Lamech has given the police a copy of the video and has already filed an affidavit in court against Narciso Clasiso.
He returned to the city one day and was immediately summoned by Alibata to the mansion. Since Simmy wasn’t at the mansion, he freely showed Alibata the video copy of Andrie’s confession, as well as the video Azora made for her father. He didn’t view the video sent by the woman out of respect for the father and daughter’s privacy.
After meeting with Alibata, he reported to the head prosecutor’s office and took care of the case against Narciso. Alibata, as the complainant, filed a complaint with the prosecution office. Because he knew the Deputy Chief of the City Prosecutor’s Office, Alibata’s complaint was handed to him and he accepted it immediately. He conducted a preliminary investigation and gathered enough evidence for Narciso to stand trial.
He learned from a clerk friend that Narciso had already submitted a counter-affidavit, and after a few days, they were summoned to court for a hearing. They went through several processes and hearings until the court decided that Narciso was guilty of falsification of documents for maliciously planting evidence against Azora, adultery for having sexual relations with Aurora while still married to Alibata, and violating the Anti-Stalking Act for persistently following Azora to the point of harassment. The court issued a restraining order and sentenced Narciso to at least a year in prison and fined him more than five million pesos.
It wasn’t enough to hold Narciso accountable for all his wrongdoings to Alibata’s family, but it was enough time to bring peace between the two parties. Alibata wanted to include attempted murder in Narciso’s case, but he wasn’t directly involved in poisoning Azora.
He shifted that blame to someone else. Simmy. Alibata clearly heard Simmy’s name in the video shown by Lamech. It also revealed Simmy’s deceitful acts against Aurora and Azora on the night of their accident on the highway, as well as her collusion with Narciso.
So he filed a new complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office. Lamech wasn’t handling the case anymore, but a fellow skilled prosecutor was. Soon enough, he met Simmy in court. She tried to plead with him, but he didn’t listen.
She had deceived him for years, and he regretted not listening to Azora. He had been blinded by his deep debt of gratitude to Simmy. He didn’t know she was the reason why his and Azora’s lives became chaotic.
“Ali, please!” Simmy cried out as two policemen restrained her.
Simmy was found guilty of murder and attempted murder. She was sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment, and she had been wailing in front of the court. The judge silenced her, but after the trial, she pleaded with him again.
He glanced at Simmy coldly. “You’ve played well. And I’m sick of it,” he said before walking out of the court first. Lamech followed him quietly.
The sun was blazing when they exited the building. Lamech invited Alibata to his car, and Azora’s father didn’t object.
They traveled together down the south coastal road.
“Let’s visit Azora in Santander,” Alibata suddenly said.
Lamech glanced at the man but didn’t argue. He drove the car southward to Cebu. They spent hours traveling and stopped at a few fast food places to eat before finally reaching the southernmost municipality of the province.
The sun was setting in the west, and lights were already strung up on the trees near the house. Due to the tall trees, it was already quite dark in that area. They stepped towards the entrance of the large house together.
Because he had already informed Hana, she was standing at the entrance and greeted them with a smile.
“She’s reading on the balcony,” Hana said as she guided them inside the house. “She loves to read.”
Alibata laughed softly. “Her room in the mansion is almost full of books.”
Hana nodded happily. “We haven’t done the EDM because Azora’s condition has greatly improved over the past few days.”
“Really?” Alibata said with a smile.
“Yes. You can talk to her now on the balcony.”
Lamech didn’t follow Hana and Alibata to the balcony. He let the father and daughter have a private conversation and went to the room he shared with Azora.
The room was messy. He shook his head. He fixed the pillows and blankets scattered on the couch and bed before stepping out and heading to the balcony where Azora was.
Alibata was still there, and he saw the father and daughter hugging. He waited a few moments before approaching them.
He learned that Alibata and Azora had reconciled. Alibata also informed her about the cases against Narciso and Simmy. Since Andrie became a witness, he was given a lighter sentence by the court and fined an amount. Clasiso’s stocks dropped, and the company was gradually going bankrupt due to Andrie’s sudden sale of his shares in the company. He also sold Narciso’s remaining shares as compensation for the abuse Narciso inflicted on Azora. Unknown to Lamech, Alibata had already told Andrie to sell all the Clasiso family’s shares so his father wouldn’t be able to rise again and seek revenge on Azora.
What they didn’t know was that Robert secretly bought the shares of Clasiso’s company. Robert now held the largest shares in the shipping lines and some of Andrie’s family businesses.
However, Alibata didn’t inquire further about what would happen to his rival’s business because he was content that he and Azora had reconciled. Now that his daughter was in good condition, he no longer worried.
~~~
Two years later…
The sun’s rays were harsh on her skin as she stepped out of the large house. Despite this, Azora’s smile remained undiminished. Today, she was finally free. Hana had declared her fully recovered.
But she gave all her thanks to God, for He alone helped her heal from the pain and suffering she had endured over the past few years.
It had also been two years since her father last visited her at the large house. She didn’t know why he hadn’t shown up since then. When she asked Lamech, he kept quiet and said it was better not to have too many visitors to avoid distractions. She didn’t ask further.
