“Simmy knew about the relationship between my father and your mother, Azora. But she never told your father about it. She kept it hidden from you and Alibata Briones. But when your mother decided to end their relationship with my father, Simmy didn’t agree.”
Andrie’s words made Azora blink, recalling the day her father revealed he knew about her mother’s affair. Did Simmy tell her father?
Andrie sighed and looked away. “I saw how he smashed things when he found out your father had kept your mother for months, just like what he did to you.” He glanced briefly at her before quickly looking away again. “He was in the States attending a business conference, which is why Dad couldn’t rescue your mother. Simmy stood between our fathers. Simmy also provided information to Dad, and sometimes they communicated through Simmy.”
Azora lowered her gaze, looking ahead. She glanced up at the moon obscured by clouds. Despite the surrounding bright lights, she wasn’t afraid of the darkness. She shivered as a cold wind passed by. Startled, she felt someone drape a jacket over her shoulders. When she turned to the side, she saw Andrie’s serious expression. He was staring at her. “Do you want to go inside?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I want to stay here for a while.” She glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze forward. “Maybe you want to go in?” she teased.
Andrie chuckled. Then he looked at her again, seeming amused. She smiled softly, remembering their recent conversation, where they had stopped earlier. “And Dad didn’t realize that your dad and my mom were exchanging messages through Simmy?”
“If he found out, do you think Simmy would still be by his side?” His voice carried sadness, so she glanced briefly at Andrie. He was looking into the distance. It seemed like sadness passed through his eyes. “That night, he called your father. They argued.” A long silence followed, and minutes passed before Andrie spoke again. “And mom heard him talking to his mistress’ husband. Do you know what my mom did?” Andrie laughed. “She snatched his phone and smashed it on the floor. She cursed him, cursed him repeatedly before she fainted. But it was too late. She was declared dead when the ambulance arrived at the hospital.”
“Sorry,” she whispered, then sighed. She knew how difficult it was to remember the past, so she felt heavy-hearted. She felt the pain he endured because she had once lost a mother, and she never thought that would also be the fate of the twins Anthony and Andrie.
It was clearly their parents’ fault, but their generation bore the consequences of their parents’ actions. Her generation inherited the sins of the past generation.
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault. You’re a victim.”
“And you are a victim too,” he said sympathetically.
She glanced at Andrie briefly. “Can I ask how you and Anthony met?”
She looked down. “On a rainy afternoon.” She smiled gently and recounted their first meeting with Anthony. Andrie listened intently, occasionally smiling and laughing at her story. A gentle smile graced Azora’s lips as she looked at Andrie, who was already tearing up with laughter. She told him when Anthony first confessed to her.
“He sucks,” he laughed.
She laughed and looked back at Andrie. He was very different from Anthony. From clothing, speech, and looking at her… she was startled, her eyes widening as she quickly looked away. Andrie gently laughed at what she did. “You don’t have to look away,” he whispered softly.
The wind swept through her long hair. Several crickets were noisy in the back, where there was a couple of tall grass. They were both quiet. Listen to the sound of the night and wait for the moon. The moon passed, Azora asked. “Have you ever felt distant from yourself?”
Andrie shrugged. “Have you?”
They remained silent for a few minutes before Azora sighed. She slipped her hand into her pocket and felt the cold metal of the necklace Andrie had given her. “You gave me the necklace. Are you planning something?” She glanced at him again, eyebrows raised.
“Nothing. I just want to help you.”
Her heart quickened at his words. Suddenly nervous, she bit her lower lip. “Just tell me the truth. Why are you helping me?” She stared at him, alert and attentive to whatever the man might say.
“With the truth I shared with you, you still don’t trust me, Azora.”
She fell silent at his words, nodding slowly. “I don’t give my trust that easily.” She smiled gently at Andrie.
He understood her point and sighed. “Let’s go,” he said, standing up first. He walked back towards the mansion. Azora paused, watching Andrie’s figure move away. He didn’t stop or turn back to look at her. Her eyebrows furrowed. Something was wrong. She sensed that something was off about Andrie’s behavior.
