Aiah’s POV
One time pumunta ulit si Mikha sa house namin, and for the second time hindi ko nanaman napigilan yung sarili ko. May nangyari ulit samin ni mikha, naging padalos dalos ako at nagpadala sa karupukan ko. Nakita at napanuod kami ni Mark kung paano may mangyari sa pagitan namin ni Mikha. And then that's it.
I woke up in darkness.
The air was thick, stale, and my head pounded with a dull ache. Unti uniti kong naalala ulit ang mga nangyari, Mark’s cold, unforgiving gaze, the suffocating grip he had on my arm, and then… nothing. Bumilis nanaman ang tibok ng puso ko, as I realized what had happened. Sapilitan nya akong kinuha.
I struggled to sit up, my hands tied behind my back, my legs bound together. Nasa isang madilim na kwarto ako, walang bintana, at malamig ang hangin. There was a faint hum of machinery in the background, pero hindi ko mawari kung nasaan ako.
“Mark…” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “Ano’ng ginawa mo?”
Pero hindi sya sumagot. Of course, there wouldn’t be. He was always like this playing his cruel games, pulling me further away from everything that mattered. Mikha. My mind snapped to her. Ano kaya ang iniisip niya ngayon? Nasa bahay kaya siya? Nalaman na kaya niyang wala ako doon?
Naisip ko bigla ang sinabi ni Mark bago ako nawalan ng malay. “Mikha’s coming for you, Aiah. I know she’ll try, but she’ll never get to you.”
Alam nya. Alam nya palagi kung anong kayang gawin ni Mikha. He had eyes on me, on her. At ngayon, nakuha na nya ako, nagawa na nya ang plano nya na ilayo ako sa lahat lalo na kay mikha para wala akong mahingian ng tulong para mailayo sa kanya.
I struggled against the ropes binding my hands, pero masyadong mahigpit. I bit my lip, fighting back the wave of helplessness crashing over me. Kung makakatakas lang ako… Kung makikita ko lang si Mikha muli…
Pero paano? I was trapped, powerless.
Mark knew this. He thrived on it. Every time he looked at me, he wanted to remind me: *You’re mine. You can’t escape.*
Pero kahit ganoon, hindi ko siya mahal. My heart belonged to someone else someone who was probably frantic with worry right now. Mikha. I could picture her in my mind, that determined look in her eyes. She wouldn’t stop until she found me.
Pero anong mangyayari kapag nahanap na nya ako?
---
Mikha’s POV
Parang may hindi tama ngayon. Nararamdaman kong may mali.
Nakatayo ako ngayon sa harapan nina Aiah, hindi ko lang mapigilan yung sarili ko na hindi ko ulit sya makita at makasama. Nakatitig ako sa nakasaradong pinto. Pumunta ako dito dahil wala ang sasakyan ni Mark dahil siguro may pinuntahan nanaman syang Meeting. Pero... bakit ganito? Kumatok ako ulit, louder this time, pero walang sumasagot. Nakaramdaman nanaman ako ng matinding kaba, at muling kinuha ang cellphone ko para tawagan si Aiah, sobrang dami ko nang calls and messages sa kanya pero...
No answer.
“Come on, Aiah, answer me,” I muttered, pacing back and forth in front of the door. Hindi naman sya ganito eh, lagi syang humahanap at gumagawa ng paraan para mag text at sumagot sa call ko. kahit na si Mark ay nandyan. There was always a small window those precious few minutes where we could talk in secret.
But now? Silence.
I clenched my fists, sinusubukan kong pakalmahin ang sarili ko dahil nag nakakaramdam na din ako ng pagkapanic sa dibdib ko. Hindi pwedeng ganito. Kailangan ko syang makita. Kailangan kong malaman kung okay lang ba sya. Alam ko sa sarili ko na may mali at hindi tamang nangyayari, at alam kong may kinalaman dito si Mark.
