CHAPTER 15 - CAN'T IT JUST BE ME?

She calmed down after I took her out for a drive, but I can still see sadness in her eyes.

“What was that about? Ba't bigla na lang na gustong pakasalan ni Thyrone si Kierra?”

“I-I don't know, but Kierra talked to me.”

“What did she say?”

“She was telling me to leave, but I said no. Then she said there's another reason bukod sa pagkatao ko, and that reason will make me run away from Thyrone.”

“What? What reason is that?”

“I don't know, ever since nanggaling kami sa libingan ni mama, after that he became so cold.”

It happened again, dahil sa pinaubaya ko na siya kay Thyrone, she was hurt again. Napakatanga ko para hayaan siya na masaktan for the second time.

“Do you still want to go back to the company?”

“N-No, pag naririnig ko ang usapan about them, feeling ko madudurog ako bigla.”

“Okay, then I'll take you to my house instead.”

Alam kong pwede ko siya iuwi sa kanila, pero, I want her to stop crying in front of me. Pag inuwi ko siya sa kanila, I know she will cry harder. Gusto kong mapakalma ko siya bago siya umuwi. Besides, her father will be worried if makita niyang umiiyak ang anak niya.

Thyrone's POV

Habang nasa kotse kami, agad kong hininto ang pagmamaneho, malayo sa company.

“Why did you stopped?”

“Get out now, wala ng nakatingin na taga company.”

“No, I won't. I will go wherever you go.”

Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at dumiretso sa bar para uminom. Kahit na gano'n ang kinilos ko kay Ms. Raven, nasasaktan pa din ako pag naaalala ko na tumulo ang luha niya dahil sa'kin. I guess, I'm really a demon. Naghirap si Shaira because of me, but pati si Ms. Raven pinapahirapan ko. But what else can I do? Sa oras na malaman niyang namatay ang mama niya because of my dad, lalo siyang madudurog, it's the best if ako na lang mismo ang lalayo.

“Thyrone, we're here.” agad akong lumabas ng kotse, hindi ko tinitignan si Kierra at para lang umiinom mag isa.

“Can you even look at me? Hmm? We will getting married Thyrone so please kausapin mo naman ako.”

“Who said na papakasalan kita, remember that I only used you to hurt Ms. Raven.”

“In the end, siya pa din. Hindi ba pwedeng ako na lang?!” bigla niya kong pinagtaasan ng boses, pero hindi ko na lang siya pinansin.

“Hindi ko na kaya, Thyrone. Hindi ko na kaya na hindi mo manlang ako tinitignan, ako yung nandito hindi si Lumina!”

“Just stop.”

“Oh, okay. Siguro gugustuhin mo na din na lumayo sa kaniya if you know what her identity is.”

“What do you mean?” agad siyang naglabas ng papel, at pinabasa sa'kin.

“Read it! See? She's the Lumina Raven that you know, the girl you played with.”

“W-What? N-No, this is fake.”

“Okay, don't believe it. I have connections to investigate her background, she didn't include on her resume that she studied on Hope University first before she got scholarship from Harvard.”

Agad kong binato ang shot glass na hawak ko, and my tears fall quickly. She's her. She's the girl I played with before.

“Now, gugustuhin mo pa din ba siya? You wrecked her right? You broke her into smallest pieces right?! Now, you will not dare to like her even more. Dahil bukod sa sinira mo siya, namatay ang mama niya dahil sa papa mo. Let's see kung hindi ka mag makaawa sa'kin at bumalik sa'kin.” she left me just like that.

Lalo akong nadurog sa sinabi ni Kierra, she's right. I broke her, and I torn her family into pieces. But, why is she here? If she knows me, bakit hindi niya sinabi?

Clyde's POV

Pagdating namin sa bahay, I gave her water dahil habang nagd-drive ako ay tumutulo ang luha niya. She looks so tired, and devastated. Halos ayaw niya magsalita.

“Why did you bring me here? You can just drive me home though.” nanghihina ang boses niya at nakatulala lang siya.

“If inuwi agad kita, your dad will be worried pag nakita niyang ganyan ka. You should calm first and tell me everything she said, why did Kierra said that?”

“I don't even know, natatakot ako na malaman ni Thyrone ang pagkatao ko. At lalo pang nakakatakot na malaman ang sinasabi ni Kierra.”

