TRACE DIMAGIBA (Wild Men Series 1)

009

CHLOE

I was thirsty and that woke me up from my shallow sleep. I quickly reached for my phone to check the time. Almost nine in the morning.

Blinking while focusing my eyes on the ceiling. I frowned with my heavy head. Napadami ang nainom ko kagabi. I glanced around the room, looking for Harriet and Paige, when I wondered.

"Where are they?" Bumangon ako at sumandal sa headboard. Roaming my eyes around, I realized that I had fallen asleep in Patricio's room or better say... Trace's room!

And Trace it is... Yeah, I better call him Trace to not forget that he was the one to blame for our family's predicament. He ruined Carly's life! He—

I exhaled audibly. "I must be wary of him... I must—" I sighed. "I must remember everything from nine months ago!"

Yeah, that was nine months ago... I closed my eyes tightly as the horror of the blood in Carly's bed appeared again in my thoughts. I found my sister bleeding to death from slashing her wrist. I was nervous. I panicked. I dialed 911. They rescued and helped me rush Carly to the nearest hospital.

At the hospital, hindi lang pala ang suicide attempt ni Carly ang dahilan ng muntik niyang kamatayan. My sister had aborted her child kaya pala gano'n karami ang dugo sa kama, she hemorrhaged. If she hadn't brought to the hospital and died that night, I wouldn't have known about her abortion.

And the fetus? I did not find it at all. Carly probably disposed of it somewhere before she attempted suicide, or she might left it in the clinic where she had an abortion, or—I hope not—but there was a possibility that Carly flushed her child to the toilet bowl since that was only a three-month-old embryo.

Ayokong isipin ang huli dahil hindi ko maisip na magagawa ni Carly iyon. It was just one of the assumption of the lady investigator when she was interrogating me. We were identified as rich kids, iniisip na baka may intentional na gumawa ng masama kay Carly, na baka may foul play.

Yes, we grew up in a wealthy family. Lumaki kami na naibibigay ng parents namin ang lahat ng kailangan namin, sobra-sobra pa. But thinking we were one of those promiscuous girls... Nah! We're not!

Carly was the most conservative one between the two of us. Nahawa lang ako for I idolized her. We had a good and almost perfect life until Carly's tragedy forced us into a lie. Yes, it's a lie. A lie that our family was okay. A lie that Carly was fine. A lie that we'd go back to how things were. It's all a lie!

Hindi na kami katulad ng dati at kahit gumaling si Carly ay hindi na talaga babalik ang lahat sa normal. Mommy was affected. Daddy, too. Lahat apektado. I heard na humina ang summer collection's sales ng CJs. It was because Dad didn't mind the promotions last season. No campaign. Napabayaan.

I gulped. With that, na-guilty ako bigla. Habang malaki ang nawala kina Daddy at Mommy, ako ay masama ang loob na kailangan kong gawin ang utos na hanapin ang lalaking nang-iwan kay Carly.

But I found him! I should be happy, right?! I should—I heaved another sigh. "No... I can't tell them yet..."

Trace Dimagiba—according to Paige—was a womanizer. Certified heartbreaker and never had a woman that last for a day. Wala nga raw maalala si Paige na naging girlfriend ng kuya niya. Lahat ay naging babae lang, means hanggang kama lang. At huwag ko na raw alamin kung ilan dahil kahit siya ay hindi rin alam ang bilang sa sobrang dami.

I shook my head in disbelief and decided to not let my parents know I found him already. I know kailangan kong ipaalam sa kanila pero ayoko silang ma-stress lalo.

Mas okay na mag-move on na lang kaming lahat siguro. That dude couldn't help Carly. Helping would be out of his character. He is a jerk! And asking him for help will be like telling a bird to swim. Impossible.