Gio’s staff opened the door for me. I stepped inside, and as the car pulled away, I glanced in the rearview mirror at Gio. I saw him still standing outside the house, watching as my car departed. My tears flowed uncontrollably because of the immense weight of my emotions. My driver handed me a tissue, and I accepted it. Unnoticed by me, I had already arrived at my father’s house.
I hurriedly got out of the car, not even managing to bid farewell to my chauffeur. I entered the house.
Sienna greeted me with a smile at first, but as soon as she saw my expression, her smile faded. “Sis, what happened?”
I immediately embraced her, tears streaming down my face as I clung to her. She stroked my back, continuously asking why I was crying. I could hear the concern and worry in her voice, and it seemed like my crying was affecting her too.
We went inside the house, and I was still in Sienna’s embrace. We remained in that position even when we sat down on the sofa. Sienna instructed one of the house staff to fetch some water, which was promptly done.
“Sis, have some water first.” She continued to pat my back, helping me calm down.
My tears had lessened somewhat, but the weight of my emotions still lingered. How could I alleviate this?
Before, I used to turn to Gio to dispel all the anxiety in my heart, but now… now that he’s the reason I’m feeling this way?
I still couldn’t fully comprehend that Gio was the one who killed Mama and confessed it to my face.
When Sienna asked me again about what happened, I told her everything. I could see the shock on her face when I revealed all that I had learned.
“Oh, my god!” Sienna exclaimed with wide eyes. “Is that true, Sis? Gio is the…” My sister covered her mouth, just like me, unable to believe what she had heard.
“He admitted it to me, Sienna. I don’t know… I don’t know how to feel. No matter what Gio’s reasons are, I can’t accept it. He’s the reason I wasn’t with Mama.”
Tears streamed down my face again as I recalled it. Sienna hugged me once more.
“I don’t know what to say, Sis. I don’t want to give advice that might worsen the situation between you and Gio, even though my intention is to help. Your mom is involved in this, and it’s his grandparents on his side.” Sienna sadly smiled at me. “It might be better if you calm yourself down, Sis. What happened is still too fresh, and your emotions could be in turmoil. When you’re calmer, maybe you can think about what you need to do. Are you staying here for now? I’ll have your room prepared.”
I nodded to Sienna and expressed my gratitude. I entered my room, which I had left as it was before. I lay on my bed, clutching my pillow. I didn’t want to cry, but the tears were unstoppable, falling of their own accord.
What should I do? I don’t know. I love Gio, so I’m completely torn to learn what he did. Why did it have to happen to us? Just when I thought I had finally found love for myself. After all I endured at the hands of my father, I thought Gio would be my salvation, but it seems that’s not the case.
Gio killed my mother because he wanted revenge. He did it because he believed she was responsible for the deaths of two people he cherished – his grandmother Nora and his grandfather Reuben. I want to say I can’t blame him. That’s how they exact retribution on those who wrong them. You take lives, and lives are taken in return. But what about me? They took my mother away from me.
I clung tightly to my pillow. Even if it was just an inanimate object, it felt like I had something to hold onto, and I feared that without it, I might crumble completely.
Crying and thinking about various things, I fell asleep. I wished I wouldn’t wake up. Maybe in my sleep, I could be happy for once, a happiness with no end.
“Sis?”
I awoke to a knock on my door and Sienna’s voice from outside. I blinked several times before getting up and going to my room’s door. I opened it, and Sienna tried to smile when she saw me.
“Sis, I’ve prepared some food. Please eat.”
I had eaten earlier, but I couldn’t turn down Sienna’s kind gesture. I walked out with her, and she filled the conversation with topics that could lighten my mood.
“Ma’am Sienna.”
We were in the dining area when one of the household staff approached Sienna. Both of us looked at her, and I noticed her quick glance in my direction before speaking to Sienna.
They both moved away to talk, likely so I couldn’t overhear. I sat down on a chair, and the other household staff took care of me. It didn’t take long for Sienna and the staff member to return. They were maybe discussing something I shouldn’t hear.
“Sis…”
I was in a daze as I held the cutlery, and I was jolted from my thoughts when I heard Gio’s name.
“The guard is asking if Gio should be allowed inside, or-”
“Have him leave. I don’t want to see him.” If earlier, I managed to forget the pain I felt about what happened, just hearing Gio’s name is enough to bring it all back. “Tell them to make him leave.” I even added.
I prevented my tears from falling, even though the mere mention of Gio’s name shattered me.
“Tell him to go. I can’t see him,” I continued, trying to appear strong when in reality, I felt completely drained.
“Sis, maybe you and Gio need to talk…” She couldn’t finish her sentence as I met her gaze. She pressed her lips together and looked down.
“I can’t do it, Sienna,” I said, blinking back a fresh batch of tears. “I don’t know what to say to him. Just seeing him hurts me. Just… just tell him to leave, please.” I avoided looking at them while trying to regain my composure.
Sienna touched my arm and instructed the household staff to have Gio leave. I no longer had the appetite to eat, so I excused myself and said I needed to rest.
I was on my way to the bathroom to clean up when I noticed my phone on top of my bed. I approached it slowly, still hesitant to open it. There were numerous missed calls from the same person-Gio. There were also some messages, but I didn’t open them. I didn’t want to read them because I knew they would only bring me pain.
I tightly gripped my phone before deciding to get some fresh air on the balcony of my room. The view from my balcony wasn’t particularly beautiful. Unlike Sienna’s room, which had a nicer view, from here, you could see the front of the house, the subdivision’s street, and the neighboring houses.
As I stepped outside, a cold breeze greeted me, causing me to embrace myself. I averted my gaze, not wanting to see anything, but my eyes were drawn to a familiar figure of a man.
Outside our house gate, Gio’s car was parked. He was leaning against it, and when he noticed me, he suddenly stood up and looked in my direction. My eyes widened because I thought he had already gone home.
He quickly tapped his cellphone without taking his eyes off me. I jumped when my own phone vibrated in my hand. I glanced at it and saw the caller’s name.
“Gio.”
I looked back at Gio. Despite the distance between us, I could tell and feel that he was hoping I would answer his call. I turned away from him and switched off my phone. I rushed back into my room and locked myself in.