The Antiquity of Us (La Fortuna Series #2)

Kabanata 34

Kabanata 34

Wait

I could have never imagined that my twin sister, Ionna Sebella, was alive and was the culprit of killing Lucian Linarez, the father that we both thought we had. Kung tutuusin ay napagtanto kong baka si Kiro ang may kagagawan ng nangyari sa gabing iyon. He was all things bad. He manipulated my parents, my twin sister, and even me. He was a parasite for our whole family. Malaki rin ang posibilidad na siya ang bumaril kay Dad... But Ionna? Hindi ako makapaniwala.

Ionna's an epitome of kindness, compassion, and innocence. Kiro brainwashed her but for sure, if she survived the incident at our sea travel years ago, she would've gotten enough headspace to realize what was right and wrong. O baka nama'y nag-iba na siya dahil sa trauma sa nangyaring insidente? At una sa lahat, paano siya nabuhay matapos ng nangyaring 'yon? Did she work her ass off? Enslaved herself? Was life kind to her?

The emotional turmoil from what I had learned decapitated me. Mr. Amuesca and Atlas must've noticed it, too, that's why they didn't go overboard with the information that they shared during the dinner. Hanggang sa makarating kami ni Atlas kinabukasan sa La Fortuna ay hindi pa rin ako makausap ng maayos dahil sa gulat sa nalaman ko.

"Here, hija, have some chamomile tea to calm your nerves. I'm sure you had a rough time with my son," Tita Lucy, Atlas' mother, told me after I had settled myself at the comfort of their living room's sofa.

Nginitian ko siya. "Maraming salamat po."

"I am glad that you agreed on staying here for the meantime, Io," she said. Palakaibigan niya akong nginitian. "Your ancestral home is fine, but I'm sure that you wouldn't want to stay there, right? Mahirap ding mag-isa roon, kaya iminumungkahi ko talagang dito ko nalang sa bahay namin hanggang sa matapos ang imbestigasyon."

"Salamat po sa pagtanggap niyo sa 'kin. I'm under Atlas' custody so it's only fair that I live here until Ionna gets found. Baka hindi na rin ideal na tirhan ang ancestral house kasi matagal din 'yong napabayaan."

Suminghap si Tita. "Napabayaan? Oh, dear. My son, Atlas, took care of the maintenance of your house! Siya rin ang umasikaso sa libing ng Mommy mo noon!"

"Po?"

"Yes!" Her features became animated. "Hindi ko 'to sinasabi dahil nirereto ko siya sa 'yo, ah? Pero naku, kung alam mo lang! Lahat gagawin niyang anak ko para sa 'yo—"

"Ma, I think you've said enough. Kailangan niya nang magpahinga sa kuwarto niya."

Napunta ang tingin namin sa kakababa lang na si Atlas mula sa ikalawang palapag ng mansiyon. He brought my luggage to my room and changed his clothes, reason why his mother and I were left alone for a decent amount of time. Nakabusangot siya nang magtama ang mga mata namin. He drifted his gaze towards Tita Lucy and slightly squinted his eyes at her.

She let out an awkward laugh. "Right! Silly me!"

"Io," he growled and cocked his head towards the staircase. "Com'ere. I'll bring you to your room."

Magalang akong nagpaalam kay Tita Lucy bago sinunod na ang mga yabag ni Atlas. While walking, I noticed that their mansion was the same as I remembered it. Mamahalin at magaganda pa rin ang mga muwebles nila. Every furniture was shiny and well-kept, kahit na ang iilan doon ay antigo na.

Habang dumadaan sa naka-carpet na pasilyo patungong silid ko'y namataan ko ang isang pamilyar na painting sa dingding. It was my 75%-graded art project that Atlas got from me in exchange of us acting like strangers after the deal. Now that I thought about it, he violated the deal because instead of distancing himself, he invited me to his party and kissed me at their garden that same night! This said painting is the start of the collision of our worlds!