Chapter Thirty Five
Axel's POV
I urgently slammed the door to my condo unit open, hoping to see Valerie there. The house was still and quiet, the silence was almost deafening. I slowly walked towards the door to my room and pushed the door handle down to open it. There wasn't much difference. It was still quiet, empty... no Valerie in sight. I walked in to find some of her clothes scattered on the floor and on the bed, trailing from the closet door. It was as if she had left in a hurry. I let out a curse, I sat down on the edge of the bed to catch my breath. I could feel my body limp. My chest felt heavy.
It slowly sank into me as I sat there feeling like a fucking failure. I lost her. I lost the best thing that has ever happened to me. I fucked up again. I always do. This time she gave up on me. The woman who loved me unconditionally for everything I was and everything I wasn't gave up on me. The only woman that actually understood me left me. I thought it was the right thing to do. Keep it from her. I fucked up real bad.
Valerie's POV
"Are you okay?" Trina asked with a hint of worry on her voice as she stroke my hair. "You haven't left your room for five hours."
I hadn't realized I'd been crying for five hours. Bumalik ako sa bahay na tinutuluyan namin magkakaibigan. It was the only place I thought to run to. I wasn't ready to go back to the hacienda. My friends were the only people I knew I could run and cry to. I told them about Axel and our relationship. I told them we had been living together and I told them about what I just found out today. They listened and comforted me while I cried my eyes out.
Just a good cry, that was all I need and then I would go on with my life. I wasn't going to let this get the best of me. I would forget about him and move on.
"Yeah. I'm just tired." My voice squeeked as I swallowed my sob.
"It's just a guy, you know." She sighed. "You'll get yourself another. A better one."
I sat up, my back against the headboard. I surprised myself when a chuckle rose from my throat. She made it sound as easy as buying a brand new bag. It was the first time I had ever laughed today and it felt so good. She looked at me as if I was crazy but it then she laughed along with me and shook her head.
"You'll be fine." She gently said. "Siya ang nawalan, hindi ikaw. Nag-iisa ka lang, no! The ever beautiful Valerie Zamora. Saka hindi naman siya ganun kasarap." I glanced at her and snickered like a little girl. Oh, we both know how he was in bed. She smiled, rolling her eyes at me. "Okay, fine. Maybe he is... just a little."
We both burst into laughter. I laughed so hard that tears started pouring it my eyes. I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to. Soon enough, my laughter turned into quiet tears. She pulled my head to her shoulder and I leaned on it. Trina stroked my hair as I cried again.
The door opened and Venus stood there with a grim expression on her face. "He's outside." She said.
"Who's outside?" Tanong ni Trina.
"Si Axel. He's looking for Valerie." Venus answered. "Kausap siya ni Amy."
They both turned their attention to me. I leaped out of the bed and ran out of the room. Amy was standing in front of the door, blocking it, and I could hear her talking to someone. I quietly walked to the window to the right of the door and peaked out of the curtain. I saw Axel standing outside with his hands tucked into his pockets. His face was dark and tensed.
"For the third time, Axel, wala nga dito si Valerie! Hindi pa siya nagpupunta o dumadaan dito." I could hear Amy shouting in frustration.
"Don't hide her from me. Alam kong nandyan siya. Sa inyo lang naman siya tatakbo." He said in a calm but stern voice. "I just need to talk to her. Please, Amy, I'm begging you."
Amy subtle glanced at me when she noticed I was there. I shook my head at her as if telling her that I didn't want to talk to Axel. I wasn't ready. Hindi pa ako handang kausapin siya at pakinggan ang sasabihin niya. No matter what he would tell me, it wouldn't change the fact that he was a married man. He deceived me.
"How many times do I have to tell you that she's not here?" Mataray na sabi ni Amy. "Hindi pa namin siya nakikita. Kahit halughugin mo itong bahay, hindi mo siya makikita dahil wala naman siya dito!"
