Chapter 29

Umiling-iling ako habang tumutulo ang aking mga luha. "H-Hindi totoo yan..." I whimpered.

She scoffed. "Fine. If you don't want to believe, then don't." Sage's mother gave me a deadpanned look. "But you're only going to make it worse for yourself. Feel free to wait for Sage all night and let's see if he's going to come."

I pursed my lips and tried to blink back my tears but it's useless. Mas lalo lamang akong naiyak sa kaniyang sinabi. Mrs. Monterio crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? Are you gonna cry here all night? You should go home to your mother, young lady. Just accept the fact that you're never going to have Sage for you... never."

I swallowed a sob and turned away immediately. Hindi ko na siya pinagsalita pa. I ran away from her, flooded with tears. I keep on crying as I ran until I reached their rice field. I screamed out loud and huffed heavily. Dumarami na ang mga luhang tumatakas sa aking mata. My chest rose up and down rapidly.

"Sage!" I screamed out loud, frantically looking for him. It's not true, isn't it? What his mother said? He's out there, probably waiting for me. Hindi niya ako iiwan diba? "Sage..." I whimpered and fell to the ground. I hugged my knees to my chest as the sobs wrecked my body. I couldn't believe my ears! Hindi totoo iyon!

Time must've been playing with me because it ticked slowly in my darkest hours. Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto akong nakaupo at umiiyak. My hands are trembling. Nang mahimashimasan ako ay pinilit kong tumayo at maglakad pabalik sa bahay.

My mother is right. She's right about everything. She knew what's going to happen to me all along.

Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapaiyak ulit. What would my mother say if she sees me in this situation? I want to hug her so bad and just lay in my bed right now. Gusto kong kalimutan ang sinabi ni Mrs. Monterio. Even though a bigger part of me still wanted to go back to the terminal and wait some more, I dragged myself to our house.

My feet are tired when our house came into view. Patay ang ilaw ngunit bukas ang aming pintuan. I frowned and fastened my pace towards the front porch.

"Ma?" garalgal ang aking boses. I switched on the lights. Ang kaniyang bag ay nasa sofa pa rin. I slipped the backpack off my shoulder and walked towards her room. Kinatok ko ito nang ilang beses. "Mama?"

But no one answered.

Kinabahan kaagad ako. I twisted the doorknob and opened the door only to find out that my mother is not inside. I furrowed my brows as I brush my tears away.

"Ma..." I scanned the surroundings. Pinuntahan ko ang aking kwarto na nagkalat ang mga gamit ngunit wala siya. I checked the kitchen and checked her room twice. Napatingin ako sa mga librong malinis na nakapatong sa lamesa ng aming terasa. She must've picked it up before she left somewhere.

Oh God, was she looking for me?

Dinalaw ng takot at matinding pag-aalala ang aking puso nang maisip ko iyon. Kaagad akong lumabas ng bahay at nag-isip kung saan puwedeng pumunta si Mama para hanapin ako. I need to find her and tell her I'm fine. I need to apologize to my mother right now.

I composed myself first. Think, Mallory. Think.

The woods is engulfed with darkness. Napag-desisyunan kong magpunta sa mansion ng mga Monterio. My mother probably went there to see if I'm with Sage. Tinahak ko ang madilim na daanan patungo sa kanilang mansiyon.

I was halfway through the forest when I saw a man in black suit standing from a distance. Monterio's men? Napatigil ako sa paglalakad. The atmosphere is so thick. My breath was caught in my throat when he lifted his right arm with a gun.

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata nang makita ko iyon. I was about to run away when my eyes traveled to the person he was pointing his gun at.

"Mama!" I screamed out loud.

My mother, dumbfounded, turned to me. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw me.

"Mallory, takbo!" sigaw niya.

Before I could even take a step away, the man pointed his gun to me and fired. My mother's scream echoed throughout the forest when I fell into the ground with a throbbing shoulder. Napasigaw ako sa sakit.

"Ma..." I clutched my shoulder so hard to stop it from bleeding.

