TATLONG araw na ang lumipas at nanatili lang si Nero sa loob ng kuwarto. May nakabantay sa labas ng pinto kaya hindi rin siya makalabas. Binibigyan lang siya ng pagkain kapag oras nang kumain subalit kahit isang subo ay hindi niya ginawa. He would rather starve than eat the food cooked by his father.

Tinignan niya ang sugatan niyang paa na ngayo'y napapalibutan ng bandage.

Humiga siya sa kama habang iniisip si Enigma.

Tatlong araw no'ng huli niya itong makita. Hinintay niyang bumalik ang babae sa araw na iyon pero hanggang ngayon, walang Enigma ang bumalik sa kaniya.

Napakuyom ang kaniyang kamao. He couldn't accept it. There was no way Enigma would exchange him just for money. He knew how she loved money so much, but to this extent? She would never going to do it.

Maybe Dad framed her on something else.

Just as how much he wondered where she was, too many maybes had also been running in his mind. Maybe she didn't have a choice. Maybe she received a threat. Maybe she was blackmailed.

Or maybe it was just really about money.

Umiling siya at kaagad na winaksi iyon sa isipan. Nagsisimula na namang mamuo ang luha sa mga mata niya. His heart had been throbbing in pain. Even though his mind had been saying him to not hope for her anymore, he couldn't just let her go.

He wanted her to return. He wanted to see her. Wala na siyang paki kung pinagpalit nga siya nito sa pera basta bumalik lang ang babae.

She couldn't just leave him here. After all that they had shared together, there was no way she would just going to throw it away. Pero hindi rin naman imposible dahil hindi siya gusto ng babae. She clearly told him that she didn't like him.

But I love her.

He wanted to be by her side so bad. He missed her so much.

Bumukas ang pinto dahilan para mapabangon siya sa kama. Biglang umikot ang kaniyang tingin dahilan sa biglaan niyang pagbangon, resulta na rin ito sa tatlong araw niyang walang kain.

"Yo, Nero!" Bumungad sa kaniya ang naka-wheel chair na si Alex.

He glared at the sight of the man who was now smirking at him.

"Whoa. It's not me who imprisoned you so don't glare at me like that." Tumawa ito. "I can't believe it, Nero. Anak ka pala ni Engineer Pandora." Pumalakpak pa ito, tuwang-tuwa sa nalaman.

Hindi siya sumagot.

"Kawawa ka naman. Iniwan ka pa ng girlfriend mo."

Hinawakan niya nang mahigpit ang kaniyang unan nang banggitin nito si Enigma.

"Gusto ko pa sanang gumanti, but she already went away. Tsk. I also want to taste her again though." Napapikit ito na para bang inalala ang araw na naghalikan sila ni Enigma. "Her lips taste so good."

Kaagad na lumubo ang galit ni Nero dahil sa sinabi nito. Binato niya sa pagmumukha ng lalaki ang unan.

"Pilay!" sigaw niya at salubong ang mga kilay na tinignan ang lalaking inalis kaagad ang unan na tumama sa mukha.

En will never kiss you again! She doesn't even like you.

"You fucking asshole!" galit nitong sigaw sa kaniya at itutulak na sana ang wheelchair upang makalapit sa kaniya pero muling nagbukas ang pinto.

Sabay silang napatingin sa direksyon ng pintuan.

Lalong umusbong ang galit niya nang makita ang pagmumukha ng ama. May hawak itong stuff toy.

"Alex, can you get out for a while? I need to talk to my son."

Mabilis namang sinunod iyon ni Alex. Lumabas ito at sila na lang dalawa ng ama ang naiwan sa loob.

Naglakad ito papalapit sa kaniya at umupo sa dulo ng kama. Iniwasan ni Nero ang mga tingin nito at pinokus sa stuff toy na hawak.

The brown stuff toy he always put beside him on his bed. The brown stuff toy given by his mom. All of the toys he had in his rooms were all given by her mother when he was still young.

"How are you, Nero?"

Muntik na siyang masuka nang makita ang ngiti nito. Mga ngiting mapagpanggap.

"Let g-go . . . of t-that." Turo niya sa stuff toy. Aagawin na niya sana ito pero iniwas ng ama ang kamay.

"I guess you're starting to get your speech back. That's good." Tumango-tango pa ito. "Anyway, why aren't you eating? 'Di ba paborito mo ang mga luto ko dati?"

Bumalik ang mga alaala sa isipan niya no'ng kumpleto pa sila. That time, he was closed with his father more because they almost had the same likes. Sports, games, and watching movies were just some of the things they'd like doing.

