Afterglow

XVIII. The Painter's Secret

Out of all the feelings in the world, why did I feel awful about the things that suddenly happened around me? Being shocked was reasonable but there's something wrong about what I feel. I can't understand myself. It's not as simple as being shocked by the sudden truth. If I'm just surprised about how things instantly changed directions, then why did my heart want to cry its pain out?

Even without uttering a single word to me, I know how painful for her to lose the ability to see things. She's an artist, a painter to be precise, and to lose something very important in her field was truly agonizing and yet she was there, still wanting to feel the sunset she always loved. Theresa is a warm and kind person; how come she deserved all those things?

After I unexpectedly saw them at the bay, Stacy let me join them back to the hospital where she was currently being checked. It was not surprising that the hospital she was currently staying in was miles away from the bay. I guess it's to assure that people close to her will not see her in such a horrible condition.

Stacy assisted Theresa with a wheelchair since she was now unable to walk properly. I'm with them along the way but I'm still nervous about how things will turn out. Nobody was talking even after we got inside the room of the hospital. The silence in the air never failed to make me more anxious. It felt like I was just a ghost while staring at Stacy assisting Theresa. Despite I had a lot of words to ask, I could not find an opening.

It took Stacy a few minutes to finally let Theresa lay down in the bed in peace and after that, she grabbed my hand and took me downstairs.

"Will you be kind to explain everything to me? I'm tired of being someone who's always left out. I think I have the right to know the truth now. I'm your friend, right?", I asked.

"I'll gladly tell you everything but please, do not take it just by yourself. Theresa begged me to keep you in the dark for almost four years just to make you live your life peacefully."

"She did her best not to make you worry. It's her decision but do not hate her for this. It's all for you, believe me.", she added.

"When you said it like that, does it mean she already suffered even way before we broke up?", I asked again.

"To be more precise, I'll start with the event five years ago. Like what you think, that was the time when both you and Theresa were still a thing and still happily in love with each other. As you can remember, that was also the time when your family experienced some financial problems because of your dad.

I don't know the whole story but from what I have heard, Uncle was responsible for that. Theresa's father made your family's business experience such horrible things since he never liked you. He despises the idea of her daughter loving someone who doesn't belong in a powerful family.

He doesn't want to give you a chance, even a bit and when he found an opportunity, he seized it with his power and connections. That's from what I've heard though it's still not clear to me how come your dad got addicted to gambling like what you told us before.

When Theresa noticed that she immediately went to her father and tried to discuss things with him, but her uncle never listened. He thought that he knew what was best for her daughter and continued to sabotage the business and eventually, he succeeded. He did not only manage to destroy the business your father made, but his uncle also made it possible to wreck a family in half.