This Could End

Chapter Thirty-Two

One would think that my last day with Hadeon would be the aftermath of a tragedy but it turned out it was actually the calm before the storm.

It wasn't long after we returned back to the house when Dharma came to pick me up. There was something off about her. She usually had a lax disposition but for some reason, she couldn't maintain eye contact with me.

Hades was still in the bathroom when I finished packing, not that I had to pack much. Sinubukan ko siyang katukin para magpaalam na aalis na ako. Hindi niya ako nilabas. I just heard him say 'okay'.

Maybe he didn't wanna say goodbye again. Or maybe it would be too painful for him to see me actually leave and disappear from his view because that was exactly what I felt.

Dharma looked uneasy as she buckled her seatbelts. Hindi rin siya tumitingin sa akin at mukhang sadya 'yon. The Dharma I know would be asking me right now if it was worth it or how things with Hadeon went. Right now, she was too quiet.

She fumbled with starting her car. Sunod niyang kinalikot ang phone  she looked extremely agitated.

"Something's up," I concluded. "What is it?"

Dharma inhaled sharply. Binitawan niya ang steering wheel at mukhang sumuko na. Nagpakawala siya ng hininga. Sunod ay hinawi niya ang buhok. She was either stalling or still finding the right words to say.

"Asia had a car accident last night," she finally started.

My eyes widened. The last interaction we had, I congratulated her for getting the movie role through message. That almost felt like a long time ago.

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Minor injuries lang. But there are rumors about her driving under the influence."

Naguluhan na ako sa mga sinasabi niya. Anong kinalaman ng nangyari kay Asia sa kinikilos niya ngayon? Dharma doesn't even claim Asia as a friend. It didn't make sense for her to be this affected.

Unless she was stalling and was  just feeding me with showbiz news to distract me.

"Anyway, she was trending and everything. It was a mess. Dream Girl also trended then all of a sudden, you trended. Until now. You're trending and Asia's DUI rumor was completely forgotten." Lumingon na siya sa akin. May takot sa mga mata niya.

I instantly went cold and rigid. "What is it about?"

"There are photos circulating online... no one knows who the source is."

Fuck. Kahit na hindi ko pa naririnig ang sunod na sasabihin niya ay alam ko na agad ang pictures na tinutukoy niya.

"There are clear photos of you with Hadeon. Sa parking ng club, sa basement parking ng condo mo, and in another unrecognizable place. The two of you were either holding hands, hugging, or kissing."

Panic began to set in. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I quickly brought out my phone and turned on the power.

"Kitang-kita yung mukha mo sa ibang photos. Hadeon's was blurred in some clear photos but everyone's already assuming that it isn't Gio."

Notifications flooded my phone as soon as it went back to life. My group chat with friends, texts from Gio, texts from Gior and Mama Ton, my team, calls from the same people, but the two lone texts stood out of the most were from my father and an unregistered number.

Unregistered number:
I'm sorry.

I didn't need to wonder who did it. It was clearly the same person who blackmailed me from taking the role that Asia landed, now this happened to Asia and the blackmailer resurfaced. Could it really be her then?