𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦

Chapter 49

When I lost August, I did not tell Zinny about it.

I pretended I was fine the whole time being with her. I just don't want to pass the pain to her because she has been through a lot. I just wanted to spend the remaining days with her lightly. The type of we would not cry or mourn over something or someone.

When it's already time to leave, I cried silently in my grandmother's car. I also cried on the boat from Ormoc to Cebu; also on the plane to Japan. I couldn't neglect my emotions. The heaviness inside was too much. I don't know when will I be okay… but I am trying right now.

When I came to the Philippines, my wounded heart was healed, and the scar was replaced. I was fixed—I felt genuine happiness, but I still could remember the pain from the past. I still have my worries, especially to my mom who I left alone in Japan. My little sister told me to not leave Mom alone. But I don't even follow her even just once.

I blamed myself for leaving her alone with my stepfather. I didn't know that Hana's words were powerful, and she meant it when she said I should not leave Mom alone. It's like she already senses something is happening and is wrong.

And she was really right.

When I came back to our old house, the first thing I witnessed was Dad being with another woman.

“Finally, my son came home!” he said drunk while wrapping an arm around his mistress's shoulders. He was sitting on the sofa with his another woman, and they were drinking alcoholic drinks.

My hands formed into fists. My blood fueled. A stabbing pin hit my brain, which altered my angry emotion.

“Greet your father properly, Haru,” he said in an authoritative tone. “Greet also this woman beside me properly. She's going to be your new mom.”

“How dare you…” My voice was low but it was full of anger.

He placed a smirk on his lips. “How dare me?”

I nodded bravely. “Yes, how dare you.”

He stood up with an angry face. He walked closer towards me until both our faces leveled each other.

“Why? Because I cheated a lot of times to your mom?” He chuckled sarcastically in front of my face. “But your mom cheated to me throughout our whole marriage.”

“That's not true…” I breathed heavily, trying not to cry. “She neglected what I wanted just to be by your side. She allowed you to hurt her because she truly loves you.”

“She truly loves me? Where?” He put a questionable expression. “I hated you because you reminded me a lot of your father. Your father who every time I fuck your mom, she always moaning his name.”

“But that's not it!” I shouted and cried. “You're still wrong in hurting both of us. If that's the case, then you should leave us. You don't have to sacrifice if we're the ones who are at fault.”

“I couldn't!” he shouted back. “I couldn't leave your mom because I loved her!”

“What do you know about love?” I questioned; I even shook my head in disappointment. “You don't have a heart to love… at all.”

I cried hard, sitting down on the floor already. “I am so tired of all of this shit, Dad… You didn't even know how much I sacrificed a lot to our family… How much I carried all the burden just for our family to not perish… This is so infuriating…”

“And you think I did not sacrifice?”

I looked at him with tears in my eyes. “I don't know… I don't love and notice your efforts since the start. All my life, I always remembered the pain you had caused me. You said earlier you couldn't leave us because you loved my mom… but you didn't even mention you love me. After all, we are the same. We don't love and notice each other since the start. For you, I'm your enemy. For me, you are a monster.”