Dark Secrets Series: His Drastic Devotion

Prologue

Bitbit ng walong taong batang si Serene ang paboritong teddy bear nito habang pababa ng hagdan upang uminom ng nakalimutan niyang gatas na pina-inom ng kanyang Papa. Nang makababa ay nakita niya ang Papa niya sa living room na nakayuko at sapo ang mukha at bahagyang gumagalaw ang mga balikat nito na animoy nagpipigil kumawala ang isang napakasakit na hagulgol.

"Papa..."ani ni Serene habang unti- unting humahakbang papunta dito. Umangat ang mukha nitong wala ng bakas ng luha ngunit namumula ang mata at ilong nito, tanda ng pag-iyak.

"Anak, bakit gising ka pa?" Tanong nito na may maliit na ngiti sa labi. Iniwestra nito ang kamay na nagpapahiwatig na pinapalapit nito ang batang Serene.

Her Papa Serheio looks so tough and heartless kind of man, but Serene knows better. She hugged her father when her Papa let her sat on his lap, her Papa hugged her back and murmured I love you's to her.

"Papa, why are you always crying at night?" Aniya sabay pahid ng kaunting butil ng luha nito sa gilid ng mata. " While you looked like you always wanted to punch someone's faces in the morning, especially when you're at the office?"

Her Papa laughed and hugged her tightly. She even felt her Papa's kiss on her head. Palagi niya itong nakikitang umiiyak sa gabie, kung minsan ay may alak pa habang hawak ang isang wedding photo album.

"Papa's just sad baby. Just don't mind me anak." Ani nito at iginaya na siya papunta sa kanyang kwarto. Her papa bid good night and kiss her again on her forehead before he closed the door.

She prayed silently to God that God would help her Papa to stop crying anymore. She even promised to herself that she would find her true love so that Papa could and would know that love would always exist in different circumstances.

On her 21st birthday, pumasok at nag-apply siya bilang isang waitress sa isang exclusive na club. Kompiyasa siyang magtrabaho doon dahil mataas ang sekyuridad at puro mga professional at kilala sa mundo ang nagpupunta doon. Ga-graduate na siya ng college sa susunod na lingo at mag-iisang buwan na siyang nagtratrabaho sa club kaya makukuha na niya ang inaasam-asam na suweldo na galing sa hirap at pagtratrabaho niya.

Hindi niya ito pinaalam pa sa Papa niya dahil maglilitanya na naman ito at nakikita na niyang maghehestirikal ang Papa niya dahil sa club ako nagtratrabaho. Nang malapit na ang out niya sa trabaho ay nagligpit na siya.

"Serene! Mi-nove ni ma'am ang payday! Makukuha na daw natin ngayon. Ang saya! Makakabili na ako ng kaek-ekan sa graduation natin." Her friend Thellianne enthusiastically said.

Napa-tili na rin siya at hindi napigilan na mapatalon-talon kasama si Thellianne. Sa wakas, she can buy for her father's gift as a small gratitude for her father for raising and loving her alone on her graduation day. Plano niyang surpresahin ang Papa niya, instead  na siya ang regaluhan, uunahan niya ito.

However, destiny really played her so well.
She got raped in the middle of the night after she bought for her father's gift.

She woke up crying hysterically. Her father was crying too while holding her hands and comforting her. She was wishing that it was only a nightmare, but her bruises screams it all that it was real, it happened.

All she ever do was to ask Him. Why me? All of people, why her? Why?

@maveveyl