Chapter 84

Artemis’ POV

We’ll just ruin each other. That’s the only thing that going on my mind for days. I’m going to mess with his life again. I’m just a poisonous person in his life. Someone who he will forgive even I do something worst. Laging ganoon. And I don’t want it. I don’t want to see him that way. I can’t forgive anyone who’s ruining him and I’m not exempt at all.

“Umbrielle.” Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat nang may magsalita sa likod ko.

“Tulala ka na naman. Ang lalim na naman niyang iniisip mo,” sambit ni Ares sa akin. Kita ko ang mga mata niyang nagtataka habang nakatingin sa akin ngayon. Napakagat lang ako sa aking labi.

“It’s nothing,” ani ko bago tipid na ngumiti sa kaniya.

“Sino na namang niloko mo? Kapatid mo ako, Artemis,” aniya na napailing pa sa akin.

“Even on your therapist, hindi ka nagsasalita. You just choose the words that you wanted to say…” aniya na napatitig pa muli.

“Ayos lang ako. Hindi mo ako kailangang alalahanin, Ares. Kanina ka pa hinihintay ni Zelo. Pumasok ko na muna sa loob,” ani ko. Zelo is already recovering kaya paunti-unti niya nang tinutuloy ang kaniyang trabaho. Ares is helping him with some of his work.

Sumunod na rin ako matapos kong nahalo ang malamig ng kape na ginawa dahil sa pagkatulala. Nagtungo lang ako sa opisina dala-dala ‘yon.

Agad kong narinig ang usapan nila. They are talking about what happened to those people who did that to us.

“Don’t worry. Since the remaining people that we see in that place are already in jail including the vice president, it would be easy to just fuck with them one by one. Their mastermind, Honey, was found dead too so it will be fine…” ani Ares. Tahimik lang ako habang nakikinig. Nang makita ako’y agad silang tumahimik. My brother doesn’t want me to involve about this again kaya hindi ko siya mapigilang samaan ng tingin.

“I told you if you have something to say about those incident, sa akin mo sasabihin. Zelo’s not yet well. He’s still recovering,” sambit ko kay Ares. Wala na naman itong balak makinig kaya napairap na lang din ako sa kaniya.

“But what about Ms. Yu? Is she fine now?” tanong ko. Marami rin ang sugat at pasang natamo ni Ms. Yu. Her father was one of the people who also plan those things and he’s already in jail now.

“She’s doing okay now. Some of Zelo’s bodyguards are still guarding her though,” ani Ares kaya napatango ako. I would like to visit her too. I’m thankful that she told me about the kids that day.

Iyon ang ginawa ko sa sumunod na araw habang abala si Zelo at nagho-homeschool naman ang dalawang bata.

“Hey,” nakangiti kong bati sa kaniya nang pumasok ako sa opisina niya. Agad na naningkit ang mga mata ko nang makita si Junio na malapit sa kaniya habang k-in-o-korner ito. Agad nga lang niyang tinulak si Junio habang pulang-pula ang kaniyang mukha. Habang ang lalaki’y tila hindi man lang nahiya. Lukot-lukot pa ang kaniyang necktie at mayroon stain ng lipstick sa gilid ng kaniyang labi.

Alam kong si Junio ang nagbabantay rito subalit hindi ko alam na may ganitong ganap.

Napataas ang kilay ko nang bumati ito at panandaliang lumayo lang. He’s still in the room. Para bang walang balak umalis kaya hindi ko na lang mapigilan ang ngumisi bago nilingon si Ms. Yu na pulang-pula ang mukha ngayon. Napatikhim siya at inanyayahan akong maupo.

“Hindi ko alam na maaga ka palang pupunta, Body—I mean Artemis,” aniya sa akin.

“Pasensiya na sa istorbo. Looks like the two of you are in the middle of something. Pinapasok na ako ng ‘yong sekretarya,” sambit ko kaya halos masamid siya sa kaniyang sariling laway.

“We are not in the middle of something! And he’s nothing to me,” agad nitong saad. Nagsalita naman si Junio dahil doon.

“You just told me earlier that I’m your boyfriend now.” These two. I didn’t even have any idea that there was something going on between the two of them.

“Shut up,” ani Ms. Yu at inirapan na ito. Napatikhim na lang siya bago ako hinarap.

“Anyways, don’t mind him. May I ask why did you go here to meet me? Is it about my father?” tanong niya.

“No, I just want to thank you for that day. We wouldn’t even know about where the kids are if you just didn’t tell us…” ani ko na napatingin ksa kaniya.

Mariin niya lang na kinagat ang kaniyang labi bago napabuntonghininga.

“Even if I’m not Hades’ Mom, mahalaga sa akin ang batang ‘yon. And I can’t turn blind eyes to something like that. I don’t have any single idea that things like that is happening… I just knew about that nang tapusin ni Zelo ang deal naming dalawa. At first, I was indenial. I don’t want to end it dahil sigurado akong malilintikan ako sa ama ko kung sakali. And that’s what happened.” Nakikinig kang ako sa kaniya habang nakatingin.

“They lock me in the room and he started trying to get on the side of other politicians. Until I heard them talking about what they are planning to do. I don’t have anything, mahigpit na mahigpit ang lugar sa dami ng guards na nakabantay sa akin but that day, they went to some event at nagawa kong makatakas. Bugbog nga lang ang inabot when I called you,” she said before laughing as if she didn’t go through something horrible.

“That’s why I wanted to say sorry again, Artemis. My father is one of the people who did thay to your family,” sambit niya sa akin. Nanatili lang ang tingin ko sa kaniya roon.

“You don’t have to apologize to something you didn’t do. Your father is the one who should.” Ang daling sabihin but you can’t even do that yourself, Artemis. You still feel sorry for everything. But that was my fault. I was the one who did that myself even if we say that I was forced to.

“No, not just that but also for all the mean things I did to you… Even if I don’t have any romantic feelings for Zelo and I was just really scared to go back home once our deal is off, I was just really irritated by the fact that he was still dead overheels inlove with you kahit na sinabi na nilang lahat na you just left him. Na pati ang anak mo’y iniwan mo na lang nang ganoon ganoon sa kaniya,” anito.

“But that guy was seriously a mess when it comes to you.”