CHAPTER 41

VALENTINA IMARA MEADOWS

Two weeks later...

"Ano ba 'yan? Pati ba naman 'tong nakuha mo wala ring silbi? Our time will just be wasted even more on the two of them! Mas mainam na hinayaan mo na lang na mamatay 'yang nahuli mo sa labas sa pambubugbog nila sa kan'ya!"

"Puwede ba, hindi ko naman alam na hindi rin 'to iimik. Sa pagkakaalam ko ay right-hand man 'yan ni Atlas. Malay natin ay may makuha tayong impormasyon kay Atlas dahil sa kan'ya."

Naalimpungatan ako nang marinig ang malakas na boses ng dalawang tauhan ni Perses na nag-uusap sa labas ng kulungan ko. Ni maski pag dilat ko lang ng mga mata ay hirap na hirap na ako dahil sa panghihina. The gown I was wearing was slipping off my body because the fabric on my back was completely torn. I began crawling weakly towards the bars to see what they were doing.

Sa bawat paggapang ko ay hindi ko maiwasang hindi mapadaing dahil sa sugat ko sa likuran.

My heavy eyelids slowly widened as I saw what was happening in the spot where they tortured me every day. Oceanus hands were tied behind his back with black cable ties. Those weren't ordinary cable ties. I could clearly see his broad back, bloodied and covered with countless wounds. It was red and marked with long whip wounds.

"Hindi ka rin ba mag sasalita, huh?! Parehas lang kayong dalawa ng asawa ni Atlas!" singhal ng lalaki kay Oceanus.

I watched as the two men punched Oceanus in the face and beat his body when he refused to speak. With every heavy punch they landed on him, I couldn't help but feel the pain for him, especially since his large wounds on his back were getting worse. I could hear him groaning in agony.

Mariin na lang akong napapikit at nagtago sa gilid kasabay ng pangingilid ng luha ko. I quickly wiped away the tear that rolled down my cheek to make sure they wouldn't notice that I was crying. I would never let them see me cry because of what they were doing. I needed to appear strong even though my body was already in so much pain from their torture.

Bakit ba kasi niya ako sinundan ngayon? Sobrang tanga ng ginawa niya. And I know that Oceanus never rushes into things like this.

Alam kong kailangan kong maghintay ng ilang araw para marescue nila ako rito dahil alam kong mag-iisip pa sila ng plano kung paano sumugod dito. Pero bakit parang hindi man lang nag-iisip ng maayos 'tong si Oceanus?

"Stop... stop," I weakly muttered, as if they could hear me.

I didn't know how long they kept hurting Oceanus. I fell asleep at the edge of the cell, my stomach growling from hunger and exhaustion. I was startled awake by the loud creaking of the rusty bars as the cell door was swung open.

"Kumain ka muna. Marami pa kaming kailangan sa 'yo," utos ng lalake sa akin ng makapasok sa kulungan.

Basta niya na lang binigay sa akin ang hawak niyang plato; may natapon pa nga sa sahig, pero wala siyang pakielam. When I looked at what was served, it was just porridge. He also placed a stainless cup on the ground next to the plate.

Hindi na ako nagsalita, kinuha ko na ang plato at nagsimulang kumain.

My lips and mouth burned as the porridge was still hot, but I didn't care. I was starving, and my body was trembling from hunger and fatigue. Habang abala ang sarili sa pagsubo ng pagkain ay kapansin pansin kung paano manginig ang kamay ko habang hawak ang kutsara.

I slowly raised my head when I realized the man hadn't left. When I fully saw his face, a sly smile stretched across his lips, as if he were planning something vile.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful your body is, Mrs. Collazo?"

Gusto kong masuka nang marinig ang sinabi niya. I ignored him and lowered my head again to continue eating. I'd rather die of hunger than waste energy responding to his disgusting remarks.

I flinched and looked up when he grabbed my hair, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes were sharp, and his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Bakit ka yumuyuko? Kinakausap pa kita hindi ba?"

His eyes traveled down to the gown I was wearing. I followed his gaze, realizing that the gown had slipped and exposed part of my breast. He smirked, clearly pleased by what he saw.

"You really have a nice, firm, and perky breast, Mrs. Collazo—"

Hindi niya natapos ang sasabihin niya ng basta ko na lang binuga sa mukha niya ang pagkain na nasa bibig ko. Without hesitation, I grabbed the stainless plate and slapped it against his face, along with the steaming porridge still on it.

