HE WAS A SHE

CHAPTER 16: UNCOVER THE TRUTH UNTOLD

Truth and lies circle within our life span. We love the truth and hate lies. But no matter how much we prevent ourselves from telling lies, we can’t stay away from it fully. Some say they were just making white lies, so it’s not a lie at all, since you had a very good reason behind it. But at the end of the day, it’s still a lie, no matter what reason behind it. That’s what I learned throughout my journey of pretending to be someone else. I don’t justify myself just because I have a good reason for doing so. But if given the same scenario, I would still choose to do the same thing. That’s why I also wanted to finally tell him a piece of the lie I’m keeping for myself. But, what if I was the one who would be surprised after unexpectedly unraveling the truth I'd been hiding? What if the one who lied is the one who is being lied to? Is it something acceptable just because the lie goes back to the person who lied from the start? Is it something worth forgiveness? For healing and starting anew?

***

After giving myself time to absorb everything, I immediately wiped my tears away and stood up, and left without leaving a word to my boss. I know it’s wrong to judge him right away without knowing both sides of the story. Even if he was part of the past I wanted to uncover, it’s still not good to make assumptions just because of what other people say. Even if I’m starting to doubt him, I should at least give him a chance to speak for himself. But I couldn’t give him that for now. Because I know, no matter how much I tell myself that I won’t let my feelings hinder my ultimate goal, I know I would get swayed by his words easily.

That’s why I left quickly after finally getting sober up with my emotions. I need to see Bob first. I need to hear the truth from him first. I need to know what happened in the past. And only then, I would be able to make the best decision, not just for me and him but for everyone else, including my mom.

“Let’s talk about it now, Bob,” I said with some urgency.

“Now? As in, right now?” Bob confusingly replied “What about your work? I mean, we can talk about it at home once you’re done for the day. So, no need to be in a hurry. Plus, you’ve been out of work for a week. You might be fired for good if you skipped it again this time.”

“No,” I insisted while waiting for an empty cab. “I need to hear it now. Going to work without hearing what happened in the past would only make me out of focus. So, I need to know the truth. Not later. But, now,” I strongly added.

“Okay, as you said so,” Bob replied. “But where are you right now? So I can pick you up and we can go and see the witness together?”

“Let’s just meet at home. I’m already taking a cab right now.” I uttered. “I’m on my way. I’m just five minutes away. So, let’s just meet there. Okay?”

“Okay! See you!” He added.

But while riding the cab, my phone suddenly rang. It was my boss. But I didn’t answer his call. He’s been calling non-stop and sending messages asking where I am since I left the coffee shop without telling him. I ignored him. I only have one thing in mind right now, and that is to know the past—the truth they’ve been trying to cover.

“You’re here!” Bob called.

“Let’s go,” I uttered with haste.

“Sure! Let’s go!” He responded while opening the door of the car for me.

***

In a secluded area in the countryside. It was a one-day trip from the city. And it was a very tiring journey, but the tiredness didn’t affect me at all. Mind over matter was my mantra since I heard Bob’s good news about my sister’s death. Although I don’t know what I am feeling right now. I am both happy, excited, thrilled, and scared a bit because I didn’t know if the things I could hear would be for the good or the bad. My heart is pounding like crazy. And my nerves were shaking with fear—fear of the unknown, fear of the untold truth.

“We’re here,” Bob uttered. “It’s so far, right? That’s why it took us quite so long to trace him back since he moved to this very distant place. Plus, he also changed his name and his identity. He changed everything related to him and from the case.”

“How did you find him, by the way?” I curiously asked.

“He was very cautious in hiding his identity. But you know me, right? And you know my abilities, I won’t stop until I satisfy my gut feeling. But I guess it was more of luck this time, too.” He added.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I was invited by a former classmate in college to attend his wedding. At first, I planned not to go since it was very far. It was in the countryside. And, I couldn’t remember his face either. We’re not really that close.” He said. “But, he was so persistent. So, I searched for his name on the IG. Fortunately, as I was browsing his posts, one of the photos caught my attention. One of his pictures posted on his account caught someone we’ve been looking for.”

