No... That couldn't be. Devlin and I... We were so careful. I made sure that no one would ever find out about our relationship. We avoided being physical when there were people around. If ever man we couldn't keep on touching each other, we made sure that nobody would see us. We were only intimate when it was just the two of us.
So, how could my father know? There's just no way. At kailan n'ya pa alam? For how long?
My breath trembled as I looked at my father. I'd never seen him look at me so furiously like this. Galit na galit ang tingin n'ya sa 'kin. Parang kayang-kaya n'ya akong saktan ngayon.
I've never been afraid of my father. He's overprotective, yes. Madalas ay pinapagalitan ako kapag may ginagawa akong ayaw n'ya. But I knew he did it because he was worried about me. I could still feel his fatherly love.
But now, I could only see pure anger in his eyes. There was no hint of love or compassion he had for his daughter. Para bang hinding-hindi n'ya ako mapapatawad sa ginawa ko ngayon.
I wanted to cry. Ang sakit makita na ganito s'ya tumingin sa 'kin ngayon. I felt so low. Para bang ako na ang pinakamasamang taong nakita n'ya sa paraan ng tingin.
What is so wrong with what I did? I fell in love with my bodyguard—the one who was always by my side and the one who was always there to protect me. It was his job, yes, but he went out of his way to make sure that I was safe. He always saved me. And even if it wasn't in his job description, tinulungan n'ya rin ako sa mga bagay kahit hindi n'ya naman na dapat gawin. He kept me company. He made me feel love and comfort when I was alone, when I felt like Dad tossed me aside because he was busy with his mafia activities and I was a bother to him.
I hid my relationship with Devlin. Kasi alam kong hindi magugustuhan ni Dad. But what was wrong with that? What is so wrong with falling in love with my bodyguard? Because he was of low status? I didn't think that Dad would look at the status of a person and judge him.
Kung ayaw n'ya naman pala, sana sinabihan n'ya na ako noong una pa lang. Binalaan na n'ya ako. Although I don't think it would help at all, I tried to suppress my feelings for Devlin by masking them as annoyance and irritation. And I think... I have been in love with him ever since.
And now... Dad say that I should marry someone? Hindi ko alam kung matagal n'ya nang plano 'to or he just planned it now dahil nalaman n'ya ang pakikipag-relasyon ko kay Devlin.
I gritted my teeth. Pigil na pigil ko ang sariling umiyak. I didn't want to be such a mess while talking to my father.
"I didn't know that you would stoop that low, Yelizaveta. Engaging in that kind of relationship with your bodyguard? Really?" Dad was almost spitting every word. Para bang diring-diri talaga s'ya sa ideyang 'yon.
Something inside me clicked. 'Yung galit na hinanakit na pinipigilan ko kanina pa, bigla na lang bumuhos.
"What's wrong with that?
Dad looked taken aback.
"What?"
"Yes, I have a relationship with Devlin. I fell in love with him. But what's wrong with that?" Hindi ko inaalis ang tingin kay Dad habang sinasabi iyon. I looked at him without fear in my eyes.
Why would I ever feel scared? Wala naman akong ginagawang mali.
Dad was staring at me for a while. Hindi makapaniwala ang tingin na ibinigay n'ya sa 'kin. Then he scoffed. He glanced behind me and pointed at me before scoffing again.
"Did you hear that, Don Rossetti? Did you hear what my daughter just said?"
"Loud and clear, Mr. Aslanov."
