Romancing the Devil

CHAPTER 21

“What do you mean, Hailey?” he asked in confusion.

Umiling ako, “I’m just curious. I don’t . . . really know everything about him. I have feeling for him since then but I didn’t had the chance to know who he really is. And now, I’m just curious about him.” Nag-iwas ako ng tingin at kinunot ang noo.

“I really don’t know much about him. Ang alam ko lang ay bago siya maka-graduate ng college ay namatay ang mga magulang nila ng kapatid niya. He was devastated that he didn’t go to their graduation march. He’s friends with my twin, Justin. Hindi naman ako nagtatanong tungkol sa kaniya dahil hindi rin naman ako interesado.” Umigting ang panga niya na ikinatango ko na lamang.

Pakiramdam ko ay may tinatago siya na hindi ko malaman.

“As you can see, we’re not in a good term kaya wala kang makukuhang impormasyon sa akin tungkol sa kaniya.”

Tumango ako. Hindi na alam ang sasabihin.

“I want to ask him, but . . . I’m afraid.” That he might lash out on me if I ask him questions.

“Afraid of what?” he asked in a low tone.

I smiled and shook my head, “nothing. Don’t mind it. Paranoid and curious lang siguro ako masyado.”

Kumunot ang noo niya, “why are you paranoid, then?”

“Nothing, really. Bigla ko lang talagang naisip. Don’t mind me.”

Bumalik na kami sa trabaho at doon ko na lang itinuon ang aking atensyon.

Days have passed and my days were like a whirlwind. Madalas tumawag si Callum, lalo na kapag wala siyang ginagawa o meeting. Ginagawa ko rin ang lahat upang hindi maalala ang nangyari nitong nakaraang araw. I badly want to forget it and stop my curiosity. I shouldn’t doubt like this. I know trust is one of a foundation of a good relationship in married life. So I should trust Callum no matter what.

I got a big project from one of the biggest company in Asia, Art Lines, and they want me to be their interior designer, to have this project with me. This is an achievement but because of my thoughts, I can’t fully celebrate it.

Nang umuwi ako sa bahay ay agad akong dumiretso sa kuwarto at agad na humiga sa kama para magpahinga. Gusto ko munang mag-isip na walang sino mang manggugulo sa akin. Gusto kong mapag-isa. At tamang-tama dahil wala pa naman si Callum ngayon.

I look at the ceiling, thinking about that old man . . . who confused me so much. Who’s that old man again? He’s such a confusion to me. I don’t know if he’s telling me something true or just playing around. But feels like a man like him won’t fool someone he doesn’t know. That’s me. He doesn’t know me so why would he tell me such thing like that? To mess around me? What would he get from messing around me? Nothing. I will just be a laughingstock to him.

But if he’s telling me the truth . . . what does he mean by that?

“Mag-iingat ka at h’wag magtitiwala basta-basta. Someone’s fooling you. You might get hurt because of revenge.”

Someone’s fooling me? Who? Callum? My parents? Dustin? Ate Kiana?

“I’m a victim, yet I got this.”

He is a victim but he suffered . . . why? Ibig sabihin ba no’n ay may nagawa rin siyang mali na hindi niya alam? Like . . . someone fooled him and he was the one who got punished?

This is killing me. “Really, this is killing me.” I scoffed to myself, looking at the ceiling.

“Hindi ko kasalanan, pero ako ang nagdusa. Magagaya ka sa ‘kin. Magiging biktima ka at magdudusa. They want revenge. At parte ka sa mga magdurusa. Ng paghihigantihan.”