I pushed her away. Looking at my hands, they are trembling as hell. "Honey? What happened?" she asked innocently, looking at me. Or is it? I looked away. "Sorry ma'am, she's sensitive dahil sa nangyari kanina sa plane. Hostage-taking po..." a nurse beside me states. Hell yeah... I can't forget that. I won't forget that. Gosh, I don't know na... tapos nandito pa siya. "Oh?" she replied walking towards me. I backed away. Don't she dare get near me! "...honey? Okay, where are those who caused this?" "They are currently being questioned--" "What?! I'll go to them," she said and walked away. Anong nangyari sa kaniya? Wait... does she know something? I sat down inside the clinic. "So, Daliah. No need to pressure yourself okay? Alam kong nakakagulat yung nangyari kanina... it may be best to not force yourself na bumalik sa normal routine mo. Talk with your loved ones--" "I want dad." wala sa sarili kong sinabi while looking down on my lap. I heard the doctor sigh. Tahimik lang kami doon for a few minutes. Why is my stepmom here? Everytime na kasama ko siya, I feel awful. "Daliah honey? Come on na, we're going home." I looked up to see my step mother enter the clinic. That look of hers is not good. I can feel it. I know it. "Where is dad?" I asked while standing up, looking at her eye to eye. She smirked. She reaches for my arm, "Let's go home and talk about--'" Agad kong binawi ang arm ko sa kaniya. "Where is my dad?!" I screamed. I don't care kung may makarinig or whatsoever. I came here to see him, not to play jokes with this woman. "Ms. Daliah, please calm down, " a nurse from behind taps my left shoulder. Calm down? When no one's giving me a freaking answer about everything?! "Yes honey, you should calm down and talk--" Hindi ko na pinakinggan ang sino man. Just like that moment I discovered about Marcus... it's almost the same. I can't see a thing. Only that person I want to... I want to squish answer from. Lumapit ako sa kaniya at hinawakan siya sa magkabilang shoulder niya. Her eyes widened. Oh? Now she's playing shocked? "I. NEED. MY. DAD!" I screamed at her face. Her expression changed into a mere sly smile. I can feel the heat building inside me... with my surroundings gradually dimming. "Where is he?! Stop hiding him!" I screamed once more when I felt something. Something I know I wouldn't want to feel again. Two of the nurses around grabbed me from behind-- one is pulling my waist and the other is holding my shoulders. My body felt cold in an instant. I squirmed my way out of their touch. I can't let this happen! I won't be stopped! Help... I need help. But he's not here... Sa hindi malamng dahilan, naramdaman ko na naman yun. No... the cold steel against my waist. The nozzle of that gun pointed at me. The lingering tip of that syringe against my neck. That arm around my chest that dragged me around. Argh! I can't! "Ah!" I screamed and hold my head with my two hands. Napasabunot na lang ako sa hair ko. My world is spinning around. They are talking but I can't understand a thing... "You should just shut up, goodness." "But... Nakita ko yun. Mali yung ginawa mo! You married my dad for what? This will reach dad! You cheater--" "Shut up! Wala kang kuwenta. You don't even have the guts to follow your dad's footsteps. All you know is to take silly pictures!" "NO! I used to do it with dad! I love doing this--" "Can't you see? He doesn't need you. Hindi mo alam yung mga gabing umiiyak siya nang dahil sa mom mo. At sayo. You are a part of his past... that he needs to forget about." "My mom did nothing wrong... she died and my dad loved her!" Ayoko na. Nakita ko na naman yun. Wala na akong magagawa. Why am I so hopeless? Why am I unworthy? Sorry dad... I opened my eyes because of the sudden movement. Nasaan ako? "Oh, you're awake now honey? You can eat what I cooked there. Ibibigay ng bodyguard sa'yo," a voice. It's hers. Bakit parang magkalapit lang talaga kami? Umayos ako ng upo. The hell? Nasa car niya ba ako? Now, she is sitting on the passenger's seat. There's her driver tapos napapapagitnaan ako ng dalawang bodyguards sa back seat. I flinched nang gumalaw yung katabi ko. I looked at him. "Sorry ma'am, here's the lunch she prepared. Please eat," sambit niya habang may inaabot sa aking lunch box. Ha. She? Preparing meals now? What a joke. Hindi ko pinansin yung bodyguard sa kaliwa ko at tumingin lang sa harap. Bahala siya diyan. I've had enough... mamaya... mamaya she wants me to be killed after eating that. Bakit nga ba ako nandito? I don't remember agreeing with her... "Honey, you should eat. You passed out kanina." she said while looking at the front. I just looked down and rolled my eyes. Naramdaman kong may gumalaw ulit sa kaliwa ko at dumikit sa waist ko. Agad akong napalayo doon, pushing myself sa