She couldn’t believe he simply wanted to help by giving her the necklace. First of all, she was confined in the mansion. Even if she destroyed the necklace completely, Narciso would search and search for it. She would be the first to be overwhelmed by his anger before Andrie. Secondly, she was changed in the way he treated her. She couldn’t believe he changed so quickly. What happened? The only thing she was sure about was that Andrie had a plan he didn’t know.
She scanned the surroundings. She couldn’t confirm if there were indeed people watching in the darkness. She shrugged in frustration. What would she do if there were people lurking in the shadows? Perhaps just as those people did to Japen in the darkness, they might shoot her with just her first step outside the gate. She clenched her fist. She would make sure Simmy would disappear from their lives and then search for Japen. Hopefully, she could find the man using her father’s wide connections.
“Just wait, Simmy…” she muttered under her breath, taking long strides towards the mansion.
She couldn’t stay silent anymore. She just wanted her father to know about Simmy’s deceit and ongoing treachery. If Simmy could betray her friend for ambition’s sake, she was truly losing her mind. She paused briefly in her steps as thoughts of the recurring dreams that visited her every night crossed her mind. In those dreams, she saw Simmy’s smiling face, dressed in red, introducing herself as her mother. Could it be true…?
Her eyes widened, then she squinted at the figure of Andrie ahead. Could her dreams not be just delusions born out of intense anger towards the woman? She bit her lower lip. She needed to find out. She caught up with Andrie and walked alongside him.
Before long, they reached the room. She quickly closed the door behind her and scanned the surroundings. She would have to wait for three hours.
She took a deep breath and approached the bed, sitting down. Her gaze shifted restlessly between the small wall clock beside the door and the tiny window. Moonlight streamed in through the window. Even without turning on the light, she could see the furnishings inside. She sighed. She thought of taking a brief nap.
However, upon awakening, it was already one in the morning. She woke up with a start and quickly looked out the small window. It was confirmed. It was already early morning due to the very quiet atmosphere outside. She also didn’t hear any noise. Could she go out now?
She straightened herself out before slowly heading to the door and turning the handle. Suddenly, the surroundings spun around her, causing her to lean against the wall for a moment. Several minutes passed before the lock finally turned and went down the stairs.
Fortunately, there was a small light in the hallway, so she could see the path in front of her. She quietly walked along the hallway until she reached the stairs. She quickly walked down while scanning the area.
There was a faint light coming from the open balcony above the stairs. It was her guide as she descended. The surroundings remained quiet, and with each passing second, her heartbeat quickened. She was afraid she might encounter someone. If she did, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to escape.
But she had already left the mansion without seeing anyone. It was strange, but she didn’t pay attention to it because all her attention was focused on escaping. She would think about the strange event later.
Until she reached the large gate, she still hadn’t seen anyone else. It felt like she was the only one left in the mansion. She paused briefly in her steps and looked back. She gazed at the mansion. The lights outside were on, highlighting its immense size.
The lights in every window were off except for one room on the left side of the mansion. The curtain hanging in front of the window was slightly drawn, allowing Azora to see a man with his back turned. She held her breath and quickly ran towards the smaller gate.
Breathless, she stopped in front of it and inspected the small gate. It was open. Unlocked. She glanced around again. No one. Why was there no one on guard?
She suddenly froze as realization hit her. She quickly turned back towards the mansion and looked at the room where the light was on. She blinked and gasped when she saw Andrie there. He was facing her, and even though he was far away and she couldn’t see clearly, she was sure he was looking at her.
Azora stepped back. Was this all part of his plan? Was he going to let her escape?
For several seconds, she held her breath as she gazed at Andrie, who was watching her from his room. After a while, he came out onto the balcony and stood in front of the railing. His body faced her direction, so she knew he was observing her at that moment. Azora’s heartbeat doubled, and she quickly faced the gate.
