Afflicted (TLS #3 - COMPLETED)

A R T I C L E 3 - S E C T I O N 1 8

"HOW long were you acquainted with Roselle Lim?" tanong ni Colton pagkapasok na pagkapasok niya sa opisina ko habang nagtatakang tingin lang ang naisukli ko sa kanya.

"Listen," ani niya bago ipinatong ang cellphone niya sa harapan ko.

'Lauren's under the Lopez's influence, Roselle. Her new lawyer is JD Lopez.'

'What?! Do something about that, Roselle!'

'Yes, sir. I'll have Lauren reject him.'

'How would you do that?'

'Just how I did the last time?'

'Nasayo pa 'yon?'

'I kept it for future use.'

"Have any idea what they were talking about?" my cousin asked me pero wala akong nasagot.

I don't know.

Hanggang ngayon ay wala pa ring sinasabi si Lauren tungkol sa rason niya. She just keep on saying that she doesn't want us to be inflicted on whatever she's going through.

It frustrates me pero hindi ko naman siya pwedeng pilitin. She's already stressed as it is, ayokong dumagdag pa sa mga iniisip niya. Pwede naman naming pag-usapan ang nakaraan pagkalabas niya ng kulungan.

"Then, listen to this," Colton said as he played another recorded voices from his phone.

'What are you doing here?' Napaangat ako ng tingin sa pinsan ko nang marinig ang boses ni Lauren. Tumango siya sa akin at sinenyasan akong makinig.

'Take a seat.'

'Bakit ka nandito?'

'Visiting you. Masama ba?'

'Ano bang kailangan mo sa'kin, Roselle?'

'So you're under the wings of the Lopezes again? Hindi ka na talaga natuto? O baka naman sa sobrang desperada mong makalabas dito wala ka nang pakialam sa kung anong mangyayari sa pamilyang 'yon?' nangunot ang noo ko sa sinabi ni Roselle.

Ito ba?

Ito ba ang rason ng pag-alis niya noon?

'Leave them alone, Roselle!'

'Bakit? Anong magagawa mo eh nandito ka?'

'Roselle! Please! Please lang! Hayaan mo na sila! Ano bang kasalanan ko sayo at ginagawa mo 'to sa'kin?!'

'Your only fault is your existence, Lauren. You know you shouldn't have been born.'

Chairs screeching from the ground was heard after, so I figured tumayo na ang isa sa kanila mula sa pagkaka-upo.

'Make your ex turn down your case, Lauren. Bago pa siya o ang pamilya niya mapahamak. You know how the governor works. Stop hiding under the wings of the people you hurt from the very beginning.'

"I looked into it," napaangat ako ng tingin sa pinsan ko dahil sa sinabi niya.

"And you wouldn't expect what I found out," dugtong niya bago hinila ang upuan papunta sa harapan ko at pabaliktad na umupo roon.

"Your life and your ex-girlfriend's life had been full of conspiracy and secrets."

"What are you talking about?"

He handed out his phone to me once again after doing something on it. Kinuha ko iyon at mabilis na iniscan ang mga papeles na nandoon.

"Lauren Ignacio, is a fake identity—or more like a made up identity. And guess who's behind it?" Halos manlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ang mga pamilyar na pangalan sa binabasang dokumento.

"Yes. Your parents."

"But why would they do that? They just met when we're in highschool—"

"That's why I said it's full of conspiracy and secrets. Katherine Ignacio also known as Katya was her guardian, right?" I nodded as my eyes remained on his phone.

"Her real name is Adelia Bautista and she's the biological mother of your girlfriend."

"What? Si Tita Katya?" Colton nodded and proceeded with the results of his 'investigation'.

"Adelia Bautista and Tita Jasmine were the only survivors of the Q Massacre." Halos mabitawan ko ang cellphone na hawak ko dahil sa narinig mula sa pinsan ko.

Q Massacre. Happened more than thirty years ago, with fifteen victims, thirteen dead, another two survived. Pinag-aralan namin iyon during law school. Pero hindi ko inakalang kasama pala si Mama at si Tita Katya roon?

"Tita Jasmine convinced Adelia Bautista to stand on court as a witness, to convict the mastermind of the massacre which is—"

"Raymond Quintos. The governor?"

"Yes. In exchange of her cooperation is a promise of safety, for her and her unborn child. Tita Jasmine and her were both pregnant at that time," my cousin added.

"But the Quintos wouldn't let their only heir rot in prison. So an innocent person was convicted as the murderer. Ernesto Vida, the gardener who took all the blame. Tita Jasmine appealed on court for the reopening of the case and that's where the 'accident' happened."

"Accident? You mean . . ."

"Yes. That accident. Tita Jasmine was on the way to file the reopening of the case but Adelia Bautista called. Someone broke in inside the safehouse your parents had prepared for her. Tita immediately went to her to help but they both end up fighting for their lives in the hospital and giving birth earlier than expected."

"Tita lost your twin and to protect Adelia Bautista, pinalabas nila ni Tito na namatay na ito and gave her a new identity—Katherine Ignacio, the one you knew. Then, they sent her to the province to start a new life." Tumayo si Colton mula sa pagkakaupo at naglakad palapit sa malaking bintana sa likuran ko.

"But the Quintos got a glimpse of whatever happened and sent someone to come after them. She immediately contacted your parents, who immediately came to help. Hindi mo man lang ba napansin ang sobrang closeness ng pamilya ninyo?" Umiling ako.

I thought it was just because of us. Because of our relationship . . . but this?

"They sent her to the same school as you, because it was safer that way. You have your guards lurking around. Hindi nila magagalaw si Lauren." Umikot siya paharap sa akin at tinitigan ako sa mata.

"But shit started to happen when she met that Roselle Lim . . ." He crossed his arms over his chest bago muling bumaling sa bintana.

"Bakit?" hindi ko napigilang itanong.

Alam ko naman noon pa na bad news na talaga si Roselle sa buhay namin. Pero dahil sa reaksiyon ni Colton pakiramdam ko ay higit pa sa bad news ang dala ng babaeng iyon.

I heard my cousin sighed heavily, his eyes remained on the window, watching the skyscrapers across the building.

"Because Roselle Lim, is Raymond Quintos' daughter."