“Him?” I asked.

“Yes, him,” Bob responded.

“Whoa! What a coincidence!” I uttered.

“It was a blessing in disguise and I’ve confirmed it was not until I attended my classmate's wedding that I saw that man. He was working for him on his agricultural farm and resort. And the rest is history.”

“Thank goodness!” I added while hugging him out of excitement and happiness. “Thank you so much, Bob. This means a lot to me.”

“No worries, Eli. Just like what I promised. We’re going on this together until we achieve what we planned in the beginning,” he added.

“Let’s go?”

“Let’s go!” I enthusiastically responded.

We walked for more than 10 minutes until we reached the house Bob mentioned. It was a bit tedious of a walk, but I didn’t mind, since I knew that he was the only key I needed to uncover the incident from the past. And if there’s someone desperate enough to know the truth, that would be me.

“Mr. Santos? Mr. Santos?” Bob knocked on the door. “Mr. Santos? This is Bob. The one you talked about was the incident in MC Group 10 years ago. Mr. Santos! Mr. Santos!”

Bob had been calling so loudly but no one responded. Seems like no one is around. And if he was sleeping, he'd probably be awake at Bob’s loud voice and strong thud on the door.

“What’s wrong, Bob?” I worriedly asked.

“I don’t know. I will try to call him first, okay? Don’t worry.” Bob commented. “He’s not answering his phone.” He uttered.

“Are you sure he really wanted to meet us and testify about what happened 10 years ago?” I asked. “What if he changes his mind again? What if he doesn’t tell the truth this time?”

“No, that can’t be,” Bob insisted. “He was ready to speak about what happened in the past. He said he feels guilty for lying in court before. And looking at his eyes, I could feel his sincerity. I believe he would do the right thing this time. Plus, after listening to the people he lived within this place, he’s a good person, Eli. He was only caught in between those people who wanted to hide the truth and his sick son. He had no choice as a father. And I don’t judge him that he chose his son’s life and received the money offered by MC Group just to change his statement.”

“But, why was he not answering your call? He’s also not here at his home.” I hysterically commented. “What if he decides to flee again?”

“That can’t be,” Bob asserted. “We have no choice. We have to get in.” He added while climbing the gate of the house.

“Hey! What are you doing? We might be accused of illegal trespassing,” I commented. “Bob? Let’s just come back another time.”

But, even before I could stop him, he had already landed inside the area. I didn’t know he had those detective skills for entering houses without an invitation. I thought he was only good at computers and hacking websites.

“Let’s go! Hurry!” He called while opening the gate for me.

“Are you really sure about this?” I worriedly asked. “I mean this is illegal and we might get caught trespassing on his house. Instead of getting those jerks to pay for their crimes in the jail, we might be the ones who ended up there just because of entering a house without an invitation from the owner of the house.” I added while slowly following him on the back.

“Hey! Don’t overthink things, okay?” He responded. “We are trespassing here. The owner of the house actually invited us over. Plus, no one is around within his neighborhood, so no one would catch us. So, relax.”

Although I’m not really sure about this, I just followed Bob while he slowly entered the house. I don’t have a choice, because I don’t think I can leave him alone in this situation.

The house was not well organized and neat. The trash was not properly segregated and was spilling onto the trash bin with a lot of flies. A pile of dirty clothes was dumped in the washing area. A lot of dried leaves were scattered on the ground. There was also a bottle of wine at the entrance door. Cobwebs were also present on the ceiling of the house. Brooms were not properly stored in their container bin. It seemed like no one was living in this house. It’s more of an abandoned place.

“Are you sure this is the house?” I curiously asked.

“Yes, I’m very sure. I was here before,” Bob replied.

“This is not like a house where someone’s living,” I explained.

