Chapter 21

Nabitawan ko ang aking cellphone sa nakita.

"Don't even try to run from me, Mallory." Leon said in a warning tone when I took a step back.

"L-Leon . . ."

Itinutok niya ang baril sa akin. I blinked.

My phone rings again from the ground. Napatingin ako sa liwanag na nagmumula mula sa screen.

Christian Sage Monterio calling...

Hindi ko alam ang aking gagawin. Hindi ko inalis ang aking tingin mula sa telepono.

"Leon . . ."

Nakatingin lang siya sa akin habang nakatutok pa rin ang baril sa aking direksiyon. Despite my trembling lips, I tried to smile.

"Y-You're not going to hurt me, right? I know you Leon—"

"Stop!" he yelled angrily when I took a step towards his direction.

I froze on the ground. Leon's eyes are never the same. The usual gentleness and glint are gone. It was replaced with anger, sadness, and betrayal. Just looking at his eyes makes me sad.

"I'm not afraid of you . . ." I said gently. "I know you wouldn't hurt me—"

"Shut up, Mallory!"

A scream escaped from my mouth when he pulled the trigger and shoot to my right. But the gunshot was quickly swallowed by the loud music downstairs.

"If you think I can't hurt you, well think how much you've hurt me first." Aniya at ibinalik ang baril sa aking direksiyon. "You really think I can't hurt you?"

Tears pooled in my eyes. Bigla akong natakot sa Leon na nasa aking harapan. It feels like I'm talking to a different person right now.

"Leon . . ."

"I assume Gideon have already found out about my dirty little secret, huh?" his lips lifted up in a smirk. Pagak na tumawa si Leon. "Surprise, surprise."

My lips went into a thin line.

"My family killed your mother." Anito sa mahinang boses. "It was my family, Mallory, not Sage's. Do you understand?"

Tumungo ako. Patuloy sa pagtulo ang aking mga luha. "Why?" I croaked.

"Are you going to believe what I'm going to say with a gun in your head, Mallory?"

Inangat kong muli ang aking tingin. Even though there's a good distance between the two of us, I could feel the sadness radiating from Leon. Instead of getting angry at him, all I wanted to do is embrace him really tight right now.

"You know what? I've loved you for a long time . . . mula highschool pa lang tayo, ipinagtatanggol na kita mula kay Serenity. Until we reached college. You tried to act like I'm not around and stick with Sage when he came back. And don't think like it didn't hurt because it hurts like hell . . ."

My eyes were filled with tears again. I wish Sage or Gideon would suddenly appear here right now for me to stop shaking. Hindi ko mapigilan ang panginginig ng aking buong katawan.

Leon chuckled bitterly. "I even courted you, Mallory! Ginawa ko ang lahat para sa iyo. Pero anong ginawa mo? Ipinagpalit mo ako kay Sage!"

"That's not true . . ." I clenched and unclenched my fists. "Leon, I told you from the very start that I have no intentions—"

"That's the fucking problem, Mallory!" singhal niya sa akin. "I've been by your side all these years and yet you still keep on looking for Sage! It hurts me every time you go to sleep and wake at the middle of the night calling for his name . . ." his glassy eyes shone in the dark. He wiped the tears that escaped from his eyes angrily and glared at me. "You never called for my name, not even once, Mallory . . ."

I sobbed. "Please . . . don't do this."

"I gave everything to you, Mallory. Minahal kita nang sobra-sobra. Pero anong napala ko? Wala! And now you are carrying Sage's child!" bumaba ang kaniyang baril sa aking tiyan. I wrapped a possessive arm around my stomach and turned away from him.

Umiling-iling ako. "Not my baby, Leon . . ."

Silent tears streamed from his face.

"The night you were waiting at the terminal . . . I was there. I looked after you. I tried protecting you. But your stupid mother went to the mansion and found out about the bomb."

Natigilan ako sa kaniyang sinabi. "Bomb?"

"My father wants to eliminate the Monterio's from the village. Their family is a threat, can't you see? Don Monterio is planning to run for governor." Leo squared his shoulders and tilted his head upwards. "And you know what we do when we smell threat?"

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"We kill them."

Fresh fat tears escaped from my eyes, trying to connect the dots. "Your family was planning to bomb the Monterio's mansion? Because of politics?"

"And your mother saw it."

A soft gasp escaped from my lips. "That's why you killed her?"

"Not me, the hitman did. The plan failed because of your mother. It was a punishment from the Armendanez."

I couldn't believe my ears.

"Mallory . . ." his voice is gentle now. "I didn't kill your mother, my family did. And that unfortunate incident bought me four years of you by my side."

Umiling-iling ako. "I can't believe you . . ."

"You don't need to." He smiled sadly at me. "Have you ever believed in me before?"

I shut my mouth tight. Tulo pa rin nang tulo ang aking mga luha.

He sighed. "Ah, I hate this. I hate it when you cry in front of me. Your face is enough to ruin all of my plans."

"What are you planning to?"

Hindi sumagot si Leon. Ibinaba niya ang baril. He dragged himself towards the railings of the rooftop. I was about to take a step towards him when he shouted again.

"Don't you dare take a step towards me, Mallory!" he turned and gave me a sharp glare. "After what you've done to me, the last thing that I wanted to see is your face . . ."

My heart clenched painfully at his words.

"What are you going to do, Leon . . ." I whimpered.

Umakyat siya sa railings at ibinulsa ang isang kamay. He stared at the city lights pulsating softly below and smiled to himself.

"I'll tell you a secret though . . ."

I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"The four years I've spent with you here in Japan is the four best years of my life . . ."

Tumulo ulit ang mga luha ko sa kaniyang sinabi.

"Leon, are you planning to . . ."

"Mallory, I love you. I really, really do. But it's clear to me that even if I take the fucking moon off the sky, your heart will still belong to Sage."

My throat feels so thick with the sob that I'm trying to swallow.

"Leon, please get down there. We can still talk this out."

He scoffed. "Talk this out? And I'm going to become a subject of pity for the rest of my life because of what you did to me? I'm sorry, but no."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Leon, please, for me . . ."

Isang mapait na ngiti ang iginawad ni Leon sa akin. "I've done everything for you, Mallory. I think it's about time I do something for me too . . ."

"What are you going to do—"

"Watch me die." Seryosong wika ni Leon at itinutok ang baril sa kaniyang ulo. "This is your punishment . . . for not loving me."

I froze on the ground. My blood pounded on my ears as I screamed out loud and ran towards Leon direction.

I watched him plant a bullet on his head that night.