Is he… for real?“Reese is kind and charming, Chester. I mean, it's not that I still like him–”“I know–”“It’s just that I’ve known him ever since! He’s kind and always sympathetic. Kaya ko nga siya ginawang boyfriend noon!”Chester sighed and tucked the loose strands of my hair behind my ear. “People change, Paris. Besides, after years of being in prison and having his reputation ruined, I don’t believe he’d still be the saint that you thought him to be.”Wala akong nagawa kundi bumuntonghininga at tumango. I’m aware of that though. “That’s Dad’s fault anyway. At kasalanan ko rin–!”“What? How in the world is it your fault?” he asked in annoyance. “It was too ambitious for him to want you. That was his sin.”My lips parted at his answer. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung anong mararamdaman ko dahil doon! Damn you, Chester!“Stop it,” nakangusong sabi ko at saka nag-iwas ng tingin. I heard him smirk a bit bago muling nagsalita tungkol sa issue.“Anyway, I’ll have it under control. Just please
“How are you feeling?” Chester asked after I handed him the glass of water.Mabigat ang loob na umiling na lang ko at binigyan siya ng ngiti. After what happened earlier, he immediately took me home. I never passed out, pero parang mas lalo lang nakasama iyon dahil hindi nawala sa isip ko ang mga nangyari at nasabi ng Daddy.I feel like I’m about to explode anytime now. My mind’s so messed up, and the problems kept adding up. I don’t know if I could take more. I want to just rest. I want to just leave. I’m so tired of all the secrets and lies na ngayo’y sabay-sabay lumalabas at sinasabi sa akin. Why didn’t they have the urge to tell me the truth in the first place?They just want me to end up miserable, don’t they?“Paris, what’s going on in that little head of yours, hmm?” Chester asked as he stroked my hair and held my head near his chest. “Please tell me,” he said.I breathed so heavily and hugged him tightly. I badly want to cry ero parang tuluyan nang naubos ang luha ko at naman
“Chester,” Mister Del Fuego greeted me as I approached him. He was waiting outside for a long time now, but I don’t give a fuck. After what I Paris’ bodyguards reported to me, there’s no way I’d let him inside. After all, I was never on his side anyway. If only he wasn’t the father of the woman I love, I’d never get along with him and his antics.I breathed heavily and stood face to face with him, hindi gustong magpaligoy-ligoy pa. “She’s okay now,” I said, which made him sigh in relief. No matter how much he hides it, I know there’s a part of him that deeply cares for his daughter. Too much care that he almost wants to control her, never letting her out of his sight. “I’m going inside,” aniya subalit hindi ko iyon hinayaan.“But she doesn’t want to see you,” asik ko. “So I can’t let you, Sir.” I did my best to maintain my respect, but it’s fucking harder than it sounds. Lalo na ngayong pakiramdam ko’y magpupumilit pa siyang pumasok sa loob dahil halata ko iyon sa pagkunot ng kanya
“What the fuck happened?!” I could almost taste blood as I run downstairs, trying to fucking call everyone I know that should be around the accident.Fucking shit!After hearing from Chancellor’s bodyguard what happened, I didn’t fucking care at first. But hearing who she’s with during that fucking accident almost already made me want to kill someone, at isa doon ay si Chancellor. Why the hell is he with my wife?!“Check all the cameras in the restaurant and coordinate with the police. Gusto kong mahuli agad ang driver ng sasakyang iyon.”“Noted, Sir.” My men immediately left as my bodyguard escorted me to the damn hospital!Damn it, Paris. You’ll be the death of me. Why was she in that place in the first place? She should’ve been home! Bakit… bakit kasama niya si Chancellor? I can feel my heart pounding si much in anger, pero hindi naroon ang atensyon ko. There’s much worse than fucking jealousy. And when I heard the siren of the ambulance, I recognized that feeling already.When I