"F-fuck you!" I screamed at him, clutching my chest to keep my gown from falling completely.

Tangina talaga nitong manyakis na 'to.

"You fucking bitch!" I heard him shout angrily at what I had done.

I felt like I regained a bit of energy from eating the porridge. All I really needed was food. Pakiramdam ko kung wala 'yon para akong lantang gulay.

Sinubukan kong tumayo at tumakas sa kulungan pero agad niyang nahablot ang mahaba kong buhok. He yanked it, and I fell hard onto the cold floor. My vision spun as I felt his heavy hand slap my cheek. My head hit the ground slightly, and I immediately felt the pain from it.

Mahina akong napadaing at napahawak sa noo. The force of my fall made me feel a few drops of blood trickling down my cheek.

"You're still as stubborn as ever, Mrs. Collazo," the man said with a laugh as he approached me.

"B-bitawan mo 'ko..." nanghihina kong sabi. Nanatili pa rin siyang nakahawak sa buhok ko habang kinakaladkad na ako ngayon palabas ng kulungan.

That was when I saw Oceanus. His face was bloodied, with a black eye on his right side, a cut on the corner of his lip, and another on his brow. Bahagyang napaawang ang kan'yang labi ng makita ang ayos ko ngayon.

"Hexia..." I heard him whisper.

"Hindi k-ka na sana pumunta pa rito, Oceanus," nanginginig ang boses ko ng sagutin siya.

"Tigilan niyo na 'yang drama drama na 'yan at napipikon lang ako," singit ng isang lalaki sa amin.

Muli kong naramdaman ang paghila ng lalakeng humawak ng buhok ko kanina. He dragged me further away from Oceanus. I fell face down on the floor as he moved my hair to one side.

Hindi agad ako nakakilos ng marahas niyang nilatigo ang likod ko. I tightly shut my eyes and bent over in pain, writhing on the floor. Soft groans escaped my lips as I felt the whiplash on my back repeatedly. It felt as if my skin were being sliced open over and over again, like being stabbed multiple times.

The stinging pain radiated through my entire back, making even the slightest movement excruciating. My body flinched with every crack of the whip's end against my skin.

"Stop it!" I heard Oceanus shout. "Why are you doing this?! We're part of the same faction under El Orden Del Abismo! If Cronus hears about this, you'll pay for it!"

"Sinabi ba namin na magsalita ka!? Ikaw ang isusunod namin kung hindi pa magsasalita 'tong babaeng 'to!"

A sharp sound echoed in the room, followed by Oceanus' silence. I couldn't bear to look at him, struggling with my own pain and exhaustion. Namayani ang katahimikan sa aming lahat hanggang sa maramdaman ko ulit ang kamay ng lalake sa buhok ko at sapilitang inangat ang ulo ko.

My body is trembling because of the pain. I was gasping for air, na para bang kakapusan ako ng hangin ano mang oras. My gaze landed briefly on Oceanus' position. He was slumped over, his face bloodied. I could see the blood dripping onto his clothing.

"Oceanus..." nanginginig ang labi ko ng sabihin ang pangalan niya.

"What's his name?"

Tuluyan ko ng hindi napigilan ang pagtulo ng aking mga luha pabababa sa pisngi. Oceanus got caught up in this because of me. If only I had stayed in the main hall and waited for them to finish their meeting, none of this would have happened to me.

This is my fault. It's my fault Oceanus is here. It's my fault he's hurt.

"Well?! Are you going to speak or not?!" he shouted at me.

Pakiramdam ko ay unti-unti na akong nabibingi. Am I going to pass out? I was overwhelmed by all the thoughts racing in my head. Kung ako lang ang nandito, kaya ko pa, eh. Kakayanin ko 'yon. Pero kasi bakit nandito pa si Oceanus? Bakit sumunod pa siya?

Kung may natitira pa akong lakas ay baka inuntog ko na ang ulo niya sa pader para magising at matauhan man lang! He's being reckless again in situations like this.

Parehas kaming dalawa na wala ng lakas para tumakas pa rito sa mansyon ni Perses.

Hindi nga man lang kami makatakbo dahil sa pambubugbog ng tauhan ni Perses, parehas na kaming dalawang nanghihina. Our backs were raw from the whipping, and the idea of trying to escape with these wounds was agonizing. Higit sa lahat hindi namin alam kung saan ang pasikot sikot dito sa mansyon ni Perses.

My vision darkened instantly as the man slapped me hard when I didn't respond to his question.

