The Accused (A Series #1)

Chapter Fifty

Halos hindi siya makagalaw sa kanyang kinauupan. Hindi halos matanggap ang sinabi nito. Her heart pounded achingly fast. She thought of a lot of things that might have happened when she left, but Calev being imprisoned was never one of it.

"How... Why...?"

Ang daming tanong ang namumuo sa utak niya na naghahangad ng agarang sagot. She looked at Scarlette who looked apologetic. Bakit, did it had something to with her again?

"Scarlette, tell me."

The woman in front of her slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, August. My knowledge about it was very limited dahil wala na ako dito sa Pilipinas noon. And even with the little information I have, I could not really divulge it to you. I respect Calev. He should be the one to tell you everything. You should talk—"

"Just tell me now!" Hindi niya napigilang tumaas ng kaonti ang boses. Hindi naman nagulat ang kaharap. She just continued looking at her as if she could not do anything anymore.

Ilang segundo lang ay pinagsisihan niya ang pagtaas ng kanyang boses. She felt embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." Hindi siya halos makatingin dito ng diretso dahil sa nagawa. "Naiintindihan ko. Pasensya ka na, nadala lang ako. Ayaw ko na kasing mangapa ulit sa dilim, ang hirap hirap lang."

"I understand, and if I have all the rights, I would never hesitate to tell you pero wala eh. It's Calev's story, ayaw ko siyang pangunahan. It's enough that we talked even before he told you the plan of meeting us two. He'd been meaning to tell it to you, na andito ako at gusto kong makipag-usap."

And then she remembered the call she overheard  from Calev. It was about the plan of meeting the both of them.

"I know that I'm already pressuring him because I really have to go back immediately pero gusto na kasi kitang makita. And now, we unexpectedly met. I'm sorry if nagulat ka sa mga pangyayari at sa mga sinabi ko pero wala akong intensyong masama, August."

She meekly nodded her head. She began to slowly understand. If she needed answers, she needed to talk to Calev.

The meeting ended with her sending off Scarlette to a shop that she told her she had been finding since she got there. Scarlette promised to contact her often that surprised her but she still gave her the permission to do so.

It was funny how she had unfolded some things in her life so unplanned. But she could not feel any regret. If there's any, she's... relieved. Hindi pa siya kuntento sa nalaman, pero nakaramdam siya ng paghilom sa mga sugat na akala niya ay hindi na mabibigyang lunas.

Deep inside, she was longing for the family she never knew she had. And it was almost magical how a simple act of asking for forgiveness took away all the blues she felt of being unwanted.

Her mind was still clouded as she continued to shop. Kanina pa niya gustong umuwi pero ramdam niya ang takot na namumuo sa kanyang kalooban.

Nung ibinunyag ni Scarlette na nakulong si Calev, hindi niya naiwasang akuin ang nangyari. Kahit hindi sinabi ni Scarlette ay ramdam niyang may kinalaman siya sa pagkakakulong ng lalake. Fear crept inside her thinking that it was another shot of wounds she needed to heal from. Nungit sa lahat ng sakit na naranasan niya, she finally learned to embrace and love the power of healing. It's when you heal that you grow the finest, and it's when you heal when you are the happiest.

Nang napagod siya sa paglalakad at pamimili ng mga bagay bagay bilang pasalubong sa mga anak at sa mga tao sa probinsya, nagpasya siyang manatili sa Skypark ng mall. Iilan lang mga tao doon kaya nakahanap agad siya ng kanyang mauupuan.

She watched as the sky gradually changed its color. She watched how magnificient the sun set to give a way for its companion waiting at the back. She'd like to think it as the most beautiful goodbye as it was never ending, always true, and never painful. She hoped that loving could be as easy like the sun setting and rising, and the moon waiting and peeking. With her loving, maybe it was as easy as that, or maybe not. Maybe it wasn't love that went wrong with her, maybe it was herself. She honestly wasn't sure of it, maybe she'd know someday as she hoped for her stars to finally align and shine brightly to where they are destined to be in the near future.