Trigger Warning: This content contains mentions of r*pe and su*cide, which may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with caution.

Chapter 31

Xavier Pov

Nagtataka kong tiningnan si Mrs. Alipalo- no... si Manang Dilya. Iniwan niya ang ako rito sa sala at umakyat sa second floor ng bahay tapos pagkabalik niya dala na niya itong babae at lalaki na nasa kanilang forties or fifties na. I can't really tell since they also look young.

Nagtagpo ang kilay ko habang nakatitig sa babaeng kakababa lang galing sa second floor ng bahay. Naka-dress ito na kulay baby blue at closed shoes.
Kasama niya ang isang lalaki na naka-button down t-shirt, pantalon, at sapatos. Simpleng-simple ang kanilang pananamit pero ang relo ng lalaki at ang alahas ng babae ay sumisigaw sa yaman nila.

"Xavier, sila ang mga amo namin at ang may-ari ng bahay na ito. Sila rin ang tunay na mga magulang ni Lawrence, si Ma'am Aubrey Alipalo Calderon at si Sir Jimmy Calderon." Pagpapakilala ni Manang Dilya sa kan'yang mga amo na... na siyang mga tunay na magulang ni Lawrence.

Hindi ako kaagad nakapagsalita at nakatitig lang sa mga magulang ni Lawrence. My eyebrows knitted together, lips slightly parted as if a word were caught but never spoken. The clock ticked louder than usual in my ears, the sound echoing in the stillness, but my mind was elsewhere, trying to catch the thoughts in my head like scattered leaves in a sudden gust of wind.

I know I'm well-prepared today to face Lawrence's parents. I flew all the way to Cebu and back to Manila just to speak with them. But now that they're standing right in front of me, every question I had carefully prepared seems to vanish from my mind. Instead, a wave of confusion takes over, leaving me momentarily speechless.

"Aalis na po ako, Ma'am..."

"No, stay here, Dilya," Mrs. Calderon immediately replied to Manang Dilya. "Xavier might have questions for you later on, so stay here with us." Mrs. Calderon's voice was soft and modest. She looked upright, well-mannered, and demure.

Magalang naman na umupo si Manang Dilya sa tabi ko. Sa tapat naman namin ay ang mga magulang ni Lawrence. Now that they're standing in front of me, I can clearly see how much Lawrence resembles his mother. Pero ang singkit na mata ni Lawrence ay nakuha niya sa kanyang ama na mukhang may lahing Chinese.

"We meet again, hijo." It was Mr. Calderon. His voice was stern and carried an air of authority, a stark contrast to his wife's gentle and modest tone.

Meet again? Nagkita na ba kami? When? Sa pagkakaalala ko, ngayon lang kami nagkita. At ngayon ko lang din narinig ang kanilang mga pangalan. They're rich! So rich, but I didn't hear their name at all. Though, I think I've seen them somewhere before!

Sinundan ng mata ko ang kamay ni Mrs. Calderon na pinatong niya sa kamay ng asawa niya. Mr. Calderon clutched his wife's hand as if it were his lifeline.

"I'm..." I muttered, shaking my head in confusion. "I don't know what to say, Mr. Calderon, Mrs. Calderon." I'm utterly speechless about everything that is happening right now!

"We understand, Xavier," said Mrs. Calderon!

"Mrs. Calderon... hindi ko po alam kung saan o ano ang una kong itatanong sa inyo. Everything is confusing me. How did Lawrence become Alipalo. And... Manang Dilya..." Putol-putol ang pagsasalita ko dahil gulong-gulo ang isip ko sa mga nalalaman ko ngayon. My mind was engulfed by the shock of the news that had just been thrust upon me.

"Lawrence is using my maiden surname, hijo. But before that, maybe we can start with your questions first? Unahin natin ang mga tanong mo kung bakit ka nandirito. Alam namin ng asawa ko na nanliligaw ka sa anak namin. Alam namin na seryoso ka sa anak namin. Pero... kung anuman ang malalaman mo ngayon, sana hindi magbago ang tingin mo sa anak namin. Lawrence is as precious as diamonds to us. He is my youngest son and the youngest Calderon, so we will do everything for him, even if it means going against the law and the odds."

Napalunok ako sa sinabi ni Mrs. Alipalo. Kinuha niya ang kanyang cellphone at binaba niya iyon sa mesa bago tinulak tungo sa akin.

"We're not really comfortable sharing our personal life, and we're not particularly fond of the media. However, we see how serious you are about our son, Mr. Faleiro. You came all the way here to get answers to your questions," Mr. Calderon said.

