Chapter 19

Chapter 19



"Did you lock the door?"


Blake looked up, confused. I sat unrest at the edge of the bed, glancing nervously at the doorway.


"Palagi ko namang nilo-lock ang pinto, ah? Bakit?" nagtataka niyang tanong.


"Did you double-check?" I said, full of anxiety.


"Why? Are you worried that your cousin will hear us?" he smirked. "Don't worry. Last I checked, all private rooms are sound-proof."


Hindi ako umimik. Nawala ang ngisi sa mga labi ni Blake at nilapitan ako.


"Ok. Something's definitely wrong. What is it, Anna?"


Nag-iwas ako ng tingin sa kaniya at kinagat ang ibabang labi. I don't know how to explain it to him without sounding like a crazy woman. Napakababaw ko pa kung papatulan ko ang mga sinabi ni Valerie na ngayo'y nakakulong sa isang mental institution?


I fidgeted with my fingers nervously. I don't know where to start. I've avoided it for too long and now I just have to confront it to him. He deserves to know. What's the point of getting married if I can't even trust him with my problems?


"Anna...?"


I sighed and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya. I feel so guilty that all I do is make him worry about me all the time. I know he said he's going to stick with me even if things go shitty but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try to fix things up, right?


"It's Valerie..."


Naningkit kaagad ang mga mata niya at nagseryoso. Blake sat in front of me, holding my hand and patiently waiting for me to continue while I try to find the right words.


"I-I don't know what she's talking about, really... it's just... I received this very creepy letter that must only be coming from her and went to confront her about it... and then she said it's not her and said something like imprisoning the wrong person."


"Please tell me you didn't go alone to that mental institution." There were silent pleading and frustration in his voice. I can't believe he blatantly ignored the fact that I lied to him and cared more about my safety.


Namuo ang mga luha sa mata ko at marahang umiling.


"No, I didn't... Salvador was with me."


Blake gave a huge sigh of relief.


"But Blake..." I looked up to him, tears streaming down my face. "I can't sleep well ever since that day. What does she mean by that? From my point of view, she's trying to say that it wasn't her all along. That there is someone else and she's coming for me. I-I'm afraid... I even asked my cousin to spend the night here because I'm so paranoid that she might just show up and do something evil!"


"Anna... shh..." inalo ako ni Blake nang tuluyan na akong mapaiyak.


"I hurts to see her like that, so empty and dead. I did that to her, right? I might as well have killed her. She said because of me, she can't protect her kids anymore. What if I'm putting them in danger by locking up Valerie? The doctor said I shouldn't take what she said seriously because she is mentally unstable... but... but..."


"Anna, nothing bad is going to happen to you, okay?" he assured me. "I'm here. Your family is here and we will protect you no matter what. Kahit ako ay hindi rin maintindihan kung anong ibig sabihin ni Valerie. But if she's trying to spell out danger for you, I promise you she won't be able to touch even a strand of your hair again. Can you leave this to me, hmm? You don't need to worry about it."


"Blake..." I sobbed. "She's a mother. She have Steven and Kate and I..." kumalat na ang hapdi sa buong dibdib ko dahilan upang mahirapan ako sa paghinga. Patuloy si Blake sa paghagod sa likod at marahang pinupunasan ang mga luha na umaagos sa pisngi ko. "I think I just ruined a family..."


"No, you didn't." he whispered. "She ruined a family and then proceeded to destroy her own. None of this is your fault, Anna."


"Don't patronize me..." I slightly pushed him away, frowning. "You know how much I thirst for revenge after everything that's happened. A part of me just want to justify everything I did. An eye for an eye, right? She took so much of me and I at some point I thought it was right to serve justice by myself. But now, I'm not so sure with my decisions anymore."


"Can you be a little kinder to yourself?" he sighed. "You're too hard on yourself and you don't give enough credits, Anna. I don't even know if I can survive going through half the shit you had. All I want now is to not make your life any harder that it is. But baby, I can't do that if you don't stop punishing yourself..."


He make so much sense when he talk me out of these things. Nahihiya akong yumuko at nag-iwas ng tingin.