Axel took in a deep breath. His shoulders dropped in resignation. His face turned darker, more weary. He looked like he had age a couple of years in just one minute. He turned and started walking away. My heart squeezed as I watched him walking away. I wanted to run after him but I stopped myself from doing so. Letting him go was the right thing to do. And it was the hardest too. Bakit kung ano pa yung tama, iyon ba ang mahirap gawin?
I placed my palm on the window. It was one of the hardest thing I had ever done. It was hard to admit that the person I wanted most wasn't any good for me. It was hard watching him walk away.
Axel's POV
I called the hacienda. I called Nicole and Cooper. Even the fucking HR guy. Anyone I could think of. But they kept saying the same thing. Valerie wasn't with them. I was worried and frustrated and I felt helpless. I thought of every possibility of her being okay because if something bad happens to her I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I was sitting in my car after going to Nicole, Cooper and Aaron's house to check if she was there. I wasn't contented with words, I needed to see it for myself. Wala siya sa bahay ng kahit sinuman sa kanila. I parked my car on the side of the road and called her phone for the nth time but it was switched off. I angrily threw my phone on the passenger's seat and hit the steering wheel with my fisted hand.
I sped off to a place that I could go to clear off my head. I didn't want to go home. I was too fuckin' scared of going home to an empty house. I was scared of the echoing silence of my own home. I was scared of being left alone with my own thoughts. Valerie was all I could ever think about and the thought of her was killing me. I parked my car in front of the club and went inside. I made my way through the crowd and headed towards the bar to get myself a glass of whiskey. A glass would at least help calm my nerves. I gulped it straight down and asked for another one. I kept drinking, glass after glass, just so I could numb myself.
My mind was already fogged up by alcohol when I thought of one person she could possibly go to. Her brother. Goddammit! Why haven't I thought of Tristan? I payed for my drinks and hurriedly left the bar. I drove off to Tristan's condominium without hesitation. Alcohol had already degraded my ability to think clearly. I walked, ocasionally stumbling, to Tristan's unit and repeatedly pressed the doorbell.
It opened and Tristan stood there with a dazed and annoyed expression. His hair was messy and he looked like he just woke up from sleep. I leaned my arm against the door frame and smiled.
"What the hell are you doing here? It's two in the morning. May trabaho pa ko bukas." He said in a raspy voice.
"Where's Val?" I blurted out.
"Val?" His brows furrowed. "Wala siya dito. Bakit mo siya hinahanap?"
"Dude, don't hide her from me. I know she's in there!" I said, losing my cool. I looked behind him to his house and shouted her name. "Valerie!"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He gave me a good shove, making me tumble back a few steps. "Bakit hinahanap mo ang kapatid ko?"
"Tell her we're going home. Hindi ako uuwi ng hindi siya kasama." My voice slurred with drunkness.
"What the hell?" He looked at me with disbelief for a few moment before giving me a piercing glare. Without any warning, he landed a punch on my face and I fell to the ground. He grabbed me by my shirt and lifted me up. "Are you fucking my sister?"
"Whatever we're doing, it's none of your business!" I roared. "I just want Valerie back."
"You son of a bitch!" He drove his knuckles into my cheek and my face was knocked to the floor. I struggled to sit up, holding myself up with an arm. I winced when I felt pain on my face from his punches. It was enough to sober me up and bring me back to my senses.
"I fucking love your sister!" I shouted at him as I forced myself up. "Please, just let me talk to her. Inaayos ko na ang divorce namin ni Guiles. Tell Valerie she's the only one I love, Guiles doesn't mean anything to me anymore."
"Bastard!" I felt a shooting pain when his fist flew over to my face again, sending me cold to the ground. "That's for my sister."
I lifted my head up and before I could even have the chance to sit up, he sent me back to the ground with his fist. Drunk and injured, I didn't even bother to move anymore. "And that's for ruining our friendship."
That was the last thing I heard before I passed out.
Valerie's POV
"Tristan..." I gasped when I saw him sitting on the living room. It was in the middle of the night. I was sleeping, exhausted from crying, when Venus woke me up and told me someone wanted to talk to me. He turned his head to me with a steely expression. I slowly walked towards him and sat on the single couch to his left. "What are you doing here?"