I couldn't sleep. Let alone rest at the thought of it. Hearing those words from him shattered my heart into million pieces. It feels like I was betrayed, fooled…But damn it, no matter how much it fucking hurts me, hindi ko magawang magalit sa kanya. Kahit hindi ko siya maintindihan, at sa kabila ng lahat ng paninira sa kanya, at sa pagtatago niya ng mga bagay sa akin… I still feel like he’s the only one I can trust.May parte pa rin sa akin na nagsasabing may dahilan siya kaya niya iyon nagawa. Na dapat pa rin akong magtiwala sa kanya.Those thoughts are choking me, parang hawak sa leeg at ipit ang dibdib. I don’t know anymore… Bakit hindi niya sinabi sa akin?I want to hear his explanations pero… hindi ako naniniwalang hindi niya kilala ang pamilya ko. If he knows us, I’m sure he knows something. I breathed heavily and immediately stood from the bed when I realized na wala itong patutunguhan. Wala akong patutunguhan kung puro lang ako ganito. What’s there to think about? Ni utak k
I woke up in the unfamiliar coldness of the bed. Hindi ako sanay. It felt like something was missing. More like someone. When I opened my eyes, I wasn't even surprised anymore when I saw her gone on the other side of the bed. Pero kahit hindi na ako nagulat, hindi ko pa rin napigilan ang kirot sa dibdib ko. She really hates me right now, doesn’t she?I sighed heavily and almost wanted to pull my hair out of fucking frustration. I should’ve expected this. I should’ve been ready for it.I took the white polo that was crumpled on the bedside table, wearing it without minding the lipstick stain on it. I tried looking around, eyeing if there were any traces of her or her whereabouts. But with her last night's clothes tidied up, and her most intimidating, yet addicting perfume filling up the room, I already knew she was somewhere.But where could she be? Will she meet someone?Hated to admit it, but that was the perfume she wore during our dates. Kaya mas lalo tuloy akong hindi napanatag ku
“To be with each other. To plan our future. To get married someday.”Nagpaulit-ulit iyon sa pandinig ko na parang sirang plaka. Unlike the usual days where I feel my head pounding, hindi ko matukoy kung bakit ngayon… puso ko ang kumikirot dahil sa pamilyar na pakiramdam. There were flashes coming before my eyes as I was in that particular scenario. It was as if it was real.No… it was real. It ain’t that clear pero nararamdaman kong totoo iyon!And it’s making me question everything. How is this possible? How is it possible for him to hide these from me all these years?!“Is this a joke?” I asked, trying to gaslight myself that this is not real. Na baka paraan niya lang ‘to para mapabalik ako sa kaniya. But more than half of me believes on what he’s saying!Dahil ako mismo, nararamdamang totoo iyon!Pero hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit kailangan, at paano niya kinayang itago?! This is not just a mere information… this is a huge part of my life!And the way his eyes glimmered with sad
I put the plane ticket going to Quebec back into my purse nang maisip na hindi ko naman planong pumunta roon. When I arrived at the airport earlier, I immediately bought a ticket to Quebec under my name and took a huge amount of money into my bank account.Knowing Chester and Daddy, their connections are enough to find me. Siguro nga, hindi pa ako nakakarating sa pupuntahan ko ay naroon na sila. Afterall, I don’t have any strings to pull anymore. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung may mapagkakatiwalaan pa ba ako. I don’t have any cover-ups to use anymore, so I have no other choice but to hide and deceive them as much as I can.“Dito na po, Ma’am.” Parang muli akong natauhan nang marinig ang sabi ng tricycle driver. Arriving at a hotel here in Lipa, Batangas, kaagad akong bumaba at nagbayad. Hindi ko alam kung anong sumagi sa isip ko at dito ako nagpunta. It just feels right and natural for me to come to Batangas. Siguro madalas ako rito noon?Isa pa, going somewhere near while they try to loo
I was taken aback by the words he uttered. Like what I said, I understood why he did those back then. Pero ngayong humihingi siya ng tawad sa akin, hindi ko alam ang isasagot.“Dad…”He smiled weakly and tried to look at me. “I know what I did back then was unforgivable, but I was just protecting you, and…”“Dad, Dad…” kaagad ko siyang pinutol. I held his hand and smiled at him. I know that I hated him so much back then. I was stupid. I was reckless and damn stupid. Ngayon, kahit hindi ko pa rin maintindihan kung bakit niya pinakasalan si Tita Faureen, I don’t care anymore.He’s all that I have. He’s the only parent I have.And this grudge has been here too long already. Pagod na pagod na akong magalit.“I understand…” pagpapatuloy ko ngunit suno-sunod siyang umiling sa akin.“No, I didn’t give you a proper explanation back then,” aniya. “Your Tita Faureen, she and I have been good friends even before I met your mother. When your mom left, I… I didn’t know what to do. I wanted you to