I remained silent.

"So, this is Lawrence. This is him during his high school years," Mrs. Calderon began, swiping through the screen of her phone. I saw an old photo of Lawrence there. Malalaki ang ngiti ni Lawrence doon, kagaya ng mga ngiti niya ngayon pero doon iba ang liwanag ng kanyang mga mata.

"These are his photos, and we got them from his phone. Lawrence loves the media; he loves attention and the spotlight. We can give that to him, but he wants to start from the bottom. He is very good at dancing, can also sing, and even do acting. He has a lot of song covers, too." Tumigil si Mrs. Calderon sa pag-swipe doon sa cellphone kung kaya't naiangat ko ang tingin ko sa kanya. "Ikaw... ikaw ang iniidolo niya. Gusto niyang pasukin ang mundo ng showbiz dahil sa'yo. Wala sa pamilya namin ang nasa showbiz,in fact, we hate showbiz life. Pero dahil sa'yo... nais pasukin ng anak namin ang mundong ginagalawan mo, Xavier. He even auditioned in one of the most famous reality shows in the country, Pinoy Big Brother, if I'm not mistaken."

Natigalgal ako. Alam ko na naman na iniidolo ako ni Lawrence. Hindi niya iyon tinago at proud pa nga siya pero hindi ko alam na may ganito.

"Matagal na niya pala akong kilala at hinahangaan?" Garalgal ko. My baby.

Tumango si Mr. Calderon at Mrs. Calderon.

"He already loves taking pictures and videos, but you influenced his passion for the showbiz industry," Mrs. Calderon said.

I turned to Manang Dilya beside me. She gave a confirming nod, as though validating the truth of Mrs. Calderon's words.

"Kahit ayaw namin sa hilig ng anak namin..." Napabaling ako kay Mr. Calderon nang magsalita siya. "...wala kaming nagawa kasi iyon ang gusto niya. Wala rin kami lagi sa tabi niya noon dahil nasa ibang bansa kami palagi. Kung kaya't bilang pambawi na lang namin sa kanya... hinayaan namin siya sa gusto niya. Just like my wife said, Xavier, we're ready to support his fondness for showbiz, but an accident happened that changed our lives drastically."

"W-what accident, Mr. Calderon?" My voice trembles, as if my heart were racing wildly.

My gaze flickered between Mr. Calderon and his wife, Mrs. Calderon. I noticed her eyes growing moist with unshed tears.

"It was five years ago when Lawrence went abroad to travel and spend his summer vacation there. It was okay; he was having a good time on his travels. But when he went home, he was abducted by several men, and... oh God!" Mrs. Calderon couldn't finish her sentence as her tears streamed down her cheeks in a steady cascade, like a relentless waterfall.

Mabilis na dinaluhan ni Mr. Calderon ang kanyang asawa at si Manang Dilya naman ay nagsalin ng tubig para kay Mrs. Calderon.

Mrs. Calderon hasn't finished her story yet, but I find myself reluctant to hear what comes next.

Ilang sandali lang ay kumalma na rin si Mrs. Calderon. Kinuha niya ang kanyang cellphone mula sa mesa. Nakita ko ang pagputi ng kamao niya sa higpit ng pagkakakapit niya ro'n sa telepono niya.

"S-supposedly... supposedly it was only a kidnapping for ransom... b-but the guys who took Lawrence did something horrible to him. Our poor s-son... he was... h-he was raped! Those impudent ruffians! T-they raped him!"

I gulped hard, unable to believe what I had just heard from Mrs. Calderon.

I felt like my system had shut down. I could only see red, and my heart was beating so fast-faster than my breathing.

"R-raped? They?"

"There are three of them..." Mr. Calderon answered, as his wife was now crying by his side.

"T-three?" What the h*ll! I will f*cking k*ll them all. I swear! If they're still alive, I will put an end to their lives!

Lumunok ako. Nanlalabo na ang paningin ko dahil sa mga luhang namumuo sa mata ko pero pinipigilan kong umagos ang mga ito. Naluluha ako sa galit at sa sakit na sinapit ni Lawrence.

Kinuyom ko ang aking kamao.

"N-nasaan na ang mga gumawa no'n kay Lawrence. Please, tell me that they're not breathing right now." I almost beg.

"As much as we want to ask the authorities for justice and help, we cannot trust the justice system in our country... t-that's why we... we took justice into our own hands. The b*stards who v*olated our son are already d*ad. Carl and Camelot... they killed them in a way they deserved. We k*lled them slowly and excruciatingly. We wanted them to feel the pain they inflicted on our son, tenfold."

