Sinfully Angelic

Chapter 13

13 : leaving comfort zone for comfort

Hinatid ako ni Rien sa bahay. He insisted. Kahit ginusto ko mang tumanggi ay wala rin akong nagawa dahil mag-aala una na nang madaling araw.

I didn't mind walking late at night. Sanay na ako. At isa pa, hindi naman gano'n kadelikado ang Bellshore dahil kilala namin ang isa't-isa rito. Maliban na lang kapag may dadayo.

Hindi naman kaso sa akin kung late akong makauwi. Walang may paki sa akin sa bahay. In fact, mas gugustuhin iyon ni Natania, ang mawala ako sa paningin niya.

Even when Rien left, I still couldn't stop thinking about his offer. I could still even feel the shock I felt when he mentioned something about marriage. I could still remember myself choking on his sentences.

"I thought hard about this, Emerald. It's a win-win. You'll have your freedom from your—uh, abusive stepmother, and I'll get my freedom from my parents," he said. "It'll be a marriage under contract. You can have your conditions that we'll both agree to.

"We'll only be bound by law and we'll be nothing more than that. And what's more, if you ever feel uncomfortable while we're inside the marriage, you can get out of it anytime you want," pangungumbinsi niya na para bang nag-deal lang ng isang sasakyan.

Freedom, huh?

Do I even want my freedom? I do. But do I deserve it? From all the sins I've committed, I obviously don't.

"Bakit ngayon ka lang?"

Hindi ko napigilan ang mapasigaw at mapaigking nang biglang umalingawngaw sa buong silid ang pagkabasag ng isang baso. Sobrang dilim ng buong sala kaya akala ko ay walang tao. Pagkasara na pagkasara ko ng pinto ay ang dumadagundong na boses agad ni Natania ang bumungad sa akin.

My heart began hammering hard inside my chest. The sound of its strong beat loudly rang in my ear when the noise faded into quietness and tension filled the atmosphere.

Napahawak ako sa dibdib nang kumirot ito. Napakapit ako sa isang desk nang pakiramdam ko ay dahan-dahang umikot ang aking mundo. Aatakihin yata ako sa gulat, takot, at kaba na naghahalo-halo sa kaloob-looban ko.

The light from the post lamps and moonlight outside seeped through the curtains and dimmed the whole room, which helped me see enough of what was going on around me.

Halos mapadikit ang likod ko sa semento nang mukhang demonyong lumapit si Natania sa gawi ko. She looked like she had lost it all. Dark and reddish eyebags from crying, witch-like messy hair, and a drunk-flushed face.

"Nanggigigil talaga ako sa 'yong malas ka! Kung wala ka lang sa buhay namin ay masaya sana kami ng daddy mo!" she expressed with gritted teeth.

Her entire presence reeked of alcohol. Or was it the air from the liquor that spilled from the broken glass? I couldn't tell at all.

One thing I was sure of, she was drunk and it would be the end of me if I wouldn't escape this. Nagiging mas baliw pa naman siya tuwing lasing. I need to get away!

I tried ignoring her and aimed straight for my room to avoid her wrath, but she caught my hair and yanked me closer with all of her strength.

I bet it would only take a few more pulls to lose all my hair.

I gritted my teeth to stop myself from crying from the pain. My scalp hasn't healed yet from what she did last night.

"Alam mo ba kung anong nangyari ngayong araw na 'to?" She sneered. "Nagkita kami ng adik na Nena na 'yon sa shop! Alam mo ang ginawa niya? Ipinahiya niya ako sa harap ng mga customer do'n nang dahil sa 'yo!" she emphasized the last three words. Her grip on my hair tightened that I heard a few strands snapped.