What…Everything fell silent after he uttered those words. Pakiramdam ko, pinagsakluban ako ng langit at lupa at hindi ko alam kung anong paniniwalaan.I felt numb. I-I couldn’t even think properly or say something properly. Gusto kong tumakbo… gusto kong magwala… gusto kong….Oh God, what is this?“Chancellor pushed her causing her death. M-Magkasama kami noon at naglalaro nang makita niya ang Mommy mo. Back then, we… we really hated your Mom because we know what’s up between her and dad,” pagpapatuloy ni Chester sa mga bagay na hindi niya nasabi sa akin noon.“She approached us, and it was really an accident. My brother didn’t mean it… we were…” parang dinudurog ang puso ko sa bawat salitang binibigkas niya. His voice was hoarse and breaking. Parang paulit-ulit siyang sinasaksak sa bawat salitang binibitawan, and it breaks my heart hearing him that way. “... we were just children…”Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya at halos madurog ako nang makita siyang umiiyak. He was doing his b
Masama ang loob ko at walang imik hanggang makabalik kami sa resthouse nila Chester. Maging siya tuloy ay tahimik at hindi ako kinikibo kaya mas lalo lang akong naiinis.Well, I’m not totally mad at him. Naiinis ako sa nalaman ko! And the fact that they’re still friends made me dislike the idea even more. Dumagdag pang parang hindi niya napapansing masama ang loob ko.Eh ‘di do’n siya kay Claire!Wait, no. Ugh!“What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” tanong niya nang hilahin ako para maupo sa lap niya sa couch dahil tataas na sana ako sa kuwarto.I rolled my eyes. “No,” I simply answered and was about to leave him pero siyempre, hindi niya ako hinayaan. Si Chester ‘yan, eh!“Sinungaling,” mahina at mapanuyang asik niya bago ako ginawaran ng halik sa pisngi. “Tell me, Love. What’s bothering you? Kakaunti lang ang napamili mo dahil kanina ka pang ganiyan.”I rolled my eyes. “Oo nga at kanina ka pa rin walang pake,” asik ko.He groaned as he buried his face on my neck. “I’ve been trying to ca
I saw my whole world fall apart right before my eyes when he uttered those words. How… how is that possible?“What are you saying? T-That can’t be… my father would’ve killed you–!”“He almost did. Remember?” he asked with a ghost of a smile, cutting me off and making me remember that he was right.Galit na galit sa kanya si Daddy noon, and I could vividly remember the night when he was almost killed by my Dad. Hindi ko magawang maintindihan noon ang aking ama, pero ngayong narinig ko ang mga salitang ‘yon mula kay Chester, parang naninikip ang dibdib ko.“Are you sure you want to talk about it already? Paris you seem unwell. I–!”“No,” I said. “Keep talking. But please… nagmamakaawa ako sa’yo. Do not lie this time.”My words were straight and blank. But his eyes tell me that to him, they were like bullets fired into his chest for a reason that I could not name.But after a few blinks, nawala iyon at matamis siyang ngumiti sa akin. “I promise.”Chester and I have been great the next fe
I couldn’t recall how much I cried for a few days because of that. Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyayari, or what triggered them back, but the memories kept flowing like a river that could not be stopped. And along that, I could feel surges of emotion that I could not name. Halo-halo ang nararamdaman ko, and I don’t know if I could even contain all of them. I don’t even know how many days it has been. I was only brought meals inside my room and was taken care of. Minsan binibisita ako nina Daddy at Tita Faureen sa kwarto, but I don’t have the energy to talk to them. When I look at my father, all I can do is cry. Kaya nang lumabas ako sa kwarto, they were all surprised.“Paris? How are you feeling? I should’ve just brought you some food for–!” Napatigil si Tita Faureen sa pagsalubong sa akin nang mapansin niya kung ano ang nakakuha ng atensyon ko pagbaba ko ng hagdan. My lips parted at the sight of tons of flowers in the living room. Some are withered, and some are being saved by Tita
