“Do you want to buy something?”Napasulyap ako sa kaniya nang magsalita siya. Nasa kalagitnaan kami ng biyahe. It was already three in the afternoon.“Wala. Gusto ko nang umuwi . . . sa bahay ko.”“You can’t,” tipid na sagot niya na kinatahimik ko. I know.Nakarating kami sa bahay na pinagdalhan niya sa akin. Seconds before I step out of his car, napaisip ako. Now that I am here, hindi kaya maghinala siya kapag wala pang Rene na bumabalik sa mansion niya? What if Kuya Rommel tells him? I have to make Damon trust me. I have to assure him na hindi na ako tatakas at kayang-kaya ko na siyang pakasalan. Kapag hindi pa ako nakahanap ng paraan, I will definitely escape so he wouldn’t doubt. Bumaba na ako at pinanood siyang binubuhay ang mga pinamili niya. Pinauna niya akong pumasok pagkatapos niyang buksan ang pinto.“Prepare yourself. We’ll have something to do.”“Hmm? Saan naman? Kung saan-saan mo na lang ako dinadala.”Okay, I have to behave. I have to act. Kung kinakailangan ko siyang l
Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto kaming nag-stay ni Damon sa gano’ng posisyon, until he woke up and immediately lifted himself. Para itong natauhan na dumistansya sa akin.“Let’s sleep inside the tent.”Pinagmasdan ko siyang tumayo at tumungo sa tent niya. Dismayado akong sumunod at napasulyap pa sa tent ni Damon bago pumasok sa akin.Hindi ako dinalaw ng antok. I remained awake for I didn’t know how long. Pinakinggan ko ang katahimikan ng paligid. I am not used to this kind of place. Nasanay ako sa maingay. Nasanay ako sa maraming tao. Pero bakit pakiramdam ko, napakadali lang para sa akin ang magustuhan ang ganitong klase ng katahimikan?Sa tingin ko, hindi ako makakatulog nito.Bumangon ako at binuksan ang tent upang pagmasdan ang kalawakan. Nang hindi mapalagay ay tumayo ako at naglakad patungo sa may edge ng valley. I crossed my arms over my chest, my gaze fixed on the city skyline as its shimmering
Time changes—it really does, right?I couldn’t clearly remember the first time I met Damon. All I could remember was the moment I was cursing him. Now, I just realized that it’s already been a month. I had come this far and I couldn’t believe I felt different. It’s not the same anymore and I could smell pain—I could smell it coming for me for an unknown reason. Pinasok ko ang mundo ni Damon para humanap ng ebidensya na magtatakas sa akin palayo sa puder niya, pero bakit ngayon ay parang ayoko na? Bakit ngayon, ang hinahanap ko na ay dahilan para manatili sa tabi niya?Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ang bilis nagbago ng nararamdaman ko. Bakit pagdating kay Damon, ang bilis-bilis, pero kay Chrome na ilang taon kong nakarelasyon, hindi ako kailanman nakaramdam ng ganito?After ko mag-shower ay kaagad na rin akong nagbihis ng simpleng khaki trouser na pinaresan ko ng white collared blouse. Medyo okay na ang pakiramdam ko. Although it’s still sore, I could handle the pain now, unlike ear
Nakayuko ako nang pumasok kami sa dine hall—takot na makilala ako nina Manang Josie, Ate Tess, at Ate Miray.“This is Katherine Reiss, my fiancée. From now on, she will live here with us.”Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ba ako o ano sa ginawa niyang pagpapakilala sa akin. Hindi naman kasi niya ipinakilala si Anaconda sa amin no’ng dalhin niya ito rito. Naiilang akong tumingin sa tatlong nakatingin lang din sa akin. Kinakabahan ako na baka makilala nila ako pero wala naman akong nakitang kakaiba sa emosyon nila. Magalang silang nag-bow sa harapan ko bilang pagrespeto at pagbati sa taong magiging asawa ng boss nila.“Mukhang mabait siya, ’no?”“Better naman siya kaysa kay Francine.”“Saka mas mukha siyang may class at mayaman. Ang ganda, Beh! Wala pang makeup ’yan. OMG!”Gusto ko silang yakapin sa narinig pero tumikhim lang ako at naupo na. They started to serve our dinner and we ate silently. Umalis na rin naman sila nang matapos kami ni Damon. I somehow missed my role here. Na-miss ko na
