Relentlessly Yours [Completed]

Chapter 28

Nicola, Age Twenty Six
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Mabigat ang loob na iniwan ko sa pyer ang pulang Mini Cooper ko. I loved the car so much I didn't want to leave it behind. Napaiyak pa nga ako ng parang nagpaalam sa isang anak. God, I was such a crybaby.

I vaguely remember Kai telling me it was fully equipped with a tracker in case it gets carnapped as it was custom-made and is prone to being stolen. Just in case, he had said.

Hindi ko agad 'yon naisip nang nasa barko ako. Hindi ko din alam kung paano ko pa naalala ang sinabi niya sa akin tungkol doon. My brain must be working hard to escape him, too.

I'm even surprised he wasn't able to locate me through it immediately. Maybe he forgot? Whatever it was, I was glad I was able to successfully run away without any altercation.

I then took the plane using a fake name and a fake ID, my knees and hands were shaking the entire time. Akala ko ay mahuhuli ako pero posible pala talaga ang sumakay ng eroplano gamit ang pekeng ID at pangalan. After all, 'yon lang naman ang basehan nila.

I was both relieved and scared when I stepped foot in Cebu. Mabuti nalang at magaling mag english at mag tagalog ang mga tao dito. Otherwise, I'd be doomed because I didn't know a single word of their dialect.

On my fifth day staying in a hotel, I found a decent fully-furnished apartment near the city. Simple lang at hindi katulad sa nakasanayan kong karangyaan. I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

I let myself cry to sleep every night for the first two weeks.

Makalipas ang isang buwan ay hindi na ako nakatiis. I called my dad.

"Dad?"

A pause and then some rustling. "Little princess?"

Napaluha ako ng wala sa loob nang marinig ang boses niya.

"Daddy, I'm sorry..."

"No need to be sorry, little princess. Are you okay? Where are you? I'll come pick you up," may pagmamadali at pag-aalala sa boses na sabi niya.

Umiling ako at pinunsan ang luha kahit na hindi niya ako nakikita.

"Dad, I-I don't want to you to come. Pwede 'bang hayaan niyo muna ako? I know...I know you're looking for me," I sighed. "Uuwi din naman ako, dad. I just...need time, please..."

"Is this about Malachi? What happened, darling? Why did you run away?"

I bit my lip and contemplated before summarizing what happened without giving out all the details. Hindi ko na sinabi ang tungkol sa poisoning incident, na napoison din ako. Ang sinabi ko lang ay sinamahan ko ang kliyente ko. It was just a cruel twist of fate how we all ended in one place and I probably should let my dad know because he has a huge network of contact in the food and beverage world but I didn't want to stress him more than I already am. Ayokong dagdagan pa ang problema na binibigay ko sa kanya.

"I'm going to kill the fucking bastard!" Ani ng isang pamilyar na boses sa background.

Natigilan ako. "Is that Calum?"

Narinig ko ang kaluskos na parang may umagaw sa telepno. "Yes, it's me, sis. Fuck, I'm sorry for what happened. Sorry I was not able to protect you from the bastard."

Sumikip ang dibdib ko. I didn't mean to get in between them. Masisira ko pa 'yata ang pagkakaibigan nila. All because I was too foolish to think that he and I had a chance.