Cold hearts

09

Chapter 09: fury
***

Saoirse turned to face Sandro, a defiant glint in her eyes. "Pride? Maybe. But can you blame me for being tired of always being the one who has to swallow their pride?" she retorted, her voice tinged with frustration.

Sandro raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of his beer before responding. "No one's blaming you, Saoirse. We just want to see you happy," he said, his tone laced with concern.

Saoirse sighed, running a hand through her hair as she struggled to articulate her feelings. "I know, Sandro. And I appreciate that. But it's not that simple, she never really care about me kaya niya ako iniwan. Sometimes it's tiring to long for her," she said, her voice tinged with resignation.

"Come on, I'm sure tita Irene isn't like that," Vinny said in disbelief and her brother agreed with him while nodding his head.

"I guess you never know her," Saoirse spatted out as she stands up. "She's nothing but a mangiiwan ng anak," Saoirse added when suddenly Sandro stood up to confront her.

"Hey! Don't say that! You don't know anything about her, all her sacrifices!" Sandro shouted.

"What? It's true, she never care about me! I grew up getting tired of waiting for her, now na hindi ko na siya kailangan tsaka siya dumating sa buhay ko! She left me with dad, she left me when I needed her the most." Saoirse shouted while pacing back and forth. Her Vinny just sighed.

Then her brother, Luis, interjected. "Saoirse, why don't you just calm down ok? Can't you see mom can possibly hear you from upstairs," Luis said when he saw Imee entered the room.

Imee stood at the doorway, her expression a mix of hurt and frustration. "Saoirse, honey, I understand you're upset, but please don't speak about your mother like that," she said softly, trying to diffuse the tension.

Saoirse whirled around, her eyes flashing with anger. "Why should I care about her feelings when she never cared about mine?" she spat out, her voice trembling with emotion. "I'm sick of pretending everything is fine when it's not!"

Vinny stepped forward, his tone firm. "Saoirse, you need to calm down. This isn't helping anyone," he said, trying to reason with her.

Saoirse's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her whole body shaking with rage. "I don't need to calm down! I need someone to finally listen to me for once!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls.

Imee took a step closer, her voice gentle but firm. "Saoirse, I know you're hurting, but lashing out like this won't solve anything. We're here for you, but we need to talk about this calmly," she said, her eyes pleading for understanding.

Saoirse glared at her aunt, her chest heaving with each breath. "I don't want to talk calmly! I want to scream and shout until someone finally hears me!" she cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Luis stepped forward, placing a hand on Saoirse's shoulder. "Saoirse, please. We're your family. We love you and we want to help you through this, but we can't do that if you push us away," he said, his voice filled with concern.

Saoirse shook her head, her anger still burning hot within her. "I don't need your help! I just need you to understand how much she hurt me," she whispered, her voice breaking as she spoke.

"I just need you to understand that she didn't just hurt me, but she also hurt my dad for leaving him untold," she added while sobbing audibly.

Imee's eyes widened in surprise, her gaze flickering to Alfonso, who stood silently in the corner of the room, his expression unreadable. "Saoirse, your father and Irene have their own issues to work through, but that doesn't concern you," Imee said, her voice tinged with defensiveness.

Saoirse's jaw tightened, her fists unclenching as she took a step closer to her aunt. "It does concern me! She teared our family apart, and she don't even care," she accused, her voice rising with each word.

Vinny stepped forward, placing a hand on Saoirse's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "Saoirse, please, let's not make this any worse," he urged, casting a pleading glance at Imee and Luis.

But Saoirse shook off his hand, her eyes blazing with fury. "No! I won't stay silent anymore. I won't pretend everything is okay when it's not," she declared, her voice trembling with emotion.

Imee's shoulders sagged, a pained expression crossing her face. "Saoirse, We all know she made mistakes, but can't you see that she is trying to make things right," she said, her voice wavering with emotion.

Saoirse shook her head, her gaze never leaving her aunt's. "Trying isn't good enough anymore. I need her to do better. We all do," she said, her voice firm with determination.

Silence descended upon the room, the tension palpable as each family member grappled with their own emotions. Finally, Saoirse took a deep breath, her anger slowly dissipating as she looked around at her family. "I just want us to be a family again," she said softly, her voice filled with longing.

Saoirse walked out and run to the garden, the only place she can find peace. Vinny caught up with Saoirse as she made her way to the garden, the cool evening air offering a welcome respite from the heat of their confrontation. "Hey, wait up," he called out, his voice gentle as he approached her.

Saoirse paused, her shoulders tense as she turned to face him. "What, Vinny? Are you going to tell me to calm down too? Are you going to take her side too? Are you going to scold me too?!" she asked, her tone bitter with lingering resentment.

Vinny shook his head, his expression sympathetic. "No, Via, I'm not here to tell you what to do. I just want to make sure you're okay," he said, his voice quiet as he studied her face.

Saoirse sighed, her anger slowly giving way to exhaustion. "I'm just so tired, Vinny. Tired of pretending, tired of fighting, tired of feeling like I'm alone in this," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vinny stepped closer, his gaze full of empathy. "You're not alone, Via. We're all here for you, no matter what," he said, his words a quiet reassurance in the stillness of the garden.

Saoirse met his gaze, a flicker of gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you, Vinny. I appreciate it," she said softly, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her voice.

Vinny smiled, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently. "Anytime, Via. We're family, remember? We stick together, through thick and thin," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

Saoirse returned his smile, a weight lifting from her shoulders as she felt the warmth of his support. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks for reminding me," she said, her voice stronger now, infused with newfound determination.

Together, they stood in the garden, finding solace in each other's company as they watched the stars begin to twinkle in the darkening sky, a silent reminder that even in the midst of conflict, there was still beauty to be found in the world.

~TBC~