80. The Mind Trick!

Author's POV 

Rotero stopped and turned towards her. His eyes were also filled with pain. 

Marona wiped her tears and threw herself in his embrace. 

"I know!"

She sobbed when Rotero didn't hug her back.

"I know you have restrictions and rules but you have given me this new life. You might have abandoned me but your values and teachings are always with me. They always guide me... Thank you for this new life. I'll always be grateful... I know, today you can't accept me but I have a hope that one day you will do... I'll wait for the day."

Rotero's eyes were also in tears. 

"I never abandoned you, Miguel... I was just protecting you. The tribe wasn't your home. You are right, I have restrictions. I live in a community which is strong in its morals and I can't break the rules. If your mother wouldn't have broken the rules then you wouldn't have to suffer so much..."

He caressed her head and wiped her tears.

"You can't enter the tribe but I can come out and one day I might come to visit you... Tell your kids about me, tell them that I love them... Now go, you have to fight for justice."

She watched them with a heavy heart as they retrieved in the forest. When she was in a tribe and was getting trained, they gave a unique sound to each person so whenever they are in trouble, they can make the sound and call their people for rescue. 

Marona wasn't hopeful that they would come because she was no longer part of the tribe but they did and she couldn't thank them enough. They didn't abandon her. 

"One day, he will come!" 

Mikhail assured. He knows that Rotero has a soft spot for her and that's why he sent her to Mulan. It was a smart decision because he might have an idea that she will give her Marona's place as the real one was dead. 

She smiled at him sadly.

"Hopefully!"

Mikhail removed the rocks around the tires and she got inside the car. 

"Where do we find him now? He misled us into the forest... I am scared for the kids"

"Relax!"

Mikhail tried to calm her down and tried to think about the possibilities.

"He is not in the forest then he might be at the place where it all started... He wants you to come there..."

Marona frowned.

"The house!"

"Yes, the house!"

Mikhail nodded. 

They drove to the town towards Miguel's house. She quickly got out when they reached there but Mikhail grabbed her hand.

"Be careful. This might be another trap!"

She nodded in agreement and walked beside him as they opened the door and entered inside. 

"Ivan!"

She called him, the house wasn't empty as before, there were few things which made her think how long he was hiding here.

They saw him sitting on the couch with Sabrina on his lap who was crying and he was just admiring her crying like a maniac.

"She cries too much. Irritating!"

He scowled at her. 

"This one is calm. That's why I like boys. No drama and nothing!"

He pointed at Andres who was on the coffee table in front of him.

"Sabrina, stop crying baby!"

Mikhail called her, knowing that she would calm down after hearing his voice and she did. Her little head turned around to find her father. 

Ivan chuckled surprised when she stopped crying. 

"She is just like her mother..."

He caressed her head and Marona's heart was pounding while watching her babies with the monster. 

"Miguel used to cry like this in his childhood. And the same as Sabrina, he used to keep quiet when I used to call him." 

He laughed. 

"Sabrina is a nice name. I liked it!... Beautiful name, sounds familiar. I don't know why."

Marona smirked when he said that. 

"Glad you liked it!" 

He nodded as his head shook a bit like he was struggling to move it. 

"Yeah! But I didn't like your face..."

He got up while holding both kids in his arms and Mikhail gritted because he didn't like his kids in his arms.

"Why do you look like my Jacaranda? Why do you have her beautiful face? You shouldn't look like her because you are not our daughter. You are a bastard."

"But I am a symbol of love and not abuse, Ivan"

Marona replied proudly.

"You wrote your own destiny. You made her life hell and that's why you lost her. You ruined everyone's lives..."

He looked at her confused. 

"I ruined everything, how?"

He shook his head in denial.

"What did I do wrong? I freed her from those wild places where those gross people live like animals. I showed her my life, more civilized and clean. She was lucky that I rescued a beautiful girl who was living in the dirt... I gave her house and protection."

"Protection from whom?"

She snapped at him. 

"She needed protection from you."

He chuckled in disapproval.

"No, I protected her from the world. Dark world... I made sure that no one could look at her with dirty eyes. I made her a woman. A woman whose world was her husband and child. I didn't snatch her freedom, she was lucky to take care of her family. That's what a woman's purpose is and showed her the right path with discipline. "

"Narcissist!"

She scowled in disguise.

"What's that?"

He frowned.

"I loved her... I gave her everything until she betrayed me... My own brother betrayed me. They fucked behind my back and lied that their offspring is my child... I was fucking parenting their dirt."

"You are definitely losing your tongue for calling her that. Mark my words!"

Mikhail warned. 

He laughed. 

"Oh no, you won't understand because you are not a man. You are not manly enough to punish your wife for birthing someone else's child... In fact you are taking care of it. You are a shame to men. Be a man and punish your wife like I did... Have you learnt anything from your father at all?"

"You have the wrong definition of being a man and that's why your life is destroyed like this."

Marona spat madly. 

"Look at Leonardo, he got killed by his own children and the same is going to happen to you. You killed my parents, I'll never forgive you for that..."

Ivan smiled maniacally.

"You are in my house. Do you really think you can go alive from here?"

His neck shook uncontrollably and Mikhail frowned, not understanding what was happening to him.

"I am pissed at you. Why did you move my wife from her home. She was resting in peace. You are a mannerless cunt! Now I am going to punish your children for your mistakes."

"Are you sure that they are our babies?"

Marona smirked. 

Ivan looked at them confused. 

"What do you mean?"

Mikhail also looked at her confused.

She chuckled. 

"You think I don't know that you were keeping watch on us. I'll be a fool to keep my babies unattended just for you to take them away... The babies you are holding are my maid's babies. Mine are still at home."

Ivan frowned.

"No. These are yours. I know!"

He looked at their faces confused. 

She laughed. 

"All babies look the same... Your old eyes might have deceived you, I can understand... It happens!" 

"You wouldn't have come here to find them. You are lying!"

He accused, madly.

"We just wanted you to come out... Now the hospital thinks that the mad Ivan has escaped from the hospital. We couldn't hurt you there, you just made our work easy... Now no one will know what happened to you..."

She mocked. 

"You might be smart but I am smarter than you. You seriously thought that you would enter the castle and no one would find out. You were trapped the moment you left the hospital... Yeah, but I really have to appreciate you because you did mislead us into the forest. By the way, why did you do that when you wanted us to come here? Did you forget things or what?"

"No, No... I didn't forget about anything."

He placed the babies down with shaky hands.

"How can I?... I was the smartest one from my team... Everyone fears me and you should too."

He looked around like a lost man. 

"I remember everything. See, this is my house. My wife Jacaranda used to sit here to enjoy her tea. My son Miguel used to study beside her..."

He showed her in panic. 

"This painting."

He pointed at it.

"I brought it from auction because it had a Jacaranda tree in it."

He rushed towards the window.

"And here she had planted some plants. See, I remember everything."

Marona quickly grabbed her babies when he was lost and stepped back.

"What did you do to him?"

Mikhail asked confused. 

She smirked mischievously.

"Just playing with his smart mind... You wanna know how?"

His eyes widened when he realised what she did to him.

"Fuck! When did you do that?"