I INHALED DEEPLY AND CLUTCHED MY CHEST.
My heart is pounding erratically, and my legs are trembling slightly. I sighed heavily in order to restrain myself from hyperventilating. Hindi ko iyon pinahalata. I need to maintain my composure.
Kaya ko ito.
This is going to be simple. I've always imagined what I would do if I ran across him again. I'm confident. I know exactly what to say and do.
The ride inside the elevator felt like forever. Pakiramdam ko ay sobrang tagal na namin sa loob. Napamulat lang ako ng bumaba yung dalawang sabay namin sa ika-tatlumpu't tatlong palapag.
"Okay ka lang, Attorney?"
I nodded toward him and forced a smile. "Of course."
As I watched the number on the elevator rise, my lips trembled. Tuluyan na akong hindi nakahinga ng maayos ng bumukas ang elevator. Narito na kami sa ika-tatlumpu't limang palapag.
"Let's go to his office. Naroon siya ngayon."
"S... Sige."
Nauna na siyang maglakad sa akin habang ako ay dahan-dahan dahil nararamdaman ko ang panginginig ng aking mga binti dahil sa pinaghalong takot at nerbyos. Ngayon ko ulit makikita ang lalaki. My insides were screaming that I shouldn't go, but my desire to finish what I'm supposed to be doing here was even stronger. I'm not going to leave this place empty-handed.
Nakakita ako ng malaking pintuan sa 'di kalayuan sa akin. Doon ko na talaga naramdaman ang panginginig maging ng mga kamay ko. Nakita ko ang isang lalaking nakaupo sa labas ng opisina, wearing a tux.
"Good morning, Engineer Roa. "
Nakita kong kinawayan lang ito ni Roa at itinuro ako. "She's his guest. Ihahatid ko lang. "
Agad na tumango iyong lalaki at ngumiti sa akin. Sinuklian ko din ito ng maliit na ngiti. Baka siya ang sekretarya.
Nang tumingin ako ulit sa harapan ko ay kumakatok na si Roa sa pintuan. Doon na nagsimulang tumambol ng husto ang dibdib ko at literal na nanginginig ang mga binti ko. Para akong sinikmuraan sa sobrang kaba. I can feel my hands are getting cold.
"Boss, may naghahanap sayo." Rinig rinig kong saad niya bago binuksan ang pintuan. Humugot ako ng malalim na hininga at ikinuyom ang aking mga kamay.
"Pasok ka na," saad ni Roa at nakangiting tiningnan lang ako.
Tumango ako at dahan-dahang naglakad papalapit sa hamba ng pintuan. My hands were trembling while holding my bag, and closed my eyes for a few moments before entering the office.
Every step I took felt like I was walking through a foreboding forest as if I was about to become lost in that dark place once more...
"Who's looking for m--"
I can feel my world getting darker and filled with shadows of pain that engulfed my whole being. I found myself standing again on a cliff, ready to fall into the abyss where I was once before.
Akala ko ay simple lang... na madali lang.
Pero hindi pala ganoon ang mararamdaman ko. Hanggang ngayon, ramdam ko pa din ang sakit sa loob ko.
My insides, as well as my lips, trembled. I swallowed hard as I met his gaze. I felt my chest become heavy and the heaviness of it slowly pierced into my heart. It was excruciatingly painful.
I didn't realize I wasn't breathing until my eyes began to heat up. Naramdaman ko agad ang panghihina ng katawan ko na parang nawalan ako ng lakas.
Nakita ko ang pag-awang ng mga labi niya habang madiing nakatingin sa mga mata ko ang kulay-kastanyo niyang mga mata.
"S-summer...."
There he was... The man I thought I will never see again.
The only man I've ever loved chose to destroy every ounce of love I had inside of me. The person who shattered every single part of me... into tiny, small pieces until they were flung into the air as dust.
Engineer Zacharias Valencia- Ruscitti.
He was now staring directly at me without even blinking.
Fuck.
The man who already broke me two years ago...
as well as the father of my two-year-old child, whom I kept hidden from him.
BINABASA MO ANG
GONE WRONG (Gone Series 1: Summer Aine Quin)
General Fiction(C O M P L E T E D) PUBLISHED UNDER KPUB PH Note: If you're not into realistic characters, my work is not for you. °°°°° "Suddenly, I felt the silence that I had long sought in my troubled mind. I knew I was back in his arms, back in my one and...
