Chapter 28
Saved
Aello was strong. I am not. And that's one of the things na pinagkaiba namin. I can't be in the same room with her, with them. Bumalik lahat ng takot ko. What did she tell her father that she saw me here? tapos puntahan nila ako. I can't face them. Hindi ko kakayanin.
Maybe they sheltered Aello back then. Baka nga nanatili si Aello sa kanila noon. Kaya ba magkasama silang dalawa ni Julie ngayon?
Maybe, there's something more towards them. Julie used to like him before. Kaya niya nga nagawa sa akin lahat ng iyon eh. Kasi gusto niya si Aello.
Looking back now, I never thought she would've liked Aello. I mean, who wouldn't? Pero I was shocked.
Julie had done nice things towards me, including that one night. Pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na kaya niyang gawin sa akin ang mga iyon. Framing me as a thief? It had a big impact on my life. It was the moment I was mad at everyone around me because they didn't believe me. Galit ako sa lahat noon, pero pinili kong intindihin. Kaya when she told me the truth, I tried to understand her. Sinubukan ko. Her actions, the possible reasons, everything, I tried to think about it all, pero kahit anong gawin ko, hindi ko mahanap ang tamang rason para gawin niya sa akin iyon. She hurt me, mentally, and I was hurt physically by her mother, who I tried my freaking best to understand her as well.
After all, Julie had done to me, hindi parin ako galit sa kanya. I was. For a few minutes. I still think about the good things she has done. Mas nanaig pa rin ang pagmamahal ko sa kanya bilang kapatid ko.
That night she helped me. I almost got raped, by her father. Pero tinulungan niya ako. I still vividly remember everything. How it started and how it ended.
"Run, Aruna! Run!" Her voice played in my head several times. The cold wind from the AC traveled to my body. Napayakap ako sa sarili dahil sa lamig.
My hair is messy. My clothes have a lot of stains on them. My tears are sliding down my cheeks to my neck.
His voice, his eyes, his hands, his grip on my arm, the way he laughed, the way he looked around my body, and the way he touched me. Everything scares me. Everything haunts me. His nails dug into my arms, and his eyes were full of lust. Everything kills me. Everything haunts me.
That's what death feels like to me.
Screaming at the top of your lungs. Asking for help until your throat hurts. But still, no one comes around to help you, because you're alone. Alone.
"Ilan?" The lady in her 50s asked me.
I lift my hand with only the pinky finger standing. The lady nodded in response.
"Salamat" I uttered under my breath when she gave me the plastic with the bread inside.
"Neng!" She called. Dahan-dahan akong lumingon sa kanya. "Gusto mo banh magka-pera?" She asks. I immediately nodded. "Halika 'rito"
She opened her bakery door. Agad naman akong pumasok. She closed the door and walked very slowly towards me. I stepped back a few times.
"Hati tayo," She took a deep breath. "Benta mo na katawan mo," I gasped.
"Ayoko po," I cried. Mas lalo akong lumakad patalikod palayo sa kanya.
She laughed awkwardly. "Kailangan mo ng pera, mabilis lang 'yan. Konting ligo ka lang 'oh" Umiling-iling ako. My grip tightened to the mere bread.
Her colorful dress danced with every step she made.
Napayakap ako sa sarili dahil sa takot. I don't want to sell my body. Hindi. Hindi pwede. Agad nahulog ang mga luha galing sa aming mga mata. The lady started to panic. Her eyes search the room. I am crying while hugging myself in the corner.
BINABASA MO ANG
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