Kierra must know something I don't, but what is it? Bukod sa identity ni Lumina, she still has a triumph card on her sleeve? Pero I don't know why Thyrone would go this far. Biglaan na lang na pumayag siyang pakasalan si Kierra, so that reason might something about Lumina and Thyrone. Maybe she blackmailed him about that reason para pumayag siya, pero anong reason 'yon?

“Clyde, I want to go back to the company?”

“Hmm? Why? You said you don't want to right?”

“Baka ando'n na si Thyrone, I wanna talk to him. I wanna ask him kung bakit biglaan siyang pumayag. I was still confused. Maybe, yung reason na sinasabi ni Kierra ang dahilan kung bakit pumayag si Thyrone. I want to know that reason.”

“Okay, but brace yourself. Baka saktan ka ng mga salita ng pinsan ko.” agad kong pinunasan ang luha niya.

I drove back to the company, at pagpasok pa lang namin ay nando'n na si Thyrone.

“Oh, you're here?”

“T-Thyrone.. C-Can we talk?”

“Ano pa bang pag uusapan natin?”

“Thyrone.” agad ko siyang sinuntok dahilan para mapatumba siya, sinundan niya din ako ng suntok at pumagitna sa'min si Lumina.

“Ano ba Clyde what are you doing?!”

“You hurt her again! Niloko mo nanaman siya!”

“Oh, so you also know her identity? Na siya si Lumina Raven from Hope University?!”

Lumina's POV

“H-How did you know that?” sambit ko, how did he know about me?

“Kierra told me. Why Lumina?! Why?! Why did you hide your identity?! Para sa'n?!” napatahimik na lang ako.

“Oh, is it.. to get back to me? Is it for revenge?! Gano'n ba kalala ang ginawa ko sayo para lokohin mo 'ko ng ganito?!”

“Oo! Gano'n kalala ang nangyari sa'kin! You don't know what happened that umalis ka at iniwan ang gulong ginawa mo! But for me, it's a hell. Okay na sana kung ako lang, pero nadamay pati pamilya ko sa ginawa mo!”

“What are you talking about Lumina?” agad na nagsalita si Clyde.

“You don't know right? After you left, pati si Papa at kapatid ko nadamay! They threw rock on us dahilan para matamaan ang kapatid ko at masaktan ang papa ko! And nakuha pang sabihin ng magulang nila na mag sorry daw ako, when kami 'tong biktima ng ginawa nila! Because of that kinailangan pa ulit magtrabaho ni Papa para lang mabayaran ang ospital! He bowed his head at nagmakaawa dahil balak ako tanggalan ng scholarship sa Harvard. All because of what you did!”

“W-What?”

“So I sworn to myself, na gagantihan kita, ibabalik ko yung ginawa mo sa'kin! But.. I fell in love with you, nalaman ko na mas malala pala ang nangyayari sayo, nalaman ko na mas masakit ang pinagdadaanan mo! So I stopped, but.. bigla mo kong niloko, just when I was ready to commit myself, bigla kang nagsabi na papakasalan mo si Kierra.”

“If you stopped, why did you still hide it from me?! You have so many chances to say it!”

“Because, I was scared. I'm scared na mawala ka sa'kin, I'm scared na bigla mo kong iwan just because ako yung taong kilala mo dati. Now, my turn to ask you, why did you want to marry Kierra?! You said you like me, you said you have feelings for me! Then why?!”

“Because of a reason, a reason na hindi mo kakayanin pag nalaman mo. A reason na pag nalaman mo, mas gugustuhin mong layuan ako.”

“So in the end, hindi mo talaga sasabihin?”

“I'm sorry Lumina.”

Agad na lang akong umalis at sinundan naman ako ni Clyde.

Thyrone's POV

It hurt, it hurts so much. Pero mas gugustuhin ko ng saktan ka ng ganito, na kasabay ay nasasaktan din ako. Kaysa malaman mo ang dahilan ng pagkamatay ng mama mo.

Clyde's POV

Again, I'm with her, she's crying. I didn't know na grabe ang inabot niya five years ago. Hindi ko alam na pati pamilya niya nadamay.

“In the end, hindi niya sinabi ang reason kung bakit biglaan ang lahat. At alam niya na kung sino ako, I feel like, I want to run away somewhere and hide.” nilapitan ko siya, habang nakatingin siya sa alon ng dagat.

