The One With The Hate [QUARREL CITY SERIES #2]

Kabanata 37

I didn’t even have to turn around. The sharp sound of her heels against the floor, the way the air seemed to shift with her presence, it was enough.

There was no surprise in her eyes. No confusion.

She knew. She had always known the moment we talked in the parking lot. The moment she denied me. She knew I was gonna come back here.

"Is he going to wake up?" I asked coldly.

Hindi ako lumingon sa kaniya. I felt him behind me. She just stood there. I could feel her stare.

"He is awake. Just unconscious right now," she answered. "I wouldn't let you talk to him either way."

I didn't talk.

When she did, her voice was colder than I expected. "You're just desperate as your mother."

Natigilan ako. Those words clung into me like a poison. Kumuyom ang palad ko. Hindi pa din ako lumingon. I refused to look at her and see how fragile I am at the moment.

"My mother?"

"You really don’t know?" She let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Of course, you don’t. If you're here for a family, you're mistaken."

Nilingon ko siya ngayon. Mataas ang noo kong hinarap siya. She stared at me. Napawi ang ngiti sa labi niya nang makita ako. Her jaw clenched like she was seeing someone from my face.

"I'm here for answers."

Her lips moved. "You look exactly like her. The moment I saw you, I should've known."

"Tell me everything."

She threw daggers on me with her eyes. "You want the truth?" she said coldly. "Fine. I'll tell you everything. But after this, you leave. You disappear from our lives for good."

I clenched my jaw, every muscle in my body tightening.

"I'm not here to ruin your life," I said, my voice low but firm. "I just want to know."

She scoffed. "That’s what they all say. But people like you? You never just leave. You always want something more."

I held my ground, refusing to let her words get to me.

"I have everything now. I don't need anything," I said. "Tell me where's my mother."

She was stunned by what I said. But she was tough. I knew she wasn't going to back down just like I am.

"Your mother? She's on the ground. She died giving birth for you." she didn't hesitate to tell me. "She paid for what she's done."

I swallowed hard. That was tough to accept but I didn't have a choice.

"Actions have consequences, Quinn," she smirked. "She paid the price for ruining a family. For ruining my family."

"She's a mistress." I said, fully, without hesitating. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement from my understanding.

"And you're a mistake."

I let out a broken laugh, though there was nothing funny about it. My entire existence, everything I fought for was reduced to nothing more than a bad decision someone regretted.

I looked at her. "Was it her who gave me away?"

"No," sabi niya. "It was me. He didn’t have a choice. I did. And I made the right one."

The right one.

Tinignan ko siya ng matalim. I exhaled and tried to keep my calm. I know I'm not in the position to scream now. I blinked at the woman before me, waiting for something. A remorse, hesitation, even just a flicker of guilt but there was nothing.