“I know. I was also surprised to see this mess. I mean, the first time I came here, the house was not like this,” Bob replied. “Mr. Santos? Mr. Santos? Are you there?” He knocked on the door. But no one responded.

“Mr. Santos? Mr. Santos?” I shouted. But, still, no one was making a sound in response.

It’s very serene and peaceful. And its quietness gives me that eerie feeling. I can’t explain it actually, but I feel like something’s wrong.

Bob continued marching inside the house after hearing no response or any sound from the inside of the house. I wanted to stop him but he was already making his way in. I followed him without any questions being asked.

“Mr. Santos? Mr. Santos!” Bob rushed to the body lying on the floor. He checked the pulse but the look on his face told me the person we were looking for was already dead. “He’s not breathing anymore.”

“No, this can’t be happening, Bob.” I hysterically uttered. “He’s our only key to bringing the Cruz down. He’s our only way to get justice for my sister and even my dad. Let’s call an ambulance. Or, a rescuer. The police. Right! We need to call the police.” I was in panic mode as my phone slipped into my hands while dialing the police hotline hurriedly. Honestly, I don’t know what to do after seeing the dead body. I only had one thing running in my head right now and that was to save him—the person that could help me seek justice for my sister.

“Calm down, Eli. I’ll be the one to call an ambulance and the police. Okay?” He added.

After a few minutes, the rescue team came as well as the police. Bob was busy talking to them about what happened while I was just sitting on a chair looking so shocked. I was staring at the rescue personnel while they were transporting the dead body into the ambulance. A member of the police and detectives were busy gathering any clues that would help them come up with the conclusion as to what happened at the crime scene. After all the commotion, Bob and I left the place. We were walking on the street silently. I was broken-hearted and devastated about what happened. After hearing the good news from Bob, I thought I already had hope in my sister’s case. I thought, at last, I could give them the justice she and my family deserved. But just like how it was in the past, there was still a loophole.

“It's okay, Eli. Cheer up!” Bob uttered.

“It’s not okay, Bob. This is not okay.” I sniffed. “We’re already close to finding the truth. But, this? How pathetic?” I added.

“I know,” Bob replied. “But, whoever did this, one thing is for sure, someone is working behind our backs. I mean, no one knows the exact location of Mr. Santos except you and me. But whoever is behind the death of Mr. Santos, it is very clear that he’s the culprit or an accomplice in the case. This means he’s someone who also knew what happened back there on that rooftop. This also means we need to know who this person is. We need to track him down.”

“I don’t know, Bob. I really don’t know.” I commented with a huge disappointment on my face.

“Eli, this is not yet the end. As long as you are fighting. As long as you don’t give up, we still have hope. And, we’re on this together, okay? No one can stop a BobLi tandem, right?” He smiled.

“BobLi?” I laughed.

“Finally, you smile. That’s the spirit! Don’t let this weaken you or stop you from your focus, Eli. It’s going to be tough but we’ll get through the bottom of this, isn’t it?” He added. “Let’s go! It’s a long day for both of us. We need to go home. Take a rest so we can earn a lot of energy for another battle in the future. Fighting!” He uttered, trying to change the mood. And he’s very good at that.

But even before we could go upstairs, someone came unexpectedly. Someone I’ve been ignoring the whole day after hearing a piece of the truth untold from the past. Someone I can’t face for now. Someone I don’t want to see, even his soul.

“I’ll go ahead,” Bob said.

“Sure,” I replied.

“Bye!” he added.

“Bye!” I responded.

I stared at him, pushing him to speak up first. But he didn’t utter a single word. He just looks at me with his usual gaze. And moved closer, then hugged me all of a sudden. I was too surprised to react. His hug is somewhat like from a person with the deepest longing in his heart. Suddenly, I felt his sadness and his worries. I tried to push him away. But, he was so strong in wrapping me around his arms. He touched my hair and whispered something in my ear.

