Love Until It Hurts (Monteverde Series 4)

18

Chapter Eighteen

"Solitude is bliss." Nakangiting wika ko kay Sam nang makaakyat kami sa kuwarto ko. I carried her here and when I set her down, I immediately closed the door.

            She pulled her eyes away from me and scanned the entire room. When I graduated from college, I had a drastic change in style. Noon, puno ng bookshelves ang kuwarto ko at mga science experiment na nakatambak sa gilid. Ngayon, it now a door that connects it to my personal library. Doon nakalagay ang mga book collections ko at nagsisilbi na rin itong office ko kapag panandaliang nanatili ako rito sa manor.

            "Ang laki ng pinagbago ng kuwarto mo," saad niya. "Nasaan 'yung mga shelves? 'Yung framed sketch ng Vitruvian Man ni Leonardo da Vinci, wala na rin?"

            "I moved both inside my office. That way." Ininguso ko ang kabilang pinto.

            "I see." Tumango-tango siya.

            Mom and Ate Blythe are lounging in the garden at the back of the mansion, maybe making plans to go shopping or talking about the latest fashion trends. My mother being a former model, she relates a lot to Ate's style. Si Dad baka nirereview na ang mga dokumento at proposals na natambak sa kanya.

            Masaya ako na sa wakas ay napag-isa na kaming dalawa. Hindi siya tinigilan ni Ate Blythe at Mom kanina habang kumakain. Kung ano-ano ang mga tinatanong sa kanya.

            My eyes widened when Ate blatantly asked Sam if she was on drugs, Sam said no. I glared at her and she just gave me a shrug before saying that she just had to be sure. She said she didn't want a user in the family because she is raising her kids already.

            I wanted to strangle the woman.

            "Pasensya ka na sa tanong ni Ate Blythe sa'yo kanina, hindi ko rin inaasahan na biglaan niya na lang itatanong 'yon sa'yo," I said as I watched her continuously scan my room. "Masanay ka na sa kanya. Gano'n gano'n lang umakto pero kahit mahirap isipin, mabait din naman 'yon kahit papa'no."

            She was standing upright with her clutch under her armpit.

            "Okay lang. Sabi ni Ate Blythe, para daw fair kasi tinanong din daw siya ni Tita Cassi ng gano'n dati." She smiled at me. She hobbled toward the table bolted against the wall. Tinignan niya ang mga picture frames na naroon.

            The first was a family picture. 'Yung pangalawa naman ay kaming magkakapatid, at yung pangatlo ay graduation picture ko. She took it in one hand and stared at it intently.

            "I'm so proud of you, Zade. Hindi ko nasabi sa'yo 'yan no'ng nag-graduate ka kaya ngayon na lang." The sadness was there and it was hard to ignore. "I'm immensely proud of the person that you have become."

            Nilapitan ko siya at niyakap sa likod. "I'm proud of you, too."

            Yumuko siya. "Bakit naman? What's there to be proud of? Hindi nga ako nakapagtapos," she mentioned in an almost muted tone. "I'm a nobody."

            "Proud ako sa'yo kasi matapang ka. Your mom turned her back on you, you got hit by a car, you lost your ability to walk. Pero kinaya mo," masuyo kong anas, hinalikan ko ang balikat niya at binaba niya naman ang frame.

            "I have something to show you. Come on." Nginitian ko siya at nakita ko ang paglitaw ng pagtataka sa mga mata niya.

            "You're going to like this, I promise," I said before walking toward the other side of the room where a mahogany door is located. Binuksan ko ito at sumunod siya sa akin sa likod. Her eyes became rounded when she saw the inside.