Hate is the New Love

CHAPTER 1 – First Day

CHEON

Because of one unexpected encounter, the path I thought I was on completely changed.

A path so uncertain, even the devil’s own child wouldn’t have a clue what lies ahead. Not once did it ever cross my mind.

Someone who was part of your past

Or someone meant to be part of your present?

Today’s our final exam, and I swear, I’m about to pee from the nerves. Right now, I’m answering the science test—and damn it, I didn’t bring a sci-cal! Not like anyone told me I needed one. Even my i***t classmates forgot to bring theirs. And now it’s required for this test!

So here I am, mouth half open, staring at my empty test paper. I mean, I did study… but no one ever informed me we’d need a scientific calculator.

Sigh.

Just my luck.

Why does science have to feel like math now?

Whatever. I’ll just make up for it in the essay part. Without a second thought, I submitted my test paper even though most of my answers were probably wrong. I went back to my seat and waited for the remaining half hour to pass.

My mind slowly slips off as I zoned out. Before I knew, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

*****

FLASHBACK

We were at home when Papa arrived, gasping for breath. Both Mama and I turned to look at him.

“Why are you out of breath, Pa?” I asked.

“It’s nothing, anak. Just tell your sister I’ll be stepping out for a bit,” He said between breaths, then hurried into his and Mama’s bedroom, which was right next to the living room.

I had no idea what he did in there. After a minute, he rushed into the kitchen, where he and Mama began talking. I tried to listen in, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

A few moments later, I suddenly heard a soft sob.

I stood up and quietly walked toward the kitchen. Peeking around the corner, I tried to see what was going on.

My brows furrowed when I saw Mama wiping tears from her eyes while Papa stood still, sweaty and staring into space.

Why was Mama crying?

Did someone upset her?

“Daddy, Mommy...are you fighting?” I worriedly asked.

They were startled at my question. Mama forced a smile while Papa looked away, avoiding my gaze.

“Ah, no, sweetheart. We're just talking about something for grown-ups. Just go to your room, okay?” Mama crouched down to level my eyes, she’s trying to sound cheerful despite the tears rolling down her cheeks.

I saw a tear slip from Papa’s eye. He quickly wiped it away.

“You should go now, anak. Take a rest in your room,” He added gently.

I was about to climb the stairs when I suddenly heard my name and my sister’s. I pause for a moment to listen.

“What about our children? What about Jannica? You’re not even fully recovered yet!” It was Mom. She sounded angry—no, furious.

“You take care of them. I have to leave.”

I froze completely.

“What did you do? What the hell did you do?! Why won’t you answer me? Did you kill someone again?!” Mama’s voice cracked as she yelled.

Kill?

Dad killed someone?

But why? He’s the best dad in the world!

I always thought only bad people killed others. There’s no way Papa could be one of them.

“Yes! I killed someone. My boss’s son,” He confessed that made me slapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from gasping. I made a small noise, but luckily they didn’t hear it.

“You’re worthless!” Mom screamed at him.

“I’m doing this for our family! Wasn’t this what you wanted before?!”

I shut my eyes tightly, covering my ears as hot liquids rolled down my cheeks.

“I had to kill him, didn’t I? You hated that man too. He’s the reason Cleo died,” Papa said, his voice cracking with emotion.

Cleo....

She was the eldest among us siblings, but she died at a young age. I never even got to meet her.

“E-even so,” Mama snapped, her voice trembling, “What you did was still wrong. We escaped the Philippines to start a new life here. You promised me you'd change. And now you're doing the very same thing you swore you'd leave behind!”

Their voices were now raised, clashing with pain and fury.

Suddenly, I heard the blare of a patrol car outside. I jumped at the sound, my heart thudding when I saw two police officers step out of the vehicle. I nearly tripped over one of our chairs in my panic.

“I hope you can forgive me,” Papa’s voice said softly, his final words before everything fell silent.

I didn’t hear another sound. Silence engulfed the four corners of our house.

I decided to head up to my room.

But being the curious girl that I was, I stopped at the eighth step of the staircase, which is the perfect hiding spot where no one could see me, but I could see everything happening below.

Were the police here to arrest my father?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

I squinted, confused and startled, and instinctively covered my mouth. Standing outside was a tall police officer. Judging by his features and skin tone, he looked Filipino. Mama didn’t seem surprised at the sight of him. It was as if… she had been expecting this.

“Are you his wife?” the officer asked immediately.

“Y-yes....w-why?” Mama stammered, clearly nervous. I could see her hands trembling from where I’m hiding.

“Your husband is under arrest for murder,” The officer said firmly, holding up a paper.

Mama couldn’t do anything as he stepped inside. She instinctively took a step back as his fellow officers followed him in. There were three in total.

Mama struggled to hold back her tears. She didn’t speak as the officers started scanning the room, their eyes searching—looking for Papa.

“H-he’s not here,” Mama said softly, her voice shaking.

“That’s impossible. He’s definitely in here somewhere,” The officer muttered. His hawk-like eyes scanned our house.

“I told you—my husband isn’t here!”

