Mending Heart's Affliction [Phoenix Countesses: ETHEREAL MAIDENS SERIES I]

Chapter 73

Undying Love

Ramdam ko ang malamig at butil-butil na pawis sa mukha ko. Nanunuot ang takot sa puso ko nang tingnan kong muli ang bomba.

Nangunot ang noo ko at tila lalong sumakit ang ulo ko. I desperately tried to make sense of the bomb's mechanism, but the enigmatic wires and blinking lights left me paralyzed with frustration. It was like deciphering a cruel puzzle with a merciless countdown.

Dinig ko pa rin ang patuloy na pagkalabog ni Arik sa bakal na gate. Hindi ko alam kung anong paraan ang ginagawa niya para lang mabuksan iyon pero dinig na dinig ko ang paghihirap niya. The helplessness of my situation gnawed at me like an insatiable beast. My emotions churned within me like a tempest, a turbulent storm.

First came denial—I couldn't believe this was happening, couldn't believe I was about to meet my end in this forsaken place.

Anguish and anger surged through me as I came to terms with the cruel fate that had befallen us. The bomb was a malevolent specter, and I longed to cry out at the world for the injustice of it all.

Why us? Why now?

And then, like a lightning strike, the unalterable truth hit me: I might never see my daughter again. Her innocent smile, her laughter, the feel of her tiny hand in mine—the thought of losing all of that was an agony I couldn't bear.

It was like experiencing the stages of grief, condensed into a few agonizing minutes.

"N-no, please... Arik, go away. Please... Please, go. Please!"

Muli akong napahagulgol. Basag na basag na ang boses ko habang patuloy akong nagmamakaawa kay Arik na umalis na, na iligtas na lamang niya ang kanyang sarili.

But as he stubbornly refused, my desperation reached its zenith. The bomb's timer seemed to accelerate, each second slipping away like grains through an hourglass.

"I'm not leaving without you! I told you, I won't leave you!"

Nang marinig ko iyon at makita kung ilang minuto na lang ang natitira, para akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. Nanginig ang mga kamay ko. Para akong nalulunod sa sakit.

"Arik! Please, save me! I need to see my daughter again! T-tulungan mo 'ko! P-please... Hindi ko kayang iwan si Ariah! I can't bear to abandon her. S-Save me! Tulungan mo ako! H-help, please! D-daddy! A-Arik...! I don't want to die! Please! Please! Maawa kayo sa akin!"

The world seemed to freeze. My life hung in the balance, the pain, the fear, and the love for my daughter consuming me. The stages of grief had compressed into a whirlwind of emotions as the timer ticked down.

Nang mga oras na iyon, ramdam na ramdam ko ang paghinto ng ikot ng mundo pati na ang pagbagal ng oras. Ni wala akong marinig. Wala na akong maramdaman. The time bomb's ominous countdown displayed a mere 5 minutes left.

I had lost all hope. I noticed only the approaching, blinding light, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to witness my entry into the afterlife, if this indeed was heaven and I was truly gone.

"Celeste!"

Nanigas ako. Bumagal ang tibok ng puso ko. Nang dumilat ako, tuluyan na akong nawalan ng boses nang makita ko si Arik sa harapan ko, swiftly removing the bomb strapped to my body along with the chains.

I saw and heard him commanding his men to defuse the bomb outside, and I spotted the black Ford Raptor behind him, its high beams casting a brilliant glow.

I wasn't dead. I was still here.

"Oh, God. Fuck it!"

Arik scooped me up from where I had been seated and held me tightly. I could hear his sobs. When I fully comprehended what had happened, I began to sob uncontrollably as if there was no tomorrow. Napansin ko rin ang dumudugong mga kamay niya bago niya ako yakapin.