Watch your words, they become your actions: 21 | Breakdown

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Ruby's POV

The first time I met Cross, I felt a storm raging in those captivating eyes. It wasn't just passion—it was a deep, fierce torrent of emotions simmering beneath the surface.

His gaze held a fury as powerful as a thunderstorm, crackling with intensity, ready to erupt at any moment.

But I hadn't expected to feel the full force of that intensity. Now, I wasn't just seeing it—I was caught in it.

It was as if constellations of fabled tales bore down on me, stealing my breath for a brief, overwhelming moment.

It was heavy.

Tormenting...

Hindi ko maiwasang ikompara siya sa isang tao na kinamumuhian ko. Taong sumira sa walang kamuwang-muwang na bata noon. Tama lang na hindi ko pinagkatiwalaan ang kakaunting kabutihan na pinapakita niya kapag tinatamaan ng bait.

And, yet, there was a thrill in trying to understand his layered anger, a pull toward the emotions he kept hidden.

He wore his rage like armor, and it both confused and drew me in, leaving me torn between caution and fascination.

"What if he happened to be your killer?"

Bigla namang sumagi sa isipan ko ang biro ni Dirk habang sinasamsam ko ang bawat bigat ng suntok ni Cross.

Tang-ina sa bawat suntok niya, randam ko ang buto sa kamao niya na talagang humihiwa at dumidiin sa mukha ko. I move my hands, my fist was already clenching on his collar but I can't move it.

Parang nawalan iyon ng lakas at doon ko nalang naramdaman ang bigat niya habang nakapatong sa ibabaw ko.

Namanhid nalang ata ako ng tuluyan at hindi ko na nga magalaw ang katawan ko habang nakatitig na lamang sa mga mata niya.

He then reached for my neck and started to tighten his grip. Agad akong napahawak sa pala-pulsuhan niya, ibig ko sana iyong hilahin pero triple ata ang lakas niya. 

In that frozen moment, panic seized me, each breath a struggle as I fought to pull air into my tightening lungs. Just as I was about to gasp, a towering figure appeared, blocking my view of Cross in an instant.

Uncertainty filled the air, matching the pounding of my heart. Questions swirled, leaving me motionless, searching for Cross above me—only to find someone else standing there in split second.

"Darling?"

As soon as his voice resonated, it jolt my entire system into awareness. Before I even had a chance to comprehend, tears welled up and began streaming down, dampening my cheeks in an instant.

Doon na ako nakahinga.

Doon ko na narinig ang sariling naghahanap ng hangin para saking nanunuyong lalamunan at dibdib.

"You hear me? Just breathe, Ruby... Breathe."

Dirk appeared out of nowhere, swiftly kneeling beside me. He held my shoulders firmly, guiding me into his arms. His hands cradled my face, offering silent reassurance with his steady touch.

"Merda, I was too late. Are you alright? Look at me." His voice, laced with concern, broke through the chaos around us.

"Easy now, take a breath. You're safe."

His touch was unexpectedly gentle—a stark contrast to Cross's heavy fist on mine. I flinched at the thought but pushed the rising fear aside, remembering Aoike. Struggling, I pulled myself out of Dirk's embrace.

"Ruby, what have you done to her?" agad akong napalingon sa nagsalita. Doon ko naman nakita si Aoike na wala ng malay.

      
Damn it. Was I too late?

     
"Is she... alirght? We don't have time, dalhin na natin siya sa Ospital—"

"Don't come near us, Rubainna! I am asking you for the second time, what did you do?!" hindi na ako lumapit pa dahil agad akong nainis sa pinagsasabi niya.

"Put your anger on me later, help your friend first." pagririin ko dahil baka hindi ko na siya matansya at tatablahin ko lahat ng suntok niya sa akin.

"Forget it. I worked so hard to make things right with you, but what did you do? I know I messed up, hurt you, and made mistakes I can't take back. I don't expect forgiveness, but why do you have to act like this?"

"I thought I might've been wrong about you, but you just proved me right. You're not just different—you're downright rude. I regret ever hitting the brakes for you."

Bahagya akong nagulat sa huli niyang sinabi. Hindi ko alam pero nakaramdam ako ng kaunting alon sa aking dibdib na masakit, mabigat at hindi ko iyon nagustuhan.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance..." he whispered but enough for me to hear. "Caring about someone so heartless was my biggest mistake."