"Ano? Magsasalita ka ba o hindi? Parehas ko kayong papatakasin kung sasabihin mo ang gusto naming malaman. Ayaw mo ba no'n? Makakaalis na kayong dalawa ng kasama mo."

He shoved my face down onto the cold floor. Pain spread across my face as he pressed it hard against the surface.

"I-i'm going to s-say it—"

"Don't you dare, Hexia!" Oceanus' voice boomed across the torture chamber.

"Shut up!"

I closed my eyes tightly as my vision darkened for a moment. Pakiramdam ko parang lumulutang na ang katawan ko. Why does it feel like my body is about to give out now?

After enduring so many wounds in the past days—perhaps even the more than two weeks I've been imprisoned here—why does it feel like now is the moment I'll collapse for no apparent reason?

"R–rand..." I weakly whispered.

"Don't you fucking say his name, Hexia!" Oceanus shouted, his voice seeming to pull me back to consciousness. "Don't tell them! There are still ways to escape this! Don't you dare fucking say Atlas' true name!"

"I said shut up!" the man shouted at Oceanus.

"Shut him up!" he barked at his companion.

I couldn't comprehend what happened next. I tried to open my mouth to speak but I couldn't. Nanghihina na ang katawan ko. Ang lalaki na malapit sa akin ay halatang naiinis na naman dahil paputol-putol ang sinasabi ko. He slammed my head against the floor multiple times, and all I could do was endure it.

"Hexia!" Oceanus screamed.

I could no longer hear him clearly. It felt like I was underwater, their voices muffled and distant in my ears. I didn't know what to focus on anymore.

The man planted his foot firmly on my back, pressing it down onto my open wounds. Napadaing ako roon at hindi ko na rin magawan iangat ang kamay ko para tanggalin man lang ang paa niya sa likuran ko.

As my vision darkened completely, the sound of the torture chamber's door being forcibly opened cut through the silence. The door slammed inward, and a deafening gunshot rang out before the darkness finally consumed me.

I lost consciousness from exhaustion.

▄︻デ══━一

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

Paulit ulit kong naririnig ang boses ni Rafael sa isipan ko habang nanatiling nakapikit ang mga mata ko. It plays on a loop, and I'll never tire of listening to it. After five long years, it feels like this is the first time I've heard his voice again—because he has been gone for so long.

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"Raf..." mahina kong sambit. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes as I uttered his name. "Raf... Rafael..." I couldn't hold back my tears anymore as they streamed down while I kept my eyes shut.

"I know... and I miss you too, Sarah."

A soft sob escaped my lips as I heard his voice again. Hindi ko na napigilan na mapaluha nang marinig ang kan'yang boses habang paulit ulit kong naririnig ang kan'yang boses. I couldn't erase it from my thoughts.

"Raf... I miss you."

Naramdaman ko na lang na nakahiga na ako sa isang mabango at malambot na kama.

I didn't want to open my eyes just yet—I wanted to savor this feeling. It had been so long since I last felt the comfort of lying on a bed.

I opened my eyes slowly as I felt something cold brushing against my back, as though someone were cleaning my wounds with medicine. The sharp pain from the lashes on my back was gone. Medyo magaan na ang katawan ko ngayon, hindi katulad noong nasa torture chamber ako na parang nasa bingit na ako ng kamatayan no'n.

I felt relief, but as I slowly tried to get up from lying on my stomach, a hand gently pressed on my shoulder to stop me.

"Don't move yet. I still need to clean the wounds on your back," a voice said.

But I didn't let it stop me. I could handle the slight sting in my back—it wasn't as bad as before, and I felt like I was getting better. I noticed I wasn't wearing anything on my upper body; I pulled the black comforter over my chest and turned to look behind me.

At doon ko nakita ang seryosong mukha ni Helios.

Mahawak hawak siyang bulak sa isa niyang kamay habang nakakunot ang noo sa akin.

His ash-grey eyes were unreadable, and I couldn't tell what was running through his mind. I noticed his chest rising and falling, as though he were restraining some emotion upon seeing my face.

Bakit bigla akong na-conscious kung ano ang itsura ko sa harapan niya ngayon?

Eventually, the expression in his eyes softened. Slowly, he inched closer until only a short distance separated us.

"Helios..." I whispered his name softly.

"You're not fully healed yet, Hexia. Focus on recovering first," Helios said, and surprisingly, the tone of his voice is soft.

SHANGPU