Chapter 53
Code's POV
I stared at the photos in my hand as I waited for Grey in my bedroom. It's past 7 PM, and we've already had dinner, and after tucking Chiara to bed, I rushed back to my room and grabbed the photo from my nightstand.
Hindi ako pwedeng magkamali, tatay ko ang nasa picture. At ang babaeng kasama niya ay ang nanay ni Grey.
Dad has his arm wrapped around her shoulder as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. Their heads rest against each other as they pose for the picture.
It almost faded, but I can still clearly see their faces. And I couldn't be wrong. I know it's them.
When a maid knocked on my door and told me Grey was waiting for me downstairs, I immediately placed the picture back on the nightstand before rushing out of my bedroom.
"Grey...!" I ran towards him and immediately gave him a tight hug.
"Hey," he caresses my back, "Kalma, picture lang yun." he softly said behind my ears before pulling away from the hug.
He brushed the few strands of my hair and tuck them behind my ears, "Ang haba na ng buhok mo," nakangisi niyang turan na ikinaguhit ng ngiti sa labi ko.
"Ikaw rin," sinuklay ko pabalik ang buhok niya na natatakluban na halos ang buong noo niya.
Napangiti siya bago ipinatong ang kamay sa magkabila kong balikat. Ang mga kamay ko ay bumaba sa balakang niya at ipinatong iyon doon. Ilang segundo kaming nagkatitigan. Pinagmamasdan ko ang ganda ng mga mata niya. Ang tangos ng ilong niya, ang pula ng labi niya. Ang ganda talaga.
Yung picture...
"Shit!" Bigla akong natauhan.
"Yung picture nga pala!" sigaw ko na ikinahagikhik ni Grey.
Napanguso ako, "Ikaw kasi, masyado kang maganda. Na-distract tuloy ako." Pabiro ko siyang kinurot sa tagiliran na ikina-igtad niya.
"Tara na, ipapakita ko sa'yo sa taas." Hinawakan ko siya sa kamay bago hinigit pataas ng kwarto.
Pagkapasok namin ay agad kong dinampot ang picture at ini-abot iyon sa kaniya.
"Look, that's your mom, right?" I pointed at the picture.
Grey adjusted his glasses, and he pulled the picture closer to his face as he analyzed the picture.
"It is... Mom," he confirmed.
"I didn't know she used to be this... cool," he commented, which made me chuckle a bit.
I reached for the picture and flipped it to show the writing on the back. "Three years before you were born. And I calculated it, and they were around... first year college during that time, kung... delayed din nag-college ang Mom mo." I mentioned. He lifted his face and looked at me confusedly.
He nodded, "Mom did mention she took gap years in high school and college, same goes with Dad," he replied, and my brow furrowed.
Grey hummed, "So... they were friends during college?" he confusedly asked, and I shrugged.
Grey flicked his tongue, "What did your Dad take in college?" he tilted his head.
My lips parted, and I closed my eyes, trying to remember my father's college degree. "Uhm..." I snapped my fingers, "Ano... uhm... mechanical." I replied, and I saw how his brows furrowed.
"How did they become friends? My mom took nursing in college," he confusedly asked before putting his weight on one foot and looking in a different direction.
My brows furrowed, "Bakit? Anong nasa isip mo?" Taka kong tanong rito.
Napakagat si Grey sa labi niya bago ini-abot sa akin ang picture, "I was thinking maybe they were just... friends or blockmates and had issues with... school," he replied, which made my brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?" I confusedly asked, tilting my head to the side.
He shrugged, "You know, maybe... they fought over scholarships or... an award, something like that. But if they're not in the same course, what else could be their history?" he explained.
My lips parted. I took some time to digest what he meant while he stared at the picture. Silence took over us for a few minutes.
There's no way they actually fought for a scholarship because Dad can pay for his tuition. It's impossible that he applied for a scholarship and took it from someone else, just like what Grey said. In terms of awards, Dad graduated as Salutatorian. He never mentioned who the Valedictorian was.
"Was this the only thing you saw? Wala ng iba?" My eyes snapped back at Grey when he spoke.
He waved the picture in front of me, "Wala ng iba? Ito lang?" tanong niya ulit.
