Aiah's POV
Mark had always seemed kind at first—calm, considerate, the perfect picture of someone who genuinely cared for me. Pero ngayon, alam kong nagkamali ako. Ngayon, napagtanto ko na lahat ng akala ko tungkol sa kanya ay isang ilusyon lang. Ang Mark na nasa harapan ko ngayon, hindi na siya yung Mark na nakilala ko dati. Hindi na siya ang taong akala ko'y magpoprotekta sa akin. He wasn’t the kind-hearted man I thought he was.
Nasa gilid lang siya ngayon, pinapanuod nya ako gamit ang mga malalamig nyang tingin. Ang dating mga ngiti niya na nagpapakalma sa akin ngayon ay parang naging dahilan ng kaba at takot sa puso ko. Hindi ko alam kung paano nangyari ang lahat ng ito, kung paano ko napasok ang sarili ko sa ganitong sitwasyon.
Pumili ako ng maling tao. At masakit tanggapin, pero alam kong wala na akong takas dito.
Nasa loob ako ng kwarto ngayon, kaharap si Mark, pero ang utak ko ay nasa ibang lugar nasa ibang tao. Si Mikha. Mahal ko si Mikha, and I betrayed her. I chose Mark over her, not because I wanted to, but because I had no other choice. Pinili ko si Mark dahil takot akong kung hindi ko siya piliin, baka may gawin siyang masama sa pamilya ko. Alam kong kaya niyang gawin 'yun dahil narinig ko siya minsang may kausap sa phone, sinasabi niyang hindi lang ako ang kaya niyang kontrolin, kundi pati pamilya ko.
Alam kong mali, pero anong magagawa ko? I had to protect my parents, kahit na ang kapalit ay ang puso ko. Mikha... I love Mikha, but I love my parents too, hindi ko kayang ipahamak sila.
“Mark,” I began, my voice shaky, trying to gather enough courage to speak. “I—”
“You what?” He cut me off, his tone sharp, piercing. “iniisip mo nanaman bang iwanan ako ha!, tama ba, Aiah? After everything I’ve done for you?”
Lumalit sya sakin, ang mga mata niya ay puno ng galit, kaya naman napilitan akong umatras. Hindi ko siya kayang tingnan sa mata. Gustong gusto kong tumakas sa kanga, pero paano? alam kong hindi ganun kadali 'yun.
"I... I'm not," I whispered, fighting the urge to cry.
His hand gripped my arm tightly, pulling me closer. “You love me, Aiah. You chose me, remember? You made a promise.”
Oo, pinili ko siya. Pero hindi ko siya mahal. I love Mikha. The thought of Mikha's face, her touch, her laughter, sent a wave of pain through me. Mahal ko siya, pero hindi ko siya mapili.
Dahil takot akong mawala ang lahat.
“Mark, let go,” I whispered again, pero hindi ko na alam kung naririnig pa ba niya ako o masyado na siyang nalulong sa sarili niyang galit.
"I can't lose you, Aiah," he growled, his voice low and threatening. "You belong to me now. You made your choice."
Oo, pinili ko siya, pero mali ang lahat. Every minutes na kasama ko si Mark, lalo akong nawawala sa sarili ko. Hindi ko siya mahal, pero kailangan ko magpanggap. Dahil kung hindi, he might do something horrible.
Mikha was different. Mahal ko siya higit pa sa mga salita. Mahal ko siya higit pa sa kahit ano pa man. Pero ngayon, nakakatakot harapin na kahit gaano ko pa kagusto na siya ang piliin, hindi ko kaya. At kapag nalaman ni Mikha ang totoo... hindi ko alam kung mapapatawad pa niya ako.
---
It was only a few days ago when everything started to unravel. I remember clearly the moment Mark showed me who he truly was. Isang gabi, habang nasa bahay kami ng mga magulang ko, dumating siya nang hindi inaasahan. He barged in, his face dark, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior.
"Pumunta pala si Mikha sa house natin, Aiah?" he asked, his voice too quiet, too cold.
“Mark a-ano kasi” I replied quickly, my heart racing. “W-wala naman.”
He didn’t believe me. I could see it in his eyes. I tried to walk away, pero hinawakan niya ako sa braso, mahigpit. "Huwag kang magsisinungaling, Aiah. Nakita ko kayo sa CCTV ni Mikha!"
Mikha. The moment he said her name, my chest tightened with fear. Alam kong dapat naging maingat ako, pero hindi ko mapigilan makita siya. Kailangan ko siya. She was the only person who made me feel safe, the only one who could make me smile despite everything. But now, Mark knew. He knew, and I feared what he might do.
" Talagang ginagalit mo talaga ako eh no?” he threatened, his voice low but laced with danger. “Kung gusto mo pang maging ligtas ang pamilya mo sasama ka sakin.”
And that was the moment I knew—I had to stay. I had to choose him, kahit gaano ko pa kamahal si Mikha. Because if I didn’t, Mark would hurt them. I couldn’t let that happen.
Pero ngayon, habang pinipilit kong itago ang takot ko, nararamdaman ko ang bigat ng desisyon kong ito. Each day with Mark felt like another layer of my soul being stripped away. I was trapped, caught between love and fear, between Mikha and Mark.
---
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to push back the tears. Pero hindi ko mapigilan. I could feel the weight of everything pressing down on me, suffocating me. I wanted to scream, to run away, to be with Mikha. Pero alam kong hindi na ganoon kadali iyon.
When I opened my eyes, Mark was still staring at me, his grip tight on my arm. “You belong to me, Aiah,” he repeated, his voice softer now, but no less threatening. "Always remember that."
I nodded, forcing myself to look at him. “Yes, Mark. I know.”
But deep inside, I was screaming. Mikha, I'm sorry. I love you, but I can't... I can't leave them. I'm too scared. I don’t want to lose you, but I can’t bear the thought of losing my family either.
Bawat gabi na kasama ko si Mark, pakiramdam ko lumalayo ako nang lumalayo kay Mikha. Pakiramdam ko nawawala na ang sarili ko. Every time he touched me, I felt trapped. And every time I thought of Mikha, I felt hope.
Mikha was the light in all of this darkness, the only thing keeping me from breaking completely. Pero hanggang kailan? Hanggang kailan ko kayang magpanggap na okay lang ang lahat? Hanggang kailan ko kayang itago kay Mikha ang totoo?
I glanced at my phone. I wanted to text her, to tell her everything. Pero alam kong hindi ko pwedeng gawin yun. Kung malaman ni Mark, it would only make things worse.
I had to protect everyone. But in doing so, I was losing the person I loved most.
"Mahal kita, Mikha," I whispered softly, almost silently to myself, as tears began to fall. "Pero hindi kita mapipili."
For now, I had to endure this. I had to stay with Mark, no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much I wanted to run to Mikha. Because if I didn't, I would lose everything.
But how long could I keep lying to myself? How long before I finally broke?
2 more parts guys.
Sorry naging busy lang.
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