Azora’s heart nearly stopped when she saw Narciso’s son again. Andrie’s appearance hadn’t changed, and it felt like yesterday that the memories came flooding back as they stared at each other.
Lamech noticed Azora’s trembling, so he took her hand and squeezed it, pulling her closer. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Azora took a deep breath and nodded, gently squeezing his hand back. Together, they walked toward Andrie, who was waiting at the entrance.
Azora stopped a meter away from Andrie, and Lamech also halted, staring intently at Narciso’s son. They had discussed the case before, so they knew each other.
Before Andrie could utter a word, they heard Eman’s voice. “Lamech, Azora.” The doctor emerged and stood beside Andrie. “Your guest is here. We didn’t let him in and waited for you to return before letting Mr. Andrie in.”
Apparently, Andrie had already introduced himself to the doctors.
Andrie smiled, not taking his eyes off Azora. “Long time no see,” he said in a light, almost teasing tone.
Lamech frowned at the remark and cleared his throat. “Mr. Andrie, you should have called me earlier to inform me you were in the country.”
Andrie turned to him and smirked. “My visit here is confidential. Even my father doesn’t know about this.” His gaze shifted back to Azora. “I miss my Azora, that’s why I came back.”
Lamech tightened his grip on Azora’s hand. He didn’t trust Andrie, knowing how cunning he could be. Clearing his throat again, he invited Andrie inside.
The four of them walked in together. Some patients near the entrance glanced their way, particularly the female patients who were eyeing Andrie. The grin on Andrie’s face widened.
Eman led them to the living room and gestured for them to sit. Lamech guided Azora to a two-seater sofa. He was about to sit down when Eman called him. He hesitated, not wanting to leave Azora alone with Andrie, but Azora signaled him to go. Sighing, he followed Eman. Lamech knew they had planned to give Azora and Andrie time to talk if he ever came.
As he left, Andrie’s smile remained fixed on his lips as he stared at Azora, who couldn’t look directly at him.
Azora hadn’t expected to see the man she had once kissed willingly. She felt ashamed facing him. Memories of that time in the car before her confession to the police kept resurfacing, though she had tried to forget them. Since she started reading the Bible, old memories occasionally came back.
But she wished she hadn’t remembered that particular one. It was too embarrassing.
“Why are you silent? The last time we saw each other, you were so sensitive.”
Azora glared at Andrie. “Why are you here?” she asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.
Andrie laughed suddenly and grinned at her. “I thought you wanted to talk with me?”
Azora took a deep breath, reminding herself to focus on getting Andrie to speak against his father’s plans. They needed his statement to counter the Clasiso family, though she wasn’t sure if Andrie would agree. It was a big gamble, but she had no choice.
She looked Andrie straight in the eyes and cleared her throat. “I assume you know what happened in court. Your and your father’s plan was destroyed when the prosecution dropped the charge, and it was justified. But now, your father is still hunting me down to avenge Anthony’s death when it’s clear I didn’t kill him.”
Andrie’s smile faded as he stared at her. “Do you want me to speak against my father?”
“No,” she quickly denied. “I want you to speak the truth. Just for Anthony’s peace, tell us that I didn’t kill him.”
Andrie stared at her for a few seconds before a sly smile returned. “What do I get in return?”
Azora swallowed hard. She had thought long about what to offer Andrie but hadn’t come up with anything solid. She hadn’t told Lamech that she was unsure what to give Andrie in return. She knew he wouldn’t agree to her plan to talk to Andrie without everything being settled. And she hadn’t expected to see Andrie that day, thinking he would come the next day.
“Peace,” she whispered. “You’ll live in peace,” she added.
Andrie’s smile grew wider. “How about we talk outside? There are too many eyes here.”
She glanced around and realized he was right. Many people were watching them. She wasn’t sure if Lamech had instructed them to keep an eye on her or if they were simply intrigued by Andrie. He was strikingly handsome, after all.
She cleared her throat. “Let’s talk outside,” she said and stood up. Andrie’s smile widened, and she cleared her throat again. She trusted he wouldn’t harm her, seeing some kindness in him despite his cunning nature.
She led Andrie to a garden at the back of the building, a place far enough to call for help if necessary.
Facing Andrie, she said, “I’m not your brother’s killer, and you know that. Please, I need your help. Your father won’t stop until he destroys my family’s business and puts me behind bars. It’s unfair. He’s taking out his grief on me. I can’t just sit and watch my family fall.”
