HULING KABANATA - tr. LAST CHAPTER
DIWA
"You lied to me, Emilliano!" I screamed, my voice breaking with fury. This was the first time I had ever felt such rage, a fury so intense that it made me want to hurt someone. I slapped him hard, the sound echoing through the room. His pale cheek turned bright red. "Why didn't you tell me?! My husband—my husband is alive!"
"You betrayed him, didn't you?"
I slapped him again, even harder. "You knew damn well that I did it to survive and to protect my son! If I hadn't betrayed him, I would have been captured too!"
"Mother?"
I turned to see Alon, who had just arrived, dressed in an elegant shirt. "What's happening?"
"Your father," I said, my voice trembling.
But he didn't respond. He didn't look surprised.
I stared at him coldly. "I know you knew, Alon. Why didn't you tell me?"
"He didn't want to see you," he replied softly. "I already told him that..." He looked away, unable to meet my eyes. "That you have been mourning him all these years. I told him why you did it. All of your sorrows and sacrifices." Our eyes met again. "But he did not care, Mother. From what I've heard, he has another family now."
I nodded, feeling my heart shatter into a million pieces.
But this is what I deserve.
I am the serpent, and just like the serpent in the Garden of Eden... I am a traitor. I am the Devil that brought destruction.
I sighed deeply once more. All I feel now is a chilling numbness. The pain has faded away. I looked up at Emilliano. "I apologize for hitting you."
Then I walked away, locking myself in my room. I did not shed a tear. I just... feel nothing.
I'm used to this. No worries.
I learned that Rajah and Bulan were captured, and now they live quietly, working to survive. I have no intention of disturbing them, no desire to reach out.
Perhaps it's time for me to accept everything.
And besides, I understand why he hates me.
I did betray him and left him to die.
"I am considering marrying Emilliano," I said to Alon when he visited me. I was sitting by the large window, gazing at the stars. "It's time for me to start a new life."
I turned to look at Alon, his face a mirror image of his father's. "I realize now that no matter what decision I made back then, it wouldn't have changed the fact that we would be conquered by foreigners. If I hadn't been a traitor, both of us would have died or become slaves."
"Mother, no." He shook his head. "Why would you marry him?"
I smiled sadly. "It's been 16 years, it's alright. After all, I am not getting any younger. Sooner or later, after a few decades, I will die. So none of this will matter anymore."
"What are you saying, Mother?!"
I furrowed my brows. "What? Your father has a family now, and that's fine with me. There's no need for me to be sad as long as he is well." I stood up and closed the window. I smiled at Alon. "It's alright. I've quit drinking. You don't need to worry anymore."
Alon bowed his head and nodded, then walked away. I didn't see him for days.
I don't know if he hates me, but that's alright. I am used to being hated.
One night, as usual, I was all alone. The surroundings were dark, yet I remained awake. Sleep had eluded me for weeks, making rest a distant memory.
From my bed, I froze when I heard a faint noise. The door to my room slowly creaked open, and though I couldn't see who entered, I sensed it was a man. I reached under my bed and grabbed my dagger. I rushed at the figure in the darkness, but he quickly caught my wrist. Still, I didn't relent.
"Quién eres?" I asked, dangerously. "Quién te envió aquí?!"
"You speak Spanish well, Diwa."
I stopped, my eyes widening in shock. "You're such a refined woman."
Rajah!
But I did not hesitate. "After all these years, now you think of killing me?"
He whispered, "Why would I kill a woman who is getting married?"
What?
"What did you say?"
"Why would I kill the mother of my child?"
"Then why are you here?"
"Just congratulating you."
I stepped away from him, still holding the dagger. "You must have gone crazy after being shot." I lit the lamp, and the room brightened. I saw him standing in the middle of my room. His attire was different, yet it only made him more appealing. His hair was still long, tied back behind him. "Tell me, what is an indio doing in my home?"
His eyes danced with humor. "Really? You're calling me that now?"
"It is what you are," I answered.
My eyebrows furrowed as he sat at the edge of my bed, as if he owned my home.
