Mend Her Broken Heart (Original Version) -Completed-

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

"WE ALL KNOW that a few years ago, it should have been me sitting next to Charles and not my sister. I know that you were all aware of that," ani Alexa at bumungisngis.

Narinig niya ang magkahalong singhap at mga halakhak sa walang pasintabi niyang pahayag. Lahat ng pait at galit na dala ng nangyari noon ay naglaho na. Ngayon ay kaya na niyang pagtawanan ang 'love triangle' na mayroon sila noon.

"Maybe love and forgiveness are really powerful things that we could never separate. I once heard that for a person to love completely, he must forgive. And for him to truly forgive, he must love. And everything else follows. Acceptance. Trust. Peace." Alexa sighed as words slipped out of her lips. She hadn't imagine that she would say such things.

"I learned to accept that Charles would never be meant for me. I had no power to break whatever strings of fate that bound him to my sister. He was meant for someone else as I was meant for another person. Someone out there could be better, someone out there could give back the love that I was so willing to give. I was just so blind not to see it." Naiiling na humakbang si Alexa patungo sa cocktail table at dumampot ng isang baso saka lumapit sa bagong kasal.

"Don't worry, Ate, hindi ko ito ibubuhos sa mukha mo gaya ng ginawa ko noon," muli siyang humalakhak nang maalala kung gaano siya kahibang at kadesperado noon.

"But... during those times that we were blinded by our desire for love and happiness, by our scorching pain and deep anger... during those times that we forget everything that really matters... we could still find the love that we never knew was already there and was waiting for us."

Napailing si Alexa. Hindi niya makontrol ang pagkawala ng mga salita sa kanyang bibig. She was supposed to give her best wishes to the newly weds... but her words were directing her to a different path. Was it the effect of the electricity that penetrated her heart?

Huminga siya nang malalim at ibinalik ang kanyang isipan sa tamang landas bago pa siya tuluyang makarating sa kung saan. Ngumiti siya at itinaas ang wine glass, "Kuya Charles, always remember that you love my sister."

Tinanguan siya ni Charles. "Received and fully understood," sumaludo pa ito sabay ngisi. Kinindatan lamang niya ito.

Tumayo si Valerie at niyakap siya. "I love you, Sis."

"I love you, too, Ate."

Pumalakpak naman ang mga naroon... binalingan niya ang mga panauhin. Okupado ang lahat ng mesa ngunit sa isang tao lamang natuon ang kanyang paningin. "Just look beyond what your eyes could see and you would still find the thing that you thought was no longer there," makahulugan niyang wika saka bumaba ng platform at bumalik sa kanyang upuan.

IT'S STILL THERE, naisa-isip ni Alexa habang pinakikinggan ang ngayo'y nagsasalita na si Lucas. Sapo niya ang dibdib na abot-abot pa rin ang tahip. Mula nang makababa siya sa platform ay hindi na iyon nahinto.

She still couldn't believe what she said and the reason why. She's like sending Lucas some clues that she couldn't even figure out.

Binalingan siya ni Lucas, sumilay ang ngiti sa labi nito. "If you'll only try to look beyond what you see, you'll be surprised to find out that what you think isn't there, it is really there," anito.

Iyon ang parehong pahayag na sinabi nito matagal na panahon na ang nakakaraan. Noon ay hindi niya alam ang ibig nitong sabihin, hindi malinaw sa kanya ang nais nitong iparating.

Nang mga panahong iyon ay hindi man lang sumagi sa kanyang isipan na higit pa sa pagkakaibigan ang tingin sa kanya ni Lucas. Na ibinigay nito sa kanya ang pagmamahal na nais niyang makamit. Hindi niya naramdaman ang pagmamahal na iyon. Labis siyang nabulag sa pagmamahal para sa ibang tao kaya't hindi niya nakita ang pag-ibig ni Lucas.