#DS6Unwavering #CirCoal #SharkFamily #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: SUBMERGED

COAL'S POV

4:36 PM

I'm about to have a massive headache. The woman in front of me kept ranting about how she'd been treated terribly these past few days. Which I know is a lie because no matter how much she annoys any of my brothers or the other Dagger employees, no one here would do what she's accusing us of.

"Lorraine."

She must have heard the impatience in my tone because her eyes suddenly got filled with tears. "I'm so scared, Coal. I want to go home but they wouldn't let me. Wala naman akong ginawang masama."

She's right. Wala naman talaga siyang kinalaman sa mga nangyayari. She's a diversion. Which is why I want to get this over with.

"I was really happy when we started talking again." Her face softened and her lips trembled as if she were about to burst into tears. Something I hate seeing on her before, so I end up doing whatever she wants me to do. Now that I think of it, she used that fact to her advantage a lot. Buong relasyon ata namin ay nakakahanap siya ng bagay na iiyakan. I didn't message her in the morning? She'll cry. I didn't say that I love you back quickly? She'll cry. I gave her a gift, and it wasn't what she'd been hinting for me to give her? She'll cry. "I miss you, Coal. I've been thinking about you, and I regret breaking off things with you."

"Lorraine, the messages you thought we shared, it wasn't me you were talking to."

"But... but it's your number."

"We have a case that I can't talk about with you much. All you need to know is that my devices have been made vulnerable by a hacker, and it resulted in you being used against me. I never texted you." Nang bumuka ang bibig niya para magsalita ay mabilis na nagpatuloy ako. "We kept you here because we needed to make sure that you'll be safe once you go back home. You can leave today, and one of our employees will stay near your house to make sure that you will be fine, but your phone will stay with us. Ibabalik na lang namin kapag tapos na ang case."

"I-I don't understand. I thought you wanted me back," garalgal ang boses na bulong niya.

"Like I've said, it wasn't me that you were talking to."

Pumatak ang luha mula sa mga mata niya. "You love me."

This sucks. I hate that whoever is doing this has dragged her back into my life. I have no intention of hurting her. Wala akong balak na gumanti sa kaniya dahil nasaktan niya ako noon.

I just want everything to be over so I can go back to Circe. I would grovel if that is what she wants me to do. I'll do anything for her to forget about the kiss that I didn't want in the first place.

Lorraine took me by surprise. It wasn't every day that someone would suddenly jump on you. I automatically caught her, but when I felt her lips on mine, it took everything I had not to throw her hard on the ground. I didn't even know that it was her until I pushed her off me. All I know is that she wasn't Circe.

"I loved you once. You were important to me. But it's been years, Lorraine. It's also been years since I moved on."

"Because of her."

"I'd already moved on before she even came into my life."

I know it's the truth. I said it to Circe too. Hindi ko naman itinatanggi na may epekto ang ginawang pag-alis ni Lorraine sa buhay ko pero hindi ibig sabihin ay pinanghahawakan ko pa rin ang natapos na naming relasyon.

Mapait na ngumiti siya at umiling. "Maliit lang ang mundo, Coal. I heard about you. I heard about you sleeping with anyone that moves. I know you never had any long relationship after me. What makes you think that what you have with her will compare to what we had when you held on to our past for years?"

I know I didn't need to explain anything to her, but what she said pissed me off. It's like she thought of that fact as something to be proud of. That she was important enough to someone that her leaving broke that person. But that person is not me.

"I don't care if you believe it or not, but I moved on. It wasn't a year ago, not three years ago, not five years ago. It's been a long time since I moved on from you. I won't deny that you hurt me when you left, but I wasn't holding a torch for you. The only thing I carry from the relationship we had is the fact that I find it bothersome to start another one again. And yes, maybe some trust issues. I found that casual relationships are less drama, less time-consuming, and everyone's happy."

The only problem with that is when someone agrees to a casual agreement with the hopes of persuading their partner to a more serious one later on. Hindi talaga sila pumayag sa casual. Sinabi lang nila na payag sila dahil gusto nilang ipilit kung ano ang totoong gusto nila.

