"Woman, where are you?"
Natigil ang panginginig ng katawan ni Haven nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses na iyon.
Aries?
Mabilis niyang binuksan ang aparador mula sa loob na kinaroroonan niya at sumalubong sa kanya ang liwanag ng flashlight na hawak ni Aries at nakatutok sa kanyang direksyon.
"Aries!" she shouted and ran over him and threw her arms around his neck.
Sa ginawa Haven napa-atras ang mga paa ni Aries saktong nasa likuran nito ang kama napatid ang likod ng paa nito at nasama ang bigat niya sa katawan ng asawa, kasabay niyon sabay silang bumagsak sa ibabaw ng kama at nabitawan nito ang hawak na flashlight.
Aries put his arms protecting her waist while Aries' feet were on the floor.
Haven finds safety on Aries arms.
Bagama’t si Aries nagulat sa pagyakap na iyon ng asawa sa kanyang leeg. He felt like someone's waiting for him to come back and misses him so much. He couldn't figure it out but it makes him feels good and comfortable.
"W-what's wrong with you?" he stammered.
"All this horrible, brutality and this house and the lake all around and the silence!" naiiyak na sabi niya na parang may nang-away sa kanya nagsusumbong at nasa ganoong ayos pa rin sila. Habang ang dilim sa paligid sakop pa rin sila.
"You're afraid of everything that surrounds you?" hindi makapaniwala na tanong nito.
"I hate being alone in the darkness! It bothered me so much! I promise I will do everything just please don't leave me again in this horrible place!" she said and cried in despair.
"Shh," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Everything's fine. Nobody will try to hurt you here...dadaan muna sila sa kamay ko sa sinumang magnanais na pumasok dito." assurance na sabi nito.
Totoo ba ang mga narinig niya? That Aries will protect her?
She gave a laugh which was a sob.
"Hindi mo ba ako naiintindihan! Take me somewhere else huwag lang dito! I don't like it here! It's killing me! This life—the brutality and cold horror of it! I'm going mad! I can feel the threat of the air! I can hear the silence threatening me! And...I think...someone will try to abduct me—!" nagulat siya nang biglang nag-iba ang posisyon nila ni
Aries kung kaya't nabitawan niya ang pagkakayap ng mga kamay niya sa leeg nito.
He was now on the top of her. Hinawakan ni Aries ang magkabilang balikat niya. Sa kaunting liwanag ng flashlight na tumatama sa mukha ng asawa nakita niya ang pag-alala sa mukha nito.
"Woman, what foolish mocking is this? You were overreacted."
"You really don't understand me!? Don't you see? I don’t want to wait back here in this house all alone! I won't stand it—I can't stand it! I-I wanted to be with you Aries!" sa wakas nasabi din niya ang pinupunto niya.
Nakita niya ang pagkagulat sa mga mata ni Aries pero saglit lang at muling sumeryoso ang mukha nito.
"Go to sleep, you're all wore out crying over what can't be helped." sabi nito at akmang aalis sa pagkakadagan sa kanya ng hilahin niya ang damit nito.
"P-please, stay for a while, I-I'm begging you kahit ngayon lang maging mabait ka sakin." paki-usap niya muli niyang nakita ang pagkagulat sa mukha nito.
"Okay. Was everything alright when I wasn't at home?"
"Yes. All going well but not until the electricity went off."
"D-do you trust me?" he suddenly asked with his widened eyes.
"Yes!" walang kagatol-gatol na sagot niya.
Hindi niya alam pero parang nakita niyang sumilay ang ngiti sa mga labi nito pero saglit lang o baka naman namamalikmata lang siya!
Huminga ito nang malalim.
"Alright." maikling tugon nito nagulat siya nang humiga ito sa tabi niya at hinawakan nito ang isang kamay niya. They were holding both each other's hands. Hindi niya alam kung paanong nangyari 'yon dahil sa bilis ng pangyayari. She now felt secured. Naging panatag ang kalooban niya sa tabi nito.
Haven smiled to herself she was now out of danger.
"If I told my wife that I just only want to hug her, will she believe it?" he asked suddenly.
"O-of course." maikling tugon niya. Masarap sa kanyang pandinig sa sinabi nitong asawa siya.
Alam niya sa kanyang sarili na mapagkakatiwalaan niya si Aries sa mga sandaling iyon.
Tinanggal nito ang pagkakawak ng mga kamay nila. Hinila siya nito papalapit at niyakap siya!
Bagamat nagulat siya sa ginawa nito pero masaya siya dahil kahit papaano naging panatag siya at natigil sa pag-iyak.
Ang tanging naririnig na lamang ni Haven sa mga sandaling iyon ay ang mabilis na pagpintig ng puso niya na halos hindi na niya marinig ang malakas na pagragasa ng ulan mula sa labas.
"Aries..." she said softly.
Hindi ito umimik.
"Aries, you know when you starts insulting me I get energized. Lumalabas ang galit ko at inis sayo."
