No One Else

Kabanata 24

Kabanata 24

No One

"I didn't know that you would worry for me like that, or that you still worry about me..." Sam said.

Nakatingin din naman sa kaniya si Belle. And then she shook her head a little before she turned her eyes down on her lap, thinking...

"Belle," he called.

Nag-angat naman siyang muli ng tingin kay Sam. "You know..." she started.

Natigilan din naman si Sam at tinuon niya na lang muna ang atensyon niya kay Belle para makinig sa sasabihin pa nito ngayon sa kaniya.

"I thought that the reason why you wanted us to separate back then... was because there was someone else," she said.

Nagkatinginan naman silang dalawa sa sinabi ni Belle.

At umawang din ang labi ni Sam sa narinig. Umiling naman siya kay Belle. "What... do you mean?" he asked a bit confused.

Belle looked away just a bit before she continued what she was talking about. "Akala ko ay may iba kang gusto kaya ka nakipaghiwalay..." she turned to look up at him again to watch his reaction.

Napailing lang naman muli si Sam na umawang din ang labi. And he shook his head this time. "No. No, Isabelle," pag-iling niya. "And didn't I already told you about the reason back then?"

"What?" Bahagya naman umawang na rin ang labi ni Belle.

"I already told you, it was to give your freedom back to you..." Sam told her.

Umawang naman lalo ang labi ni Belle. And now she remember that he indeed kind of said that before...

She looked at him.

Nakatingin lang din si Sam sa kaniya. "Your father only forced you into marriage with me, that's why I thought that it was only right that we separated..." aniya.

Nagbaba naman ng tingin si Belle. She looked at her hands on her lap. "Pero akala ko ay may iba pang rason..." aniya.

"Kagaya ng?" tanong naman ni Sam sa kaniya.

She looked up at him again. "Na may... ibang babae..." marahang aniya.

Agad naman na umiling sa kaniya si Sam. He almost couldn't believe it that Belle had this thought about him before. "Wala, Belle. There was no one... no one," he told Isabelle.

Nanatili naman ang tingin ni Belle sa kaniya.

But it was true that she really thought that maybe back then he ended their marriage because there was actually someone else that he liked...

Dahil wala pa naman silang sinabi sa isa't isa dati...

"Isabelle," he called.

"Y-yes?" Bahagya namang nautal si Belle nang makita niya ang seryosong mga mata ni Sam ngayon na nakatingin lang sa kaniya.

"Listen to me,"

"Yes..." Bahagya rin humina ang boses niya and she almost pouted...

Sam looked at her in the eyes. "There was no one... There was no one else, other than you, Isabelle..." he told her this clearly...

Habang umawang lang naman ang labi ni Belle at hindi siya nakapagsalita.

Until Sam's mouth curved into a small smile. He's just hiding his little embarrassment from the confession he just made in front of Belle.

While Isabelle's lips just parted while looking at the army major. And when she thought that it would be her who would confess to him... ay naunahan pa pala siya nito...

Hindi pa nila nagagawang umamin noon sa isa't isa. But this time was probably the right time to tell each other how they truly feel...

"Since the very beginning, Isabelle... It was only you...

"Noong magkita tayo sa mansyon ng mga Luzuriaga noong mga bata pa lang tayo. I thought to myself that you were beautiful, and that you were so comforting in my eyes..."

Ngumiti si Sam kay Isabelle. Isang kalmadong ngiti na makikitaan mo na rin ng kakuntentuhan ang mukha niya ngayon.

Habang nakaparte lang naman ang mga labi ni Belle habang nakikinig din siya sa sinasabi sa kaniya ngayon ni Sam.

"When I thought that the world only looked dark or gray in my eyes... And then you came like a rainbow after the rain... and gave sunshine and that color on my dark life..." he smiled a bit sadly this time after telling this to Isabelle.

And it's true. Sam grew up with only his mother who he also witnessed Ellen's hardships. His mother had to work day and night just to feed him and she was all alone. Noon din na nakaramdam ng galit si Sam para sa kaniyang ama...

He thought that his mother died because of overworking and his father had abandoned them...

Kahit hindi pa iyon ang sinabi ni Ellen sa kaniya. But because he was young and Edward was absent, iyon ang naisip na bata niyang isip noon.

So it also took for him some time to accept his father...

Dahil hindi iyon naging madali para sa kaniya. Dahil hindi rin madali ang pinagdaanan nila ni Ellen habang lumalaki siya at nakita rin niya ang paghihirap ng kaniyang ina.

But because of Belle and his world wasn't dark and gray anymore, he was able to accept Edward and forgive his father...

Dahil kay Isabelle ay para siyang nakakita ng liwanag. And all he needed was her kind smile and her gentle eyes looking back at him like right now...

Bahagya naman napalunok si Belle. She really didn't expect all these things that Sam was telling her right now. It made her nervous but at the same time her heart also flutter...

Parang may mga paruparo na sa kaniyang tiyan. At hindi na rin siya mapakali hanggang hindi pa niya nasasabi kay Sam ang gusto niyang sabihin. "Ako rin!" she bit her lip as she looked away. She was feeling nervous and it slipped her lips a little aggressively.

Pero matapang din siyang tumingin muli kay Sam. "I mean... I do like you, too, Major Edward Samuel Puentevella..." marahan man ang boses niya sa pagkakasabi nito, but her eyes showed courage as she looked back into Sam's beautiful dark orbs...

Sandali pang umawang ang labi ni Sam, pero napangiti na rin siya at bahagyang tumango kay Belle. "I love you, Isabelle..." he finally said the words to her.

And then Belle can feel her eyes warming up because of unshed tears while she's looking back at Sam...