I bolted up the stairs and rushed into the room that I shared with my sister. She was still fast asleep. I slapped her cheek, not too hard, but strong enough to wake her up.

Groggy, she stirred. “Ate, come on! We need to hide,” I whispered urgently, pulling her up.

But she wouldn’t budge. Her body remained glued to the bed, and her eyes fluttered closed again.

“What the heck are you doing, Nica? Go away, I’m still sleeping,” She grumbled, swatting my hand off her arm.

“Ate, there are police downstairs! They’re looking for Papa! We need to hide!” I shook her harder, starting to panic.

She blinked, clearly still half-asleep. “Why would we hide? Did we commit a crime or something?” The corner of her lips curled up, voice laced with sarcasm. She probably thinks this is one of my role-playing!

“There’s no time, Ate. Come on!” I pleaded, tugging at her arm, but she was too heavy for me to pull.

“Nica, I’m not in the mood. Save your prank for later,” She just groaned at me, flopping fully onto the bed. She even covered her ears with a pillow!

“Ate, I’m not pranking you! What if the police come up here and ask us where Papa is? What are we supposed to say? I don’t want him to go to jail. I don’t want them to take us away and put us in some orphanage!” My voice cracked with panic. “Just the thought of it is making me lose my mind!”

Okay, maybe I was overthinking things a bit. . . .but still! You never know what might actually happen.

Ate didn’t even sit up. She just stared at me with a completely blank expression.

“Maybe if I play along with your little drama, you’ll finally leave me alone and I can get some actual sleep,” She muttered, finally giving in.

Still dragging her by the arm, I brought her to my hiding spot.

It was our secret room—the one Dad built last year. It used to be a secret between just the two of us. But now. . .our little secret was no more.

I was terrified the police might take us away. That’s what always happens in the movies.

“What?! There’s a secret room behind our closet?” My sister nearly screamed as I guided her inside.

I quickly covered her mouth.

“Yeah,” I whispered. “But now that you know it... it’s not a secret anymore.”

The space was a little cramped, and the heat is slowly creeping into our skin. There was a small electric fan in the corner, but it didn’t work. So, we had no other choice but to wait it out until the police left.

“When is this going to be over?” Ate groaned to herself, clearly desperate to go back to sleep.

I could hear footsteps outside—heavy ones. I assumed they belonged to the police. When all of a sudden, I let out a small cough. My eyes widened, and I quickly covered my mouth.

Thank God they didn’t hear that. Stupid cough.

Then I heard Mom coming upstairs. I could tell by her voice that she had just discovered we were no longer in the room.

We both leaned in closer, listening carefully to their conversation from behind the wall.

“Where are your two children?” One of the officers asked.

“T-they were just here earlier. . . .I just now realized they’re gone,” Mom replied. She actually sounds dumbfounded.

There was a small peephole in the wall, something I had used before for spying when Dad and I play hide and seek. I pressed my eye against it, watching the scene unfold outside.

“Why are you looking for my children?” Mom asked, but the officers ignored her question completely.

“Looks like he’s really not here.” One of the officers muttered, glancing once more around the entire room that Ate and I shared.

“But we to have to take your children with us,” The fat officer firmly stated.

Our eyes widened in shock, but no one was more stunned than Mama. “What?!” Ate and I exclaimed at the same time.

One of the officers snapped his head in our direction. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was like he heard something.

Ate and I froze, trying our best not to make another stupid noise.

She was about to whisper something to me, but I frantically motioned for her to stay quiet. That was when she finally realized—this wasn’t a prank.

If they’re looking for Papa . . . why do they want us, too?

All I know is that Papa has always been kind. Maybe not the best dad in the world to everyone else—but to me, he was. He’s always the best. My superhero. My everything.

He said he did it for revenge.

But now, that revenge might be the very thing that tears our family apart.

It seemed Ate couldn’t hold it in any longer. Without saying anything to me, she stepped out from our hiding spot. I wasn’t even surprised. I knew the weight of what the officer had said hit her just as hard as it did me.

I lowered my head as everything suddenly started to make sense.

Ate stood tall and defiant, raising an eyebrow at the three officers with a sharp glare. “You don’t care where I came from. Just answer me—is my dad a criminal? Where is he? Why are you accusing him? Why do you have to take us?!” Her voice cracked. Tears streamed down her face.

A sharp ache pierced my chest.

I’ve never seen ate cried this hard before.

Mama rushed to her side and wrapped her in a tight embrace. None of us spoke. I just stood there, frozen, watching them.

“Mom, Is dad a criminal? W-why are they looking for him? He’s not bad! He used to teach me how to dance and sing. He always read Bible with me! There’s no reason for him to be called bad. He’s not a bad person!” Ate sobbed uncontrollably. In that moment, she looked so vulnerable.

I wanted to cry, too, but the tears stuck in my throat. I couldn’t get them out.

“Daddy is not bad, Jessy. Remember that, okay? He’ll come back. He’s just going away for a little while. He’s not a criminal, baby. Shh. . . . don’t cry.” Mama softly whispered as she held her tighter.

The three officers stood there, silently watching like we’re in a drama.

But why?

Why do they have to take us?