The One Who Stares Behind

In this world we inhabit, nothing is certain. It's a truth we've been desperately trying to avoid, but the more we resist, the clearer it becomes.

There were things we fled from, convinced they had no place in our destiny. But in the end, who were we truly deceiving?

From the very start, we were bound to it. Running away was never an option.

"Imposible..."

The word barely escaped my lips as he slowly removed the dark mask that had shrouded his face.

No.

It wasn't just a mask. It was the very veil that had consumed everything.

I stared into his eyes, disbelief clouding my mind, searching for even the slightest flicker of emotion, some explanation. But his face remained blank, offering no answers, only the suffocating silence that stretched between us.

"Bakit? Bakit mo 'to ginagawa?" The words broke from me, full of pleading and desperation, a cry I couldn't hold back.

Tiningnan lamang ako nito ngunit walang salita ang lumabas sa kanyang bibig.

Doon ko naramdaman ang unti unting pagtulo ng aking luha at itinungo ang ulo ko. Hindi ko hahayaang makita niya sa mga mata ko ang hirap at sakit na nararamdaman ko ngayon.

I was powerless. I couldn't even wipe the tears from my face, my hands bound tight. A prisoner. A pathetic one, unable to save herself.

"Don't cry." His voice carried authority. How could I listen?

What was the point? When I was already trapped, with nothing left to do but endure.

"Don't." His command was firm, but I barely managed to respond, my voice steady despite the storm inside.

Iniwas ko ang mukha ko nang tangkang hahawakan niya ito.

How could he do this to me?

"I don't understand... bakit mo ito ginagawa?...Wala akong makitang dahilan. This isn't you—"

"Don't you dare say my name!" His voice cracked with fury. "I've cursed it my entire life."

I had no response. No strength left to fight. All I could do was lower my head, the weight of his words suffocating me.

I was lost.

In that moment, I was defeated. I had been deceived by a lie I never saw coming.

"I am staring at you from afar, Romero."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Siguro nga, sa pagkakataong ito ay tama siya.

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