bodyguard na nasa kanan. Gosh. My heart is beating too fast. "Is there a problem back there, honey?" Her voice just added to the tense feeling I'm having right now. Hindi ako makagalaw. Nakatingin lang ako sa hawak na lunchbox nung nasa kaliwa. He's confused. Hell, I'm just confused as you! I sat back sa puwesto ko, puting my palms unto my face. What's happening to me? Just now, I thought baril yung idinidikit niya sa akin. "You hate my cooking that much? Oh, just eat this, commercially produced yan so I can't do a thing diyan. Goodness." she states while handing me a box of oatmeal bars, still eyes on the road. I snatched it from her. Maybe I'm just overthinking again... I took a bite from the oatmeal bar. I can't be relaxed about this... she did mention something about dad... siguro mamaya yun sa house. For some reason, my heart started racing. Why can't dad go to me right now? Bakit wala siya sa airport? Bakit ang step mom ko ang nandun? Why? "Ah!" I screamed while hugging the box of oatmeal bar. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Bigla kasing nagstop yung car... I don't know... it's just... My eyes wandered around. Everything is gradually disappearing. Parang... parang familiar 'to? "You know what will happen, miss." Argh! I can see that grin on his face... "Sorry young gal, it hurt like hell so Imma give you hell too," NO! Somebody... stop. Why am I seeing this now? "This lady needs to die! I will lay my life, just kill this woman too!" No...no...no! People are crazy! "Daliah!" I looked up only to see my step mom staring at me. What...? "Goodness, what happened to you?" She added, habang umaayos siya ng upo. Right... she's aking me what the hell happened. But isn't she the one who caused all this? From the very start, siya ang naglayo kay dad sa akin! She is selfish! Ngayon I can feel this now. It's clear to me, it is she who brought us into hell! "Asking such thing like... you don't know a thing?" I said while looking at her back. I saw how her body moves as she laughs. She looked from the passenger seat to me. "Really? That's it. We need to talk later." I don't feel very good about this. Nang makarating sa mansion ay agad akong bumaba. The bodyguards always attempt to corner me but I won't let them do so. I'm so tired of this... of everything. I walked inside our mansion, papunta sa grand stairs.I missed this. "Ooops, I thought we should talk muna, honey?" her voice. I turned to her from the stairs. "I don't need you, I need my dad," I said at tinalikuran siya. "Frederick is not there though." I quickly turned to her. "What the hell? You told me--" She walks up to me. "I'm telling you, your dad left you... and this world because of your selfishness!" she shouted. My heart raced again... what is she talking about? Anong umalis? "Confused? Want me to say directly?" No... I scanned around, holding my chest. I can feel it bursting away from my body. "He... he will never-- HOW?!" Her smile makes me sick. "It's suicide. Just a few days ago," she replied. SUICIDE? What the hell? "He will never do that! He is waiting for me! I will still come to him!" I screamed at her, hot tears rolling down my cheeks. This is not true... "Hmp. Because of you, he died. You never even contacted us. You were out of reach." "NO! There were men who were stopping me from going out of that freaking country! Dagdag mo pa yung kay uncle! You work together, right? RIGHT?" She walks up near me again. "Not too easy, honey. All those things are done to keep you safe from people after your dad, ever since that incident. Nakiride lang ako. Looks like it worked." I can feel my body heating up kahit nakabukas ang mga air conditioners namin. How can she... so I am right? It's her all along?! I still don't understand... safe from what? "The damn camera boy. It is said that the pieces of evidence are inside." That day at his apartment... they were talking about some evidence in the camera my dad gave me. What the hell is it? But I don't have it now... Marcus accidentally broke the camera. Wait... is it really an accident? "I think you have something for me, honey. I never thought he would leave something as important as that in your hands. You can instantly ruin this family for good! Not that you are currently not doing it." she said, habang nakalahad ang palm niya. What the... "Get away from me! I will talk to him myself!" She laughed. Her laughs are sending me chills! "You are painfully dumb, aren't you? He's dead. He committed suicide, in case you don't unde--" "HE IS NOT! I KNOW IT! IF HE'S NOT ALIVE, THEN IT'S YOU! You killed him!" I screamed while going up the stairs backward. "Hmm? Pointing fingers now, honey? That's bad." She continues to catch up to me. "It is you. You killed your own father and I can prove it."