Chapter 2

Hindi pwede umuwi si Sunny sa bahay nila. Tiyak siya na uusisain siya ng mga magulang nila kung bakit siya naroon. Galit na galit siya kay Efren at sa ate niya ngayon, pero hindi niya kakayanin na atakihin sa puso ang Papa niya kapag sinabi niya na naghiwalay na sila ni Efren, at ang dahilan pa non ay ang ate niya.

As Sunny continued to search that day, luck was finally on her side. She found a one-bedroom apartment downtown. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was clean and furnished, and most importantly, it was hers.

It had this tiny balcony that overlooked the city, a fresh start in every sense of the word. The rent was reasonable, and thankfully, she had enough saved from her part-time job to cover the first few months without worry.

Comfortable life ay buhay na meron si Sunny kay Efren. Hindi man bilyonaryo ang asawa niya ay naibibigay naman nito ang mga material na bagay na kailangan niya. He work as a Vice President ng pinsan niya. Anak sa labas si Efren, pero maswerte ito dahil nagkakaroon pa rin ng posisyon sa kompanya. Pero nagkulang naman ito sa pagmamahal at presensya sa kanya. Parati nitong nakakalimutan ang importanteng araw at mga bagay na tungkol kay Sunny.

After signing the lease, she picked up her keys and made her way to the apartment. The moment she stepped inside, a wave of relief washed over her.

Sunny was alone in a place that was hers. No memories of Efren, no traces of betrayal. Just quiet.

"Five years..." sabi niya sarili. "I spent five years as his house wife... Can I recover from this heartbreak?" Sana, gusto niya mabilis. Gusto niya makalimutan ang lahat.

Sunny set her luggage down by the door and took a deep breath. The silence was comforting, for once. She walked through the small living room and opened the sliding door to the balcony.

Just as she was about to step back inside, her phone rang. Nakita niya ang pangalan ng Mama niya. Bigla naman siyang kinabahan.

“Hello,” she answered quietly.

“Sunny," her mother’s voice was stern, the way it always got when she was about to deliver one of her lectures. Mukhang alam na nito ang tungkol sa paghihiwalay nila ni Efren. Hindi niya alam kung paano, pero sigurado siya hindi iyon sa ate niya nanggaling.

“Where are you now? Your father and I need to speak with you. Umuwi ka rito sa bahay ngayon din." Hindi na hinintay pa ng Mama niya ang sasabihin niya at bigla na lamang pinatay ang tawag.

Sunny stood frozen for a moment, staring at the phone. She didn’t want to go, didn’t want to walk into whatever storm awaited her, but she also knew avoiding it wouldn’t change anything. So, with a heavy heart, she grabbed her keys and headed out.

Ilang sandali siya nakatayo sa harapan ng pintuan nila. Siya ang nasasaktan ngayon, pero alam niyang siya rin ang sisisihin ng mga magulang niya.

Sunny knocked on the door, and it opened almost immediately. Her father stood there, his expression cold and distant.

“Kanina ka kami naghihintay," he said gruffy, moving aside to let her in.

"Medyo traffic lang po, Papa." Sunny stepped inside, her heart racing as she walked into the living room where her mother sat, her face drawn into an unreadable expression.

Kailangan niya ng comfort ng mga magulang niya at hindi ang paninisi at sermon. Gusto niya may maiyakan at mapagsabihin ng nararamdaman niya, but she could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating.

“Sit down, Sunny," utos ng Mama niya at itinuro ang coach.

Naupo siya at sumunod na parang isang bata. They both sat across from her, their eyes heavy with judgment.

“Totoo ba na nakipaghiwalay sayo si Efren?" Panimula ng Papa niya.

"Opo..." Nakayuko niyang sagot.

"Ano na naman ang ginawa mo para magalit siya nang ganito kalala at iwanan ka?" akusa ng Mama niya. "Iyon na nga lang ang trabaho mo, Sunny. Ang magpakaasawa kay Efren, pero hindi mo pa rin magawa ng tama?"

"Mama, hindi ko naman kasalanan—"

"At sino ngayon ang may kasalanan?" putol naman ng Papa niya. "Ibinibigay ni Efren ang lahat ng magagandang bagay sayo, sasakyan, mga alahas, mamahaling bag. Pati na rin dito sa bahay ay siya ang sumasagot ng mga gastusin natin. Ang gagawin mo na lang ay pagsilbihan siya, mahirap ba iyon?"

Her stomach twisted. She knew where this was going, but she wasn’t ready to hear it.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out, but that’s not all on me. Si Efren, niloko niya ako. He cheated on me with ate Me...” Muli na naman pinutol ng Papa niya ang sasabihin niya.

