“Dianne…
“Son,” his voice trailed off.
“Please forgive me.
I was blinded.
I thought…”
“Do you think I’m going to be so rude?” he interrupted.
“Dad, the pain you gave me can’t be cured with ‘sorry’.
You threw me out in the middle of the night because you thought I was rude.
I want to give you a chance to experience how I feel.”
“But Dianne, I’m still your father!” she cried, with a hint of desperation.
I smiled, a bitter smile.
“A father doesn’t trade his own blood for money.
A father doesn’t throw his child away like garbage.
From this day forward, Arturo Reyes, you don’t have a child named Dianne.”
I closed the door.
The sound of steel pounding sounded like the final dot in a long chapter of suffering.
6
Two months passed.
I was standing in the middle of the campus of the University of the Philippines.
I was ready to start my first semester as a student.
“I don’t need my dad’s money.
With the help of Atty.
Santos, I was able to recover all of Mama’s insurance and investments which was enough for my entire education and more.
My phone rang.
A piece of news from Aunt Susan.
Arturo now works as an agent of something, but because of the embarrassment that came with the party, no one wants to do business with him anymore.
Celia and Lala fight every day because of the hardships of life in their small home.
The “perfect family” they built on top of my life has completely collapsed.
I took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air and the warmth of the sun.
I took my mom’s picture in my bag and tossed it away.
“Mom, I’ve got it all back.
Your memory is protected.”
By the time I walked to my first class, I was no longer the scared kid hiding in the dark.
I’m Dianne Reyes—the kid they thought was a “wreck,” but in reality, had long flown higher than all of them.
Revenge isn’t always about hurt.
Sometimes, the most painful reward is to live a happy, successful, and free life from those who want to bring you down.
WAKAS
