Vows under the Gun

Chapter 4 Past in Disguise

ETHEL

Panting. Scared. Shock. Frightened. I stared at him. I stared at his matured face. Is he really the Elias I know?

Fck. This can't be.

I am trying so hard to hide all of my emotion at once. Hiding my emotions is equal to fighting for my life. He can't know that I'm Ethel. It's better that way, much and way better that way.

His brown eyes that were once filled with innocence, hope, and spark of love and future is now filled with nothing but coldness, fierceness, and danger.

It's no longer the pair of eyes that once stared at me with so much love and softness.

The way his jaw tightens while staring at me with full of hatred reminds me of the very reason of why who we are today.

Nagpumiglas ako pero sobrang bigat niya na hinahaluan niya ng diin at pagkulong saakin gamit ang kaniyang katawan na nasa ibabaw ko.

"Let go of me!" Madiing sambit ko. Hindi ko iniwas ang titig niya. Sinalubong ko ng may kaparehong kalamigan at kataliman ang kaniyang tingin.

He smirked and it weakened me.

Those pair of lips were once mine to show me a sweet and reassuring smile whenever I needed it. But now, it's full of spite and silliness. He looks so different now, more matured and manlier.

His smirk screams danger. I don't know why and what happened to him to be like this now.

He's a freaking Mafia Boss!

"Alam kong ikaw si Ethel," Sabi nito.

Gusto ko siyang yakapin, gusto ko umiyak, gusto kong sumigaw na 'Oo, ako nga!', pero hindi maaari. Not now that my heart suddenly beat the way it use to beat for him in the past, and this just means one thing: danger.

I, of all people, know too well that we should let bygone be bygones.

I'm no longer Ethel. I am Isla Verona, and he should know that I am no one other than Isla Verona. I am married to the Mafia Boss of his rival mafia group

I smirked back at him, "Hindi ko alam na isa palang baliw ang isang Helio Navarro na siyang tinik sa lalamunan ng mga Verona at Hughs. Kung alam ko lang na ganito ka kaduwag sa harapan ng isang babae, matagal ko nang sinakop ang mga teritoryo mo!"

His veins on his neck popped. He looked at me with so much threat and danger before he captured my chin and gripped it so tightly it almost broke. I squint.

Hindi na siya si Elias. Dahil si Elias ay hinding-hindi ako sasaktan.

Inalapit niya ang mukha saakin. Kaunti nalang ay magdikit ang mukha namin at magdampi ang labi namin.

Nahigit ko ang hininga pero hindi ko inalis ang matalim kong titig sa titig niya at nilalabanan iyon.

"As much as you deny it, I know fcking too well the woman I once owned." Bulong nito sa mukha ko, ang mainit niyang hininga ay dumadampi sa balat ko at hindi ko inasahan na ganito pa rin ang epekto niya saakin. Ngunit ngayon ay kakaiba, ang katawan ko ay nangungulila para sakaniya, na may halong pananabik na alam kong imposible na para saamin.

"Nababaliw ka na! You're crazy!" Nahihirapang kong sigaw pero ngumisi lamang ito at nilandas nito ang tingin sa bawat sulok ng aking mukha, na pawa bang kinakabisado ang bawat linya at tuldok ng aking balat. Mula sa aking mata ay lumandas ang tingin nito ng banayad sa aking ilong, pababa saaking labi at doon ito tumigil.

I swallowed. I saw a strange emotion in his eyes, and there was a hint of thirst and longing but it quickly changed into disgust until he let go of my chin with a force.

Napangiwi ako nang halos madislocate and bungo ko sa pagbitiw niya saakin ng may pwersa. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin nang lumayo na ang mukha nito ng bahagya pero hindi pa rin ito umaalis sa ibabaw ko.

"Papakawalan kita kung aamin kang ikaw si Ethel." Walang emosyong hayag nito.

Ngumisi lang ako ng may matalim na tingin, "Patayin mo nalang ako."

His eyes didn't change, and I was too dumb to even think of using his feelings for me to provoke him but I guess they're no longer there. Ang pag-asa kong maaari kong magamit ang natitira niyang damdamin para saakin ay napalitan ng takot.

The look on his eyes were dangerous enough to kill someone. Far different from the Elias I used to know.

"Kung akala mo ay hindi kita kayang patayin ay nagkakamali ka." Malamig na sabi nito at binitawan ang mga kamay kong hawak niya sa itaas ng ulo ko. Umalis na ito sa pagkakadagan saakin at tumayo.

Mabilis kong binangon ang kalahati ng katawan ko pero siya ay pinulot ang baril na nasa sahig. Papatayo palang sana ako pero natigilan ako nang humarap siyang muli saakin pero ang ulo na ng baril ang sumalubong sa aking mukha.

My body froze staring at the gun pointing directly at my face. His finger was placed just right at the trigger and one wrong move my life could end.

"You want to die to badly? You must have gotten it wrong, Isla Verona," He paused.

Isla Verona.