“Go and hide, But I will find you no matter what.”

“Pasensya ka na Clyde, nadamay ka pa sa nangyayari.”

“Nung una pa lang, involved na 'ko.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“You really don't remember me, Lumina?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember, when someone talked to you at night 5 years ago? While you were feeding a cat? A guy with face mask?”

“Yeah but— hey, that was.. you?!”

“HAHA you remembered it now? Oo, ako 'yon. I met you first than Thyrone.”

“What a coincidence.” she smiled, at last.

“Bago pa man mapunta si Thyrone do'n, ako ang unang nakipag usap sa university niyo. Thyrone was busy being a jerk and sleeping with other women around, but since yung branch namin ang pinakamalapit sa main branch, ako ang ginawang representative ng Fierre Company. Magmemeeting sana kami no'n, then, I met you. You were holding a book while walking, busy reading. Nabangga mo ko but hindi ka manlang tumingin sa'kin, normally people will look at you and will say sorry, but you only said thanks in a cold voice without looking at me. You caught my attention back then, second time, I saw you on the cafeteria, that's when nalaman ko na nabubully ka. That's when I knew your name. Hindi ka na matanggal sa isip ko no'n.”

“H-Hey.. What do you mean?” I looked at her, with all seriousness and sincereness.

“You don't know it but, I fell first before Thyrone. I liked you first bago pa man siya dumating. Although nung nakarating na ang pinsan ko no'n, agad akong napapunta sa Australia. But, I tried to find you para magconfess. Pero, hindi na kita nakita. Nabalitaan ko na lang na sinaktan ka ni Thyrone.”

Lumina's POV

Dahil sa mga sinabi niya, napatulala na lang ako. Bigla niyang hinawakan ang kamay ko at kasabay no'n ang paghampas ng mga alon at malamig na hangin.

“Lumina, I know that you have feelings for my cousin. I also thought na okay na 'ko if you are happy with him. But when I saw you crying this morning, I suddenly had a change of heart, and told myself something.”

“W-What is it?”

“It's that, I won't let you go again. That is the last time that I will send you far away from me. I don't care if you love him, I will wait until you like me back. I will continue this unsaid feelings five years ago. I won't make you cry like how Thyrone made you weep like that. I'll take care you.”

Namula bigla ang pisngi ko ng sinabi niya yon, but I don't feel butterflies. Nahiya lang ako, pero halos wala akong maramdaman ng sinabi niya 'yon.

“Clyde, you know how much I love your cousin.”

“Of course.”

“So why? Why are you risking your feelings for me?”

“Because I hate seeing you cry because of him. Halos mabaliw ako nung makita kong umiiyak ka. I want to see you smile.”

“But—”

“No buts, Lumina. Just give me a chance, just one chance, to prove that I'm better than him.”

After one broken morning, he suddenly confessed to me like that.

Clyde's POV

Pinauwi ko siya agad, and alam ko naman na sa bar pupunta si Thyrone to drink again. So dumiretso ako do'n and I'm right, he's drinking. Sinalubong ko siya ng suntok.

“How dare you, make her cry?!”

“You jerk!” sunod-sunod na suntok ang binigay ko sa kaniya, at sinuntok niya din ako.

“Concerned about her?! Ano bang pakialam mo sa'min?!”

“Wala akong pake sayo, pero sa taong sinaktan mo, meron! I like her first five years ago! I met her first!”

“W-What?”

“So, no matter what the reason you were hiding, I will take her from you. Just go marry Kierra, I will make Lumina happy! I know I can, more than you!” akma na akong aalis, pero bigla siyang nagsalita ng dahil sa kalasingan.

“That reason.. Once she know that, madudurog siya ng husto. Kaya mas gugustuhin ko ng lumayo siya sa'kin agad, kaysa masaktan siya ng sobra.”

“Don't be concern anymore, Thyrone. Ako ng bahala sa taong sinaktan mo.”

“Sa oras na malaman niya ang dahilan ng pagkamatay ng mama niya, she will run from me, and hate me for life.”

“What? Why are you suddenly talking about her mother? Pati ba mama niya gagamitin mo na just to make reason?!”

“Her mom, her mom died because of my father.”

“What? What are you talking about?!”