Chapter 34

Aiah’s POV

After what happened, I still can’t sleep.

​Nakahiga lang ako sa gitna ng kama, staring at the ceiling, habang paulit-ulit na nag-e-echo sa isip ko ‘yung mga binitawan naming salita kanina. I’m so mad at her. 

Galit na galit ako dahil pinagmumukha niya akong tanga. Galit ako dahil hinahayaan niya akong mag-isa sa gitna ng pagbubuntis ko.

​Pero kasabay ng galit na ‘yun, may traydor na kirot sa puso ko. I miss her. Sobrang miss ko na ‘yung Mikha na hindi ako kayang tiisin. ‘Yung Mikha na hindi malamig ang pakikitungo sa akin.

​Narinig ko ang mahihinang boses mula sa kabilang kwarto—sa guest room kung saan siya nagkukulong.

​Dahan-dahan akong tumayo, bitbit ang bigat ng nararamdaman ko. Lumapit ako sa naka saradong na pinto, bawat hakbang ay puno ng pag-aalinlangan.

 I leaned my head against the cold wood, holding my breath.

​And then, I heard it. Mikha’s voice.

​She was pleading. Nakikiusap. Nagmamakaawa.

​”Give me time… Please. Hindi ko pa kaya…” humina ang boses niya, naging muffled at parang may kung anong bulong na hindi ko na makuha. “…I need to make sure… [static] …kay Aiah… [muffled] …and our baby… I can’t just leave her…”

Parang binuhusan ng malamig na tubig ang buong pagkatao ko. Nanlambot ang mga tuhod ko.​ The moment the words “leave her” reached my ears, my world didn’t just stop—it shattered.

​Napa-atras ako, napa hawak sa bibig para pigilan ang luha kong nag babadyang tumulo.

Leave me? Namuo ang mga luha sa mata ko hanggang sa tuloy-tuloy na itong pumatak.

Kaya ba siya nanlalamig? Kaya ba gabi-gabi siyang umaalis at madaling araw na umuuwi? Dahil… may iba na siya? Kausap ba niya ang babaeng ipapalit niya sa akin at hinihingian niya lang ito ng oras para hiwalayan ako?

Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko. Pinihit ko ang doorknob at bumukas ang pinto.

Gulat na napalingon sa akin si Mikha, hawak ang cellphone niya sa tenga. Namumutla siya, may dark circles sa mga mata, at mukhang pagod na pagod.

“A-Aiah…” ibinaba niya ang phone niya. “Anong ginagawa mo rito? You should be resting—”

“Sino ‘yon?” basag ang boses kong tanong, humahagulgol na. “Sino ‘yung kausap mo, Mikha? Tapatin mo nga ako may babae kaba? Siya ba ‘yung dahilan kung bakit parang diring-diri ka na sa akin?”

“What? Aiah, no—”

​And just like that, the fire died. The anger was replaced by a hollow, crushing desperation.

Hindi ko kayang mawala siya. The mere thought of her walking out of my life for good made my chest tighten until I couldn’t breathe

Lumapit ako sa kanya at hinawakan ko ang laylayan ng damit niya

​I dropped all my pride. My legs finally gave out. I collapsed to my knees in front of her, the hem of her shirt still clutched in my fists like a lifeline. I was no longer the angry partner; I was just a woman who was terrified of being abandoned.

Wala na akong pakialam sa ego ko. Ang mahalaga lang sa akin ngayon ay huwag siyang mawala.

“Mikha, please please…” Lumuhod ako sa harap niya, umiiyak nang tuluy-tuloy. “Kahit may iba ka na… kahit dalawa pa kami sa puso mo, tatanggapin ko. Magpapanggap akong hindi ko alam. I can share you.. Hahatiin ko ‘yung oras mo, ibigay mo na sa kanya ‘yung oras na gusto mo pero please… huwag mo lang kaming iwan huwag mo lang akong iwan. Huwag mo akong hiwalayan, Mikha. Hindi ko kaya…”

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya. Nakita ko kung paano nanginig ang buong katawan niya sa sinabi ko.

…..

Mikha’s POV

“Kahit dalawa pa kami sa puso mo… huwag mo lang kaming iwan.”

Parang pinupunit ang puso ko sa bawat salitang lumalabas sa bibig ni Aiah. Tiningnan ko siya—nakaluhod, umiiyak, at nagmamakaawa na huwag ko siyang iwan, kahit pa ang akala niya ay niloloko ko siya.

God, what have I done to her? Masyado ko siyang nasaktan sa pagpapanggap ko. Masyado ko siyang dinurog para lang protektahan siya.

Bago pa siya pumasok kanina, kausap ko sa kabilang linya si Kuya Gelo.

