Utos Niya

36 NO WORDS

Tinitigan ni Noleen ang puntod ng dating nobyo. Paano kung hindi siya nagsinungaling noong buhay pa si Alex? Paano kung nakuntento siya na maging isa lamang sa mga babae nito?

She shook her head. That was not her. Noleen Castillo would do anything and wouldn't hesitate to cause trouble as long as she gets what she wants. She was too selfish and too self-centered to think of anything or anyone but herself. She was blinded by her obsession of Alex that she could see nothing and no one else.

At kung hindi siya nagpanggap na buntis, kung hindi niya pinilit ang ama na ipitin si Alex para managot sa dinadala, kung hindi nangyari ang aksidente, ay hindi niya rin makikilala si Xander.

Her stomach churned at the frightening idea. She slumped hard on the cold stone as a wave of guilt assailed her. Ang dahilan ng konsensyang nararamdaman ay hindi dahil sa pagkamatay ng nobyo. Ito ay dahil sa ideyang tinanggap niya na ang pagkawala nito noong dumating si Xander sa buhay niya.

"Alex, I-I'm sorry," nanghihinang bulong ni Noleen.

When Noleen began to have feelings for her husband, she detested it. Sinubukan niyang pigilan ito. Ngunit ano nga ba ang magagawa ng puso?

She had decided that she needed to see Alex first before starting anew with Xander. Before confessing her feelings, pinlano niyang bisitahin ang lalaki kasama ang asawa. She even bought flowers while Xander waited for her at the parking area. But when she had gotten back, her elation had been replaced by dread.

She could still remember her panic upon seeing her husband surrounded by suspicious men. She could still feel the heart-wrenching fear as he fell heavily on the ground. Hindi niya malilimot ang tindi ng galit na naramdaman sa bawat hampas ng kahoy sa likuran ng asawa habang pinipilit nitong tumayo para sa kanya.

"Xander!" Their eyes met and at that moment she felt it. Instead of excitement upon knowing that she truly loved him, she felt an undeniable terror in her soul.

How could falling in love be so frightening?

When Alex died, Noleen had cursed the heavens for giving her his twin. She hated the fact that it was Xander who lived and not her perfect Alex. She even blamed him for existing and wished that he had died in his place. Ngunit nang gabing 'yon sa parking area, she cried and pleaded to the men to stop over and over again.

"Hindi siya si Alex!" She was screaming the truth. Praying that it would save him.

Xander was the one she married, the man who wore the same ring as hers, the father of her then unborn child, the husband who looked more in pain when she was having her morning sickness, the same man who was always there when she needed him, ang nagpasensya at ang nanatili sa tabi niya kahit anong tulak niya pa.

And there he was, accused of the sins his twin brother committed. He laid on the ground, wounded and bleeding. Every blow that was cruelly given, every hit that was supposed to be for Alex, Xander took and suffered for it. The sight of him being punished was the worst kind of torture.

"Hindi siya si Alex, ano ba?!" She loved him. She loved Xander. More than anything. "Parang awa n'yo na!"

Habang binubugbog si Xander ng mga lalaki, mas lalong tumatatak kay Noleen ang katotohanang it was Alex who still lived in the minds of everyone. Not him.

That night, a sudden illusion of Alex beating Xander filled her eyes.

You love him! You love the shadow! You have betrayed me!

Karma.

Lahat ng ito ay isang karma.

Alex was trying to get back at them. It was the ghost of the past asking for retribution. Dahil hindi sila pwedeng maging masaya ni Xander hangga't hindi naaayos ang nakaraan. Kung ano man ang nararanasan niya ngayon ay ang kabayaran sa pagtataksil kay Alex. She fell in love with the man who took everything from him. The same man she swore she hated the very existence.