The Gangster Princess

Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Unspoken Goodbyes

Aisha Fancy Lee

The soft hum of the air conditioner filled the silence in Reid’s condo, but my mind was too heavy to even appreciate the comfort. I was curled up on the couch, wearing one of Reid’s oversized shirts, my arms hugging my knees like they were the only things keeping me together.

"Aisha..." Reid’s voice broke through the quiet. I didn’t look up. "Bakit ka pumayat? As in, payat ka na nga, tapos pumayat ka pa."

His tone was teasing, but there was something beneath it—something worried. I gave a lazy smile, trying to brush it off like I always do.

"That’s called being sexy, okay?" I said with a little sass, but even my voice sounded weaker than usual.

"Tss. That’s not sexy, Aisha. There’s a difference between sexy and... unhealthy." He walked over and crouched in front of me, gently lifting my chin. "Mukha ka nang kalansay."

His words hit harder than I expected, not because he was being mean, but because deep down... I knew he was right.

I looked away. "Grabe ka. Parang pinatay mo na agad ako. Kalansay agad? I eat, okay? Like, a lot. But no matter what I do, I just... don’t gain weight." My voice cracked slightly at the end, and I hated it.

I chuckled dryly because of his annoyed reaction, and I stood up, but the moment I did, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me like a truck. I reached for the counter to steady myself.

Reid caught me by the elbow, eyes narrowing. “Baby are you okay?”

I nodded quickly. “Yeah. Just got up too fast.”

But the truth was—I hadn’t been okay in weeks. The bruises on my legs, the ones that came out of nowhere. The exhaustion that clung to me no matter how much I slept. And the nosebleeds. Damn, the nosebleeds.

Reid sighed and stood up, ruffling his hair in frustration. "Just eat more, please. And Aisha stop wearing lipstick."

That caught me off guard. My brows furrowed as I sat up straighter. "Wait, what? What’s wrong with lipstick?"

He looked at me with that same stubborn expression he always wore when he was worried. "You’re too pretty when you wear it. I don’t want my girlfriend being that attractive to everyone. Your lips are already beautiful without it. I liked it more when you kept things natural."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "Reid, don’t pakialam the girl things. I’ll wear what I want."

"Fine," he muttered, clearly defeated, but he didn’t push the topic any further. Instead, he quietly walked to the kitchen and returned with food—a lot of it. He placed a whole box of pizza, a tub of carbonara, ice cream, and a slice of chocolate cake on the table without another word.

I stared at the food, something in my chest tightening. I wanted to cry, not because of what he said, but because of what he didn’t. He noticed. He cared. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell him why I was really fading away.

☽ a//z ☾

Later – At the BST Hideout

The hideout was buzzing with its usual noise—shoes scraping on the concrete floor, the faint beat of music playing from someone’s speaker, chatter echoing off the walls. But the moment I walked in, it all seemed to stop.

"Aisha?!" Max’s voice sliced through the room. "Why do you look... thinner?"

Again? I sighed in my head.

"Kasi nagda-diet ako, okay?" I replied, my voice tired, my body even more so.

"Besh, you look exhausted," Apple chimed in, her brows drawing together in a deep frown as she approached me.

"And pale," Cassie added, stepping closer, concern evident in her eyes.

Tyler stepped in front of me. “Aisha, your lips are pale too. And your hands ang lamig.”

I looked down at my fingers. He was right. They looked almost bluish.

I collapsed onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. “Grabe naman kayo... ang dami niyong napapansin.”

Tyler crouched in front of me, blocking everyone else out. His voice was low, serious. “You okay?”

My chest tightened.

No. I wasn’t okay.

And for some reason, it was Tyler’s voice—steady, patient, kind—that broke whatever wall I had left.

I looked up at him, and that’s when I felt it—tears. Quiet, hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

But I knew they weren’t exaggerating. I could feel it in the way my limbs trembled, in how my head spun every time I stood too fast. I was trying so hard to act normal, but nothing felt normal anymore. I dropped onto the couch, burying my face in my hands.

Then Tyler knelt in front of me, her voice barely above a whisper. "Aisha... I think you should tell them. You need to tell BST that you’re leaving."

His words hung in the air like a guillotine. Everyone fell silent.

Tears welled in his eyes. He tried to hold them back, but his shoulders began to shake. I stared at him, then nodded—just once, like the quiet crumbling of a dam.

☽ a//z ☾

Cassie Shae Evangelist

The room had never felt so cold.

We were sitting in a tight circle, tension thick between us. And then Aisha—our sunshine, our bunso—dropped a truth that felt like a dagger.

"I’m leaving," she said.

My heart stopped.

"Seriously?" I started, trying to piece it together, but the moment the syllable left my lips, a sharp silver shuriken landed inches from my foot.

I froze. She didn’t even look sorry.

"I told you to zip it," Aisha said flatly.

I swallowed my words and mimed zipping my mouth shut. But inside, I was already crying. I tried to blink the tears away, but they spilled anyway. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not her.

"Kailan pa?" James asked. His voice had no edge—only quiet devastation.

Aisha didn’t answer right away. The room was too quiet. You could almost hear the sound of hearts breaking.

"One month ago," she finally said.

My hand flew to my mouth. A month? She carried this for a month?

"Nasabi mo na ba sa boyfriend mo?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. Why would I tell him?"

Everyone fell silent. No one dared speak. No one dared breathe.

Us didn’t respond. We just stood there, frozen.

And Aisha she stood up. Slowly. Her frame looked even smaller now, as if the truth had weighed her down for too long.

She turned her back to us and walked toward the door, but before stepping out, she paused.

Her voice came out softer than I’d ever heard it.

"I’m not sure when... or if... I’ll ever come back."

Then the door closed.

And just like that—our world shattered.