KATALINA
“If I get you right, he took you on a trip to Milan, then forced himself on you?” Emilia sneered. “I knew it. He is a beast. I told you to be careful around him.”
She was so pissed that I could almost see steams wriggling out of her ears.
I had hardly managed to avoid telling her Huracio’s dick size, spinning a web of lies on how I lost my virginity. I tried to make it look like I was lured into it, but when I saw how angry she was, I started thinking of how to turn the anger away from Huracio. What if she decides to confront him? Emilia is like a mother hen and she is good at fighting dirty if it calls for it.
“Emilia. It’s not like that. He didn’t force himself. I was overwhelmed and careless. You know how I have always wanted to go to Milan.”
“So, he didn’t rape you. You intentionally slept with him?”
The look in her eyes was so disdainful that I felt like burying my head in the sand like an ostrich. If she can be this disgusted about a lie, what will happen if I tell her the truth? She would probably stop being my friend if I told her the things I had done with Huracio. The things he’s been doing to me.
“Emilia, it wasn’t intentional. Please, understand me. I was overwhelmed with emotions and just lost control.” I tried to explain more, but I was exasperated. I wished she didn’t care so much.
“…”
She scoffed and turned to the oven. She bent down, and opened it, checking the cookies. “You said you have something to tell me?” she said in a monotone.
Thanking my stars that she finally decided to let it go, I huffed and said, “You better sit down for this.”
“That serious?” she straightened up and asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly not believing my words.
“I saw Mum.”
“What?” She exclaimed, flung off her oven mitts, and hurried over. “Did you say you saw your Mum?”
I nodded and she continued, “Where? When? How is she?”
“Emilia, I don’t understand her. I…” my voice caught in my throat and a sob bubbled in my chest. I took a deep breath, swallowed it, and kept going.
“She did it intentionally. She left Huracio at the altar and left me to take her place. She did it intentionally.”
“No way! Helena will never do something like that!” Emilia earnestly shook her head.
“She told me herself. I am not making this up!” I snapped in exasperation.
Emilia froze, staring at me with wild eyes. “You are serious. Ain’t you?” She whispered.
“I am dead serious. That was why I nearly walked into a speeding car. I was dizzy from meeting her.”
“Oh, my god, Kata. This is-I…” She stuttered, not knowing what to say. She sat beside me and held my hand. “Tell me everything.” She said with a grave voice.
There wasn’t much to say, but by the time I was done, I was sobbing uncontrollably.
“I can’t believe she did that to you,” Emilia whispered.
“Emilia, what should I do? She said I shouldn’t trust him, and that she would be back to see me again. What should I do?” I wailed.
“You need to make her tell you what is going on.”
“She wouldn’t say. Huracio wouldn’t say. Nobody is telling me anything!”
Just then, the oven’s alarm started beeping. Springing up, Emilia quickly got the cookies out and replaced them with another batch of snacks that needed baking.
We worked through the whole afternoon, baking, and trying to figure out what was going on. But none of what we came up with made sense. Finally, Emilia said I should try to probe Huracio.
I left her house in the late afternoon, and when I got home, I spent the whole evening moping around in my room. There were so many things going on in my head. Things I couldn’t share with Emilia because she wouldn’t understand.
For one, I felt utterly betrayed and angry with Mum. When I brought that up with Emilia, she tried to convince me that Mum must have a good reason. She felt I should give her a chance to explain herself on her next visit.
Secondly, Mum changed?
Everything about her was different. She was cold and distant. Her usually calm and bright eyes were shifty and filled with mystery. I couldn’t read them at all. This was why I couldn’t agree with Emilia’s ideas.
And thirdly, I was happy and relieved that Mum didn’t want Huracio. I can keep him for myself without feeling guilty. But then, what if he turns in me after failing to get Mum?: would he take it out on me? The way he treated Amber flashed through my mind, making me shiver. He can’t possibly do that to me, right?…
“Have you checked? Did you find anything?” These were Emilia’s first words to me the next morning.
We met at the school gate where I joined her car while Stone returned home.
“I haven’t.” I shook my head. “I am scared.”
“What is there to be scared of? It’s not your fault he keeps his study open, right?” She sneered.
Her logic made me chuckle. If only she knew how crazy and frightening Huracio is. The whole house is wired. Even the bathrooms are not spared.
“Rosa is watching me closely. Until she believes I am fully recovered, she will keep watching me. So I have to wait.” I explained.
The week went on in a burr of lectures and orientation activities. I kept looking at people’s faces, hoping to see Mum, but she didn’t appear.
By the middle of the week, Huracio’s schedule changed and he started staying in bed longer and returning earlier. I missed him so much, but the secret I carried made it difficult for me to even look him in the eye. Several times, he asked if I was okay, and I said yes.
I started serving him warm milk every night, hoping I could catch something. But each time I went in with the milk, we ended up making love and ruining his paperwork.
Then, one day, while he was in between my legs, pounding away, he received a call. It was an emergency. Without finishing, Huracio left in a singlet and black pants. I have never seen him that distraught.
He didn’t return until the afternoon of the next day. That was when I found out that Salvatore’s clubhouse was set on fire, and the company’s server was hacked. None of these things made sense to me until the next day when I once again got pulled from behind and dragged into a corner by my dearest mother.
“Hm, Katalina. How have you been doing?” She smiled brightly at me. She looked so familiar and distant at the same time. Quite awkward.
“Mum? What are you doing here? What if someone sees you?” I whispered in shock and wariness.
Since I got to know that she intentionally got me mixed up with Huracio, I held a grudge. Though I wasn’t planning to expose her, I also didn’t want to see her.
“Don’t worry. I have my means. I am safe.” She smiled. “How are you, my lovely Kata?” She reached out, trying to cup my face, but I stepped back and glared at her.
“Mum, what do you want?” I sneered angrily.
She paused. The smile on her face disappeared. “You told Huracio about us, didn’t you? You fool!” She snapped angrily, catching me off guard.
“No, I didn’t!” I blurted out before I could stop myself. But the moment those words left my mouth, I felt a renewed surge of anger. Why do I have to explain myself to her? She was the one in the wrong here. I am the one that should be getting an explanation.