Nagparte ang labi ko, "Uhm... noong nakita ko 'yan, tumigil na ako sa paghahanap." Pag-amin ko, napabungisngis siya bago tumango at ibinaba ang picture.
"Can...– is there a chance we can look again? Maghanap pa tayo?" Nagbabakasakali niyang tanong.
Bahagyang namilog ang mga mata ko bago agad tumango, "Right, of course we can." I replied and he nodded.
We went to Dad's room. Just like what I saw a while ago, there were still a few furniture left behind. The place is dusty and looks like it has been abandoned— well, it is abandoned.
"Dito ko 'yan nakita," binuksan ko ang closet ni Dad at kinuha ang isang lumang kahon na puno ng alikadok.
Lumuhod si Grey sa sahig at binuksan ang kahon. Naglakad-lakad ako at nilapitan ang mga lamesa para tingnan ang mga drawer at ibang compartments nito kung may laman ba. Ilang minuto kaming nagtingin-tingin ni Grey. Nagpaalam ito na bubuksan na rin niya ang ibang kahon sa cabinet na hinayaan ko lang.
Inisa-isa ko ang mga envelope na nakita ko nang bigla kong marinig na bahagyang napasigaw si Grey. "Ew!" Agad akong napalingon sa kaniya at nilapitan ito.
"What is it? May ipis?!" Taranta kong tanong. Bigla itong humagikhik bago ako hinawakan sa binti at halos humiga na sa sahig kakatawa.
"Look!" he pointed at the box. When I peeked inside, I saw a few pieces of sex toys, which made me shut my eyes.
Kadiri talaga yung matandang yun! May sex toys na pala dati?!
We just laughed it off and shook our heads before looking back at his old things. I sat next to Grey and helped him look through the boxes. He suddenly nudged me with his elbow, which caught my attention.
He showed me an envelope filled with laminated pictures. "Look," he started flipping through each picture.
It was my father's birthday, based on the candles on the cake and how big the party was. There are also a lot of people who are partying and drinking.
I didn't see anything helpful until he flipped one picture, and I immediately grabbed his hand to stop him. "Wait, look," I pointed at the picture.
He pulled it closer to his face and gasped, "It's Mom," he said, and I nodded.
"And... he's kissing my Dad's cheek," I added. He lowered the picture and looked at me with his wide-open eyes.
We looked through more of the photos and saw more pictures of Dad and Grey's mom. There were even some gift tags that came from Grey's mom, either greeting Dad a Merry Christmas or a Happy Birthday. There are some little cards, notes, and envelopes that came from Grey's Mom, too, that are addressed to Dad.
But at the end of the night, we didn't see much and put everything back in place.
But I didn't stop there, I also tried asking Mr. Villanueva during our free time at the office. I tried not to make it very obvious and make it look like a casual talk, asking about Dad's previous acquaintances or relationships in college.
But he would always tell me that Dad never really got into any serious relationship and was a notorious playboy in college.
I also looked at some of Dad's files in the office, but saw nothing but contracts, receipts, certificates, awards, and many more, but no sign of Tita Grace.
Grey told me that he tried talking to his Mom about it for another time, but she ended up walking out on him and leaving the restaurant.
[Ano ba kasing nangyari dati? Naiinis na ako, ha.] ani nito habang nagluluto ng hapunan sa unit niya. Napabuntong hininga ako bago sumandal sa bangko at pinanood siya sa laptop screen ko. "You know... I've been thinking about this," I brought up.
Grey's head snapped in the direction of his phone and confusedly tilted his head, [What do you have in mind?] he asked, placing his hand on his waist as he leaned on the countertop.
I bit my lower lip and tapped my fingers on the handrest. "What if I ask Dad about it?" I said. I saw Grey's furrowed brow before he picked up his phone,
[You're gonna ask your Dad about it? Paano kung... parehas sila ng nanay ko na galit sa isa't-isa?] tanong niya at nagparte ang labi ko.
[Diba't sinabi mo na ayaw niya sa akin? Kaya nga tayo pinaghiwalay dati, diba? Tapos tatanungin mo pa siya ngayon?] Dagdag pa niya. Napabuntong hininga ako bago napahilamos sa mukha.
