A/N:
Sisihin niyo po si Converge kung bakit ilang araw akong hindi nakapag ud😭😭
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Anyways, belated happy birthday mareng DonBelle234 labyou!
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Veronica
"Veron, iurong mo ang demanda laban kay Lincoln Eunice Juarez."
I froze. The words felt like cold water poured over me in the middle of a freezing night. My heart skipped a beat, and for a second, I thought I misheard him. Dahan-dahan akong napalingon kay Cedric, ang tito nina Elijah at Jeremiah, ang lalaking kinilala at tumayo bilang ama ni Chris. He was sitting there across from me, his face etched with a weariness that I couldn't quite decipher.
Hindi ako makapaniwalang tiningnan ko siya. I was searching for a sign that he was joking, but he remained dead serious, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. Nandito ako sa bahay niya dahil sabi niya, may mahalaga kaming pag-uusapan. I expected leads on the investigation. I expected support. But this?
"What the hell are you saying, Cedric? Are you out of your mind?" my voice trembled with rising anger. "Hindi ko gagawin 'yan. You know what she did! Inamin niya sa akin! Pinatay niya si Chris! Pinatay niya ang tatay ni Vanessa—"
"Hindi siya ang pumatay, Veron," he cut me off. His voice was hollow, devoid of the paternal rage I expected him to carry.
I felt like the ground was shifting beneath my feet. "Ano bang trip mo? Bakit mo ba ako laging nililito? Inamin niya sa mismong harap ko, Cedric! With so much conviction, she told me she killed Chris! She stood there and took my rage! Bakit mo siya pinagtatanggol ngayon?"
Umiling lang siya, a slow, painful movement. I let out a sharp, frustrated sigh. "Veron, listen to me first. Stop being so emotional for a second and look at the reality."
"How can I not be emotional?! My world ended when he died! He was the father of my child!" I screamed, my nails digging into my palms until they bled.
"Kinausap kami ng panganay na anak ni Vladimir Juarez," panimula niya, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Sazch Ysla. She came to us. She admitted that she was the one who truly killed my son."
My jaw dropped. The image of that beautiful, predatory woman from the parking lot flashed in my mind, the one who threatened me, the one who looked like she came straight out of hell.
"What the—?! Cedric, wake up! Baka naman pinagtatakpan lang nila si Lincoln! They are the Juarez family, they can buy anyone's silence! They can switch the blame to anyone!"
"Hindi," mataray na sabat din niya sa akin, though his sass lacked its usual fire. "Inamin niya, Veron. And she didn't just confess. She showed us a video. A proof that no one can deny. Evidence that she kept as a trophy."
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. He reached for his phone and placed it on the marble table between us. My hands were shaking as I reached for it. I hesitated, fearing what I was about to see, but the need for truth outweighed my fear.
The moment the screen lit up, I felt a wave of nausea. It was her, Sazch Ysla. She was smiling at the camera, that wide, terrifying smirk that promised death. And then the camera panned down. I saw Chris. He was unrecognizable, covered in blood, his body broken and bruised.
I dropped the phone on the table, the clatter echoing in the silent room. I couldn't watch it. I couldn't see the man I worshipped being butchered like an animal.
