Scandalous Affair (Tagalog/Filipino)

Crown 4 ♛ PAYBACK

WALANG SINAYANG NA oras si Kyra nang tumayo si Sage para sagutin ang tawag nito. She even heard him mutter a curse before he picked it up. She took that time to quickly scramble on her feet and closed the buttons of her blouse with trembling fingers, noticing her legs were shaking too.

Napapikit siya nang mariin. Hindi siya makapaniwalang halos abot na hanggang pusod niya ang nabuksan ni Sage sa damit niya sa gano'n kaikling oras. Ano na lang siguro ang mangyayari kung hindi tumunog ang cellphone nito?

Her guts squirmed with discomfort. She felt sick with utter humiliation. Bakit niya hinayaang mangyari iyon? How could she allow him to do that? But God knows she tried to push him away.

Or did she really try her best?

"Tell Sharmaine I'll be there."

Her fingers froze from the piercing sensation she just felt, like an arrow shot right in the middle of her chest. Sunod-sunod ang paghingang ginawa niya para pigilan ang paglalim ng sakit na iyon habang umaahon ang isang tanong sa utak niya.

Why did that name hurt her like hell?

Ang sakit ng dibdib niya kaya tinapat niya doon ang kamay para kahit papaano ay humupa at hinayaang nakabukas ang dalawang butones ng blouse niya.

"Don't worry. That will not happen again." Sage's harsh sarcastic voice shattered the silence that she didn't realize was hovering between them.

Hindi na pala nito hawak ang cellphone nito habang nakatayo na ito paharap sa kanya. He’s looking at her with those intense, dark, furious eyes that created a lump in her throat.

Kung tingnan siya ni Sage, parang sising-sisi ito sa nangyari. Well, he should be. He took advantage of her weakness. At ang nakakainis pa ay hindi man lang ito humihingi ng tawad.

"Talagang hindi na mauulit iyon," aniya nang mahanap niya ang sariling boses.

"Please," he countered sarcastically. "Don't act like you didn't like what happened. You almost melt in my arms, I could've taken your clothes off and you wouldn't even give a fight." He laughed mockingly at her. "Kagaya ka pa rin ng dati, Kyra. You're still that needy b***h who can't fill her greedy hands."

Kyra gasped. His deliberate rudeness shook her, firing her own temper. But she couldn’t ignore the curious pain in her chest. She felt as though he stabbed a sharp knife through her heart.

And he called her a b***h!

Bigla’y nawala lahat ng naramdaman niya kanina. She just wanted to scratch him. "Sa tingin mo gusto ko ring magpahalik sa isang lalaking hindi ko kilala?!"

He tsked while shaking his head. "Stop it with your lies. You're just wasting them on me."

Bumuka ang bibig niya pero natigil siya dahil biglang tumalim ang mga mata sa kanya ni Sage na para bang binabalaan siya nitong huwag magsalita.

"You think I'd believe your stupid story?" naniningkit ang matang tuya nito. "After two years since you walked out on me, that was the lousiest and lamest lie for an excuse. At hinding hindi mo ako maloloko diyan sa mga kuwento mo."

"Hindi ako gumagawa ng kuwento! At lalong hindi ako nagsisinungaling sayo!" Hindi na niya napigilang tumaas ang boses niya. She knew it was stupid, pero hindi niya mapigilang masaktan sa mga sinasabi nito. Parang tarak ng punyal ang bawat salita nito.

She was telling him the truth and he was slapping it back to her. Ano bang ginawa niya para ganituhin siya ni Sage? Na kahit magmakaawa yata siyang maniwala ito, mas lalo lang titigas ang paniniwala nitong nagsisinungaling siya. He was ready to believe the worst of her.

Napailing siya. "Hindi kita pipiliting maniwala kung ayaw mo talaga. Believe what you want. Wala akong pakialam. Hindi naman talaga kita kilala." As far as she’s concerned, Sage is still a stranger to her.

