Astonishing Us

XXIII

I WOKE UP WITH A BANDAGE wrapped around my head. I looked around to see that I was inside a hospital room.

My confused look immediately turned into worried and afraid look when I remembered what is happening before darkness ate my consciousness.

What if Ridge wasn't able to control himself and did something horrible to Jaime? He could be put in trouble.

I get up even how much I could feel my knees shaking weak. I gulped hard as I gave my hardest just so I could reach the door when I heard voices just behind the closed door that made me stilled.

"I told you, didn't I? That girl is nothing so different from your past exes, Ridge," ani ng malamyos na boses na hindi pamilyar sa 'kin.

The woman laughed in flirty way, "She's lowkey cheating on you too, I bet she is enjoying fooling you around..."

Naglapat ang mga labi ko at nagpatuloy sa pakikinig.

"You saw it with your two eyes Ridge what would a man and woman will do inside a comfort room, alone? Talk? You know how that's so impossible."

Napakuyom ako ng kamao ko habang nag-aantay na marinig ang sasabihin ni Ridge.

I know he will talk back to fight for me, he knows me, I won't betray him. I know he knows me that I won't do such thing, he won't believe her words right?

He won't listen to anyone trying to ruin me to his eyes, he knew I won't betray him. Nakagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi ko ng maalala kung gaano kalamig ang pagtawag n'ya sa pangalan ko kagabi, kung gaano kadilim, kalamig at katalim ang kulay berde n'yang mga mata ng dumako sa 'kin iyon.

Mariin kong kaga- kagat ang pang-ibabang labi ko habang nagsisimulang mag-init at magtubig ang aking mga mata habang patagal ng patagal na walang namumuntawing sagot kay Ridge matapos ang mga sinabi sa kaniya ng kung sino mang babae ang kausap n'ya sa labas.

Why aren't he talking back? Why don't he tell her I'm not like that, that he knows his bubbles? Habang tumatagal na wala s'yang sagot ay pahina ng pahina ang tuhod at loob ko.

"Come on, Ridge. Do not pretend that you still want her. You haven't visited her for a week until now, why don't you just admit it to me huh? That you were wrong about her too, don't you wanna be free again and play around with me? I don't know why you're still bothering yourself to come all the way here to check for her situation when it comes to your exes before just one case of cheating and you're done, what's so good about her, huh?"

For a week? How long I've been here? Napadausdos ako ng upo sa sahig.

Bakit hindi s'ya magsalita? Bakit di n'ya ko ipagtanggol? He hasn't visited me for a week? He did that? Natiis n'yang hindi ako puntahan ng isang linggo ng ganoon ang lagay ko?

"Come on big guy, don't be so silent like you didn't love our wild play last night..."

Wild play? Napatakip ako ng bibig ko kasabay ng pagpatak ng luha mula sa 'king mga mata. I'm hurting with what I am hearing.

I'm hurting with Ridge's silence but when that silence of him broke it made my already weak knees to weaken even more.

"Shut it, Snow. We're in public," Ridge's baritone voice said.

That woman named snow laughed again, "Ow you wanna talk about it in private hmm, big guy?"

He believes her and what he saw that night like he doesn't know me at all, he just believed what he wanted to believe without putting me to his mind.

Ridge chuckled that made me feel a fang inside my chest like somebody stabbed my chest, "Yeah right," he answered that broke my heart into pieces.

What is that supposed to mean?

I HAVE SLEEPLESS NIGHT after hearing those words that have been repeatedly replaying on my mind, torturing my feelings, my heart and my mind.

I heard the door creaked opened and closed but my eyes are too tired because of crying too much that I cannot open my eyes. My eyelids are heavy.

"... Nakita ko si Ridge kasama na naman ng babaeng iyon. Nagsisimula ng magkaroon ng malawak na issue matapos s'yang mapicturan kasama ng babaeng iyon sa lobby ng R. Haden Hotels," rinig kong sabi ni Mira na kinakapit ko sa bedsheet ng hospital bed na kinahihigaan ko.

"Hindi ko alam kung anong tumatakbo sa utak ni Ridge, kahit naman ilang beses na nating sabihin sa kaniya na aksidente ang nangyari tila naman hindi s'ya nakikinig," sabi ng mahina at tila hinang-hina ang loob na boses ni Princess.

"Hindi din naman natin s'ya mapipilit makinig sa 'tin, magkasama na si Jaime at Aether sa loob ng comfort room bago pa tayo pumasok don—"

"So anong sinasabi mo ha Hera? Kahit pa magkasama sila don sa loob alam nating tatlo na malamang ang lalaking lang na iyon ang pumasok bigla. Kung ganiyan ang takbo ng isip mo at pagsasalita mo talagang lalong magdududa si Ridge kay Aether," singhal bigla ni Princess kay Hera.

I wanna get up and stop them from fighting but suddenly I felt like all my strength drained from what I have been hearing since the moment I woke up. I wanna burst out crying again, I wanna go and cry out loudly this suffocating pain inside my chest that feels like someone have been strangling me.

Masikip at masakit ang dibdib ko sa mga oras na iyon... hindi lang sa mga oras na iyon kung 'di kanina pa, kanina pa mula magising ako at marinig ko ang mga bagay na iyon, mga bagay na pinagsasabi ng kung sino mang babaeng iyon na kausap ni Ridge.

"... Wag kaiyong mag-away, may mas malaki tayong problema," anang lumong-lumong boses ni Mira kasabay ng pagbagsak ng kung anong mabigat na bagay kung saan.

"Ano? Tumayo ka riyan! Ano ba iyon Mira? Anong— p-putangina..."

I heard a fast heavy step towards me as I felt someone hold my hand, "Princess paano 'tong alaga natin pag nagising s'ya at nakita n'ya yan? Masasaktan si Aether, Princess."

A long silence filled the room that caused the chaos inside my chest. Makita ang ano? Ang alin? May mas ikakasakit pa ang damdamin ko ngayong?

I felt another two presences surrounds me as I felt someone caress my hair, "Ililipad natin si Aether palabas ng bansa sa lalong panahon, hindi natin matatago ito sa kaniya pero makakagawa tayo ng paraan para hindi s'ya masaktan ng sobra."

"Totoo ba ito?" 'Di makapaniwalang tanong ni Hera na lalong kinakuryos ko, "May date pa ang bidiyong 'to..."

"Bobo s'ya! Kaya ayaw n'yang maniwala at makinig sa 'tin dahil natutuwa na s'yang bayuhin' yang pinatayong kawayang iyan! Nagsisisi akong pinagkatiwalaan ko s'ya ng buo para kay Aether!"

"This is a chaos, with this sex scandal going viral and viral hindi lang masasaktan si Aether maaapektuhan din ang career n'ya," sabi ni Hera na kinapantig ng tenga ko.

My ears are ringing on what I heard.

Sex scandal?

Ni Ridge?

____

THENAUGHTYGRAY