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

Chapter 32

Witness

"Babalik agad ako. Hintayin mo ko, hmm?" Arik bid me farewell after I shared with him what I had heard from Hannah.

"Is there no one at your place? Where is she? Where's your Dad?" I asked with confusion.

Was she alone at home? She seemed so terrified, and I couldn't tell if it was true or one of her hallucinations.
Is this what he was telling me? Does Hannah experience hallucinations sometimes?

"Arik," I called out to him again when he didn't respond.

He seemed agitated, lost in deep thought.
I approached him and tried to calm him down.

"Calm down, please. I won't let you leave acting like this. Baka kung ano pa ang mangyari sayo sa daan."

He slumped onto our bed, cursing repeatedly.

"Damn it. I knew it. Right from the start, I knew he had something to do with Mom's disappearance. Both of them." He said vehemently, as if full of threats.

Looking at him, his eyes were filled with danger. He's furious! And I know that when he leaves, his anger will escalate and something bad might happen.

"Totoo ba yon? Paano?" I almost whispered.

Instead of answering me, he grabbed his cell phone and called his Dad. I saw it because we were sitting next to each other.

"Dad, where are you?"

His forehead creased. I couldn't hear Mr. Isaiah Rioflorida's response, but I could sense that it wasn't good.

"Where is she? Is she okay now?" He asked, referring to Hannah. I could see worry in his eyes.

"Do I have to go there—no? Why? She needs me."
I rested my head on the edge there, listening to what Arik was saying beside me.

Honestly, I wanted to comfort him because I knew this wasn't easy for him. I'm glad that the case regarding his Mom is making progress. They can finally start. They know where to begin.

I wonder when it will be Mom's turn. Does Armando really know about her death? Why?

"I'll go there first thing in the morning. Make sure she can't leave the mansion until she regains her composure. I can't let her encounter the Montercarlos. I still need her."

That was Arik's final statement to his father before ending the call. I immediately looked at him.

"What did he say? Kumusta si Hannah?"

"She's having her episodes, Celeste. She's locking herself up again. She doesn't want to leave her room. Aunty Pamela and Uncle Amadeus are there, along with her doctor."

"Hindi ka pupunta?"

His eyes are still pitch black. It seems like there's something else he wants to happen. Like his mind is preoccupied with something else.

"Tomorrow. Get some rest," he muttered and left the room.

I was left stunned. I didn't know how to react. It's as if he suddenly shifted his mood.

Lumabas ako sa silid namin at nakita ko siyang kalalabas lamang ng silid ni Ariah. Diretso siyang bumaba hanggang makarating sa kusina.

After a few minutes, he emerged with a bottle of whiskey and a glass of wine, then headed straight to the living room, so I followed him there.

Arik is devastated, I can feel it.

"Arik..." I called him softly.

He looked up at me, and sadness greeted me in his eyes.