“And you want me to…?”
“Speak up.” She looked him in the eyes. “Tell the truth and let the world know your father is wrong, that he wants to imprison an innocent person.”
“Azora,” Andrie said softly. “You know why my father is doing all of this, right?”
She hesitated, his softened expression and tone surprising her. “But I’m innocent…”
“Are you?” he asked.
She froze, memories of watching her father kill Anthony flashing through her mind. She was innocent of the murder, but her conscience wasn’t clear. She knew who the killer was but hadn’t admitted it.
She looked away, hiding her trembling hands behind her back. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find her voice. Closing her mouth, she shyly looked at Andrie.
He seemed to understand and stepped forward. She stepped back. He advanced, and she retreated until her back hit a tree. She glanced around but saw no one. Did Lamech know they were in the garden?
“Relax,” Andrie whispered. “I won’t hurt you, and you know that.”
She looked back at Andrie, who was looking down at her. “What are you d-doing?”
Andrie frowned and gently touched her cheek. “I can’t forget how sweet your lips were… they’re addicting.”
“No, you can’t kiss me,” she protested. “I have a fiance,” she added firmly, shaking her head.
But Andrie cupped her face and kissed her. She gripped his arms tightly, but he didn’t relent. She couldn’t pull away as he held her firmly.
As the kiss continued, her grip weakened, especially as she ran out of breath.
Before she could faint from lack of air, Andrie pulled away. She gasped for air and collapsed against him. Andrie’s hand rested on her back, the other on her head.
Azora’s heart raced, almost out of control. She could hear Andrie’s heartbeat and his deep breaths. They both calmed their racing hearts, and as Azora regained her senses, she quickly pushed him away. He staggered back in surprise.
“You!” she scolded. Her eyes widened and then narrowed at him. “You got what you wanted, so it’s a deal. You’ll speak the truth!”
Andrie frowned. “That’s not what I wanted.”
She scoffed. “You’re not in your father’s den, so don’t act like you’re the boss here. That kiss is your payment!”
“Really?” Andrie crossed his arms, staring intently at her.
Azora’s heart pounded with anxiety. She wasn’t comfortable with his gaze, especially knowing her lips were swollen from the kiss. She averted her eyes. “Y-You’ll go with me!” she said, quickly walking past him.
But before she got far, Andrie grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She gasped as he embraced her from behind. He laughed softly. “Your lips are swollen. Would you like him to know how I ravished them?”
“Bastard,” she muttered.
Andrie led her to a bench nearby and sat her down. He sat beside her. Minutes of silence passed before he spoke.
“I’ll speak.”
She quickly looked at Andrie. “Really?”
He turned to her, their eyes meeting. “Yes.”
“Then that’s good,” she said, looking away.
She saw from the corner of her eye that Andrie was still watching her. After a while, he spoke again. “But it’s not a payment for that kiss. I’ll speak the truth for you, Azora.” He sighed and looked away. “I know I caused you a lot of hurt. And I want to help you.”
Andrie looked at the flowers growing in the shade of a large tree. He couldn’t help but smile softly, remembering their kiss.
“Why are you smiling?” Azora asked.
He looked at her, seeing the curiosity in her eyes. He sighed with relief. The last time he saw her, her expression was almost blank, her eyes devoid of hope.
He couldn’t resist touching her cheek. He thought she would pull away, but she let him touch her, making him smile.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
But Azora remained silent, alert and wary. Unlike before, her eyes
were filled with hope, determination, and strength.
He sighed. “Yes. I’ll speak up. I’ve already told your man what he needs to know, and I have the documents.”
Azora’s eyes widened. “Documents?”
Andrie nodded and pulled out a small folder. “This is it. All the evidence against my father.”
Azora took the folder, opened it, and scanned the documents. Her eyes widened further as she read. “This… this is more than I expected.”
“Because I want to help you,” Andrie said, standing up. “For Anthony’s peace.” He turned and started to walk away but stopped and looked back at her. “Azora, promise me one thing.”
She looked up from the documents. “What is it?”
He smiled sadly. “Be happy. You deserve it.”
Without waiting for her response, he walked away, leaving Azora sitting on the bench, clutching the documents that could finally bring justice to Anthony and peace to her own life.