Fortress Island Series 2 Romano: Can't We Try (BOOK 2)

TWENTY-THREE

Closure

Romano's POV

Sinundan ko ng tingin ang paglabas ni Mira sa silid. My smile vanished the moment she stepped out of the room. Binaling ko ang tingin pabalik sa aking ama.

This time salubong na aking kilay. Alam kong ang pag-uusap naming ito ay makakasakit sa damdamin ko. Pero sa kabila ng lahat, at kahit ang katotohanang hindi siya ang totoo kong ama, he needed to be heard. I needed to hear his side. After all, nakinabang ako sa yaman ng Salvatore. I had to give that to him.

Tumikhim sa gilid ang aking ina. Nawala sa isip kong kasama nga pala namin ito. I felt bad for her but at the same time, I knew she deserved my cold treatment. She fooled me. She fooled everyone. It wasn't something that I could just ignore and pretend that I was not hurt by her. She's my mother and no matter how good she was as a parent to me and Alejandro, no child deserves to be disrespected by hiding his true identity.

"Can I stay, Arturo?" She asked humbly. Nakasalikop ang kanyang mga kamay sa kanyang harap at nakayuko ang kanyang ulo. Alam kong hiyang hiya ito sa ginawa niyang panloloko sa amin ni Papa. Gusto ko man siyang aluin, pero hindi sa pagkakataong ito.

"No, you can't. This is just between me and my son, Leonora." Matigas na boses na sagot ni Papa.

Tumango ang aking ina. "Naiintindihan ko." Suminghap ito ng malalim bago unti-unting humakbang patungo sa pintuan ng silid. "I'm sorry for everything." Her voice shook as she looked at us over her shoulders, before she finally stepped out of the room with a face full of tears.

Humugot ng malalim na hininga si Papa nang tuluyang lumapat ang pintuan pasara. "I loved your mother, I still do." Pauna nitong sambit.

I chuckled lightly. "I could tell, Pa." I knew he was going to forgive her. He just needed time to wrap things around his head.

"Kung ganun ay tama nga ang hinala ko."

"Ang alin, Pa?"

"That you are not my son." He looked at me intently.

I gulped down. Parang pinipiga ang puso ko habang nakatanaw sa kanya. "When did you...How...." I could not form a question.

"When you were born, your mother was acting strangely. Nagagalit siya kapag kinakarga kita. She would yell at me if I stared at you. She was not like that with your brother and she knew I have always loved babies and kids. I loved to take care of Alejandro. I was a hands-on Dad, Romano. Pero nung pinanganak ka, Leonora changed her behaviour drastically. I thought it was just a post-partum shit, pero ilang taon ang dumaan, nilalayo ka pa rin niya sa akin hanggang sa nakasanayan kong kami lagi ni Alejandro ang magkasama."

Hindi ako umimik. Kaya ba nakalakihan ko na halos wala ang presensiya ng aking ama ay dahil sa aking ina? Dahil takot siyang malaman ni Papa ang kanyang panloloko?

"One time, I confronted her. I told her why she's being like that. Tinanong ko siya kung may tinatago ba siya sa akin. Bakit ayaw niyang nilalaro kita o kahit kargahin man lang. I could count on my fingers the times I tucked you up in bed. Yes, it crossed my mind that maybe, she cheated on me and that you're not my child but I regretted that stupid thought right away. There's no way, Leonora would cheat on me. And Romano, maniwala ka man sa akin o hindi, the moment I held you in my arms for the first time, I have loved you right away." Gumaralgal ang boses nito.

"Pa...." I trembled. My knees wobbled so I had to sit on the side of the bed.

My father clutched my cold hand with his. "Regardless of the truth, you are my son, Romano. Please, don't...." He swallowed. Pain was visible on his face. "Don't walk away from us. Nothing, nothing will ever change between us. If anything, I want you to give me a chance to be a better father to you. Marami akong pagkukulang sa'yo, anak."