"Do you think you can just walk in here and—"
Before I could finish, he stood up and closed the distance between us in a heartbeat. His hand gently but firmly took hold of my wrist, lowering the dagger. His eyes bore into mine, filled with an intensity that made my heart race.
"Diwa," he whispered, his voice husky and low, "you know why I'm here."
My breath hitched as he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine in a tantalizing tease. The dagger slipped from my grasp, clattering to the floor, forgotten. His other hand cupped the back of my neck, pulling me closer until our bodies were pressed together.
"You are so beautiful. Still beautiful," he murmured against my lips before capturing them in a searing kiss, full of passion and longing. Our mouths moved in a heated dance, tongues intertwining in a fervent, desperate embrace. The world outside ceased to exist; there was only the two of us, lost in the fire of our reunion.
I pulled back slightly, my breath ragged. "You have a wife," I accused, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and desire. "Are you cheating on her now?"
A wicked smile played on his lips as he leaned in, his tongue darting out to tease my bottom lip. "I have no wife, Diwa. I've never married, nor touched another woman," he whispered before capturing my lips again, his tongue delving deeper, exploring every corner of my mouth with a fervor that made my knees weak.
I moaned against his lips, my hands clutching at his shirt, pulling him closer. His hands roamed over my body, igniting a fire wherever they touched. Our kiss grew hotter, more desperate, as if we were trying to make up for all the lost time.
He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his forehead resting against mine. "Remember what you told me when Emiliano shot me 16 years ago?" he asked, his voice a husky whisper. "Palihog, pangitaa kami, kon mabuhi ka. I lived, Diwa. And I've spent every moment since then trying to find you."
'Please, find us, if you live.'
Tears welled up in my eyes, the weight of his words crashing over me. "But what about everything we've been through? What about my betrayal?"
His grip on me tightened, his eyes blazing with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. "We can leave it all behind," he insisted, his voice full of conviction. "Start anew, just you and me. We can find a place where we can be free, where no one can tear us apart."
"But Alon told me you have a family now," I whispered, my voice trembling with uncertainty.
He shook his head, his gaze never leaving mine. "That's what he heard. But the truth is, you are in my mind every single day. I can't love another woman. There is no family, no other life. Only you, Diwa."
His words pierced through the walls I'd built around my heart, and in that moment, the last remnants of my resistance crumbled. I surged forward, capturing his lips in a fervent kiss that spoke of all the years of longing and unspoken love. Our mouths collided with a desperate hunger, tongues tangling in a heated dance that left us both breathless.
His hands roamed over my body, igniting a fire wherever they touched. He pulled me closer, his fingers threading through my hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring every corner of my mouth with a passion that made me weak in the knees. My hands clutched at his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer, as if I could fuse our bodies together and never let go.
His lips left mine, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along my jawline and down my neck, each touch sending electric jolts of pleasure through my body. I arched into him, a moan escaping my lips as he found a particularly sensitive spot. His hands slid down to my waist, lifting me effortlessly and carrying me to the bed.
He laid me down gently, his body covering mine as he continued his sensual assault on my senses. His kisses grew more urgent, more demanding, as if he couldn't get enough of me. I responded with equal fervor, my hands roaming over his back, feeling the hard muscles beneath his shirt.
"Diwa," he whispered against my skin, his voice ragged with desire. "I've waited so long for this."
His words sent a thrill through me, and I pulled him back up to my lips, kissing him with all the pent-up passion and love that had been building inside me for years. Our tongues danced together, each kiss more intense than the last, as we lost ourselves in the heat of the moment.
Time seemed to stand still as we explored each other, our bodies moving in perfect harmony. Every touch, every kiss, was a promise of the future we would build together, a future free from the pain and betrayal of the past.
As we finally pulled back, our breaths coming in ragged gasps, I looked into his eyes and saw the same determination and love reflected back at me. "Let's run away together," I whispered.
****
And the next day, Emilliano found Diwa's home empty.
****
ANG HULI