“I told you, Azora is my friend,” said Japen.
Lamech’s gaze shifted between Japen and Anya. He didn’t know either of them and wasn’t familiar with them. Azora hadn’t mentioned them either, so he didn’t know if he should believe them, especially since this Japen seemed to be the reason Azora fainted. According to the doctor, it seemed stress and fatigue had caused her to faint. They were advised to use the golf cart if they decided to wander around the expansive park outside the house. He didn’t argue further.
“She fainted when she saw you,” he said, his voice accusatory.
Japen sighed while Anya looked down. Japen cleared his throat. “Azora was my girlfriend before we separated. Anya is a maid at Don Alibata’s mansion.”
Lamech raised an eyebrow and squinted at the two. “We saw you kissing each other.”
Anya looked down even more, while Japen exhaled again. “That’s probably why she fainted.”
“So what should I say then?” Lamech leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You cheated on her, so she fainted.”
Japen was silent for a few seconds before he sighed again. “D-Did she see us kissing?”
Lamech laughed mockingly and shook his head. He couldn’t understand why young men like Japen wouldn’t admit their mistakes. And why they were so eager to kiss other lips. He had never kissed another while in a relationship and didn’t believe in having two women at the same time. But he was taught not to judge quickly, so he became serious and looked at Japen blankly.
“What are your plans for Azora and your girlfriend now?” he asked, man to man.
He signaled Anya to leave, and she promptly complied. The door opened and closed, and silence enveloped the room. After bringing Azora to the clinic, the doctor had called the three of them into that room to inform them about Azora’s condition. But Lamech requested to be the one to explain Azora’s true condition to Japen, so the doctor left to attend to other patients, leaving the three of them behind. But he signaled Anya to leave, so they were left alone.
Japen looked him straight in the eye. “Before I answer your question, answer mine first. Who are you in Azora’s life and why are you with her here?”
“Me?” Lamech shrugged and smiled. “Her fiance.”
Japen blinked, shock registering in his eyes but quickly hidden with a cough. “Does Don Alibata know about this?”
“He proposed it.”
Japen pressed his lips together and was silent for a few more seconds before he sighed. “I don’t know what happened, but why is Azora here? You know what kind of institution this is.”
Lamech averted his gaze at that moment. An emotion passed through his eyes but disappeared in a blink. “She was poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” Japen’s eyes narrowed. “When I last saw her, she was healthy. But I saw she had lost a lot of weight. What else happened to her in the past few months?”
“Are you sure you don’t know?” Lamech’s eyebrows met.
In the past few months, Azora had been all over the media, so he didn’t believe Japen didn’t know what happened to her. Besides, he didn’t want to recount what had happened to Azora. They were in that place to forget the bad things that had happened in the city.
Japen shook his head. “When Anya and I came here, we lost all communication with the outside world. If you noticed inside the house, there’s no television, no radio, no newspaper. I don’t know what happened to Azora, so tell me so I can understand.”
Lamech’s eyes narrowed further as he looked at him. He didn’t like Japen’s tone, but he ignored it and recounted what he knew had happened to Azora. Japen listened intently and didn’t interrupt until he finished speaking.
They were silent. After a while, Japen averted his gaze and stood up without a word. “If that’s the case, marry her.”
Lamech frowned and watched him. Before Japen could open the door, he asked, “What are your plans for the two of you?”
Japen stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “I won’t bother you and Azora. If what you said is true and Azora loves you, I’ll leave. If I find out you’re lying, I’ll take Azora away from you.” Then Japen walked out of the room, his aura dark.
Lamech kept a stern gaze at the door Japen had exited. He didn’t want to boast that Azora loved him, but he thought to test what Japen would do-if he would take Azora or not-but he hadn’t expected what he said. At that moment, no one could be sure of Azora’s true feelings because she often forgot things. They would be clear once she recovered.
He stayed in that room for a few more minutes before deciding to leave. He looked for Hana to ask what he could do at that time. He didn’t expect Azora to faint from fatigue. Had her body been that affected too?
“Doc,” he said as he approached Hana, who was talking to a female patient in the hallway. Both women looked at him, so he smiled. “I want to talk with you.”
The doctor excused herself from the patient who had been staring intently at him. He avoided her gaze and cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness. It felt like she was studying him under her gaze, and Lamech didn’t like it. If she had something to say, she should just say it and not beat around the bush with her stares.
It seemed the doctor noticed his discomfort, so she smiled and pulled the patient closer to him. “Lamech, this is Sena. She’s a recent patient here.”
He nodded and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said.
Sena accepted his handshake. He was surprised by the coldness of her hand. She cleared her throat. “Nice to meet you too.”
The doctor smiled wider and excused him from Sena. He quickly walked alongside the doctor towards the balcony where he and Azora had spent time earlier that morning.
The sun was slanting in the sky, and the blue ocean sparkled under its rays in the distance. The occasional breeze still blew in the direction of the balcony. He remembered that Azora hadn’t eaten lunch yet. He exhaled and looked at the doctor, who was staring into the distance.
“Did you ask Anya?” he asked.
The doctor nodded. The truth was, he had sent Anya out earlier so the doctor waiting outside the room could question her. He wanted to hear from Anya’s mouth the relationship she had with Japen. He thought they hadn’t had a serious conversation yet, so he believed Anya wouldn’t lie, especially since it was clear she was the one more affected upon seeing Azora. He wanted to know if Japen was lying.