BETWEEN LOVE AND LIES || JAESAHI

CHAPTER XXIV

Arthur and his family followed his dad's last will and brought him in Arthur's grandparents' hometown. They mourned and buried the head of the family there silently. They didn't had the opportunity to hold a ceremonial for him, as per his father's request. The whole family's life crushed down and they didn't know what happened that led Mr. Del Valle to end his own life. They got home right after the burial and the house didn't feel home anymore. All of them can feel that something or more of someone was missing. Arthur went upstairs and went up on his dad's office. The blood was still there, already dried. His eyes blurry, the body of his dad on the floor was still clear on his mind as daylight. He pushed the memory at the back of his mind and pulled out the carpet floor and disposed it outside. He then grabbed the box that his dad was talking about and brought it downstairs, where his mom was sitting, lost and broken. Arthur sat down beside his mom and took out a lots of envelopes inside. He and his mom read all of it. The box was filled with a series of death threats, with his father's journal. Arthur's father explained everything on his journal. From how he started to have a death threats to a threat that they will kill his family if they decided to leave the town. That they will only stop if he was gone. After that revelation, Arthur and his mom held each other and cried together, sharing the same pain that only the both of them could understand.

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Kevin is sitting beside Arthur, tears silently rolling down his face upon hearing the younger's story. Kevin is experiencing a whirlwind of emotions at that moment but on top of it all, he is hurt. Hurt that his second father, Mr Del Valle lost his life in a painful way. He is hurt because the whole Del Valle family is obviously still haven't recovered from that tragic event. Kevin is hurt because he couldn't and didn't do anything in those two years mainly because, he doesn't know. Kevin hugs Arthur on his side and kissed the top of his head, he can hear Arthur sniffing on his side.

"He was going to resign. He told us that he would resign and find a new job. I got mad at him when he said that. I didn't understand it Vin until now. Why it had to be dad, why it had to be us?" Arthur said while sobbing in Kevin's chest. Kevin held him tightly, swallowing the lump in his throat. Kevin was hurt too, he mind is still processing everything that he have heard today but he needs to be strong for Arthur now. Kevin held Arthur until he calms down. Arthur move away from Kevin and stared at the tomb stone in front of him, wiping some dust on it.

"Two days after we buried dad, I found mom in the comfort room, crying with a medicine bottle in his hand. She told me she couldn't live without dad anymore, that she would rather die too than to live her life without him. Her life depended on dad, and she felt like a part of her died when dad died. I cried so much and pleaded her not to do it again, my sister and I couldn't handle it anymore if we lost both our parents. I told her she is the only source of strength of me and Arianne now, that my heart couldn't take  if I witnessed my parent again lose their life in front of me. I told her countless times that day that I am here, that she is not alone."

"Oh god." Kevin grips his hair, unable to process every revelations that Arthur said today. He didn't know what to feel anymore, he feels like his brain and his heart would explode from a lot of things he heard.

"She promised me that she will never do it again. But after that, mom just lost it. She lost her will to live and to continue her life. Mom quit her job and stayed inside the house since then, there were no days that she was not drinking. I couldn't stop her from doing that, it was her only way of coping as she said. But she broke her promise. One day I went outside to buy something, when I got home I found her on the bathroom, lifeless with a bottle of medicine beside her. I rushed her to the hospital. I thought I lost her too, Vin. I fucking thought I lost her too." Arthur sobs again and Kevin didn't hold him this time, for he too couldn't stop himself from crying, this is too much for him.

"That's when we decided to take her into a psychologist and make her signed up for a regular therapy. I didn't even know if it was helping her, but I'm just glad she didn't do it again. After that we lost everything. The realization that dad was not here anymore followed by mom quitting her job, it only last us a year to support our daily needs with the insurances that dad left us. So me and my sister decided to sell the things in the house. But it was still not enough. That was when we both decided to get a job. It's hard Vin, I wake up everyday with a realization that I had to grit my teeth and endure everything. That I don't have a time to cry or even acknowledge that I lost a loved one too and I need to feel the pain too because the responsibility suddenly has been put in me. I have to be strong in front of them so they wouldn't give up. I get up everyday and act like a strong man when deep inside I am hurting too, I am fucking broken too."

Arthur sighed and wipes the tears on his face. It was the first time that finally opened up about his feelings for two years. Arthur didn't know if it was a good idea to tell everything to Kevin without him freaking out. But it's better to tell it now, because Arthur didn't know if he would be able to tell it again later. Arthur watched Kevin on the corner of his eye, the latter's eyes was fixed on the ground with his hand on his hair. Arthur could sense that Kevin is still processing everything so he gave him the time to do it. They remained silent for almost an hour, no one of them uttered a single word. The sky started to turn in orange colors and Arthur looks up, admiring the sight above him. Loosing someone unexpectedly is painful, everyday you have to get up and accept the fact that no matter how much you wished for them to come back, they will never come back again. You have to endure the pain, you have to continue living even if someone is missing in your life. You have to get up, keep forward and hold yourself tight even if all you want to do is to never leave your room again and cry your heart out. Ending is painful, but upon looking at the orange sky, the sunset reminded Arthur once again that ending can be beautiful too. Arthur closed his eyes and prayed to the gods out there that may his pain, and his misery ends soon. He opened his eyes and stares longingly at the sky thinking about the man that he missed for so long now, whispering words in the air,

"I forgave you dad. Please help us fully overcome the pain of losing you."