Bare (Royal Society #2) COMPLETED

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

The First Prince, Izaac Archirale Evans (Part 1)

Without further ado, I enveloped her in my arms. I sighed in contentment as I felt her warmth around me. I felt her jerked at first but she eventually gave in which pushed me to tighten my hug around her.

I wanted to cover my ears para hindi ko na madinig ang iyak niya. It's too much... her pain is too much. But I also wanted to help her cope up, to help her bare herself without any hindrance. Pero alam ko din na mahirap iyon para sa kaniya. She has always been proud of herself that she wrapped around herself the idea not to care about anything else. 

But I guess the walls built around her became her own world that she didn't even notice that the world she wanted to keep safe is slowly crumbling down. 

Humigpit ang hawak ko sa kaniya nang maramdaman kong nanghina siya bigla. Her cries stopped too, kaya tumingin ako sa kaniya and I nearly panicked when I saw her closed eyes. She looked so peaceful but she also looked so tired.

I carried her and went inside their house. Nawalan na ako ng oras tumingin sa paligid dahil sa kagustuhan kong maging komportable si Arlaise. Just when I was about to head upstairs, her momm emerged from the room in the first floor.

She doesn't look surprised, instead, she sighed. "I'm sorry," I apologized immediately. I promised her not to let her cry but I failed.

"Don't be, Izaac. I also don't want to force her to face it but she's been avoiding it for so long. Natatakot ako na sa kakatakbo niya, tuluyan siyang masira."

I looked down. Wala naman akong masasabing maganda dahil alam namin parehas na Arlaise is a damaged being but we can't just let her suffer alone. 

When her mom went upstairs, sumunod na ako. She opened the farthest door and went in. I deposited Arlaise in bed and stilled when I saw my son, sleeping peacefully. I had to fight the urge to touch him and only settled myself with seeing him from a distance, just like what I did for the past years.

I felt her Mom stood beside me. "Are you okay?"

"I have to be," I simply said without breaking my gaze towards my son. 

He grew so much and it tugged my heart dahil alam kong malaki ang pagkukulang ko sa kaniya. Hindi man niya alam ang sitwasyon namin ngayon ng Mama niya, alam kong gusto din niya makaramdam ng pagmamahal ng isang ama. Because I was like him... wondering and wondering until the answer came unexpectedly.

I don't want him to experience or go through that shit. Hindi iyon ang gusto ko para sa anak ko. He is my son... and he deserves nothing but the best. 

When he moved a bit, kinabahan ako. The bed wasn't ideal for two people and I'm sacred that he might fall from bed kaya naging alerto ako. I get that he is no longer a toddler, nevertheless, he will always be a baby in my eyes. Maybe this is me, being guilty of not introducing myself as his father when he is just in front of me. 

But when his eyes opened, I felt like I was hit by a lightning. I see him most of hiding days but this... this is different. He is just near me! Just a few distance between us.

Hindi ako makagalaw hanggang sa bumangon siya at nag-inat. He was about sit on Arlaise's stomach when Mother quickly went to his side and held his hand. He looked at her with confusion as he pout his mouth. When he saw me, he just stared at me innocently and looked at me intensely.

"Let Arlaise rest for a while," Mother said before tapping my shoulder. I don't know what to do, a part of me wanted to stay with her but it feels like she was telling me to go down. I followed her and saw her playing with my son in the living room.