My Lover is the Son of a Mafia Leader

.49

TRIGGER WARNING(s): Violence and Self-harm; Suicide, Mental Illness, Rape

.49

"I still love you the same, Skyla. Remember that."

That's the last thing Ivo said to me then I asked him to allow me to grieve for a while. I told him that I would see him when I am ready to face him once again.

I am now back at Noah's house, but he isn't here yet.

I went straight right away to my room, and it's been two hours since I left Ivo's property. I know I should prepare for my afternoon shift at the coffee shop, but strength left my body, and I don't know if I'll get them back soon.

So, I sent my supervisor a text message that I can't work today. I stared at myself at the vanity mirror; then my eyes moved at the picture on the table.

A picture of a girl who looks exactly the same as me, but the only difference we have is that she has a small mole on the right corner of her eyes. Her hair is also wavy with bangs while mine's straight.

She's smiling with Ivo in the picture. She's 16 here and Ivo's 19.

And if she didn't die, she'd be 21 like me. Yumuko ako sa vanity table when tears pooled my eyes again when I remember the things Ivo have told me.

"Shania. She's your twin sister. I didn't even know she has one until I saw you at the playground back then."

"Playground?" I asked. Nasa sala pa rin kami ni Ivo ngayon. Nakaupo siya sa tabi ko habang hawak ang aking kamay. It seems like he's afraid that I will run away again.

"Yeah, you were with a boy. Probably a few years older than you. Naglalaro kayo ng basketball." There's a small smile on Ivo's face, and I returned it.

I remember now. Anthony and I played on this playground without Uncle Bern's knowledge, and we almost got into an accident. The truck lost its brakes and hit a tree. 

And on the very same day, I found my voice for the first time.

Napatingin ako kay Ivo when another realization hit me. "Are you the kid I saw at the playground back then?"

Ivo grinned at me. "Yes. Imagine how confused I was seeing another girl that looks exactly like Shania." Then his features soften. "But I knew you weren't her because the other kid called you by your name."

I nodded. I remembered how Ivo watched me with curiosity and alertness back then. I also remember how handsome he was as a kid. I remember seeing a girl running towards him, but at that moment, Anthony grabbed my attention too.

And when I looked back at where the kid version of Ivo is standing, he's not there anymore. I also wondered back then if I visit the playground once again would I ever see them again?

"When I got home, I asked one of our workers how can two people looked so alike. One of our cooks said she has two sons, and they're twins. She showed me a picture of them together, and I was stunned by how identical two people can be.

I asked my mother about Shania's birth records, but she told me that the convent didn't give her any. The nuns discovered a baby placed inside a basket inside. Someone left her there at the church.

I don't know how you two got separated, but according to my mother, Shania was alone inside the basket, and the umbilical cord is still intact."

Ang daming tanong sa aking isipan pero alam kong hindi rin ito masasagot lahat ni Ivo dahil konti lang din ang impormasyon na alam niya.

The umbilical cord is still intact? Does that mean someone stole her from the very moment she was born? Who would do such a thing?