62: Misunderstood…

Khana stood at the threshold of the monastery, her decision weighing heavily on her heart. The cool morning air brushed against her skin as she made a silent vow to herself—she would go back to the house of the man who had slapped her, but not to reconcile. She would return to confront Richard and demand a divorce. 

She decided to go back to the house of the man who slapped her. She promised not to disturb the priest anymore, afraid of not getting hold of her heart, she chose to leave him alone. Her sole focus now is to divorce Richard and get custody of the child. 

The sound of soft voices pulled her from her thoughts. The sisters of the monastery were gathered around a long table, filled with plates of rice omelet, fresh lumpia, and crispy bacon. They smiled warmly at her as she approached.

Khana was putting Kharl to sleep. So, she could move without bringing the baby with her.

“Come, lady Khana. Join us before you leave,” says one of the sisters gathered around a long table full of rice omelet, fresh lumpia, and Bacon.

Khana hesitated for a moment, but she couldn’t refuse the sisters' kindness, not after everything they had done for her.

"Thank you, sisters. I will put Kharl to sleep first."

It only took a couple of minutes for Kharl to sleep. Henry stood up and approached the lady, he told her, "Bring the crib next to you so we can still notice Kharl while having breakfast."

Khana nodded and did what the priest advised her to do. She occupied the seat next to sister Dina. She felt a strange eerie air between her and the sister who used to be kind to her.

“What time will your friend come?” Sister Dina asked.

“She’s on the way, sister,” Khana replied and smiled awkwardly at sister Dina. She felt sister Dina was eyeing her with an unusual gaze.

“It’s good to hear you are going back to your husband. You know marriage is sacred and you can’t just leave without even trying to fix it,” Sister Dina uttered while handing over a plate of rice to Khana.

“Besides, don’t run away and try to look for a replacement just because you no longer want to keep your marriage;” Sister Dina added.

A moment of silence surrounded the table. Everyone's eyes fall on Sister Dina and Khana. Those eyes that say, 'What's going on' -it's giving Khana an uneasy feeling. It felt like she had done something wrong...

Khana gulped in surprise upon hearing such a bold statement from a servant of the church. How can she be cruel to say those words in front of the other nuns?

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure, but the tension in her chest grew unbearable. “Please excuse me,” she muttered, standing abruptly. “I’ll go to the washroom.”. 

She glanced at the crib, checking if the child was still asleep. Unbeknownst to the lady who left to go to the washroom, Sister Dina also left the table to follow Khana’s shadow. As Khana reached the washroom and splashed cold water on her face, she heard the soft shuffle of footsteps behind her.

“I need to ask you something, Sister,” came Sister Dina’s voice, low and pointed. Her gazes are fierce and full of prejudice. She already had concluded things in her mind even before confronting the lady.

Khana straightened, turning to face the nun.“Sister Dina… why do I feel like you are being hostile to me? Have I wronged you?” She asked calmly.

“You’ve wronged the church,” Sister Dina responded coldly.

Khana’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Sister Dina’s eyes narrowed. “I saw you last night. You and Father Henry... embracing each other in the middle of the night. How can you be so shameless? Do you really want to ruin a servant of God?” Her voice dripped with accusation, and Khana’s heart dropped.

“ We took you in because HHFather Henry told us you need a shelter. I haven’t sent the letter to the pope, but I won’t report it anymore since you are leaving,” the nun added.

“Sister Dina, you got it all wrong… We had no illicit affair,” Khana replied.

Khana’s face flushed with disbelief. “Sister Dina, you’ve misunderstood. I would never—”

Khana thought the sister was just protecting the church and feared a shameful thing might burst under her nose.  For the lady, it was understandable, but on the other hand, how can a sacred figure bear such a malicious mind?

“Then why were you in his room?” Sister Dina pressed. 

“Why were you embracing him?”

“I brought him tea since I noticed his pale complexion. It’s also a token of appreciation for helping me, but I had no intention to seduce any man. He embraced me as he mistook me for his mother. He had a nightmare.”

Sister Dina remained silent, her face hard and unreadable. After a long pause, she sighed. “I see. Perhaps I was too quick to judge.” But her tone was icy, as though the doubt still lingered.

Shortly after, the sister excused her rudeness. They returned to the table and continued the meal. Khana thought everything was cleared, but everything got messy when…

“Khana, let’s go," says Serina.

“Please hold Kharl for a while. I'll Just bid goodbye to them,” says Khana. She approached the sisters to embrace them and kiss their cheeks. 

Khana thought everything was cleared, but everything got messy when…

She momentarily stopped when it was her turn to say farewell to Henry. When she reached Henry, something shifted in the air. 

The awkwardness between them was palpable. However, before they got over the awkwardness, a bucket of cold water poured over their veins when they heard a familiar voice from a distance.

“I knew it!”

“R-Richard…” Khana mumbled; fear was written all over her face.

“R-Richard...” she stammered once again, barely able to speak. Fear was written all over her face as the man she had tried to escape from stood before her.

Richard strode toward them, his expression dark and menacing. “So this is where you’ve been hiding,” he spat, his voice low and venomous. His eyes flicked to Henry, then back to Khana, filled with fury and suspicion.