My poor baby. How can you smile so brightly and laugh your heart out after going through all of that?

"K-kinuwento po ito ni Lawrence s-sa inyo? B-bakit parang wala siyang maalala sa... s-sa mga nangyari sa kanya?" Lito kong tanong.

"Remember when my wife told you that Lawrence loves to take pictures and videos? W-we saw and heard our son crying for help and begging them to stop. We saw what they did to him and how he suffered at their hands. But the video has been gone for a long time. We buried it. Try to move forward."

"Pero, Mr. Calderon, ang gusto kong malaman kung bakit walang maalala si Lawrence sa nakaraan niya at bakit siya naging Alipalo na lang."

Napunas ng luha niya si Mrs. Calderon. Hinarap niya ako.

"S-sa video... nagwawala at sumisigaw ng tulong ang anak namin. To shut him up, one of his abductors struck his head with a stone. I don't know if you saw his head, but he has a large scar there. At a very young age, our son went through a lot-so much that we thought he couldn't survive. But a miracle happened; Lawrence survived. Akala namin magiging maayos siya pero... pero nagising siya na hindi na niya kami kilala. He remembers his name, but only Mark Lawrence Alipalo, hindi niya kami naalala at nang banggitin namin sa kanya kung sino kami at sino talaga siya. Nagwawala siya at sinabing hindi niya kilala si Mark Lawrence Calderon. He hated our name. And he hated us... he only remembers Manang Dilya. He hated our name. And he hated us... He only remembers Manang Dilya. He calls Manang Dilya his mother and believes that she is Aubrey Alipalo." Saysay ni Mrs. Calderon at mapait na tumingin kay Manang Dilya.

Bumaling ako kay Manang Dilya na tahimik na umiiyak sa tabi ko.

"M-manang..." I whispered.

"T-totoo ang sinabi nila Ma'am sa'yo, Xavier. Iyon ang mga pinagdadaanan ni Lawrence dati. Iyon ang mapait na nakaraan ng alaga ko. Dati nang Mama ang tawag ni Lawrence sa akin dahil ako ang nag-alaga sa kanya habang abala sila Ma'am sa trabaho. Pagtapos ng aksidenteng iyon at gumaling na si Lawrence. Ayaw niyang tumapak dito sa bahay. Umiiyak siya at nagwawala nang umuwi kami rito galing sa ospital. Dadalhin sana nila Ma'am si Lawrence sa ibang bansa at doon ipagamot kaso kinasusuklaman ni Lawrence ang kanyang mga magulang. Sinubukan kong dalhin si Lawrence sa Cebu, nagustuhan niya doon... at doon namuhay kami na ako ang kinilala niyang ina at sinamahan kami ni Camelot doon. Doon nabuhay ulit si Lawrence ng mapayapa at sa tulong na rin no'ng g-gamot na iniinom niya... na akala niya vitamins iyon, pero ang totoo, gamot iyon upang mawala na ang mga alaala niya sa nakaraan at para din iyon hindi umatake ang kanyang trauma."

Napayuko lang ako. It feels like I've lost the ability to speak. The pulse in my ears grew louder, drowning out everything else, and my eyes blinked, unfocused. I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat stayed stubborn and unmoving. Words were racing through my head, yet I couldn't bring myself to say even a single word.

'Now... now that you know what happened to Lawrence, Mr. Faleiro, we won't beg for your sympathy or kindness for him. All we are asking is that you keep your mouth shut. Lawrence has had many suicide attempts before... at ayaw na naming maulit iyon. Kung ayaw mo sa anak namin... tatanggapin pa rin namin siya--"

I'm so... sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Calderon, but what I've just learned about Lawrence has deepened my admiration for him. He went through so much, and he is incredibly strong for enduring those tormenting moments of his life. I'm sorry, Sir, but I have no intention of letting your son go."

"H-however, Mr. Faleiro, we want you to know that one of Lawrence's attackers is still on the run. We aren't entirely certain, but in the video, we saw three men. We only caught two of his abductors out of the three. Kaya rin sumama si Camelot noon sa Cebu dahil hindi naman alam kung saan na ang taong iyon."

May tumatakbo pang imbestigasyon tungkol sa pagkawala ni Z. I have a lot on my plate right now, but I will always stay by Lawrence's side. And now, there's still one of them who hasn't been caught. Just thinking of those guys makes my blood boil to the highest point!

Para akong zombie palabas ng bahay nina Mrs. Calderon. Hinatid ako ni Manang Dilya hanggang sa gate ng bahay.

