Chapter Thirty Six
Axel's POV
My hand reached next to meet, trying to find the familiar heat of Valerie's body but all I felt was the cold sheet. I fluttered my eyes open and was surprised to see that I wasn't in my room. I winced as I tried to sit up, my face and body were tender and sore. The memory of last night came back to me. I cussed to myself at my stupidity. The alcohol took control of me last night and I went to Tristan, looking for her sister. Alam na ni Tristan ang tungkol sa amin. In just a day, I lost a girlfriend and a bestfriend.
I slowly and carefully slid out of bed and went out of the room. I recognized the furnitures in the living room. I was at Wayne's place? I had no recollection of how I got here. I just remembered going to Tristan's and being punched by him but I didn't know how I got here. Bumukas ang pinto mula sa isang kwarto at lumabas si Wayne. He stretched out his arms and yawn.
"Hey." He said looking at me. "Leaving so soon? Wanna sit down and have some brunch first?"
"How did I get here?" I asked.
"You got so fucked last night."
"No shit." My frown grew bigger.
"We'll talk it over while we eat." Wayne said as he headed towards the fridge. I sank down on one of the dining chairs, my head pounding and my body hurting like fuck. I felt drained of energy. "Tinawagan ako ni Tristan kagabi. He asked me to come pick you up before he kills you."
"How do you feel?" He asked as he grabbed a can of beer in the fridge. He sat beside me and opened it up.
"Fantastic." I sarcastically answered, holding my throbbing temple and massaging it.
"Tinirhan kita ng pagkain. Kumain ka muna ng mawala yang hang over mo." He said. Only then did I noticed the food in front of me. Garlic rice, longganisa, and sunny side up egg. The delicious smell of the food filled my nostrils but my appetite was off-kilter still from what happened last night.
"I'm not hungry." I said.
"Tangina ka, mukha kang panda." He chuckled, shaking his head as he took a sip from the can he was holding. I threw him a sharp glare. I didn't find it funny at all. This was no laughing matter. "You fuckin' had it coming. You shagged his sister. Tinalo mo kapatid niya. Gago ka talaga! Hindi ba binalaan na kita noon? Whatever happened to bros before hoes?"
"Valerie is not a hoe!" I angrily exclaimed. "It was hard..."
"What was hard? Your cock?" He dryly said.
"It was hard to stay away from Val." I answered, not paying attention to his tongue-lashing. I knew I was in the wrong. "I wanted her the first time I saw her and now I'm in love with her. I love her with every bits and pieces of me." I had never openly and shamelessly confessed my love for someone to my friends before. Maybe it was because no woman had ever made me feel the way Val did. I had never loved someone the way I love Valerie. It was needed to be said.
"I think Tristan would've been more accepting of your relationship with his sister if you were't married to another woman." He said. My marriage was never a secret to my friends. They were actually the only people who were present at our civil wedding. Kahit sila sinubukan akong pigilan sa pagpapakasal pero matigas talaga ang ulo ko noon pero hindi ako nakinig. I was fucking stupid to not listen to them.
"I'm... I'm trying to work on that. Guiles doesn't want to sign the divorce papers. I'm talking to a lawyer right now." I sighed.
"I don't want to say 'I told you so' but man, I told you so." He shook his head. "We knew you two wouldn't last."
"Do you think Tristan is still mad at me?"
He threw me an amused look. "Dude, he almost killed you last night. Go figure."
The door to Wayne's room opened. "Oh." Said a surprised woman's voice. She was wearing a blue striped pajama top, the same pattern as the pajama bottom Wayne was wearing right now. Before I could make out her face she went back into the room and closed the door.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"Just some whore." He shrugged uncomfortably.
"I better go now. Mukhang nakakaistorbo na ako." I said and got up from my seat and made my way to the door.
I dreaded going back to my house only to find it empty with nothing but furnitures and objects. There wouldn't any Valerie to jump on me when I get home. I opened the door and got what I expected. A cold and empty house. I felt like every bit of life had been sucked out of me, like every bits of my body had been flushed away except for the outer shell. Hollow and lifeless.
I dragged myself in. I've done some difficult things and with everything I'd been through, this by far is the hardest.
"Axel." My head snapped at a woman's voice. My eyes widened when I saw her walking towards me from the kitchen. My eyes narrowed to mere slit, my hands clenched into fists. Every muscle in my body quivered with anger. I fought the urge to explode. She was the last person I would want to see right now.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in a dark, steely tone. "How the fuck did you get in here?"
"Your door was left unlocked so I welcomed myself in." She said with shimmering eyes as she forced herself to smile.
"Ikaw ang nagsabi kay Valerie tungkol sa kasal natin?" My jaw clenched.
"I'm still your wife, Axel. She has to know." She started walking towards me and touched my cheek with the back of her hand. "What happened to-"
"Don't fucking touch me!" I snapped. She flinched in surprise and drew her hand away as if she had touched a hot stove. "Wala na siya! Are you happy now? You just never fail to make my life miserable, Guiliana!"
"Axel-"
"What the fuck do you want now?"
"I want you back..." She whispered with quivering voice.
"No, I want out of this marriage. Go back to Italy and find another man to screw. I don't want anything to do with you."
"Please, Axel, just give me another chance." Her arms wrapped around my torso.
