Lost in the Maze: Elias de Marcel

Kabanata 26

KABANATA 26

Atasha's POV

It's been a week since I left Elias, and I admit that adjusting has been difficult. With the help of Kaeon, I was able to find a new place to stay, which is also a condominium building where he lives. While it may not be as high-quality as the de Marcel properties, I can say that it still has its quality.

It's a good thing that it's far from where Elias is so that our paths won't cross. It's also convenient that it's close to my restaurant, and there's a possibility that I won't get stuck in traffic.

I didn't go to work today as I planned to take a one-week leave to unwind. I need some space for myself, away from everyone who knows me. So I decided to book a flight to go on vacation in El Nido, Palawan.

I've talked to Zylee about my upcoming leave, and I've entrusted her with the management of the restaurant while I'm away. I have great trust in her as my Chef Assistant, as she has proven herself to me several times before.

After booking my flight and securing a room reservation at the largest hotel in El Nido, I went back to arranging my belongings. I still have a lot to fix here in the living room, as I bought some items yesterday. I'm thankful to Kaeon for accompanying and helping me yesterday.

We may be in the same condominium building, but we have different units and floors. He intentionally made sure we were not on the same floor to avoid being too close. He didn't want to disturb me further, knowing that I needed to be alone, but he ensured he was always there when I needed help.

Habang nagbubukas ako ng mga box na aayusin ko'y napansin ko ang ilang mga picture frame kung saan isa sa mga pinakamemorable na picture ko kasama si Elias. Ito yung time na sabay kaming grumaduate ng college, at parehas kaming nakahawak ng sarili naming diploma at medalya. Naalala ko dati, sobrang proud ako sa kanya dahil isa siya sa mga cumlaude sa batch nila.

Isa sa mga hindi ko makakalimutan noon ay kung paano niya ako isama sa speech niya noon, na isa ako sa mga naging inspirasyon niya kung bakit nagpursigi siyang mag-aral at naging isang magna cumlaude. I never thought that I had such an impact on him, enough for him to consider me as one of his inspirations in life. He even said back then that we would fulfill our dreams together, until we made it happen.

May kung anong kirot ang biglang dumaan sa puso ko, hindi ko akalain na pagkatapos lahat ng mga trials na dumating sa amin, mga problema na sabay naming sinulosyunan ay hahantong kami sa ganito. Narito kami sa isang daan na halos hindi na kami magkasalubong, ang hirap ng ituwid, nakandaligaw-ligaw na kami. Yung dating iisang daan na mayroon kami ni Elias, nawasak dahil lang kay Jocelle.

Napabuntong hininga na lamang ako bago itanago ang mga yun at nilagay na lang sa stock room. Nakapag-desisyon na ako, hinding-hindi ko na bubuksan pa ang pintuan ko kay Elias. Kahit mahirap makalimot, kahit masakit at sobrang hirap alam kong kaya ko, alam kong magagawa ko. Hindi man sa ngayon, but I know someday this pain and love for him will vanish.

I grabbed a lemonade from the fridge and poured it into a glass before heading out to the veranda of my unit. I placed it on the small table there before leaning against the railings. I breathed in the breeze that came from the tree before deciding to retrieve my phone from my pocket. When I opened it, I was surprised to see twenty-eight missed calls and ten messages from Elias.

Now, what was I supposed to do? I wasn't expecting any messages or missed calls from him, and yet here they were. I opened a few of his messages and almost laughed at what I read.

From: Cuciolo Elias

Shang. Let's talk. Please?

Where are you?