I was submerged by a combination of shock and a dizzying sensation. His fingers dug into my hair. In response, I raised my own hands. I couldn’t believe I was touching his chest and neck—weaving my hands behind his head to draw him closer. Cold chills sizzled against my body. It was still morning and we were doing nasty things here, so I couldn’t help but feel hot.He kissed me breathtakingly as he started to undo my sleeves and toss them away. I found his shirt a hindrance to what we started to do. I started to hold its hem without breaking our kisses and helped him take his shirt off his body. The next thing I knew, we were both naked while sharing hot kisses. Bumaba ang labi niya sa leeg ko at nilapatan ako ng mainit na halik. It was too sensual and sexy. He bit my skin a little and swirled his tongue on it expertly while his hand found my left mound and massaged it.“Oh!” I gasped when his mouth found my breast. I slid my fingers throu
“Wait! Why are we taking different routes? We are supposed to bring him to the hospital! What the fuck are you doing, idiots?” nagpapanik na singhal ko sa nagmamaneho. Sumulyap ako sa namumutlang si Kuya Rommel. Napasulyap naman ang nagmamaneho sa rearview mirror.“K-kalmahan n’yo lang po, Miss. May sarili po kaming hospital—ang Organization der Schwarze Macht. May sarili rin po kaming mga magagaling na doktor kaya sinisiguro ko po sa inyo na magiging okay lang si Boss,” kabadong sagot nito na kinaingos ko.“Paano kung maubusan siya ng dugo? Ang layo-layo pa yata ng hospital na pupuntahan natin!” I snorted.“Calm down, Miss. Master Damon will be fine,” Kuya Rommel reassured me.I breathed out and tried to keep my mouth shut. Yakap ko pa rin ang walang malay na si Damon. Namumutla na ang mukha nito at nababakas na ang ilang pasa na natamo niya sa pakikipaglaban. Hindi ko maiwasang hindi mapailing at mangilid ang luha. I couldn’t imagine living in his world; it’s too dangerous. Pero hin
“That’s good.”Nilingon ko si Damon. Katatapos lang nitong makipag-usap on the phone while he’s resting on his bed. After that ay nagbihis lamang kaming dalawa. Plain black shirt at faded jeans lamang ang sinuot niya habang maong shorts at white hoodie naman ang sinuot ko. It was almost ten in the morning nangumuwi kami ni Damon sa mansion niya. He didn’t leave and chose to rest all day. Hindi ko rin naman siya hahayaang umalis. He needed rest.Pinaglaruan niya ang phone sa kaniyang kamay bago ito binaba at maingat na hinawakan ang braso ko. Marahan niya akong hinila paupo sa tabi niya. We both rested our backs against the headboard while his arm was encircled around my shoulder.“Your best friend is a designer, right?” he asked.“Yes, why?”“I want her to design your wedding dress. Can she do that in three weeks? Is it even possible?”I chewed the inside of my cheek bec
I tried to get a hold of myself at that hour. There’s no use for acting like this; it’s freaking worthless. Kahit sino pa siya, hindi ko hahayaan na siya ang piliin ni Damon. The moment my heart started to beat for him was the moment I declared that he was mine.Sumilip ako sa ibaba, and I saw them still talking. Maya-maya ay tumayo na sila. Nakapamulsang inihatid ni Damon si Dimaria sa labas ng mansion. The woman kissed his cheek—that scene made my hand ball into a fist. Habang pabalik si Damon ay napatingin ito sa direksiyon ko. I gave him glares, daggers of look, to let him know that I was murdering him and his woman inside my mind.Kaagad akong tumalikod. Mabibigat ang aking yabag nang bumalik ako sa kuwarto. Hindi nagtagal ay narinig ko siyang pumasok ngunit hindi ko siya pinansin. What surprised me was that he never tried to explain! Dumeretso lang ito sa folders na nasa mesa niya at kinuha iyon bago naupo sa couch at binasa ’yon. Wala ba talaga siyang balak ipaalam sa akin ang