Since she and her father had reconciled, Lamech returned to the city to continue his work. She rarely saw him all day, which unsettled her. She used to see him almost every day.
But she kept herself busy with other things like reading and going to the pebble beach. She’d ask Eman to take her there and pick her up whenever she decided to return to the big house. That had been her life for the past two years, and she marveled as she recalled the hours she spent walking alone along the beach.
She realized she could travel alone. No, she wasn’t alone. God was with her, so she wasn’t alone.
She smiled.
“I’ll take you to the city,” Eman said, opening the passenger door for her.
She glanced back at her companions at the large house for the past few years. Many of the original residents had already left, while others, like Sena, chose to stay. She had met some new faces in the past few days. She waved. They waved and smiled back at her.
She nodded and got into the car. Soon, the car traveled the road out of the large estate of the mental institution.
She once again saw the road lined with tall trees, their branches and leaves providing shade to the car slowly moving along the straight path. She amused herself by watching the scenery outside the window.
She hadn’t informed Lamech or her father that she was returning to the city today. She wanted to surprise them with her recovery, so she couldn’t wait to reach the mansion. She planned to wait there because Lamech said her father had moved him there. Ha. She was even more excited to see him, having not seen him for five months.
After a few hours, they reached Naga. The car stopped at the gate of the mansion. Azora wanted to invite Eman inside, but he declined, saying he had to return to Santander before dark, so she didn’t insist. She walked the distance from the gate to the mansion’s entrance and went straight inside.
“Miss Azora?” a housemaid said in surprise.
She turned to the woman, who stared at her with wide eyes. She chuckled softly at her shocked expression. “Yes, it’s me.”
The woman blinked and gave her an awkward smile. “Please rest first, Miss. I’ll call Sir Lamech.”
“Okay,” she said and headed to the second floor, to her room.
When she opened the door, she was stunned. Nothing had changed in her room. The color and design were the same. However, she noticed a masculine scent in the air. She frowned.
She placed her shoulder bag on the couch and lay down on the bed. Tired from the long journey, she fell asleep in that position.
She woke up when she felt someone staring at her. She opened her eyes and was greeted by darkness. She blinked and sat up.
But she screamed in surprise when she saw Lamech standing in front of her.
“You startled me!” she exclaimed.
Lamech laughed softly. He turned on the room’s light with a remote control. She frowned. She didn’t know there was such a thing in her room.
“What are you doing inside my room?” she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Dad might get angry at you.”
The smile on Lamech’s lips faded, and he sighed. “That… I have something to tell you.”
Azora was surprised by Lamech’s seriousness but didn’t joke about it and just listened to the man.
“I acquired this whole mansion from your Dad,” Lamech narrated.
Azora raised an eyebrow at what he said. “Really?”
Lamech sighed. “Yes. He put me as one of his benefactors.”
“Benefactor?”
Lamech looked seriously at Azora. “Your Dad is dead.”
A few minutes of silence prevailed between the two of them. Azora frowned and didn’t believe what Lamech said, but when she saw that the man was serious, her chest suddenly felt heavy. A few moments later, she burst into tears. Lamech quickly embraced her.
After a few minutes, Azora calmed down and asked the cause of her father’s death. Lamech explained that after he visited Santander two years ago, some strangers found her father’s body lying in the middle of the road.
According to the autopsy report, Alibata had ingested poison, which caused him to collapse on the road. His head hit the ground, and that was the cause of his death.
Lamech took care of Alibata’s burial, and a lawyer approached him to say that the mansion and the business left behind were given to him. The inheritance Azora received from her father was one hundred million pesos. This means that all monetary assets went to Azora, while private property assets went to Lamech. Both of them were made beneficiaries by Alibata, and he left a last will for Azora and a letter.
Lamech handed the letter to Azora, which she immediately opened and read.
—
Azora,
One of my mistakes was leaving you alone when you needed someone by your side. Forgive me, my child. I was deeply hurt when your mother passed away and I didn’t realize you needed me during that time of losing your mother. I let you fall into the hands of the woman who destroyed our family. I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you.
I feel overwhelming regret now, Azora. I want to forget and perhaps find your mother in my dreams. Lamech is there now to take care of you. I won’t worry anymore.
Take care, Azora. I love you very much.
With love,
Alibata
—
Azora felt heavy-hearted as she visited her father’s grave. It’s the reason why he hadn’t visited her in two years. He had been resting in the cemetery all that time without her knowing. She knelt down and sobbed in front of his grave.
She remained in that position for hours until someone approached her. It was Lamech. He hugged her and stroked her back. She returned the embrace with closed eyes.
“I will take care of you,” Lamech whispered.
She gently smiled at his promise and tightened her embrace around him. After visiting Alibata’s grave, they spent the night at a resort.
Together, they watched the setting sun in the west. She felt Lamech holding her hand. Their fingers intertwined.
She glanced at him. He was already looking at her. Lamech smiled softly, so she smiled back. He pulled her closer and then looked into the distance.
As the sun sank, the sadness in Azora’s heart slowly healed. Tomorrow, she would face a new challenge. But she wasn’t worried because in the middle of the night, she knew Lamech wouldn’t leave her.
And most importantly, God would never leave her alone…
THE END.