CONSEQUENCE OF TEMPTATION

Chapter Thirty Three

Hindi agad sumagot si Zephyr habang naka-tingin lang sa'kin. Hindi ko mabasa ang emos'yun niya sa mata pero natatakot ako. Umatras ako pero hinawakan ni Laurent ang braso ko.

"We didn't fool you if that's what you're thinking Zephyr. Hindi din namin inaasahan to. Hindi ko alam na nabuntis ko si Bela nang may mangyari sa'min nang gabing 'yun. But we are all victims here. We are all fooled, man."

"Zephyr, maniwala ka. Hindi kita niloko. A-Akala ko ikaw ang lalaking kasama ko nang gabing 'yun. A-Akala ko..." Hindi ko matuloy ang sinasabi ko dahil sa pagiyak ko. Nanatiling nakatingin sa'min si Zephyr kaya ako mismo ang umiwas ng tingin.

"Magnus used Bela to ruin your life but he failed because Bela loved you! He knows everything from the start and now he's using me to ruin you." Laurent said and stepped forward, "Let's fix this calmly, man. Wala kong planong sirain kayo ni Bela. I just want my son to know me as his father. Wag mong hayaan na sirain ni Magnus ang buhay mo. Don't let him ruin you and Bela."

Hindi pa din sumagot si Zephyr kaya tinignan ko siya. Nakayuko na to kaya naman lumakas ang kabog ng dibdib ko. I'm already ready to hear his curses but he didn't say any word to us.

"Zephyr, man, talk to us." Ani Laurent ngunit hindi sumagot si Zephyr. Katahimikan ang bumalot sa'min bago namin narinig na mahinang tumawa si Zephyr.

"Zeph..." I whispered. He looked at us and my tears fell when I saw him crying.

"I-I know." He finally said before he wiped his tears, "I know everything. I know he's not my son. Alam ko, Laurent. Alam ko..."

"Y-You know?" Tinignan ako ni Laurent ngunit hindi ako sumagot.

"Bela told me that we had sex because we're drunk that night. Pero alam kong hindi. Dahil nang gabing 'yun ay umalis ako ng club. Umalis ako ng gabing 'yun." Sagot niya, "I know it from the start, man. Pero hindi ko inaasahan na iiwan ni Bela sa'kin ang bata."

"T-Then why did you accepted Zach?" I asked him.

"Because I thought you'll come to me." He answered. May kinuha itong box sa isang sulok at binuhos 'yun sa sahig. Puno 'yun ng papel at envelope na iba't-ibang kulay. I gasped when I saw the love letters that I'm giving Zephyr.

"T-That's..."

"I'm sorry if I didn't take responsibility to your child Bela. I'm sorry because I can't accept the fact that you mistook Laurent from me. Kasi 'di ba sabi mo mahal mo ko? Sabi mo sa mga sulat na yan na mahal mo ko..." Saglit itong tumigil para punasan ang luha niya. Ako naman ay tahimik lang na humahagulgol habang tinitignan siya.

"Z-Zephyr..."

"P-Pero bakit? Kung mahal mo ko bakit ibang tao ang pinagkamalan mong ako? Bakit ako pa din ''yung taong nilapitan mo para sabihing buntis ka? I was damn hurt Bela. I was hurt and broken but I still waited for you to come to me."

"I'm sorry Zephyr! I-I'm sorry."

"You even left your own child because you're mad at me, Bela. Bakit? Anong kasalanan ko sa'yo? Kasalanan ko bang hindi mo natandaan kung sinong lalake ang kasama mo? I thought you are such an awful woman when you left Zach to me. I hated you for that Bela but I still waited for you to come back. You came to me but you lied again. You lied again and again and it made my heart filled with disappointments and anger."

"But despite of everything, I still loved you Bela. I still do. I'm sorry if I hated you after six years. Dahil kahit i-tago ko sa lahat ay alam kong sa sarili ko na inaantay ko pa din marinig mula sa'yo ang totoo."

Hindi ako makasagot dahil para kong sinampal ng malaking katotohanan. All these years, ako ang may mali, ako ang may kasalanan. Pero tinanggap pa din ako ni Zephyr kahit na ilang beses ko siyang sinaktan. What kind of awful person I am? Napaka-sama kong tao.