"Mallory—"

Another gunshot. I lifted my head to see my mother falling into the ground. I screamed some more. Pinaputukan siya ng tatlong beses ng tauhan ni Don Monterio bago nito inipit ang kaniyang baril at nagmamadaling tumakbo palayo.

With eyes filled with tears and a hole in my shoulder, I forced myself to stand up and crawled towards my mother. Nanginginig ang buong katawan ko sa sakit. But it tore my heart into two when I saw her bathing in her own blood.

"No... no..." I sobbed. "No... Mama!"

She fluttered her eyes open, her chest rising up and down heavily. Pinilit ko siyang patayuin pero sumasakit ang aking balikat sa dumaplis na bala.

"Mallory..."

"Mama... please, no no no..." I looked around and screamed. "Help! Someone help us!"

My mother lost her consciousness. It took all my willpower to drag her out of the forest as the blood continue to escape from her body. Basang-basa na ang aking mukha sa luha. What's going on? Why would Monterio's men attacked my mother?

Ang aking suot na t-shirt ay puno na rin ng dugo. Hope rose to my chest when I saw a faint light from a distance. Binitawan ko muna ang aking ina at pumagitna sa kalsada. I waved my hands frantically. The vehicle came into a halt.

Napamura nang malakas ang driver nang makita niya ako. I am fighting not to lose consciousness as well. Nagngingitngit ang sakit sa aking balikat.

"Tulungan mo po kami..." I pleaded the teenage boy who just came out of his Navara. Sumunod ang kaniyang mga kaibigang amoy alak ngunit tila nawala ang kanilang kalasingan nang makita nila kaming mag-ina.

"Tangina..." I heard one of them muttered. "Gago, kunin niyo si Ale!" they all rushed towards my mother. The driver caught my arms before I fell into the ground, writhing in pain. "Shit, si Ma'am Castillo to!"

"Shit, shit, shit." Napamura ito nang paulit-ulit habang inaakay ako papasok sa kaniyang sasakyan. My mother and I were seated in the backseat. Ang aming dugo ay mabilis na kumalat sa kaniyang upuan.

"Gago, bilis sa hospital!" natatarantang wika ng isang lalaki saka malakas na sinapak ang driver ng sasakyan. He blinked a few times before he settled himself on the driver's seat and stepped hard on the accelerator. Halos liparin ang aming sasakyan sa sobrang bilis niyang magpatakbo.

One of them took off his shirt and tried to wrap my wound, probably to stop it from bleeding. Hinawakan ko nang mahigpit ang mga kamay ni Mama. Her eyes slowly fluttered open again.

"Mal..."

"Shit, pare bilisan mo!" singhal ng isa habang mahigpit nitong tinatali ang aking sugat.

"It's alright, it's alright, Ma... Magiging maayos ka."

She puked out some blood before answering me. My mother took a shaky breath. "S-Stay away from them, baby... Stay away from the M-Monterios..."

"Please, Ma... huwag na po kayong magsalita..." hikbi ko. Hindi ko namalayan ang biglang paghinto ng sasakyan sa harapan ng hospital. "You're going to be okay... It's alright..."

Mabilis na rumesponde ang medical team. They transferred my mother to a stretcher. One of the nurses guided me inside as well.

"Operating room! Operating room!" sigawan nila. They examined my mother for a bit. A tall woman in a white lab gown nodded at her team. "Prepare for surgery..."

I struggled out of the nurse's arms and ran towards my mother. Humihikbi kong hinawakan ang kaniyang nanginginig na kamay.

"Ma... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Kasalanan ko! This is all my fault! I'm sorry..." iyak pa rin ako nang iyak.

"Do me one last promise, h-honey..." she took a deep breath again before closing her eyes. "Stay away from them... No matter what happens... S-Stay away from the Monterios..."

By then my knees gave in. Kinuha ako ng nuse at binuhat patungo sa emergency room. I took one last look of my mother again before I drifted to unconsciousness.

It was the night I could never forget. And my mother's last words rang inside of my head once more.

My last painful conversation with her.