The day after Damon woke up, we decided to go home. Sa dami ng bahay ni Damon, wala akong ideya kung saan niya kami iuuwi. I was only wearing a salmon pink sleeveless trumpet dress, while Damon was wearing ocean blue polo shirt and black elastic cargo short.“Ibenta mo na kaya ’yong mga bahay mo. Daig mo pa maraming babae sa dami ng bahay mo. Dinaig mo pa rin ’yong mga sundalo na lipat-lipat ng kampo.”Kanina pa ako rito sa kotse na nagrereklamo sa kaniya. Frose was with Drace. Gusto pang makasama ni Frose ang pamangkin-slash-kapatid niya kaya hinayaan na muna namin. Mukha namang magkasundong-magkasundo sila.“That’s just my safe refuge. I never brought a woman there,” pagdadahilan niya na kinaangat ng kilay ko.“As far as I know, you had a lot of women before, huh! You can’t fool me, Damon!”Nakita kong napasimangot siya at nailing bago hinanap ang kamay ko, saka pinagsalikop iyon.“It was just before, alright? No matter how many women come, it won’t change the fact that I am into yo
“Damon, they’re the ones behind. My sister is in great danger,” Kael said.“I accept the marriage. I will make sure she will never experience what we went through. I swear, I will get the justice we all deserve.”“I will always help you, Damon. What about Dimaria? Have you found her?”I shook my head and shut my eyes. I’d been looking for her for three years. Alam ko na kung nasaan siya pero hindi ko nalang sinasabi. She’s in Vegas, alam ko may rason siya kung bakit ayaw niya ipaalam sa akin ngunit hinayaan ko na lang.“Still looking for her.”We were interrupted when someone entered my office. When I looked to find out who it was. I saw Frose.“Daddy.”I stared at him. He looked exactly like me. I adopted him and promised to treat him as my son. That was my aunt’s dying wish. He’s my cousin, and now, he’s my son. I continued
DAMON LUCIFER DANKWORTHTwenty years. I’d been fighting against the monsters inside my head. These never left me.“K-Kuya . . .” Dimaria whispered.“Shhh, I’m just here. You will be safe.” I hugged her tightly. We’re hiding in Dad’s closet. Dimmy wrapped her small hands around my body and gripped my dark red hoodie, afraid we might get caught. I could feel her body trembling. Inayos ko ang suot niyang putting hoodie. I promised Dad and Mom to protect this family, especially my little sister. I would never let anyone hurt her.We heard footsteps. They were going to enter Dad’s room, where we had run earlier to hide. These guys were up to something. But Dad Davin hadn’t come home yet, and even the body guards he left here were gone. They’re all dead, and that made me feel a bit shaky. I would never forget how unhesitatingly the men who broke into our house shot Dad’s men. They were cruel and evil. I hoped this was just a dream—a bad dream.“K-Kuya, I’m scared . . . I’m scared . . .”The
***I was awakened in a white room wearing a hospital gown. Kaagad akong napabangon at hinanap agad ng mga mata ko si Damon, ngunit wala. Tanging sina Kuya Kael at George lang ang nakita ko na tila hinihintay akong gumising. Walang buhay ang mga mata nila. Tumingin ako sa wall clock at nakitang alas otso na ng umaga.“Si Damon? Nasaan siya?” Bumaba ako sa kama.“Magpahinga ka pa, Kath.”“Nasaan si Damon?”“Damon . . .” Napayuko si Kuya Kael. Kaagad na kumalabog ang dibdib ko at mabilis na tumakbo palabas. Hinanap ko kung nasaan si Damon ngunit hindi ko ito nahanap. I asked the nurses at itinuro nila sa akin kung saan ang kuwarto nito.Nang marating iyon ay kaagad akong nanlumo nang makita si Damon na maraming nakakabit sa katawan at wala pa ring malay.“Kath!” sigaw ni Kuya Kael.“How is he?” nanginginig kong tanong.“He’s still in coma.
