In the Shadow of Diamond (COMPLETED)

Kabanata 3

Kabanata 3

Niyakap ko ang aking sarili at hinayaang umiyak nang umiyak. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit laging pasakit na lang ang ibinibigay ng mundo sa akin.

Ano bang nagawa ko para maranasan ang mga bagay na 'to? Kumakayod lang naman ako para sa pamilya ko. Siguro nga, hindi malinis ang trabaho ko, pero hindi ko rin naman ginusto iyon. Wala akong pagpipilian dahil kailangan namin ng malaking pera. Kung alam ko lang na ganito ang kapalit, sana hindi ko na sinunggaban iyon.

Hindi ko nakikita ang sarili ko na maikasal sa lalaking iyon. Hindi ko siya kilala. Kung mayroon man akong alam sa kaniya, iyon ay ang pangalan niya lamang. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung anong klaseng negosyo ang mayroon siya.

Pinangako ko sa sarili ko na hinding-hindi ako magpapakasal sa lalaki dahil lamang sa pera. Oo, sira na ang dignidad ko simula nang pumasok ako sa trabahong iyon. Pero pinanghahawakan ko pa rin ang natitira sa akin, ang hindi pagpapatali sa lalaking hindi ko naman gusto.

Dahan-dahan akong bumangon. I tried to steady myself as I stood. The softness of the bed seemed so far away now like I had just woken up from a dream.

I looked around the room, my eyes scanning every corner. The door was on the other side, but the thought of walking towards it made me hesitate. Kung anu-anong tumatakbo sa isip ko, but I couldn't stay here. I couldn't let myself be trapped in this life. I quickly scanned the room. Lumapit ako sa pintuan at dinikit ang tainga ko roon, wala naman akong naririnig.

Dahan-dahan kong binuksan ang pintuan, hindi ito naka-lock. I took a deep breath, bracing myself.

I wasn't sure where I was or how far I'd come from the room, but I couldn't stop now. My heart was racing. Hindi nawawala sa isip ko na baka may makakita sa akin. But even the thought of going back to that bed, to the man I didn't know and didn't want, was more terrifying than anything else.

I walked quickly, my footsteps almost soundless against the floor. The hallway seemed endless, twisting this way and that, and I had no idea where the exit might be. I had to stay focused. I had to escape.

I reached a turn in the corridor. Natigilan ako. A figure emerged from the shadows. My stomach flipped as I instinctively pressed myself against the wall, halos 'di na ako humihinga.

It was a man. Tall, wearing a suit that looked like it cost more than everything I owned combined. His eyes scanned the hallway. I thought he might have seen me.

He turned and walked in the other direction. I exhaled, my heart pounding even harder now.

This is my chance. I have to move.

I pushed myself off the wall and began to walk again. I couldn't look back. I couldn't afford to. I reached another door at the end of the hall, and this time, I didn't even bother to check if it was locked. I turned the handle, praying it would open, and when it did, I stepped out into the cool air.

The garden was vast, filled with neatly trimmed hedges and tall trees, but it wasn't the beauty that caught my attention, it was the freedom.

I looked around, panic starting to rise. Malawak ang garden at hindi ko alam ang daan palabas! But I had to keep moving. But where to? Sa katatakbo ko, nahinto ako sa pool area. Alam ko na agad na hindi dito ang daan palabas ng bahay na 'to!

Sumasakit na ang paa ko dahil sa inaapakan. Tumalikod ako roon at tumakbo muli upang hanapin ang daan palabas. Tinitingnan ko ang naaapakan dahil nararamdaman kong may mga matutulis na bagay sa damuhan. My heart pounded in my chest with thoughts of escape. I kept asking myself, but the garden felt like a maze. I darted between trees and hedges, desperate for any sign of an exit.