Gaano mo kayang tiisin ang sakit na unti-unting nakakaupos, at ang katahimikang dahan-dahan kang inuubos? Fire Officer Avery Montiero. A name anchored to a title. I earned it, yes, but it was never my dream. I grew up believing that serving the country was the only path my father would allow. Hindi iyon ang gusto ko... pero ika nga, alam ng magulang ang nakabubuti para sa anak? Ano ba naman ang suotin ang uniporme, sumunod sa utos, at kumbinsihin ang sarili na balang araw ay mapapamahal din ako sa pangarap na hindi sa'kin. Madali lang naman siguro iyon? Behind the badges, beneath the helmet, and beyond the flames I willingly faced, a different fire burned quietly inside me. Culinary. Doon umiikot ang puso ko. The kitchen was my only sanctuary--the sole place where the mask could slip. It was where I could create with my own hands and glimpse the woman I was truly meant to be. But strict prohibitions turned that dream into a distant what-if--a parallel life I could only imagine, but never live. Until Seian Jey Lirazan came to our station as the new Fire Captain. To everyone else, he was simply our new superior officer. But to me? He was my childhood best friend. The person who knew me before the uniform, the expectations, and the silence I used to hide from my father's disapproval. And the man I had loved for as long as I could remember. Sana masabi kong ang mahalin ang gaya niya ang pinakamadaling gawin sa buhay ko. Pero ang pagmamahal na iyon? It was never loud. It flickered. It ached. It burned. Kapareho ng pangarap ko. Kapareho ng mga salitang paulit-ulit kong nilulunok hanggang sa mabulunan ako. Kapareho ng mga piraso ng sarili ko na unti-unti kong isinakripisyo, maipagkasya lang sa hulma ng isang mabuting anak. Ang daya ng lahat, 'no?--ang pangarap ko, ang pamilya ko, ang taong mahal ko... Everything in between burned in silence. BURNED IN SILENCE Date Written: August 26, 2024 Book Cover by Artselily

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