36
"He is not your father!"
Nagimbal siya sa sinabi nito. Hindi makapaniwala. Anong klaseng biro ang nais nito? It wasn't funny though. Hinding-hindi iyon nakakatuwa.
"Stop fooling me, Cedric. Tapos mo na akong pinaikot. I wouldn't allow you to do it again. Stop messing with my life. Hindi ka diyos para paglaruan sa mga palad mo ang buhay ko."
"Hindi kita pinaglalaruan. He is not you father. You are not a Saavedra, Kaithlyn and Maximo Saavedra wasn't your real father. Your real name is Katheryn Victoria de Jesus. You are my father's bestfriend's only daughter."
Napailing siya. Hindi makapaniwala sa lumabas sa bibig nito. Biglang nanghina ang kaniyang tuhod sa sinasabi nito kaya naman ay bahagya siyang napaatras at nakapit sa sanga ng halaman sa kaniyang tabi. Hindi niya maintindihan ang pinagsasabi nito. Anong hindi niya daddy ang daddy niya? And what was the name? Bestfriend's daughter? Naguguluhan siya. Sobrang naguguluhan siya sa sinasabi nito sa kaniya. Anong kwento na naman ba ang hinahabi nito para mapaniwala siya?
"S-stop lying," halos pabulong na niyang wika rito.
"I am not lying, Kaithlyn. I can tell you, show you everything, anything you want to know." Unti-unting lumalapit ang asawa sa kaniya ngunit itinaas niya ang kamay upang pahintuin ito sa binabalak and he did stop.
"Stop lying! Just stop!" sigaw niya rito and she was now sitting on the ground eyes wet from tears that keeps on falling from her eyes.
On the other hand, Cedric wanted to hold Kaithlyn, ease the pain he was seeing on her face, in her eyes with the truth he just said. Gusto niya itong yakapin, aluin ngunit hindi niya magawa dahil ni ayaw siya nitong palapitin. Ni ayaw nga siya nitong tingnan. Seeing her lost, his heart was cut into pieces. This is the reason why he wanted to hide things about her past. Alam na alam niyang masasaktan ito and that hurt him too. He balled his fists while looking at her. Suklam na suklam sa kaniya ang asawa at naiintindihan niya iyon.
"Maximo was Tito Hernan's trusted man but he betrayed him because of jealousy. He killed him right in front of your mother and you."
Panay ang iling ni Kaithlyn habang binibigkas niya ang mga katagang iyon. She was lost, so lost with the truth.
"No! It can't be. Gumagawa ka lang ng kwento," wika nito at panay ang iling habang patuloy na dumadaloy ang luha nito.
"I wasn't making stories," he said saw the struck of pain on her beautiful face as he recalled what happened in the past.
"What happened?" his mother Minerva asked his father, rushing towards his father.
Kararating lamang ng ama niya galing sa emergency na hindi niya alam kung ano. He was ten by that time and he and his mother were playing on tbe living room while waiting dor his father's return. Dis-oras na ng gabi nang may tumawag sa daddy niya at halos hindi na ito nagbuhis pa sa pagmamadali. He was still in his pajama.
Looking at his father, alam niyang may hindi magandang nangyari sa pinuntahan nito. He was on the verge on crying and he knew him as a strong man kaya nakapagtataka ang itsura nitong iyon. The mere look of him and his mother, nagkaintindihan na ang mga ito and her mother started shedding tears habang yakap-yakap ang ama.
Sa murang edad na iyon ay hindi pa niya lubos na maintindihan ang nangyaring iyon. All he knew was his parents were in great sorrow at that time.
Kinaumagahan, doon na niya nakompirma ang nangyari kagabi. Tito Hernan and his wife, Tita Mary, died last night inside their house. It was murder. But the saddest thing was, tinangay ng kung suspect ang nag-iisang anak ng mga ito at mula noon ay hindi na ito kailaman nakita.
Growing up, his father often reminded him of what happened years ago. Lagi nitong inaalala ang matalik na kaibigan, ang asawa nito at kung ano na ang nangyari sa nag-iisang anak nito. His father hired someone to look for her but it wasn't a success.