"Hindi ko alam kung bakit galit na galit ka sa'kin o kung bakit mo ako kilala o kung may kasalanan man akong nagawa sayo," tumigil siya nang pumiyok ng kaunti ang boses niya. "Pero 'wag mo akong husgahan dahil hindi mo alam ang pinagdaanan ko."

His jaw hardened "Really?" he taunted and closed the distance between her. Kitang-kiita ni Kyra ang galit sa bawat linya ng mukha nito. And she had a sudden urge to tell him what really happened to her. But she kept her mouth shut.

"Listen to me carefully, sweetheart,” he said in a dangerously low voice that sent waves of vibration through her body that she knew wasn’t because of fear. “You can keep acting like you don't remember me and you can pretend all you want, but never think—even for a second that I will believe it." His voice dropped even lower. "Don't ever take me for a fool again."

Nanikip ang dibdib niya. Hindi niya mapigilan ang pag-init ng sulok ng mga mata niya. Why can't he believe her?

"Sa tingin mo nagpapanggap lang ako? Sa tingin mo ba masayang maging ganito? Na wala kang alam sa mga nangyari sa buhay mo? Na nakawin ng sariling utak mo ang mga alaala mo? Na kahit sarili mo hindi mo na rin kilala?"

Na maratay sa ospital sa loob ng ilang buwan at magising nang hindi makapagsalita?

She clamped her trembling mouth shut. She hated him for the way he cynically misjudged and mistreated her. Kung bakit pa gusto niyang maniwala ito sa kanya na kitang-kita naman niyang hindi mangyayari, kahit pa sabihin niya ang buong katotohanan.

Sa mga oras na iyon, hinayaan niyang diktahan siya ng emosyon niya. She's so stressed out. Hindi na niya kaya.

"Kung may nagawa akong masama sayo para magalit ka sakin ng ganyan, I'm sorry. Pero 'wag mong sanang isiping nagpapanggap lang ako," nanhihinang sabi niya. She just can't do this. Her emotions felt raw and battered.

"There it is—every man's weakness. Tears." Sage looked at her with a naked repulsion.

Kyra stifled a curse and violently rubbed a tear off her face. Hindi niya alam na may lumabas na luha sa mata niya.

"How you make it sound so extremely believable is beyond me," he said silkily with a taunt she could not miss.

Her mouth thinned as she balled her fist beside her. It was a mistake shedding a tear. Dahil pati iyon ay pinag-iisipan nito ng masama. She couldn't display vulnerability in front of him, she would have to remind that to herself. Dahil ang mga kagaya ni Sage, hindi marunong maawa.

If he’s so hell-bent in punishing her, then she will let him do what he wants. Pero hindi siya tatakbo. Hindi siya magtatago. Hanggang hindi bumabalik ang mga alaala niya, hindi siya pwedeng lumayo.

Something made her stop. Punish... Was he doing this for revenge?

"Tell me," aniya sa nanlalamig na boses. "Naghihiganti ka ba kaya mo ginagawa 'to?"

"Naghihiganti?" Sage lifted his mouth in a sardonic smile. "I'm just doing business, Kyra," he stated a-matter-of-factly. "Your time's up. It's payback time. Gano'n lang kasimple."

Somehow, she doubted that. She had a feeling Sage was never simple, easy, and plain. He’s cunning, calculating and cruel to the depth of his bone.

Nagulat siya nang maramadaman niyang ang mainit na hiningang dumampi sa pisngi niya. Sage was already standing near her without her noticing it. At hindi na siya nito binigyan ng pagkakataong umatras dahil nasa mukha na niya ang kamay nito.

His fingers trailed her jaw line gently and she felt his thumb brushed at the pulse point on her neck that was starting to beat faster. She sucked at her breath when Sage leaned down closer to her ears, his warm breath stroking the sensitive hair above her ears.

"I will give you until the end of the month," he warned, his hard voice betraying the gentleness of his fingers on her neck. "If you fail to give me what I want, you know what will happen."

