Sound of Silence (Good Hearts Series #1)

Chapter 1

"And then? Paano ka niya nilabas sa kulungan?" excited na tanong ni Tata.

Paulit-ulit kong sinisimot ang iced coffee ko. That was so embarrassing. I never thought he would see me like that!

Tinanggal ko ang takip ng iced coffee at kinain ang yelo.

"Shet talaga oh," mahinang sambit ko dahil sa kahihiyan. Naiisip ko na naman ang nangyari kanina.

"She's my wife."

The voice of this stranger was deafening. I never imagined he would say that I am his wife. Yes, we live under the same roof but we're complete strangers. That's it.

"Attorney Segovia, ang misis niyo po ay nakabangg—"

"I know... and it was an accident. Mrs. Segovia was driving carefully and then his car appeared. Haven't you checked the dashcam of her car? As well as the CCTV of the incident. His car stopped without a signal and because of what he did, my wife almost got into an accident. Magpasalamat pa nga siya at walang nangyari sa asawa ko dahil kung meron? Siya ang hihimas sa rehas." May inilapag siyang memory card sa lamesa at tumingin sa lalaking tumarantado sa akin kanina.

"God is on your side because she's the one who beat you... but I swear to God... if I was with her... you'd end up in a hospital bed."

"S-sir, tinatakot ako oh!" sigaw ng lalaki.

"How much do you want? Name your price and I'll give it to you." Tumingin siya sa mga pulis. "Tapos na ba kayong tingnan kung anong nangyari? You should've done your job properly if you don't want
to get sued."

That was satisfying. Nailabas niya ako pagkatapos niyang ma-settle ang nangyari. Pinakuha niya na ang kotse ko at ipapaayos pa raw kaya nakasakay ako ngayon sa kotse niya.

Apat na taon na kaming magkasama at ngayon pa lang talaga ako nakasakay sa kotse niya.

"F-Favro..."

"Hmmm?"

I bit my lower lip. "Where are you taking me?" Nahihiya ako magpasalamat. Hindi naman kami close.

"Saan ka ba pupunta?" Hindi niya ako nilingon.

"I was about to meet my friend. Pakibaba na lang ako sa gilid. Mag-tataxi na lang ako," I said and looked outside the window.

"You're already here, Alison. Just tell me the exact address and I'll drop you there." Diretso lang ang tingin niya sa kalsada.

Damn. I never imagined this scene because we were so cold to each other.

I told him the address and we were quiet until he dropped me off. Bumaba ako nang walang sinasabi at ganoon din siya.

"Nag-ibang bansa lang ako, nag-asawa ka na!" natatawang sambit ni Tata.

"He's just my husband on paper but we're still strangers." Muli akong kumain ng yelo.

"Patingin nga ng picture! Gwapo ba? Hindi mo naman kasi siya pinopost sa social media," aniya at excited na excited talaga. "Lawyer na tapos Vice Chairman pa ng company? Huy sino ka riyan!" Pinitik niya ang buhok ko.

"I don't have a picture of him. Hindi nga kami close 'di ba?" Binitawan ko ang iced coffee dahil ubos na 'yon pati ang yelo.

"Gaano kayo ka-hindi close?"

"We don't know each other's birthdays," I lazily said.

"Seriously?!" Tumawa siya.

"Pati sa lahat nga, e. Food, color, sports, etc. Wala kaming alam sa isa't-isa. Pangalan lang ang alam namin. Super strangers 'di ba?"