You Are The Reason (Ongoing)

CHAPTER 02

Pagkarating ni Andrea sa condo unit ng kaniyang nobyo ay hindi niya maipaliwanag kung bakit may kakaiba siyang kaba na nararamdaman. Bawat paghakbang ng mga paa niya ay siya ring dagundong ng dibdib niya. Ano ba ang nangyayari sa kaniya? Masyado ba siyang excited para sa anniversary nila? Saan nanggagaling ang kabang ito?

"Kumalma ka nga Andrea..." mahinang bulong niya sa sarili. Pilit kinakalma ang dumaragundong niyang dibdib.

Nasa tapat na siya ng pintuan at ilang segundo nang nakatayo doon. Humugot muna siya ng isang malalim na buntong-hininga saka binuksan ang pintuan. Mahina lamang at walang katunog-tunog.

Iniisip niya na masosorpresa ang kaniyang nobyo sa pagdating niya pero kabaligtaran ang nangyari dahil siya pala ang masosorpresa sa senaryong maaabutan niya.
She caught her boyfriend with another girl, her mind racing with disbelief.

Pakiramdam niya ay may bumara sa lalamunan niya lalo pa at nakita niyang nakapatong ang babae sa ibabaw ni Arvin. Naramdaman niya na nanginig ang mga tuhod niya kasabay ng pagpatak ng luha sa mga mata niya. Pero ang mas ikinabigla niya ay nang makilala niya kung sino ang babaeng nakaibabaw sa nobyo niya.

"A-antonette..." nanghihinang sambit niya.

Ayaw niyang isipin na totoo ang nakikita niya at ang kapatid niya ang kasama ni Arvin ngayon pero malinaw sa kaniya na totoo ito.

Doon napalingon ang babae saka gulat na gulat nang makita siya nito pero agad din na napawi ang pagkagulat sa mukha nito at napalitan iyon ng ngiti. Ngiting nang-aasar. Tinakpan muna nito ang hubad nitong katawan. Noon lang niya napansin na hindi tumitinag si Arvin, para bang tulog ito at walang alam sa mga nangyayari.

"Hi, Andrea!"

Tila hindi man lang nabigla ang kapatid niya sa pagdating niya at nakangisi pa ito.

Maya-maya ay saka lang tila nagkamalay si Arvin, pupungas-pungas pa ito at gulat na gulat nang makita silang dalawa sa loob ng silid nito.  Mas nagulat ito sa nakitang ayos ni Antonette.

Andrea stood there, frozen, her world crashing down around her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, as Antonette's cruel smirk lingered in the air. Every beat of her heart felt like a betrayal, the pain sharp and deep, as if someone had driven a dagger into her chest and twisted it slowly.

Her eyes flicked from Antonette to Arvin, the man she loved, the man who had sworn to never hurt her. Now, everything was unraveling before her, the truth harsh and undeniable.

"Dinala mo siya dito?" Her voice was a shaky whisper, barely containing the anger and hurt that simmered just beneath the surface. "You brought my sister into your bed?"

Mabilis na umiling si Arvin. Tila shocked ito habang nagpa-panic. "No, Andrea! It's not like that! I swear, I didn’t—"

"Then explain it to me, Arvin!" she snapped, her voice rising, the desperation clawing at her throat. "Explain why she’s here, half-naked in your condo, when you were supposed to be preparing for our anniversary!"

Tangina! Nakalimutan ba nitong anniversary nila dahil sa kapatid niya?

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them back, refusing to break in front of them. She couldn’t show them how much this was destroying her.

Antonette let out a mocking laugh, leaning against the bed as she pulled the sheet tighter around her body. "Oh, come on, Andrea. Stop being so dramatic. Men get bored. They want something new, exciting. Isn’t that right, Arvin?"

"Shut up, Antonette!" Arvin snapped, his voice trembling with fear and frustration. He turned to Andrea, pleading, reaching for her. "Andrea, please, you have to believe me! I didn’t touch her—I don’t even remember how she got here!"

Andrea took a step back, avoiding his touch as if it burned. "Do you think I'm stupid, Arvin? I saw you... both of you!" She pointed at the disheveled bed, her voice breaking slightly. "And you expect me to believe that nothing happened? After everything we've been through?"