"Totoo ba na may relasyon kayo ni Axel?" He asked, his voice low but piercing.
Hindi agad ako nakasagot. I blinked in surprise.
"Valerie!" He pressed. This time his voice was clearer, louder, firmer.
"Kung anuman ang meron kami ni Axel, tapos na iyon." I answered, doing my best to hide the shakiness of my voice. It startled me a bit when I heard him cuss angrily. "Nasa tamang edad na ako. You don't have to be so overprotective of me. You and dad doesn't have to treat me like a little kid."
"Axel has a wife! He is married!" He snarled.
"I know." My voice was soft as my eyes fell to the ground. I could feel my heart clenching into a tight ball and I tried so hard not to let another tear fall from my eyes.
"Alam mo pero pumatol ka pa rin sa kanya?" He brushed his fingers through his hair frustratedly. "And you expect us to trust you with your decisions?" He laughed mockingly. "Is this what you want, Valerie? To be someone's mistress? Naiintindihan mo ba kung gaano kahirap yang sitwasyon na pinasok mo? You don't have any idea how hard it is to love someone who's already married."
"Now I do..." I swallowed a sob.
He quietly looked at me, this time his eyes were soft, his gaze warm. There was pity and sympathy in his eyes. I roughly wiped away my tears with my hands.
"I only found out about it this morning. Kinausap ako ng asawa niya. Niloko niya ako, Tristan." I sniffed. I heard Tristan let out a couple of sighs.
"Come on, I'm going to take you home." He said in a gentle voice.
After getting my things and saying goodbye to my friends, I hopped into Tristan's car. There was no point in staying here anymore. I missed my daddy and I wanted to go home. Mas makakabuti para sa akin kung uuwi na ako sa hacienda. I wanted to try to save even just a little of myself. I almost gave all of myself to him. Halos wala akong itira sa sarili ko. Nothing was left for me but to walk away, to give it up. I could live without ever seeing his smile again, never hearing him say my name again, never smelling his cologne or feeling the heat of his body against mine.
I fell asleep during the drive home and Tristan only woke me up when we were finally at the hacienda. It was in the peak of the sunrise when we got there. The sky was clear blue. I took in a deep breath once I got out of the car. The smell of the fresh morning air mixed with the woodsy smell of the trees were lovely. The only noises were birds and the tress rustling together to the relaxing rhythm of the wind. I was home.
I excitedly ran inside the house and found dad sitting at his favorite spot, at the veranda having breakfast. I jumped on him like a little girl and gave him a tight hug.
"Daddy, I missed you." I said, trying to hold back my tears.
"Princess..." He brushed his fingers through my hair. "I missed you, too."
"Dad." We both turned our heads when we heard Tristan's voice. His face was grim as he stood there. I looked at him with pleading eyes, silently asking him not to tell
dad. He just gave me a quick glance before averting his eyes to dad.
"Tristan, anak." Dad walked towars him, giving him a hug and a pat on the back. "Ikaw ba ang naghatid sa kapatid mo?"
"Yes, dad." He answered.
"What did she do this time?" Dad asked, looking at me.
"Can we talk in private?" Seryosong sabi ni Tristan. I knew he would be as heart broken as I was when he finds out. They went inside and I anxiously waited for them at the veranda. After what felt like eternity, they came back. Dad's face was uncharacteristically blank, void of any expression. I wanted to cry again when I saw him. He just stared at me for a few moment. I felt like a disappointment and a failure.
"Dad, I'm sorry." I said when I couldn't take the silence anymore. The tears I had been holding back fell.
I ran to him and hugged him. I burried my face on his chest and began crying and sobbing like a little girl who skinned her knees.
"It's okay. You didn't know. You did the right thing, leaving him and I couldn't be more proud." He said in a calm, soothing voice but there was also a hint of sadness in his voice.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: ZingTruyen.Xyz