CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN — A TRIP BACK

Present.

SPO4 Ralph Veneracion had a gentle smile when he went down to meet with Elaine in their wide living room in Makati. From the hotel she and Drew were staying, she found herself in that place.

For years, it hadn’t been easy for Elaine to go back and face the person who would remind her of the incident that almost ruined her life. Unlike before, it is easier not to quiver in front of the former police officer. Although her fingers are tightly locked together. She prepared herself for the reaction about the information she would give—information that he refused to listen to and know about before.

She quickly sat on the single sofa when Ralph signaled to her. He moved the lemon juice and cookies brought by the maid towards her.

The senior guy sat on the sofa in front of her. “I’m happy to see you again. How are you?”

She cleared his throat. “You must be flustered. I wasn’t able to thank you before. I know it has been a long time. My head was all over the place. I didn’t know what to say or think. I hope it isn’t too late…”

The police nodded. “You have been through a lot. I went back to the hospital several times to get your statement until I found out you insisted to be discharged even without your doctor’s go signal.”

Elaine put her head down. She left for two reasons. First, out of fear of losing her sanity because of sadness, pain, and emptiness. Her heart was in pain, and she was scared. Two emotions she didn’t know how to obliterate. Every time she would close and open her eyes, the first thing she sees is the smirking face of the guy who is the reason for the loss of her child.

Second, out of worry that she would bring scandal to the family who never treated her any different. It’s enough that her father brought the De Marcos suffering before. It is about time to make up for it-in the way I know.

“Aside from saying thank you, is there any other reason for you being here now?” Ralph said breaking the silence.

She took a deep breath. “You told me before, you received a call from a concerned citizen.”

Until those moments, Elaine wanted to believe it was Silverio who called the police to ask for help. She wanted to believe that there was this thing called paternal love. That no father or parent could put their own child in danger.

“Well, yes, I met her two days after we rescued you.”

“Her?” She felt disappointment. “D-do you know who she is? Did you get her name?”

Ralph thought for a while. “The witness went to the station to give her statement. She was in her mid-twenties. She saw you were unconscious when the two men brought you out of the car. She suspected something was wrong, so she immediately called the hotline.” the policeman answered, though Elaine noticed the slight wrinkle of his forehead while recollecting what happened. “If I remember correctly, Damara. Damara Fuego is her name.”

Reluctantly, Elaine pushed the rusty gate of the old house. She shut her eyes when it made a creaking sound.

She opened her eyes, breathed deep and stepped inside.

The two-story house was the only thing she owned after decades of working in the bar, selling illegal drugs, and selling herself to different men.

Elaine already felt a punch in her heart. Her mother threw away her self-respect just to raise her alone. Yet she was the ungrateful daughter who misunderstood her, disowned her, chose to leave her during the time she needed her most. Like the way she did to the only guy who truly loved her.

Even before Bettina passed away, she already transferred the title of the house and lot to her name. She never set foot in that house since she was gone three years ago.

The two-story house brought her pain and terror. She doesn’t have any good memories there aside from their old picture where Bettina was holding her when she was a baby.

Elaine’s whole body went cold while hesitantly walking inside the house. After opening the door with her key, her heartbeat kept getting louder and louder.

It had been three years, but she kept getting flashbacks from the things she didn’t want to remember anymore. Like a broken door that wouldn’t close however she pushed or pulled it.

Those painful fragmented memories and the excruciating flow of agony from her past were still there, stuck deep in her heart. She didn’t want to run scared her whole life. She wanted so much to close that painful chapter in her life and start new. If there was anything she wanted to go back to and run to, that would be Tan’s arms.

***

September 18, 2017.

Elaine’s feet brought her to Mang Chito’s bistro. She had a travel bag and luggage. She can’t go to Bettina’s house. She would be sent away by her mother just like she did when she got discharged from the hospital.

She cannot live under the same roof as her husband anymore. She started hating the very job he loved. There were times when the things that comes out her mouth are true. Subconsciously, she wanted to blame Tan for what happened to her.

But then, she felt more anger towards herself. She wasn’t able to protect her child and herself against an unknown man.