Arvin shook his head, desperate. "I swear to you, I was asleep! I don’t know how—"

"Stop it!" Andrea shouted, the tears finally spilling over. She didn’t care anymore, didn’t care about keeping it together. The pain was too much, the betrayal too raw. "You lied to me, Arvin. You lied."

For a moment, there was only silence. Antonette watched with an amused expression, clearly enjoying the chaos she had sown. Arvin stood there, pale and shaking, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for the right words to fix the situation. But Andrea was done listening.

"I hope it was worth it," she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of her broken heart. "I hope she was worth it."

With that, Andrea turned on her heel and walked out the door, leaving Arvin and Antonette behind.
Pagkalabas niya ng pintuan doon ay sunod-sunod ang pag-agos ng luha sa mga mata niya. Hindi na niya iyon magawang pigilan kaya hinayaan na lang niyang bumagsak.

She had never imagined that the man she loved, the man she trusted with her whole heart, would betray her like this. And worse, with her own sister.

Andrea's chest tightened as the weight of her thoughts bore down on her. Paano nagawa ni Antonette ito sa kaniya? Hindi nga sila laging magkasundo, pero ibang usapan na ang pagtaksilan siya sa ganitong paraan. Magkapatid silang dalawa, dugo’t laman, pero bakit tila walang respeto ang kapatid niya sa kaniya? Sa kabila ng lahat ng kanilang alitan, hindi niya kailanman inasahan na magagawa nitong agawin ang taong pinakamahalaga sa kaniya.

Ang sakit ay masyadong matalim, parang tinik na bumaon nang husto sa puso niya. Andrea wiped the tears angrily from her eyes, refusing to cry any further over what Arvin and Antonette had done. Hindi niya mapigilan ang pag-ikot ng mga tanong sa isip niya. Paano nakayanan ni Arvin na kalimutan ang anniversary nila, espesyal ang araw na ito para sa kanila.

Nangako si Arvin na ipagdiriwang nila ito ng buong pagmamahalan, pero ano ang nakuha niya ngayon? Wala. He couldn’t even respect her enough to show up, to honor their love, their relationship. It was clear to her now that she meant nothing to him. Isang babae lang siya na kayang ipagpalit sa iba, na kayang isantabi sa tuwing may bago at mas kapana-panabik.

Hindi niya mapigilan ang pagbalik ng mga alaala—yung mga sandaling pinaniwala siya ni Arvin na siya ang mundo nito, na siya ang mahalaga. Iyon pala, it was all just lies, beautiful lies that blinded her to the truth.

"Am I really that easy to forget?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. The pain in her chest expanded, growing until it became unbearable.

Muli niyang tinignan ang kaniyang cellphone, ang wallpaper na magkasama sila ni Arvin, mga ngiti sa kanilang mga mukha. Pinilit niyang intindihin kung kailan nagsimulang magbago ang lahat, pero hindi niya na makita ang mga palatandaan. Wala siyang naramdaman na paglamig, walang kahit anong palatandaan kaya hindi niya lubos na maunawaan kung bakit nangyari ito ngayon.

"Was I blind the whole time?" she asked, her voice trembling with the weight of her heartbreak.

In the silence of the hallway, Andrea could feel the walls closing in on her. Hindi lang si Arvin ang nagtaksil sa kaniya. Ang kapatid niya mismo ang kumitil ng tiwala at pag-ibig na itinaya niya. She couldn't understand why Antonette would go this far just to hurt her. Bakit kailangan pa nitong agawin ang taong mahal niya?

Andrea's fists clenched at her sides as the anger finally bubbled to the surface. Hindi lang ito simpleng selos o tampuhan. It was betrayal on the deepest level—both from the man she loved and the sister she had tried to understand her whole life.

"Antonette..." she muttered through gritted teeth, her voice now full of fury. "You’ll regret this. Both of you will."

This wasn’t just about a ruined relationship. This was about her dignity, her worth. Andrea knew she couldn't stay down forever. Yes, her heart was shattered, but this time, she wouldn’t be the one left in pieces.