“I miss you.” He uttered. “I thought you were gone again. Thankfully, you’re here.” He continues to sob.

Deep inside, I wanted to get angry with him. I wanted to ask him directly about his involvement with my sister’s death. I wanted to confront him about the truth he'd been hiding all along. But just like magic, my anger was washed away with his embrace and his three simple words. I wanted to resist but here I am failing again. And I know I will always be a weakling around him, especially if I won’t stop whatever we have right now.

But the question is, how? How will I do it? How will I tell him that I don’t love him anymore, whereas, in fact, I know I can’t lie with my eyes?

***

The following day,

Morning came again. The usual day for any hardworking professional. But, an important day for me. Important because this day marks the real beginning of my journey to uncover the truth untold in the past.

“Where are you going?” Bob asked after seeing me putting up my shoes. “Don’t tell me you’re going back there. Haven’t you ended your relationship with him yet? Haven’t you talked things out with him last night?”

“No,” I replied. “And I’m not breaking up with him… for now.”

“Hey!” Bob grabbed my hands. “You might get busted for your act. And what’s worst, your boss might be caught red-handed. Leave while it’s still safe. Plus, we already have something to cause a stir in the company. It might not be related to what happened to your sister. But I believe this is enough to dig some clue from the past.”

“No, Bob. That’s not enough to drag them down.” I reiterated. “I need to continue my actions until the end. And the situation I am in right now gives me the advantage of investigating a crime 10 years ago. My boss was there. And being close with him would help me find the truth I’ve been searching for.”

“But, you might get hurt along the way.” He added. “I mean things are different now, Eli. You do love him for real. And if you intend to keep what you have right now, you have to let him go for real. Don’t let the past ruin the love you have for each other. It won’t be easy. But it’s the only way if you want to continue this fight. Unless you just want to forget everything and start a new life with him.”

“I know.” I sobbed. “There were days that I felt like I just wanted to run away with him. Yes, you’re right. I do love him. And God knows how much I tried to stop myself. Even after knowing that he was involved in my sister’s death, I tried to put anger in my heart while thinking about him. I have to so I could face my mom. I had to so I could proudly face my dad and sister’s grave. I tried so hard, Bob. And you’re right. Because no matter how much I try, I always end up failing. The more I caught myself falling for him.”

Bob hugged me tightly while I felt like a damn—overflowed with emotions. I felt helpless. I was torn between love and revenge.

***

In the company.

I continued my daily task without letting the revelation affect me or my work. I arrange all the documents my boss needs to check and sign for the day. I also cleaned the table and the couch where he normally seats while sipping a hot Americano coffee as soon as he reached his office. And since I arrived earlier than my usual time, I scanned over his schedule for the day and the whole week as well while sitting in front of the window. And as expected, there are a lot of changes needed to this one-week schedule after all the mishaps in the previous week. And since I didn’t get any good sleep last night, I suddenly felt like my eyes were slowly drowsing. I tried to keep myself awake, since I know how my boss gets irritated seeing employees who tend to slack during work hours. But it was already too late when I realized I’d already dozed off from work after feeling as though someone was blocking the sunlight for me.

I slowly opened my eyes and was startled to see my boss sitting uncomfortably at the edge of the window just to block the sun's rays from hitting my eyes. I immediately stood up and fixed myself.

“I’m sorry, Sir. I will not do it again. I’m really sorry.” I apologized while giving him a full bow.

“It’s okay.” He replied while helping me stand up. “I understand. You must have been so tired from work. Well, it was my fault, to begin with. I bombarded you with multiple tasks. Don’t worry. I unload half of those so you won’t feel tired anymore.” He added while smiling back at me.

“No!!” I quickly responded. “You don’t have to do that, Sir. I mean it’s my job to do the task you told me to do. I promise I won’t doze off again, especially during work.”