 
                     
                
Dirk's POV

"I regret ever hitting the brakes... caring for someone so heartless was my biggest mistake." wika ng Cargael Cross na punong-puno ng walang kabuluhang galit.

He's gone mad over his emotion, not clearly rational and just expresses it the way he wants. Clearly hot headed, Ruby might be brutal but she doesn't know how to get mad over shallow things.

She doesn't blurt out for no reason, unlike this guy.

How harsh of him?

His voice, filled with regret and urgency, mirrored his inner turmoil. I could see he was trying to bridge the distance between them, hoping for understanding.

But I didn't care—sinaktan niya parin si Ruby and I was more worried about her. Her silent eyes showed the struggle within, the pain clear on her face, guarded by the walls she had built.

His plea lingered in the air, a quiet ask for understanding and forgiveness. But Ruby, caught in her own doubts, couldn't respond, leaving a heavy silence filled with unspoken feelings between them.

"What did I do?" bukambibig ni Ruby, habang nakatitig sa kawalan.

"You did the right thing, 'wag mo siyang intindihin. He's just talking nonsense, an idiot!" she brushed off my words with a scoff.

"Tara na, kailangan ding magamot ang mga sugat mo." agad ko siyang inilalayan ng sinubukan niyang tumayo.

"Aoike?" I sighed, she's still zoning. 

"They left, ang bobong lalaking 'yon ang bahala sa kanya."

"Hmm..."

"Have a rest, darling..."

Tch, if weren't for me secretly looking after her...? Paniguradong durog ang mukha niya sa lalaking iyon. Gaya ng sabi ko hindi marunong magalit si Rubianna ng walang dahilan.

Panigurado, kung hindi ko agad napigilan ang bobong iyon, baka hindi na makuhang gumalaw pa ni Rubianna. I'm sure the other guy who beat her up caused her body to give up before she could even realize.

She already had gone enough, why does she have to get involved with this friendship thingy fights?

Nakakapagtaka lang, hindi naman niya ugaling makisali sa gulo ng iba.

What got her to this mess, though?

How I could even explain this to them?

And the girl she was trying to save... Was it coincidence or Ruby knows her persons of interests? Either way, those people aren't just normal ones.

Wala ba siyang alam o wala siyang planong alamin?

May kinalaman ba rito ang Continent?

And the life she longed for... Hawak-hawak na niya pero malabo paring hindi iyon kunin sa kanya ng sapilitan.

The Continent is already one pawn ahead, now I have to be cautious what's the next move. Or it will be both detrimental to everyone.
            
      

          
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Ruby's POV

Parang gugustuhin ko nalang atang manahimik forevs. Nakakapagod na'to.

Rolds, nagpapakabait na ako oh?

Kainis naman ho kayo...

Nakatitig nalamang ako sa labas ng sasakyan, kanina pa siguro ako nakatunganga doon habang nananakit pa ang aking buong katawan, panga at kanang mata.

Kakagaling lang namin sa clinic na kakilala ni Dirk, umabot ata ng tatlong oras ang pag gagamot sa akin, pati mga dati kong sugat ay ginamot din kasi.

Kaya raw hindi agad naghihilom ang mga sugat ko dahil sa inpeksyon kaya binili na ni Dirk lahat ng gamot na kakailanganin ko.

Tamang tahi, stapler, antiseptics, antibiotics, tetanus shots at pain reliever lang ang alam ko eh, iyon ang mas madali kesa pumunta pa ng clinic o Ospital.

Kinagalitan pa ako ni Dirk kasi hindi raw ako marunong mag alaga ng sarili, kesyo babae raw ako eh pabaya. Pano naman, basta't humihinga pa ako, sisipa lang ulit, walang hingahan. Ganoon ang buhay ko eh, laging santong paspasan.

Tsaka sino ba namang magaakalang, mabubugbog ako ng ganito? Wala naman, tsk. Kung magalit naman ang isang 'to parang ikinamatay ko 'yung suntok ni Cross. Masakit nga pero malayo naman sa bituka.

Imbis ako ang magmokmok mukang siya pa ang kailangan kong suyuin. Mas OA talaga ang mga lalake, mas emosyonal.

Hmp, sakit sa ulo.

"Ruru naman eh," asik niya ulit matapos hindi ko sagutin ang tanong niyang kamusta raw ako.