Every day, she felt like she was already a rotten, damaged good that can’t be revived, no matter how many times she took a bath and scrubbed her skin. She felt that man’s rough and disgusting hands have been stamped on her skin.

She could not allow Tan to touch her. She would get burned with a simple touch from him. And if she’d remain by her husband’s side, she’d only end up hurting and lying to him, and perhaps blaming him more. Which she knows is unfair and wrong.

No matter how Elaine tried to convince herself, she can’t get to trust Tan and tell him the truth. She is scared of his possible reaction.

How could he ever accept her lies before? She killed her mother in the story because she loathed her and was ashamed of her job. Her father, Silverio…the obscene man who almost raped her. The loss of their child that she hasn’t introduced to him.

He didn’t even have the chance to touch and caress her flat abdomen before. Tan was robbed of the opportunity to do all that.

Elaine blinked her eyes. The night Bettina sent her away, she learned of Silverio’s connection to the De Marcos. She slipped. When she insisted to know, she revealed the truth.

Silverio was obsessed with Tan’s mother, Charry. And the reason for his imprisonment for decades was Chase. When he finally got out of prison, he started to observe. He created a plan how to slowly get near the De Marcos.

Until he learned about her existence and her connection to the son of the girl he’s obsessed with. Silverio purposely tried to become close to her. He was a greedy person out for revenge.

He lost everything—fame, fortune, family—because of Tan’s parents. From the beginning, he kept asking her for big amounts of money.

And like a fool thirsty for a father’s love, he was able to convince her to withdraw a million from her savings account. She even bought him his own house unknown to Tan. Only to find out he used it all gambling and his other vices.

“Do you have any plans to eat? If you’d be like this, just go back to your husband. Don’t kill yourself from hunger. You’re not the only one suffering, but your husband too.”

Elaine stayed seated on the bed positioned on the rooftop of the bistro, hugging her knees.

Mang Chito sighed deeply. “What do you plan to do? Kill yourself and your husband of sadness? Will you just let Tan believe he had shortcomings and he didn’t take care of you that’s why your relationship was destroyed?”

“My mother and I will leave and go somewhere far. I’ll have her treated using the money I’ll get from Tan. Her life might be extended,” she replied.

“And what about Tan?”

Elaine blinked her eyes. And what about Tan…She has no choice but to set free. She is not that selfish to imprison a person in a relation that’s one sided. Tan trusted her. While she lied to him from the start.

She knew a relationship that lacks trust will go nowhere but to destruction. She just advanced it to save Tan and herself from greater pain. If they’re headed there, why wait any longer?

“Maybe you should rest, friend. I’ll bring you to your room,” Drew said and went near her before she and Mang Chito got into a heated discussion. She let her friend assist her to stand.

Her cell phone on the counter rang. After staring at it for a few seconds she picked up her phone. She couldn’t understand the nervousness she suddenly felt in her chest when Bettina’s name registered on screen.

That was the first time her mother called her, in such a long time.

“E-Elaine, help me…help me…”

She felt as if her head grew when she heard her mother’s scared and rough voice from the other end of the line.

She hurriedly went down the rooftop of the bistro with her car. She did not listen to Mang Chito and Drew who were trying to stop her. She would’ve made her car fly just to get to where her mother was in no time.

Right when she opened the door to the house, she saw a body of a man lying face down in the living room. Blood was all over. She got pinned to the ground she was standing on.

From the sink corner was Bettina shaking and staring blankly at the sprawled body. With heart beating loudly and weakened knees, she looked down at the knife at Bettina’s feet. There was blood on it.

“M-Mom…” said Elaine, not knowing what to do until finally she was able to force her feet to step towards Bettina. She hugged her tight when she noticed her body shaking.

She didn’t even notice she was trembling herself. She called 911 with hands shaking. She

At the same time her call went through, her mother spoke with a trembling voice.

“He deserved to die. He deserved to die. Just die! Die!”

Elaine was stunned. Unexplained nervousness again surfaced in her chest. Bravely, she brought her sight to the lifeless man lying on the floor.

She covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. The man bathing in his own blood is no one else but her father…