“Don’t bother. I can manage,” I said and waved my phone to show him that I’d just book myself a cab. Wala rin naman akong planong makituloy sa bahay ng kung sino mang kaibigan o kamag-anak. I’ll just stay at a hotel for the next few days to relax and think.Wala rin naman akong choice kundi tanggapin ang pamilya nina Felix sa amin. I just need to calm the fuck down or else I’d add fuel to the damn fire. Hindi ko alam kung anong naging reaksyon niya. I feel dizzy and tired that I just want to lay on a bed. Isa pa masyado na akong napahiya sa lalaking nakaupo sa harap ko. I have to leave before things gets worse kaya minabuti kong talikuran na siya at lumabas ng club.His response to my offer makes me feel very damn awful. That is so fucking embarrassing!Pero nasabi ko na, eh. And as stupid as it may sound, I’m not regretting it. I do not regret it, because if he’d accept the offer, I’ll gladly be his girlfriend.Damn, I really am drunk.Sinikap kong panatilihing mulat ang mga mata ko
“My goodness, Paris! Where were you?! And why the hell did you do that?” I breathed heavily when Felix was the one who confronted me right when we got back home. I simply smirked at him and continued sipping on the hot coffee that was served by the maids. Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko dahil sa totoo lang, siya lang ang naglakas loob na lumapit sa akin at komprontahin ako – something that I expected from my father, so that I could talk and rant to him.But I guess, they just didn’t care. Maybe they’re fed up with me.“Who cares?” I asked. “And you definitely know why I did what I did. Alam kong naiintindihan mo ‘ko, ‘cousin’.” I said, emphasizing the way I have addressed him.Felix only sighed and sat in front of me. Through the years, he has stood up as my older brother. He was the one who understood me and my whines – or that’s what I thought.He’s always been close to my Dad because he’s been close to me. Iyon naman pala… Dad wanted to marry his mother. Felix didn’t appr
My lips parted when I heard his confession. Never have I imagined him saying those in my face. Para akong paulit-ulit na sinasaksak sa dibdib habang patuloy kong hinihiling na sana mali ako ng pagkakarinig. I was hoping and praying so hard that my ears are only messing around with me dahil kung totoo ang naririnig ko ay hinding hindi ko sya mapapatawad!“You didn’t… what?” I repeated, hoping that I had heard the wrong thing.Pero para siyang tutang nag-iwas ng tingin sa akin. The pain in his eyes made me want to slap him so hard. Siya pa ang nasasaktan ngayon? Bakit?!“You didn’t… what now, Chester?” pag-uulit ko.He breathed heavily and mustered all his strength to face me. “I-I’m sorry–!”“You didn’t want me to remember? Who the fuck are you to decide?!” I shouted at him. Sinubukan niyang hawakan ang pareho kong kamay para pakalmahin ako pero hindi na uubra sa akin ang ginagawa niya! Every time we come across a problem like this, he always tries to tame me using his sweet words and
Chancellor left the room, and I almost fainted because of shortness of breath. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa sinasabi niya, at ayaw kong maniwala!How come he didn’t know? O baka naman itinatanggi niya lang din? But why the fuck would he deny such thing gayong magkaibigan kami!Or were my memories distorted? “Impossible,” I said. Parang sumasakit ang ulo ko sa frustration. There’s no fucking way I could be wrong, right?O baka naman pati sarili kong memorya ay hindi ko na rin kayang pagkatiwalaan gaya ng ibang tao sa paligid ko?!Tang ina!“Goddamn it! Damn!” I pulled my hair in frustration as my tears rolled down my cheeks. I don’t know what to fucking believe anymore! It has been a long time since I had flashbacks like this, at ganito pa?!“Argh!” I cried out of resentment and grief because I really didn’t know what to do anymore.“P-Paris–!”I sniffed and wiped my tears when I heard a familiar voice. Chester entered the room and attended me immediately, pero isa siya sa napakaraming t