Beneath Those Glasses

Chapter 37

‼️ Trigger Warning: Mentioning of Su!c!de, de@th, and threats ‼️

Khiane Courtney's POV

"He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the crime of financial crimes, sentenced to 6 years for the crime of attempted murder, and was sentenced to 12 years for the crime of illegal drug use."

Sa sinabi niyang iyon ay parang huminto amg paligid. Kaming dalawa lang ang nandito, walang nakakarinig sa aming pinag-uusapan. Marahan siyang naka-tingin sa mga mata ko, animo desperadong sabihin sa akin ang alam niya na nakaligtaan ko maraming taon na ang naka-lipas.

Hinawakan ko ang mga kamay niyang nasa pisngi ko at nagtatakang tumingin sa kaniya pabalik.

"H-How is that possible?" I asked in a hushed tone. "S-sabi mo sa akin dati... sabi m-mo hindi mo kayang gawin ang pinapakiusap ko sa'yo... sabi mo..." tila nawalan ako ng sasabihin.

She said she can't convict my dad! H-how...

"I lied," sagot niyang diretso, hindi na nag-dalawang isip pang sabihin iyon. "I told you I couldn't do it because I w-was..." tumikhim siya, halata ang paghihirap na mag-salita at magpatuloy.

Confusion filled me.

"I used to be your Dad's lawyer, alright, but I couldn't do what you told me to do even if I wanted to because I was stuck between two things."

"What?" Natigilang aniko. She bit her lower lip, I could see tears forming in the side of her eyes until it became torrent of tears. "Aly, I don't understand... what do you mean? Elaborate it to me, please," nagmamakaawang sambit ko na.

"C-Courtney," utal niyang tawag sa pangalan ko, dahilan para gustuhin ko pang malaman ang side niya. "It was hard for me to choose."

Ang sinabi kong iyon sa kaniya ay parang nag-trigger sa mga luha niyang bumagsak, sa pag-iyak niyang iyon ay nadurog ang puso ko. Sa panlalambot ng kaniyang mga tuhod ay mula sa pagkakasandal sa kotse ay napa-upo siya. Sinubukan ko siyang saluhin ngunit maski ako ay napa-upo rin dahil sa labis na kalungkutan na nararamdaman naming dalawa sa mga oras na ito.

She was hurting, I could see and feel that. Tears kept coming out from her eyes.

"I didn't know what to do," tinakpan niya ang kaniyang bibig upang subukang tumigil sa pag-iyak ngunit tinatakwil siya ng kaniyang sariling bibig. "Y-your father threatened me. He knew you lived with me for months when you were away from your home. He knew I started investigating about what has happened to you; why I caught you almost unconscious on the ground."

Tumigil siya saglit para mag-habol ng hininga.

"I couldn't convict him not because of his wealth," pinunasan niya ang luha niya. "God, I have much more than him, and I couldn't replace you with his money, why would I do that? You're worth more than his money he got from the people he corrupted."

"He had his hands around my neck, and God knows how much I tried to free myself from it." kumalabog ang dibdib ko doon. Ni hindi ko alam ang sasabihin.

Para akong sinasaksak nang paulit-ulit. Para akong kinakapusan ng hininga. Hawak ni Daddy si Aly sa leeg noon kaya kinailangan niyang gawin iyon. Bakit hindi ko alam?! Bakit wala akong alam?!

"He told me he'll hurt you again if I won't represent him in court. I got so scared! I w-was stuck between choosing your life o-or make the judge declare him as innocent." She stopped and looked at me, namumula ang mata. "He didn't want me for you, so he told me to win his case with no mercy and he'll let me be with you... but it wasn't the end of that."