"You're going to be okay," I assured him. Kahit pa nakikita ko ang tindi ng pinsalang natamo nito. The wound on Crisostomo's head still oozed blood. He must have been hit hard—hard enough to spray his blood across the wall of the groom's quarters.
"Did you see who hit you, Cris?" Ngayon malinaw na ang lahat. It wasn't Quin's doings as Vander had suspected.
"No..." Crisostomo moaned as if the sound of his own voice reverberated inside his injured head.
"You don't know who did this to you?" Kunot ang noo kong tanong dito. Hindi tamang pigain ko si Crisostomo sa sandaling ito pero hangga't hindi nito sinasabi kung sino ang responsable sa pananakit na ito ay malayang nakakailos ang taong iyon para manakit pa ng ibang tao. Especially, Quin.
"I know..." Hope quickened my pulse.
"You know? But you said you didn't see him..." Or, her? Nobody could press charges on suspicions and doubts; the police needed evidence, like eyewitness testimony.
Sinubukan pa ni Crisostomo na mag salita pero halos wala na itong boses sa sobrang pang hihina. My heart wrenched with emotion over how badly Crisostomo had been hurt. And then he'd been nailed up in a box and left to die.
"Ten minutes, they're here." Humahangos si Vander na lumuhod sa tabi ko. Tinulungan nito ako para alisin si Crisostomo sa loob ng masikip na kahon at saka inihinga ng maayos sa sahig. Agad kong kinuha ang first-aid kit at ginamot ang sugat nito sa abo't ng makakaya ko. Fuck! Sometimes I wished I should follow the footsteps of my dad being a doctor.
Inabutan ni Vander si Crisostomo ng tubig at tila ba ito gutom na gutom na inubos iyon. I hoped Crisosotomo had those minutes left...after days of his wound being untreated and being dehydrated. Habol pa rin nito ang hininga sa sobrang hirap at pang hihina.
"Sa Veraz tayo! From the basement ay dadalhin ka sa private suit sa top floor. Nag aabang na don sila Daddy at Uncle Dan. They will make you feel better again." Paninigurado ni Vander dito.
"Safe..." Crisosotomo murmured.
"You're safe now, Cris. Nobody's going to get to you again." I heard myself promised.
"Do you know who did this to you?" Tanong ni Vander dito na agad kong sinalo.
"He didn't see him." Kumunot ang noo ni Vander sa akin pero sinamaan ko lamang ito ng tingin. "This is not the right time for interrogations, Van." I wanted to say that I tried but it didn't work.
"At the church," sabat ni Crisostomo sa mahinang tinig niyo, "I didn't see him at the church...But I saw him when he opened the trunk. I...saw him..."
"Sino, Cris?" Pigil ko na rin ang hininga ko sa mabigat na impormasyong nakatakdang pasabugin ni Crisostomo.
"Who did this to you?" I asked him again.
"A-Attorney Salas..."
"Don Benedict's lawyer?" All this time, nakakaharap at nakakasalamuha na namin ang kriminal pero wala man lamang kaming kaalam-alam.
"Damn it!"
"What?" Singhal ko kay Vander ng marinig ko itong nag mura. "I thought you did a thorough background check, Aldous Vander?"
"Hindi iyon eh." Para itong hindi mapakali, "Okay! It's my fault, you can punch me in my face but—" I saw him took a sigh before looking at me.
"Quin's with him right now." I was automatically jumped from where I stand to my idiot twin. I snatched his shirt firmly and if looks could kill, Vander might be six feet under the ground right now. "Charito, just reported in that the lawyer showed up at the mansion."
"Did she stop him from going inside with Quin?" Nakita ko ang marahang pag iling nito.
"I—I advised her not to."
"Fuck you, Vander!" Halos mapatid ang litid sa leeg ko sa pag sambulat ng galit ko. Hindi pa ako nakuntento at pinalamon ko pa ang kapatid ko ng kamao ko na hindi naman nito iniwasan. Nang mag sawa ako sa pananakit sa kanya ay napasalampak na lamang ako sa semento at napasabunot sa buhok ko.
Fuck! What will I do? What will I do now?!
"Look, Vince! I...I didn't think the man was a threat.—" hindi na nito natapos pa ang sasabihin nito ng sa sobrang galit ko ay itinutok ko sa kanya ang baril ko.
"You don't get to talk right now, Vander!" Ubos na ubos na ako. "After you suspect her and let her now in the hands of the man who wants her dead, you have no right to talk!" Nanginginig ako sa sobrang galit at pagka kuwan ay iniwan ang kapatid ko para puntahan ang babaeng nagpatibok ng matindi sa puso ko.
He'd been a fool to let her out of his sight because he might never see her again. Alive.
Fuck this life! Bakit parati na lang akong wala sa tuwing nasa peligro ang taong mahal ko. Fuck me—just now I realized that I love her. I love her with all my life and maybe I am late already to tell her that.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N
Shout out for those who still waiting for these updates! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Maraming-maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat.
Ms.Therapeutic*