Err, ang daming arte ng mokong na'to.

"C'mon, Ruru, let me know," he has been forcing me to talk with him but I've been only giving him my death glares.

"I know you've had enough. I know everything what happened. Come on, darling."

Alam naman niya pala, ano pang gusto niyang mahita? Wala akong baong chismis.

But he's really pressing my buttons. I grunted. "What's the use of it when you'll just gonna kill me, someday." usal ko.

"Yeah, so let me know. At least your soul is rest assured with my hands." he sarcastically said.

"Fuck you, Dirk."

"Yeah, darling easy. Let's fuck later."

I rolled my eyes. Why the hell he's here? God!

"I'm going to do exactly what you asked, Ruru, and I'll end up putting you to bed if you don't tell me if you're fine or what—!"

"You already know the answer, goddammit!" I yelled, smashing my palms into the dashboard.

And I never expected him to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. I nearly slammed my head if it weren't for the seatbelt.

"What's wrong with you, huh?" I exclaimed, turning to confront him.

My eyes welled up with frustration and hurt. "You really want to see how not okay I am!?" My voice faltered, threatening to shatter as tears spilled down my cheeks once more.

The weight in my chest felt heavier with each passing day I kept to myself, like a dam ready to break. I needed to let it out in front of someone—anyone—other than Adofo. Deep down, I wished that person could somehow be him.

Why couldn't it be Adofo waiting in the shadows?

Instead, it was this maddening man, "Ghost Rider," obsessed with cars and only too eager to please. Of all people, why him, the one who might one day be ordered to end me with just a word from his master?

Just Why?

Tsaka kinailangan ko pang masangkot sa away ng iba. Psh, he could've thanked me first. How could be people so rude?

In that moment, time seemed to pause as his large hands cradled my face, radiating a warmth that broke through the defenses I had so carefully built. A sob that had been silent for so long finally broke free.

Tears, long held back, streamed down, dissolving the layers of makeup I'd applied days before, as if washing away the mask I had worn to hide.

His gentle fingers brushed away my tears, each touch unveiling the vulnerability I had kept hidden. Every insecurity, every buried feeling—now laid bare in front of him.

His tender touch seemed to dismantle the fortress around my heart, letting out the turmoil I had struggled to keep locked inside, leaving me feeling unexpectedly exposed.

I sighed heavily, a mix of discomfort and embarrassment rising as his thumb traced over the scars. There was an awkwardness in realizing he was caressing the most marked, flawed part of me.

"Who caused you this?" he asked.

I openly chuckle. "Half of myself."

His words hung in the air, laced with a gentle sadness. "I didn't realize she'd been this cruel... to herself," he murmured, catching me off guard. I hadn't expected him to speak so openly—especially not with me there.

It was a quiet admission, an acknowledgment of pain and self-inflicted wounds I thought I'd hidden well.

But his unexpected empathy hinted at an understanding that left me feeling vulnerable, as though he'd glimpsed a part of me I hadn't meant to reveal.

His words echoed inside me, a reminder of the invisible battles we all carry, even those we try so hard to keep buried.

I looked up, searching his eyes for answers, hoping to decipher the single emotion that reflected there. In that brief moment, as worry flickered in his gaze, I was left grappling with confusion, unable to grasp its meaning or intent.

His concern felt strange, leaving me unsettled, wondering why it lingered—are those lies I saw? What should I believe right now, really?

"What triggered her?"

"Everything that happened," I murmured softly.

I sensed there was no need for further explanation; he understood the complexities that had unfolded, the unspoken stories and emotions that lingered in the spaces between my words.

After I showed my vulnerability, he kept gently wiping my tears and helping me calm down. I was shocked—I couldn't believe I had let someone see the real me so clearly.

It created an inner struggle, fighting against myself for letting my guard down. I had fallen right into the trap.

"Wear this," he said handing me a hoodie and a black mask.

"Did Adofo sent you?" I asked out of nowhere but his reaction tells me enough.

"He didn't, Ruru."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, Ruru."

"Is he okay?" I found myself asking, almost as a whispered inquiry to myself, my concern for him is a constant source of worry lingering in the back of my mind.

"I hope so, Ruru."

He slipped.

He knew something.

He's not simply saying I don't know because he doesn't know... Dirk simply does not want me to know. My lips, pursed.

What are you up to, Ghost Rider?

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