Which brought us to now.

"What I have with Circe couldn't be compared to anything. The result of being with you made me look at relationships as inconvenient. She made me see that it's worth it."

Tears fall from her eyes. Even before, she does it beautifully. Her face doesn't get red, and it doesn't get scrunched up. It's like she's perfected the art of being beautiful so that even crying looks good on her.

But what she is not is breath-taking. That's all, Circe.

I love seeing her face go red. I love that she's so expressive. I love to watch her calm herself when I tease her. And when she cries, it breaks my heart. I feel it right in my soul.

"She's taking you from me," she whispered brokenly.

I can feel a migraine coming. "No. She didn't need to help with that. You did that yourself. Circe didn't do anything to you." I didn't want to get angry at her. After all, she was once part of my life. But remembering Eleazar's face and Lorraine's connection to him, I can feel the last bit of my patience slipping away. "You have no right to blame her for anything. You have no right to hate her. You know what you did to her."

Her face lost color, and I know she understands what I'm talking about. "C-Coal—"

"I am not Eleazar Cabrera. I am not weak, and I am most especially not blind to throw away a good thing—no, the greatest woman, for nothing."

I basically called her nothing, and I know she heard that because she looks like I struck her with a knife. I hate that I did that, but Circe is my priority.

"As a person who once cared for you, Lorraine, I really hope that you clean up your act. You're a woman. Hindi mo man kasalanan lahat pero hindi ibig sabihin ay hindi ka naging instrumento para masaktan din ang isa pang babae. I know I should thank you and Cabrera for that because after all his break up with Circe brought her to me, but I hate that you two hurt her. What happened days ago, that kiss... I'll let it go because we all got played. Pero sana wala sa inyong dalawa ang magbalak pa na guluhin si Circe. Na wala sa inyo ang magtangka na saktan siya. Sa kahit na ano pang paraan. I don't know what I would do if she got hurt again."

She hugged her trembling body, the warning in my words resonating. "You're crazy for her."

"Without a doubt."

8:04 PM

I IGNORED the burning pain in my arm. Finding my woman takes precedence over anything. Above me, I could hear the loud whirling of the helicopter's rotors. Naririnig ko rin ang mga kapatid ko na tinatawag ang pangalan ni Circe.

Namataan ko si Kuya Thorn na sumenyas sa akin at tumango ako bilang sagot. Without wasting a second, I opened the door of the container van in front of me. Itinaas ko ang hawak ko na flashlight. "Circe, baby. Are you here?"

I heard a whimper, and I pointed the flashlight in that direction.

The woman stood up and ran to me, her body trembling with fear. "I-I don't know if you remember me—" Ipinilig niya ang ulo niya. "No. That's not what's important. May... may iba pang mga babae na nandito. Hindi ko alam kung saan sila dinala. They separated us and forced us inside different container vans. Baka nandoon pa sila sa iba."

Inalalayan ko siya palabas ng madilim na kinaroroonan namin. She looks disheveled and dirty. Like she'd been inside that freight container for a long time.

"Y-You need to help them. Especially... especially the woman in the casket."

"Casket?" my brothers asked.

"They were dragging a woman inside a steel casket. Pero hindi ko masyadong nakita ang mukha niya. I heard... I heard they were planning to throw her in the water."

Binitawan ko ang babae at pumalit sa akin ang kapatid ko para alalayan siya. He called out to Nevan, who was opening one of the container vans. "Send someone in the water and find a steel casket! Now!"

I looked at the floor, willing myself to calm down.

"Dalawa sila. It was Julius who took us, but he planned it with Rebecca. Hindi ko alam kung nasaan sila. I just heard everyone screaming and crying." She burst into tears. "I don't know what they plan to do to us. Ang alam ko lang galing din ng Siargao ang mga babae. Turista sila na gustong magbakasyon. I saw some of them on the news. The missing women. I... I was just planning to visit my friends. Then Julius he... he did something." Tila kinakapos ang hininga na sandaling tumigil siya sa pagsasalita. "I woke up, and I'm here on the ship."

