Behind The Lights (Montereal Series # 4)

BTL42

BTL42

I sat by the comfortable seat by the balcony at night, tuwing gabi ay nandito ako para patahimikin ang utak ko. Paulit-ulit pa rin na rumerehistro sa utak ko ang sinabi ni Cloud nung isang araw.

You're gonna see this face everyday.

Wow, and just how true is that?

Tumunog ang cellphone ko. Lumabas ang pangalan niya. I sighed before opening it.

ulap.jpg: Mahal kita.

My eyes widened. Agad akong napatakip sa bibig para pigilan ang ingay. Tuwing gabi bago siya matulog lagi siyang nagsesend ng ganyang message. A bit corny, but honestly this is more expressive than we were together.

Hindi na ako nagreply. Bahala siya. Pinagsabihan ko na siya, pero ayaw pa rin makinig.

"Claudia... it's late. Why are you still up? Are you thinking of it, again?" Lumapit si Papa sa akin.

Halos atakihin ako sa dibdib nung marinig ang boses ni Papa. I acted calm. I smiled at him and hugged my pillow. Umiling ako sa tanong niya.

"No, I'm just enjoying the night breeze, Papa."

He nodded. Bakas sa mga mata ni Papa ang pagod. After I submitted to him the evidences we can use, agad niyang inasikaso ito para sa amin.

"Ayos ka lang?" Tumabi siya sa akin at hinaplos ang ulo ko.

I nodded. "I feel better now, Papa."

He sighed heavily. Ngumiti siya sa akin. Tuwing nakikita ko ang mukha ni Papa ay nakikita ko talaga si Prince. They got the same blue eyes and every feature of my brother's face is an exact remnant of our father. Si Carter naman ay mas humahawig kay Mommy habang lumalaki.

"Malapit na ilabas ang warrant of arrest para kay Kaeya. What Daria gave us really helped in the case... I will make sure they'll stay there, princess." Hinalikan ni Papa ang ulo ko. "For you."

Umayos ako ng upo. "Kamusta si Storm?"

"The Bradfords took custody of him. Pero uuwi ang uncle mo dito para kunin siya. They heard about what happened," Papa told me.

"Can Clarisse get a lighter sentence?" I asked.

Papa told me not to care about family when it comes to these kinds of cases. Alam kong nahihirapan din siya dahil pamangkin niya si Clarisse.

"I can do something about it. But I can't guarantee that-"

"That's better than not trying, Papa."

I closed my eyes and laid on the seat comfortably. Tumingin sa akin si Papa. Our conversation about him having another son has not been fully resolved yet. Hindi ko nalang binubuksan para hindi ko na rin maisip ang problema.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

I raised a brow. "About?"

"Troy. About me having a child with another woman?" Papa's blue eyes reflected the moon. Maliwanag ang buwan ngayon kaya't kitang-kita ko.

Kumuyom ang kamao ko. I blinked slowly and looked away. The thought angers me, but what can I do? It's not like I change anything. Magkaedad kami ni Troy. And there is nothing I can about Papa's doing, kahit magalit pa ako sa kanya.

"I would be ice if I admit that it didn't hurt me," I muttered. "We're the same age, Papa. By the time you conceived me, you also made him with another woman. That kind of proves that my existence was not out of the love you have for my mother-"