No One Else

Kabanata 4

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Kabanata 4

Unloved

Isabelle grew up being unloved by her father, while Diane was given all of Douglas' attention and affection. The youngest daughter was treated like the princess in the de Leon household. While Douglas remained indifferent to his eldest, Belle.

While Diane got their mother, Rebecca's beauty, Belle was equally beautiful just like her Lola Diana, her father's mother. At isa lang ito sa bagay na parang hindi pa rin makita ni Douglas sa anak. Because for years he had still denied Isabelle as his daughter...

Early in the morning and Belle was preparing to go to school, when she already heard Diane's chuckle after she went out of her bedroom and was just about to go to the dining room for breakfast. Pero medyo natigilan naman siya nang marinig ang malambing na tawa ng kaniyang nakababatang kapatid. And she saw one of their maids passed then asked her.

"Nandito rin ba ang Papa ngayon?" She asked because sometimes their father leaves to work as one of the leaders in the military.

Tumango naman ito. "Opo, nandito ngayon ang Papa n'yo at nakauwi siya kagabi. Nasa hapag kainan siya ngayon at kumakain ng almusal kasama si Miss Diane." anang kasambahay.

Tumango lang naman siya sinabi ng kasambahay pagkatapos. At hindi na tumuloy pa si Belle sa dining. Dahil sa naririnig niyang tawa ni Diane, her soft laughter means that she was having a fun meal with their father. And she knew better than anyone that she'd only ruin her father's mood and appetite if she'll ever show her face in the dining room now.

She sighed. And went out of the big house instead. She didn't want to ruin her father and younger sister's fun morning so she decided to just leave home early and without eating breakfast, and then head straight to school.

And at school Belle didn't also had a lot of friends from her classmates. She barely talk to them and it's just about their subjects. Siguro kasi hindi rin naman siya magaling makipag-usap sa ibang tao. Kaya pati ang mga kaklase at schoolmates niya na mga boys na gusto rin makipagkaibigan sa kaniya ay hindi niya rin mas'yadong kinakausap.

And maybe she just didn't know, she wasn't yet aware that her inability to make better conversation with others was actually also due to her trauma from the abuse...

Belle didn't grow up as normal as the other kids her age, and she was instead timid...

And it was only with her Tita Margaret that she can talk to with ease.

Even with her sister, Diane, she almost couldn't make a proper conversation with her as well.

But Diane had always tried to talk to her. And one time her younger sister had asked her.

"Ate, do you hate me?"

Natigilan naman si Belle sa tanong ng nakababatang kapatid at bumaling dito. Nagkatinginan silang magkapatid. At pagkatapos ay umiling siya kay Diane. "No... I don't hate you, Diane." Maybe she's just jealous of the affection their father had for her younger sister. But it doesn't mean she hates Diane. "You're my younger sister, after all. So I don't hate you..." She told her.

Ngumiti naman si Diane sa sinabi ng nakatatandang kapatid. And Diane was about five years younger than Belle. Bata pa ito at medyo makulit pa nga minsan. Kaya hinahayaan na lang din ito ni Belle. But her younger sister still tried to talk to her.

Lumaki rin naman na mabait na bata si Diane. Lalo na at ang kanilang Tita Margaret ang nagpalaki sa kanilang dalawang magkapatid. And Margaret had always taught the two girls to love and care for each other as sisters.

"What is it, Tita Margaret?"

Belle had to hurry back home one afternoon after her classes had just ended because her aunt called her at school today and said that there was an urgent matter...

Her Tita Margaret looked sadly at her. "It's your grandmother in the province, Belle..." She said.

And then Margaret told her that her grandmother, Senyora Isabella Luzuriaga was already very sick. At nagpasabi na rin ang doctor nito na may taning na rin daw ang buhay ng matanda dahil din sa katandaan...

And so Belle was allowed to go to her grandmother in the province with Margaret to check on the old woman's health condition. While Diane being young was not yet allowed by their father to travel and rather he made her stay at their home while Belle and Margaret went to Negros. And even when Diane also wanted to go with them to see her grandmother and talk to her one last time...

Belle and Margaret were welcomed in the Hacienda Luzuriaga when they arrived. She remember coming here before with her mother. But since Rebecca's passing, she was not anymore able to come here again. It was their grandmother who only used to visit them and Diane in Tarlac. At para makita rin ng matanda ang mga apo nito kahit minsan lang. Pero dahil matanda na rin ito kaya hindi na rin sila nito muling nadalaw pa nitong huli. At malayo rin ang Negros at Tarlac.

At nang dumating sila sa mansyon ay hinayaan na muna ni Margaret na mag-usap ang mag-lola.

"Malaki ang naging kasalanan ko kay Rebecca..." Senyora Isabella said in her death bed. "Noong maaga siyang kinuha, ay doon ko pa lang naisip sa sarili ko na hindi ko hinayaang maging masaya ang aking anak..." Her tears fell. "Pero noong mga panahong iyon ay inisip ko lang din ang makabubuti para sa kaniya. I only thought of my daughter's future. Rebecca was my only child and I was afraid her life would be ruined..."

Nakikinig lang naman si Belle sa sinasabi ng kaniyang lola habang nakaupo siya roon sa tabi ng kama nito.

And then Senyora Isabella turned to look at her granddaughter. "Apo, noong pumanaw ang iyong lolo ay halos hindi ko na malaman ang gagawin ko, because I was just almost always so dependent on him all our lives as married couple... Kaya parang hindi ko na rin alam noon ang gagawin ko para sa iyong Mama... But I only cared deeply for my daughter... I was scared, and I felt alone in raising her, nang mawala ang asawa ko... At ayaw kong magkamali para sa Mama mo... I wanted her to live a happy life..."

But in the end her Mama only suffered and died unhappy...

It's what Belle was thinking as she listened to her grandmother.

Dahil hindi rin nag-iingat si Douglas sa mga salita na lumalabas sa bibig niya lalo kapag pinapagalitan niya ang kaniyang anak. And Belle had already heard it from him about how her mother had cheated on their father...

And Belle also discovered Rebecca's diary somehow. At doon niya nalaman na may ibang lalaking minahal ang kaniyang Mama bago ito pinilit lang din na magpakasal sa kaniyang Papa...

She read Luisito's name in her mother's diary. At noon ay gusto na rin sana ni Belle na makita at makilala ito. And since Douglas was obviously making Belle feel like she's not his real daughter... Naisip na rin ni Belle na baka si Luisito nga ang ama niya.

Although it wasn't written in her mother's diary. Walang nakalagay doon ng tungkol sa mga ama nila ni Diane. Nakasulat lang doon ang pagkakakilala nito kay Luisito at ang pag-iibigan nila hanggang sa pinakasal na ito kay Douglas de Leon...