Chapter 33 – Deafening Silence.

Hindi akalain ni Ally na seseryosohin ni Ethan ang pagpo-propose ulit kapag may dala na itong singsing. Pero si Ethan Montenegro ito, whatever he says, he will do.

Ang pinaka hindi niya talaga mapaniwalaan ay ang makatanggap pa ng marriage proposal kahit nasa bingit na siya ng kamatayan.

Hindi niya deserve iyon. Lalo at nararamdaman na niyang napakalapit na niya sa hukay. Each passing day was already getting dimmer. She knew it. She could feel it.

Hindi rin deserve ni Ethan na pakasalan ang isang taong maaaring mamatay na ano mang oras. Napakaaga nitong magiging widower kung sakali. He deserves someone who could grow old with him. Hindi katulad niya na isang cell na lang ata ang hindi pa pumipirma para tuluyan na siyang mamaalam.

She couldn't hurt Ethan like that.

'Come on, Allison. Give the man some credit. He is not even thinking of that. He only wanted to marry you. Besides, the marriage needs not to be registered if you will pass away before it reaches the civil registry,' her mind told her.

Hindi masama kung pagbibigyan niya ang kahilingan nito. Hindi masama kung hahayaan niya ito at ang sarili niya na maging masaya kahit na sa kaunting sandali na lang na mayroon pa siya.

It wouldn't count as selfishness to marry him, right? Knowing she might not last another day with him?

"Allison," untag ni Ethan na hindi na itinago ang pagluha. "Let me fulfill my promise to you back then. Please marry me," pakiusap nito.

Humagulgol siya ng iyak. Pero sa hindi mapigilang mga luha ay ang kanyang pagtango. Tanda ng kanyang pagpayag.

"Yes, I will marry you," aniya sa mahinang tinig. Kahit siya hindi niya masyadong narinig ang boses niya.

When she looked at Ethan again, he was crying tears of joy habang isinusuot sa kanyang daliri ang napakagandang singsing.

"Thank you, Ally!" Maingat siya nitong niyakap pagkatapos.

"I don't know if I deserved this, If I deserved you…" she whispered.

"I love you, Allison. Sana maging sapat ang pagmamahal ko para mawala ang mga agam-agam mo," he answered while cupping her face.

She nodded at him. Bahala na.

—-

They began planning their wedding at once. Doon na rin mismo sa shelter. Sa rooftop. Silang dalawa, ang mama nito at si Kyla, sina Zion, Analise, Leio, at Shanna. Syempre isama pa sina Yanah, Bea at si Ashton. And a few friends na pasyente rin doon. And of course, Ally's best friends, Michael and Katie via video call.

Ethan said that his parents couldn't come kasi busy ang mga ito.

"Baka si Tita Andrea pa ang sumigaw ng itigil ang kasal," biro ng dalaga.

"Silly," saad niya. "Alam ko na hindi maganda ang naging simula ninyo ni Mama, but do you know, when I told her about our wedding, she didn't object."

Bilang respeto, sinabihan niya ang kanyang mga magulang. Nakaalis na si Andrea ng bansa and leaving Ally to tell his parents about his plans of marrying her was not an option, kaya nag-video call na lang silang pamilya.

His dad didn't say anything maliban sa tanong nito kung sigurado na ba siya. As for his mother whom he expected to disagree with his plan, wala itong komento maliban sa malaki na raw siya at may tiwala itong alam niya ang ginagawa niya.

It was heartwarming to hear Andrea say that she trusted him. Alam niyang nag-aalala ang mga ito. Pero wala siyang magagawa kung talagang kulang sa emosyon ang kanilang pamilya.

Gayunpaman, hindi niya maiwasang maiyak as he thanked them.

"Really?" may pagdududa sa tinig ni Ally.

"Guess you've earned Mama's respect when you didn't spend the twenty million that she signed for you."

Mahinang tumawa ang dalagang nakasubsob sa dibdib niya. Sa ganoong posisyon nila, nararamdaman niya minsan ang paghihirap nito sa paghinga.

"Hindi nga kasi ako papayag sa milyones. Hindi ako cheap."

He chuckled, remembering clearly when she said she could not be bribed with millions because she knew that they're making billions.

"I love you, Ethan," she added, whispering against his chest bago napayapa na ang paghinga nito.

Ally fell asleep in his arms once again.

He cried silently. How long could he still do that? To let her sleep in his arms?

He wasted so much time! Hanggang sa mga sandaling iyon ay hindi pa niya mapatawad ang kanyang sarili na naniwala siyang niloko lang siya nito noon.

Sana, sana, napakalaking sana na naagapan ang sakit nito.

Now, all he could do was to leave everything behind for moments like this with Allison. Wala na siyang pakialam sa kahit anong maaapektuhan ng desisyon niyang manatili lamang sa tabi ng babaeng mahal niya.

Ano ang gamit ng pera niya? Bakit sa kabila ng lahat ng mayroon siya, wala siyang mabilhan ng kagalingan para kay Ally? Bakit hindi niya madugtungan ang buhay nito?

Why must he watch helplessly while his beloved slowly succumbs to death?

Napakasakit.

Bawat minutong lumilipas, parang pinipiraso-piraso ang puso niya. Unti-unti ay namamatay rin ang pag-asa niya kasabay nang papahinang kalagayan ni Allison.

Why must it be the woman he loves of all people? She was not a bad person!

Bakit ito pa???

Yet, Ethan knew, he couldn't do anything anymore.

—

"Mama," buhos ang luha nilang mag-iina when they finally saw each other.

Her mother, Amelia, couldn't believe her condition. Sa hirap na pananalita, in denial ito sa nakitang kalagayan niya.

Ganoon din si Kyla na ang buong akala ay nagpapagaling na lamang siya.

"I'm sorry!" anas niyang hindi malaman kung paano patatahanin ang ina at kapatid.

"A-ally," ginagap ni Amelia ang mga kamay niya. "B-bakit hin-di mo si-sinabi?"

"Ayaw ko kayong mag-alala," sabi niya. "I'm sorry, Ma… Ky, sorry!"

"Ate!" patuloy lang sa pag-iyak ang kapatid niya.

They stayed like that, just crying over the next several minutes. Ally knew that her apology could no longer undo their pain. Pero paano ba dapat ang kanyang ginawa?

"A-anak, ina mo a-ko. Na-paka-sakit!"

"Sorry, Ma!"

Perhaps, she did decide wrongly. Ang tangka niyang pagprotekta sa mga mahal niya sa buhay ay siya ring matinding pasakit sa mga ito.

Mali siya. She hurt them. She failed them.

Kung may pinrotektahan siya, 'yon ay ang sarili niya mismo. Natakot siyang makasakit. But because she was scared she might hurt them, she ended up hurting them more.

How would she tell them now that everything she did was for them when it was clear as the daylight that she only made things worse for all of them?

"L-lumaban k-ka," pakiusap ni Amelia. "Wa-lang kwenta a-ng lahat ng m-mga sinasabi m-mo na h-hindi mo nai-bigay sa amin ng k-kapatid mo. I-ikaw ang kailangan na-min, a-anak!"

"Ate, lumalaban kami kasi sabi mo, uuwi ka na! Bakit ganito?!" masama ang loob na umiiyak pa ring sabi ni Kyla.

And it hurts Ally dahil kilala niya si Ky. Hindi ito basta-basta nanunumbat.

"Sorry!"

Niyakap na lang siya ng mga ito. She was crying until she heard a deafening silence. Sunod ay ang tila paputol-putol na lalakas at hihinang mga boses.

She didn't know what happened next.

Allison passed out in her mother's arms…