She was out of breath when Sage released her fast, as if she was an insect that he wanted to rid of. And she suddenly felt weak she couldn't stand properly. Nanginginig na ang mga tuhod niya. Pero pinigil niya ang sariling doon bumigay. She already made a fool of herself by fainting out, and she wouldn't dare do it again, even if her life was depending on it.

Lumayo siya rito at mabilis na kinuha ang bag niya nang makita ito sa pulang sofa. She couldn't stay here for another hour, not even another minute. Kailangan na niyang umalis bago pa siya tuluyang bumagsak.

"I'm warning you, Kyra." His threatening tone stopped her from walking out the door. "I will seize everything that's rightfully mine and it's time you pay all that you stole from me."

Marahas niya itong binalingan. She can't believe she met a man like him. He's not just cruel. He's man with a heart made of ice-cold steel.

"You're a monster," aniya saka inabot ang siradura ng pinto. "At hindi na ako nagtataka kung bakit kita iniwan noon." Binuksan niya na ang pintuan at walang lingon-likod siyang lumabas.

She went through that door with one intention—to ask for time, kahit maliit na oras lang para makabayad. But her life had been thrown into another vortex where a pin hole broke into her brain.

And as she left his office and walked out the building, she could still feel that worm crawling on her chest. That kiss definitely opened a can of worms inside her heart, mind, body and soul. And she had bargained enough of them before.

PINAGPAG ni Kyra ang mga kamay sa jumpsuit niya para tanggalin ang mga alikabok na dumikit doon nang matapos niyang kargahin ang iba pang papel na nahanap niya.

Hapon na pero hindi pa rin niya natatapos linisin ang buong opisina ng daddy niya kung saan nito iniipon ang mga papeles, sulat at importanteng dokumento ng kompanya. Her dad was never a fan of electronic mails and technology kaya halos nakatambak na ang mga iyon doon.

She sighed as she wiped a trail of sweat across her forehead. Pinasadhan niya ang kabuuan ng opisina. She still was not sure if she's making the right decision. But then she didn't know what else to do. Wala na siyang ibang choice.

Kailangan niyang ibenta ang bahay kung ayaw niyang kunin ng banko lahat ng property ng daddy niya. And her sisters will grill her more if that happens. Kung may ibang asset lang sana siya sana iyon na lang ang ibinenta niya. Pero pati ang share niya sa iniwang mana ng mommy nila ay naibenta ng daddy niya nang magkagipitan na.

Kaya kahit gaano pa labag sa kalooban niya ang gagawin, she had to do it. Hindi magdadalawang isip si Sage na itapon siya sa kalsada kapag hindi siya nakabayad sa huling buwan. At alam niyang gagawin iyon ni Sage nang walang pag-aalinlangan. That's how much he hates her.

Heat crept across her cheeks as she remembered their last encounter. If he truly hates her, he would have never kissed her. Right? But he did. At lalo lang iyong nakadagdag ng kalituhan sa kanya.

If she's going to be honest, that kiss shouldn't have happened. Because it only made her realize 'things' she shouldn't have realized, much as she couldn't accept. Things that had her rationalizing her lost thoughts.

The way Kyra sees it, Sage and her shared an intimate relationship, if that kiss says anything. At kung tama siya, nangyari iyon sa loob ng mga panahong wala siyang matandaan. Though she doesn't know, couldn't understand, why it had to be those memories her mind chose to shut down.

Ni hindi niya alam kung paano sila nagkakilala, kung ano ang nangyari sa kanila, kung ilang buwan, taon sila nagsama, at kung bakit galit na galit ito sa kanya. At base na rin sa nakikita niyang galit nito sa kanya, she couldn't deny the feeling that she really must have done something to earn his anger.

Was that why she felt scared of him?

No.

The answer came like a fact—sure and certain. No, she's not afraid of 'him' exactly. At least that's one of the things she realized after that day Sage kissed the hell out of her. That and the realization that she felt boundlessly complete being with him, being kissed, with his hands all over her.