"Get some rest. If it will make you feel any better, I'll double check the doors again and watch you all night. Isn't that romantic for our official honeymoon?"


I snorted through my tears and glared at him. Nagagawa pa niyang magbiro!


Akala ko talaga nagbibiro lang siya pero nang magising ako kinabukasan, nakita kong natutulog siyang nakaupo sa tabi ng kama. I instantly felt guilty and foolish for being affected by it that it also affected Blake. Sighing, I got up and wrapped my body with a satin robe. Least I could do is prepare him a good breakfast after what I've put him through the night.


Nang makababa ako, nakita kong nakatayo sa harap ng stove si Dr. Ciervo. He's furiously tapping something with his phone while his other hand is busy with the pot. Tumaas ang kilay ko at nakitang kinakabahang nakatingin sa kaniya ang mga kasambahay.


"Good morning, doc."


He instantly turned around and gave me a big grin. "Good morning! I'm intruding in your kitchen, is that OK?"


"It's fine." I dismissed him with a slight wave of a hand and sat down. "So... what are you doing?"


"I'm trying to cook something but Tina doesn't like garlic so I'm looking for an alternative on the internet."


I bit my lower lip to prevent a smile from spreading on my face. "Oh, so you're cooking a breakfast for her? Sounds like a husband-ish thing to me."


Kaagad namula ng dulo ng tainga niya sa sinabi ko. He also stiffened a bit.


"I-It's just... your cousin had always been upset with me lately so maybe I could do something? Valentina always calm down when I give her food."


"Why is she mad at you?"


"I... don't know?" nagtataka din niyang wika. "She told me to get a date and I said no because I'm not in the mood and she got mad. When I said I'm bringing a date, she also got mad at me. Hindi ko nalang dinala para iwas away."


I have to laugh out loud at what he said. Nakukuryuso niya akong tinitigan.


"Is there... something wrong? Did I do something bad?" he asked nervously.


"Oh, doc. You're so cute." I giggled. "You really like my cousin, huh?"


Hindi siya nakasagot at mas lalo lamang namula ang mukha sa sinabi ko. Lumawak ang ngiti ko nang mapagtanto. He doesn't need to say it out loud. It's written all over his face.


"Why not try to win her back?"


"Heh... believe me, your cousin is a... she's a lot." He cleared his throat. "She's always mad at me and I know it's just a matter of time before she stabs me with a scalpel because I'm always getting at her nerves."


"Maybe she's just confused about her feelings. Give her some time, hmm?"


"Yeah..."


I let him do his thing on the kitchen and asked for some food after he was done then went upstairs. Natutulog pa rin si Blake sa upuan kaya inilapag ko muna ang tray at marahan siyang ginising.


"Hey..."


He groaned a bit, lazily opening his eyes. I bet his neck and back hurt from sleeping in the chair.


"Good morning..." I said in a sing-song voice.


A small, lazy smile appeared on his lips despite being half awake.


"Morning, baby..."


"I brought you some breakfast. Hindi ako nagluto but it's the thought that counts right?" I giggled.


Blake finally got up and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the food I brought him.


"Okay ka na ba? Nakatulog ka nang maayos kagabi?"


I nodded. "I've given it some thought, Blake. And you're right. I should give myself some credit. We've gone this far and I shouldn't let these small things worry me."


"I'm glad to hear it."


"Dr. Ciervo cooked that breakfast? Isn't it romantic?" I said with dreamy eyes.


Blake just grunted but ate it anyway. I snuggled close to him in the bed after eating. Both of us have decided to spend the day inside. Umalis na rin sina Tina at Dr. Ciervo shortly after breakfast.


"It feels so weird to be slowing down..."


"What do you mean?" Blake asked in a soft voice, stroking my hair while we were cuddled up in the middle of the bed.


"It's just... I'm always doing something to distract myself from loneliness before—parties, galas, road trips, ballet performances, taking Barin out... you name it. Sometimes, I'd watch a lousy film with friends I don't even like so I won't be alone with my thoughts. I thought I was doing fine before but this..." I sighed dreamily and felt luxurious in the comfort of his warmth. "This feels like the peace I've been looking for my entire life."