"Get the fuck away from me!" I roared, pulling her arms away from me and giving her a not so hard shove. She had to take a few step back to keep herself from toppling over. "Get out of here! Huwag mong hintayin mawalan ako ng pasensya. I don't want to hurt you, Guiles."
"I wasn't the only one who was at fault here. May pagkukulang ka rin naman." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "The only times I ever felt your love was when it was convenient for you, when you want someone to fuck. I never heard you tell me the things you told me about Valerie! I never saw your eyes glow whenever you talk about me to other people the same way it did when you talked about your Valerie! I did everything to be a good wife to you and all I wanted was to feel like I was your world. Like I could be... everything you needed. When I left I thought you would stop me but you didn't. You didn't even try."
"Are you fucking kidding me? You cheated on me!" I growled in frustration.
"Would it make much difference if I didn't cheat on you? If I just decided to leave, would you have stopped me?" She asked.
My eyes lowered to the ground at her question. I tried to be a good husband to her. I made myself believe that she was the one who I truly wanted to be with but there were times when I really regret marrying her when we were still together. I loved her conditionally. I couldn't deal with her flaws. Her being too needy at times, being too unreasonably jealous, being too possesive. It was suffocating. My friends knew we wouldn't last, deep down I thought the same way too. The moment she left me, I felt like I could breathe again. It bruised my ego but I did feel free.
"I thought so..." She let out a sniding smirk. "Don't you fucking dare put all the blame on me! At least ako may ginawa ako! You just fucking sat there and played the victim card! I'm not going to watch you be happy with someone else! I'm not going to make it that easy for you."
Valerie's POV
It had been two days ago since I left Axel. This morning I woke up with an empty space next to me. It was as empty as the feeling in my chest right now. My hand reached over to the space next to me where Axel would be if he was here with me. I felt the bitter sting in my eyes. I held my tears in. I won't cry. Even if I were alone, I won't cry. I laid there for twenty minutes. I didn't feel like getting up, I really had nothing to look forward to. But I didn't want to just lay here all day and wallow in self-pity. I would take back myself and regin everything I lost. My pride, my self-respect, my dignity. There are millions and millions of people who've had their hearts broken. They've survived the heart break and went on with their lives. I will too. Hindi ko ikamamatay ito.
I got up from bed, took a long and relaxing bath, fixed myself and went down to have breakfast. I put on a fake smile before going to the veranda so as not to worry my dad. Kung nasasaktan ako, alam kong nasasaktan din si daddy na makita akong nagkakaganito. One day, I'd be over him. I wouldn't cry myself to sleep anymore ad I wouldn't wake up feeling this empty but until then I have to fake it. Tama nang ako na lang ang nasasaktan sa kagagahan ko.
I found dad having a conversation with David as they walked side by side at the garden.
"Dad." I called him as I walked to where they were at. I hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Morning."
"It's already afternoon, princess." Dad smiled. I didn't really checked the clock before I went down. I guessed I overslept from crying so much last night. "Kanina ka pa hinihintay ni David."
I turned my head to him and smiled. "Hi, David."
"Hey." He nodded his head at me. "I heard you got back from Manila so I thought I'd stop by."
"It's so sweet of you. Thank you." I said.
"Aayain sana kitang lumabas." He said, his hand reaching to rub his nape. "I was thinking we might go out for lunch maybe?"
I paused for awhile as he waited for the answer. Would it be a good idea to go out with him? I mean, I didn't want him to assume that this was a date. Ayaw kong umasa siya na may pupuntahan itong paglabas namin.
"Just a friendly lunch." He said when he probably saw the hesitation on my face.
Why not? Maybe I just needed to go out a little more to keep my mind from thinking about Axel. Besides, I was already feeling suffocated inside the house. I was fed up of looking and spacing out at the same walls everyday. I looked at dad, asking for permission. He just gave me a smile and a nod.
I looked back at David. "Sure."
"I want my daughter back before it gets dark, okay?" He told David in a strict manner. "Take good care of her."
"No problem. I will, tito." David nodded.
I shook my head with a grin. He knew what I was going through and as a father he was just being protective of me. He knew how fragile and vulnerable I had being feeling lately. I said goodbye to dad and we went to his car and hopped in. He took me to a restaurant in town and we both had lunch together.
"Why did you go back here?" He asked as we ate.
I gulped down my food, almost choking on it. My eyes lowered to my plate. I didn't want my eyes to give me away. "I just... want to."
"What happened to you and that asshole?"
"I don't really want to talk about it."
"You know he's no good for you. You deserve someone better. Someone who would treat you like the princess you are, someone who would give you the love you deserve." He took my hand and brought it took his lips. I quickly pulled my hand back to him.
"I'm sorry, Val." He sighed.
"Mas mabuti kung magiging magkaibigan na lang tayo, David." I said.
After having lunch, we went to the park and took a walk for a couple of hours. He was a good distraction but sometimes I find myself wishing Axel was here with me. That he was the one I was walking with, talking with, laughing with. Magagabi na ng mag-aya akong umuwi at ihatid ako ni David pabalik sa bahay. I thanked him at nagpaalam na siya sa akin. It would've been easier kung hindi na lang dumating sa buhay ko si Axel. I would still be probably in love with David. He messed up my fairy tale fantasy. A princess meets a dashing knight in shining armor and they live happily ever after. It was supposed to be that simple. David and I could've had our fairy tale happy ending but then he came.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: ZingTruyen.Xyz