A Curse of Heels (HIDING SERIES 02)

Chapter 9

Primrose keep on crying and I can't talk to her properly because she keeps pushing me away. I hid the pain that's lingering inside me and look at Upton on the driver's seat. 

I still can't get over to what happened a while ago. They showed us a warrant of arrest and didn't explain more information. They brought him to the police station to talk about those matters and since I can't just leave my daughter alone, I decided to take her with me. 

Hindi kase porket ako ang biological mother niya ay dapat ko na siyang isama. Bata pa lang ang anak ko at ngayon lang ang unang beses na nagkita kami kaya alam kong naninibago pa siya. Isama pang hindi ako ang kinagisnan niyang pamilya.

Mabuti na nga lang at nandito si Upton para tulungan akong pakalmahin ang anak namin.

"How did that happened, Upton? Why is everything so sudden?" I curiously asked, referring to Hugh's case.

"Hindi lang ang pangunguha niya sa anak natin ang kaso niya. Marami na itong nalabag na batas. I guess this is really the right time for him to pay the mistakes he did." 

Hindi na ako nakasagot pa sa kanya. Bahagya pa akong nagulat sa sinabi nito tungkol kay Hugh ngunit hindi na ako nag-abala pang magtanong ng kung ano man. May tiwala ako kay Upton at laking pasasalamat ko sa kanya dahil nabalik na sa 'kin ang anak ko. Speaking of my daughter, I put my whole attention on her.

Nakasandal na ngayon ang anak ko sa dibdib ko taimtim nang natutulog. Napagod na ata kakaiyak. I fixed her natural curly hair that keeps on covering her precious face and tucked it beside her ears. She really inherited almost her features from me. 

Ang sarap lang kase sa pakiramdam na kahit hindi ko siya naalagaan no'ng sanggol pa lang siya ay kahit papaano, may nagpapaalala sa kanyang ako ang ina niya. I'm wondering how things will flow if it didn't happened this way? 

Kung hindi sana ko pumunta sa party no'ng gabing 'yon at hindi nakilala sina Hugh at Upton. Wala sana ngayon sa tabi ko ang anak ko. And most especially, what if I didn't get comatosed? Will I be able to stop Hugh from stealing my own child?

It's now too late for many what ifs and regrets but this is what reality is. We all have different pathways in life to take. Different goals, challenges, and fate. Everything seems so hard while examining those if we will still continue to take it or just give up easily. But sooner, I came to conclude that our fate was be decided by us.

Kung anong gusto nating mangyari sa hinaharap, kakailanganin nating paghirapan 'yon bago makamit. Kadalasan kase ay masydao nating inaasa lahat sa tadhana. Admit it or not, but we are blinded with lots of instances that may happen but we always choose to do nothing about it.

"Thinking of something or someone?" Nalipat ang atensyon ko kay Upton.

"May mga bagay lang akong narealize," I told him. He glanced at me for a second and focused again to the road.

"And what are those? Care to share something?" Tumawa ako nang bahagya. Para kaseng nagmukha siyang bata bigla sa paningin ko na nag-aabang sa kaibigan niya para magsabi ng isang sikreto.

"Na siguro, eto talaga ang nakatadhana sa 'kin. Ang mapunta sa magulong sitwasyon," I chuckled a bit. "Matagal mo na pala akong kilala pero natotorpe kang lapitan ako noon kahit gustong-gusto mo na ako hanggang sa dumating 'yong party. Hindi ko lubos aakalin na magkaibang lalake pala ang nakilala ko noon. Sometimes, I think that I'm such a flirt for entertaining you both." Tumaas naman bigla ang kilay niya. Nakatingin lang kase ako sa kanya habang nagkwekwento habang nagd-drive ito.

"And then it happened so fast...I found us both inside a room and sharing intimate kiss. Oh...my bad. I shouldn't mention about it right now." Tinignan kase ako nito nang masama sa rear view mirror at sinenyas si Primrose na mahimbing nang natutulog.

"She's asleep, okay? Back to my story, nakabuo agad tayo ng isang magandang bata sa isang gabi lang. How surprising right? Everything seems so unexpected. I thought it would be a happy ending now but I was wrong. Pagkatapos no'n ay si Hugh na pala ang nakakasama ko. Isang beses pa lang kitang nakakasama no'n pero ramdam ko na ang pagkaka-iba niyong dalawa."

"Anong pagkakaiba?"

Inalala ko lahat ang nakaraan. From the time I was with Hugh up to the day that I told him I was pregnant.

"You're gentle and he's aggressive. Just to clear things out, nothing happened between us like what we did. Uhm basta...hindi ko siya ma-explain. Ayaw ko na kaseng balikan pa 'yon. Pero gusto mo bang malaman ang isang sikreto ko?" 

"It's a secret but you'll tell it to me?" Bakas ang pagtataka sa boses nito pero hinayaan ko nalang.

I sighed as I continue my statement.

"I fell in love, Upton. But that time, I was still confused. Memories of us together that night keeps on hunting me and it's actually the reason why there's a strange feeling inside me when I'm with Hugh. It's like there's pushing me away from him. And to tell you honestly now..."

Tumigil ang sasakyan pero hindi ako nag-abala kung saan niya kami dinala. Ngayon ay nasa akin na ang buo niyang atensyon at naghihintay ng susunod kong sasabihin.

"It's you. It's always been you whom I gave up my heart on."

Dinalaw ako ng matinding kaba nang nakatitig lang ito sa 'kin. Hindi na ba siya makapagsalita sa kilig o sa disppointment?

Does he not love me anymore?

I've been denying this to myself for so long and now that I admitted it already, will he just reject me?

Nawala lahat ng agam-agam ko nang ngumiti na ito sa 'kin. 'Yong ngiting totoo at walang halong kalokohan o kasinungalingan. His smile is very genuine that calms my beating heart and remove all the doubts inside me.

"I've waited for how fvcking long to hear that from you, Corrrine. This has been always my dream to be loved back by you. And you know what makes me so happy now?"

"What?"

"That you love me because that's what you really feel and not because you feel obligated to reciprocate my feelings because I am the father of your child."

Hindi ko lubos inaasahan ang pagkakataong ito na aamin ako ng tunay kong nararamdaman. Ang sarap pala sa pakiramdam 'no? Parang nawala 'yong bigat na matagal ko nang nararamdaman at napalitan iyon ng kakaibigang saya dahil sa wakas ay nasabi ko na mismo sa importanteng tao sa buhay ko na mahal ko siya.

"I promise to make it up to you for loving me for more than a decade now." Tumawa ako nang bahagya dahil sa sinabi ko. Nakita ko namang namula ang pisngi niya dahil sa hiya.

Nakakagulat pa rin talaga hanggang ngayon na sobrang tagal na pala niya akong kilala at gano'n din niya katagal tinago ang nararamdaman para sa 'kin.

"But before that, we'll fix everything first. C'mon, let's go talk to Primrose's grandparents..."