Hindi ako nag-angat ng tingin at nag-iigting ang mga pangang nagsalita ako. "There are only two of them?"

"Sila lang dalawa ang nakita ko. Bukod pa siguro ang nagpapatakbo nitong cargo ship. Pero sila lang ang kumuha sa amin." Bumalong ang masaganang luha sa mga mata niya. Kung hindi siya nakakapit kay Kuya Thorn ay baka tuluyan na siyang napadausdos sa sahig. "I didn't know why they did that to that woman. I heard they were planning to sell us, so I don't understand why they... why they..."

"This Rebecca and Julius, they were both planning to sell you and the other woman?" tanong ni Kuya Thorn. "Narinig mo silang sinabi iyon?"

"Yes. They hacked our phones. We all connected to the wifi of Isla Brews. They mentioned that place a couple of times, so I'm sure that's where we got hacked. They probably took everything. Lahat ng pinaghirapan namin. But that wasn't enough. They were planning to sell us too."

I forced myself to speak through gritted teeth. "We need to find those two."

Tinanguhan ako ng kapatid ko at muli siyang nagbaba ng tingin sa babae. "Have you heard anything else?"

"Just a loud blast. I heard the woman saying that she will check it out, and she told the man to push the casket. Then everything was quiet for a second. Maybe it was that time that you and the other rescuers got here because they were panicking and arguing. They were talking about escaping through the water, so... if you're looking for them, maybe they're still out there."

"How long ago do you think it has been since you saw the woman they were putting inside the casket?" my brother asked.

"Maybe... maybe thirty minutes ago?"

Thirty minutes submerged in water with no oxygen. No one could survive that.

CIRCE'S POV

7:34 PM

"Do you want to see her for the last time?"

Nakatayo ang babae habang nakatingin kung saan ako nakahiga. Julius forced me into a steel casket. Ang tanging nakabukas doon ay ang itaas na parte ng kabaong.

Hinarap niya sa akin ang hawak na cellphone niya. A river of tears flooded my eyes at the same time that my heart squeezed so hard that it felt like a thousand needles were stabbing me. Kita sa screen ng cellphone niya si Kaise. She's unconscious on top of a table surrounded by candles. Her hands are tied, and another one is wrapped around her neck. Nakatali iyon sa ceiling fan sa taas niya. If she wakes up and falls over...

No. No! Coal's going to save her. He will get to her. He'll know how to find her. She'll be okay.

"I'm not delusional. Alam kong may posibilidad na mailigtas niya ang anak mo. But even if he saved her, I would find a way to take her out of his life. I could pretend to be her stepmother. It will probably do me good. He will need someone to help her take care of her." Inilagay niya ang cellphone niya sa bulsa niya. "Whatever happens, even if he manages to save her or not, you're still going to die. Because the moment he finds her, he will think that you're in that house too. They will search and search, and before they realize that you're not there, it will be too late to save you."

If she thinks that matters to me, she's more insane than she already is. It's not something she will ever understand. I would die over and over again, and I wouldn't care as long as Kaise was breathing.

"Close it, Julius."

The man muttered something under his breath, but he complied. Darkness instantly engulfed me. I heard him scrambling around, probably tying the coffin.

A blaring sound blasted outside, and Julius movements halted.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Titignan ko."

"Stay there and do what I ask! Ako na ang titingin. Alangan naman ako ang magtulak niyan para itapon sa dagat?"

Rinig ko ang papalayong mga yabag ng babae at ang mahinang pagmumura ni Julius. Then I felt it. He started pushing the casket.

I closed my eyes, and the thundering of my heart was drowned out by the sound of the ocean. Getting louder and louder as I grow closer to the end.

Save her, Coal. Save our daughter.

I thought of the words that I wished I could say. What I wish he could hear. "I love you."

_____________________End of Chapter 33.