(Flashback – The Phone Call)

“Mikha! You need to hide now!” Halos sumigaw na si Kuya Gelo sa kabilang linya. “Alam na nila kung saan ang condo mo!”

“Give me time… Please. Hindi ko pa kaya. I need to make sure okay si Aiah and our baby… I can’t just leave her…”

 pakiusap ko, pilit pinapakalma ang sarili ko kahit gusto ko nang magwala sa takot.

“I know, Mikha, pero bawat segundo nanganganib’yung buhay mo! Hindi mo alam kung ano ang iniisip ng mga sindikatong ‘yun. What if makidnap ka? What if patayin ka nila? Go here, susunduin kita. Let’s tell Dad everything. Siguro naman this time hindi ka niya itatakwil—buhay mo na ang pinag-uusapan dito!” Narinig ko siyang napamura sa kabilang linya. “Damn it. I shouldn’t have told you about the inheritance. Hindi ka sana mapapahamak ng ganito.”

“It’s not your fault, Kuya Gelo. It’s clearly all mine,” sagot ko, mariing nakapikit. “I was reckless. But I humble myself now… I need your help. Not for me, Kuya, but for Aiah. Please, protect her.”

​THE BACKSTORY

The silence of the condo always brings me back to 2020. People remember the pandemic for the masks and the lockdowns, but I remember it as the year I slowly started to die inside.

It started when all my businesses failed. I had poured every cent of my personal savings into those startups, desperate to prove to my father that I could survive without the Lim empire. But one by one, the doors closed. The streets of LA went quiet, and so did my bank accounts.

I fell into a hole. A deep, suffocating depression that I hid behind expensive whiskey and forced smiles. I was too proud to call home and admit I’d failed. I was the “Golden Child,” and the Golden Child doesn’t beg for a bailout.

That was when Bino walked into my life.

I really thought I’d found a brother in him. While everyone else was distancing themselves, Bino stayed. He was the one who listened to my frustrations and validated my anger at the world. I really thought he was my friend. I didn’t realize he was just a scout, a predator sent by the syndicate to find my weakest point.

“You’re overthinking it, Mikha,” he told me one night in a dim, private club. “The world is on pause, but money never sleeps. You just need to change your game.”

Bino was the one who introduced me to the underground gambling circles. At first, it was just a distraction—a way to numb the depression. But when I started losing and my pride began to crack, Bino didn’t tell me to stop. Instead, he offered me a “way out.”

“I have a guy, Mikha. His name is Hans,” Bino whispered, leaning in like he was doing me a favor. “He’s a high-stakes lender. He can give you the capital you need to get back on your feet.”

That was the moment the trap snapped shut. Bino brought me to Hans, and I saw the shark behind the suit. Hans didn’t offer me a favor; he offered me a contract with the devil.

“Don’t walk away now when you’re this close to a comeback,” Hans told me, his eyes cold and calculating. “I’ll lend you a massive amount of money. But let’s be clear, Mikha—this isn’t charity there’s a bit of interest. I expect to be paid back in full. But look at the table… the odds are rigged in our favor tonight. It’s a guaranteed win.”

Bino nodded beside him, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. “There’s no way you’ll lose this, Mikha. I promise you,” 

Hans said, looking me straight in the eye with a smile I now realize was pure venom. “One big win and you can pay me back with interest to spare. You’ll be back on top.”

I was so drowned in depression and the need to save my pride that I believed them both. I bet it all—the millions Hans “lent” me with its crushing interest, my remaining assets, and even the emergency funds from my Dad’s LA subsidiary that I was never supposed to touch. I thought that one big win would clear the debt and let me start over.

The moment the final card was flipped, the world went black.

I didn’t just lose the money; I lost my soul. Bino vanished the next morning. My “friend” was gone, leaving me alone in a city that felt like a cage. And that’s when the real terror started.

Hans wasn’t a businessman; he was a monster. His people started to harass me. Everywhere I went, I felt their eyes.

They followed me everywhere, they called me at all hours of the night, their voices low and threatening. They’d leave notes on my car, reminders that the high-interest debt was growing every second I didn’t pay.

“We know where you sleep, Mikhaela,” they whispered over the phone. “Just pick—either we kill you or you pay us.”

I lived in constant fear. Every shadow was a threat, every knock on the door made my heart stop. I was a prisoner of my own mistakes.

For years, I carried the shame. I thought I was a failure. I thought I was a thief.

​But I know the truth now. My debts… it wasn’t because of me. Everything was a frame-up. Sinadya lahat ni Tito Leo. Every document, every transfer, every “illegal” move was orchestrated by him to keep me under his thumb.

​I survived LA, but I brought Tito Leo’s ghosts back with me.

