Azora leaned weakly against him. He hugged her and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I’ll never leave you again,” he whispered.
He carried her and quickly took her to the nearest clinic at the resort. When the attendant saw them, they immediately called the clinic to prepare the staff. The attendant apologized for the negligence, but Lamech didn’t comment. They didn’t know about Azora’s condition.
After changing clothes and resting, Azora looked at him with a serious expression that made him anxious. “What did you do?” she asked.
He sighed and looked away. “I chased someone and left you alone in the sea.”
“And this someone…?”
“A local photojournalist.”
Azora’s eyes narrowed. “Is that the reason why you’re sorry?”
“Yes.” He exhaled. “I’m sorry for leaving you behind. I should not have chased that –”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s my fault for being weak, and you did it for my protection too.”
“You’re not weak, Azora. Your safety is the most important. I can’t trade your safety for some pictures.”
“And those pictures could bring more danger not only to me but to you and your career also. Where’s that photojournalist now?”
He ran a hand through his hair and looked away again. “I don’t know.”
They fell silent. After a moment, Azora stood up. He quickly attended to her and guided her out of the clinic. The nurse stationed outside greeted them and asked if Azora was feeling better. Azora responded with a smile, while Lamech remained silent, feeling guilty for leaving her. If Clara hadn’t reminded him, Azora might have drowned.
His vision darkened, and his spirits sank.
“You’re shaking,” Azora commented.
As they walked toward their hotel room, just a few steps from the detached clinic, he said, “It’s nothing.”
Azora didn’t ask further questions and let him be. When they got inside the hotel, Azora suggested returning to the mental institution.
Lamech looked at her in disbelief but didn’t argue and started packing. When Azora tried to help, he stopped her and told her to rest on the bed. She didn’t resist and soon fell asleep on the large bed.
Lamech finished packing their things and ensured nothing was forgotten. Then he went to the terrace and looked out at the vast darkness. The sun had already set in the west.
After a while, he woke Azora so they could have dinner together. He secretly wondered if he would see Clara there, hoping to get the camera and prevent the photos from going public.
However, he didn’t see the photojournalist in the dining area. Not even her shadow. His anxiety grew. He knew that if the news of him being with Azora in Santander went public, he would lose his license and be removed from office. It would affect not only him but also Azora and her father, Alibata.
Suddenly, Alibata came to Lamech’s mind. A small hope grew in his heart, and he excused himself to call Azora’s father while they were still at the resort with a signal.
“Young man,” Alibata greeted.
Lamech took a deep breath before explaining about Clara’s photos. He also mentioned Hana’s hypothesis about the possible cause of Azora’s zoning out and her near-drowning incident.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice.
There was a brief silence before Alibata spoke. “Be more attentive next time,” he said.
“Yes. I promise.”
They discussed where Clara might send the photos. Lamech mentioned the local publication she worked for. Alibata said he would handle it and told Lamech to focus on watching over Azora. Lamech promised to be more careful next time.
After the call, Lamech returned to the table where Azora was and continued eating. She didn’t ask what he had been doing.
After dinner, they went back to the hotel room to get their packed things, then headed to the receptionist. Lamech paid the fees and guided Azora to the car parked in the parking lot.
They soon got in the car, which slowly drove down the straight, dark road back to the institution. The headlights were the only source of light, aside from the occasional streetlight spaced meters apart.
The window on the passenger side was down, and the wind played with Azora’s loose hair. She gazed out the window.
They traveled for a few more minutes in the depth of the night until they reached the institution. The guard advised them to park in a nearby empty garage close to the entrance of the large house. It was late, and it wasn’t safe to walk from the main parking lot to the house. Lamech followed the suggestion.
He had called ahead while still at the resort, so he wasn’t surprised to see Hana waiting at the house entrance, wearing pajamas. She smiled when the car stopped in front of the entrance.
Azora got out first and was greeted with a hug from Hana. “I’m glad you two are back!” she said, still smiling.
Lamech parked the car in the garage while Hana led Azora into the house. He carried their luggage inside.
Inside, he encountered Sena, who narrowed her eyes at him. She seemed ready to approach, but he quickly moved past her, heading to the second floor with the backpack containing their clothes.
He saw Hana guiding Azora to the kitchen, planning to give her some milk. He excused himself to go to their room upstairs.
Sena followed him. He didn’t comment and continued to the end of the corridor, stopping in front of a closed door. He took out the room key and unlocked it.
He had instructed Hana that no one should enter the room while they were away. It seemed she had followed his instructions, as there were no footprints in the small amount of baby powder he had sprinkled at the door.
“Hey,” Sena called as he was about to enter the now-open door.
He stopped and looked at her. “What do you want?”
“I want to say sorry for what I did,” she said, averting her gaze.
Lamech raised an eyebrow at her. His eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down. “What happened?” he asked.
“Nothing. Uh… some missionaries visited today and told me what I did was wrong and that I had sinned against God for lewdness or maybe hurt Him for that. Anyway, I’m here for your forgiveness.”
Lamech blinked and chuckled. “Don’t worry about trivial matters.”
“Here.” She handed him a piece of paper. “Sign it, and I’ll show it to Ate Cam tomorrow.”
He looked at the blank paper and shook his head. “I don’t sign blank papers.”
Sena frowned. “Well, just write that you forgive me.”
“Is this the way you ask for forgiveness, lady?”
Sena pouted and looked away. “I’m not used to it.”
He shrugged and took the paper and pen she handed him. He wrote her suggestion and gave it back. “You’re not accountable for your mistake according to the law because of your condition. And I also don’t hold you accountable for what you’ve done to me. But to avoid anything like that in the future, let’s try our best to avoid each other until you are healed.”
