Chapter 173

I HAVE THOUGHT long and deep enough that I want to cut ties with everything that's keeping us apart. Hindi ko na maatim ang makulong sa walang hanggang kalungkutan sa piling ng taong hindi ko naman mahal.

Even when I was just a boy, I did what I was told. Iyan ang isiniksik ko sa kokote ko. I promised myself to become the most obedient son my mother could ever have. Naging sunod-sunuran ako at nawalan ng dila dahil sa mga salitang pinapakain nila sa utak ko.

Simula noong inampon ako sa pamilyang nagpalaki sa akin, I strove hard to never cause something that's gonna disappoint them. Iniisip ko lagi na kapag nadismaya ko sila, kay Mama ang bawi ng mga kamalian ko.

Ayaw ko ring mapahiya si Mama sa harap ng kanyang asawa. I didn't want them to fight again because of me. Dahil hindi pa rin mabura sa isipan ko ang gabing iyon. It had pinned me in the corner. That time I was still innocent and too paralyzed to even protect my mother.

The night she brought me to her husband's mansion after my