Mabait din ang ama sa kaniya. Lahat ng gusto niya, binibigay nito at kapag pinapagalitan siya ng ina, ang ama ang palagi niyang tagapagtanggol.

Hindi niya lubos maisip na dadating sa puntong ito na hindi na niya pa magawang makilala ang ama. Hindi na niya kaya pang paniwalaan ang mga kasiyahan nila dati.

"You're . . ." He gritted her teeth. "Disgusting."

He would never going to eat his cooking anymore. Even though how much he liked it, he would never going to taste it again.

Napakurap naman ang ama sa kaniyang sinabi. "You have said a lot of terrible things to me, don't you think it's too much? I should have punished you by now because of your betrayal, but I didn't do it. I cooked for you, instead. And this how you will repay me?"

Napatawa naman siya nang mapakla. Should he be grateful to him, then? After all that he did, he still got the nerve to tell him those words?

"Come on, Nero. Let's fix this. Don't be so far away to me now." Her father smiled once again. Punong-puno ng sinseridad ang mga mata nito pero hindi niya mawari kung ito'y totoo ba. "You're my only son. It's not too late for us to start over."

Kaagad siyang umiling at tinabing ang kamay nitong sinubukan siyang hawakan.

"W-we're already . . . ruined." Dinuro niya ito. Nanginig ang kaniyang mga labi habang isa-isa nang pumatak sa mga mata ang luha. "You . . . ruined us!"

Nawala ang mga ngiti ng ama nang makita siyang umiyak. Napahigpit ang hawak nito sa stuff toy.

"No. It's your mom who ruined our family. If only she stayed silent, kompleto pa sana tayo ngayon." Tumayo ang ama. "It's her fault for not loving me enough and accept me for who I really am."

"You're wrong!" sigaw niya dahilan para matigilan ang ama. "Y-you . . . selfish."

Mom loves you. Mom loves you so much that even knowing you are committing an illegal business, she still wanted to live a life with you. She just wants you to let go of those. But you are so selfish that you chose your dirty jobs over your family!

He wanted to say those to him. He wanted to slap it on his face how his mother loved him dearly, but his tongue had been numb. No words let out from his mouth as the memories of that day flashed his mind. That day where his mother was murdered before his eyes. When his mom was begging and crying to his father to surrender.

It was the worst and the most awful thing he witnessed. He ran away that day. He almost got himself crashed in a car because of hurry. Takot na takot siya at wala siyang inisip sa araw na iyon kung hindi ang makawala.

Pero nahanap pa rin siya ng mga tauhan ng ama.

"Dry your tears and stop crying," matigas na sabi ng ama. "Don't hope for that woman to come back because she is as selfish as me. Eat and be well." Hinagis ng ama ang stuff toy sa kaniyang tabi at tumalikod na.

Ngunit bago pa ito tuluyang makatalikod, napansin ni Nero ang pagbabago sa ekspresyon nito. Bagsak ang mga balikat nitong nagtungo palabas ng kaniyang kuwarto.

Muli siyang humiga at niyakap ang stuff toy. Sinulyapan niya ang dalawang toy gun na nasa ibabaw ng drawer. Naalala niya ang kayang gawin ng isang toy gun.

If the Enigma would not return, he would going to blow this place up. He could care less if he'd blow up as well. He would rather die than stay imprisoned in this place forever.

Hindi na niya kaya pang manatili sa kamay ng ama. Pagod na siya.

Pinikit na niya ang kaniyang mga mata. Tuluyan siyang nakatulog at muli na namang dinalaw ang kaniyang panaginip ng mga masasamang alaala.

The sound of the bullet piercing through the heart of his mom was his least favorite song. How he wished to get a head collision and forget about everything. But the more he wanted to forget, the memory became more and more clearer to him even though three years had already passed.

Hindi siya matatahimik hangga't hindi niya mabibigyang hustisya ang kaniyang ina.

Nagising si Nero nang biglang yumanig ang hinihigaan niyang kama. Dahan-dahan niyang minulat ang mga mata nang may kumalabog sa pinto.

Who's that?

Napaigtad siya sa putok ng baril, pagkatapos muling kumalubog ang pinto at nasira. Natumba ito at isang babae ang bumungad sa kaniya.

Natigilan siya nang makilala ito.

Patakbo itong pumasok at nakangiting nilapitan siya.

"Miss me?"

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wintertelle's note: sorry hindi naka-update sa last Saturday kaya double update ang ginawa ko today para pambawi. Ngayon lang naayos internet connection namin, e. But anyway, 2 chapters left na lang before the epilogue. I'll also update tomorrow. Straight update tayo for this week. See 'ya!