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

Chapter 64

Mommy's friend

I woke up startled because of the heavy feeling in my chest. I felt like I was drowning and couldn't breathe. Nang magising ako ay doon ko napansing nasa mansion ako.

Who brought me here?

Before I could answer that question myself, the memory of my dream suddenly came back to me—Hannah kissing Arik and letting it happen. Was it just a dream?

Ah, no, it wasn't. It was real. And Rusty was there to rescue me before I even entered his  house and saw what they were doing.

Suddenly, I feel disgusted. That was our home. That's where we lived. That's where Ariah, his daughter, slept. That's where we built our family and our dreams.

But in an instant, it seemed tainted. No. Ayoko nang bumalik pa roon. Hinding-hindi ako babalik sa bahay na iyon.

Nagsimula na namang mag unahan ang mga luha ko habang nakatulala ako sa kurtinang sumasaway dahil sa hangin. I don't know what time it is, but I think it's still too early because it's a bit dark outside.

Did Rusty bring me here?

Maya-maya pa, biglang bumukas ang pintuan at iniluwa nito si daddy, carrying a tray of food and a glass of milk. I didn't move from my lying position. He silently sat down beside me, so I just looked at him.

"How are you feeling?" His voice is warm.

Aside from Arik, he's the only man who can talk to me like this. His voice is soothing to me. I couldn't speak because tears were welling up in my eyes.

"Ariah is here, too. She's downstairs with your mom. It's still early, Celeste. Rest for a while," he said and gently caressed my cheek.

"I don't want you to get hurt, my mija. That's the one thing I don't want you to experience, but if you truly love him, who am I to interfere? Just... Just end it if it's hurting you too much, hm?" He spoke gently to me, and the tears just poured out.

I held his hand that was caressing my cheek and cried my heart out.

I love Arik. God knows how much I love Arik. Every part of him. Everything about him. I never once thought of giving up on him or our relationship. I never felt tired of him because he's my rest. I never felt angry at him because I love him so much.

I miss him so much. The situation between us has been unclear for weeks, and I hated it. If I were given a chance to change everything, this would be the first thing I'd change. Hindi na ako nasasaktan para sa sarili ko. Lahat ng ito ay para sa anak namin. She has no idea about what's happening, but I know she's slowly becoming aware.

How do I tell her that I'm getting tired? How do I tell her that at this moment, I want to give up on her father? How do I tell her that at this moment, as the wounds in my heart deepen, my love for her father is diminishing?

"Celeste, my dear, when your mom and I took you in, back when we were in Spain, you were so broken that we thought we might not be able to mend you. You were so empty. Na kung hindi ka nga lang buntis nang mga panahon na 'yon, alam naming mas gugustuhin mong mawala na lang... How can we fix everything for you? That was always our question back then," Dad started while gently caressing my hair.

I still couldn't speak. I just stayed embraced by his waist, eyes closed, feeling myself. Feeling the shattering of my heart.

"But then you gave birth, and slowly we noticed that you were being rebuilt by your child, by Ariah, our grandchild. We thought the day of questioning our support for you and asking ourselves every night how we can help you wouldn't come again, but here we are..." Dad beamed, and I know he's just staring at me. I hugged him tighter.