RISQUÉ 1: Forbidden Temptation

Chapter 27

Volt
#CEFF00

---

"ISANG linggo pa lang 'yan, ha? Tapos ganyan ka na kung umakto. Paano na lang kung tuluyan ng sabihin sayo ni Diana na ayaw ka na niyang maging kabit?" diretsahang tanong ni Apollo upang mapatingin siya dito nang masama. "Oh, bakit? Totoo naman, ha. Puwedeng mangyari 'yon."

"You are not fucking helping," saway ni Usher kay Apollo sabay tinulak ito upang ito ang makatabi sa kanya. "Malay mo naman, busy lang si Diana. Aren't you guys seeing each other everyday? Sometimes people needs a timeout of all the sex and sweet talks."

"Ay wow. Enabler?" pasaring bigla ni Apollo.

"Putang-ina, Alcazar! Ang daldal mo talagang yawa ka. At saka sa gusto mo man o hindi, lahat tayo enabler na sa lagay na 'to, kaya huwag kang magmalinis," sagot ni Usher sabay tulak dito nang malakas. "Ayaw ko rin sa nangyayari pero pota, isang linggo na ginagawa ni Castellano ang beer bilang tubig, kaya puwede ba, manahimik ka na muna?"

Apollo rolled his eyes at Usher and drink his beer as he eyed him. "Pero paano nga kung ayaw na ni Diana?'

Sa halip na sumagot si Castellano, inabot niya ang panibagong beer at binuksan iyon. It was his tenth bottle. Bago pa man siya makainom, inagaw iyon ni Nicolas sa kanya.

"Stop it, Castellano. Walang magagawa ang pag-iinom mo. Just accept the fact that Diana will never be yours. She was already committed, damn it!" Nicolas pointed out. "She made her choice and it's not you."

Kahit na umiikot na ang kanyang paningin, patuloy na inabot niya pa rin ang bote mula sa kamay ni Nicolas. "I want more beer, fucker..."

"You can't have more!" saway naman ni Apollo sa kanya at hinawi ang kamay niya palayo. "For fuck sake, isang linggo ka na ganito. Halos dito ka na tumira sa Oasis kaka-inom. Pagpahingahin mo na naman ang atay mong kingina ka."

"Kung titigil ba akong umiinom, babalik si Diana sa akin? Hindi... hindi ganoon ang mangyayari tapos putang-ina..."

Pinigilan ni Cormac umiyak sa harap ng mga kaibigan pero hindi siya nagtagumpay at sa halip ay sunod-sunod siyang napahikbi.

After holding his tears for a week, he reached the point where he could no longer box up his emotions.

His friends stayed silent for a while and allowed him to vent his pain and anger. His series of sobs turned into a wail of agony until he found himself hard to breathe. It took him minutes to finish and then he stared at the wall as if the damn solution was one of the bricks.

Cormac clenched his jaw as he decided to speak. "After she accepted the neckpiece, Diana ditched her job and never met me at the greenhouse again. Pagkatapos ng birthday ko, wala na. Biglang ganoon ang nangyari. Putang-ina, kung sasaktan niya rin naman pala ako sa pagkatapos ng birthday ko, sana pala hindi niya na ako pinilit mag-celebrate. I fucking agree to celebrate because of her. And she..."

Hindi na naituloy ni Cormac ang sasabihin nang manginig na naman ang kanyang boses.

"It was... cruel," mahinang wika niya sabay nagpunas ng luha. "She made me feel like she could easily discard me when all I did was just love her."

"That was the downside of being just a secret lover," malungkot na wika naman ni Usher sabay tinapik ang kanyang balikat. "You can be tossed anytime when you are not needed anymore and you will never be chosen."

Mas lalo lamang natulala si Cormac sa sinabi ng kaibigan at hindi niya na nagawang kumibo. Pain, Longing, and Anger was inside him in almost the same measure and he could no longer measure what he felt the most.

At some point, he believed he was able to get inside her heart—or at least, he made it for even just a little bit, and he would do his best to make it grow in time. But he was only kidding himself.

There was no way he could ever replace Mike into her heart. He could never have Diana for his own like he most wanted.

