Sinners and Saints II

Chapter 37

"What is the meaning of this?"

Rafael held on to the pictures as hard as he could, lifting them up in the air so Sommadinah could see it. He was glaring and scowling at her so hard that the wrinkles on his fore head were begging to show. He noticed the way she was suddenly shaking all over, shaking like she was scared.

"Rafael-" She exhaled, taking a step towards him.

Rafael scoffed and then turned back to the pictures so he could take a last look at them. He had to be sure he wasn't seeing things. He had to be sure he had all his theories and thoughts right.
"It's her, isn't it?" His eyes still glued to Olivia's family's picture. "Father's mistress from all those years. The woman that had stopped by at the house to talk all those years ago. She's Olivia's mother. D-did you know about this?"
He returned his gaze to his frightened mother. Of course she did. Of course she knew about it. The expression on her face was giving her away.

"How long have you known?"

He was asking so many questions at once. He was so confused. He needed a solid base to understand everything he had come to see that day. He needed answers.

"Why do you have these pictures? Why did you have Olivia's DNA tested? What exactly is the truth? Why have you been trying to keep us apart for so long? Why have you hated her for so long?"

"Rafael, my son," she took a step to him, she was going red already from all the shock and fear she was feeling well up in her. Tears were lingering in her eyes already. "I can explain everything."

"Did you kill her?" He asked her, glaring into her eyes. Sommadinah stopped walking, drawing a deep breath as she glared at him. Her hands and lips were shaking.

"There were rumors during my childhood. Rumors about how you killed dad's other mistresses. How they suddenly disappeared after a while. Rumors that you ended their lives out of jealousy. I never for once dared to believe those rumors. I believed they were fake, I believed since you were my mother, you wouldn't do something so cruel. I lived with people in school cussing me out because of those rumors but I chose not to believe them because I thought they were just lies, started by people who really didn't like our family but this- " Rafael paused. "Why do you have pictures from the day Olivia's parents were killed in that accident? Why did they suddenly die after this woman paid us a visit at our house? What on earth is going on?"

"Rafael," Sommadinah started again. Her hands were trembling as the tears in her eyes already began to fall. She was so scared. So scared and ashamed. Rafael could see it, he could see how she she shook all over as she tried to find her way towards him. "Listen to me," She continued. "Listen to me and I promise I'd explain everything-"

"Did you kill her?"

"Rafael-"

"I asked you a damn question!" Rafael yelled at the top of his lungs, as hard as he could, making Sommadinah refrain from taking another step, letting out a loud sob as she placed her hands over her mouth, not daring to say anything. She couldn't. Not with the way she was crying already.

Rafael glared at her for a while, studying her. It was becoming clear now. Everything was becoming clear to him. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again, falling the moment he made a loud scoff sound, dropping the pictures on the ground just so he could rub his hand over his face for a while, to stop himself from crying so hard. Rafael settled his hands on his hips, sniffing, burying his gaze on the ground, trying to calm himself. Trying to control himself.

"Rafael, my son-"

"Just what did you do?" He said, finally raising  his head to meet hers. Sommadinah could see it. She could see the tears in his eyes. The look in his eyes. A look she had never seen before. Rafael was breathing fast. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't control his anger or stop the tears that were falling from his eyes now.  "What did you do to us!" Rafael yelled again. He was slowly loosing it. He could feel how heavy his heart had become all of a sudden, how terrified he was. He could barely breathe. It was like the walls were closing in on him.