End Game

Chapter 2 - What About Me?

ILANG BESES na kumurap si Isabella para makasigurong tama ang mga nakikita niya. She even had to look around for the second time to make sure that she was inside the right room. Pero ang wedding portrait nila ni Luke sa gitna ng malawak na kwarto ang nagsusumigaw na ebidensiyang hindi siya nagkamali ng kwarto na pinasok. The person on the bed banging another man spoke volume, too.

Isabella’s husband was on top of another man. Parehong walang suot na anomang saplot ang mga ito habang pawisan na magkayakap at naghahalikan na parang wala nang bukas. Their loud moans and the sound of the bed creaking with their every move echoed inside the room.

The Luke that she knew was never this enthusiastic in bed. Mabait ang kanyang asawa at malambing pero para bang wala itong oras sa mga ganoong bagay dahil parati itong pagod pag-uwi sa bahay. She had never seen him like this before. And the man beneath Luke was supposed to be his best friend. Madalas na magkasama ang dalawa pero hindi niya kahit na kailan pinagdudahan iyon dahil mag-business partner ang mga ito. There were even days when Jackson would sleepover at their house.

Were they doing this behind her back all these time? Halos bumaliktad ang sikmura ni Isabella sa naisip.

The future that she pictured for the both of them all crashed down in a blink of an eye. Her throat burned with the tears she tried to hold back. Nanginig din ang mga kamay niya kaya hindi sinasadyang dumulas mula sa pagkakahawak niya ang kahon ng cake na binili niya bago umuwi. Bumagsak iyon sa sahig.

That was when the two finally noticed her.

“Isabella?”

Mabilis na naitulak ni Luke si Jackson. Bumangon ang kanyang asawa at halos mapatid pa sa mga nakakalat na damit sa sahig dahil sa pagmamadaling makalapit sa kanya. Maagap na itinaas niya ang isang kamay nang akmang hahawakan siya nito.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare come closer! You disgust me!” sinabi ni Isabella sa basag na boses. “So this was the reason why you wanted me to spend the night in my parents’ house? It wasn’t because you wanted me to be with them but because you were planning to do this? Gaano katagal, Luke? Gaano katagal mo na akong niloloko? What did I do to deserve this? I gave you everything, Luke, everything! And what about you, Jack? I trusted you!”

Naglihis si Jackson ng tingin. Tahimik na bumangon ito at isa-isang pinulot ang mga damit.

“I’m sorry,” halos pabulong na sinabi ni Luke.

Pumatak ang mga luha ni Isabella. She felt like her heart was being ripped over and over. She had never felt so small until tonight. Ang dami niyang tanong. Saan pa ba siya nagkulang? She knew she gave her best in their relationship, in their marriage. Dati siyang sikat na actress sa bansa pero isinuko niya ang acting career niya para maging full-time housewife dahil iyon ang gusto ni Luke na gawin niya. She tried to become the woman that he wanted her to be. But all those were not enough that he ended up with someone else and worse, with a man?

Nang hindi niya na matagalang makita ang dalawa, nagtatakbo siya palabas ng bahay. Kahit nanghihina na ang mga tuhod ay hindi siya huminto.

There was only one place that she could think of going, her go-to place at times like this. And it was in her best friend’s arms. He would probably scold her for being out late at night when it was this cold but she would rather hear Claude’s voice than Luke’s.

“You haven’t seen your parents for quite a long time, babe. Why don’t you just spend the night there? For sure, matutuwa sina Mama at Papa kung mag-o-overnight ka sa kanila. ‘Wag mo na ‘kong alalahanin dito. I’ll miss you but I’ll manage. Kung hindi lang ako pagod ngayong gabi dahil sa dami ng trabaho na kailangan kong asikasuhin, sasamahan sana kita dyan. But I will be there first thing tomorrow to fetch you. Just give my regards to them, all right? I love you!”

Mapait na natawa si Isabella sa naalalang mga sinabi ni Luke ilang oras pa lang ang nakararaan. She was a fool to feel guilty about staying over her parents’ house when he was “too tired from working” for their future. Hindi siya makatulog sa dati niyang kwarto sa mansion ng mga magulang kaya hindi nakatiis na umuwi pa rin siya kahit pa sinubukan siyang pigilan ng mga magulang. She stopped over at a bakeshop and even bought Luke’s favorite caramel cake to make it up to him and to surprise him.

But she was the one surprised instead.

Malapit na siya sa gate nang maabutan siya ni Luke. Pinigilan siya nito sa braso.

“Isabella, let’s talk first-“

“Get your filthy hands off me, you sick bastard!” sigaw niya saka itinulak ang asawa. Her emotions were completely leaking out now but she was too hurt to worry about the neighbors. Puno ng hinanakit na pinagmasdan niya ang mukha ng asawa. She could not believe that the most important man in her life was suddenly becoming a stranger before her very eyes.

“Let’s not talk here, Isabella. Sumama ka sa ‘kin. Jackson is still inside. I don’t want him to hear any of this-“

“What? Luke, naririnig mo man lang ba ang mga sinasabi mo?” hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Isabella. “You were embarrassed that your darling Jack might hear us so you wanted us to talk somewhere else? And who cares about that two-faced guy’s feelings? For crying out loud, ako ang asawa mo, Luke! How dare you still care about what he might feel when I am the one hurting the most here? Besides, last time I checked, bahay pa rin natin ‘to! Kung may kailangan mang mahiya at umalis, it’s your lover! He has no place here! Let me go! I don’t want to see that scum’s face again when I get back here!”