"But if I don't, how will we get our answers? How will we know the truth?" I asked, Grey sighed, glanced at the food he was cooking before looking back at me and nodding.
[Sige, gawin mo para sa ikatatahimik natin. But whatever he says, whatever happens, you share it to me, okay? 'Wag mong solohin kung sakaling magka-problema.] Malumanay niyang turan. Gumuhit ang ngiti sa labi ko bago agad tumango, "Of course, gusto mo kasama pa kita habang kausap siya, eh?" Biro ko na ikinahagikhik niya.
Kinabukasan ay agad akong nag-email sa secretary ni Dad kung pwede ko ba siyang maka-usap kahit sandali. Baka pwede niya akong isingit sa schedule ni Dad na alam kong hectic din ngayon dahil sa mga projects namin sa Canada.
I waited and waited for the response. I even lost track of how many hours I've been waiting. I was working on a paper when I received an email and a Zoom meeting link.
I immediately set aside my work and entered the meeting room in hopes it would be Dad.
[My secretary said you wanted to talk to me? Why? May problema ba diyan?] His voice is firm and serious.
I cleared my throat, adjusted my coat, and sat up straight. "I wanted to ask you about... about someone." I started,
He squinted his eyes, fixed his tie, and leaned on his chair. [Go on, I don't have all day,] he sternly said, and I immediately nodded.
Even though sweats are building up on my forehead, my hands are shaking, and my lips are quivering, I still managed to ask it.
"What... what do you know about Grace Chua?" I asked.
His face darkened. Not mad, not furious, just... it dropped, and an unpleasant expression was printed on his face as if he just remembered a traumatic experience.
[Why'd you ask?]
I licked my lower lip, "I just... I just happened to stumble upon her and she... she hates me for being... a Costa." I half lied.
A smirk formed on his lips, but his eyes remained lifeless, [Chua,] he scoffed. I slightly faced my head to the side when he spoke.
[They are traitors. They are... the worst people you'll ever meet.] he said. I saw how his jaw clenched on my laptop monitor, how his eyes turned from lifeless to mad, and how his hand turned into a fist.
[That's why I told you to leave that boy in college, because he will do you no good. Just like what they did to me.] Dad added, his eyes darting on his webcam, as if he were staring straight at me.
I lowered my head, stared at my keyboard as I bit my lower lip.
Traitors? Worst people? Will do nothing good for me, just like what they did to him?
Who are they? And what did they do to my father?
[Iyon lang ba ang itatanong mo?] Nagulat ako nang bigla magsalita si Dad, bakas sa mukha nito ang inis at galit.
Nagparte ang labi ko, "Uhh—"
[Sinayang mo pa oras ko, iyon lang naman pala ang sasabihin mo—]
Napakurap-kurap ako sa harap ng laptop ko nang bigla niyang patayin ang tawag. Kumawala ang isang malalim na buntong-hininga sa labi ko bago sumandal sa bangko.
Ilang minuto akong nag-isip, ilang minuto kong sinubukan intindihin ang mga sinabi ni Dad at ilang minuto na akong nag-iisip ng kung anong pwedeng nangyari dati. Subalit isang bagay lang ang pumapasok sa isip ko na sinusubukan ko pang itanggi at hindi paniwalaan.
Dinampot ko ang cellphone ko at nag-message kay Grey ng tungkol sa nangyari. Sinabi ko na sa kaniya ang tungkol sa pagtawag ni Dad sa kanila ng traydor at tungkol sa nabanggit ni Dad na ginawa ng pamilya niya sa kaniya.
From: Rafael Grey
That's great, may nalalaman na tayo kahit papaano.
From: Rafael Grey
Btw, come to the hospital at 8 PM, may gagawin tayo.
Kahit hindi ko alam ang gagawin namin at nais niyang iparataing ay pumayag nalang ako sa pag-aaya niya at bumalik na sa trabaho.
Sinamahaan ko muna ang anak ko sa bahay para maghapunan bago nagpaalam na aalis lang saglit ng bahay subalit hindi binanggit ang pangalan ni Grey dahil baka magpumilit itong sumama.