“You’ve always made excuses, Sunny. Always blaming someone else when things go wrong. Kung nagloko man si Efren at ipinagpalit ka sa kung sinong babae ay dahil hindi ka naging mabuting asawa sa kanya. Nagsawa siya sayo at hindi namin siya masisisi." The words hit like a punch to the gut.

Sunny opened her mouth to argue, to defend herself, but she couldn’t find the words. Hindi kung sino lang na babae ang ipinalit ni Efren sa kanya.

“Parati ka namin pinagbibigyan na patunayan ang sarili mo, pero parati mo rin kami binibigo," her father continued, his voice growing colder. "Parati mong ipinapahiya ang pamilya natin. Nagkamali kami na kunin ka at palakihin."

“What... are you saying?” Bigla siyang naguluhan.

Her mother leaned forward, glaring at her.

“Alam mo ba kung bakit hindi kayo parehas mag-isip ng ate Melissa mo? Dahil hindi ka naman namin anak, Sunny. Inampon ka lang namin."

Sunny blinked, trying to understand what she was saying. "A-Ano....?"

Her father sighed, rubbing his temples as if this conversation were an inconvenience. "You’re adopted, Sunny. At nagsisisi kami ngayon na pinalaki ka namin dito sa pamamahay namin."

The room spun. Adopted? Her whole life, she had felt like the outsider, the one who never quite fit in, but she always brushed it off as her insecurities. And now they were telling her she wasn’t their daughter? That they didn’t want her?

"Hindi totoo yan. Galit lang kayo sakin," umiiyak na naman siya. "Galit lang kayo kaya sinasabi niyo yan, Mama."

Just then, the door opened, pumasok si Melissa at napahinto nang makita sila.

"Anong nangyayari?" tanong ni Melissa at kaagad na lumapit.

"Tell her, Melissa. Sabihin mo sa kanya na hindi mo siya kapatid. And I want her to leave this house. Ayaw namin siyang makita kapag bumalik kami." With that, sabay na naglakad palabas ang mga magulang nila. Naiwan sila ni Melissa sa sala.

Once their parents left the room, Melissa'z demeanor changed instantly. She turned to Sunny, a smirk spreading across her face.

“Totoo ang sinasabi nila. Hindi ka parte ng pamilya. Magpasalamat ka na lang at binihisan ka namin at binigyan ng pangalan." Maarte itong naupo sa tapat niya at nag-cross arms. "Narinig mo naman si Mama, diba? Ayaw ka niya makita pabalik niya. Umalis ka na rito.

Ilang sandali pa siya nakaupo roon, patuloy na umiiyak. Hindi matanggap ang nalaman, sirang-sirang ang isip.

**

“Dude, sasama ka ba o hindi? Kanina pa ako naghihintay," Arjay called out from the door of his sleek, black sedan, the impatience clear in his voice.

Nangako si Nick sa best friend niyang si Arjay na sasama siya ngayon dito. Gusto niya rin magliwaliw dahil tadtad siya ng trabaho nitong mga nakaraang linggo.

At 35, he was the owner of Watson Industries, a company his father built from the ground up. On paper, she had everything. Success, money, a lifestyle most people dream of.

But lately, it wasn’t enough. Wala pa rin siyang asawa at araw-araw na lang siyang kinukulit ng Mama niya. Kung kanino-kanino pinapadate. None of whom truly interested him. He wanted to find someone on his terms, someone who understood him. Not just a name on a list

“You're to loud. Daig mo pa ang babae. I'm coming,” he called out as he pulled on his jacket, feeling a strange sense of relief to escape the usual grind, if only for a few hours.

The bar Arjay picked was packed, the kind of place Nick used to frequent before work consumed his life. As they pushed their way through the crowd, he tried to let the noise and energy pull him away from the stress.

“Kalag hindi mo na ako nakita mamaya, alam mo na ang ibig sabihin non—May babae akong inuwi," malakas na tawag ni Arjay. Mahina naman itong sinuntok ni Nick at tumungo sa bar counter para kumuha ng alak.

Nick leaned against the counter, casually scanning the room, trying to tune out the business that was still in the back of his mind.

Napatingin siya sa babaeng katabi. She was sitting alone at a corner table, lost in thought, her posture slightly slumped, like she was carrying the weight of something heavy. 

Then it hit Nick. It was her. May parte kay Nick na nagkakaroon ng buhay kapag nakikita niya ang babaeng ito. Kahit magtinginan lang silang dalawa ay sumasaya ang araw niya. But she couldn't make a move because someone owned her.

Sunny Vergara Panello...