Without a word, she pushed open the gate and ran towards the direction of the main highway. She remembered it well-it was the path taken by the police car earlier. She jumped in surprise as one by one, the solar-powered lights turned on, forming a line.
She was sure now. Andrie had allowed her to escape. But what about Narciso? Didn’t he know what his son was up to?
She shook her head and increased her pace. Despite the slight chill and the mist lightly brushing her face, it didn’t ease the anxiety in her chest. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she ran breathlessly into the depths of the night.
Before long, she saw ahead the bright lights signaling that she was nearing the main highway. She smiled and hastened her steps.
She planned to look for a car or ask for help from anyone she would encounter on the highway. She just hoped there would still be awake motorists at that hour. She wanted to get far away from the Clasiso stronghold. Why did she even agree to be dropped off in Narciso’s place?
Her knees almost gave way when her feet touched the highway. She leaned on her elbows on her knees and caught her breath. She took several deep, long breaths before lifting her gaze ahead.
The highway was quiet. She stood under the shadow of a large lamppost by the roadside. There were a few houses not far away with their lights on, but they were closed up. She was sure the people in those houses were already asleep.
Azora swallowed hard when the sound of crickets registered with her. At that moment, she knew she was alone. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly shook her head and scanned the surroundings again.
Now wasn’t the time to falter. She needed to ask for help. She needed to reach her father’s mansion, her true home. She couldn’t contact Robert because she didn’t have a phone and didn’t know his number by heart. So there she was, left alone on that road without a companion.
She regretted fleeing to Robert’s house. If only she had stayed there and not given in to her fear upon learning that the Clasisos had concrete evidence of Anthony’s murder… she wouldn’t be walking alone in the middle of the road.
She took another step forward. She walked the length of the quiet cemented road. Thankfully, the large lampposts a few meters apart from each other were lit, casting clear light on the road, so she wasn’t too scared of the dark. She just hoped she wouldn’t encounter a drunken loiterer. She was certain no one would help her if that happened.
Her gaze was low, focused on the road, so she didn’t notice a car following her. It was moving slowly. Unable to resist, it honked.
Azora jumped in surprise and held her breath as she looked back. Her eyes widened when she saw a black car tailing her. She gasped and without a word, ran away from the car.
She noticed from the corner of her eye that it was following her, running alongside her!
The car’s window rolled down, but she couldn’t see the driver’s face because her eyes were blurred with fear. Her whole body shivered from the cold wind brushing against her skin. She picked up her pace and focused her gaze ahead. She tried hard to push the car running parallel with her out of her mind. She knew it was teasing her because it could easily accelerate, but it chose to match her slow pace.
Soon, her knees gave in. She collapsed directly onto the cemented road. She gasped in shock. After a few seconds, she felt the stinging pain in her knees and arms that were pressed against the road when she fell.
Azora blinked rapidly. The fight was over. She was giving up. She couldn’t run away anymore. She turned her head and quietly cried, ashamed before her own father. If only he could see how pitifully she had fallen into this situation, she knew he would condemn her. But she knew it was all her own fault. Her father had only done what he thought was necessary to protect her. She was the only one who resisted his plan.
She heard footsteps approaching her. She had no strength to lift her gaze to the person standing in front of her. She saw his shiny shoes and knew it was a man who caught up with her.
The man knelt down and placed his arms under her shoulders and knees. She closed her eyes as she felt herself floating in the air. The man lifted her up.
“Weak,” mocked a familiar baritone voice.
She opened her eyes and saw Anthony’s face in front of her. She blinked and stared at him, her eyes widening.
It seemed he knew what she was thinking, as the corner of his lips lifted. “Susceptible,” he whispered, adding to his taunt.
But she ignored Andrie’s insults and closed her eyes. She knew he hadn’t actually let her escape. She had thought he was helping her ever since he escorted her outside the mansion and gave her the necklace she had given to Anthony.
It was all just a trick.