My body became numb and was filled with fear, fear of losing my life. Lalo na nang tinawag niya ako sa pangalan ko ngayon gamit ang malamig at puno ng pagbabantang boses nito. Nakakatakot na tila hindi ito magdadalawang isip na pumatay.

"I was asking you about Ethel Galvez not because I want her to come back to me. You see, I've been looking for that woman for 10 long years for one sole reason: I will fcking make her life miserable, and you? Having the same fcking face like hers just made your life worst than death. She was not someone important to me, she is someone of no value to me. It makes me having so much fun killing you right here."

Parang pinunyal ang puso ko ng paulit-ulit. My fist balled so tight I could feel my nails digging through my palm. Gusto kong umiyak pero hindi pwede. It's not surprising to hear those things from him. Sinaktan ko siya noon ng sobra, siguro ganito kasakit ang naramdaman niya noong sinabi ko ang mga masasakit na salitang iyon sakaniya.

It hurts so bad, it feels like my heart is tearing apart.

My body twitched and I closed my eyes. I was not able to hide the fear I am feeling right now when my body trembled as soon as the cold metal of the gun touched my forehead when he stuck it closer to my skin.

Ang diin ng pagkakatikom ng bibig ko habang pinipigilan ang sari-saring emosyong nararamdaman ko.

"Finally feeling fear of losing your life now, don't you?" May pang-uuyam na sabi nito.

Hindi dapat ako takot. Hindi dapat ako natatakot na mamatay.

Pero bakit?

Bakit ganito?

A tear escaped from my eye.

I am scared to be killed by him.

I don't want him to kill me.

I can't bear that thought of him killing me.

But I need to accept this. He's not Elias, he's now Helio Navarro, the devilish Mafia Boss of the Navarro Group. He kills mercilessly. He's a cold-blooded beast.

Not the Helio I once loved.

It just pains me to think that all of those years I endured to live my life within the Verona and Hughs were pointless just for me to end up being killed miserably by the man I loved the most in my life.

"F-Fine," My voice broke, but when I opened my tearful eyes I glared at him fiercely.

"Kill me." Walang takot na sabi ko at tinitigan siya.

Ang mga mata niya ay nanatiling malamig at hindi nawawaglit ang emosyong ipinapakita nito.

He must hate me to the core.

"Sure." Sabi nito at idiniin ang baril sa noo ko at ako naman at napangiwing napapaikit at handa nang maramdaman ang agos ng dugo at putok ng baril sa bungo ko pero ilang segundo ang lumipas pero walang nangyari.

My body was almost shaking when I opened my eyes. The gun left my forehead.

Gulat ko siyang tiningnan na walang emosyong nakatingin saakin. Ang baril nito ay pumirme sa kamay nitong nakababa sa gilid.

Halos bumagsak ang katawann ko sa sahig pero napigilan ko iyon. Ilang beses kong nahabol ang hininga ko dahil pakiramdam ko ay mawawalan na ako ng hangin sa sikip ng dibdib ko.

"Killing you now will just result in me gaining too much casualty. Ito ang tandaan mo Verona, papatayin ko ang lahat ng mga taong tatapak sa Isla Prinsesa na dala ang pangalang Hughs at Verona, kaya't siguraduhin mong huwag mo nang guguluhin ang teritoryo ko doon. I will not kill you, I will just simply send you back to the Hughs and Verona, defeated." Puno ng pagbabanta at kalamigan ang boses nito.

Yumukod na ito sa harapan ko at pinantayan ang tingin ko.

I stared at him. He's so frightening.

His eyes are dark, full of hate and despise. His furrowed forehead with seeds of sweat and his lips tightly pursed with his pointed nose and jaw clenching are literally scaring me.

"You are married to the Mafia Boss of the Huggs, right?" Malamig na turan nito.

I didn't respond, I just kept staring at his face.

"Pietro is someone I can respect, but not his fcking old-man. I will send you back to him, let's see how he will handle a woman who made a laughingstock out of him."

Tumayo na ito at tumalikod saakin.

Pietro Hughs is my husband, the current mafia boss of Hughs.

I watched his broad back walk away from me. He was at the door of the restroom when he stopped.

"Don't show your face even again to me. I can no longer guarantee your life if we ever cross paths again. Leave the port of Villafuerta and leave my fcking business alone at Isla Prinsesa. For that, I will spare your life today, and don't ever dream of having a next time."

Pagkatapos iyong sambitin ay tuluyan na itong nawala sa paningin ko.

Gamit ang braso ko ay ipinatong ko ang ulo at tuluyang nanghihinang napahiga sa sahig at napatulala sa marmol na sahig.

Bakit?

Bakit ikaw pa Elias?

Anong nangyari sa'yo?

Paano ka naging Mafia Boss?

Why of all things, you need to be the kind of very person I hate the most in this life?

My tears fell. The emotions I've been trying to forget and erase from 10 years ago just came back to me like it was just yesterday.

Ethel is dead, I am now Isla Verona, but my heart's still crying for the man Ethel once loved.