Delicate Gleam Amidst The Villain's Heart

PROLOGUE

"Dominic Ruiz, the most wanted criminal got arrested at Palawan this afternoon. He is known as a serial killer who took the lives of Mr. Delgado, a well-known socialite and renowned in the entrepreneur world and other innocent people. He is now being questioned..."

  That news echoed loud from the television that my Abuela's watching. Kakauwi ko lang at basang-basa dahil sa ulan. I felt unusually cold, dahil ba sa basa ako o dahil sa balitang yun? I've been seeing news about that person all over the years and every case got worse and brutal.

"Arianne dear you're home, ba't basang-basa ka?" She asked as she stood and walked towards me. She's 70, my father's mother.

  "Why didn't you bring umbrella? Baka magkasakit ka" A smile crept on her lips painted from red lipstick. I smiled faintly as I shook my head. It sounded more like a threat than concern. Wala akong mabasang sinseridad sa mata niya, all pretentious.

"It rained" I said shortly as I walked towards the stair going to the second floor. I glimpsed at her and saw how she smirked habang pinapanood sa tv kung paano batuhin ng kung ano-ano ng mga tao yung nahuling criminal while the cops are taking him to the police station. Para bang tuwang-tuwa siya doon. I'm really feeling uncomfortable around her, she's weird.

  I washed up and fixed myself before lying on my bed. I'm really tired, but I'm more sick on how this spacious mansion didn't even gave me a peice of home. I looked at my mom's photo on the table beside my bed.

  "You're the only person who genuinely cared for me yet you also left " I sighed bago nagtalukbong ng kumot. My precious mom died a year ago because of cancer and my father left us when I was 15. She didn't want to tell me why but I saw it, yes, I saw her memory. 5 years ago I got into coma and after I woke up, I can see her memories. Anything that she remembers at the moment that I'm talking to her. Hindi ko rin alam kung paano pero I can see memories. But not everyone, I can only see a few memories from my friends and relatives.

  And I just realized why, the level on how they love me depicts how I can see their memories. The more love they really have, the more clear I can see their memories. My mom was the only one na nakikita ko ng malinaw ang alaala. That's why I know na iniwan kami ng tatay ko dahil sumama siya sa iba.

  I looked at my phone at puro tungkol sa pagkahuli ng most wanted criminal ang nasa internet.
 
"Dominic Ruiz" My heart clenched while saying his name and I don't know why.

  "DITO po tayo ma'am" The lady guard escorted me papunta sa office Ng Tito ko. He's the general sa prisinto na ito and I wanna visit him pero wala siya kaya mag-aantay Muna ako sa office niya. 
Thirty minutes had passed pero wala parin siya, I got bored kaya lumabas muna ako at naglakad-lakad. Nasa first floor ako at walang tao sa paligid, my forehead crumpled as I saw a stair pababa. A basement?

  Out of curiosity ay bumaba ako doon ng dahan-dahan, madilim doon kaya medjo kinakabahan ako. May mga kwarto doon na tatlo, nakabukas yung isa sa pinakadulo dahilan kung bakit may kunting ilaw ang na nagbibigay liwanag sa masikip sa Daan. There are voices coming from there, I recognized my uncle's voice kaya naglakad ako dahan-dahan para sumilip doon.

  I gasped silently as I saw what's happening in there. May iba't-ibang torture equipment doon, may limang tao ang nandoon, Nakatalikod silang lahat mula sa pinto kaya Hindi nila ako makita. May lalakeng nakatali ang kamay sa kadena, nakabitin ito, he's topless kaya kitang-kita ang mga galos, sugat at mga pasa sa likod niya. Blood is everywhere, dripping from his open wounds. Napatakip ako sa bibig ko as they hit him with a baton. His suffering echoed all over the room.

  "Spill it! Ano ang motibo mo sa pagpatay kay Mr. Delgado?! " My uncle asked as he slap Dominic's face hard. I tried not to gasp loudly.

  "He deserved it" Nahihirapan nitong sagot pero may tuwa sa tinig nito. They hit him again with the baton on his head this time making it bleed more. Nanginginig ako , I can't even breath properly because of what I'm witnessing.