Time passed quietly after Alibata returned to their table. He didn’t speak, but the atmosphere grew heavier. Azora swallowed her food before putting down her utensils.
“Dad,” she called to her father.
Alibata looked up at her, and even Lamech paused his eating to glance her way. She took a deep breath before continuing in a serious tone. “I need to talk with you.”
Alibata’s brow furrowed slightly. “Regarding what?”
“Simmy. And… and…” She swallowed again. “… and about Mom’s death.”
Suddenly, the surrounding area grew silent. Aside from the occasional breeze, no other sounds could be heard. It seemed they were alone in that part of the Roof Top Park.
“Your mom,” Alibata whispered, surprise evident in his eyes. He was silent for a few minutes before his brows knitted together. “What about your mom?”
“I know something about her death.” She cleared her throat. “It was Simmy who planned Mom’s death.”
Lamech set down his utensils and stared intently at Azora’s face. He knew he shouldn’t interfere in the issues between Alibata and Azora, but he couldn’t help feeling sad at what Azora had said.
According to Alibata, Azora remembered Simmy’s face instead of her real mother’s. His heart burned with anger. With that knowledge, he realized that Azora’s identity wasn’t just broken; it was being trampled upon by those who wanted to toy with her.
Lamech’s expression softened as he looked at Azora, but she didn’t notice. Her attention was focused on Alibata, whose frown deepened.
“Don’t make up stories, Azora. Stop blabbering,” Alibata scolded.
“I’m not talking foolishly.” She slammed her utensils down on her plate, the clattering making her sit up straight in shock. But she controlled herself and locked eyes with her father. “I’m telling the truth!” she insisted.
“Azora, Simmy can’t kill —”
She cut him off. “She can,” she said firmly. “She poisoned me so she could kill Mom!”
“Azora!” Alibata shouted, trying to stop her accusations. “Stop being stubborn and just eat your food!”
“I’m not a child, so don’t talk to me like I still owe you something! You killed Anthony, and I am reaping what you sow! You murderer!”
Alibata stood and, in one swift motion, pulled Azora up and slapped her hard. She fell to the ground, a burning pain forming on her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been slapped by abusive men like her father and Narciso. She opened her eyes and frowned, glaring up at her father.
His lips pressed together, and he looked away. “Don’t cross the line, Azora,” he warned.
She laughed harshly. “Just what I thought you’d do. You really don’t learn your lesson, Dad. I was poisoned by your dear Simmy, and she plotted Mom’s death. You should listen to me. I am your daughter!”
“That’s enough. Stop being stubborn,” he said, helping her up.
She angrily swatted his hands away and glared at him. “What does Simmy have that makes you side with her, Dad? Why are you talking as if I’m the villain and Simmy’s the heroine? Huh? Is she that enjoyable to have sex with that you ignore your own daughter?!”
Her father raised his hand, and she laughed harshly. “What? Are you going to slap me again?” She pulled at her own hair in frustration. “You’re just like Narciso! I thought he was the bad guy, but you are too, Dad! You made my life a living hell!”
Alibata’s brow furrowed, and he lowered his hand. “What do you know about Narciso?”
“About that bastard?” Azora laughed again. “I knew. I believe what you said that he and Mom had a relationship.”
Alibata’s frown deepened at her words. He gestured for her to sit, but she crossed her arms and remained standing while he returned to his seat.
She showed no emotion as she looked at Alibata, sitting across from her. Her gaze wandered to Lamech, who sat at the side. He raised his wine glass, also looking at her.
She remembered what she had shouted at her father earlier. Had Lamech heard her accuse Alibata of killing Anthony? She felt even worse and pointed at Lamech. “Why is he here, Dad? He’s a stranger. He should never hear anything about our broken family.”
Alibata nodded gently. “Let him be, Azora. He’s not a stranger.”
She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “First it was Simmy, and now this man? What are you, Dad? Do you really want privacy, or do you want them to know how filthy our family is?”
“Don’t mind me,” Lamech interjected.
Azora clenched her fists and looked away. Her body trembled with suppressed anger, so she repeatedly took deep breaths. “Anthony has a twin brother who was staying in the States. He’s Andrie, and he told me everything about what happened between Mom and his dad. They had a relationship.”
“Indeed,” her father confirmed. He nodded while looking at her intently, as if studying her.
Azora cleared her throat, feeling a loss of confidence under his gaze. It seemed he was letting her speak but didn’t believe her. “Do you know that Anthony has a twin?”
“Your mom told me once.”
She tried to hide her surprise, but her mouth slightly opened. Did this mean he knew Anthony had a twin? Did her mother know too? Did Simmy know about Andrie?
She cleared her throat, pushing the questions aside. She needed to tell her father everything she had discussed with Andrie before she lost her nerve again. She didn’t know if she’d have another chance to tell him everything she knew.
“But Mom did not intend to cheat on you, Dad. She was just attracted to Narciso, but she was still in love with you.”
Her father’s eyebrow raised. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. Andrie told me everything. It was Simmy who fed lies to Mom. It was Simmy who made Mom fall into Narciso’s arms.” Her expression grew even more serious as she looked back at her father. “Simmy put a love potion in Mom’s drink. She even hypnotized Mom to be crazy about Narciso, then took the chance to tell you that Mom was cheating on you. That was when Mom wanted to end whatever relationship she had with Narciso, but it didn’t benefit Simmy, so she took it to another level.
Dad, did you know that even if you imprisoned Mom in her room, she and Narciso still communicated because of Simmy? Did you also know that Simmy helped Mom escape from that room and urged Mom to bring me? It was Simmy who gave us the car that night. Dad, did you ever wonder why Simmy seemed to know a lot about Mom’s whereabouts? She told you about Mom’s secret relationship with Narciso, she told you that Mom had escaped with me, and she told you about that necklace you kept for years — the one you thought was a family heirloom but was actually a love token from Narciso to Mom. Dad, have you ever doubted Simmy even once, or did she really make you her puppet? Have you fallen so deeply into her schemes that you’ve lost your sound mind?”
Minutes of silence passed between the three of them. No one spoke. Even Lamech didn’t know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut. Alibata, however, kept staring at Azora, his brow gradually furrowing. Azora, meanwhile, was staring at the table, her mind wandering again while she stood two meters away with her arms crossed.
Alibata cleared his throat and looked at Lamech. “Urge her to sit,” he said.
Lamech nodded and stood up. He guided Azora to sit in her chair. When he looked up at Alibata, he saw deep contemplation in his eyes. Silently, he sat back in his own chair.
Suddenly, Alibata spoke. “Do you believe what she said about me killing Anthony Clasiso?”
Lamech cleared his throat and shook his head slightly. “You said she has bad memory and someone has been playing with her mind. It’s possible for her mind to create fake memories that she believes are true.”
A mysterious smile appeared on Alibata’s lips. “It’s good that you use your mind, young man.”
“But the things she said about Simmy… I think you need to investigate. Azora’s mind might create fake memories, but the way she describes the events is logical enough for us to believe they might actually be true.”
“That is what I’m thinking. She knew about Andrie. Surely, she met her lover’s twin brother.”
Lamech glanced at Azora’s blank face. “Narciso told me about Andrie, and I met that young boy once. I knew then that those two — Narciso and Andrie — are cunning and would do everything in their power to secure a verdict.”
“Be careful, young man. Your talent would be a waste if I see you lying in a coffin.”
Lamech laughed while Alibata smiled. But the kind of smile Alibata had was hiding something, and Lamech noticed that.
He hadn’t become a prosecutor to ignore the words people said, no matter how impossible they seemed.