Isabella was aware that her voice was getting louder with each second that passes. Pero pakiramdam niya ay sasabog na siya kung mananatili siyang tahimik.

In an instant, Luke’s expression became unreadable. Mariing hinawakan siya uli nito sa braso at hinila hanggang sa sasakyan. Hindi siya nito binitiwan sa kabila ng pagpupumiglas niya. Binuksan nito ang pinto at itinulak siya sa backseat. Patakas na sana siya nang maagap ding sumakay si Jackson at tumabi sa kanya. He firmly held her hand while Luke sat on the driver’s seat.

“You don’t have to follow us, Jack,” sinabi ni Luke sa mahinahon nang boses. Agad ding nagbago ang expression nito. It became so awfully gentle that Isabella had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from weeping in front of them. So now that their relationship had been exposed, they found the nerve to shamelessly do this with her around?

“I can deal with this on my own, Jack. Kaya ko na ‘to. I don’t want you to be in danger.”

“No. Now that it’s come to this, I will make sure that I will be with you until the end, Luke. We are in this together. We better finish this now that she caught us. Lalo lang gugulo ang lahat kung patatagalin pa natin. Just drive. Tinawagan ko na sila. And they agreed to meet us tonight.”

“Hindi ko naiintindihan kung ano’ng pinag-uusapan n’yo at ayoko nang intindihin pa! I swear I will sue you both for this! Let me out! I don’t want to stay with the both of you even a minute longer!”

Amidst the betrayal, the shock, and the heartbreak, she had to admit, she was also… terrified.

Naging magkasintahan na muna sila ni Luke nang dalawang taon bago sila nagpakasal kaya ang akala niya ay kilala niya na nang husto ang lalaki. But after five years of being together, his words and actions proved once more that she married a total stranger. Hindi siya pinakawalan ni Jackson habang si Luke naman ay mabilis na tinakpan ng panyo ang bibig niya bago nagsimulang mag-drive.

“I’m sorry, Isabella. Believe it or not, hindi ko din gustong saktan ka. You’ve been a good wife to me. And I know that you loved me. I will always be thankful for that and for the help you and your family did to my family. You saved our Company. Naging mabuti ka sa ‘kin lalong-lalo na sa mga magulang ko. I was sincere when I married you. Tinapos ko ang relasyon namin ni Jack bago kita niligawan noon. And in my heart, I knew I did love you.”

Mariing ipinikit ni Isabella ang mga mata kasabay nang muling pagpatak ng kanyang mga luha. She could hear the helplessness and the pain in Luke’s voice. He said he loved her. Well, maybe he did. But it was obviously not enough for him to be loyal to her, for him to betray her like this.

“But one day, I received a strange phone call saying that if I wanted Jackson to live, I must give you to them,” patuloy ni Luke. “I became anxious when they began sending me pictures of Jack while he was in Malaysia. Sinundan nila si Jack doon kahit saan siya magpunta. The last box that they sent in my office along with his pictures was filled with blood. Kaya tinawagan ko si Jack at pinabalik dito sa Manila. I told him to stick close to me because I was afraid that something might happen to him. That’s… how he and I got back together again. When we met again last year, I realized how much I still love him. I’m really sorry, Isabella. I’m so sorry for hurting you and I’m sorry because what I’m about to do will hurt you again.”

Naglihis ng tingin si Isabella nang makita ang anyo ni Luke sa rear-view mirror. Hindi niya mahulaan kung anong susunod na gagawin nito. Pero may mas sasakit pa ba sa nangyayari sa kanila ngayon? She did not have much time to think anymore because the next thing she knew; there was a car that blocked the road which forced Luke to stop driving. Bumaba ito ng kotse. Mula sa kinauupuan, dinig na dinig niya ang naging pagsigaw nito sa labas.

Hinatak ni Jackson ang braso ni Isabella at kinaladkad siya palabas ng sasasakyan. When she turned to look at him, his face showed no remorse. He looked at her brazenly instead as if she deserved everything that was happening to her.

“What’s going on here? We agreed to meet at the usual place, didn’t we?” kalmadong tanong ni Jackson pero hindi maikakaila ang kaba nito dahil sa panginginig ng boses. “We promised to bring Isabella to you and as you can see, she’s with us now. Tumupad kami ni Luke sa usapan. There is no need for this kind of commotion.”

“Shut up!” anang lalaking nakasuot ng itim na maskara kasabay nang pagpapaputok ng baril.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Isabella nang sa isang iglap ay bumagsak si Jackson sa kalsada hawak ang duguang balikat nito. She hated Jackson. She hated him and Luke to the core. Pero hindi niya hiniling na may mangyaring ganito sa dalawa. Sino ang lalaking nakamaskara? How could he shoot a person just like that in the middle of the road? And God… why weren’t there any cars around here? Never in her life did she feel this… vulnerable.

Just how many ugly and terrifying things must she witness tonight?

“May kasunduan tayo! You said you will spare Jackson’s life if I give Isabella to you! I’m giving her to you now! So, what the hell do you think you are doing?” natatarantang sigaw ni Luke saka nanakbo palapit kay Jackson. She had never seen him so out of control with his emotions until now. He was crying so hard. But what he said and did make her heart bled all the more.

What about me, Luke? I’m just as hurt, too.

Lima ang mga kalalakihang nakapalibot sa kanila na pare-parehong nakasuot ng itim na maskara. Hindi niya naiintindihan kung anong pakay ng mga ito sa kanya. But thinking that Luke was willing to trade her life just like that made her feel like a disposable toy. Before the strangers could shoot again, another bunch of guys appeared.

That was the last thing Isabella remembered before she fainted.