Embracing Her Sweet Lies

Prologue

Prologue

This part that I was expecting and I am not ready for. I thought I was ready. I thought I would be okay even though I started this mess. I promised myself I'll not get hurt. But here I am now, hurting so bad.

I wanted to cry, scream the pain, shout at people who's judging my whole personality right now. But I shouldn't. Because in the first place, I deserve the hate and the judgement of these people.

Pahina nang pahina ang malakas na tugtog. Nalipat na sa akin ang atensyon ng mga tao. Hilong-hilo ako dahil sa mga matang nakatingin sa akin. Namataan ko si Lucian na papalapit sa amin kasama ang kaniyang mga kaibigan. Mariin akong napapikit nang makaramdam ng pagkirot ng ulo ko.

Agad akong dinaluhan ni Lucian nang malapitan ako.

"Solana. What's happening here? Are you alright? Let's go home–" The girl with short hair cut him off.

"Felix! 'Wag kang magpaloko r'yan! She's just using you! She's just fooling you. Niloloko ka niya!"

Lucian's eyes darkened. "What the f*ck are you talking about, Katrina? What's this all about?" Humarang si Lucian sa aking harap at tinago ako sa kaniyang likod. It's like he's protecting me from her.

"Felix! Don't be a fool. He's just using you, can't you see?! She's a Vanidestine, right? And no one knows that! At ngayong alam na ng lahat! And why do you think she hid that from us? Because she has bad motives. May binabalak siya sa'yo, Felix. Sa pamilya ninyo," Katrina said.

"You know that your family and hers have not gotten along since that happened, hindi ba?" she continued.

May alam siya?

Gulat ang lahat na napatingin sa akin. They judge the whole thing by looking at me. They looked at me with disgust and disbelief. I turned my gaze to Lucian who's looking at me with confusion in his face.

In the other hand, nawala ang kalasingan ni Yuka sa nasaksihan, hindi makapaniwala sa mga naririnig.

Lumapit ang isa sa mga kaibigan ni Lucian kay Katrina at pilit na pinipigilan ito, ngunit hindi siya nagpapatinag hanggang sa malaman lang ng lahat ang totoo. "Kat, stop this nonsense. You're drunk."

I feel like I'm going crazy over what's going on. I felt numb and cold in my body. I can feel my chest tightening. Pilit kong pinigilan ang luhang gustong kumawala mula sa aking mga mata.

I saw this coming, bakit pa 'ko nagugulat? Inunahan ko na ang mga mangyayari na eksenang ganito. Pinaghandaan ko 'to, pero bakit ganito?

Yuka walked towards Katrina, she then pushed her. "Wala ka namang pruweba! Gusto mo lang siraan si Solana kasi inggit at nagseselos ka! Tumigil ka na!"

Katrina pushed her back. "Who said that I don't have any?" Ngumisi siya at pinakita ang hawak na phone sa kanila. Nilapit niya ito kay Lucian.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang mapagtanto kung ano 'yon. That's me and Lynnette, talking on the veranda earlier. Kahit madilim ay klaro ang mukha ko na naroon. Because of the silence of people our conversation can be heard clearly.

"You're just having fun with Felix? And have you forgotten your mission?" Lynette's voice.

"What are you trying to say? What's your point? I'm trying my best–"

"You're not doing anything! Baka nakalimutan mo na ang misyon mo. Make Felix fall for you so you can trick him. Para mabawi na ang mga ari-arian natin! I'm just reminding you!"

"Yes! I know that. And I'm doing my job! Huwag mo 'kong sumbatan! What the h*ll is your point–" Doon na tumigil ang video na iyon at nakangising tinignan ako.

Klarong-klaro ang mga sinasabi namin doon. Mas lalo lang bumigat ang tensyon na naramdaman ko. They're all speechless, and so am I.

"See? This is the proof that I'm telling the f*cking truth! That Solana Vanidestine is fooling Felix! The audacity of this b*tch!"

Mariin akong pumikit, nagpipigil na sugurin siya. D*mn, I wanna pull her hair hanggang sa mawalan siya ng buhok.

"What do you want?" nanghihina kong tanong. I want this to end. I want to leave this place, it's suffocating. Ngunit sa tuwing naiisip ko si Lucian, pakiramdam ko ay nanghihina ang katawan ko.

"I want you to leave this place. Here in Al Vania! And leave Felix alone! Wala kang karapatan kahit titigan man lang siya. You fooled him, manloloko ka. He doesn't need you. You don't deserve him!" sigaw niya.

I looked down, not because of Katrina but because of Lucian's stares. Gusto ko na lang mawawala bigla. I'm guilty, yes. Katrina's right. I don't deserve him, he's too good for me.

I nodded. "Okay. Madali akong kausap." Humakbang ako papalapit sa kaniya na hindi niya inaasahan na gagawin ko.

Kailangan ko na tapusin 'to. Mas kailangan kong puntahan ang pamilya ko. Just like me, they're now breaking down.

"What–" I stared at her blankly. Diretso ko siyang tinitigan sa mga mata.

"But you have no right to evict me here in Al Varia because we own almost half of it you step on. Wala kang karapatan," I said coldly.

Then I turned my back on them without looking at one of them.

"Oh, my gosh. Akala ko pa naman she's kind. Manloloko naman pala," boses sa paligid habang papaalis ako sa lugar na iyon.

"Yeah, right. Unang tingin ko pa lang diyan, naiinis na 'ko, eh."

"Yuck. Ang kapal naman ng mukha niya. Is her family really that desperate? What a b*tch."

"Manloloko, dapat lang na mawala na siya rito."

"Sayang ganda niya pa naman."

"I was thinking highly of her and I admired the Vanidestines so much. This is disappointing."

"Ang taas ng respeto ko sa mga Vanidestine, but this is so disappointing talaga. They shouldn't be respected."

"I heard from Dad that they're going bankrupt now. Kawawa naman. Ano na kaya ang mangyayari sa kanila?"

"Puwede na siya, Bro. Binitawan na ni Felix."

"G*go. Namumulot ba kayo ng basura na gamit na?" boses ng mga lalaki at nagtatawanan pa.

I continued walking without looking back. Dapat kong isipin ang pamilya ko. I need to go to the hospital as soon as possible. My family needs me more.

Mabilis kong pinaandar ang sasakyan. Muli bumalik ang kaninang eksema sa aking isipan. Ang tingin ni Lucian na hindi ko mabasa. He was looking at me expressionless. As if he didn't know me.