"Papa, hindi niyo pa rin ba kayang kalimutan ang nangyari? Ilang taon na ang nakakaraan," wika niya sa ama habang opisina sila nito.
His father was still looking at his bestfriend's photo. Magkaakbay ang mga ito habang may hawak na pamingwit sa mga kamay. Happiness was written on their faces.
"How could I forget someone so dear to me, son," sagot nito sa kaniya. "Hernan was my brother and it was too painful for me...inaalala ko rin ang anak niya. How was her life... kung buhay pa ba siya," malungkot na wika nito sa kaniya.
"Why don't you stop looking for her?" suhestiyon niya na ikinagalit ng ama niya.
"Stop? How could I stop when I don't even know if Maximo treats her well? Dahil sa gagong iyon nawala ang buong pamilya ni Hernan. If only... if only he listened to me... hindi sana mangyayari iyon. He trusted him so much ngunit tinuklaw lamang siya ng ahas na iyon."
Hindi niya maintindihan ang sinasabi ng ama dahil hindi naman niya alam kung ano ang totoong nangyari sa pagitan ng mga ito. He only knew Maximo was his Tito Hernan's assistant.
Isang negosyante kagaya ng kaniyang ama ang Tito Hernan niya na siyang matalik na kaibigan nito. He was a witness of how strong the brotherhood was hanggang sa makapag-asawa ito at magkaanak, si Katheryn. Maximo was also there. Kilala niya ito dahil kasa-kasama ito ng kaniyang tito at kung minsan ng ama. May mga pagkakataon ding magkakasama ang tatlo. Sa buong pag-aakala niya ay maayos ang pagkakaibigan ng mga ito ngunit doon sila nagkamali dahil madalas na niyang nakikita ang pag-aaway ng kaniyang ama at ng kaibihan nito.
They found out that Maximo was a bisexual and he loved Hernan. It was his father who first discovered Maximo's secret and told it to his bestfriend but he just shrugged his shoulders about thinking it wasn't that serious. Iyon din mismo ang laging pinag-aawayan ng magkaibigan. Until that fated day happened.
Drunk by his jealousy between Hernan and his father, and Hernan with his wife, they agrued and Maximo confessed his love for him. Hindi nito matanggap ang sagot ni Hernan resulting to killing him right infront of his wife and daughter. Maximo also ended Mary's life and their daughter was missing in action at that time.
Nang mamatay ang kaniyang ama ay mahigpit nitong ibinilin na hanapin nito si Maximo at kunin ang anak ng matalik na kaibigan, kupkupin ito and he vowed to fulfill that promise. Hanggang sa aksidenteng nagkita sila ni Maximo sa isang unibersidad. Pinasubaybayan niya ito at natuklasang wala itong kasamang bata o dalaga. He confronted him and he could still remember what he said to him that night.
"Hindi ako nagsisising tinapos ko ang buhay ng bastardong iyon. Pinaasa lamang niya ako sa wala and at the end, he was planning to dispose me like a trash. Him and his wife and your father. Nagmakaawa ako nang gabing iyon na huwag akong tanggalin sa trabaho because I am doing my best but he listened to Mary and threatened to kill me kapag lumapit pa ako sa kanilang mag-anak. How cruel he was to me, she was to me. Lalo na siya. The bullet was supposed to be for Mary but he took it for her. So I did send them together... together with their daughter."
Those were his words before he took his very own life infront of him. Yes, he took his own life pero hindi niya iyon isinama sa kwento niya kay Kaithlyn. Wala rin naman kasing magbabago kung sasabihin niya. She will still hate him gaya na lamang ngayon.
"Sinungaling!" sigaw sa kaniya ni Kaithlyn.
"I can prove it to you. Come home. Think about it. Alam kong masakit para sa iyo ang katotohanang ito but you need to accept it."
"You still killed him. Wala pa ring nagbabago roon."
"I know," sagot niya rito.
"So don't expect that I'll forgive you. It will never happen even when I take my last breathe."
BINABASA MO ANG
Loathing the Billionaire
RomanceBecause of a road violation, Kaithlyn Saavedra and Cedric Arnault meet in prison. After Cedric helped Kaithlyn get out from that embarrassing event, never he thought to see her again. Or they thought so. But they stumble at each other again, Cedri...
