CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Jianyu --- the Chinese guy and Sioux Kyros Centauri’s colleague was standing in the edge of big yacht looking at me. Hindi lang siya nag-iisa. There are more than ten men in there and they look equally dangerous as Centauri. I know they are also capable with dealing of illegal stuffs. Their presence is enough to make me somewhat nervous.
Still, I held my head high. Hindi ako nagpatinag sa intimidating look nila. I already perfected my defense mechanism.
Hindi ko alam kung anong kailangan nila sa akin. I just received an invitation from them. Unang tingin ko sa invitation, I knew it was them. They were behind it. May crest iyon ng same tattoo ni Sioux. It still triggers me every time I see that, I was reminded of what happened before. It doesn’t smell fancy. The paper reminded me the smell of blood, it made me shiver.
Sioux was supposed to be with them, but h
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN Para akong binuhusan nang malamig na tubig. Nanlalamig ang buong katawan ko. I hated the man who took my virginity when I was eighteen, but the real villain was just lurking around the corner. Almost half of my life was a lie. From believing my Dad didn’t care for me and then, what happened that night. Oh my God. Sky. He was worse than I thought. How could he do that to me? I asked Sky. I asked him if the guy who raped me knew about it, he said yes. Pinaniwalaan ko siya. I believed him even if I should not. Mas lalo akong nakaramdam ng galit para kay Sky. He was the real villain all along. If Sioux didn’t know he was raping me that night, does that mean that my anger, the trauma and everything I felt were invalid? I was crying again. The old wound resurfaced and it is giving me another deep cut. I hailed a cab to go home. Balik hatid - sundo ako ng driver
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHTThings would get really ugly for me. Alam kong mas lalo nila akong ididiin sa bagay na iyon. Hindi ko iyon itinuturing na baho ko. I totally accepted it. Hindi lang ako proud sa ilang desisyon ko sa buhay.Sa Instagram nga, we only share for the happy memories, but we don’t let people see the bad ones. And it’s fine. We have to be careful on whom we share the deepest and darkest phase of our lives. Argh, why the hell do I sound angelic all of a sudden?I was still thinking about Sioux. I want him out of the prison. He’s still in the custody of NBI. He’s so epal. He’s so bobo. Pinangunahan niya ako sa desisyon ko. He’s not really thinking. I told the Chinese guy that I want him out. Mayabang lang niyang tinanong kung kailan ko gustong lumabas si Centauri.I was right. My vision was right. Things are not going to be in favor of me
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE I was scared. I could feel my knees trembling. And my heart, they are so loud inside my chest. It was beating tremendously fast. Dumadagdag pa iyong anxiety at pangamba ko. Sioux didn’t look at me but he intertwined our hands as if he could sense the raging storm causing turmoil in my body. Wala siyang sinabi, basta niyang hinawakan nang mahigpit ang kamay ko habang papasok kami ng mansyon ni Daddy. It was an assurance everything is going to be fine. Or was it assurance that he will stay with me after what I’m going to tell him? Sinalubong ako ni Manang sa main door. Malaki ang ngisi niya sa aming dalawa pero hindi ko masuklian ang ngiting iyon. Natatakot ako sa hindi pa nangyayari. “Reign, anak! Hindi ka man lang nagpasabi, mayroong bisitang darating.” masaya niyang wika. She looked at our intertwined hands, mas lalong lumawak ang ngiti niya.  
CHAPTER SIXTY Isang buwan… It’s almost one month since I came here. Most of my mornings, I spent it walking on the dalampasigan. Minsan kasama ko si Manang, madalas ako lang mag-isa. Visible na ang baby bump ko. There is really a growing seed inside me. I just let it be, hindi ko na rin naman kaya ang sakit kapag pinilit ko pang tanggalin sa sinapupunan ko. “Hoy, taya ka!” I heard children talking in the background. The kids are running around the area. Masaya silang nagtatawanan at naglalaro sa dalampasigan. Madalas nakatingin lang ako sa kanila. I didn’t enjoy my childhood as much as theirs. Kids of my age don’t like to play with me and I’m always in my room practicing violin. I was smiling at the scenario. Subconsciously, I was caressing my tummy softly. Agad akong napabitaw nang mapagtanto ko ang ginawa ko.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE I woke up in a hospital room the next day. Hindi ko solo ang room, may nagsisilbing harang lang na kurtina. Manang was with me when the doctor came. Kabang - kaba ako. I didn’t know what happened after my normal delivery. I was engulfed by exhaustion. Hindi ko man lang nahawakan ang baby ko. I just heard her cries. “How are you, Reign?” nakangiting tanong ni Dra. Jimenez. “I’m glad you are already awake.” “I guess, I’m fine, Doc. Where’s my baby? How is she? Can I see her?” I asked eagerly. Inalalayan ako ni Manang na maupo sa hospital bed. She was caressing my shoulder. “Your baby has to stay in our care for the mean time. Respiratory system aren’t fully developed as well as the ability to coordinate reflexes for eating and she has to gain more pounds.” Dra. J
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO Things that are broken stay broken, they can’t be fixed, they say. One of those examples traditionally is the broken glass. Kapag nabasag ang baso, you can never bring it back to its full glory. Hindi ito maisasalba kahit anong lagay mo ng tape para mapagtagpi ang mga piraso. I don’t want to believe that. A glass can take a full recovery in a long process of beginning anew. It just needs to start from where it started. Sa pabrika kung saan ito ginawa, doon din nito mahahanap ang sarili pabalik. At mabubuo ito gaya ng dati. Things stay broken if they want to stay that way. We are capable of changing that status if we opt to. It’s in our hands. It’s our choice. I don’t want to stay from that dark place anymore. I don’t want to stay depressed because of the things that happened to me before.I don’t want to continue hurting for the lossI had. I don’t
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE I’m old enough to stay late. Napairap ako sa ere. Inubos ko ang laman ng cup of chocolate ni Manang. Well, she was looking at me the whole time. After finishing the cup, I kissed her good night. I realized, even if I felt incomplete growing up. Kahit kailan, hindi ko nagawang makilala ang mom ko, while with my Dad, I felt neglected. He can’t get his actions right to make me feel loved. But now I know, he loved me in his own way. I am still lucky to have Manang. She’s my go-to person and she never left me like everybody else did. She never judged me for what society portrayed me to be. With that, I am so lucky. The rumors kept circulating after my confrontation the last time. It isn’t just rumor. A part of it was true, but not completely. And honestly, I don’t care anymore. Wala rin akong pakialam kung i-boycott nila ang Reign’s Realm
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR I went back to my station. Inirapan ko siya nang makabalik ako sa ginagawa ko. Binudburan ko ng konting flour ang dough. Isinalang ko iyon sa pasta maker. I just waited for its magic to be done. “Sioux, will you please cut the onions into small pieces? As in very small. Hurry!” muling tawag ko sa kanya. Nilagay ko ang butter sa mainit na pan, I let it melt for a minute. Hinihintay ko lang na matunaw iyon, ilalagay ko na ang garlic. Sioux was beside me, he was cutting the onions into small pieces. Napasulyap ako sa ginagawa niya. Nakagat ko ang labi ko. The onions looked like they were massacred. I felt bad for them. Imbes na cube iyong cut noong onions, irregular shape ang kinalabasan noon. “Oh my God, unbelievable!” I was unable to hide my amused smirk. Mukhang wala talaga siyang ideya sa ginagawa niya. Probably, all his life, he never experienced this. Ma