My head throbbed. It wasn’t even half the truth, but it made me feel like I was going to explode. I didn’t know what or how to react. Damon’s past experiences were beyond my understanding of what it felt like. I couldn’t possibly understand without experiencing them myself. I could imagine how I might feel, but I couldn’t actually know. I almost entirely knew and understood what I’d experienced firsthand. That must be very traumatizing for him. And the idea of his sufferings made my heart break into a million pieces.I had those life moments that I barely remember. But I’d never been in a situation that stayed in my mind that no matter how I tried to forget it, it’s still there somewhere and that didn’t leave. But Damon . . . he’d been inside of that. Moments made up a person’s life. We didn’t remember much of our lives. Even if it’s somewhere on our mental hard drives, retrieving most memories was out of the question. What we did remember, on the other hand, were the events that had
Naiwan ako sa kuwartong ’yon kung nasaan ang walang malay na Damon. Dimaria excused herself to cook. Mukhang hindi pa sila naghahapunan. Kung sa bagay ay maaga pa naman kung tutuusin. Alas-sais na nang kumain ako kanina and it was nine already. Ang mas kinagulat ko ng bahagya ay ang paglabas din ni Alena roon. Is she really going to leave me here alone with her husband? Pumait ang pakiramdam ko nang sabihin iyon sa isip ko.Nanatili ako sa kinauupuan at tinitigan si Damon. Galit pa rin ako sa kaniya. Hindi pa rin mabubura lahat ng sakit at galit ko nang dahil lang sa nangyaring ito. Pero sa ngayon ay iba ang nasa isip ko. Hindi ko rin naiwasang hindi mag-alala sa kaniya. Damn! Kahit gaano pa kalala ang galit ko, mahal ko pa rin siya.“Nagugutom ka ba? Kakaluto lang ni Dimaria.”Napaangat ang tingin ko sa nagsalita. Malumanay ang boses nito at mahinhin. Ibang-iba ito sa nakilala kong Alena noon na ipinamukha sa akin kung gaano ako kadesperada. Nang makita ko ang mukha niya ay walang b
Nagising ako dahil sa sinag ng araw na tumatama na ngayon sa mukha ko. Hindi ko na maaalala kung paano pa ako nakatulog kagabi. Everything’s getting unclear to me. Marami na akong tanong na hindi ko na alam kung saan ako hahanap ng sagot. Lahat ng tao sa paligid ko ay tikom ang bibig na magbitiw ng kahit na maliit na impormasyon.I got out of bed weakly. Hinawi ko ang kurtina kaya mas lalong tumama sa akin ang sinag ng araw na dahilan para bahagyang sumakit ang mga mata ko sa pagkasilaw. Tulad ng nakita ko kahapon ay bantay sarado ng mga tauhan ni Damon ang bahay kung saan niya ako dinala. I was planning my escape when I heard the door. Ang pagbukas nito ang siyang nakapagpalingon sa akin and I saw Damon, holding a tray of breakfast and a pair of clothes. He’s just wearing an aegean blue muscle shirt and black jogging pants.“You’re awake. You can take a shower first. I brought you clothes.”Parang walang nangyari kagabi na nilapag
Sinubukan kong lumapit sa bintana para sumilip doon, pero nadismaya ako na puno ng mga tauhan ni Damon ang nakapalibot sa bahay. Masyado ring mataas ang gate na hindi basta-basta maaakyat. I looked around to see if I could find something, na puwedeng ipambasag sa bintana ngunit bigo akong makakita. I frustratedly combed my hair and looked for another tools or things na puwedeng magamit para makatakas ako, ngunit puro libro at files lang ang nakikita ko sa mga drawer at shelf.Tell me, this is not happening! How dare he do this? Hindi siya lumalaban ng patas. Gusto na naman niyang sarilinin ang anak ko at hayaang kasama ang Alena na ’yon!Maya-maya lang ay may pumasok ulit. Sa pag-aakalang si Damon ’yon ay iritable na naman ulit akong lumingon. Ang nakahanda ko nang pagsigaw ay naiwan sa ere nang makitang isang matandang babae na nakasuot ng bulaklakin na duster dress at may dalang tray ng panibag ong set ng pagkain ang naglakad palapit sa akin. Tahimik ko siyang pinagmasdan.“Hija, na
Kinabukasan ay maaga akong nagising. Wearing a wine red romper dress and a white top underneath and a pair of white rubber shoes ay mabilis akong tumungo sa bahay ni George to ask for his help. Sinalubong ko si George na kakalabas lang ng kusina niya, topless and only wearing his bloose fit jeans.“Kath.”“Can you track Damon’s location right now? ““Possible. Why?”“Track his location—exact location. Pupuntahan ko siya. Make sure, nandoon ang asawa at anak nam—niya.”Nagtataka man ay kaagad siyang tumungo sa isang pribadong kuwarto na natitiyak kong naglalaman ng computers niya. Sumunod ako at naabutan siyang mabilis ang galaw ng mga daliring nagtitipa sa keyboard.“Nga pala, may nakalap na akong information tungkol kay Da—”“Wala na akong pakialam sa kaniya. Keep that information with you,” malamig na sabi ko habang titig na titig sa monitor.“According to this, he’s currently at Buendia’s Village. I will write down the exact address.”Tahimik kong hinintay siyang matapos iyon bago