Play The Game (COMPLETED)

Chapter 40

#PTG40 Chapter 40

"Uuwi na talaga ako?" paulit-ulit kong tanong kay Jax. Paulit-ulit din niya akong sinasagot... pero kahit na ganoon, may isang parte pa rin sa isip ko na ayaw maniwala... Because this wasn't my life... This wasn't supposed to be this easy... Pakiramdam ko ay may masamang mangyayari bigla. I couldn't relax. This felt wrong.

"Keep your head down, okay?" he told me as we were getting out of the court. Hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ang ibig niyang sabihin... not until I heard my name being called by all these reporters... My eyes felt like being blinded by all the flashing lights. I was stunned. Hindi ako maka-galaw.

'Ano'ng masasabi mo sa biglang pagbabago ng resulta ng kaso?'

'Guilty ka ba talaga sa pagpatay sa anak ni Congressman Norberto Ramirez?'

'Ano'ng masasabi mo sa biglaan ng pagreresign ng prosecutor sa kaso mo? Sa tingin mo ba ay may pandadayang naganap?'

Agad akong napa-tingin. "S-Si Iñigo?" agad na lumabas sa bibig ko ang mga salita. Mas nagkagulo ang mga tao. Hindi ako maka-hinga. Masikip. Paulit-ulit akong tinutulak.

'Hindi mo ba dine-deny, Mrs. Ramirez, na may nangyaring dayaan kaya nagresign ang prosecutor?'

Ramdam ko ang panginginig ng buong katawan ko. Hindi ako maka-hinga. Hinawakan ni Jax ang kamay ko sa harap nilang lahat—wala siyang pakielam sa mga matang nanonood sa bawat galaw namin.

"There's no comment as of the moment. A new investigation has been opened," Jax said while he was pulling me together with him in the sea of people hoping to get a word from me. Pero wala akong magawa. Ni walang salita ang gustong lumabas sa bibig ko. Natatakot ako. Pakiramdam ko hanggang dito ay kaya akong saktan ng mga Ramirez... Kagaya ng ginawa nila nang nasa loob pa ako...

"Fuck," Jax cursed. I noticed that he was looking at my arm. Agad akong napa-tingin doon. May mga kalmot galing sa mga reporter. It was bleeding.

"Si... Si Iñigo."

Jax looked at me, like he didn't know what to say. But I wanted to know. What happened? Bakit ganito?

He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked at me like he didn't want to say whatever he was about to say. "Iñigo recommended the dismissal of your case. It's complicated, Katherine... I can't explain right now," sagot niya. Tipid akong tumango... Baka hindi ko rin maintindihan. Masyadong maraming nangyayari. Hindi masabayan ng isip ko lahat. Nakaka-hilo. Nakaka-lito.

"Sir, san tayo?" the driver asked.

Jax looked at me, as if he was asking me where I wanted to go. Saan nga ba ako uuwi? Did I still have a home? Hindi ko kayang umuwi sa bahay namin ni Kier... It was mine... It never felt like home...

"Do you want to go to your parents' house?" he asked, like he just read my mind.

I silently nodded. I wanted to be surrounded by familiar things. I badly wanted to be able to feel again... To feel things other than this tiring anger inside me. I wanted to let this anger go... But it's seated deep within me... It's so hard to just let it go...

Four months in prison.

It... changed me. I didn't feel the same. Something in me changed.

Tahimik kong pinanood ang pamilyar na daan pauwi. Things looked different... I couldn't even remember the last time I passed by these roads... Ayaw ni Kier na umuuwi ako sa bahay ko. He wanted me beside him all the time. Tuwing wala ako sa paningin niya, agad niyang iniisip na pinupuntahan ko si Jax... I got tired of explaining that I was not cheating on him... Kaya kaysa magpaliwanag, mas pinili ko na lang na 'wag umalis.