Mending Heart's Affliction [Phoenix Countesses: ETHEREAL MAIDENS SERIES I]

Chapter 20

Whys

"Saan ka ba nanggaling? Saan ka nagpunta? Don't you know how dangerous this place is?" Oliver bombarded me with questions while I wiped my wet hair.

Hindi ko siya sinagot. Nanatili akong nakatanaw sa buong Aomori mula sa terrace kung nasaan ako. He sipped his coffee while I still felt his gaze on me.

Matapos kong makita si Kim kanina at marinig ang pinag-uusapan nila ni Arik, tila bigla akong natakot at naguluhan, so I went out. Hindi nila ako nahanap nang halos isang oras samantalang sa kakahuyan lang naman ako nagpunta.

But Arik found me before I get lost. Nang makabalik kami sa suite ay nadatnan namin silang tatlo rito—Kim, Aurora, and Oliver.

I couldn't even look at them directly because I didn't want to see something that would surprise me.

"Just around here..." I almost whispered. "Bakit ba? Isn't this place secure? Iyon ang sinabi ni dad sakin," I said, shifting my gaze back to them.

At that moment, Arik, who just entered with two cups of coffee, met my eyes. He approached me immediately and handed me a cup.

"Aomori has its dangerous parts, Celeste. I hope you don't do that again. We're here. Kung may gusto kang itanong, puwede naming sagutin iyon para sayo, especially the ones about what you heard earlier." He spoke gently to me, as if still apologizing to me even after I forgave him earlier when we swam at the lake.

Nag iwas ako ng tingin sa kanya.

"Alam ko. That's why I ran away because I didn't want to find out just yet. Is that so wrong now?"

Tinalikuran ko muli sila at naupo sa may terrace. Malakas pa rin ang kalabog ng puso ko sa hindi malamang dahilan.

Alam ko namang malalaman ko rin ang mga dapat kong malaman. Ayokong magalit. Sa lahat ng ayaw kong emosyon ay iyon ang pinakainiiwasan ko dahil sobrang bigat nito sa puso.

But I can't control things. I can't control people around me.

"Hey..." Arik approached me. He sat beside me and kissed me on the head firmly. "Don't you want us to explain? Wala ka bang gustong itanong?"

"Arik, kung may gusto talaga kayong sabihin sa akin, hindi niyo na dapat hintayin pang magtanong ako!" I couldn't stop myself, surprising everyone who was there.

"What's wrong? Hindi naman ako bulag o bingin para hindi mapansin. Ever since you came back, ever since you wooed me, it's like you have some sort of revenge you want through me. Ginagamit mo lang ba ako para doon?"

Pain and fear immediately passed through Arik's eyes as I stood up and distanced myself from him. He tried to hold my hand, but I quickly pulled it away.

Before he could even respond, I spoke again, this time looking at Oliver, Aurora, and especially Kim, with a lot of doubt in my eyes.

"Do I really know all of you? Am I missing something here? Ols? What's going on? Isabella was warning me not to give Aomori back to Arik because I apparently don't know what I'm doing. Bakit? Ano bang mayroon sa lugar na to at parang hirap na hirap kayong sabihin sakin?" My heart was racing due to the mix of emotions pouring out.

"Celeste..." Oliver mumbled and cursed under his breath. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this because I don't know the whole truth, but this resort... may kinalaman ito tungkol sa pagkawala ng mom mo."

My jaw dropped as I stared at him, completely overwhelmed by what I had just heard.

"W-what?"

Tiningnan ko silang lahat lalo na si Arik. I pleaded for his help, hoping he could make sense of this for me, but it seemed that what Oliver said was true. Arik immediately came closer and supported me.

"What the hell are you talking about? My mom is dead. It's been decades, Ols. Alam niyong lahat yon di ba? She died when I was still a child!" I said, my voice trembling.

Umiling siya. Lalong tumigas ang kanyang ekspresyon at tila ba nahihirapan siyang sabihin ang mga dapat sabihin niya.

"She's not... I mean, she passed away just six years ago, Celeste."

"Baby..." Arik caught my full attention when he held my hand tightly. Fear and concern were evident in his eyes.

"Your mom was abducted when you were still young, and she was hidden here. She was held captive until the day when I asked you to talk, and unfortunately, you saw Isabella and me outside my restaurant..." Arik explained thoroughly.

I heard it all clearly, but it wasn't enough for my mind to comprehend. What the fuck is this nonsense?

Wala akong maalala na kahit na ano tungkol doon. Ni wala akong maintindihan. Nang mga oras na iyon, para akong nasaktan sa bagay na hindi ko alam. It's like my heart was being torn apart by a person I couldn't see, just to seek revenge.

My trembling hand rose in the air. "N-no... Wait... I don't understand."

I slumped back down, still holding Arik's hand. I could feel his support, as if he was telling me that I could draw strength from him, but I couldn't feel anything.

"I-I can't understand any of this. Imposible. Dad... Armando himself told me, and I saw her on the day of her burial. We even held a private funeral for her. Namatay siya dahil sa sakit niya matapos siyang palayasin ni Armando sa mansion. Iyon ang totoo, di ba?" I asked, looking at all of them.

"I saw her with my own eyes! I swear!"

"That wasn't her, Celeste. Your dad manipulated you during those times. We have your medical records to prove what we're saying. That's why there's a doctor involved here. That's what you heard, right?" Kim declared, and I found myself looking at her.

I know her. She wouldn't lie to me. We've been friends with Aurora for a long time, and we practically know every detail of each other's lives. Even when she pursued medicine and I stayed in business management, we remained close.

At iyon ang bagay na hindi ko matanggap. Hindi siya magsisinungaling sa akin at alam kong nagsasabi siya ng totoo.

We were silent for a few minutes. Not a word was spoken, and I could hear the faint thumping of my heart, as if it could stop beating at any moment.

Maya-maya pa, ramdam ko ang marahang pagpisil ni Arik sa kamay ko kaya tiningnan ko siya. I saw how sorry he was for me. I suddenly remembered what I heard from him while he was talking to his dad. His mom was also killed. Does he already know who did it?

"We're going back to the city tomorrow. I want to talk to your parents about the resort. I plan to have this entire property demolished, Celeste," he said, gently caressing my cheek.

"W-why?"

"I hired some people to investigate the whole area, and they have a theory that... that they buried the..." He stopped and bit his lower lip.

It was clear that saying the next part was incredibly difficult for him. "They buried the remains of your mom and my mom here."

I gasped. My heart completely sank when I heard the crack in his voice as he mentioned his mom. I felt weak, so I just nodded and hugged him tightly.

"I overheard you talking to your dad. I'm sorry, Arik..." I whispered and cried in his arms.