"Maraming salamat, hijo. Salamat sa pagtanggap mo kay Lawrence. Hindi ko inaasahan na iku-kwento nila Ma'am ang nangyari kay Lawrence noon. Sa bahay, bawal nang pag-usapan ang lahat ng nangyari limang taon na ang nakakalipas. Pero nagawang ikwento nila Ma'am ang dati. Ibig sabihin lang no'n, nagtitiwala sila sa'yo. Kaya sana huwag mong bibiguin sila Ma'am. Mabait lang sila sa taong mabait sa kanila. Hindi mo gugustuhing makita ang masamamg ugali ng mga Calderon." saad ni Manang Dilya sa akin.

Nagpasalamat ako kay Manang Dilya bago pumasok sa van. Hindi ako umimik kay Cesna at mabuti na lang hindi rin niya ako kinulit. I close my eyes, desperately hoping for sleep, but the weight of what I learned about my baby today keeps me wide awake, my mind racing with worry and pain.

I already had a hunch about Lawrence's past. From everything I had seen and witnessed, it led me to the conclusion that he really had a dark past. But what his parents told me was far beyond anything I had imagined.

Hindi binanggit ng mga magulang ni Lawrence kung papaano nila naligtas si Lawrence at papaano nila ito nakita. I know marami pang bagay ang hindi nila sinabi. And I understand them, hindi rin nila ibibigay ng basta't basta ang impormasyon na iyon sa akin lalo na't nanliligaw pa lang ako sa anak nila.

Gabi na nang makarating ako sa bahay at lutang pa rin ako. Natauhan na lamang ako nang may biglang yumakap sa aking katawan. His familiar scent enveloped me, and that's when I realized Lawrence was holding me in his arms.

"Pangga!" Gigil nitong wika.

Lawrence was about to release his embrace when I wrapped my arms tightly around his small frame, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

Now that everything has sunk in, I feel the weight of it all crashing down on me. My heart aches, breaking for him in ways I can't fully express. I feel weak, shattered by the pain he's endured.

Maybe it's a blessing that he doesn't remember his past. Because only God knows what he might do-what he could do to himself-if those painful, harrowing memories ever resurface.

"Pangga? May p-problema ka ba?"

Doon ko na siya pinakawalan.

"Hala! Bakit umiiyak ka, pangga? Masama pakiramdam mo?" Alalang tanong niya at sinipat pa ang aking noo at leeg, kinukompara niya sa kanyang init.

"Wala naman." aniya.

Ngumuso siya sa akin.

"May surprise sana ako sa'yo, pangga pero saka na iyon kapag maayos na pakiramdam mo."

I wiped the moist on my eyes and cheeks.

"I-I am fine, baby. It's just that... I had a hard time at work." Pilit kong sinisiglahan ang boses ko para sa kanya.

"Totoo ba iyan?" Ngumisi siya, ngunit may pagdududa sa kanyang boses.

"Hmm." Tango ko sa kanya.

"Hihi!" Ngisi niya at saka may kinuha siya sa kanyang bulsa!

"Charan, pangga!" aniya sabay lahad sa kanyang dalawang kamay.

Nanlamig ako at tila tinakasan ng bait sa katawan nang makita ko ang maliit na bagay na nasa kanyang palad.

"B-baby, why..."

Where did he get that pregnancy test? It says positive!

"Surprised, pangga!"

"W-what? What's the meaning of this, baby?"

Inirapan niya ako. "Ito ang pregnancy test, pangga!Positive 'yan, pangga!"

Lumunok ako. Unable to form a decent sentence to say. I f*cking know what that thing is.

"I- I know but..."

"Tsk! Ang duga mo! Hindi mo naman ako na-gets! Positive ito! Positive na sinasagot na kita, pangga! May price tag na tayo!" (Price tag- label)

"H-hindi ka buntis?"

Sinampal niya ang balikat ko, tumawa.

"Hindi pa nga tayo nag-ano, pangga, gusto mo na ng mabuntis ako! Ako muna i-baby mo at si bibi Zion! Hihi!"

Mabilis ko siyang kinabig at niyakap. Tang ina! Kinabahan ako doon sa stunt o sa surprise niyang iyon! Dammit!

"Pangga, may price tag na tayo! Hindi ka ba happy? Babawiin ko ang price tag natin, sige ka!"

"Tsk! I'm just speechless with so much joy, baby. But I'm so happy! Thank you for making me your boyfriend."

***
This story is already at chapter 38 (with 1 Special Chapter) on Amore VIP Group. Subscription starts at 50php per month and 35php for student. Message me on FB: Amore Contaleone for inquiries! :))