Game Over

Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"No," I quickly and firmly said nang sabihin ni Lui na siya ang papalit bilang witness sa kaso na isinampa namin laban sa mga Villamontes.

"We don't have a choice—"

"You're the one who always told me that there's always a choice."

Lui gave me back the same stare that I've been giving him. Ilang minuto pa lang nang makauwi kami galing sa presinto. Ilang beses siyang tinanong tungkol sa nangyari kanina. Hindi ko alam kung bayad din ba ng mga Villamontes iyong mga pulis o talagang ginagawa lang nila ang trabaho nila... way beyond how they usually did it. They kept on asking Lui about what happened; he kept on telling them that he had to because if he didn't, I would've gotten shot.

"Your choices are to let me testify or to let Villamontes walk away scathe-free. Again."

Mariin akong umiling. "No. There's a video. May judicial affidavit—"

"Noel made a retracting statement before he died—saying that we coerced him into saying everything."

Napaawang ang labi ko. "He did what?"

"I don't know how they did it... but they got to him," Lui said. "Somehow, they got to him."

Rinig na rinig ko iyong pagsisi niya sa sarili niya. I knew that what happened was terrible, but I would never ever blame him for that. We both knew how these people work.

"And how did you know that?" tanong ko sa kanya. "They're threatening you, aren't they? Iyong text na natanggap mo kanina? Galing sa kanila 'yon?" I asked, but I didn't even need to hear a confirmation from him. Kasi sino pa ba ang gagawa non?

"Yes, but that's beside the point—"

"How is that beside the point, Lui? They threatened you!"

"And they almost had you killed—"

"So you killed someone?!"

"I'm gonna be fine. I acted in defense of a stranger. Revised Penal Code, Article 11, remember? If they ever try to file a case, even a half-decent prosecutor would recommend dismissal immediately."

"It's not about that!" I said, my chest heaving.

"Then what is it about?" tanong niya habang diretsong naka-tingin sa mga mata ko. Like he couldn't understand why I was acting this way, feeling this way. "Because I'm fine—"

"Because you stood in front of me! He could've shot you! You could've died! I could've watched you die, Lui!"

"But I didn't—"

"But you could've!"

"If I die—"

Mabilis akong umiling. I couldn't see him anymore in the sea of tears that were pooling around my eyes. "No," I said as I shook my head as the tears began to fall. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Tali, if I die, don't blame yourself—"

"No!"

"You're right. There are always choices. I chose this. So, if I—"

But he wasn't stopping.

I had to turn around and walk away because I was not having this conversation. It was enough that I think about this—that this thought haunts me even in my sleep... but to hear him talk about this? About the very real possibility of him—

No.

I didn't want to talk about this.

"Tali!" he said as he held my arm to stop me from walking away. "Listen—"