Deceitful Seduction

Kabanata 15

I folded my legs and rested my chin above my knee as I wait for the sun to finally rest after its peak. Nasa tabi ko lang ang kapatid ko na umiinom ng tsaa, wearing her usual poker face while looking at our son and daughter playing with each other.

Nasa rooftop kami ng mansion ni Hypnos. After eating earlier we decided to rest for a while and just talk when the sun is down. Hindi na ako umapila pa at sumunod na lang kay Ate na mukhang seryoso talaga. I wanted to ask her if she's planning something but the fear always gets me. Hindi ko alam kung sana ako takot, sa tanong ko o sa magiging sagot niya.

"Pasithea Verónica Dornon," She suddenly said after a minute of silence between us.

Inangat ko ang tingin sakanya to see her face. Napasinghap ako noong inalis niya ang tingin sa mga bata at ibinaling iyon sakin. Those unreadable emotions again, it's so different that it appalled me.

"That's your daughter's name right?" She continued with a question.

I don't know where she's going but I still managed to answer her.

"Y-yes."

"First you didn't tell her anything about me then you didn't put her father's surname in her name." Tumawa siya na may halong panunuya.

Tumahimik naman ako sa sinabi niya dahil hindi ko rin naman alam ang isasagot ko. Umayos ako ng pagkakaupo bago yumukod at tiningnan ang nanginginig kong kamay. I can feel how disappointed she is with her words. It's like repeating history itself. But I don't want that, I don't want her to get angry with me. I want her to understand why I did all of those things, why I hid everything about her and why I didn't used Hypnosius' surname with my daughter's name.

"But I want to hear you, Raine. Gusto kong malaman ang dahilan mo, so tell me."

Tahimik pa rin ako at nakayukong nakatingin lang sa mga kamay ko. It's getting dark and cold but that didn't matter. Kahit nakayuko ay kitang kita ko pa rin kung paano tumigil ang mga bata at umupo sa sahig ng rooftop habang nagtatawanan. Alam kong hindi rin kami maririnig ng mga bata so it's as if we're alone here. The twin brothers are downstairs having their own discussion while the love birds are somewhere else, umalis na lang sila kanina na hindi sinasabi kung saan sila pupunta but they said that they'll be back.

I clenched my fist tightly until it turned white. I was breathing hard all of a sudden. As if those memories were dreams that kept on running inside my mind. Hindi ko na namalayan na lumuluha na pala ako habang nanginginig sa pinagsamang takot at pighati habang niyayakap ng kapatid ko. She was hugging me from my side while I continue to cry like a child. Hindi ko na alam ang nangyayari. Parang bumalik ako sa dati kong mga alaalang pilit kong nililimot.

"Hush... It's alright... Ilabas mo lang iyan." Nakakapanibago ang malambing ma boses ng kapatid ko. Moiranelle Khaleesi Kingsley-Baiamonte is a cold hearted person but this time, she sounded so foreign.

Hindi ko na pala namalayan na tanging dalawa na lang kami na nandito sa rooftop. Habang kumakalma na ako, doon ko nakitang wala na kaming kasamang mga bata doon. Nilingon ko ang kapatid ko na nakayakap pa rin sakin. Half of her face can only be seen from this angle but I know that she's looking at me since I can feel her stares. Kita ko sa repleksyon ng magagandang mata niya ang gabi, it feels so surreal to be honest, having my sister by my side again after nearly five years. Maraming taon ang pinagkait samin and I was too broken to even mention her name to anyone.

"Nagtago ako not just to protect myself and my son but also to protect you, Lorraine." She said in the midst of silence.

Iniwas niya ang tingin sakin bago ako binitawan. Umupo siya sa tabi ko habang tinitingala ang langit. Her eyes reflected it that it was too beautiful to look at. There are so many emotions running in her eyes that I can't read all of them because they're shifting too fast.