LUCIFER
Ang buong kabahayan ay tila naging malamig dahil sa malamig na titig sa akin ng aking ina. Nakatayo siya. Napababa ang tingin ko sa kanyang kamay na nasa tagiliran, nakakuyom, nanginginig. Nakatayo siya roon—parang nagyelo.
Her eyes, once sharp and commanding, now softened with something unfamiliar—fear… and regret. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. Only silence. Only the quiet, suffocating realization of what she had done.
Ang kanyang tingin sa akin ay nanatili; tila kinakabisado ang aking mukha. I used to run to her, used to seek comfort in her presence. Now, I couldn’t even look at her. A tear slipped down her cheek.
“Anak…” she whispered, her voice breaking, barely holding together. “I did it for you…”
Natawa ako nang nakaloloko. “For me?” Ulit ko. An