Blake kissed the top of my head and hugged me close. "You've been through a lot, Anna. I know I shouldn't glorify resiliency because you don't deserve to go through half the bad things that has happened to you but I couldn't help but admire you more, worship you more, and love you more each time I see you rising from your ashes. It's made you who you are and the best woman I could ever ask for. I'm so lucky you married me." he chuckled. "I mean, who would've thought, right?"


I snorted, reminiscing all those times we were together before when everyone were still here. It's all in the past now and at least Blake is part of the few good memories I had. I closed my eyes and dozed to sleep wrapped around his arms.


When I woke, I felt weird. The room is cold and dark but I could feel Blake's presence next to me. He's sitting and staring at me. I moved a bit and sighed when he touched my ankle. Slowly dragging my gaze down, I stared at my full, rounded belly. It seemed so real that I could almost feel a life growing inside of me. My heart jumped to my throat. I'm pregnant, naked, and lying in the same bed with Blake...


I closed my eyes and felt at peace. Questions after questions melted inside of my head. When I open my eyes again, it was a different feeling. I was still secured in his arms but this time, I'm fully clothed and felt empty.


"Did I just dream of being pregnant...?" I said out loud, chuckling softly yet I could feel the silent tears rolling down my cheeks. "What a weird day."


Blake is snoring softly next to me. I glanced at the digital clock and saw it's already late in the evening. Did we just sleep the day off? Mahihilo na ata ako kakatulog.


Dahan-dahan kong inalis ang braso ni Blake mula sa tiyan ko at tumayo. I stretched in front of the full-size mirror and checked my flat tummy. Nope... not pregnant. It was definitely a dream.


"Well, being a mother is not so bad..." I murmured to myself. "I could be like Mom! I mean, I'm not as half as good and elegant as her, but I'll try to raise my son or daughter the way she did to me. At least that's something I could be proud of soon, right?"


My reflection just stared at me and I got no answer. Natawa ako sa sarili. Why am I even talking to myself? nababaliw na ba ako? maybe a glass of water would clear my head.


Sinulyapan ko ulit ang asawa. himbing na himbing pa rin siya sa tulog niya. I don't want to wake him up for late dinner, so I'll just wait for the morning to come and prepare something for him. I pushed the door opened and headed downstairs.


Habang bumababa ay pasulyap-sulyap ako sa paligid. Would my mother be mad or disappointed at me for selling this house? Am I defiling my duties as their heiress? I'm just afraid that if I start a family here, my kids would end up having nightmares sleeping in a room where Valerie's ghost would hunt them. There are more bad memories than good one. I don't want to make up stories about this mansion soon when they start to ask questions about it.


Blake is right. We should start over again somewhere far from here.


Nadatnan ko si Barin na natutulog sa living room. I gazed at my enormous puma adoringly for a good few seconds before I noticed something. He's not moving at all.


My heart almost leaped to my throat as I run towards him.


"Barin...?"


I placed a hand on his thick, black fur and went stiff. I waited for a few seconds before I started to feel his fading heart beat again. it was the most agonizing three seconds of my life as I held my breath and exhaled loudly.


"Shit. I'm never gonna forgive myself if something bad happened to you without me knowing..." I murmured. I tried to wake him up but he wouldn't budge. Kinagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi. I wished I brought my phone with me so I could call someone and have him checked as soon as possible.


Pinilit ko ang sariling tumayo. I need some water first and then I'll go upstairs and try to ask Blake for some help. I don't think he'd be able to wait until tomorrow...


With my heart slowly sinking to my feet, I dragged myself to the kitchen and switched on the lights. Dark, cat-like eyes met mine immediately and slowly, a pair of vermillion lips lifted into a smirk. My pulse raced as I stood frozen on the ground, not believing my eyes. The satin gown she wore dripped like blood on her fair, slender body as she nursed a tall glass of wine casually. She tilted her head a bit and gazed at me, before a full smile spread on her lips.


"Good evening, darling..."


-


#HanmariamRBIIChapter19

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