Pagdating ko ng ospital ay pina-diretso ako ni Grey sa clinic niya. Pagdating ko roon ay nakita ko itong nakasubsob sa trabaho at may binabasang mga papel.
"Hey, you need help with anything?" I asked as I closed the door behind me. He lifted his head from the papers he was reading before standing up and welcoming me with a hug.
"Uhm... not really a help but... I need you to do something... for our little... investigation going on," he replied.
My lips parted, "Uhm... sure, what is it?" I asked. He just gave me a smile and pulled me out of his clinic. He didn't speak again until we reached another clinic.
"Relationship test, right?" The doctor asked while putting on gloves.
Grey sat across me and gave me a faint smile before the doctor put a cotton swab into his mouth and took a sample of his saliva. When it was my turn, I was looking at Grey the whole time as doctors took a sample of my saliva.
"You can get the results bukas agad dahil nagbayad ka naman ng rush fee. Siguro mga... 10 AM pwede mo nang makuha." ani ng doktor kay Grey. Tumango si Grey bago nagpasalamat at isinama na ulit ako palabas ng clinic para bumalik sa clinic niya.
Nang saraduhan ko ang pinto ng silid ay agad ko siyang hinarap, "Mind telling me what was that for?" I asked.
He slowly sat down on his chair. I saw how uneasy his eyes were, how his lips were quivering a bit, and how he swallowed a lump in his throat.
"I... I had... a suspicion. About... what we are investigating about our parents," he started with a shaky voice.
I squinted my eyes and walked towards his table, sitting across him, "What is it? What seems to be bothering you?" I softly asked.
I reached for his hand on the table, which we both chased with our eyes. When I looked back at Grey, he was nibbling on his lips as he stared at our hands.
He took a deep breath, "I was thinking what if... what if... we're actually... brothers?" he asked.
That's when my stomach dropped. My hands went cold, and I felt a bit hot on my forehead.
What?
He shrugged, he lifted his head and looked back at me, "What if... what if my Mom is also your Mom? Or— Or... we... have the same Dad— I don't know. I just—" Grey pursed his lips.
I pulled my hands away from his hand before standing up from the chair and walking towards him to give him a hug that even surprised him. "You're stressing about this matter so much that you're coming up with these ideas." I softly said.
He rested his head on my shoulder before letting out a sigh. "Wala akong ibang maisip na dahilan bukod sa... may relasyon sila dati." ani niya at utay-utay aong tumango.
"Naisip ko na rin 'yan. Matapos makita ang mga pictures at letters sa cabinet at matapos kong kausapin si Dad kanina, mukhang... ganun na. Mukhang naging magkarelasyon sila noon at nagkahiwalay sila kaya ganun nalang ang galit nila sa isa't-isa." ani ko at tumango si Grey bago hinimas-himas ang braso kong nakabalot sa dibdib niya.
"Pero anong dahilan ng paghihiwalay nila? Why did they break up in the first place? And... what did Mom do that your father called her a traitor? Why did she betray him?" he asked. I pulled away from the hug and held both his shoulders.
I stared deeply into his eyes, "That's... That's something I don't know. And I'm not sure if we'll get to know the truth since Dad also hates your family. It looks pretty... serious that even after decades, they still have their grudge against each other." I replied, and he slowly nodded while rubbing his hand on mine.
I let out a deep breath, "Pero hindi naman sana tayo magkapatid." ani ko na agad niyang ikinahagikhik.
"Tingnan mo nga ako, tapos tingnan mo ang sarili mo. At... lumaki akong kasama ang nanay ko." sagot ko at tumango si Grey.
"At mukhang nanay ko naman talaga siya dahil parehas kami ng birth mark." Dagdag ko pa at lalong napahagikhik si Grey habang tumatango.
Kung nagkaroon ng problema ang mga magulang at pamilya namin noon, matatanggap ko pa. Labanan sa business? Agawan sa scholarship, award, trabaho o kung ano pa man? Okay pa sa akin yun. Magkarelasyon ang nanay at tatay namin dati at nagtrayduran? Maiintindi ko pa na galit sila sa isa't-isa hanggang ngayon.
