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"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Humugot muna siya nang malalim na paghinga bago nagpatuloy. "What happened to you and Lara?"

Ang pagdala ni Van ng baso sa bibig ay naudlot nang marinig ang naging tanong niya. Sandali itong natahimik, muli nitong inilapag ang baso sa mesa at tuwid na naupo sa wheelchair nito. His eyes went in another direction, his face unreadable.

And she was ready to change the topic when suddenly...

"She left the country two days after you left home."

Siya naman ngayon ang natahimik, alam niyang wala na sa bansa si Lara pero hindi niya alam na umalis din ito kaagad matapos niyang maglayas.

"She moved to Canada after a few months of living in the US, then she met a new guy and married him. According to Attorney Salviejo, Lara and her new husband moved to Europe just a couple of weeks ago. She's expecting."

"Oh." Well, good for her.

Pero bakit hindi nito tinuloy ang relasyon nito kay Van kung ganoong umalis na rin naman siya?

"When you saw me and Lara that afternoon in the restaurant, she called me up just to say goodbye. She apologized for what she said before, and also for her actions."

Muli ay hindi siya nakasagot. Ano pa ba ang dapat sabihin? Huli na para linawin nito ang totoong nangyari. She moved on.

"Well, that's water under the bridge now, isn't it?" Kinuha niya ang bote ng alak at muling naglagay sa kaniyang baso. Matapos iyon kaagad siyang tumungga at pinangalahati ang laman bago muling inituon ang tingin sa ibang direksyon.

Ramdam niya ang mga titig ni Van, pero ayaw niyang salubungin ang mga mata nito.

"How have you been in the past two years, Demani? I mean... how's your life?"

"Hellish." Muli niyang dinala sa bibig ang baso at inubos na ang laman niyon. Wala siyang planong maglasing, pero alam niyang makatutulong iyon upang magkaroon siya ng lakas ng loob na sabihin dito ang tunay na nararamdaman. Maybe this was the perfect timing for them to talk about what he did to her life in the previous years.

"Hellish..." ulit ni Van, at nang lingunin niya ito ay nakita niya ang malungkot na ngiti sa mga labi nito. "Mine, too, believe it or not. Maybe worse than yours."

"That's hard to believe," she answered. "Maaaring pagkatapos ng aksidente ay oo, but before that? I'm sure you enjoyed your life without me nagging you."