Astonishing Us

XXXI

I'm crying my heart out over the bed while I am hugging my folded knees with my face buried over it.

This is the first time we got into an argument that he actually shouted back at me, I don't know what to believe anymore when his eyes have told me something, something sincerely true.

He didn't do it; he did not cheat on me.

But the evidences and everything are pointing at him that it is confusing me...

When he was looking into the depths of my eyes as he tries to explains everything to me, I saw my man. I saw Ridge that I know, not the Ridge I have been seeing around the news and social medias that is linked to a nasty issue.

The Ridge that made me believe he was just fooling me, the Ridge who made me believe he was just acting all along.

He wasn't that Ridge while trying to explain things to me, that Ridge who shouted back at me in the kitchen. That is my man. The Ridge I fell in love with, The Ridge I know.

Hindi ko na alam ang iisipin ko, parang sasabog ang utak ko sa kaguluhan, halo-halo ang laman ng aking isip hinahanap kung ano bang dapat kong paniwalaan. Big part of me now is believing Ridge's words, pero may parte pa din sa 'kin ang kinekwesiyon ang mga ebidens'yang nakakalat sa paligid ko. Mga ebidens'yang pinupunto ang panloloko n'ya sa 'kin.

Napaangat ako ng tingin sa pinto ng kwarto ng marinig kong bumukas iyon.

Humihikbing pinanood ko si Ridge na maglakad papalapit sa kamang kinaroroonan ko. I kept my mouth shut; my lips are trembling while my shoulders are shaking as I sobbed silently.

He sat on the edge of the bed; his back is facing me but I could see it by the move of his shoulders that just like me he is crying. Silently

May ipinatong s'ya sa ibabaw ng kama sa may bandang paanan ko habang nakatalikod pa din sa 'kin.

I felt a tugged of pain inside my chest, particularly in my heart when I saw that it was my engagement ring I removed and left over the dining table.

With his slowly shaking shoulders I heard him took a deep breath and blows it out harshly.

"Please wear it again. That ring belongs to your finger since then till forever. I'm sorry I shouted, I'm sorry if somehow my loud voice frightened you, Bubbles. I just couldn't stop questioning myself how could you judge me so easily or how you believe them so easily, like you don't know me at all."

He stands up and walks towards the door, "I know what's happening right now is hurting you, but I want you to know how much these chaotic happenings hurts you it hurts me too, it tortures me and you're torturing me even more. I want my Bubbles by my side right now, I wanna feel I have an ally right now in this kind of moment where I feel like the whole world is against me. Please, Bubbles, just please I need my partner too, I need you more than anyone else right now, open your eyes," with that he left the room.

Naninikip ang dibdib kong napakapit ako sa 'king dibdib. My hand crumbled the clothe over my chest as tears flows down my cheeks like a water fall.

His trembling voice. The sound of pain in his voice, the begging, the sadness, the betrayal and everything those are enough to hurt me, to torture my heart I thought what I have seen in that scandal or when I saw that woman Snow went out of his office, pains me the most, that it was the tortures that have killed my heart but it turns out it weren't at all.

It was those emotions in Ridge's voice, just now. With that I know, I know I believed in the wrong side.

Well, I've been wrong in very beginning, I am his partner and I shouldn't believe anyone who's bad mouthing him without knowing his side, how worst the evidence could be and how much it pains me I should ask for his side first, I should have known his side first because I am his partner not his enemy.

I heard the beeping sounds of the main door that frightened me, with my heartbeat racing I stood up and leave the bed but I fell on the floor, I suddenly felt like my knees are the weakest part of my body.

Ridge is leaving I can sense it, he opened the door, he will leave, and I don't want him to leave with us not ok.

I get up from the floor picked up my ring and wear it, paika-ikang naglakad ako palabas ng kwarto, I looked at the closed door of the condo I took a deep breath before walking towards it and tries to open it up.

My heartbeat quickened again when it clicked opened.

He left it opened.

I LOOKED EVERYWHERE WHERE I know Ridge could possibly be or possibly go when he is upset, I went to his office, to the nearest branch of his hotel, to his friend's condo, until my feet brought me to the club where we met each other, where everything started.

Nag angat ako ng tingin sa logo at pangalan ng club na kulay pulang patay sinding ilaw. Club Deseo where I met him, where our everything started.

I felt something inside me— my brain and instinct are telling me not to go in, but my heart is telling me to go, that Ridge might be inside.

I wanna tell him I'm sorry for judging him harshly, for becoming his enemy when in the first place I should be his ally. I lifted my feet to step inside the club.

But I think my instinct was right after all. I feel like both my heart and brain exploded with what I arrived in and saw in the sofa in the corner of the club. My heart exploded in pain and my brain exploded in confusion.

"R-Ridge..." I called the guy sitting on the couch with a very familiar woman sitting over his lap with her arms snaked around his neck while their lips locked and eyes closed.

I broke down in tears as I felt my knees weakened just as I was about to fall to the ground again just like what happened inside our room, a strong set of arms caught my body, as a very familiar baritone voice filled my ears that caused the fast beating of my broken heart.

"Aether!"

___

THENAUGHTYGRAY