The Sacrifice
LOPEZ MANSION...
It’s Saturday night around 10 PM.
Ellah is in a bad mood.
She’s sitting across a table full of different varieties of food.
The maids have been inviting her to eat for hours, but she just kept still, sitting on her chair without doing anything.
"M-Ms. Ellah, please have your dinner." One of the maids said before serving the food to her. They seemed so scared of her.
"I said I had no appetite!" She pushed the plate off the table and it fell to the floor.
Despite feeling terrified of her, they forced themselves to speak.
"M-Ms. Ellah, you need to eat."
She glanced at them and gave a glare. "Feed yourselves if you want to! If I say I’m not eating, I am not eating!” She said sharply.
She stood up in an attempt to leave, but one of the maids blocked her way. Even though she seemed so scared, she still dared to speak again.
"Ms. Ellah, I beg you, Don Jaime said that he’ll fire me if I don’t feed you.” The woman was already crying but instead of feeling sorry for her, she looked at her and felt no pity at all.
"I don't care! Pack your bags then!" She yelled.
The maid finally sheds a tear.
She went to her room and slammed the door shut before slumping to her bed.
She couldn’t understand herself.
She feels empty and tired.
She’s always not in the mood and just a little mistake makes her fuming mad.
Maybe it's because her conscience bothers her because of the hurtful things she said to him which she didn't apologize for.
It was clear in her mind about what she said to him when they were in the car leaving for Paseo.
"You’re just a bodyguard and that’s it. If you think we can be more than that, you’re mistaken. If you think there’s more to it you’re wrong, don’t expect because that thing will never happen. I don’t deserve someone like you. Thank you for protecting me, but that was just it. You’re just my employee and I’m your boss.”
She closed her eyes. Now she regrets not even knowing what he wanted to say.
She was carried away with anger because he kept a secret from her.
It didn't even cross her mind that the reason he's absent at work was because he was leaving. That may be, what he wanted to tell her was to resigned, but she humiliated him and even belittled him!
He didn’t show up again the next day!
That was it!
A knock on the door made her wake up to her senses.
"Hija, open the door. Let’s talk."
She didn’t utter a word.
"Hija, my granddaughter, please."
She opened the door and sat on the bed when she saw her grandfather being supported by his staff to sit on the side of her bed.
"What’s the problem?" Her grandfather asked calmly as if estimating her demeanor.
Ellah shook her head.
"I noticed that ever since your bodyguard left, you started to act like that. What’s happening to you? You didn’t even eat all day.”
"He has nothing to do with this."
"You can't cover that up hija, because everyone in this house knows that he's the reason."
She heaved a sigh and looked down.
"I'm sorry."
"Tell me, why are you acting like that?"
"I’m mad at him."
"For what reason?"
She took a deep breath.
She felt heavy in her heart with resentment and anger.
"A-actually, he didn’t say anything before he left. I didn’t know that he resigned. I was just surprised when you said he left.”
"What?" He frowned, obviously surprised. "That's why he didn't want to talk to you that night. So he didn’t say anything to you before he left!"
Don Jaime grabbed his phone to make a call.
"What are you doing, Grandpa?" She nervously held his arm to stop him. It’s risky when a mad Don Jaime Lopez makes decisions.
He ignored her.
"Grandpa, please, it’s my fault. I didn’t force him to tell me what he was going to say when we were still together. It's my fault!"
She attempted to take his phone.
"He’s not answering! That fucker!"
Don Jaime growled in anger before turning his phone off and sighed, his chest pounding hard.
Ellah panicked.
"Grandpa, please calm down!” She caressed his grandfather's back.
"We accepted him wholeheartedly, but he left without saying anything? That fucker fooled me! He convinced me that you both came up with that decision. But it turns out that he just lied to us!”
"Please, grandpa, it’s not even a big deal.”
He turned to her.
"Not a big deal? But you’re too affected by it?"
She fell silent.
She looked down and after a while, Don Jaime finally calmed down.
"Stop sacrificing anymore. Don’t punish yourself. It’s not your fault.”
She was so happy that the person that she only had, finally understood her.
