S7VEN (La Familia Kingpin Series #1)

12. Mi Cielo

SANTY

"Why is he always like that?" Unable to control my tears, I ran toward the elevator only to froze when I saw Romano's stoic face inside.

"Señora?"

With my head down, I quietly get on the lift.

"Are you alright, Señora?"

"Not now, please. I-i just need to go to school, Romano," sumiksik ako sa gilid at pinahid ang luha sa pisngi ko.

Romano sighed. "Y-yes, Señora. I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

Bago ko ma-digest ang sinabi n'ya, Romano get off the lift. Pinindot nito ang letter G button sa side panel ng elevator at naiwan akong mag isa. His nodding figure slowly disappears as the door of the lift closes.

Grateful for the privacy Romano granted me, I allow the tears to fall freely while my frail body seeks refuge in the cold walls of the lift. I hugged myself and cry.

The whirring sound of the car imitates the chaos inside my head. The vivid image of Ada's battered and bloody body appears in front of me. She began to crawl on my feet, begging.

An invisible hand gripped my heart, I gasped for air while the smell of earth and rain that day lingers around me. My muffled sobs, her bone-chilling screams, and afterward Ada's lifeless body on my lap–keeps on repeating like a broken record, sucking all of my strength. My knees buckled and the next thing I knew, I'm on the cold floor. Wailing and defeated.

Twelve years had already passed yet the images are still clear as well as the torment that comes right after it. Never nabawasan ang sakit at galit ko para sa sarili tuwing maaalala ang lahat.

"A-ate...I'm s-sorry," hilam ang mata at sapo ang dibdib na iyak ko.

Lalong lumakas ang iyak ko nang maalala ang mukha ni Seven matapos kong sabihin ang dahilan ng galit ng pamilya ko sa 'kin.

In all honesty, I told him the awful truth about me. I'm a sinner and irredeemable. Taliwas sa akala ng karamihan, isa akong makasalanan. Sa likod ng mga ngiti at maamo kong anyo, nagtatago ang isang babaeng sumira at pumatay sa sarili n'yang kapatid.

His appalled expression tells me all the things I should know. For the longest time, I kept my mouth and feign calmness amidst the bullying and hatred coming from my family. I accepted them all in hopes that in some ways, my sacrifices can expiate my sin.

I've been successful in doing so not until him– Seven. He makes it hard for me to stay unbothered and unaffected. His imposing and commanding presence affects not just my body but my mind as well.

Sunod-sunod ang paghagulgol ko habang sa isip ko'y nagsasalitan ang mukha ng kapatid ko't ni Seven. Their eyes tell me one thing– my soul is damned. Suddenly, the walls of the lift are closing into me and my body started to shiver.

"O-oh God!" I panted and the images repeatedly play before my eyes. I'm suffocating at my own accord.

Santy, relax. Pilit kong kinakalma ang sarili.

Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Elizabeth Bennet.

Edward Rochester.

Jane Eyre.

I recited the names of my favorite characters. In the past, it helps but right now as my trachea constricts and my chest becomes heavier I know that my coping mechanism didn't do its trick.

"N-no!" Naipikit ko nang mariin ang mga mata habang walang tigil sa pagpatak ang mga luha sa mata ko.

My hands began to tremble and quickly, I grabbed the invisible hands that are gripping my neck, choking me. I gasped for air and filled my now aching lungs.