Dirty Little Secret (GxG)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Lia's POV

The following days were a blur. Ang pressure sa pag hahanda para sa papalapit na annual ball ay mas lalong bumigat, samahan mo pa ng paulit-ulit na paalala tungkol sa nalalapit na din na wedding ni Sandra. It was like juggling glass balls while walking on a tightrope - one wrong move, and everything would shatter.

Isang gabi, matapos kong makipag sagupaan sa office, I found myself scrolling through social media, seeking a momentary escape from reality. At doon ko nakita ang makakapag pasikip ng loob ko - a post on Luna's profile. It was a picture of her, Sandra, and Mike, all smiles, with the caption, "Family dinner! Celebrating Mike and Sandra's upcoming wedding!"

Ramdam ko ang pagkabasag ng puso ko. Ang katotohanan tungkol sa kanilang engagement ay para bang ipinukpok sakin gamit ang malaking bato.

I knew it intellectually, but seeing it laid out so plainly, so publicly, made it feel undeniably real. Agad na namuo ang mga luha sa mata ko, kaya dali-dali kong isinara ang app para hindi ko na makita pa ang nagpapasakit sa loob ko.

Kailangan kong makausap si Sandra. I couldn't keep bottling up my feelings any longer. Medyo nanginginig ang kamay kong kinuha ang cellphone at dinial ang number niya.

"Hello Love?" Sandra's voice was gentle, as always.

"Hey" I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"Mahal? Is everything okay?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "I saw Luna's post... about sa wedding."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. "Oh," tanging nasabi ni Sandra sa kabilang linya, her voice heavy. "I'm sorry, Lia. I know this is hard."

"It's not just hard, Sandra," I choked out, tears streaming down my face. "Tangina sobrang nasasaktan na ako. Makita kitang masaya habang kasama mo si Mike... it's killing me. Ramdam na ramdam kong kabit lang ako"

"No please don't say that Mahal" Sandra said softly. "Don't ever say that word again. You're not just a mistress, you're my everything. Please give me just a little bit of time and I'll end this all perfectly." Pagkumbinsi niya sakin sa kabilang linya

"How much longer, Sandra?" I asked, my voice cracking. "Weeks? Months? Years? Or perhaps none of the above kasi wala ka naman talagang balak. You're getting married Sandra, at si Mike... I don't have the rights to get mad at him kasi he doesn't know anything, pero tangina... the way he keeps pestering me with your marriage para siyang nananadya. I can't keep living like this."

Hindi ko na alam kung saan nanggagaling itong lakas ng loob ko para sabihin ito kay Sandra lahat, pero siguro deserve ko naman na ipaalam. Ang hirap kasing ikimkim lang lahat ng mag isa.

"I know, and I'm sorry" Sandra repeated, her voice filled with pain. "But I need time. I need to find a way to break things off with Mike without causing too much damage. I don't want to hurt anyone... I don't want this to cause my family big time."

Napapikit ako ng mata dahil sa inis na biglang sumibol sa loob ko. "What about me, Sandra? Am I not part of your family too? Do you even treat me as one? Don't I deserve to be happy?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Sandra spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "Of course you do, Lia. But this is complicated. There's so much at stake."

"Fuck those stakes... Puta ano ba yan? Hindi naman yan nakakain, If you know that everything will be complicated, edi sana hindi ka na nagsakit sakitan noon para lang tirahin ako." Wala na akong pake kung naririnig ni Papa ang pag sigaw ko, but I need to say all this words to her.