---

DIANA realized Cormac Castellano made it to her heart so she distanced herself. Pumayag siya sa kagustuhan ni Mike sa pagsubok upang magkaanak pero sa tuwing magsisimula na ito, agad siyang naghahanap ng paraan upang makalayo rito at hindi matuloy ang kanilang pagsiping.

They did kiss a few but she could no longer feel the excitement she once felt for Mike before. She couldn't bring herself to kiss with the same intensity and she will give up moving her lips halfway.

Her body wasn't reacting to Mike anymore and she didn't need to act clueless as to why. She could no longer feel her affection for Mike.

It was wrong and objectionable but she never wanted her husband like she used to.

The tables have turned for her and Mike and she has no idea how long can she pretend that she's happy in their marriage.

"I am not..." wika ni Diana at walang gana na tumingin kay Mike. "I am not happy anymore."

"Do you want to watch another movie? Puwede naman tayong manood ng iba kung 'di mo gusto ang pinanood natin," pag-alo ni Mike.

"Mike, I mean it, I..." Sandaling huminto si Diana at napabuntong-hininga siya nang malalim. She gave up explaining her side and ignored her frustration instead. "I need to paint again. Alam kong sinabihan mo akong hindi ko kailangan magpakahirap magpinta bago tayo ikasal pero nangungulila ako sa buhay na kung anong mayroon ako noon. Let me paint again, Please."

Sandaling hindi nagsalita si Mike bago ito pagak na natawa. "I wonder how long are you going to keep the fact that you are painting again, you know. You literally have a dash of color on your arms."

Diana fell silent and checked her arms. Tama nga ito nang may nakita siyang pula na kulay lunti sa kanyang braso.

"I also knew that you purchased a ton of paint weeks before my accident, Diana. Hindi mo ibinili ng damit ang pera na binigay ko sayo gaya ng sabi mo kundi mga pangkulay. Isa pa, alam kong nagpipinta ka tuwing disoras ng gabi bago ka matulog kasi naamoy ko iyon," dugtong ni Mike bago siya nilingon. "You promised me that you will never paint again before we got married. Wanting to paint again is like breaking our wedding vows. Why, Diana? Why must you need yo paint again?"

Tumayo si Diana mula sa kinauupuan at hindi makapaniwalang hinarap ito. "I agreed to your wish before we got married because I love you, Mike. After five years with you, I just couldn't understand why you not letting me paint again. Why are you stopping me from doing the thing I love the most? I chose you over my talent, Mike. And knowing you are still against me doing painting makes me regret my decision."

Tuluyan nang umalis si Diana sa bahay at nagdire-diretso siya sa paglakad. Hindi niya alam kung saan siya dadalhin ng mga paa dahil sa kanyang galit, subalit natagpuan niya na lamang ang sarili sa vineyard.

"Cormac said to prioritize your happiness, Diana... and that is painting. It always has been painting," paalala ni Diana sa sarili at halos maluha siya nang maalala kung gaano niya kamahal ang pagpipinta. "Before you become a wife, you were an artist. An outstanding painter. How come you ever let your talent go to waste?"

Kahit siya mismo ay hindi niya masagot ang sariling tanong. She married Mike at the age of twenty and she was the happiest of that time, setting aside her goal to becoming a painter because she was desperate to settle down with the love of her life.

However, it was only this time she realized how much time she wasted in those five years. Just because of love.

Ilang oras nagpapalipas si Diana nang galit at bumalik siya sa bahay nang medyo gumaan na ang kanyang pakiramdam. Nagtaka siya ng hindi niya naabutan si Mike sa kusina o sala kaya naghihinalang napatakbo siya patungo sa stock room na pinagtataguan niya ng kanyang mga gamit.

"No no no..." naluluhang wika ni Diana nang makitang gulo-gulo na ang kanyang mga pangpinta sa sahig at hawak na ni Mike ang kuwadra na kanyang ginawa nang ilang linggo. "Mike please, don't. Give it to me and don't ruin the painting."

"I used to be your muse before..." panimula ni Mike habang nakatalikod ito sa kanya at nakatingin pa rin sa kuwadra. "But now you decided to paint my boss."