Sena looked at him and nodded. “Okay,” she said, then turned away.
She started to walk away, but he quickly stopped her. She turned back to him. He cleared his throat. “Is Clara your guardian?”
“Yes.” She frowned. “Why are you asking?”
“When she visits you again, tell me.”
“I think that’s impossible.”
“And why?”
“She won’t visit for the next few months. Clara only visits when I do nasty things, and from today onwards, I promised myself not to do nasty things anymore so I could heal faster.”
Lamech blinked at Sena’s words. If so, Clara wouldn’t be following him anymore. But how could he delete the photos from her camera? It was a tricky situation. He couldn’t encourage Sena to misbehave again, especially when she seemed determined to recover.
He cleared his throat and nodded. “Just don’t forget to tell me when she visits you again.”
“Okay,” she repeated and walked away.
Lamech entered the room and checked everything to ensure nothing dangerous for Azora was inside.
He was surprised when the door suddenly opened, and a flustered Hana entered, followed by an expressionless Azora.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Did you encounter some… some journalist at the resort?”
At that moment, he felt as if ice had been poured over him from head to toe. He looked at Azora. Her brows were furrowed, and her arms were crossed.
“I encountered one,” he admitted.
Hana ran her fingers through her hair and bit her lip. Before she could speak, Eman entered through the open door, his eyes wide.
“Lamech, the news on the radio says Azora is in Santander.”
“What?” Lamech’s brows knitted tightly. “What’s happening?”
“We don’t know,” Eman said. “We just received a call saying some reporters are coming to the institution. They want to interview Azora.”
Lamech’s heart pounded at Eman’s words. He looked at Azora. She was staring at him, emotionless. Their eyes locked.
“I’ll talk with Azora,” he said in a low voice.
Eman and Hana left, leaving him alone with Azora. She still didn’t speak, so he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll fix things with you.”
“Did you talk with Dad at the resort?”
He looked away and nodded. “He knows what happened, and he promised to do something about it. I don’t know how those reporters found out about our location.”
“That means Dad’s losing connection in the south. What’s happening in the city?”
“Az
ora.”
“Tell me what’s happening in the city, Lamech.”
He sighed. “Narciso is choking your dad’s business. He can’t fight back against the Clasiso because of the significant setback from the case.”
“Setback?” Azora clenched her teeth. “That Narciso!” Her eyes narrowed.
He approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix things.”
“You can’t fix it unless Clasiso falls to their knees.” She looked at him intently. “Do you know where Andrie is right now?”
“He’s in the States.”
“Call him to get back here. I’ll talk to him.”
He frowned. “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
“I know what I’m doing.” Azora turned away and crossed her arms again. “I can trick him. Also, I kind of stole his trust.”
Lamech stared at her back for a few minutes before sighing. “Alright. I’ll call him. But don’t leave this building tomorrow. I have to deal with those reporters first.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have a plan.”
He didn’t protest and decided to listen to Azora’s suggestion. He nodded at her plan and smiled. “You’re brilliant.”
“Don’t praise me. It’s not the best thing I’ve done.” She took a deep breath. “Can I borrow your phone? I need to call someone.”
He handed her his cellphone. She didn’t even get up from her seat and called someone right in front of him. He secretly smiled at her action. It meant she trusted him.
“Robert, it’s me.” She frowned. “I need your help.” She rolled her eyes. “I know you don’t want to get entangled again with De Lapaz’s affairs, but I really need your help right now. There are a bunch of reporters coming here and causing havoc tomorrow. I need you to pull some connections in the Santander LGU to block any route ten kilometers from this mental institution. Don’t tell me you don’t know where this place is because I know you and Dad planned this while I was detained in prison.” She was silent for a few minutes before speaking again. “Alright. I will wait for the good news tomorrow.” Then she hung up and returned the phone to him.
He accepted it with a frown. “You have connections with De Lapaz?”
“Not really. He cut ties with De Lapaz, but they still hold him in high regard. I know he can pull some strings in the local government, so don’t worry about tomorrow. No reporters will bring havoc here. The thing you need to do now is call Andrie and persuade him to come back.”
“I’ll do it. The thing that concerns me now is that things are heating up. The nation will know you’re staying in this mental institution. Locals might be overwhelmed by sudden media attacks.”
“Let them be. They can’t get an interview with me anyway. In weeks or months, they’ll slowly get tired of chasing me and eventually give up. Our concern right now is to pass the spotlight to Clasiso. Even if this issue subsides in the following months, Clasiso will revive it again, so we can’t rest unless we cut off their wings. And that move starts with Andrie.”
“You plan to sacrifice Andrie?” he asked in amazement.
Azora gave him a blank expression. “That depends if he’s willing to testify against his father.”
“That’s a risky gamble.”
“Surely. But I hold a trump card that could scare Andrie.”
“And what could that be?”
“Simmy.” Anthony frowned at Azora’s words. She smiled and explained. “Simmy holds a lot of secrets. Her obsession with my father will be her great downfall. If I can take hold of Andrie by getting Simmy to submit to the police, it will cause a domino effect. It will affect Andrie, Narciso, and their business.”
“It will affect your father too.”
Azora smiled. “Simmy will never let Dad be put in prison. All these years, she let me suffer because it was also her way of getting revenge on my father for constantly neglecting her. And she can’t put me in prison because I am the victim. If I can get Simmy to submit to the authorities, it will put Clasiso in the spotlight.”
Lamech stared at Azora intensely. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“No one will hurt me more than Dad choosing Simmy over his daughter.”
Lamech fell silent at her words. He saw the sadness in Azora’s eyes, filled with resentment toward her father. He held her clenched hand. “Your father loves you, Azora.”
Her lips twitched, but she didn’t speak.