Hindi ito umimik ng ilang Segundo. "Am I really that bad?"
"Uhh, I don't know or maybe because you were naturally born with that attitude and it really suits you." she explained.
Nagulat siya nang tumawa ito. Sa buong buhay niya ngayon niya lang ito narinig na tumawa!
Sinulyapan niya ito. Kahit hindi niya masyadong makita ang mukha nito alam niyang totoo ang mga tawa nito and he wasn't faking it.
Sana palagi na lang silang ganoon pero alam niya na panandalian lang iyon.
"Why are you so afraid of everything?" kapagkuwa'y tanong nito pagkatapos nitong tumawa.
"A-Aries, do you keep a secret?" tanong niya na hindi pinansin ang sinabi nito.
"Of course, how can you tell?"
"Do you tell it to others?"
"Of course not! What would be the point of having a secret if you tell it to others? Then that's not a secret anymore."
"Because I've got one too. A very deep secret." she said.
"Really? Hmn...Then keep it. You know having a secret..." he paused. "Is the most beautiful thing in the world." she didn't expect that from Aries which was a good thing! "But you know a secret alone is a terrible thing." he added..
It's true! Having a secret alone is a terrible thing. Dahil ang sekretong 'yon ay dala-dala niya habang buhay. She needs someone to ease all the pain she had encountered!
Maaaring ang taong alam ng mga pinagdaanan niya ay walang iba kung hindi ang batang kasama niya when they were abducted.
Sana paggising niya kinabukasan maging maganda na ang pagtrato nito sa kanya. Pero alam niyang malabong mangyari iyon.
Dahil naging panatag ang loob niya bumigat ang mga talukap niya at tuluyang nakatulog.
***********
Maingat na inilayo ni Aries ang katawan mula sa pagka-kayakap sa asawa.
That woman! Tinulugan siya. But it’s fine, though she need to take a rest
Nakahinga siya nang maluwag dahil nailayo din niya ang katawan dito.
Why not!? Mahirap din ang magpigil sa sarili. But...dammit, he was tempted!
He went on to the glass door of the balcony and slightly opened it. Tired but restless, not anxious to be alone with his wife.
He tried to relax in the cool, damp breeze that hinted the rain. Tanging dilim lang ang kanyang makikita mula sa labas.
Hindi pa rin maalis-alis ang init sa kanyang katawan.
Habang nasa rest house siya madalas niyang gamitin ang telescope. He was seeing her by far.
Mabuti na din iyon at least naka monitor siya dito.
At nang sumapit ang gabi kasabay nang pag ragasa ng ulan at biglang pagpatay ng ilaw sa buong kabahayan nagmadali siyang puntahan ito.
Suot ang kapote at motorboat na pinuntahan ito. Alam niyang matatakutin ito. And he knows someone who's afraid of darkness and that was the little girl from his past!
He tried so many times searching for her but he failed. He never saw her again.
Nang puntahan niya ang asawa sa kwarto at makita itong lumabas sa closet and he was right she was crying over again parang napawi lahat ang pagod niya na yakapin siya nito!
He was having a sleepless night for a couple of days.
He'd let himself get entirely too close to Haven. Last night he'd nearly made love to her.
Then what? He'd never been interested in no-strings one-night stands.
His romantic relationship had always involved shared interests and values as much as the sharing of bodies.
He was kidding himself. He didn't want a woman—not even Haven unless it was Eloise.
He wanted a woman who loved him, regardless of his past, his financial condition or standing. He needed a woman who would stand by him, help him become the kind of husband and a father he dreamed of being.
Alam niyang si Eloise ang pupuno ng lahat ng mga pangarap niya.
Love sure made things complicated if it wasn't Eloise.
Pero habang papalapit siya sa asawa parang may kung anong kakaibang pakiramdam na hindi niya maintindihan.
Maybe because it was just lust! Why, her body is perfectly beautiful! He was just a man may pangangailangan.
Iniwan niya ito kagabi at nagtungo siya sa kanyang rest house na kinalapagan ng helicopter dahil kung magtatagal siya baka hindi na talaga siya makapagpigil at marahil makagawa pa siya ng krimen pag pwersahan niya itong angkinin!
Nakita niya ang takot sa mga mata nito tuwing magbabalak siyang angkinin ito. Gusto niyang malaman ang sikretong tinatago nito! Maybe because she was been violated!
And she keeps on calling him Marco!
Mahigpit ang hawak niya sa babasaging pinto. But damn! Wala na siyang pakialam if she was been raped! Because based on his investigations that Haven was having an affair to a different men!
But his mind...Darn! He really wanted to know her deep...deep secret!
Kinapa niya ang cellphone at dumial doon. He wanted to know what would have happened to her.
"Search all the resorts and hotels in Batangas I want you to investigate if there is a record of
Haven Prado or Priscilla Prado who check-in. Send me the CCTV footage too. Do it asap."
pagkatapos niyang tawagan ang tauhan pinindot niya ang end call.
Marco! Whoever you are, I'll burn you in hell!