Pero 'wag naman sanang magkapatid kami ni Grey. Hindi ko masikmuraan na matapos ang lahat ng nangyari, matapos ang lahat ng kababuyan na ginawa namin ni Grey sa katawan ng isa't-isa? Malalaman kong magkapatid pala kami? Awa nalang sana.
Kinabukasan ay bumisita ako nang pa-sikreto sa ospital para tingnan ang results ng DNA test. Kahit sigurado akong hindi kami magkapatid ni Grey ay kinakabahan pa rin ako habang binubuksan niya ito sa loob ng sasakyan ko.
"What does it say?" I nervously asked.
He showed me the results, with no emotions on his face.
My brows furrowed, I don't know where to look at."Sabihin mo nalang, please, ang daming nakasulat sa papel." ani ko na ikinahagikhik niya bago ako hinampas ng results.
"Negative! Hindi tayo magkapatid!" sigaw niya at parehas kaming napasigaw sa tuwa. Nagtatalon pa ako sa upuan na ikinakalog ng buong sasakyan.
Nang may dumaan na tao sa gilid ay masama ang tingin nito na ikinahagalpak namin ng tawa.
Napapalakpak ako, "Sabi ko naman sa'yo, eh! Masyado kang kinakabahan!" ani ko at humagikhik siya bago tumango at ibinalik ang results sa envelope.
He let out a sigh. "Come closer, kiss me," he ordered.
My lips parted before hugging myself, "Grabe ka! Nalaman mo lang na hindi tayo magkatapid, gusto mo agad akong pagsamantalahan!" Pag-iinarte ko. Napahagikhik ito bago ako hinampas sa braso na ikinadaing ko pa.
"Let's celebrate. Hindi tayo magkapatid!" Singhal niya at napahagikhik ako bago tumango at nilapitan ito para halikan siya.
Sinabihan ko agad siya na sa bahay na dumiretso pagkatapos ng shift niya dahil maghahanda ako ng hapunan. Wala akong binaggit sa mga katulong na bisitang dadating dahil andito pa si Kuya Top. Sakto rin na alas otso pa ang tapos ng shift ni Grey at bago pa man mag alas nuebe ng gabi ay andito na ito.
Chiara joined us for dinner. I cooked most of Grey's favorites and some that I've been craving for a while. After eating, we spent a few minutes in the living room playing with Chiara until she got tired and went to sleep.
Grey and I decided to look through my father's things for the 2nd time in hopes of looking for another clue about the past.
I was looking through a different box when Grey suddenly called me with a bit of panic.
"Code!" Grey exclaimed, which made me tense up a bit.
He showed me an unopened envelope that came from his Mom. We stared at each other for a few seconds. His hands were shaking when he handed it to me. When I flipped the envelope, I showed him the date.
"Three days... after I was born," Grey mumbled, and I slowly nodded.
Even though I was scared to open it in fear that Dad might see it in the future and find out we went through his stuff, I ripped the paper open. I pulled out a folded piece of paper and opened it.
Collin,
I know you're still mad about what happened. I know you're mad at me and mad at Richard for ruining our friendship. But we had no choice. We were forced into this marriage. And as much as I don't want to blame you, you also consented to this. You also let this happen. I thought we were clear about our plans? I thought we had our way to stop this? But what did you do? You ruined our plan and each other's lives.
I gave birth to a baby boy three days ago. Richard is not happy about it. He's still upset about this whole marriage and needing to bear a child as his father's request. He has been out of his mind and self for the past three days, and as much as I wanted to help him, I shouldn't stress myself. My baby boy is so cute, he looks so much like Richard. He looks just like his father.
And I hope, someday, you'll get to meet him. I hope you don't hold a grudge against our child because he's innocent. And I want you to know that Richard is not mad at you. Hindi niya dinamdam ang ginawa mo sa kaniya. So please, if you read this letter, I hope we can still fix this. I hope we can still fix our relationship. I hope one day, we can still be friends. Us three—me, you, and Richard.
Love, Grace Chua.
—--------
a/n: Saya isulat ng chapter na 'to HAHAHAH tuwang-tuwa ako ksksksks
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