(End of Flashback)

Isang linggo na ang nakakalipas nang mapansin kong may mga sumusunod sa amin. I was aware Nagsimula ito noong nag-mall kami ni Aiah. May mga pamilyar na mukha, mga itim na sasakyan na nakabuntot saanman kami magpunta.

Kaya gabi-gabi akong umuuwi. Kaya nagpapanggap akong malamig. Everyday na umaalis ako, hindi ‘yun para magtrabaho. Nakikipagkita ako kay Kuya Gelo at sa NBI para makipagtulungan laban sa sindikatong nagmamanman sa akin. Nililigaw ko sila; pinapalabas kong sa ibang lugar ako tumutuloy, at saka lang ako palihim na uuwi kay Aiah kapag sigurado akong wala nang nakabuntot sa akin. Nagpakuha na rin ako ng secret bodyguards kay Kuya para bantayan si Aiah nang hindi niya alam.

Napag-alaman naming frame-up ang lahat ng utang ko sa LA. At ang utak? Ang half-brother ni Dad, si Tito Leo. Isa sa mga pinakamalaking kalaban ni Dad sa negosyo, at ginagamit niya ang buhay ko para pabagsakin ang kumpanya ng pamilya.

Kailangan ko ang tulong ni Dad, pero bago mangyari ‘yun, naisip ko na kailangan ko munang makipaghiwalay kay Aiah. 

I thought if I made her hate me, she’d run away. I wanted to be the villain in her life so she wouldn’t have to be a victim in mine. Gusto ko siyang palayuin. Saktan siya para umalis siya at hindi na madamay sa gulo ko.

Pero ngayong nakikita ko siyang nakaluhod sa harap ko, isinusuko ang sariling dignidad para lang huwag ko siyang iwan?

Para akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. My heart didn’t just break; it shattered into a million pieces. How could I do this to her? How could I hurt the woman who’s carrying our child—the only person who stayed even when I was at my worst?

Hindi ko na kaya. Ang bigat-bigat na. The guilt was suffocating me. All the coldness, the lies, and the distance—lahat ‘yun gumuho sa isang sandali.

Mabilis akong bumaba sa sahig at pumantay sa kanya and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a tight, desperate hug. 

I held her as if she were the only thing keeping me alive. I buried my face in her neck, my own tears finally falling, hot and uncontrollable against her skin.

“Oh God, Aiah… no. No, no, no,”

 humahagulgol kong bulong, hinahalikan ang gilid ng ulo niya habang nanginginig ang buong katawan ko. “Walang iba, Aiah. Hinding-hindi ako titingin sa iba. Hanggang huling hininga ko ikaw lang ang mamahalin ko. I’m so sorry, love… I’m so sorry for making you feel this way. Forgive me, please… please don’t cry like this.”

I felt her heart beating against mine, and in that moment, I made a silent vow.

 Gagawin ko ang lahat. Haharapin ko ang impyerno, kahit buhay ko pa ang kapalit, maprotektahan lang si Aiah. I will never let anyone hurt her again, especially not the monsters from my past.

I pulled back just enough to look at her beautiful, tear-stained face. My heart ached at the sight of her swollen eyes. I knew I had no choice. I couldn’t keep her in the dark anymore.

I told her everything.

Without holding back, I laid my soul bare to her. I explained how it all started in LA when my businesses failed and I fell into a deep, dark depression. I told her how Bino pretended to be my friend just to lead me to Hans, and how Hans trapped me in a high-interest debt that I thought was my fault for the longest time.

I told her about my brother Gelo’s investigation—how we found out just lately that everything was a frame-up.

 Sinabi ko sa kanya na si Tito Leo ang utak ng lahat my father’s half brother, na sinadya nilang wasakin ako para pabagsakin si Dad.

“I was so scared, Aiah, I was scared na madamay kapa sa gulo ng pamilya ko. my life is in danger ayokong madamay ka” I whispered, holding her hands against my chest. “I thought pushing you away was the only way to keep you safe from them. But I was wrong. I’m so, so sorry, I love you more than my own life.”

​Aiah shook her head, leaning in to press her forehead against mine. I could feel her breath, her warmth, and the heartbeat of our child against my chest.

​”Then I will die with you, Mikha,” she declared, a single tear falling from her eye. “I would rather face death with you than live a single day without you again. Kaya please… please, don’t you ever dare leave me to protect me. We protect each other now.”

​Her words shattered the last of my doubts. She wasn’t just my girlfriend; she was my partner, my equal in this war. If she was willing to die with me, then I was damn well willing to kill for her.

​I pulled her into a kiss—a kiss that tasted of tears, desperation, and a new, unshakable vow. The game of shadows was over. It was time for a real war, and for the first time, I knew I wasn’t fighting it alone.

……..

🙃🙃