LOVE AFTER LIES (Twisted Series #1)

CHAPTER 30

Adelynn Gaé Del Fuetto

"How's the conference meeting, Shan?"

"Okay naman po, Lolo. Sinabi ko po lahat ng isinabi nyo sa'kin." Sagot ko at tulala parin sa kabilugan ng buwan.

"What are you thinking iha?"

Umiling ako. "Iha, we are your family. 'Di ba ang pamilya walang sikretong tinatago sa isa't isa?"

Pamilya?... Oo nga pala. May pamilya na ako.

"Napapaisip lang po ako, kung bakit nyo po gustong mag panggap ako bilang kambal ko? Atsaka hindi ko pa po kabisado ang ugali at pananamit ng kapatid ko."

He sighs and sits beside me. "She was just a normal girl like you. We call her Sunshine because her smile never leaves her lips. Not until that day. She was turning 5 years old. A simple birthday party turned into a massacre.."

A massacre?

"Everyone died that day, luckily we managed to survive." Itinaas nya ang kanyang damit at ipinakita sakin ang bilog na peklat. "But she was kidnapped. We did everything to find her, day by day. A week after the kidnapper called us, saying he wants five billion dollars so we can have our granddaughter back."

"Five billion dollars?" I gasps. Ang laking halaga.

"We did as he said, I gave him five billion dollars."

"Sumunod po ba s'ya sa pangako nya po?" I asked. She suffered too.

"Hmm. Ibinigay nya samin ang apo ko," parang akong binunutan ng tinik sa puso.

"But she's no longer Madeline our Sunshine."

"Po? Pano po nangyare-"

"She began killing her own pets. After the accident, she never smiled or shed a tear again. At such a young age, she turned into something unrecognizable-a child lost to her own darkness."

Mahabang katahimikan ang nanaig pag katapos ni Lolo sabihin ang bagay na iyon. Tanging malakas na simoy at malamig na hangin ang maririnig sa paligid.

Akala ko, ako lang ang nag su-suffer sa mundo 'to. Ang kapatid ko 'din pala. Masyado akong selfish na tao para isipin na ako lang ang nahihirapan sa mundong ginagalawan ko. Ni hindi pumasok sa isip ko ang mga taong may sariling buhay. I was being selfish.

"May alam po ba kayo sa kung saan pumunta ang kapatid ko?" tanong ko.

"We tried. We tried our best to find your twin sister. But it came out to be the hardest thing we did just to fnd her."

"Meron po ba kayong lead o puwedeng mapuntahan ng kapatid ko?" Ramdam ko ang pamamasa ng palad ko.

"Simon Reid Lopez. Her abusive boyfriend. Pero wala 'din s'yang alam. Nag laho na parang bula ang kapatid mo sa baryo kung nasaan sila naninirahan."

"What about their son? Si Seryeo?"

"Your niece?" Tumango ako. Ang batang iyon na kahawig na kahawig ng kapatid ko. Kaya pala sa tuwing napapatingin ako sakanya ay may naalala akong mukha.

"2 more weeks at dito na titira si Seryeo."

"Pumayag po si Simon?"

"He had no choice. Kahit mag demanda pa s'ya ang panig parin natin ang mananalo."

"Pero po, pano kung hindi totoo yung mga sinasabi nyo kay Simon? He's a good guy Lolo. Kung hindi sakanya patay na ako sigurado." I said, still not believing what Lolo's saying. There's no way Simon could do that to my sister.

"He was."

Was?

"Lo, if you-"

"You shouldn't trust a man just because they gave you a little kindness, Shan."