CHAPTER 7
1014 Words
Jacob's POV
Jacob told himself he was doing the right thing when he took Leo outside.
He needed air.
Distance.
Control.
Pero hindi sapat ang sariwang hangin para kumalma siya.
Ang tanging laman ng isipan ay si Libby—standing there in his house, in his space, breathing the same air he had learned to survive without for years. Every time he looked at her, memories clawed their way back in. The love. The betrayal. Ang kwarto sa ospital kung san nagising siyang wala ito.
HIndi niya namalayang nakatulog na pala si Leo. His chest tightening at how familiar the weight of his son felt in his arms. This—this—should have been his life from the beginning.
But it wasn’t.
Naghihintay si Libby sa sala at agad nang umakyat sila.
He felt her presence behind even before she spoke.
“Jacob, we need to talk.”
He pretended not to hear her.
Talking was dangerous. Talking meant cracking. And if he cracked, he didn’t know if he could stop himself from begging her to stay—or screaming at her to leave.
“We can’t go on like this, Jacob.”
He turned to her only when he reached the room he had decided would be theirs.
“Go on like what?” he mocked, already pulling his shirt over his head. He needed armor off. He needed pain.
“Like this,” she said, gesturing helplessly around them. “Everything is so tense. So gloomy. It’s not healthy for Leo.”
The moment the words left her mouth, something inside him snapped.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
He saw her eyes flicker—just for a second—to the scar on his chest. The same way people always did.
But this time… she didn’t step back.
Good.
“Do you think I don’t know that?” he hissed. “Do you think I’m enjoying this?” His hands clenched at his sides. “I’m supposed to be focusing on my son—but I can’t. I can’t do it with you here.”
“I’m sorry,” bulong nito.
Sorry.
The word tasted bitter.
“You’re sorry?” He laughed without humor. “Then what are you going to do about it?”
She looked confused.
Aren’t you going to prove how sorry you are?” he taunted. “How are you going to show me? Shouldn’t you be kissing me—just like in the movies?”
He saw the hope die in her eyes.
Good.
She deserved that pain.
“Don’t you dare cry,” he warned when her lips trembled. “Didn’t I make myself clear earlier? There’s no escaping me this time.”
He grabbed her hand before she could pull away and pressed it against his chest—right over the scar.
He felt her inhale sharply.
“Feel it,” he said through clenched teeth. “These scars don’t disappear, Libby. You don’t get to pretend they don’t exist. You might as well get used to them.”
Nanginig ang kamay ni Libby.
Then she pushed her palm harder against his chest.
And that—that almost destroyed him.
Her tears fell freely now, falling into his hand, and for one terrifying moment, he wanted to pull her into his arms. To forgive. To forget. To go back.
Instead, he shoved her away.
Hard.
She fell back onto the bed.
The sound of it echoed louder than it should have.
He saw the shock in her eyes—and the hurt.
It nearly broke him.
Jacob turned away, grabbed his shirt, and pulled it back on like it was a shield.
He couldn’t breathe in that room anymore.
He couldn’t think.
He couldn’t stay.
Without looking back, he walked out.
The front door slammed behind him.
Moments later, the engine roared to life.
As he sped away into the darkening road, one thought screamed louder than the rest:
If I stay, I will forgive her.
And forgiveness terrified him more than hate ever could.
Habang galit na lumalayo si Jacob mula sa sarili niyang tahanan, unti-unti rin siyang natauhan.
He slowed down.
Hindi siya kailanman naging reckless driver—lalo na matapos ang aksidenteng muntik nang kumitil sa buhay niya. Hindi lang sarili niya ang dapat niyang isipin. Other people could get hurt too.
Humugot siya ng malalim na hininga at binawasan pa ang apak sa silinyador.
He just need to get away. He just needed to calm down.
Ngunit kahit anong pilit, hindi pa rin humuhupa ang gulo sa isip niya. Hindi na niya alam kung ano ba talaga ang gusto niyang mangyari.
He brought Libby home with one intention—to make her pay.
Pay for those nights he woke up in the hospital without her.
Pay for the years of waiting, searching. Years filled with anger and emptiness.
Pero bakit parang hindi niya ito mapanindigan?
Bakit sa tuwing nakikita niya itong nahihirapan—namumugtong ang mga mata, nanginginig ang tinig—parang siya pa ang unang nanghihina?
Don’t be weak, kastigo niya sa sarili.
Don’t go easy on her.
She deserved to suffer.
Pinilit niyang balikan sa alaala ang sakit—ang malamig na ilaw ng ospital, ang katahimikan sa kuwartong inasahan niyang naroon ito. The way his chest burned not just from the wound, but from the realization that she had left.
He drove aimlessly through the night, streets blurring as memories crashed into him one after another.
She needed to suffer the same way he did.
At least, iyon ang paulit-ulit niyang sinasabi sa sarili.
Ngunit sa kabila ng lahat ng galit, lahat ng panunumbat, may isang bagay na hindi niya napansin—
Wala sa isip na napahinto siya sa isang convenience store bandang alas-tres ng madaling-araw.
At nang bumalik siya sa sasakyan, may hawak na siyang tub ng fruit salad ice cream.
Her favorite. her comfort food.
Napamura siya nang mahina. Told himself it didn't mean anything.
Bukas ng ilaw sa sala nang makabalik siya sa bahay.
Took a deep breath and got out of the car.
- Writer