---
CANELAR HIGHWAY ZAMBOANGA CITY...
11:00 PM.
Gian's gaze was calm and sharp on the road while driving the car.
It’s been days since he stayed at home, trying to forget her, but he just couldn’t do it.
He was troubled by the fact that he wasn't able to tell her that he's leaving.
If he had told her he might not have felt empty.
He felt guilty, and the only way he could punish himself is through hunger.
Tomorrow he plans to go to the mansion and talk formally with the Lopezes in case there is a way for him to return. He would allow Ellah to treat him as an ordinary person as long as he was just next to her, seeing her every day and talking to her where he kept her safe and protected. That for him is already enough.
His cellphone rang and he seemed so excited to see who was calling.
He pulled the car over to answer the call.
"Don Jaime-"
"Gian, you fucker! You didn't tell the truth to my granddaughter when you left! Are you kidding me? From now on you will never be able to come near her anymore!"
"Don Jaime!"
The call ended.
He was taken aback and because of frustration, he threw his phone away.
But then he quickly picked up the cellphone again to call the don but he did not answer. He kept trying until he could no longer be contacted.
He tried to call Ellah but she was out of reach as well.
"Fuck!"
He threw his phone and landed on the backseat.
His hopes were shattered.
The don doesn't like him because of the danger that he is carrying but, is it his fault if his life is dangerous?
It was their fault because his quiet life was suddenly disrupted because of their demands of protection!
But then again, everything is still his fault.
If he had not informed the don that someone is spying on him then there would have been no reason to fire him.
If he hadn’t learned to like the woman he was protecting he wouldn’t have been hurt as badly as he is now!
It was his fault but, he is already punishing himself too much!
His grip tightened on the steering wheel upon realizing that he had no chance to see her ever again, he was so much in pain that didn't notice he stepped on the gas and accelerated the car while he smiled bitterly.
"Don’t punish yourself anymore, Gian! It is enough to sacrifice in vain!"
Unexpectedly a motorcycle took a sudden cross in front.
He was extremely shocked, but then he quickly stepped on the brake.
The car's wheels squeaked at the intensity of his restraint.
He almost ran into the man and instead of being frightened, the man angrily turned to where he was.
Gian was out of his mind as he looked at him.
He couldn’t just believe he had survived a certain danger!
"HEY!" The man yelled pointing at him. "Get out!"
The man even took off his denim jacket, leaving his black T-shirt and jeans, like him the only difference was that this man looked brawny.
"I SAID GET THE FUCK DOWN!" The man used his jacket to hit the hood of his car.
That’s when he returned to his senses.
He did not say a word and hopped off the car to approach him.
The man pointed at him. "You! Are you blind? Apologize to me and compensate for the damages!”
Gian just looked at him.
If he was just okay now, he might apologize because if his motor really hit his car, he would be dead by now, but he doesn't feel well so if this brawny man doesn't stop nagging, he'll be in danger.
The man came closer and pointed at his face.
"You fucking...ugh!"
He did not finish what he was about to say because Gian suddenly punched him in the jaw and kicked him in the stomach.
The man fell and Gian's knees immediately hit his stomach and he didn't stop punching him, nor did he retaliate.
He is full of anger and resentment as he beats the man even more and then the memories of Ellah flashed before him and he could remember the painful words that she had said.
"I want to bring everything back to normal, where we just met, where I'm your boss and you're just my employee.”
His anger intensified at the ensuing statement and poured out resentment at each punch.
"You’re just a bodyguard and that’s it. If you think we can be more than that, you’re mistaken. If you think there’s more to it you’re wrong, don’t expect because that thing will never happen. I don’t deserve someone like you. Thank you for protecting me but that was just it. You’re just my employee and I’m your boss.”
His vision darkened with every blow, he struck at his face and the man could feel the pain that he felt.
"S–stop." The bloody man covered his face with his arms and seemed faintly begging.
The whole part of his face was swollen and his eyes were blurred with tears.
Right then, Gian stopped.
He stood up and snatched the wallet from the back of his pants, his bloody hands shaking before he slammed the bills into the man's body as payment.
Without saying anything, he went back to his car and left.