And as much as they both agree that the kiss was a bad idea, Kyra could almost accept, at least to herself, that it felt just right. So right that she forgot that the man who was kissing her extremely loathed her.

She's not afraid of Sage. Not him. She’s scared of something else. Something that has to do with him. And the past. Pero hinid niya alam.

Muli na naman siyang napabuntong hininga at saka piniling ipagpatuloy ang ginagawa sa halip na intindihin ang mga nangyayari sa kanya. Ang sabi ng doctor ay kusa lang daw na dumarating ang alaala niya. But until then, she can't force herself to remember.

Itinaboy na lang niya ang pag-iisip ng kung anu-ano at itinuon ang pansin sa mga nakatamabak na papel. Napaghiwa-hiwalay na niya ang mga dukomento in alpahabetical order, pati na rin ang date. Kailangan lang niyang ilagay ang mga iyon sa kahon para maumpisahan na rin niya ang pagtanggal ng mga alikabok. Marami pa siyang kailangang linising sulok sa bahay.

Kailangan niyang gawing presentable iyon para kung sakaling may nagkainteres na bumili ng bahay sa loob ng ilang araw ay hindi ito magsisi dahil lang sa alikabok na nakalimutan niyang linisin.

It's wise to have someone clean the house for her. Pero poproblemahin pa niya ang ibabayad niya kaya siya na lang ang gagawa. Isa pa, wala din naman siyang ginagawa sa umaga dahil panggabi ang pasok niya sa bar.

At saka nakakatulong din naman sa kanya ang paglilinis kahit papaano dahil naiiwasan niyang mag-isip ng mga nakakabaliw na bagay, katulad na lang ni Sage at ng banko. Pati na rin ang problema kung saan siya tutuloy.

Natigil si Kyra sa ginagawa niyang paglilipat ng mga dukomento nang mahagilap ng mga mata niya ang sariling pangalan. Her brow creased when she saw her certificates. Hindi niya akalaing nakatapos siya ng dalawang taon sa France bilang isang junior chef.

Kasama no'n ay ang nakataling mga sulat. They were letters from her father, letters she wrote for her father, at naroon din ang mga importante at personal na dokumento niya.

Bakit andito ang mga 'to?

She picked one letter at gumuhit ang kunot sa noo niya nang makita kung kailan iyon ipinadala. It was the time when she was staying in France. Hope and turbulent fear surged up in her stomach, twisting a knot.

It can't be.

Isa-isa niyang tiningnan ang mga sulat na iyon at lalong bumukal ang kakaibang takot sa dibdib niya. All of them were dated years ago, iyong mga panahong hindi niya matandaan.

My God... these can be her answers and all these time, nandito lang pala ang makakatulong sa kanyang makaalala sa loob ng bahay nila at hindi man lang niya alam.

She rummaged through it some more, and stopped when she noticed an old folder with a red bold stamp. Confidential.

Anticipation stabbed at her marrow. She didn't trust herself to open and look into it. But her curiosity was too strong and overwhelming, she couldn't stop herself from reaching over. She has to know.

Mula sa loob ay kinuha niya ang nag-iisang papel doon. Her heart almost rolled out of her chest and her fingers slightly shook when she saw what it was—a marriage certificate.

Hindi puwede, sigaw ng utak niya. Imposible!

She wished it was. Pero hindi. Totoo ang nakikita niya, lalo pa't pangalan niya ang nakasulat doon. At ang hindi niya mapaniwalaan ay ang pangalan ng lalaking pinakasalan niya.

Paano?, she thought wildly habang lalong nalulunod sa kalituhan ang pag-iisip niya at nanatiling nakatitig ang mga mata sa papel at paulit-ulit na binabasa ang mga pangalang iyon.

Shakyra Noelle Lagdameo-Steele.

Vaughn Sage Steele.

This can't be true... She can't be married!

She couldn't be married to him!