Madelyn
"Ate, 'di ba si Kuya Jiro 'yon?" tanong ni Marilyn, habang tinuturo ang direksyon sa parking lot.
Sinundan ko ng tingin ang tinuturo niya, at agad na napangiti. Si Jiro nga! Finally, after weeks... Ilang linggo na rin kasi simula nang huli kaming magkita. Nasa parking lot kami ng isang mall, kaya hindi na rin nakakagulat na makita ko siya rito. Sakto, I can surprise him.
I smiled wider, feeling my heart skip. "Hmm, nasan ang boyfriend ko?" bulong ko sa sarili, excitement bubbling up inside me. Pero ilang saglit lang, natigilan ako. Nawala agad ang ngiti ko nang makita kong may kasama siyang ibang babae.
The woman with him... She was smiling too, pero iba ang ngiti ni Jiro sa kanya. It wasn't the casual smile he gives to anyone. It was softer, more affectionate. At bago pa ako makapagreact, nakita ko pang hinawakan niya ang mukha nito, and then... he kissed her. Right on the lips.
What the hell?! I own his lips!
Parang biglang tumigil ang buong mundo ko. Ang utak ko, tumigil sa pag iisip. Hindi ko na nga napansin na may isa pang taong kasama nila—isang bata. Natauhan lang ako nang may tumawag kay Jiro ng "Daddy."
Daddy?
My gaze darted to the child beside them. Tumingin ako ng mabuti. He looked familiar. Then it hit me-nakita ko na siya noon. Sa gallery ni Jiro, may picture ang batang 'to. He's special, a miracle child, as Jiro described. I thought back to that day, noong ipinakilala niya sa akin ang bata. Sinabi niya sa akin noon na anak ito ng isang babae na tinutulungan niya—isang babaeng nangangailangan ng suporta.
Pero ngayon? The way Jiro held the child's hand, the way the kid called him 'Daddy'—it was painfully clear.
Anak niya yon.
Nanlamig ang buong katawan ko habang dahan-dahang bumuo ang realization. Jiro... He's a married man. He has a wife. He has a child. And worse... I've been a fool. I've been the other woman this whole time.
Bigla akong nilunod ng emosyon—ang sakit, ang galit, at ang pagkabigo. Parang may kumukurot sa puso ko, hinahatihati ito ng walang awa. Hindi ko mapigilan ang pag agos ng mga luha ko. I tried to blink them away, pero wala nang silbi. Everything hurt.
"Maddy, okay ka lang? Ate?" nag alala si Marilyn sa akin, but her voice felt distant. Hindi ko na siya marinig ng maayos. My knees wobbled, and before I knew it, I was sinking to the ground.
Bakit? Bakit ang sakit?
I gripped the concrete floor beneath me as if it could stop the swirling chaos inside my chest. Jiro lied to me. He lied to his wife. He's been lying to all of us. At ako? Ang tanga ko. I fell for it. For him.
Hindi ko makuhang tumingin ulit sa kanya. Every fiber of my being screamed for me to leave, to turn away, but I couldn't. I was frozen. The betrayal cut too deep, and I was drowning in it.
How could he do this to me? How could he do this to his family?
Ako lang ba? O may iba pang tulad ko?
Nanghina ang boses ko, kahit sa isip. Kung may sumisigaw man sa loob ko, hindi ko na rin marinig. Ang alam ko lang, ito na siguro ang pinakamabigat na naramdaman ko sa buong buhay ko.
Walang pakialam ang paligid sa nararamdaman ko. People passed by without noticing me, without seeing how my world was crumbling right in front of me. Parang ang saya ng lahat, samantalang ako—parang pinipilas ng bawat paghinga ko ang puso ko.
"Ate Maddy," Marilyn whispered beside me, kneeling down, worried. "Ate, anong nangyayari? Bakit ka umiiyak?"
Hindi ko siya masagot. The words were stuck, trapped by the weight of my emotions. My throat was tight, at kahit anong pilit ko, hindi ako makapagsalita. How do I even explain? How could I tell her that the man I thought loved me... was someone else's?
