“Bakit ka umiiyak ulit, Cyn? Akala ko ba tapos na ‘yung drama mo last week?”
Mama’s voice came through the phone speaker, tinny and impatient. Nakaupo ako sa passenger seat ng kotse ni Mateo, parked sa madilim na side street malapit sa Makati, engine off, windows cracked just enough para hindi mabingi sa init. Pero malamig ang pawis ko sa likod.
“Hindi drama ‘to, Ma. Totoo. May narinig ako kanina. Sa penthouse.”
Silence sa kabilang linya. Then:
“Anong narinig mo?”
I swallowed. My throat felt like sandpaper.
“Si Ysabel. Kausap niya si… someone. Foreign accent. German siguro. Sabi niya, ‘The timeline has to move up. I can’t wait until my birthday. We need to confirm the transfer tonight.’ Tapos may sinabi pa siya tungkol sa ‘donor protocol’ at ‘non-disclosure renewal.’ Parang… parang m