“No, it’s okay.” He insisted. “Besides, I decided that I will also reduce my work so you won’t get tired as well. That’s my new point of view on life. I will slow down with work so I can give time for our relationship. Right? I mean all my life I’ve been working my butt off for this company so that I don’t have time to meet people and enjoy life. I feel like I’ve wasted a lot of time sitting in this office. But thank you.” He added while giving me a back hug. “Thank you for coming into my life and for loving me.”

There he goes again—his touch, affection, and sweet words trying to melt my anger deep inside. “Stop yourself, Eli,” I told myself while seamlessly pushing him away.

“Oh!” I laughed while moving a distance away from him. “Enjoy life! That’s nice.” I added, trying to make a smooth exit. “Right! I forgot.” I uttered while scratching my head. “I need to go over some documents for the YZ project. There were some changes sent by our investors before the MOA signing this Friday evening. I need to immediately change it. If you’ll excuse me, Sir.” I emphasized my last word with the hope of sending some signal to myself, not to mix work with personal life.

“Sure, you can go,” he replied.

“Thank you, Sir. By the way, good morning. I’ll go ahead.” I uttered.

“Wait!” He suddenly remarked. “By the way, thank you for this.” He raised the coffee in his right hand.

“Yes,” I bowed down.

***

It was already passed & pm and yet my boss was still in his office with his close friend and legal counsel of the company, Atty. Richard Lee. It was two hours since his guest arrived. Earlier, he told me not to leave until his meeting was over. Plus, he also mentioned not letting anyone disturb his meeting and would ring him whenever the food he ordered would arrive.

Minutes had passed and I was already impatiently waiting for him to come out. That’s when I decided I really had to go. Plus, it’s already getting late. I was standing a distance away from the door of my boss’s office while walking back and forth waiting for him and his guest to come out of the room. I was staring at my watch closely while its minute hand slowly ticked. But, another 30 minutes had passed and he was still inside. That’s when I thought I had to butt in so I could leave now. However, I can just message him about it. But since he left his phone on my desk while it was charging at lunchtime, I really had to bid goodbye personally.

At first, I hesitated. But, I continued taking my steps until I reached front of the door of his office. I was about to knock before getting in when I heard something. Something that caught my attention and made me freeze for a moment.

“So, when are you going to tell her about it?” His guest asked. “That you know she’s a woman all along.”

“A woman?” I asked. “What was he saying about?”

“What about the fact that she was related to Ellen? How are you going to tell her about it? That you knew her sister since then?” The man added.

“What?” I whispered. “He knew my connection to my sister? Since when? I mean, how?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know dude.” My boss replied. “But if there’s one thing that I know, I can’t afford to lose her. That’s why I called you here. I need your help.”

“Help?” His guest was dumbfounded. “What do you mean? Because the last time I checked, I was a lawyer, not a love expert.”

“Hey! I’m damn serious, okay?” My boss uttered. “I want to make things right. And I want to start it by reopening the case. Just like what my half-brother wanted.”

“He’s awake?” His friend asked.

“And I want you to do it secretly. Without my dad’s knowledge,” he uttered.

“Secretly? Like a spy?” HIS friend curiously asked.

“And I know I can count on you on this, right?” He uttered. “You have to do it with the utmost secrecy. No one should know that you’re investigating and reopening the case until everything is set.”

“Don’t worry, dude. Leave it all to me.” His friend added.

“By the way, here are the details you’ll need for the case.” My boss said while tossing the brown envelope onto the table fronting his friend. “Just ring me anytime if you need anything. Okay?”

“Sure!” His friend proudly cheered.

My mind suddenly froze for a moment, as if everything around me just stopped moving. I couldn’t hear anything nor could I see anyone. My whole body seemed paralyzed, even my mind from processing what I heard. Revelation after another. I stood for a while leaning outside the wall of his office. But I was startled to hear my phone suddenly ring. After realizing that it might reach my boss’s office, I immediately ran away and rushed to the elevator. Thankfully, I got an escape. I was able to run off without letting my boss know that I was there and I unexpectedly eavesdropped on their conversation.